gotta get to the medical room.”
“What’s wrong? Your ride looked just about perfect.”
Garret smiled. His ride had been fucking perfect. At least Aaron had noticed and appreciated it, even if Silver had thought he’d looked like a—what were her exact words? A rag doll.
“Thanks. My shoulder’s just acting up again. A little ice will fix it up. Maybe a shot of cortisone.” Garret touched his shoulder for effect. Aaron didn’t seem to be suspicious any longer at finding him standing with Silver. He decided to do his best to keep it that way. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
Aaron nodded and turned back to Silver. Garret decided to leave her to clean up her own mess with her brother. She seemed to have this lying thing down better than he did anyway.
He made his way down the hall and to the room the sports-medicine team had set up for caring for the riders. Inside, Garret saw the bulls had definitely won the night, if the number of riders covering every surface in various states of undress was any indication.
“Hey, Garret. What’s up?” Doc Tandy’s gaze swept him from head to toe.
“My shoulder.”
He nodded. “I told you it wasn’t going to get any better. Only worse.”
Garret supposed the doctor had said that, but he’d chosen to ignore it and would continue to do so as long as he could still ride through the pain. “It’s not bad. Just sore. Some ice should do me fine.”
The doctor grabbed Garret’s arm with both hands, raising and rotating it at the shoulder. Garret winced as the pain shot through him. Doc Tandy saw the expression and scowled. “You need surgery.”
“Nah. I’m good.”
Tandy shook his head and blew out a loud breath. “Take off your shirt. I’ll get you that ice.”
Luke Carpenter was leaning on one of the tables, ice on his knee. “You know, you could get that taken care of during the break and hardly miss any of the season.”
“Yeah, or I could keep ignoring it.” Garret nodded toward Luke’s leg stretched out straight on the table in a brace. The man had been riding with a torn ACL for most of the season himself. “You could get that taken care of during the break too.”
“I plan on it. Wedding, then surgery, then a nice long recuperation with my new wife tending to my every need.”
“Sounds like a plan, but did you let Annie in on it?” Garret laughed.
“Yup. She’s just happy I’m finally getting it taken care of. And the diamond ring didn’t hurt.” Luke looked happier than Garret had seen him in years, even though he was sitting in the medical room in his underwear with ice on his knee.
“Guess not.” Garret laughed. “Congratulations on the engagement, by the way.”
“Thanks.” Luke smiled and adjusted the ice on his knee. “It was long overdue.”
Garret frowned. “You haven’t been dating Annie that long.”
In fact, as far as he knew they’d only been a couple for a few months—just since Luke had come back from his very short retirement earlier this season.
“No, but I took too damn long to find her, and now that I have, I’m making it permanent.” There was a firmness, an expression of determination on Luke’s face that usually only appeared when he was facing a bull in the chute.
He considered that, how Luke could be so sure. Luke was in his thirties and nearing permanent retirement, at least from this level of the sport. Garret was close to ten years younger than Luke, but he supposed a man might think about settling down on the downward slope of a great career.
But how would he know when he’d found the right one? Maybe it was the pain in his shoulder, or the aftermath of the sex with Silver combined with the low that followed the adrenaline high, but Garret was feeling kind of sentimental. He decided to ask. “Luke?”
“Yeah?” He raised his gaze from inspecting his knee and planted the icepack back on the swollen joint.
“How’d you know Annie was the one?”
Luke’s brows rose high
“What’s wrong? Your ride looked just about perfect.”
Garret smiled. His ride had been fucking perfect. At least Aaron had noticed and appreciated it, even if Silver had thought he’d looked like a—what were her exact words? A rag doll.
“Thanks. My shoulder’s just acting up again. A little ice will fix it up. Maybe a shot of cortisone.” Garret touched his shoulder for effect. Aaron didn’t seem to be suspicious any longer at finding him standing with Silver. He decided to do his best to keep it that way. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
Aaron nodded and turned back to Silver. Garret decided to leave her to clean up her own mess with her brother. She seemed to have this lying thing down better than he did anyway.
He made his way down the hall and to the room the sports-medicine team had set up for caring for the riders. Inside, Garret saw the bulls had definitely won the night, if the number of riders covering every surface in various states of undress was any indication.
“Hey, Garret. What’s up?” Doc Tandy’s gaze swept him from head to toe.
“My shoulder.”
He nodded. “I told you it wasn’t going to get any better. Only worse.”
Garret supposed the doctor had said that, but he’d chosen to ignore it and would continue to do so as long as he could still ride through the pain. “It’s not bad. Just sore. Some ice should do me fine.”
The doctor grabbed Garret’s arm with both hands, raising and rotating it at the shoulder. Garret winced as the pain shot through him. Doc Tandy saw the expression and scowled. “You need surgery.”
“Nah. I’m good.”
Tandy shook his head and blew out a loud breath. “Take off your shirt. I’ll get you that ice.”
Luke Carpenter was leaning on one of the tables, ice on his knee. “You know, you could get that taken care of during the break and hardly miss any of the season.”
“Yeah, or I could keep ignoring it.” Garret nodded toward Luke’s leg stretched out straight on the table in a brace. The man had been riding with a torn ACL for most of the season himself. “You could get that taken care of during the break too.”
“I plan on it. Wedding, then surgery, then a nice long recuperation with my new wife tending to my every need.”
“Sounds like a plan, but did you let Annie in on it?” Garret laughed.
“Yup. She’s just happy I’m finally getting it taken care of. And the diamond ring didn’t hurt.” Luke looked happier than Garret had seen him in years, even though he was sitting in the medical room in his underwear with ice on his knee.
“Guess not.” Garret laughed. “Congratulations on the engagement, by the way.”
“Thanks.” Luke smiled and adjusted the ice on his knee. “It was long overdue.”
Garret frowned. “You haven’t been dating Annie that long.”
In fact, as far as he knew they’d only been a couple for a few months—just since Luke had come back from his very short retirement earlier this season.
“No, but I took too damn long to find her, and now that I have, I’m making it permanent.” There was a firmness, an expression of determination on Luke’s face that usually only appeared when he was facing a bull in the chute.
He considered that, how Luke could be so sure. Luke was in his thirties and nearing permanent retirement, at least from this level of the sport. Garret was close to ten years younger than Luke, but he supposed a man might think about settling down on the downward slope of a great career.
But how would he know when he’d found the right one? Maybe it was the pain in his shoulder, or the aftermath of the sex with Silver combined with the low that followed the adrenaline high, but Garret was feeling kind of sentimental. He decided to ask. “Luke?”
“Yeah?” He raised his gaze from inspecting his knee and planted the icepack back on the swollen joint.
“How’d you know Annie was the one?”
Luke’s brows rose high
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