apart, and he was coming for her. God, he was coming for her, but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t move.
Out of nowhere, a figure jumped into the ring. “Get her the hell out of here, Bay!”
Zach’s voice. Zach was circling the bull.
Blackness fell as she fainted.
Chapter Nine
D usty awoke in Harper Bay’s arms.
“Shh,” he said. “Don’t try to talk. We’ve called 9-1-1, and one of the rodeo docs is on his way.”
9-1-1? That was silly. She was fine. She opened her mouth to voice this thought, but nothing came out.
“Can you understand me, Dusty?” Harper asked.
Again, no words would come. She tried to nod her head, but wasn’t sure if she was successful.
“I think she has a concussion.” Harper’s voice sounded distant, muffled.
“Let me take a look.” Another voice.
Then a blinding light in her eye. “Pupils are responding. That’s good. What was she doing on that bull, anyway?”
“Don’t know.”
Dusty tried to speak again, but failed.
“Well, she looks better than the other fella.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Gored pretty good in his thigh. He won’t be bronc busting for a while.”
Zach? Were they talking about Zach?
“But he’s okay, right?”
“Yeah, he’ll live. I cleaned him up as good as I could and sedated him, but he needs to go to the hospital for stitches and antibiotics. I’d like this little lady to go as well.”
No. No hospitals. Hospitals held only pain and death. Dusty opened her mouth to protest, but only a croak came out.
Please, not the hospital . Zach, I want Zach.
She drifted back into oblivion.
----
D usty was dying of thirst . Her throat was parched. An iced tea would be heavenly. “Water?” she croaked.
Harper came to her quickly.
“Where am I?” she asked, her voice hoarse and raspy.
“The hospital, honey. You have a concussion.”
She looked down and was dressed in a horrid hospital gown. Lying in a hospital bed.
Her worst nightmare.
No IV, though. Thank God.
“Zach?”
“He’s here. He’s going to be fine.”
Thank God, thank God . “I don’t want to see him.”
“You don’t have to see anyone you don’t want to.”
She tried to sit up, but realized quickly what a bad idea it was.
“I don’t think so,” Harper said, gently pushing her back down.
“I need to call my brother.”
“I’ll call him.” He whipped out a cell phone. “What’s the number?”
No cell phone. “Just leave a message for him. We’re staying at the Holiday Inn downtown.”
“I’ll take care of it, honey. You just rest.” He brought her a glass of ice chips. “Here, suck on these. It’ll help.”
Ice chips. To Dusty, the sweet water trickling down her aching throat was nectar of the gods.
“Harper?”
“Yeah?”
“How long did I stay on?”
He chuckled softly. “Trust you to think of that right now.”
“Well?”
“You were awesome. You stayed on for six seconds.”
She closed her eyes. Not long enough. If she could only have made it for two more seconds…
Another failure.
She slept.
----
R unny scrambled eggs and a freaking knife in his thigh. Not Zach’s ideal breakfast. The coffee sucked, too. Spending the night in the hospital during the stock show and rodeo was not on his agenda for these two weeks. All because of one stubborn, beautiful woman. He was madder than old Diablo himself. Thank God she was all right, though. He’d gotten a positive report from his morning nurse.
“Never fear, coffee’s here!” Chad bellowed in his deep voice as he walked through the door, carrying two large Starbucks cups and an Einstein Bros Bagels bag. “Couldn’t abandon you to hospital food, brother.”
“You’re a goddamned saint, Chad,” Zach said, pushing his tray away. “Bring that stuff here. Please .”
“How are you feeling?”
“Been better.” Zach took a long slow drink of coffee.
“I called Ma. She’s on her way.”
“Hell, she doesn’t need to come out here for this.”
“She was going
Out of nowhere, a figure jumped into the ring. “Get her the hell out of here, Bay!”
Zach’s voice. Zach was circling the bull.
Blackness fell as she fainted.
Chapter Nine
D usty awoke in Harper Bay’s arms.
“Shh,” he said. “Don’t try to talk. We’ve called 9-1-1, and one of the rodeo docs is on his way.”
9-1-1? That was silly. She was fine. She opened her mouth to voice this thought, but nothing came out.
“Can you understand me, Dusty?” Harper asked.
Again, no words would come. She tried to nod her head, but wasn’t sure if she was successful.
“I think she has a concussion.” Harper’s voice sounded distant, muffled.
“Let me take a look.” Another voice.
Then a blinding light in her eye. “Pupils are responding. That’s good. What was she doing on that bull, anyway?”
“Don’t know.”
Dusty tried to speak again, but failed.
“Well, she looks better than the other fella.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Gored pretty good in his thigh. He won’t be bronc busting for a while.”
Zach? Were they talking about Zach?
“But he’s okay, right?”
“Yeah, he’ll live. I cleaned him up as good as I could and sedated him, but he needs to go to the hospital for stitches and antibiotics. I’d like this little lady to go as well.”
No. No hospitals. Hospitals held only pain and death. Dusty opened her mouth to protest, but only a croak came out.
Please, not the hospital . Zach, I want Zach.
She drifted back into oblivion.
----
D usty was dying of thirst . Her throat was parched. An iced tea would be heavenly. “Water?” she croaked.
Harper came to her quickly.
“Where am I?” she asked, her voice hoarse and raspy.
“The hospital, honey. You have a concussion.”
She looked down and was dressed in a horrid hospital gown. Lying in a hospital bed.
Her worst nightmare.
No IV, though. Thank God.
“Zach?”
“He’s here. He’s going to be fine.”
Thank God, thank God . “I don’t want to see him.”
“You don’t have to see anyone you don’t want to.”
She tried to sit up, but realized quickly what a bad idea it was.
“I don’t think so,” Harper said, gently pushing her back down.
“I need to call my brother.”
“I’ll call him.” He whipped out a cell phone. “What’s the number?”
No cell phone. “Just leave a message for him. We’re staying at the Holiday Inn downtown.”
“I’ll take care of it, honey. You just rest.” He brought her a glass of ice chips. “Here, suck on these. It’ll help.”
Ice chips. To Dusty, the sweet water trickling down her aching throat was nectar of the gods.
“Harper?”
“Yeah?”
“How long did I stay on?”
He chuckled softly. “Trust you to think of that right now.”
“Well?”
“You were awesome. You stayed on for six seconds.”
She closed her eyes. Not long enough. If she could only have made it for two more seconds…
Another failure.
She slept.
----
R unny scrambled eggs and a freaking knife in his thigh. Not Zach’s ideal breakfast. The coffee sucked, too. Spending the night in the hospital during the stock show and rodeo was not on his agenda for these two weeks. All because of one stubborn, beautiful woman. He was madder than old Diablo himself. Thank God she was all right, though. He’d gotten a positive report from his morning nurse.
“Never fear, coffee’s here!” Chad bellowed in his deep voice as he walked through the door, carrying two large Starbucks cups and an Einstein Bros Bagels bag. “Couldn’t abandon you to hospital food, brother.”
“You’re a goddamned saint, Chad,” Zach said, pushing his tray away. “Bring that stuff here. Please .”
“How are you feeling?”
“Been better.” Zach took a long slow drink of coffee.
“I called Ma. She’s on her way.”
“Hell, she doesn’t need to come out here for this.”
“She was going
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