Falling For A Cowboy (8 page)

“
Here in
Langley
?
”

She shook her head
.
She wanted a new start, a fresh beginning
,
and she didn
’
t think
Langley
would provide that
.
Not that she didn
’
t love the town
.
She did
.
She wanted to find one just like it
.
“
My mom teaches here
.
I think I
’
d like to try someplace else
.
Not too far away
.
But something
new.
I
’
ve a job interview in
Fort Davis on T
hursday
.
”

His eyebrows shot up.
“
You could travel a little f
a
rther south and come see me at the ranch.
”

“
I can
’
t.
”

“
What is it about me, Miss
Dusty,
that
gets
your fur up?
”
He gave her a
practiced
smile
, like a salesman who knows you aren
’
t going to buy but tries anyway
.
“
I
’
m a hard-working man, just won the saddle
bronc
yesterday
,
so I
’
ve got some money in my pocket
.
A
nd I
’
m trying to be respectful as hell and not lean over and continue that kiss
that
had me up all night
. Yet
you act like I
’
ve got some contagious disease
.
”

“
Uh-oh.
”
The announcer
’
s
words
blasted
from
the speaker
.
“
Hold on folks
.
He
’
ll be all right
.
Our medical team is on the field and they know what to do.
”

Quick as lightening, Clay zoomed to the
arena
opening.

Dusty stood frozen as the world receded. Images from that day swamped her
.
Her father.
Down. Not moving. The horns of the bull ramming him before the bulldoggers could distract the beast.

“
It
’
s Jesse
.
I
’
ve got to go.
”
Clay
was back
before her, his face contorted
,
but
she
couldn
’
t answer him
.

She felt his hands on her shoulders. Felt the shake
.

“
Yes. Go
,
”
s
he managed to get out.

He was gone
.
Oh God
, she prayed
.
Not again
.

* * *

“
I
’
m fine.
”
Jesse l
ooked pitiful as he lay
on the
cot
’
s
white mattress while a tall
,
thin man Dusty didn
’
t recognize wrapped tape around his middle. His face was pale
,
with cuts and scratches
,
his lean torso
dotted with
blue
bruises
.
He looked anything but fine.

It had taken Dusty a few moments to recover
after Clay left
.
She
’
d put the concession to rights, serv
ed
the few stragglers who happened by, and as soon as the rodeo was
officially
over,
she
’
d
closed up and headed to the medical tent
.
Adam
had
announced that
the cowboy just had the wind knocked out of him
,
but Dusty knew
they
always white-washed injuries
for the crowd
.
No one would have a good time if they thought the cowboys actually got hurt
.
And most of them didn
’
t—not life-threatening hurt anyway
.
But rodeo—bull riding in particular—was an extreme sport
,
dangerous and
hazardous to
the
health
.
All these years she
’
d been trying to figure out why
cowboys
did it
,
and she still had no answer.

She brushed a hand down
Jesse
’
s
cheek as the
EMT
finished up.

Jesse
’
s
fingers
came up to still hers as a smile
claimed
his face
,
or was that a grimace
?
It was hard to tell.

“
That feels good
,
Dusty
.
So good I
’
ll be embarrassing myself with the
medic
here.
”
His eyes searched hers
.
She almost wished she could feel something for h
im
.
He seemed a safer harbor than Clay
.
More settled, more committed, less a player
.
But still a bull rider.

The
EMT
stepped closer.
“
You need to rest up and get this checked out
with some x-rays
.
You don
’
t rate an ambulance ride, but you should stop by t
he Trauma Center
. It
’
s
out on the interstate
.
You pass it on the way out of town
.
”
With a nod, t
he
EMT
gathered his things and
proceeded to the cowboy
on the other cot
waiting his turn.

If her resolve was at all weakening where Clay was concerned, this incident shored it up
.
No way could she take the worry of watching a rough
stock rider she cared about on any animal.
Of course, Clay wasn
’
t
looking for a relationship
—and
Jesse
probably w
as
n
’
t either
. They were just interested in a good time.
The kind of time that would have landed on
e
of them in her bed
.
It was Sunday afternoon
,
and they would be going home
. Soon the
temptation would be over
.

Still, the sight of Jesse laid out called up tender feelings.
“
Is there anything I can do? You want something to drink
or eat
?
You can eat can
’
t you?
”

“
Yeah, none of my vital organs were touched
.
None of them.
”
He gave her a wink.

Clay hovered near
er
.
“
Need help getting up
?
”
he asked in a clipped tone
.
He sounded unreasonably irritated with Jesse for getting thrown.

“
A hand would be nice
,
”
Jesse said.

Dusty moved aside as Clay came
a
round to brace
Jesse
’
s back
.
Clay offered
his
hand
.
Jesse clasped
it
,
and
let out a
deep moan
as
Clay pulled him up.

“
Hell
,
if these are just bruised I
’
d hate to think what it would feel like if I broke
‘
em
.
”

Clay scowled
.
“
You don
’
t know you haven
’
t
.
We
’
ve got to get you to the hospital
so they can
x-ray
those ribs
.
”

“
There
ain
’
t
nothing
different they are going to be able to do if they
’
re broken
.
Just means I won
’
t be feeling better for a longer while
.
No need for a hospital.
”

“
What if something else is a problem
?
What if something else got
busted?
”

Like a lung got punctured
?
Dusty
shuddered.

Clay must have seen that shudder because he placed a warm hand on her shoulder.
“
I
’
ll see he does the right thing, Dusty
.
He
’
s just bull-headed, as always.
”

Gingerly
,
Jesse moved off the table
.
“
There is one thing you could do for me
,
Dusty
,
”
he
said as he stood before her, pale
,
and probably weaker than he was admitting.

“
What?
”
she asked as she
glanced
at Clay. He looked like a man getting ready to object, his feet spread apart, his hands
tense
at his side.

Jesse
’
s
finger skimmed her jaw. He was going to kiss her
.
In an attempt to stave off the caress
she
quickly gave him a peck on his swollen che
e
k. He grimaced.

“
Not quite the kiss I had in mind but
guess it
will do
,
”
he said in a low voice.

“
Come on Romeo, we
’
ve got to make tracks
.
I
’
ve got c
hores waiting
, yours and mine
,
”
Clay growled.

Jesse didn
’
t move
.
“
Will you be here next week
?
”

She gulped.
“
Next week?
”
Surely this was it
.
They weren
’
t coming back.
Were they?

Jesse nodded
.
“
Sure
,
next week
.
I didn
’
t earn enough yet to get those boots from that pretty blonde
who owns the
saddlery
,
and Clay
’
s got a heck of a lot more to earn.
”