No Better Man (10 page)

More sirens whined and not a moment too soon, because she really did not want to stand anymore.

The ambulance arrived in a dust storm, rocks pinging metal, dirt flying.

Doors opened. People shouted. But she leaned against Bryce and held on. The nausea started to subside.

“…getting worse.” Bryce was saying something, but she couldn’t focus. A high-pitched ringing screamed in her ears.

She burrowed her head deeper into him, but hands pulled her away and stood her up straight.

No. Not away. Don’t take me away from him
.

“Miss King?” A paramedic dressed in a stiff, blue uniform looked into her eyes. “I’m Justin. This is Lena.” He gestured to a woman with cropped hair. “We’re gonna check out that bump on your head.”

“I already told you. I’m
fine
,” she insisted.

“Let’s get her on the stretcher.” The EMT pushed a yellow gurney toward them. Bryce lifted her like she weighed nothing and lowered her to the foam pad. He turned and started to walk away.

“Wait.” She reached for his hand. “You’re not leaving?”

“Oh. No. I won’t leave.” He stood over her and rested a hand on her arm.

The touch sped up her heart.

“I’ve got to take off, though.” Sawyer appeared next to her. “Another call just came through.” He squeezed her hand. “Hope you feel better. I’ll call and check on you later.”

“Thank you.” Tears pooled in her eyes. She hardly knew Sawyer and he’d been so kind to her. Just like all of Bryce’s other friends. They’d been so accepting, so gracious.

“We need to take your vitals.” Paramedic man butted into her moment, fit a brace around her neck and buckled her to the stretcher, while Lena checked her pulse and took her blood pressure. Then she shined a bright light right into Avery’s eyes.

She blinked hard.
Ow.
“Can I just rest? Everything’ll feel better if I rest.”

“Sorry. No resting,” the EMT said as he fished a clipboard out of a gray bag.

“So how’d you fall off the horse?”

 “Her phone went off and spooked it,” Bryce cut in before she could answer. He kept his hand on her, protective and concerned.

Swept up in all of Bryce’s unnecessary concern, she’d forgotten that her phone had rang. Who’d called? Dad? Barely able to move, she stretched her arms down her sides as far as she could and patted her pockets. They were flat. No phone.

As if reading her mind, Bryce held up her backpack. “It’s in here. I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay.” But her fingers itched to hit the keys, check her messages, her texts. What if her father couldn’t get a hold of her? Would he send in the cavalry? Would he find out she hadn’t closed the deal yet?

The paramedic turned to Bryce. “How long was she unconscious?”

“A minute or two.” He shifted his weight and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “No blood in her ears, but her pupils were definitely dilated.”

Blood in the ears? Dilated pupils? How did he know so much about a head injury?

The EMT finished scribbling something on the clipboard. He shoved it back into a bag and shouldered it. “All right, Miss King. We’ll get you back to the ER.”

Hospital? Nuh uh. No way
. “No hospital.” She tried to sit up, but the ties roped her down. “Can’t I just go back to the lodge? I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She shot a begging look in Bryce’s direction. They didn’t understand what would happen if she got carted into the ER, if Dad found out she’d been injured. He’d fly his jet straight out and make a huge scene like he always did.

“I’d rather not go.” She could handle this herself. She didn’t need him to rescue her.

“Sorry,” EMT man said in a flat tone. “We have to take you in.”

“What if I refuse? Can’t I sign something and refuse treatment?”

The paramedics looked at each other.

“No.” Bryce said sternly. “You’re going to the hospital.”

“Excuse me?” Again, her muscles fought the restraints. She squirmed and wriggled, but those suckers were tight. Finally, she gave up, but made her point with a dirty look. “That’s not your decision.”

He turned away from her and faced the medic. “She’s not thinking clearly. She needs a hospital.”

Frustration hurtled out of her windpipe in a groan. “He’s not in charge of me,” she growled at them, fully aware that she sounded like a sullen teenager. Why couldn’t she calm down? Think rationally? Talk them into her point of view like she always did at work? Emotions clashed, gathering like dark thunderheads on the verge of letting loose.

Bryce backed away. “Take her.”

“You got it.” The paramedics positioned themselves on either side of her and hoisted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance.

Through the open doors, Bryce squeezed her hiking boot. “This is best, Avery. Trust me.”

Her eyes stung. She sucked in a horrified breath.
No crying!
She sniffed back the emotion. “I don’t trust you. Not at all.”

“You don’t have to. I’m still doing what’s best for you.”

“Don’t bother.” She rolled her eyes up to stare at the ceiling. “Like you care, anyway.”

“I do.” His voice was so low and quiet that she had to search his face.

He stood there a second longer, staring at her like he wanted to say something else, but the EMT leaned forward and slammed the door shut.

Her eyes closed as she thought about the way Bryce had cradled her in his arms, how he’d taken care of her. He was just being nice, doing what anyone would’ve done in the situation, but to her it had felt like so much more.

It would look like so much more, too. The second Dad found out she’d been in an accident, he’d drop everything and get out there. And it wouldn’t take him long to see that she’d broken his number one rule: never, ever, under any circumstances get emotionally involved in a business transaction.

Yeah.
It was a little too late for that.

B
ryce jammed the truck into gear and punched the accelerator. Gravel and twigs pinged the undercarriage and made it sound like he was riding out a hailstorm. He gripped the wheel with one hand and fished for his cell with the other.

Come on.
Finally, he ripped the phone from his pocket and hit number one on speed dial.

Pick up, Mom.
It’d taken him fifteen minutes to sprint back to the lodge, enough time for fear to root itself deep inside and entangle him in the same nightmares he’d once drank to battle. Did she make it to the hospital? Was there bleeding in her brain? His head was a mess. She was fine. She’d be fine.

Except he’d made that same promise to himself three years ago, and now he knew better. He knew life was fragile. He knew bad things happened to good people. Yvonne was so good, a much better person than he’d ever be. She could’ve offered the world so much more, and she’d been the one to die.

A familiar hollowness spread through him, but he couldn’t let it swallow him, couldn’t let the memories paralyze him. Not now. Avery needed him. It’d been a damn long time since someone had needed him…

The phone continued to ring against his ear. Where was she? Stomping his boot onto the gas pedal, he tore out onto the highway, a cloud of dust rising behind him like a bad omen.

Finally, the line clicked. “Bryce? Is that you?”

“Yeah.” He veered into the left lane to pass a sports car.

“You finished your ride already?” Disappointment laced her voice. She probably thought he’d run Avery off. If only that was the problem instead of the fact that he’d taken her someplace she had no business being, and now she was lying in a hospital bed in pain and alone.

“Mom, listen.” He raised his voice over the roar of the engine. “There was an accident.”

“An accident?” she gasped. “What happened?”

He switched lanes to veer right in the turnabout, and filled Mom in.

“The poor dear! Is she all right?”

“I don’t know.” Rising anxiety caught in his throat. “I’m on my way to the hospital now.”

Movement scratched across the line. It sounded as if she’d already started running to her truck. “What can I do? How can I help?”

He sped around another slow car, watched the odometer inch up, and scanned the road for cops. “I need you to go to the lodge. Wait for Hooligan and Buttercup to come back.” If they weren’t back already. Those horses knew the woods better than he did.

“I’m leaving right now,” Mom said, already out of breath.

“And call Edward King. Tell him what happened.” Despite what Avery said, he had to tell her father before he found out another way. “Tell him she’s okay, but we’re getting her checked out.” That was all he needed to know for now. His mother could sweet talk anyone into believing everything was fine.

“Yes. Of course. I’ll find the number right away.”

The wheels screeched as he careened into the hospital parking lot. “Thanks.”

“Call me back as soon as you know anything, dear.”

“I will.” Eyes scanning the lot, he clicked off the phone and squeezed the truck into a parking spot near the ER entrance. Lungs burning, he raced through the doors. The waiting area sat empty, minus the receptionist lady sitting behind the counter.

The woman glanced up and slipped on her bifocals. “How can I help you?”

He braced his hands against the counter and tried to breathe like a normal human. “Avery King? They just brought her in.”

She blinked slowly, almost like she was batting her eyelashes. “And what’s your name, doll?”

“Bryce Walker.”

“Oh, right. They told me to expect you. Now what room is she in, again?” The woman trailed her shiny red fingernail all the way down a chart, taking her sweet time to mouth every name on the list. “Ah ha! Avery King. Here we go. She’s in Room 6, honey.”

“Thanks,” he called, already halfway down the hall. He busted through the double doors and watched the numbers pass by.
Four…five…

Six.

The door opened with a
whoosh
. The face that stared back at him didn’t fit. “Meg?”

Perfect.
Just his luck that Meg was on duty. The woman had always loved prying into everyone’s business. Now she’d find out he’d been with Avery King. Voluntarily. She’d never let him hear the end of this. He reached up to knead his forehead.
This day keeps getting better and better.

“Hey there, Bryce.” Meg closed Avery’s door and braced a clipboard against her chest. “Avery told me all about your little ride this morning.”

He ignored the implication in her singsongy tone. “Is she okay?”

“She has a mild concussion. And a touch of altitude sickness, which is what caused the nausea.” Even the doctor speak didn’t wipe that inquisitive smirk off her face. “Didn’t you remind her to stay hydrated on your little date?”

He ignored the date comment. “You’re sure she’s okay, right?” he asked, straining for a neutral expression so she couldn’t read the panic on his face.

Meg obviously didn’t buy it. “So…you and Avery King, huh?” She winked. “Come on, Walker. Don’t hold out on me.”

He looked her square in the face. “It’s nothing.” At least nothing he cared to tell Meg about. He held his uninterested frown steady and prepped for more questions.

“Don’t lie to me. How’d you meet her?”

“She’s staying at the lodge. Trying to convince me to sell the place to her dad.”

“Mmmmm…” Meg seemed to savor the tidbit like it was a piece of that dark chocolate she was always popping into her mouth. “Just how hard is she trying?”

He made a show of rolling his eyes. “Come on, Meg. It’s not like that. I just want to make sure there’s no permanent damage. So her asshole father doesn’t slap me with a lawsuit.” He did his best to look sincere. “So, how bad is it?”

“She’ll be
fine
,” Meg said with a reassuring smile. “We’re rehydrating her and I told her to take it easy for a few days.”

His heart finally slipped back into a safe rhythm and gave his lungs more space to breathe. But…doubts crowded into his gut. “Maybe you should order a CT scan. Just to be safe.”

Meg’s eyes got all sad like they did whenever she talked about Yvonne. “Of course. I’ll do that.” Her gaze flickered back to his, but before she could fire off more questions, he sidestepped her and opened Avery’s door. “Thanks. See you around.”

“Walker, wait.”

His hand paused on the doorknob.

“She seems pretty great.” Meg backed away, face softened with a sentimental smile. “I know you said she’s only a guest at the ranch, but if it turned out to be more than that, I’d be happy for you. You deserve someone who’s pretty great.”

“Thanks.” That meant a lot, coming from her. Of everyone in their group, she’d been Yvonne’s closest friend.

“Tell Avery someone’ll be down to escort her to radiology as soon as there’s a commercial break.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “You know how those orderlies are with their soaps…”

He laughed. “I’ll tell her.”

“See you around, Walker.” Her white clogs squeaked down the hall and he finally opened the door, hands all tense and fisted because it was true. Avery was pretty great and he kind of couldn’t wait to see her.

She looked smaller in the bed, propped up on three pillows, white sheets pulled up to her waist. The sight of the blood still crusted in her blond hair gave him a hard punch of sympathy right under his ribs. He drew closer to her, but she turned her head and glared at him.

“Get out,” she snapped.

He checked over his shoulder to make sure she wasn’t talking to someone else.
Nope. Okay.
So between the time he’d helped load her into the ambulance and now, something had royally pissed her off. Moving closer, he tried to decode that fierce expression on her face. “Is there a problem?”

“This is all your fault.” She brandished her pointer finger at him.

Her anger pushed him back a step. “
What?
”

“You made me ride that horse,” she grumbled. “You did this on purpose.”

He opened his mouth, but there were no words. Didn’t she realize how crazy that sounded? “You think I
wanted
Buttercup to buck you?” He threw up his hands. “What, you think I paid her off or something?”

“This isn’t a joke.” She shimmied her back up against the pillows and crossed her arms like a pouting three-year-old.

He gaped at her. One hour ago she’d clung to him, crying, and thanked him for saving her. Now this? “You told me you knew how to ride,” he reminded her.

She answered with a frustrated grunt and stared out the window.

Despite the risk of setting her off, he grinned. She sure was cute when she got angry. Instead of retreating like she obviously wanted him to, he sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry.”

Her head turned slowly. When their eyes connected her rigid lips went slack.

“Really. I feel awful about this.” He wagered with a touch, just a light brush of his hand on her arm, but it was enough to dry out his mouth. What was he doing? What the hell was he doing?

Avery seemed to wonder the same thing. Her eyes analyzed his as if searching for hidden motives.

She wouldn’t find any, though. He’d touched her because he had to, because it was the only way to ease that growing ache inside of him. She was close enough that he could smell her, the orange blossom scent that reminded him of the orange tree outside of Gramps and Gran’s condo in Florida. She was close enough that if he leaned forward, he could taste her again…

“It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered, looking down at the bed like she didn’t know where to focus. “You’re right. I might’ve
implied
I knew what I was doing.” A small laugh squeaked out but it sounded off-pitch and nervous.

He could relate. The incessant buzzing of his body made him feel like a kid who wanted something he knew was off-limits.

“Bryce…” Avery closed those lovely lips.

He inched closer. Off-limits had never stopped him before.

A click resounded in the room. The door opened and he shot off the bed in case it was Meg. As nice as she’d been about everything out there, she didn’t need any fodder for gossip.

Instead of a blond, nosy doctor, an orderly rushed in. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, had that signature sunglasses tan that gave him away as an avid outdoorsman. “Miss King? Time to head up for the CT scan.”

She blinked, tore her gaze away from Bryce and pulled the covers up to her chest. “Right. Great timing,” she mumbled.

The orderly made some adjustments to the gurney, then started to wheel her out the door.

She glanced back at Bryce, her face flushed. “You’ll be around when I get back?”

“Of course.” He’d be around as long as she needed him. As long as she wanted him. She did want him, right? He wasn’t misreading that, was he?

Her gaze stayed with his as the orderly wheeled her out the door.

Nope.
Her smile was all the confirmation he needed.

Avery pried her eyes open and forced them to focus past the unrelenting pulse in her head. It was starting to feel more like a never-ending hangover, complete with that sinking feeling of regret. She never should’ve gotten on that horse. Now she was stuck in a hospital bed instead of going over the offer with Bryce. Scooting herself up on the bed, she reached for the water glass to end the drought in her throat.

The hospital room still sat pathetically empty and quiet. Dim, too. At some point, one of the nurses must’ve pulled the shades closed. She squinted to see the clock on the wall. She’d slept for over two hours and still there was no sign of Bryce. He’d promised he would be there when she got back from the scan, but he must’ve gotten tired of waiting and gone home.

She shimmied her back up against the pillows and closed her eyes, but her phone chimed and bounced on the bedside table. She snatched it up and clicked it on. Incoming text from Edward.

Fabulous.

Where the hell are you? Is the contract signed?

Anger welled, brimming over in the form of perspiration, shaky fingers.
Sure, Dad. I’m stuck in a hospital bed, but I’ll get the deal signed ASAP.
She couldn’t type the words. He’d kill her if he knew what had happened, if he realized she’d been out riding with Bryce instead of acquiring his land…

Across the room, the door cracked open.

She shoved the phone back on the table. “Hello? Anyone there?”
Like maybe a doctor to tell me everything’s fine so I can get out of here, already?

The door opened wider and Bryce peeked in.

That got her blood pumping again, hard and fast through her body. Her spine went straight. She combed her fingers through her ratty hair.
Yeah.
Like that would help. “Hey there!” Her words came out overly enthusiastic and shrill.

“Hey.” He shot her a sexy smile, one that quirked the right side of his lips. “Hope I didn’t wake you.” He eased in through the doorway, and yes, he had changed. He wore a short-sleeved blue button-up, looking almost clean cut. Even his hair had been combed.

Her face broke out in a sweat, but this time it had nothing to do with nausea. It was the sight of his arms, so strong and sure. One look at those muscles brought her back to the mountain, when he’d cradled her, held her close. Breaths came out in mere puffs of steam. Blood rushed to her face at the memory of him setting her down on the ground and securing his arms around her. The images had blurred in her injured brain, but she couldn’t seem to forget the warmth of his body against hers.

Ahem.
Pull it together, Avery.
She peeled her gaze away from his hot body and smiled.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his khaki Carhartts. “Have you gotten the test results yet?”

“No.” She let her head fall back to the pillow for dramatic effect. “It’s taking forever.”

“I’m sure the doc’ll be back soon.” He turned to the door.

No, don’t leave again.
Five seconds ago, the room had been filled with that dim, cold loneliness, but then she saw him and the air had changed. It felt warm and welcoming.