Suited to be a Cowboy (10 page)

He glanced at his watch. Melissa had said she’d bring him
a coffee mid-afternoon, but she hadn’t arrived yet. While listening for her
footsteps in the hall, he couldn't concentrate. Instead, he glanced at his
watch every five seconds, and alternately watched the door for that first
glimpse of her. Man, he had it bad. Which wasn’t a good thing from where he
sat.

He focused on the papers in his hands,
making brief notes as he went. A pounding on the outside door caused him to
fumble and drop his pen. Aaron stood outside, his face streaming with tears.
Jimmy quickly rose to unlock the door. “What happened, Aaron? Are you hurt?”

“No-o-o. I went riding with Mom and her horse spooked. Now
she won’t wake up.”

“Where is she?” Jimmy strode through the courtyard in the
direction of the barn. He slowed his steps when he realized Aaron was running
to keep up.

“In the North pasture.”

When they rounded the corner, Jimmy spied a horse, saddled
and ready to go. “Is this yours?”

“Yes, that’s Sadie.”

Jimmy mounted and held out a hand for Aaron, swinging the
boy up behind him. “Hold on and tell me the quickest way to get there.”

At first, Jimmy rode slow, making sure Aaron stayed
balanced.

“Hurry, Jimmy!”

That was all it took. He urged the horse into a run and
they covered ground in record time. He saw Melissa’s horse and knew they were
getting close, so he slowed to a trot.

“There, Jimmy. She’s over by that tree.”

Melissa was sitting up, her back against a huge oak tree.
Jimmy reined in, lowered Aaron to the ground, and dismounted. He ran over and
hugged his mother, laughing and crying at the same time.

“I couldn’t wake you up, Mommy. I got scared and rode home
for help, but Brian wasn’t there.”

“Easy, honey. I’m okay, but I think I broke my arm in the
fall.” Her eyes strayed and zeroed in on Jimmy. “Thanks for coming to my
rescue.”

He nodded, too choked up to speak. Terror such as he’d
never known had engulfed him when Aaron showed up at the office door. How did
she come to mean so much so fast? He cleared his throat. “I have first aid
training. Want me to check that arm?”

“If you don’t mind.”

Jimmy knelt beside her to check her right arm, seeing as
that was the one she was favoring. “Yep, I’d say it’s broken at the elbow. I’ll
fashion a splint for it until we can get you to a hospital. Do you hurt
anywhere else?”

She snorted a laugh. “Everywhere,” she winced, “and it
hurts to laugh. Can you help me up?”

“I should splint that first.”

“What with?”

Jimmy found the smoothest branch available and pulled off
his shirt, tearing it into strips. Melissa winced as he tied the stick to her
arm to keep it immobile. “Sorry, boss lady, but there’s less chance of doing
more damage with it splinted.”

“I know.”

“There, that should do it.” He stood and turned toward the
boy waiting anxiously behind him. “Aaron, can you fetch your mom’s horse?”

Aaron ran to do his bidding as Jimmy moved to Melissa’s
good side. He was afraid she might have cracked a rib or two and he didn’t want
to take a chance on her moving around too much, so he carefully reached behind
and beneath her, lifting her easily into his arms.

Melissa shrieked in alarm. “Jimmy! Put me down.”

“Hush. I’m going to put you on your horse and ride behind
you. You can’t handle that big brute of yours while in pain. Aaron can ride
back on Sadie.”

“Snowdrop is not a big brute. She’s beautiful and
graceful.”

“Maybe so, but I’ll handle the reins on the way home.”
Aaron led the horse to them and he gently lifted her into the saddle. “Okay?”

“Yeah.” She held onto the saddle horn with a
white-knuckled grip.

“Did you see what spooked the horse?”

“Later,” she said, nodding toward her son who was trying
to mount Sadie.

“Be right back.” He moved to give Aaron a leg up. “We’ll
take it slow on the ride home, okay, buddy? I don’t want to cause your mom more
pain than she’s already in.”

“Okay.” He swiped at his eyes. “This was my fault. I
bugged her to go riding.”

“Nope, not anyone’s fault. It was just an accident, but I
wish I knew what spooked that horse.”

“I heard a big bang, but I didn’t see anything.”

“That’s all right. We’ll figure it out. I’m going to ride
behind your mother, make sure she stays on her horse this time.”

Jimmy was glad to see his comment brought a smile to the
boy’s face. “You can head out. We’ll be right behind you.” He gave the horse a
slap to the rump to start them on their way, then turned to mount Snowdrop.
Melissa had slumped forward. “Melissa, I’m right here. I’ll try not to jar you
too badly when I mount up.”

“It hurts, Jimmy. It hurts real bad.”

“I know, baby. Hang in there. I’ll get you to the hospital
as soon as I can.” He swung up behind her and grabbed the reins, giving them a
slight flick to alert the horse.

Snowdrop seemed to realize her mistress was injured. She
kept a slow, steady gait all the way back to the ranch house. He reined her to
a halt beside his truck and dismounted. “Aaron, go find Brian. We need him to
tend to the horses so we can take your mom to the doctor.”

“Okay.” He scampered off, screaming at the top of his
lungs for the foreman. Jimmy chuckled as he opened the passenger door and
lifted Melissa down off the horse and onto the seat. “That boy never does
anything halfway, does he?”

“No. Never.” She started to laugh and moaned in pain. “Don’t…make…me
laugh.”

“Sorry.” He buckled her in and closed the door, then
waited for Aaron.

“He’s coming,” Aaron called out as he ran back to the
truck.

Brian was just leaving the barn, heading their way. Jimmy
gave a quick wave to the man and turned toward the truck. “Good job. Hop in.”
Seated and buckled, Jimmy’s first instincts were to drive hard and fast, but
mindful of Melissa’s injuries, he drove at a sedate pace, well within the speed
limit. By the time he reached the town limits, Melissa had dozed off or passed
out from the pain. He wasn’t sure which. He followed the signs posted, braked
to a halt at the emergency entrance, and jumped down from the cab to round the
hood and get Melissa.

“Hey! You can’t park here. This is the emergency entrance,”
shouted a burly security guard.

“This
is
an
emergency. I brought in a woman who sustained a bad fall from a horse. Concussion,
possible cracked ribs, and there might be internal injuries along with a broken
humerus
. Get me a stretcher.”

The guard hurried inside and came back with another man
who pushed a stretcher. Jimmy carefully lifted Melissa out of the truck and
placed her on the stretcher, easing her slowly down until she was lying flat.

He brushed a few strands of hair back from her face, glad
to see her eyes open. “I have to move the truck, but I’ll catch up with you
soon.”

“Okay.”

“Aaron, stay with me. The doctor will take care of your
mom.”

Aaron nodded and they climbed back into the truck after
the orderly wheeled her inside.

“Is Mom going to be okay?” he asked in a wobbly voice.

“She’ll be just fine. The doctor will take pictures of her
arm and put it in a cast, but don’t worry. They know what they’re doing.” He
smiled to relieve some of the boy’s tension, but inside, Jimmy was a mass of
nerves and anxiety. What if she had internal bleeding? Had he gotten here in
time? “It’s a good thing you didn’t panic. You did great riding home to get
help. Real good.”

Aaron swiped at a fresh fall of tears and offered a tentative
smile. “I did?”

“You sure did,
pardner
.” He gave
Aaron a high-five. “Now let’s park this rig so we can go in and keep her
company.”

Aaron nodded, fairly bouncing in his seat. “I like sitting
up here. I can see everything.”

“Don’t get used to it.” Jimmy reversed into a parking
space and killed the engine. “You’re still too young to be a front seat
passenger when I’m driving on the road.”

“What if you didn’t have a back seat? Most trucks don’t
have ’em. I’d have to ride up front.”

“True enough, but this one does and the first lesson in
driving is to obey the rules of the road. Besides, it’s safer for you.” He
opened the door and stepped down from the cab. Aaron did the same, then ran
around to meet him and they walked into the emergency unit together.

Much to his surprise, the security guard had waited for
them and now led them to Melissa’s examination room. Jimmy thanked him and entered
with Aaron, further surprised when the boy grasped his hand and held on tight
as they approached the bed.

“Hey, beautiful! How are you doing?”

“I’ve had better days.” She held out her good hand to
Aaron.

“Have they given you anything for pain?” He noticed her
wince when Aaron perched on the edge of the bed.

“No, the doctor hasn’t been in yet.”

A nurse walked in with a sheaf of papers clipped to a
clipboard. “Mrs. Dehavilland, I need you to fill out these forms for your
medical insurance.”

“I can’t. I’m right-handed.”

Jimmy reached for the clipboard. “I’ll read the questions out
to you, and as you give me the answers, I can fill it in.”

“Won’t do any good. I forgot my purse at home.”

The nurse walked over and fluffed up the pillow under her
head. “Just fill in what you can and we’ll get the rest later. The doctor will
be in shortly. Need anything?”

“I’d appreciate an ice pack for the lump on my head and
something for the pain,” Melissa replied.

“The ice pack I can provide. Any pain meds will have to
wait for the doctor’s approval. Be right back.”

The nurse left and Jimmy asked questions as he filled out
the forms. “Ahhh, your birthday is coming up. I know your age now.” He smirked
in her direction.

“You could’ve known sooner if you’d asked.”

He frowned. “I thought women didn’t like to share their
age.”

Melissa smiled. “That’s the over-thirty crowd. I’m not
quite there yet.” A sudden cough had her crying out in pain and pressing a hand
to her chest. The coughing continued.

Jimmy grabbed the bedside button and rang for the nurse.
When she rushed in and saw what was happening, she swiftly studied the machines
monitoring Melissa’s vitals. She hit another button and turned to him.

“You and your son will have to leave. A medical team is on
its way to care for Mrs. Dehavilland.”

Aaron ran to his side and together they walked out and
waited in the corridor outside the exam room. As medical personnel rushed in,
some pushing scary-looking machines, Aaron started crying again and buried his
face into Jimmy’s side.

“Your mom’s going to be all right. The medical staff is
well-trained.” Jimmy picked him up and carried him to a waiting room down the
hall. They sat quietly, side-by-side, and watched TV, but if anyone had asked,
Jimmy hadn’t a clue what had been on the screen. His mind focused on the
activity down the hall. What was happening? Why hadn’t they come to tell them
something, anything, as to how she was doing?

His constant surveillance paid off when he saw her being rolled
out on a stretcher. He rose to his feet when the nurse headed his way, Aaron
right beside him.

She smiled at Aaron. “Your mom’s going to be just fine.
We’re taking her for x-rays and a few other tests to determine how bad she’s
hurt, then we’ll fix her right up. She might have to stay with us for a few
days, though.”

“That’s okay. When can I see her?” Aaron asked.

“When the doctor is finished, we’ll let you know. In the
meantime,” she glanced up at Jimmy, “why don’t you two go to the cafeteria and have
dinner? By the time you return, she should be back and you can see her for a
few minutes then. Okay?”

“What happened in there?” Jimmy nodded toward the exam
room.

“The doctor thinks she might have a broken rib or two, Mr.
Dehavilland. It may be pressing on a lung or causing some internal bleeding.
We’ll know more when the test results are in.”

Aaron glanced up with a strange look on his face. When he
opened his mouth to speak, Jimmy shushed him. “It’s okay, Aaron. We’ll go eat
and I’ll explain things to you.”

The boy frowned, but remained silent. The nurse left and
they headed for the cafeteria, where Jimmy bought them dinner.

“Why did you let that nurse think you were my dad?” Aaron
frowned at him and asked the question as soon as they sat down.

“As long as she thinks I’m part of the family, she’ll keep
us informed of your mom’s condition and let you stay at the ranch with me. If
she knows you have no other family, they could place you in a foster home until
your mother is well enough to care for you again. Understand?”

“So I have to pretend you’re my dad?” He picked at the
food on his plate.

Jimmy understood the boy’s dilemma. He already had a
father, one who he knew and remembered quite well. “No, maybe an uncle or
cousin. How does that sound?”

“I’m not supposed to lie.” His gaze pierced Jimmy as if daring
him to say different.

“No, it’s never good to lie. Call me Jimmy and let me do
the talking. I’ll just let them assume I’m family. Okay, sport?”

“I guess that’s all right.”

“Good. Eat up so we can go back and wait for your mom.” Jimmy
dug into his own meal, an appetizing assortment of salads and meats. It could
have tasted like sawdust for all the attention he paid it, automatically
shoveling it in by the forkful, his mind occupied elsewhere, wondering,
worrying, what was happening with Melissa.

Ever since that first, mind-blowing kiss, he hadn’t been
able to think of her as his boss. He was drawn to her, and it wasn’t just
sexual chemistry. Today proved to him how much he cared already. It might be
too late to tighten up on the reins, but he had to try. The
Dehavillands
had a generations-old heritage, roots that went way back, and they were rich.
Correction, as the only
Dehavillands
still living,
Melissa and her son were
mega
-rich.