Page 12 of Hard To Fall
I step closer, too. “Maybe,” I reply. “But I’ve been hung up on scarier men than you, cowboy.”
Levi breaks the silence by clapping and rubbing his hands together. “Wow. Sexual tension at a business meeting. Love that for us.”
Colt snaps, “Get out.”
“Gladly,” Levi says, grabbing his hat. “Sponsors, Dad, this concludes today’s episode ofCowboy vs Sunshine.”
Everyone begins to file out, chuckling and talking amongst themselves. Will pauses a moment longer, probably debating whether leaving us alone is a good idea.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Callahan, I won’t kick him when he’s down.”
His eyes crinkle with laughter, and he smacks Colt on the arm as he follows everyone else out.
We’re still standing close together when he asks, “You always fight like this?”
“Only when I care,” I say.
“Don’t,” he warns.
I smile. “Sorry, it’s in the sunshine handbook. I have to care about all things rodeo.” I grab my iPad and walk past him, but feel his attention follow me like heat on my back. It’s not anger anymore. It feels a bit more…feral.
CHAPTER 6
COLT
I hate doctors.I hate the smell of the office, I hate the tone of their voice. I especially hate the looks they give you when they already know the answer, and I have to sit there pretending there’s a different one.
It’s been two days since the meeting at the ranch, and between that and knowing this appointment was coming up, I haven’t been sleeping. Add in the fact that little Miss Sunshine has been bopping all around the ranch, with my younger brother chasing after her, and I’m one pissed-off cowboy. I’m sitting on the edge of the exam table as the doctor finishes wrapping my knee, which I will definitely unwrap the minute I get into my truck.
But Doc doesn’t rush one bit, and that’s how I know it’s bad.
“You’ve got ligament damage,” he says calmly. “It’s an old injury with repeated trauma. There's a lot of inflammation and microtears.” He clears his throat. “I’m surprised you’re walking, let alone–”
“I can ride,” I answer immediately.
He sighs. “You are riding. That’s the problem.”
I stare at the wall.
“You keep going like this,” he continues, “and you’re looking at surgery. Replacement down the line, and it’s going to happen sooner than you think.”
Surgery. That’s such a final word.
“You’re done bull riding, Colt,” he says quietly. “It should be today. Actually, it should have been a year ago.” He sighs. “But you’re a man who makes his own decisions. I can only give you my expert advice. But if you’re smart, you’ll back away now, rehab it, and in thirty years, you’ll still be able to run around the yard with your grandkids.”
How do I plan for a life I don’t know how to live?
“Grandkids? Come on, Doc, you know no woman will put up with me.” I laugh and jump off the table, screaming inside when hitting the floor makes my knee buckle. I straighten and ignore his glare. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll make a follow-up appointment.”
And then I leave before he can say anything else. And I definitely don’t make that follow-up appointment. I get in my truck, unwrapping the bandage as quickly as possible, and head towards the rodeo. The only place I know to go to, my head swimming with what ifs and what nows.
And to make my day better, the moment I pull in, I notice her. She’s sitting on the low fence near the med station, boots crossed, arms resting on her knees, watching the early practices in the arena like she’s not waiting for anyone.
But she is.
Me.
I know it the second her eyes lift and soften as if she already knows what I was told, and that pisses me off.
