Read Online Final Encore by Scotty Cade - Free Book Online Page A

quite
    ready to laugh. He had to know if Ian was al right.
    “Are you okay?”
    “Yeah, I think so. A little stunned, but I think I’m
    okay,” Ian answered. He tried to stand and felt a sharp
    pain in his right leg. “Wow,” he said, “I think I messed
    up my ankle.”
    “Okay,” Bily said, “keep your weight off it and
    hold on to me.” With one sweeping motion, Bily had
    Ian in his arms and was carrying him across the river.
    When they reached the other side, Bily lifted Ian even
    higher onto Firefly’s back. “Can you ride?”
    “Yeah,” Ian replied.
    Bily simply said, “Hold on and I’l get you home.”
    Stunned at what had just happened, Ian couldn’t
    speak; he simply stared at Bily, trusting that he was
    going to do exactly that. Bily mounted Duke, walked
    over to Firefly, lifted the reins, and led Ian and Firefly
    back in the direction of the parking lot, both men
    soaked to the bone. Neither one of them noticed the
    figure of a man hiding in the brush and watching the
    events unfold.
    When they reached the parking lot, the sun was
    starting to sink behind the mountain and the air was
    significantly cooler.
    “Don’t move,” Bily said. “Let me get the truck
    started and the heat going, and once I get you settled,
    I’l get the horses unsaddled and loaded.”
    “No way,” Ian replied. “We’l do this together.
    After al, I’m the reason we’re wet.”
    “We don’t even know how bad your ankle is
    hurt. You should keep your weight off it,” Bily insisted.
    “I can manage,” Ian said. “Let me at least help.”
    Bily saw the need in Ian’s eyes to help and said,
    “Okay, but promise me you’l take it easy. No weight
    on that foot.”
    “Deal,” said Ian with a look of relief.
    Ian held both horses while Bily unsaddled them.
    Bily made sure they were cool enough to be
    transported, secured their blankets over their backs,
    and loaded them into the trailer. When the trailer was
    secure, he helped Ian into the truck, closed the door,
    and ran around and climbed in the driver’s side. The
    cab was warm and welcoming.
    As Bily puled out of the parking lot, he opened
    his cel phone and pressed the speed dial button for
    Jules. When Jules answered, Bily explained what had
    happened and asked him to have someone meet them
    at Nashvile General to pick up the horses and get them
    back to the ranch.
    Hearing this, Ian protested, “I’m not going to the
    hospital.”
    “Jules, let me cal you right back, I have a
    stubborn patient here. Ian,” Bily said after closing the
    phone, “we need to get that ankle checked out.”
    “I’m sure it’s just a sprain,” Ian said. “A little ice
    and it’l be fine.”
    “I would feel much better if we had it looked at.”
    “I understand how you feel, Bily, and I
    appreciate it dearly, but I’l be fine, I promise.”
    “Since you’re in a promising mood, then,” Bily
    said, “promise me that tomorrow you’l go to your
    regular doctor to have it looked at.”
    “Deal,” Ian said.
    Bily caled Jules back and told him not to worry
    about meeting them at the hospital; they would be back
    at the ranch in about an hour. Jules assured Bily that a
    couple of ranch hands would meet them and take care
    of the horses so he could get Ian home.
    When they reached the ranch, two men Bily
    recognized were waiting for them. One of the hands
    unloaded the horses and took them back to the stables
    while the other unhooked the trailer from Bily’s truck
    and removed the saddles and tack. Bily helped Ian out
    of the truck and to his Escalade, putting Ian in the
    backseat on the driver’s side with his legs spread
    across the seat. He started the car and pressed every
    button on the computerized dashboard until he found
    the heat.
    “Ian, wil you be al right for a few minutes?”
    “I’l be fine,” Ian replied.
    “I’l be right back,” Bily said, and he closed the
    back door.
    He quickly took the golf cart to the bunkhouse
    and grabbed a change of