easy to find. Apparently, the entire family was there to see him ride a bull. Layla was horrified at the thought. She asked Chance to take the children to get a hot dog while she found Rafe and tried to talk sense into him. They were all in agreement. No one wanted him riding the bull, but no one would tell him not to.
She made her way past cowboy after cowboy until she found her cowboy. “ Rafe !”
He turned to look at her, his expression confused, and then he looked away. He wasn’t getting off that easily. In fact, he was stepping down into the cage to straddle a huge brown bull that was already trying to kick and buck him off. She moved faster and was finally as close as she could get. “ Rafe !”
“I’m busy right now, Layla ,” he said in a matter-of-fact voice.
“ Rafe , I lied. I want to marry you, okay. Just get off that bull!” She watched as they tightened the straps. He was paying more attention to the men on either side of him than to her. “You don’t have to do this, Rafe . I’m sorry. I messed up. I messed up bad. So can you please forgive me? At least get off that bull and talk to me?”
He turned his head to say something to her, but the gate man mistook his hand gesture to her as the gesture to open the gate. She watched in horror as he bounded out of the gate on the most ferocious animal she had ever seen.
* * *
That woman would be the death of him he knew for sure as the gate opened and the bull shot out. He wasn’t ready. He wanted to tell her to mind her own damn business, to get the hell out of here, but when he raised his hand to point at her, the gate sprang, and now here he was, holding on for dear life as this beast beneath him did his best to get him off of its back.
It seemed like an eternity but an instant at the same time. He was up, way up in the air, then down. He could feel the ribs snap, something hard on his right arm, something warm down the right side of his face. The bull was jumping still, but away from him. He couldn’t feel anything anymore. His mind was drifting. Everything around him seemed to be closing in. They were calling for help over the speaker. He could hear it in the distance. He could also see three men running toward him with four more in security vests running after them. As Heath, Jack, and Buck came to a halt at his side, he just couldn’t see anything anymore.
* * *
“Well, I guess that about does it.” The doctor patted his hand. “I was always surprised I never got to bandage you up as a kid. Unfortunately, as a grown man, this is going to hurt worse and take longer to heal. When it does, you’ll still feel it. I’m just glad it made a clean break.”
“Is that all we need?” Heath asked. Rafe looked at his brother who seemed a bit fuzzy to him.
“It’s not that bad really,” the doctor said in a cheery voice. “The stitches can come out in a couple weeks. The ribs need to be taped for a few days, and the cast will come off in a few months. As long as he’s good to that ankle, he should be fine once it’s all healed up. The first week or so he’s going to be in a lot of pain. Watch the amount of meds you give him. They are addictive and easy to overdose on. He should feel pretty numb right now, but he should not be up and moving for a few weeks, and he should have limited movement after that. Someone needs to be with him for a while, especially until some of the swelling goes down.”
“We will be.” Heath shook the doctor’s hand. “Thank you, Dr. Beasley.”
“Tell your mother hello for me. I miss that woman’s cooking. She always brought me a plate after I fixed you or Jack up.” He laughed. “Best fried chicken in the world.”
“I’ll tell her, and I’ll send you a plate from Momma’s Kitchen. Chance makes it just the same.” Heath looked at Rafe when the doctor left the room. He walked three long paces to stand next to the bed. “When you get better, I am going to kill you. You scared the shit out of
She made her way past cowboy after cowboy until she found her cowboy. “ Rafe !”
He turned to look at her, his expression confused, and then he looked away. He wasn’t getting off that easily. In fact, he was stepping down into the cage to straddle a huge brown bull that was already trying to kick and buck him off. She moved faster and was finally as close as she could get. “ Rafe !”
“I’m busy right now, Layla ,” he said in a matter-of-fact voice.
“ Rafe , I lied. I want to marry you, okay. Just get off that bull!” She watched as they tightened the straps. He was paying more attention to the men on either side of him than to her. “You don’t have to do this, Rafe . I’m sorry. I messed up. I messed up bad. So can you please forgive me? At least get off that bull and talk to me?”
He turned his head to say something to her, but the gate man mistook his hand gesture to her as the gesture to open the gate. She watched in horror as he bounded out of the gate on the most ferocious animal she had ever seen.
* * *
That woman would be the death of him he knew for sure as the gate opened and the bull shot out. He wasn’t ready. He wanted to tell her to mind her own damn business, to get the hell out of here, but when he raised his hand to point at her, the gate sprang, and now here he was, holding on for dear life as this beast beneath him did his best to get him off of its back.
It seemed like an eternity but an instant at the same time. He was up, way up in the air, then down. He could feel the ribs snap, something hard on his right arm, something warm down the right side of his face. The bull was jumping still, but away from him. He couldn’t feel anything anymore. His mind was drifting. Everything around him seemed to be closing in. They were calling for help over the speaker. He could hear it in the distance. He could also see three men running toward him with four more in security vests running after them. As Heath, Jack, and Buck came to a halt at his side, he just couldn’t see anything anymore.
* * *
“Well, I guess that about does it.” The doctor patted his hand. “I was always surprised I never got to bandage you up as a kid. Unfortunately, as a grown man, this is going to hurt worse and take longer to heal. When it does, you’ll still feel it. I’m just glad it made a clean break.”
“Is that all we need?” Heath asked. Rafe looked at his brother who seemed a bit fuzzy to him.
“It’s not that bad really,” the doctor said in a cheery voice. “The stitches can come out in a couple weeks. The ribs need to be taped for a few days, and the cast will come off in a few months. As long as he’s good to that ankle, he should be fine once it’s all healed up. The first week or so he’s going to be in a lot of pain. Watch the amount of meds you give him. They are addictive and easy to overdose on. He should feel pretty numb right now, but he should not be up and moving for a few weeks, and he should have limited movement after that. Someone needs to be with him for a while, especially until some of the swelling goes down.”
“We will be.” Heath shook the doctor’s hand. “Thank you, Dr. Beasley.”
“Tell your mother hello for me. I miss that woman’s cooking. She always brought me a plate after I fixed you or Jack up.” He laughed. “Best fried chicken in the world.”
“I’ll tell her, and I’ll send you a plate from Momma’s Kitchen. Chance makes it just the same.” Heath looked at Rafe when the doctor left the room. He walked three long paces to stand next to the bed. “When you get better, I am going to kill you. You scared the shit out of
Similar Books
