Read Online Saddled and Spurred: A Blacktop Cowboys Novel by Lorelei James - Free Book Online Page B

the ATV. I thought she was fine. I did the basic checks for head and body injuries and then, wham! It was as if she clocked out. Vacant eyes. Listlessness. She couldn’t even stand. She just ... crashed.”
    “You didn’t drive her to town . . . why?”
    He didn’t answer because really, what could he say?
    “Because you knew I’d come running out here and save you the trouble, that’s why,” Fletch finished for him.
    Harper peered around Bran’s shoulder. “Excuse me. Who are you and why are you here?”
    All Fletch’s surliness vanished. He dropped his duffel and the sheet and smiled that cocky grin that made women swoon.
    Maybe this hadn’t been the best idea. Bran sure as hell didn’t want Harper swooning over his buddy.
    “I’m August Fletcher and I’m here because my lamebrain friend called me to check out your injury.”
    “Are you a doctor?”
    “Of sorts.”
    Harper waited.
    “I’m a veterinarian.”
    Silence.
    Shit. Shit. Shit. This wasn’t good.
    Harper bailed off the back of the ATV like it was about to explode. Or maybe she was about to explode.
    “A veterinarian , Bran Turner? Really? You called a veterinarian to look me over?”
    Before Bran could formulate a reasonable argument, Fletch stood in front of Harper, probably to block the blows she intended to inflict upon Bran’s neck and head.
    “Now, look, sugar, I know you’re mad at him. With good reason. But I am here. There are a couple of basic checks I can do to see if there’s need for Bran to drive you to the hospital.”
    Another round of silence. Then, “Do we have to do this out here? Because, to be honest, I’m freezing.”
    “I’m sure. It’d be more comfortable to do it at Bran’s place. Especially since I’ll need to get you out of these clothes.”
    What the fuck? Fletch planned to take her clothes off? Bran glared at his friend.
    Fletch placed his hand in the small of Harper’s back, almost on her ass. “It’s warm in my truck. You can tell me what happened and how you feel.” Fletch shot Bran an arch look over Harper’s shoulder. “See you at your house.”
    “How am I supposed to get both these ATVs back?”
    “Not my concern. I have a patient to look after.” Fletch stopped at the front end of his rig. “Take your time. I plan on doing a thorough examination on Harper. Just to make sure I don’t miss anything.”
    Bran wondered how Fletch’s smarmy smile would look with a few teeth missing.

    Her boss had called a veterinarian to check her out.
    The jerk.
    Her head hurt. Her butt hurt. But the sting to her pride? That hurt the worst.
    Did Bran really think she was a heifer?
    “I really think he meant well, Harper,” Fletch said gently as they bumped through the pasture.
    She folded her arms across her chest and snorted.
    “How long have you been working for him?”
    “A week. A very long week.”
    Fletch chuckled. “And how long did you sign on for?”
    “Too long.” Harper stared out the window, watching the snow blanket everything in white. It wasn’t fair to take her anger out on Fletch. Not his fault that Bran was a jerk. “So you’re a veterinarian who makes house calls?”
    “Yep. I don’t handle cats or dogs in my practice. I’m strictly a large-animal vet, so I make lots of ranch calls.”
    “Terrific. Now I really feel like a heifer.”
    Another chuckle. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
    After she finished, she studied his face as he processed the information. The guy was . . . big. He had to be at least six foot four. And broad. It appeared his shoulders took up half the seat back. His face was classically handsome, hazel eyes, and longish hair the color of strong coffee. A dark complexion, which hinted at Native American ancestry. And when he smiled? Lord. That dazzling grin glowed brighter than the snow surrounding them.
    How was it that she’d never met him? Muddy Gap was a small community. She and Celia had frequently hung out with Hank and Abe’s buddies.