Cowboys & Horses

by C. J. Laurence

  I balked at his blasé response. “Only? Are you kidding me?”

  “Arizona is just shy of one hundred and fifteen thousand square miles. Your little island back home is barely ninety-four thousand square miles.”

  I raised my eyebrows, not only stunned by the fact that the United Kingdom could fit inside this state and then some, but of the fact that Brady knew this trivial fact off the top of his head. Just how deep did this gorgeous man go?

  “How do you even know that?” I asked, still baffled by the sheer size of one state.

  He grinned. “The Discovery channel is quite informative you know.”

  I shook my head, grinning, as we continued through the dusty setting. The horses seemed as eager as ever despite the heat threatening to cook us from the inside out. On the horizon, I could just make out a colourful mass spread over the green vegetation. Cody suddenly found a spring in his step and pricked his ears so far forwards, they nearly touched at the tips.

  Brady pushed his mare into a jog to keep pace with Cody’s walk. “Don’t interfere with him,” he said, nodding towards Cody. “He’s got fantastic cow sense—all you need to do is hang on.”

  “Cowboy talk again?”

  “Sorry,” he said, grinning. “It means he knows his job inside out with regards to the cows.”

  “Ok, fair enough. So all I need to do is hang on?”

  He nodded. “He’s quick. And I mean quick—even by our standards.”

  My confidence took a little step back, leaving me to swallow a nervous lump in my throat. I faked a weak smile and tried to calm my now quickening pulse.

  “You’ll be fine,” Brady said, chuckling. “Hang on to the horn if you struggle. He’s used to being at the front with me but I’ll hang back to help you whilst the others head up front.”

  We pushed into a lope, Cody surging forwards ahead of the others. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins at a rate of knots making me dizzy with apprehension and excitement.

  “Hold him back!”

  I turned my head to see Greg loping towards me on a grey mare, waving one hand frantically whilst yelling at me. The monotonous drone of the cattle expressing their disgust with us almost drowned out his voice.

  “Sophie! Hold him back!”

  By the time I’d registered Greg’s panicked shouts, and attempted to react to his instructions, it was too late. Cody had already upset the peaceful herd by charging past them on the way to the front. The dust cloud created by his thundering hooves spooked some of the calves, and unfortunately for one, it ran away from its mother in blind fear.

  It darted out to the left, running for all it was worth. Cody locked on to it and took off, chasing it. He swallowed the ground at such a pace, it left me stunned. As we neared its behind, the poor thing became even more freaked out and started zig zagging its way across the ground in an effort to shake Cody off its back.

  Cody surged forwards with yet even more speed. He overtook the calf and once he was a few feet in front of it, he spun around and met it head on. The frightened creature stopped dead, staring back at Cody’s flattened ears and low neck. Still in the mind set of running in blind fear, it darted to the right, only to have Cody follow it.

  A dance of left and right began for a few minutes which had me holding onto the horn for dear life. Cody’s shifts from side to side were so fast and forceful, the saddle was moving with him.

  I took my concentration off myself for just a second to glance at the calf. It shot to the right once again, flicked its ear to the left and moved one leg in that direction too. Cody, anticipating its move back to the left, dashed back that way to block its path.

  But the calf was smart.

  With Cody a few more feet away from it, the calf corrected its ‘intended’ direction and zipped by our side, heading even further away from its herd. The force with which Cody leaped back to the right was just incredible. He grunted with the effort. Before I could even blink, he spun around in a phenomenal one-eighty degree turn before launching himself full pelt after it.

  With my sense of balance whirling from all the sudden changes and speeds, I could literally do nothing as the moving saddle tipped me too far over one side. A glimpse of buckskin legs followed a flash of bright blue sky.

  Then a sharp crunch sucked me into darkness.

  Chapter Sixteen

  A muffled yet familiar voice roused my consciousness, albeit in a hazy, throbbing fog. Fingers stroked across my head, settling in my hair.

  “Sophie? Sophie, wake up.” The tension and strain in the husky voice was unmistakable. “Sophie, come on. Please.”

  The words carried a distinctive tremble in them, one that made me fight my way through the pain and open my eyes.

  A pair of hazelnut eyes stared back at me, inches from my face, and full of concern. As my own eyes registered the bright sunlight, a searing pain drilled through my head making me gasp.

  “Steady,” Brady said, cradling my head in his hands. “Don’t move.”

  I stared up at my handsome cowboy, taking a moment to mentally check each limb for damage, and also revel in his undivided attention. I smiled up at him, grateful that I had such amazing scenery to wake up to.

  “I think I’m ok,” I said, moving my hands to my head to check for gushing blood.

  “I’m not taking any chances. Greg’s gone to fetch the truck so we can take you to hospital.”

  I sat up, ignoring the drumming in my head and Brady’s protests. “I’ve seen enough of hospitals to last me a lifetime. I’m fine. Where’s that damn cow?”

  He chuckled and brushed a thumb over my cheek. “You’ve been out for nearly ten minutes. I’d rather someone checked you over to make sure you’re ok.”

  “Brady, honestly, I’m fine.”

  His serious edge softened into something a little more sensual. “Say that again,” he said, his volume dropping several decibels.

  I frowned. “Say what? That I’m fine?”

  “No,” he said, a ghost of a smile playing at the edge of his mouth. “My name.”

  Tingles rushed around me, butterflies fluttered in my stomach. A surreal feeling of a reeling mind began to take over my reality, sending everything on a slow, crooked spin around me.

  I grabbed a hold of his arms, gripping his solid muscles for all I was worth. “Brady,” I said, whispering. Goosebumps popped up underneath my hands, giving me all the satisfaction I needed to know how I affected him. “Honestly, I’m fine.”

  He laughed and inched towards me, those delicious lips of his looking as soft and sensuous as ever. I couldn’t take my eyes off them. Just the thought of them on me had me in a trance only he could break.

  The shrill ringing of his phone cut through our moment. He frowned as he looked at the caller display but answered anyway.

  “Right ok. I’ll lead her back. Come back out and carry on with the move.”

  He stuffed his phone back in his pocket and took my hands, helping me up. “Think you can sit on Cody?”

  “I told you, I’m fine.”

  “John has taken the truck into town so I’m going to have to lead you back. By the time we get back, he should be back too. You ok with that?”

  I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I’m fine. I don’t need a hospital.”

  “Head injuries are very serious, Sophie. You need to be checked over.”

  I said nothing, already formulating a plan of escape. I allowed him to lift me into Cody’s saddle and followed him over to his mare who was stood a few feet away. As he occupied himself checking her cinch, I took my opportunity.

  Digging my heels into Cody’s sides, I spurred him on to catch up with the others. He squealed in delight as he tore across the sandy ground. Covering the ground quicker than a racehorse, the air whipped at my face, streaming water from my eyes.

  But I didn’t care.

  The balloon of liberation swelling inside my chest consumed every last part of me. Happiness burst inside me like fireworks, coursing through me
like an intoxicating drug. This moment of sheer elation and freedom was incomparable to anything on earth. The bond between human and horse, a true partnership both physically and spiritually, was just something else. Feeling overwhelmed, tears sprung to the surface when I thought of my own horses, my best friends, and the fact I’d given them up, failed them, for Ben—the one person who had done the one thing to me I never thought possible.

  As we neared the cattle, Cody slowed himself to a walk. Rumbling hooves behind us told me of Brady’s presence. I knew he’d be livid so kept my attention focused forwards.

  “Sophie!”

  I ignored him, leaning forwards in my saddle to pat Cody.

  “Hey!”

  I turned and smiled, acting like nothing was wrong. “Hey.”

  “That was not cool, Sophie.”

  The smouldering rage in his dark eyes was evident as he glared at me. A deep scowl creased his face and the tension in his jaw gave away a twitching cheek muscle.

  Ooops.

  Whilst biting my lip to resist the urge to giggle at Brady’s fury, an unwelcome wave began to rise in my stomach. The horrid sensation whirled around and around for a few seconds before the taste of bile burned the back of my throat. A cold sweat grabbed me just seconds before the rancid taste of vomit swamped my mouth.

  As soon as I leaned over his shoulder and emptied my stomach contents, Cody stopped, allowing me to use him and the saddle for support. I was now trembling, one clammy palm clasped around the horn whilst I clung onto the fenders with the other. A blunt throbbing started right around my temples, making me want to curl up and hide myself from the pain.

  My stomach turned itself inside out, sending up another swell of sick. Sweat was now pouring from me and every ounce of strength I had drained from my limbs. I couldn’t even lift my head up.

  A strong arm wound around my waist, giving me some support. “Alright, you’re alright. I’ve got you.”

  Through watery eyes, I managed to see the faded blue and yellow handkerchief that Brady placed over my mouth. It smelled just like him—spicy aftershave mixed with the comforting scent of horses and faded leather. I took a deep breath, inhaling what was becoming more familiar to me each day.

  What felt like hours passed. My stomach emptied itself three more times. I had nothing left to give and I was beyond exhausted. Somewhere in the midst of my sickly self-pity, Brady lifted me down from Cody and sat me on his lap. The heat from the scorching sand was doing nothing to help my nausea yet I could only feel for Brady who must have been cooking from the inside out sat on the dusty ground.

  With my head leaning against one of his muscled shoulders, he played a soothing rhythm through my hair, gently stroking through my curls. It was so relaxing, I soon gave in to my sore eyes and fell asleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  A tickling sensation roused me from my deep sleep. The gentle prickles tracing across the back of my hand felt as if a spider was stepping across my skin. I forced my eyes open, hissing when the bright lights above me seared through my brain.

  “Sophie?”

  I moved my spider free hand and covered my eyes before opening them again. Moving my head to my right, I saw Brady sat at my side. He had my hand against his mouth, his spikey stubble dancing across my soft skin.

  I looked past him, seeing the clinical white room, and realised I was in hospital. Sighing, I said, “I thought I told you no hospitals?”

  He grinned and kissed the back of my hand before rushing out of the room. I didn’t move, I didn’t have the energy to. My stomach muscles were already tight and telling me of their agony. A dull pounding in my head echoed throughout my whole body and the back of my throat felt as if I’d swallowed acid.

  Footsteps came back in the room—more than one set. Groaning, I realised he’d fetched a doctor or nurse.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Woods.”

  The well-spoken English accent snapped a hold of my attention immediately. I glanced to my left to see a tall, thin gentleman in his fifties smiling back at me.

  “Am I back home?”

  Chuckling, he shook his head. “No, you are in Tucson Medical Centre. I’m Doctor Tate. How are you feeling?”

  I licked my dry lips and smiled. “Like I’ve been hit by a bus.”

  “Well,” he said, looking through the clipboard of notes he held in front of him. “Luckily for you, your CT scan revealed no major injuries, but you have suffered a severe concussion. Have you ever had concussion before?”

  “Does a coma count?”

  Raising a salt and pepper eyebrow, he seemed to lose all sense of any comical edge. “When was this?”

  “Um...about three months ago. I had a bad car crash.”

  “I see. This was back home? In England?”

  I nodded.

  “And what were your injuries exactly?”

  “Broken leg, broken arm, three broken ribs, and a fractured skull. I was in a coma for six days.”

  “Right, well, unfortunately, that means you’re going to be staying in for the night. Once a head injury has been sustained, future injuries are always a cause for concern. The fact you’ve experienced a coma does not fill me with enough confidence to sign you out of my care.”

  “But I’m fine, honestly.”

  His grey eyes flickered over to Brady and his thin lips pulled up into a quirky smirk. “I was told you said exactly the same before you wound up in my care.”

  I frowned, pursing my lips. “Please. I really don’t like hospitals.”

  “Have you got any family back home you want me to contact for you?”

  My heart lurched in my chest. I couldn’t be doing with causing such a fuss. It was a simple fall from a horse, but knowing my parents, they would insist on coming all the way out here even though I was fine.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Not even your parents?”

  I took a second to gather my thoughts. “I’ll stay for the night without a fuss if you drop the whole calling my family thing?”

  He chortled and tucked his clipboard under his arm. “I can do that. I’ll be sending the nurses in every hour to check your vitals so don’t expect a peaceful sleep. Also, you’re nil by mouth until I’m satisfied otherwise.”

  I rolled my eyes and nodded.

  Saying his goodbyes, he vanished with his white coat splaying out behind him liked Superman’s cape.

  After the nurse had done her checks, the young girl turned to Brady and informed him when visiting hours were finished.

  “I’m staying with her,” he said, not a flicker of hesitation in his voice.

  His affirmative tone shocked her into scurrying out of the door only to return a minute later with confirmation it was ok. She disappeared, closing the door behind her.

  “Thank you,” I said, looking at my handsome cowboy.

  “For what?”

  “Staying with me.”

  “You don’t need to thank me for that, Sophie.”

  I blushed and looked away. My heart was pounding like a jackhammer. The room I was in was spacious, but with the growing tension between us, I suddenly felt very claustrophobic, like all the walls were closing in on me.

  Taking hold of both of my hands, he grabbed my focus again. “I do have to tell you though, that was incredibly stupid and reckless what you did, Sophie.”

  I cringed, my cheeks burning from my over-confidence winding me up in hospital for the night.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” he asked.

  “I felt fine. I was having such a good time, I didn’t want to end it just because of a little blip.”

  “A blip? Sophie, you could have been killed. Is that what you want?”

  The tone of his voice had lost its velvety edge and his handsome face was creased into a serious frown. The strong hold he had of my hands only further told me of his growing irritation.

  “Of course not. I just—”

  “You don’t need to prove anything to anyone out here, ok?”<
br />
  I took my hands back and inched myself up the bed into a sitting position. “I’m not trying to prove anything, Brady.”

  “It looks a little different from where I’m sitting. There’s nothing wrong with feeling vulnerable, especially after what you’ve been through. All I’m saying is, don’t try to be tough because that’s what you think you should be. That idiotic move today could have resulted in you currently being in a coffin.”

  I wanted to bite back my temper, but I couldn’t stop the volatile wave from flowing out of my mouth. “Don’t patronise me, Brady. I’m not trying to be tough for anyone. It was a simple fall from a horse—I’ve had plenty over the years and been fine. Stop trying to psycho-analyse me from whatever programmes you’ve been watching. Just spare me the lectures, ok? I’m twenty-five and a big enough girl to make my own decisions.”

  He drew his lips into a thin line and opened his mouth to say something but I carried on, regardless.

  “What the hell does it matter to you anyway? You’ve known me for all of a week, half of that spent acting like the world’s biggest arsehole might I add, and now you think you know me well enough to not only give a psychological evaluation but to scold me for making bad decisions? Just who the hell do you think you are?”

  Running his hands over his face, he gave a groan of frustration. Balling his fists, he glanced up at me, a mist of water glazing over his dark eyes.

  “I’m just a man, Sophie.” He paused for a moment and clenched his fists to the point where his sun kissed skin turned milky white. “A man who is falling head over heels for you.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Silence descended over us. I sucked in a deep breath, my mind racing with what to respond to him with. What was I supposed to say to that?

  “I don’t expect you to say anything,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. “I didn’t mean to tell you that any time soon, believe me.”

  I didn’t know what to think or feel. With my head a whirring, fuzzy mess, I stayed silent until I could figure out something intelligible to say. The clock on the wall ticked precious minutes by, adding to the discomfort lingering in the room.