Take Me Home, Cowboy

by Krista Ames

  “Damn stupid, Gentry,” he mumbled.

  Matt fisted Rogue’s tether as he walked him out the corral gate toward his new owner. Starting a new bloodline with this stud was a good move. The thoroughbred would couple perfectly with the old man’s honey-colored mares.

  “Gentry.” Jesse nodded and removed his worn straw hat. “Looks like a real winner we got there. How’s he handle?”

  “He’s a little rough around the edges, but I think he’ll fit right in. The ladies seem to like him fine for all the stomping they got going on in their stalls.”

  The old man tipped his head back and roared with laughter. “Well, those ladies apparently know a fine specimen when they see one. Speaking of ladies, where’s that daughter of mine?”

  Matt damn well knew he was blushing and was readying his wrist to point over toward the barn doors where she stood when one of the greenhorns ran at them full bore, like a fire was riding his tail.

  “Gentry,” the young man yelled. “Hey, Gentry! We got a huge problem with one of the—”

  Rogue spooked at the sudden shouts, whinnying and dancing about. A second later, the mare Jesse sat on reared back on its hind legs, ceremoniously pitching the old man right off the saddle. He hit the ground hard, landing on the base of his neck and shoulders and rolling him into a lifeless ball left at the mercy of the stomping feet of the terrified mare.

  Chapter Eight

  In that one moment, Matt’s past flashed before his eyes when Jesse hit the ground. Ally’s screams echoed across the yard. Oh God, what just happened?

  He stood in a state of panic, knowing he needed to get the mare away from the man on the ground before he was trampled. Ally bolted toward her father. He grabbed her arm to keep her out of harm’s way, and shook himself into action. “Careful. He wouldn’t want you hurt.”

  Gently but quickly, he backed Rogue into the corral and slapped him on the shoulder with a yell so he’d run off and then slammed the gate.

  He turned to see two of his seasoned hands reaching for the spooked mare while his second in command, Tommy, covered the crumpled man with his own body to avoid any blows. Matt’s mind flew into action. He wasn’t a cowboy in that moment, standing in the face of danger and the possibility of a dying man. It became crystal clear what he had to do as Ally dropped to her knees at her dad’s side, crying hard.

  “Daddy, oh God, please be okay!”

  All the love Ally had for her father poured out in her tears, twisting Matt’s heart. Was this his chance at redemption? He loved this old man, and he needed to save him or die trying. Matt knelt beside his boss, shouldering the ranch hand out of the way, and shouted to anyone paying attention. “Call 911 and get an ambulance here fast.”

  “Ally.” He talked to her as though they weren’t in the middle of a life or death situation. “I need you to collect yourself and listen to me, can you do that?”

  Sobbing, she ran her hands over her father’s still body, seeming to will his body unharmed. “He’s not moving. He’s hurt bad. We have to get him to the hospital!”

  “I know, sweetheart, but listen, we can’t move him yet. I need to look him over. He fell real hard on his neck, and he may have some damage we don’t know about.” He twisted slightly to yell at the men. “Somebody get a damn ambulance and then get me West Park Hospital in Cody on the phone. Now!”

  He looked back at those beautiful green eyes filled with sadness and fear. “Sweetheart, can you trust me? Everything is gonna be fine. Stay back a bit, I’m gonna run a check over him.” He turned to Tommy, who was on his right at Jesse’s head. “Try to hold him very still. Moving him any further could be detrimental.”

  Tommy nodded, his gaze silently promising to do whatever needed doing.

  Matt slowly worked his way up Jesse’s spine to his neck, feeling each vertebrate but not adding any pressure. He’d guess if nothing else the old man at least had a concussion. A life-threatening injury was a strong possibility but not something he could determine, especially with his only daughter looking at him like she needed him to save her world.

  Unfortunately, a severe injury was something he needed to consider. He’d seen them many times in his line of work, and it had never been a good thing. He forced himself to focus, to push away all the negative thoughts jabbing at his brain—she was counting on him. He’d let one woman down in his life when he couldn’t save her. He wasn’t about to let it happen again.

  Roberto came hobbling from the house, holding a cell phone to his ear while Maribella trailed behind, crying softly. Matt spared a glance over his shoulder, assuming it was the hospital on the line. When he reached for the phone, sirens blared in the distance, getting closer.

  “This is Matt Gentry,” he barked into the mouthpiece and sat back on his heels. His eyes locked with Ally’s briefly before he looked at the unconscious man. “Ross, glad it’s you.” He hesitated, his gaze moving from one to the other while he listened to the doctor. “Yeah, he hit the ground hard at the shoulder blades and neck area from what I saw of the fall. His pulse is erratic, eyes dilated. He’s unconscious but breathing.”

  Varied expressions crossed her face. He could tell she was puzzled about everything he was spouting off, but this wasn’t the time to go over his medical knowledge and background with her. All of that was a part of his old life; a life no one in Freewill or at the Circle K Ranch knew about. Although finding out his secret was pretty much inevitable, he’d have to tell her, and after what he’d done, he was pretty damn sure she would never speak to him or want to see him again.

  “We didn’t move him, but I felt the vertebrae for any chance of abrasions or protrusions. Yeah, okay, the ambulance is pulling up the road as we speak. We’ll be there soon. Thanks, Ross.”

  Matt slammed the phone shut, tossed it to Roberto, and got to his feet. By then the EMS, followed by a couple sheriff patrol cars and a Wyoming Highway Patrol vehicle, had pulled up the drive where one of the boys waited to tell them where to go. Ally glanced up telling him without words that she had questions.

  “The doctor’s a good friend of mine. He will have a bed ready and be waiting for Jesse.”

  More tears immediately formed in her eyes, and he wanted so badly to pull her into his arms and comfort her like she needed—what they both needed—but he resisted. Not even a half hour ago, they had been as intimate as two people could get, but at the moment, he had no clue where they stood—friends, lovers, enemies? He’d bet on the latter once she’d heard everything.

  While the EMTs laid the backboard down to assess the old man before attempting to lift him to the gurney, he briefed them and the surrounding officers. He moved behind Ally to rest his hands on her tense shoulders, steadying her, so she wouldn’t get in the way and hinder her father’s treatment.

  The EMTs made fast work of getting Jesse’s off the ground, rolling him slightly to wedge the backboard underneath, lifting him to the gurney, and into the ambulance. An EMT turned to look at the small crowd. “Only one can go in the ambulance, sorry.”

  Matt glanced to Ally. “Go. I promise I’ll be right behind you.”

  She looked at him with such horror in her eyes he wanted to be sick. She hesitated a moment, laid her fingers against his chest then climbed in the back settling next to the old man.

  He stood silent in the late afternoon sun, rubbing absently at the spot where she had touched him so softly. He watched the retreating lights and sounds of the ambulance, carrying not one but possibly two of the most important people in his life. The thought scared him to death.

  ***

  Ally spent the entire ride to the hospital replaying the events of the previous few hours. She’d literally been taken from heaven to hell in a matter of minutes. Given the time to think it through, she could not even believe she had actually had sex with her daddy’s foreman. A man she’d known all of about forty-eight hours. She never did those kinds of things. This was definitely an unconventional start to a friendship, not that she wanted to be friends
with the man, but God, he could make her body sing.

  Now however, all of the emotion needed to be pushed aside. Sitting in a waiting area outside the emergency room, she was a bundle of nerves, scared to death for her dad, yet still very thankful he was alive. That fact very possibly had everything to do with Matt Gentry. The man he had called Ross on the cell phone was Dr. Ross Stanford. He couldn’t say enough about the foreman and how it would be a pleasure to work with him again. What was that all about?

  Dr. Stanford had been by to talk to Ally a couple times, trying to reassure her, her father was stable across the board but still unconscious. Basically in a coma, resulting from what they already knew was a very serious blow to the back of his head and neck, which had caused swelling around the brain and a severe concussion. He tried to explain to her his brain activity was technically stable, but in cases of trauma such as this, the body put itself in a type of deep sleep in order to heal, so the details could be a bit sketchy at best until at least the swelling subsided a bit.

  “Unfortunately,” the doctor had said, “there’s really no way for us to tell how long the coma might last, but I promise you, Ms. Kincaid, your dad is getting the best possible care.”

  She had thanked him for being straightforward with her. She felt oddly comfortable with the doctor, and she almost wished she had asked him what he knew about Matt at the time Ross brought him up. Then she cursed herself for dwelling on the damn cowboy’s questionable history when her daddy was lying in a coma in a hospital bed.

  The bad thing was, she couldn’t help but think about him. There wasn’t much else to think about, and it wouldn’t do her blood pressure any good to stress about her daddy when she couldn’t do anything except pray. What help would she be when he woke up if she made herself sick? And speaking of Matt, where was he? He’d said he would be right behind her. It seemed hours had passed since then.

  The heavy clunk of booted footsteps assaulted her ears long before she saw his lean body come into the light of the waiting room. Her heart skipped a beat and left her confused by her own reaction. She was shaking with nervous chills but at the same time exhilaration ramped up her heart rate at getting to see him again. My God, I’m a mess!

  He came in the room and walked right up to her without hesitation. “Hey,” he said in a deep sexy voice, melting her for the second time in a day.

  Damn, she’d been sure she had regained her composure. He rested his fingers on her upper arms in a sweet, nurturing gesture, more like a brother than a lover. She couldn’t help wanting to melt into his solid chest, dying to be close to him again. To feel the strength of his muscles and be tickled by the dusting of hair covering his chest, to inhale the manly scent that was his alone.

  Suddenly she stopped her musings, realizing he had done the very thing she had hoped. He’d enveloped her within the security of his embrace, her cheek resting against the open vee of his T-shirt. She wrapped her arms around his waist, fisting the material in her hands at the small of his back. She couldn’t take any more, couldn’t be strong anymore, and with his comfort and warmth surrounding her for what she feared could only be this once, she let everything she’d held back all go. The tears fell, streaming down her face to dampen his shirt.

  Damn, she felt so good in his firm grasp. He must be crazy because he hadn’t meant to hold her like this, but it was what they’d both needed. And how could he be so damn selfish, knowing what she was going through? Truthfully, he had been scared to death when the EMS pulled away from the ranch. Hell, he’d even been tempted to threaten the EMT to let him in the ambulance, too, but he knew better. At one time, he had been the one to tell the family, “Sorry, only room for one of you.” But this time he was on the receiving end, and it sucked, he never realized how much.

  He also knew all too well what an ambulance ride was like, watching the one you love in pain, holding their hand, praying, helpless to do anything, struggling to keep it together on the long ride to the closest hospital.

  He took comfort in the knowledge that the best of the best in doctors around the area had been waiting for Jesse to arrive. He only wished he could have been there for Ally, but someone had to stay behind to reassure the hands, get them all on task, and make sure everything was in order. Convincing Maribella she couldn’t go just yet had taken the most time. No sense crying over spilled milk however. He was with her now, and he damn well wasn’t leaving her side again. At least until she pushed him away.

  Chapter Nine

  Ally awoke with a start. She didn’t remember drifting off, but she must have been having one heck of a dream. She was snuggled into the side of a very firm, very good smelling, rock hard chest.

  She blinked her eyes because the lights were unusually bright. Where am I?

  “Oh no,” she whispered. How could she have forgotten the last twenty-four hours? She was at the hospital, where her daddy was in a coma, and she must have fallen asleep while Matt tried to comfort her. That would explain their position on the waiting room sofa.

  She hated to, but she needed to get up and see how her daddy was doing. Carefully, she slid her legs off the couch then her body, making sure not to disturb Matt. Sometime during the night, someone must have covered them, so after she was standing, she drew the thin white blanket back over him and left him to sleep. He looked so peaceful. She would wake Matt once she found Dr. Stanford and had some news to share.

  She walked down the hall, looking for a nurse’s station and finding a couple of orderlies filing charts. As she was going to ask for Dr. Stanford, he appeared around the corner.

  “Oh, Ms. Kincaid, I was coming to find you.”

  “Is there something wrong? Is my daddy okay?” Ally’s heart sped up, and she worried things might have gotten worse while she’d slept.

  “No, nothing of the sort. Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. He has actually begun to respond a little this morning, and his vitals are looking progressively better. The swelling seems to have gone down a bit, which is what I was hoping for.”

  “Doctor, that is such good news. Thank you so much. Can I talk to him? Is he awake?”

  “You can definitely see him. I’ll take you to his room, but I’m sorry to say he isn’t yet awake. We’ll keep him in ICU until we’re certain he’s stable. Like I said, the swelling has gone down some but not enough yet to bring him to full consciousness. Don’t let that stop you from talking to him though. I think it’s important he hear your voice. It might help him along.”

  She was so relieved, tears formed in the corners of her eyes. The doctor escorted her to her father’s assigned room and stayed a couple more minutes to go over all of the equipment and wires hooked up to him before leaving them alone.

  “Daddy, it’s Ally, can you hear me? I’m so glad the doctor says you’re going to be just fine. You still have a little swelling, but once it goes down more, you should be able to wake up and go to a step-down from ICU. I’m not leaving this room until you do. Matt is still out in the waiting room. He was asleep, and I didn’t want to alarm him until I knew how you were doing. I’ll call Maribella and let everyone at the ranch know how you’re doing, too, and I’m sure you’ll have more visitors than you know what to do with.” It broke her heart to see him laid up. He looked so pale and fragile. She kissed him on the cheek and the forehead, whispered her love for him, and left the room to make some calls. She hoped they wouldn’t mind her being around a while. No way was she leaving her daddy here all alone.

  ***

  Matt opened his eyes to people talking around him. He must have fallen asleep while comforting Ally. He’d woken once during the night to find her snuggled tight into the crook of his shoulder, out like a light with her arm around his waist. The couch hadn’t been real comfortable but he couldn’t think of a better way to drift off than with a beautiful woman in his arms. Rising with a stretch, he decided he should go find her and see if Jesse was doing okay. As he was leaving the waiting room, he met up with Ross.

  “Hey, ho
w’s your patient doing?”

  “Gentry, you look like shit. Did you sleep in the waiting room all night?”

  “Thanks, man, yeah. Ally and I both did. So how’s your patient?” He was sure if something bad had happened or he’d gotten worse, someone would have woken them.

  “He’s actually doing a little better this morning. Still unconscious but he’s been restless, its a good sign. Swelling is down a bit. I’d like to see it go down more in the next twenty-four hours, but his vital signs are all strong. That’s one tough old bird in there.”

  “Thanks, I agree. Glad to hear he’s not worse.”

  “I won’t lie to you; he’s got a long road ahead. He’ll be spending a little time here in Cody. His daughter won’t want to go very far, so I can get a cot set up in his room for her. She’s a pretty little thing, too. You dating her?”

  “No, not dating her. Yeah, she’s definitely a looker. She’s a city girl. Probably won’t be sticking around once her father’s on the mend. Shame really. I could get used to having her around.”

  “Well, I have rounds but don’t go far. I’ve got something I’d like to talk over with you.”

  “Okay, Ross, thanks again for everything you did. We both appreciate it.”

  Matt stared down the hallway where the doctor had disappeared. He needed to find some coffee to wake him up.

  “Good morning.”

  “Shit, Ally, you scared me. Don’t sneak up on people like that.”