When Anna stepped out onto the porch of the little shotgun house, Kyle forgot about the car, the bet, and the rest of his life.
Golden rays of the setting sun caught and haloed Anna’s hair. Her blue dress shimmered as she moved, its hem showing a nice amount of leg. Her hair was pinned up as usual, baring her graceful neck, tiny gold earrings glittering. Her high-heeled pumps made her walk carefully, completing the picture of elegance.
His heart beat faster as he watched Anna descended the steps, his feet rooted to the sidewalk. A movement next door caught his eye—Mrs. Kaye had come out to her porch, pretending to look at the sunset.
“Oh, hello, Kyle,” the woman said. “Good evening, Anna. Are you two going out? Have a good time.”
She watched with unabashed interest as Kyle hobbled around the car to the passenger door and Anna stepped serenely off the porch.
A buckle bunny would have gushed about the car and dived right in to play with the bells and whistles. Anna only gave the Lexus a passing glance and waved at Mrs. Kaye.
“Thanks, Mrs. Kaye,” she said. “You have a good night.”
Kyle held the door while Anna slid inside. She reached for the handle to close it herself, yanking it out of Kyle’s grip.
Stifling a sigh, Kyle gave Mrs. Kaye a polite good night and moved to the driver’s side. Mrs. Kaye watched with great enjoyment. If the rest of Riverbend hadn’t known Kyle was taking Anna out tonight, they would now.
He said nothing as he put the car in gear and smoothly pulled away from the curb. Anna said nothing either. Was going to be a hell of a long night if neither of them spoke.
“Take us about twenty minutes to get to Chez Orleans,” Kyle said into the awkward silence as they went around the town’s square. “We have a reservation for seven thirty.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
Kyle clutched the steering wheel and gritted his teeth. Of course she already knew that. If he could not be an idiot for the rest of the night, that’d be good.
The sun sank as Kyle drove out of Riverbend, the edge of its round, orange disk disappearing over the tallest hill. Dusk settled around them, and the car’s headlights politely flicked themselves on.
Kyle considered the Hill Country at its prettiest in twilight. The sky took on a deep blue hue, and the sun stained clouds on the horizon a brilliant hot pink and higher, thinner clouds gold. The contrast of the darkening land to the amazing sky always entranced him.
The car beeped, and Anna jumped.
“Just means someone’s passing us.” Kyle slowed as a jacked-up pickup pulled out beside them on the two-lane road and roared past. The pickup’s driver narrowly missed an oncoming truck, which had to dive onto the shoulder to avoid a collision.
“Haynes boys,” Kyle said as he recognized the truck, a new one they’d been flashing around. “Assholes.”
“They have a ranch west of town,” Anna said. “And yes, they are assholes.”
He glanced at her. “You go out there to see their cattle?”
“I see everyone’s cattle,” she answered. “I certainly wouldn’t go to their ranch for any other reason.”
“Yeah, I know that.” Kyle’s grip on the steering wheel tightened in irritation. “I was just making conversation.”
“At least I mostly deal with their manager,” Anna said, sounding grateful. “I don’t have to put up with the Hayneses themselves.”
“They took over the old Morgan place. Morgan family moved to San Antonio when their granddaddy died and rented out the land.”
“I know,” Anna said. “I grew up here.”
Kyle shot her an annoyed glance. “Do you have to argue with everything I say?”
Anna lifted her hands. “Sorry. What do you usually talk to your girlfriends about?”
“Not a lot,” Kyle admitted.
“I can’t be surprised. I’ve seen some of them.”
A fair hit. Many of the girls who wanted to bang a bull rider weren’t gifted with a ton of brains. Those on the smart side also just wanted to bang a bull rider, and didn’t much want Kyle to talk.
“I went out with Bailey for a while,” Kyle pointed out. “She’s nice and has a brain.”
“Yes, I like Bailey. And then she dumped your butt for Adam.”
Kyle growled in his throat. “I like to think it was a mutual decision.”
“I’m giving you a hard time.” Anna actually sent him a little smile. “Bailey told me the whole story.”
Great. “I hope I came out of it somewhat good.”
Anna nodded. “I heard how you gallantly backed away and told Adam to propose to her. So, yes, you get props.”
“Aw, thanks.”
“I suppose you can make a good decision every once in a while,” Anna said serenely.
“Okay, seriously, are you ever going to cut me a break?”
Anna shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe if— Oh, crap. Look at that.”
Kyle jerked his eyes forward, stepping hard on the brakes. He saw what Anna did, a pickup half overturned in a ditch. Behind it, on its side, was a horse trailer. The pickup’s headlights were off, but one of the blinkers was stuck on, flashing golden slices through the darkness.
No other vehicle was in sight, but Kyle knew in his bones that the Haynes boys were responsible for this wreck. No one else had passed them since the Haynes truck, and it would be just like them to run someone off the road and then fly on by.
He quickly pulled over. Anna was out of the car the moment he stopped, making sure all was clear before she ran across the road in her high heels. Kyle followed, cursing his injuries for slowing him down.
He recognized the woman who shakily pulled herself out of the pickup—Sherrie Bates. She and her husband ran a small head of cattle way south of Riverbend. They were in their thirties, with kids who went to school with Faith.
“Sherrie?” Kyle reached for her. “Take it easy.”
Sherrie clutched at Kyle. “My horse …” She tried to jerk from him, to move toward the overturned trailer from which a horse’s shrill cries sounded, but she wavered on her feet, her breath ragged.
“Hush now.” Kyle put one comforting arm around her. “I’ll call Ross—he’s working tonight. And you lucked out—that’s Dr. Anna.” He pointed to Anna who was already picking her way to the trailer. “She’ll make sure your horse is okay.”
“Came right at me.” Sherrie rested one trembling hand on the canted pickup. “Don’t know who it was. Headlights—all I could see.”
“I know. They were driving like crazy. I’m getting Ross.” He showed Sherrie his phone as he tapped Ross’s name on his contacts.
He heard Anna struggling with the latch on the horse trailer. The horse was alive at least, but wailing and kicking. If it thrashed around too much it could break limbs or cut itself up.
Anna was talking to it, doing her horse-whisperer thing, but the latch rattled and wouldn’t open. Sherrie started for the trailer again, but Kyle held her back. If the horse was badly hurt, or dying, she didn’t need to see that.
“Ross?” Kyle said into the phone as Ross Campbell answered. “Accident on the 2626, about halfway between Riverbend and Llano. No, I’m fine—I was just passing. It’s Sherrie Bates and one of her horses. Anna’s here but we’ll need a horse trailer and an EMT to look after Sherrie. Seems likes she’s okay, but …”
As Kyle spoke calmly to keep Sherrie reassured, Ross on the other end was yelling orders. He’d become interim sheriff after the last one got himself busted, and was running for sheriff in the election in November, not that far off. The sheriff’s department under Ross’s hand, as young as he was, now ran like oiled clockwork.
Ross finished and returned to Kyle. “Lots of stuff heading your way. I also alerted the Llano County sheriff’s office. Did you see what happened?”
“Pretty sure it was the Haynes boys being reckless as usual. Might want to speak to them.”
“Thanks, Kyle.” Ross didn’t promise one way or another, but Kyle hea
rd the grim note in his voice.
Kyle had no way to prove the Hayneses had run Sherrie off the road, though the odds were they’d done it. But unless Sherrie had seen them clearly or had a dash cam that could show exactly what happened they’d get away with it.
“Kyle?” Anna’s voice floated to him. “Can you give me a hand?”
Sherrie started, panic in her eyes, but Kyle gently steadied her. “Stay put. We’ll hear sirens any second. Anna and I got this.”
Sherrie nodded. When Kyle finally released her, she rested against the cool side of the truck as though drawing comfort from its solid weight.
Kyle clicked on the flashlight on his cell phone and made his way around the back of the truck to the trailer. It lay on its side in a ditch about three feet deep, a trickle of water and slick mud making footing tricky.
Anna struggled with the latch that held the trailer closed. By the light of Kyle’s phone, he saw that the accident had bent the door, wedging the bolt in place. The horse, kicking on the other side, wasn’t helping.
Anna crooned to it at the same time she tugged at the latch. “It’s all right, Camden. I’ll get you out.”
She knew the horse by name. That was Anna all over.
“How do you know which one is in there?” Kyle asked. He couldn’t see much in the trailer but a horse butt and the occasional flash of wild eye. The horse was trapped on one side of the two-horse trailer, in the stall that was now on the bottom of the turned-over rig.
“Streak of white in his tail. Their other horse has a black tail.”
“Good memory.”
“I remember horses, is all.” She pulled at the latch again. “All animals, really.”
Better than she did people, Kyle figured she meant. “If you get your hands out of the way, I can get that.”
She sent him an impatient look. “You’re still recovering from an injury.”
“I wasn’t injured in my arms.” Kyle reached for the latch. Anna wouldn’t move, so Kyle slid his fingers beneath hers.
Her warm touch trickled fire inside him. Kyle tried to shut out the sensation and pulled at the cold metal, grunting at a dart of pain. His arms might not have been broken, but the muscles in his torso—his core, the physical therapist called it—were still weak and sore.
Anna managed not to say she’d been right, only positioned her hands above and below his. Together they pulled, jerked, yanked, rattled.
Finally the bent piece of bar worked through the catch, and the latch burst open. Anna stumbled back, right into Kyle. She fit nicely in his arms, and her hair smelled of flowers.
She squirmed instantly away from him, like she couldn’t get free fast enough. The horse, secured by a halter rope, kicked and scrambled, half on his side, unable to get his legs under him. Fear radiated from him in a solid stench.
Kicking off her shoes, Anna climbed into the empty stall, which was now above the horse, her light frame barely moving the trailer. Kyle held on to the tailgate, afraid to join her in case his weight slid them farther into the ditch.
Anna reached over the partition and patted Camden, talking to him, hands working to unhook the halter rope. “Kyle,” she said softly. “Can you go back to the car and get my purse? I’ll need something to calm him down or we might not get him out of here without him hurting himself.”
“Your purse?” Kyle blinked. “What’s in there?”
“Tranquilizer. And a shot of antibiotics. Might need that too.”
Kyle stared at her. “You carry horse tranquilizers around in your purse?”
“It’s an emergency medical bag,” Anna said impatiently. “I never know when I’m going to be called out.”
Kyle shook himself, rearranging his thoughts. “You going to be okay here?”
“Yes—I’ll keep him steady. Hurry.”
Kyle released his hold of the trailer and made his painstaking way back to the pickup. He told Sherrie quickly that Camden was okay and Anna was taking care of him. Sherrie nodded gratefully, and Kyle hobbled across the dark and empty road to the Lexus, his dress pants and shoes now a muddy mess.
He lifted Anna’s purse, marveling at how heavy it was. Felt like she had a hammer in there—he guessed she was prepared for a guy getting too handy.
By the time Kyle started back across the road, emergency lights flashed in the distance and sirens wailed. Moments later a sheriff’s department SUV and an ambulance pulled in from the Riverbend side, a Llano County emergency vehicle from the other direction.
Ross Campbell leapt out of the River County SUV, followed by Deputy Harrison. Joe Harrison had moved to this tiny county from San Antonio in the past year, infusing a calm practicality into the sheriff’s department.
Ross assessed the situation with his usual quickness. Harrison followed Kyle to the horse trailer, and Kyle craned into it to hand Anna her purse.
Anna had discarded the little jacket that went with her kickass blue dress, baring her arms to the warm night. The skirt hiked its way up her legs as she leaned over the partition to comfort the horse.
Harrison relaxed visibly when he saw Anna. “Glad you’re here, Dr. Anna. You got this?”
Anna, one hand still on the horse, scrabbled inside her purse. “I think so. Tell Sherrie everything’s under control.”
Harrison backed away. “Good. Sure thing.” He caught Kyle staring at him, and gave him a sheepish smile. “I can deal with people. Horses are another thing.” He gave Kyle a nod and quickly faded toward Sherrie’s truck.
Anna withdrew a small plastic case from the purse. “Kyle, can you help?”
Kyle stepped up to her. “What do you need?”
Anna handed him the case. “Take out the syringe, then break the seal on that vial. Carefully.”
Kyle felt like his hands were three times their size as he dug out the plastic syringe and handed it to her as though it were fragile porcelain. Anna flicked the protective cap from the needle with her thumb and waited while Kyle unsealed the tiny vial of clear liquid she’d indicated.
His thumbs fumbled with the seal but finally he tore it off, plastic fluttering to the grass. Anna said nothing, only jabbed the needle through the rubber on top of the bottle.
“Draw that into the syringe.” She kept her hand on the horse, who continued to writhe in panic. “Don’t worry about doing it perfectly, just get it in there.”
Kyle had dosed animals before, not to mention taken plenty of shots himself. He hated them, though. He grimaced as he held the vial steady and drew the serum into the syringe.
He handed the syringe back to Anna. She grabbed it and jabbed the needle straight into the horse, depressing the plunger.
Kyle doubted Camden would feel the prick of the needle in his larger panic. The horse continued to kick and thrash, and then slowly, slowly, he quieted, his breathing loud in the sudden silence.
“I need to check him for injury and then take him out of here,” Anna said. “Can you get the tailgate all the way open?”
Kyle yanked at it until he could finally move aside the bent part of the gate. His sides ached, his healing muscles not happy with him.
Anna climbed from the trailer then squashed her way into the horse’s stall, worming herself forward to release Camden from the halter rope.
Kyle went cold, expecting Camden to slam into her any second. Anna could be crushed under the horse’s body before Kyle could pull her to safety.
Camden’s eyes were wide, but he calmed as Anna unhooked the rope from his halter. She slid her hands all over the horse, competently pressing, testing, moving, just as she’d done with Kyle when he’d landed hard in the arena.
“Nothing obviously broken,” Anna announced in relief. “I’m going to back him toward you. Make sure he has something solid to step on.”
The tailgate now dangled from one mangled hinge. A few stomps with Kyle’s boot wrenched it free, and he braced the metal ramp on the hard earth of the ditch.
Anna showed the horse where to put his feet, firs
t inside the trailer, then on the ramp. The tricky part was to get him to swivel his hindquarters so he’d emerge standing up.
Camden was sedated enough by now, though, that Anna simply placed his hooves where she wanted them to go. Kyle, on his other side, guided him out with hands on his shoulder as Anna held his head.
Slowly, slowly, one step at a time, Anna steered Camden back, talking to him the entire way. After what seemed forever, Camden stood on the flat ramp, upright, all four feet planted. He trembled but stood quietly, never flinching when Anna snapped the rope she’d untied back onto his halter.
“I need to get him back to my place,” Anna said. “X-ray him and make damn sure nothing is fractured.” She glanced at Kyle as though remembering why he was there. “Sorry, Kyle.”
Kyle fought disappointment, but he agreed that the health of the horse was more important than their date—if it even was a real date.
“It’s okay,” he conceded. “We’ve missed the reservation by now anyway.”
He couldn’t see Anna well in the dark but felt her gaze on him, her blue eyes glistening in the waning light from his cell phone.
“Come with me?” she asked.
Chapter Six
Anna wasn’t sure what made her almost beg Kyle to ride back with her. Logically, they could reschedule the date and go their separate ways, but for some reason, she didn’t yet want the night to end.
Ross and Deputy Harrison took statements from Sherrie, Sherrie calming a little under Ross’s care. Harrison waved in the truck and horse trailer they’d called to retrieve Camden.
Kyle told Ross he was very sure the Haynes brothers had caused the accident, but Anna couldn’t commit herself. She couldn’t truthfully say that she’d seen them, only that they’d nearly run another person off the road before that. Ross nodded and wrote down their observations.
Anna and Kyle loaded Camden into the trailer. Anna’s new dress was ruined, she saw as she climbed out from securing the horse, the silky blue fabric stained with horse drool and grease, the skirt ripped where it had caught on a bolt. Her hands were grimy, her hair falling from its pins, and she’d probably smeared dirt on her face.
Kyle (Riding Hard Book 6) Page 5