by Becca Van
“Too bad,” Clay replied as he sat on the edge of the large spa bath, put the plug in, and started the water. When the water was halfway up the side of the tub, he stood up with Tara still in his arms and sat down on one of the molded seats, placing Tara onto his lap.
“How are you feeling, baby?”
“Sore.”
“Just sit there and relax, sweetheart,” Johnny advised as he stepped into the tub. “Clay and I will wash you, then we’ll let the spa jets do the rest.”
“Okay,” Tara replied as she closed her eyes.
She had never felt so good in her life. Even though her muscles and ass were a little sore, she felt content and loved for the first time in years.
Chapter Eleven
Tara had never been so happy. She kept the house clean, cooked for her two men, and did the laundry. They spent a couple of hours with her each morning, taking her for a ride, reacquainting her with her childhood home. They were in a routine, and she had never seen Clay and Johnny as happy as they were.
One Friday afternoon, after she had done all her chores and dinner and was cooking in the slow cooker, Tara decided to go for another ride on Pepper. She walked out the back door and was headed for the barn when she heard the sound of a car coming up the drive. She covered her eyes with her hands to see who was visiting and felt anger rising as she recognized Celia’s expensive sports car. Tara moved away from the driveway so she wouldn’t be in the way of the woman speeding down the drive.
Tara realized too late that Celia was not going to slow down. She was headed straight for her. Tara spun on her heels and ran for her life. The car swerved at the last moment, and then she was flying though the air. The impact of the front quarter panel on her left leg had her screaming out in pain. Tara landed on the ground in agony. She couldn’t move or speak as tears coursed down her face. She felt sick to her stomach with pain. Tara was aware of Celia turning her car around and speeding off back up the driveway.
One of the ranch hands must have heard Tara scream, because he came running out of the barn and crouched down beside her.
“Tara, are you all right? What happened?” Steve asked.
Tara could see he was looking at the car as it fishtailed up the driveway in the distance.
“Leg, Celia, car, broke.”
“Take it easy, Tara. I’m going to call an ambulance then I’ll call Johnny and Clay. I’ll be back with a blanket for you,” Steve said then took off at a run.
He was back in moments, covering Tara with several blankets as she was going into shock. Her teeth were chattering, and her body was shaking so much she couldn’t keep her head up. She saw Steve on his cell phone and watched as he pulled his jacket off to place it underneath her head.
Tara had no idea how long she lay on the ground. It could have been minutes, or hours. The next thing she knew, she heard the siren from an ambulance and a rumble of horses’ hooves vibrating over the ground. She heard the roar of fury from Clay and Johnny and turned her head just in time to see them both leaping from their mounts.
“Tara, what’s happened, baby?” Clay asked as he got down on his knees beside her.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Johnny asked as he got down on her other side.
“Celia, she hit me with her car. I think my leg is broken,” Tara cried.
The ambulance pulled up on the drive right next to her. Two paramedics jumped out of the vehicle and rushed over to Tara.
“Excuse me, sirs, we need to assess the young lady for injuries. Could you please move back?”
Clay and Johnny moved back and sat down on the ground above Tara’s head. The two paramedics assessed her for damage. One of the paramedics ran to the van and retrieved an inflatable leg splint. He gently placed it on Tara’s leg and inflated it to prevent her from moving and injuring her leg. The man who had brought the splint ran to the van once more and pulled out a stretcher. He lowered it down to the lowest possible setting, and then he and his partner placed a back board beneath Tara’s body.
“On three. One, two, three, lift.” The two men lifted Tara and slid her onto the portable stretcher.
“Are you taking Tara to Slick Rock?” Clay asked.
“Yes, sir. The clinic has been set up, ready and waiting for the young lady. Would one of you like to ride in with us?”
“Yes. Is it all right if I go, Johnny?” Clay asked his brother.
“I don’t care which one of us goes, as long as Tara isn’t alone. Go, Clay. I won’t be far behind you.”
Tara saw Clay following the paramedics to the vehicle, watching their every move as they carefully slid her into the back. He followed the paramedic into the back of the van, moved out of the way up to Tara’s head. He knelt on the floor beside her and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“I’m just going to give you a shot for the pain, Tara. All right?” the paramedic asked.
Tara was in too much pain to answer, so she nodded her head in affirmation. Nearly as soon as the paramedic had given her the pain relief, her eyes became too heavy to hold open. She gave a sigh and let them slide closed. She was vaguely aware of Clay holding on to one of her hands as the vehicle moved over the bitumen. By the time they arrived at the clinic, she was deeply asleep.
* * * *
Clay met her eyes as she looked at him through a drug-induced haze and was glad she had been given the pain medication. He could see the resignation on her face and knew she was aware as well as he that her leg was broken and needed to be reset. He was glad she’d had the shot which would dull the excruciating pain she would have felt if she hadn’t had the pain medication. Clay followed the paramedics as they wheeled her into the clinic to find Doc Foster waiting for them. He walked beside Tara as they took her into the big consulting room then watched carefully as they slid her over onto a bed and left. Clay helped Tara to concentrate on him as the Doc worked by holding her hand. He watched Doc cut her jeans away from her left leg after he removed the inflatable splint, and then wheeled the bed over to the X-ray machine with his help.
Doc and Clay stood behind the protective radiation barrier as the machine began to scan her leg. When it was done, Doc looked on the computer on the other side of the room while Clay placed a blanket over Tara.
“Well, it’s not a full break, but she does have a fracture, and as you saw, a lot of bruising. What the hell happened, Clay? It looks like she was hit by a car,” Doc asked as he moved away from the computer and began preparing plaster.
“I think she was, Doc. She’s in so much pain she couldn’t speak properly, but she managed to say, Celia, car, something like that. I want to question her, but I wanted to wait until after she’d had medical treatment.”
“Hmm, well, by the time I’ve finished putting a cast on her leg from her foot to just below her knee, she should be coming out of her drugged stupor. I hope she doesn’t come around until then. I don’t want to cause Tara any more unnecessary pain.”
Doc got down to the business of placing a plaster cast on Tara’s leg under the careful eye of Clay. By the time he was finished, Tara was coming out of her medication haze.
“Hey, baby, how are you feeling?” Clay asked a groggy Tara.
“Like, I got hit by a car.”
“Can you tell me what happened, Tara?” Doc Foster asked as he stood to his feet.
“I was heading to the barn and was halfway across the yard on the driveway when I heard a car coming. I looked up to see who it was and finally realized it was Celia. She was driving like a maniac, speeding down the driveway. I stood watching her and finally realized she wasn’t slowing down and she was heading right for me. I tried to get out of her way, but obviously I wasn’t fast enough. What’s the damage, Doc?”
“You have a hairline fracture on your left tibia. I’ve had to put your lower leg in a cast so you don’t do any more damage. We should be able to remove the cast in about six weeks. Do you want me to report the incident, Clay, or would you rather do it?” Doc asked.
“I’ll do it,” he replied.
“All right then. I am going to write you out a prescription for some pain medication, young lady. You are going to need it. I have a pair of crutches in another room we lend out from time to time which should be about the right height for you. If the swelling in your leg gets too bad and it feels like the plaster is cutting into you, come and see me straight away. Do you need me to call anyone to come get you?” asked Doc.
“No, thanks anyway, Doc. Johnny’s probably already out in the waiting room pacing a hole in your carpet,” Clay replied.
“Okay, I’ll go and get Johnny to pull his vehicle around to the back of the office so you can get this young lady into the back. You can take that blanket with you to keep warm. No moving around too much for the next couple of days, all right?”
“Thanks, Doc,” Tara replied.
“Yeah, thanks,” Clay said.
“Give Johnny five minutes to move his truck, and then you can go,” Doc stated.
Clay waited the five minutes with Tara in the consulting room, making sure she was covered with the blanket and comfortable enough, even though she was still in pain. Clay looked up when the door opened to see Johnny standing in the doorway and scooped Tara up into his arms and headed for the door. Clay stopped when his brother spoke to Tara.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart? Are you in too much pain?” Johnny asked with concern.
“No, I’m okay. Thanks, Johnny,” Tara replied.
“We need to get Tara home so she’ll be more comfortable, Johnny. I want you to call the sheriff and get him to meet us at the ranch.”
Clay saw Johnny give Tara a kiss on the head and walked out the back door of Doc’s office. He opened the back door to the truck and got into the backseat so he could guide Tara’s plaster-encased limb.
* * * *
Johnny knew Tara was grateful he made sure her leg didn’t hit anything as Clay slid her in onto the backseat because she thanked them both. He heard her sigh when he carefully placed a travel pillow beneath her foot and another beneath her knee, keeping her leg propped up so she couldn’t hurt herself. Johnny got out the other side of the car and saw his brother gently close the back door for her to lean against.
“I’ll drive, Johnny, you get in the front passenger seat and keep an eye on Tara. Call the sheriff so we can report Celia for a hit and run. I want her charged as soon as possible, but Luke is going to want to come out and take a statement from Tara,” Clay stated in a hard voice.
Johnny saw Clay get into the driver’s seat and start the vehicle as he walked around to the front and got into the passenger side. He pulled on his seat belt and took out his cell phone to call the sheriff while he sat half-sideways in his seat to keep an eye on Tara. He saw Clay turn his head to see their woman once more, and then turned back to the front before his brother put the stick into gear and drove from the parking lot.
Her face was so pale Johnny had to physically stop himself from crawling into the backseat with her and taking her into his arms. He didn’t want to hurt her by jostling her around too much.
Johnny kept his eyes on Tara the whole time he talked to the sheriff on the drive home and knew that Luke Sun-Walker would be at the ranch very soon to take Tara’s statement. He gave a sigh as Clay pulled the truck along close to the front steps to the deck.
Johnny got out of the car, and he carefully opened the back door Tara was leaning against. He placed his large hand into the small gap in the door to stop her from tumbling out, as she was still under the influence of her pain meds. He waited for Clay to get in the backseat to guide Tara’s plastered leg so they wouldn’t hurt her then lifted her carefully into his arms. He walked up the steps to the house and carried Tara into the living room with Clay going ahead of him to hold the door open.
Johnny and Clay had just settled Tara on the sofa with a pillow beneath her head, another beneath her knee and foot, with a blanket over the top of her, when a knock sounded on the door. Clay left to answer the door.
“Do you want a drink or anything, sweetheart?” Clay asked.
“Yes, please. Can I have a glass of water and a cup of coffee?” Tara mumbled sleepily.
“Sure thing, sweetheart. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Tara,” Clay called as he walked back into the living room. “I’d like you to meet the sheriff, Luke Sun-Walker. Luke, this is Tara Rustle.”
“Hi, Tara, pleased to meet you,” Luke stated.
“You, too, Sheriff.”
“Take a load off, Luke. I’ll bring in some coffee while you talk to Tara,” Clay said.
“Here you go, sweetheart,” Clay said as he pulled a small side table around in front of Tara and placed the glass of water on it. He handed Luke a cup of coffee and disappeared into the kitchen. He was back in moments with everyone’s coffee.
“Tara, can you tell me what happened? How did you break your leg?” Luke asked gently.
Tara gave her statement to Luke, relating all the details of the incident.
“Okay. Thanks for your statement, Tara. I’ll get an APB out on Celia.”
Johnny watched Tara pick up the water and guzzle it down. He was astounded at how quickly she finished the water. She must have been thirsty and finally twigged the pain medication Doc had given her probably made her mouth feel dry. He watched as she carefully placed the glass back on the table, ready to help her if necessary, and then she reached for her coffee mug and tried to sit up a little more to drink her hot beverage. Johnny moved and reached her before Clay. He took the coffee from her hand and placed it on the table then turned back to her. Johnny and Clay helped her into a more comfortable position. Johnny held her injured leg still while Clay placed his arms beneath her armpits. When she was more comfortable, Johnny smiled and gave her a pat on the shoulder, and Tara thanked them and grabbed for her coffee cup as he handed it back to her.
Johnny kept an eye on Tara as she listened to them talking about the ranch and the need for more employees at the Sheriff’s department. Slick Rock was beginning to become more populated as more and more people got out of the hustle and bustle of the cities. He took the mug from Tara when she finished her coffee, placed the mug on the table, and saw her eyes slide closed. Johnny indicated to Clay and Luke to lower their voices and gave a sigh of relief as Tara’s breathing evened and deepened. She had finally drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Twelve
The next two days passed in a blur of pain for Tara. Clay and Johnny never left her side, and she felt guilty about keeping them from their ranch work. On the third day, Tara’s pain was at a much more manageable level, and she was determined to be up and about. All she had to do was learn to use the crutches Doc had sent home with her. Piece of cake. Or so she thought.
Johnny and Clay stood by Tara as she tried to use the crutches, one on either side of her in case she fell. She started out wobbly, but by the end of the day, she found a rhythm and felt much more confident using the apparatus. She was beginning to get cabin fever and wanted to be able to get outside to sit on the decking. She had been sitting on the sofa for the last two days and was utterly sick of it.
She was fine until she got to the door. She leaned over and pushed the door open, but by the time she was ready to step forward, the door had already closed again. Tara wanted to scream with frustration, but didn’t give in to that childish display. And she also didn’t want Clay and Johnny running to help her again. She needed to learn to move about without any help. An idea formed in her mind, which made her smile. She pushed the screen door open so it wasn’t latched and then just plowed through it, using her elbow to push the screen door away from her body. Once outside, she moved her elbow, watched with satisfaction as the door slammed closed behind her, and then slowly went to sit on the padded bench seat. She gave a sigh as she breathed in the crisp, clean country air with a hint of roses floating in the breeze from the other side of the house. Tara gingerly lifted her plaster-encased leg up to rest it along the seat and sat back i
n the corner to enjoy the peace and quiet.
“Tara, where are you?” Clay yelled from inside the house.
Tara sighed, knowing she was going to have to answer and would end up getting a lecture from Clay, but she didn’t want him worrying over her.
“I’m outside, Clay,” she yelled in reply.
Clay came storming out of the house, and she heard the fast, frantic footsteps of Johnny following close behind.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? If you weren’t already hurt, I would put you over my knee and tan your ass. You know you’re not supposed to be moving around by yourself. What if you had fallen and hurt your leg even more?” Clay asked through clenched teeth.
“Then I would have hurt my leg. Look, Clay, Johnny, you can’t be treating me like a fragile piece of glass. I’m a lot stronger than you think. I just needed to get out of the house for some fresh air. I was going stir crazy staying inside all the time. I have to learn to get around by myself. What if there was an emergency on the ranch and you and Johnny had to leave? I wouldn’t even be able to go to the bathroom by myself. Stop pampering me. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, because I do, I love you both very much, but you’re both driving me insane.”
“She’s right, Clay. She does have to learn to get around. We can’t be here twenty-four-seven, even though we’d like to. We have to let her move about on her own. How about I get you a cell phone and program our numbers into it? That way if we’re not here you can still get in touch with us if you need to.”
“I think that’s a great idea, Johnny. What do you say, Clay? You can’t be with me all the time,” Tara reiterated.
“Yeah, okay. So you have a point. Johnny, go for a quick run into Slick Rock and get Tara a cell phone. I’ll stay here and keep her company. Is there anything else you want in town, baby?”
“Something to read would be nice, and a new leg?” Tara replied with spunk.
“What am I going to do with you, Tara?”