Too het up to worry about cooking, Carson had Cord stop at the grocery store and sent him in to buy frozen pizzas.
Glancing down at Carter passed out on his lap, he realized the pain meds had kicked in. He smoothed the boy’s hair back, grateful the injury hadn’t been worse. He noticed Carter clutched the black marker in his fist so his brothers could sign his cast.
Back at the ranch, Carter didn’t move when Carson carried him into the house and situated him on his bed.
By the time he returned to the kitchen, the boys had opened all ten frozen pizzas. No doubt they’d devour them without tasting them.
He went straight for the whiskey.
Keely refused to eat pizza so he gave her applesauce and cottage cheese—most of which ended up in her hair, which required a bath. In the tub she leapt up and smacked her forehead into the soap dish, leaving a mini goose egg that would likely be a hideous shade of black and blue by the time Carolyn came home.
He just had to survive the next two days. The worst of it had to be over.
Didn’t it?
Day four Carson ended up serving cookies for breakfast since they were out of breakfast food.
“What happened to all the cereal? There were five boxes when your mother left.”
“We ate ’em when we got hungry,” Colby said.
Which seemed to be all the damn time. Feeding these boys was a fulltime job itself.
Carson did a quick head count. Carter sleeping upstairs. Cord—in the bathroom again—Colby here, Keely here. “Where are your brothers?”
Colby’s eyes were glued to the back of the empty cereal box. “Haven’t seen them.”
“At all?”
“I saw them when I was comin’ out of the bathroom this mornin’,” Cord offered as he strolled in.
“When?”
“Like seven.”
That was an hour ago. “What were they doin’?”
“Didn’t ask.”
Two hours later, just as Carson was ready to call the sheriff, Colt and Cam ambled up the driveway like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, fishing poles slung over their shoulders and carrying buckets.
“Where in the hell have you boys been?”
“Fishin’!” Colt said with pride.
“You didn’t think to tell anyone where you were goin’ at seven o’clock in the damn mornin’? You just took off?”
“We wanted to surprise you and catch fish for breakfast since we don’t got no food.”
Carson tried to remain calm and not thrash the crap out of them. Where the hell had they thought they’d catch fish around here? The stock dam?
“But we didn’t catch nothin’,” Cam said, dejected.
“That’s cause you don’t even know how to cast a line,” Colt scoffed.
“Do too!”
“Do not,” Colt mimicked.
Cam stopped. Holding his pole with both hands, he yelled, “Do too! Watch this!” Then he started wildly waving his pole around and let the fishing line fly. “Hey. Where’d it go?” He spun the reel and jerked on the line hard.
Colt screamed and bent over.
For the fifteen seconds it took Carson to reach Colt’s side, he feared Cam had hooked Colt in the eye. He said, “Where’d it get you?”
“My leg!”
“Which leg? Son, stand up so I can see it.”
When Colt straightened, Carson saw the hook imbedded in the back of Colt’s calf, deep enough to have threaded through the skin in two places. It’d gouged out a chunk of flesh before it’d caught. This was beyond him being able to yank the damn thing out with a pair of pliers.
Fuck. Looked like he’d be making another goddamned visit to the emergency room.
Carson took out his pocket knife and said, “Hold still.”
“Dad! It ain’t that bad! Don’t cut off his leg!” Cam yelled.
“For the love of God, Cameron. I ain’t gonna cut off his leg. I’m cuttin’ the fishin’ line.”
“Oh.”
“Can you get the hook out?” Colt asked, craning his neck around to gauge the damage.
“’Fraid not. Gonna hafta take you to town.”
Cam had dropped the pole and crouched to check it out. “Well, it don’t look that bad. Ain’t hardly bleeding at all. With how loud you screamed like a girl I thought I’d see the hook stuck in the bone and blood gushing everywhere.”
Colt spun around and punched Cam in the eye, knocking him on his ass. “Ain’t that bad? How’d you like it if—” he growled and lunged.
Carson was quick enough to stop Colt from pouncing on Cam, who was now holding his face and wailing. “Knock it the hell off, both of you. This is getting fuckin’ ridiculous.”
“What’s goin’ on? We heard screamin’.”
Cord and Colby—holding Keely—stopped five feet from where Cam was curled into a ball. And Colt was bleeding.
“Colt has a fishin’ hook stuck in his calf, so I’m taking him to the hospital. You all stay here. And stay in the damn house.” He rested on his haunches in front of Cam. “Lemme see.”
“I think he popped my eyeball.”
Mr. Dramatic. The kid should be an actor. “Then you’d better let me look at it so I know whether I’ll need to take you to town with us.”
Cam moved his hand.
Carson sucked in a sharp breath. Already swollen. The kid would have one helluva shiner. “Can you see?”
“Sorta.”
“Put something cold on it.” He addressed his oldest sons. “Watch TV or something until we get back. If your mother calls, not a word about us bein’ at the hospital, got it?”
“Yes sir.”
He gestured to the poles and buckets. “Get this stuff put away.” Then to Colt he said, “Stay put. I’ll get the truck.” He checked to make sure he had his wallet. In fifteen years with six kids they’d been to the ER once. Once. The first time he’s left alone with the kids? He was on his second trip in less than twenty-four hours.
Yeah, his wife was gonna lose her mind.
Cord rapped on the driver’s side window.
“What?”
“Probably better stop at the store while you’re in town since there’s nothin’ to eat around here.”
Colt ended up with four stitches but it’d taken the doctor longer than he expected to remove the hook. After the doc had cleaned the area, and Carson had seen the level of grime on Colt’s skin, he swore that kid was taking a shower if he had to hose him down himself.
At the grocery store he’d ended up with a cartful of food—all quick, all junk, all of which would make his sons happy.
Luckily there wasn’t big trauma at home. Things were somewhat normal except for Carter being loopy from his pain meds. Keely had crashed, face down on her stuffed animal in the middle of the living room floor—but at least she was napping. Cam had a bag of frozen peas on his face. Colby was sprawled out on the couch. Cord was in the bathroom. Again.
That’s when Carson realized it was damn near two o’clock and he hadn’t checked cattle. How the hell had he forgotten? Now he had to feed the horde before he could feed the herd.
Lunch was eight cans of Spaghettios, a dozen hot dogs, two bags of barbecue-flavored potato chips, a box of Twinkies—all washed down with a gallon and a half of chocolate milk.
As soon as he chucked the paper plates from lunch, he wandered into the living room. “I need to check cattle.”
Cord sighed and stood.
Carson shook his head. “You’re in charge…and hold off on your bathroom visits until we get back.”
Cord’s face turned bright red.
He pointed to Colby. “You’re up. Let’s go.”
Despite the gusts of wind that sent the cattle looking for shelter, they finished an hour and a half later. Colby hopped out to
open the last gate, Carson drove through and waited, watching in the rearview mirror like he always did to make sure the gate actually got shut.
That’s when a gust of wind shook the truck and he watched as the wind caught the gate, slamming Colby’s hand between the gate and the post.
Carson bailed out of the truck and barely stopped the gate from smacking into Colby again as he rested on his knees, cradling his arm.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Colby yelled. “That fuckin’ stupid fuckin’ gate.”
“How bad is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you move it?”
Colby shook his head.
“Come on.” Carson opened the passenger side and helped Colby in before he went back and secured the gate.
After he’d climbed in the truck, he saw Colby’s tears before he tried to blink them away. This kid never cried. Not even as a baby, so he must be hurting bad. “Show me.”
Wincing, he moved his left arm.
Carson’s stomach bottomed out, seeing that Colby’s right hand had already swelled and was turning red and purple. A long raised welt had darkened on the center of his forearm. “Christ, kid. How are you not screamin’? That fucker looks painful.”
“I didn’t…”
“Son, you don’t gotta act tough around me. I’d rather you were honest so I have an idea of what we’re dealin’ with.”
“It feels like all the bones in my hand are broken.”
A hand injury with multiple broken bones could mean multiple surgeries—and from what he’d heard, they were painful and incapacitating.
Carson left Colby in the truck when he went in to explain what’d happened and why he had to make his third trip to the emergency room.
On the drive into town, Carson kept up a steady stream of chatter because Colby’s pain-filled silence was more than he could take.
Sure he’d been upset holding onto Carter and hoping there weren’t complications when they reset the break. But the poor overwhelmed six-year-old had all but passed out.
Then today with Colt, the kid had cracked fishing jokes all the way into town. The only time his charm faltered was when the nurse had numbed the area with four separate shots. Carson had seen one single tear escape while the ten-year-old gritted his teeth.
“Dad,” Colby interrupted. “It’s okay. I don’t really think Ma will skin you alive when she gets home. This was an accident.”
His thirteen-year-old boy having to console his forty-one-year-old father just made him feel worse.
This trip to the hospital took longer. He’d be damn surprised if the medical personnel didn’t call Wyoming Child Protective Services.
He remained by Colby’s side through all the X-rays and waiting for the on-call specialist to give a diagnosis.
The good news? No broken bones but a couple of hairline fractures that required Colby to wear a cast for six weeks. The bad news? Since he’d injured his riding hand the kid couldn’t compete for the rest of the summer. Better than not being able to compete for a few years because of surgeries.
By the time they finished three hours later, Carson was exhausted. They stopped at Dairy Queen and picked up burgers and fries and ice cream for supper.
The mood at home was subdued, although it hadn’t affected their appetites. His nerves were shot. He sat on the couch and Keely immediately crawled into his lap, snuggling into him. Then Carter did the same thing on the opposite side. Then all the boys were piled on the couch next to each other or on the floor in front of it. No bickering or shoving, and he finally relaxed.
Carolyn arrived home earlier on day five than Carson expected.
He caught her in his arms as she alighted from the truck, holding onto her tightly—then he kissed her with the passion he usually saved for behind closed doors. When he finally released her mouth, she sighed. “You really did miss me.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” He heard the screen door open and knew the time of reckoning had come. His gut tightened, as did his throat. And he was man enough to admit even his balls shrunk a little, as he ran through everything he had to tell her.
“Mom’s home!” Cam said with glee.
And still he didn’t move.
“Carson? Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
“You’ll see. And uh, don’t judge me too harshly, okay?”
Carolyn ripped herself away from him. She froze after she’d only taken two steps.
All six kids were in a line, like before. Carson tried to see it from her eyes. Cord, the only one without obvious injury, unless she looked close enough to see the chafing on his right hand from continual jacking off, held Keely, who was sporting a goose egg on her forehead. Next was Colby, his hand in a cast. Next was Colt, a bandage wrapped around his calf. Then Cam, with a vicious black eye. And finally Carter, with a cast on his left arm.
Silence.
Then Carolyn slowly faced him.
And Carson blurted out, “I swear I can explain.”
“Mr. McKay?”
Carson blinked at the nurse. “Yes.”
“It’s time if you want to go in.”
“Thank you.”
Yeah, that wouldn’t be a memory he’d bring up with his wife.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hospital, Day 4—afternoon
“I’m headed down to the cafeteria,” Carson told Tori, the day charge nurse.
“The special today is Salisbury steak. And it is good.”
“Thanks. I’ll give it a try.” He rode the elevator down to the first floor. The doors opened and he was surprised to see his sister-in-law—or was she his ex-sister-in-law?—Joan McKay standing there.
She said, “Just the man I wanted to see. But it looks like you’re leaving?”
“Only to grab lunch in the cafeteria. You’re welcome to tag along if you’d like.”
“Sure, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. It’s this way.”
Joan got into the beverages only line. Carson loaded up his plate knowing he wouldn’t eat again today. He chose a spot in the corner away from everyone since he’d become a real germaphobe.
“You look surprised to see me,” Joan said.
“I’m surprised to see anyone, if you wanna know the truth. The kids aren’t taking the ‘no visitation’ rule too well.”
“I don’t imagine they are. I knew I’d better stop in before I see my grandkids. Georgia mentioned Jackson and Carly had the sniffles. Which means Tucker, Wyatt and Bethany probably do too. Brandt and Tell said to let you know you and Carolyn are in their thoughts.”
“Tell ’em I said thanks.”
Joan leaned forward. “I’m sorry this happened to Carolyn. I’ve always admired her. Although she didn’t like Casper, she treated me well. She still treats me like part of the family, even after…”
“You and Casper got divorced? Or after Casper died?”
“Both.” She sipped her coffee. “But I was thinking more of when she birthed kid after kid and I struggled to get pregnant and stay that way. Then when it finally happened, she welcomed my boys. I know we didn’t get included in a lot of McKay stuff in those early years, but I never resented her for it.”
“Why not?”
“Because she was protecting you. She didn’t want you to have to deal with Casper in your own home. He went out of his way to make you feel like shit during the work day and she wouldn’t put up with that in a place that’s supposed to be your refuge.”
“She’s put up with a lot over the years.”
“She took it all in stride and she lived those Christian tenets so many—including my ex-husband—paid lip service to. She and Kimi and Vi were completely supportive after Luke died and all the rest of the crap that happened afterward. Very few people know how instrumental she was getting me
settled when I left Casper.” She smiled sadly. “Carolyn just wanted to get me the hell away from him.”
Carson had to tread lightly. Joan didn’t only have rotten memories of her time with Casper, but what he’d learned of the man had tainted everything. He couldn’t fake letting bygones be bygones.
“I don’t know if I ever really thanked you for what you did for Brandt, Tell and Dalton as far as the ranch. I mean, I know you didn’t retire because you wanted to.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised how eager we were to pass the reins over,” he said dryly.
Joan smiled again. “It went above and beyond. It changed everyone’s life.”
“Ours too, but I’m happy to hear that.” He picked at the meat soaked in gravy. The food was okay, but it wasn’t as good as Carolyn’s. “Dalton stopped by. Sounds like him’n Rory had a good time on their honeymoon.”
“They’re leaving for Montana tomorrow. It’s a good fit for them up there. Especially after all that happened.”
His gaze moved to hers.
Anguish distorted her face. “You know, don’t you?”
“About Casper secretly beatin’ the fuck outta Dalton? Yeah. Charlie told me and Cal.”
“Does Carolyn know?”
Carson shook his head. “Charlie debated on even tellin’ us. I didn’t talk to my kids about it. Neither did Cal. We figure if Dalton wants people to know, it’s his business to tell them, not ours or anyone else’s.”
Relief swam in her eyes. But it was there and gone. “I didn’t know it was going on. And I’m sure you’re thinking, how could she not know what was happening with her own children? Living in the same house…”
“You don’t gotta explain or defend yourself to me, Joan.”
“Why not?”
“Because it ain’t my place to judge. There’s a lot of guilt to go around. If I hadn’t been so pissed off at Casper about ranch stuff, I might’ve recognized the signs. Me’n Cal and Charlie. We didn’t. We were too wrapped up in our own lives. If not for Luke callin’ us out, things would’ve stayed the same.”
Joan looked confused. “What did Luke do?”
“He said just because Casper was an asshole didn’t automatically make his sons assholes. They worked hard and had as much McKay blood as their cousins—our sons—did. Casper kept them out of the loop on ranch happenings and Luke asked that one of us keep at least him apprised of what was goin’ on so they didn’t look like lazy idiots.”
Cowboy Take Me Away (Rough Riders #16) Page 37