The Doctor's Cowboy

by Trish Milburn

  “That was nice of him.” But then, Liam was a nice guy. Since he’d married her friend India and moved his rodeo company to Blue Falls, she’d gotten to know him better. He wouldn’t fit better into the town if he’d been born there.

  At that thought, she glanced at Wyatt’s profile and wondered if he’d like living in Blue Falls. When he turned his gaze back to her, she averted her eyes.

  “Something wrong?”

  She shook her head. “Just a long day. I’ve got a couple more appointments this afternoon, then I’ll run over and get your phone.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  She shrugged as she crossed to the closet. “It’s not far from here, so it’s no biggie.”

  “Thanks.”

  She nodded once as she dug in his duffel bag past a rope, a cowbell, a roll of athletic tape, a pair of gloves and a worn T-shirt. Finally, at the bottom of the bag she found the key ring that held two keys. One appeared to belong to the truck, the other probably to wherever he called home when he wasn’t on the road.

  As she walked back to the clinic, she wasn’t paying attention to anything other than the weight of Wyatt’s keys in her pocket. She was way too aware of them and that by taking them she was getting even more involved with a patient, one who would be on the road out of Blue Falls the moment she signed his discharge papers.

  “Hey, Chloe.”

  When she looked up at the sound of her name, she barely caught herself before she let a curse word slip. It was too late to avoid Verona Charles, so she smiled and continued on the path that would cross the other woman’s.

  “Been over to check on your new patient?” Verona asked.

  Chloe did her best to play dumb. “New patient?”

  “Wyatt Kelley, the bull rider who was injured the other night. From what I hear, he’s quite a looker.”

  “Mr. Kelley is on my rounds. Luckily, the hospital isn’t terribly busy right now. Only five other patients besides Mr. Kelley, including Ruth Carter.”

  “Oh, how is Ruth doing?”

  “As well as can be expected.” You could only do so much when someone was ninety years old and in congestive heart failure. “Tired, but she does a pretty good job of being upbeat.”

  That reminded her of how Wyatt had teased Mrs. Carter. It was good to hear the older woman laugh, and Chloe had to admit that his actions only made him more attractive.

  And she so didn’t need to be thinking about how good-looking and nice Wyatt was when she was standing in front of Verona, who took matchmaking very seriously. And didn’t let little things like the guy living hundreds of miles away stop her.

  Chloe took a couple of steps toward the clinic, but instead of going on her way, Verona slid her arm around Chloe’s and walked beside her.

  “So, is Mr. Kelley as good-looking as I hear?”

  Chloe did her best to keep her heartbeat from kicking into high gear. Instead, she nodded back toward the hospital. “You’re welcome to go judge for yourself. He’ll probably be happy to have someone come talk to him.”

  “Oh, I doubt he wants to talk to a little old lady he doesn’t know.”

  “He’s already been flirting with Ruth, so you better stake a claim.” Chloe smiled, hoping to fluster Verona by throwing a bit of matchmaking back at her.

  Verona patted Chloe’s arm as they reached the entrance to the clinic. They stepped to the side to let Harry Beaman pass by with his rolling walker.

  “I was thinking more about you, dear.” Verona wasn’t letting anything veer her away from her intended purpose for long. She was like a bloodhound who’d gotten a whiff of physical attraction in the air.

  Chloe placed her hand atop Verona’s. “I know what you’re up to, and let me stop you right there. Mr. Kelley is a patient, nothing more.”

  “Not yet.” That twinkle in Verona’s eyes was dangerous.

  “Not everyone has to be paired up. This isn’t Noah’s Ark, you know.”

  “But look how happy India and Liam are, and Skyler and Logan, Elissa and Pete.” Verona took a breath, as if she were going to launch into another list of pairings she’d successfully orchestrated.

  “What about you? Maybe it’s time we find you a happily ever after.”

  Verona looked startled by the suggestion. “Oh, honey, I’m too old for that.”

  Chloe took a step back and propped her hands on her hips, trying her best to ignore Wyatt’s keys when she bumped them. “Verona Charles, you are not old. You’ve got more energy than a lot of people half your age.”

  Some of the vitality seeped out of Verona’s expression, replaced by a tinge of what looked like sadness. “I’ve had my chance.”

  “Ever heard of second chances?”

  “I’m not here to talk about me.”

  “Listen, I’m touched that you care enough about me to want to see me happy, but I am. I love my job, have a good relationship with my family, am lucky to have lots of friends and live in one of the prettiest places in the world. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

  Even as the words left her mouth, they didn’t feel like the truth. Down deep, she did want more. At least she was beginning to think she did. But her life had been filled with responsibilities and work for so long, she wasn’t sure if she even knew what kind of guy she’d want. Would she realize it if she stumbled across him? For some reason, her hand itched to curl around Wyatt’s keys, but she refrained.

  “We all crave love.”

  Chloe touched Verona’s shoulder. “And I have lots of love in my life. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve probably got a patient waiting on me.”

  With a quick smile, Chloe headed inside. But instead of going straight for her office, she detoured to the restroom. After the encounter with Verona, she needed a minute alone to purge thoughts of Wyatt and how her thoughts kept drifting to him as Verona had sang the praises of coupledom.

  She stared into the mirror and shook her head. Why was she even letting Verona get to her? Chloe didn’t have time for a relationship even if she did spot someone she liked. Between her hours at the clinic, the hospital and taking care of her family, when did she have time for anything more than the occasional casual date? Was there a part of her that was a bit jealous when she saw how crazy in love her friends were with their husbands or fiancés? Of course, she was only human. But that was the point. There were a limited number of hours in the day, and most of hers were filled.

  If she wanted Verona to believe her when she said she felt nothing for Wyatt beyond the concern a doctor has for a patient, she needed to stop running over to see him every time she had two minutes to spare. Because though she’d never admit it to Verona, or anyone else for that matter, it wasn’t the thrill of the Scrabble game that kept her going back. Only to herself could she admit she had a little crush on Wyatt. But who wouldn’t? He was tall, nicely built, tanned from time outside, had that type of chiseled face that she liked. That he possessed a sense of humor and a casual flirtiness didn’t hurt.

  She just had to make sure she didn’t let herself get too deep into the crush because when he was discharged from the hospital, Wyatt didn’t have any reason to stay in Blue Falls. He wouldn’t be healed enough to ride in the upcoming rodeos, so he might as well go home to recuperate. And maybe then Verona would shift her focus to someone else. Of course, she might simply look for another potential match for Chloe.

  Shoving all those concerns aside, she took a deep breath and headed for her office. Toward an afternoon of blessed normalcy.

  But when she entered an examination room a few minutes later to see India Parrish and her baby daughter, a wave of longing for a child of her own hit her from out of nowhere. Sure, little Rose was adorable, but it was far from the first time Chloe had seen her. Rose had made her appearance in the world six weeks early, so Chloe had kept a clos
e eye on her since her birth. She’d even held her on a few occasions. Why did the mere sight of her in her mother’s arms twist Chloe up in maternal knots now?

  “You okay, Chloe?” India asked.

  “Uh, yeah. Sorry, my train of thought derailed there for a minute.”

  “I know that feeling, though I think mine is from a distinct lack of sleep.”

  Chloe smiled as she crossed the small room. “That sounds normal.” She leaned over and bopped the baby gently on her sweet button nose. “And how are you today, Miss Rose?”

  The big smile Rose gave her lit up the room and made Chloe yearn to hug her close and inhale that sweet baby scent.

  Making it through Rose’s regular checkup proved more difficult than it should have been. In fact, after Chloe finished with her last appointment of the day, she headed straight home. It wasn’t until she walked in the front door that she remembered Wyatt’s keys in her pocket. She pulled them out and considered going back into town but nixed that idea in favor of a long, hot bath. He’d lived this long without his phone. What was one more day?

  She, however, needed the time to purge her mind of him, of how there was a sliver inside of her that wanted to encourage Verona’s efforts rather than protesting them. But as she sank down into the bath and let the warmth soak into her tired body, she realized what was happening. As if someone had turned on a switch, her maternal clock had started ticking. And Wyatt Kelley just happened to be the first attractive, available guy she’d seen after the ticking had started.

  At least that was the story she told herself as she drifted near sleep and tried to banish thoughts of Wyatt joining her in the tub.

  * * *

  WYATT STARED AT the printout of his hospital bill he’d asked Sophie to bring him that morning. No matter how many times he looked at it, the numbers didn’t get any smaller. The total he owed after insurance was more than he made in a year, and that number was only going to increase every day he stayed in this hospital.

  He eyed the Scrabble board with the unfinished game. He’d expected Chloe to come back for one more turn before she’d gone home the night before, but she hadn’t. Logic told him she’d been tired and had forgotten and that it shouldn’t matter to him. But until she showed up again with his truck keys, he was stuck. Maybe that had been her plan all along.

  Movement at the doorway drew his attention, but his hope deflated when he saw an older, gray-haired doctor enter the room.

  “Good morning, Mr. Kelley. I’m Dr. Hershel. How are you feeling?”

  “Ready to get out of here.”

  Dr. Hershel nodded. “I hear a lot of that.”

  “So when can I leave?”

  “That’ll be up to Dr. Pierce and Dr. Brody. I’m just filling in this morning.”

  “For Dr. Brody?”

  “Yeah, she’s got a full house at the clinic. Oh, she asked me to give you these.” Dr. Hershel reached into the pocket of his white coat and pulled out Wyatt’s cell phone and truck keys.

  Well, Chloe must be done humoring him—all the more reason to get back on the road. When he’d walked down the hall yesterday, his side and stomach had hurt like the devil. But all he had to manage was to get outside and hitch a ride to his truck. He’d sat in the chair for several hours the day before so he could manage sitting on his butt as he drove. Where the hell he was going to go, he had no idea. No sense driving all the way back to Laramie, but even he now realized he wasn’t going to be riding for the next few events.

  He cursed under his breath.

  “Excuse me?”

  Wyatt met the older doctor’s eyes. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but he wasn’t Chloe. “Nothing.”

  Yeah, he needed to get out of Blue Falls before he did something really stupid and made Chloe think more was going on than some meaningless flirting.

  He waited until Dr. Hershel was gone before he swung his feet over the side of the bed. A sharp pain skewered his middle, and not for the first time he called that bull a string of unflattering names.

  When he was able to catch his breath and be sure his face wasn’t reflecting the pain he was in, he hit the nurse-call button on the side of the bed. He listened as the squeak of rubber-soled shoes came nearer before Sophie stepped into the room.

  “You need something?”

  He lifted his arm. “Yeah, you to take this IV out.”

  Her forehead wrinkled. “Dr. Hershel didn’t say anything about that.”

  “I’m leaving. I’m guessing you’d like me to leave the IV pole here.”

  “You’re leaving against medical advice?”

  “If that’s what it takes. I can’t stay cooped up in here forever. I’m going stir-crazy.” He wasn’t about to admit that it was because he couldn’t stop imagining his bill ticking steadily upward like the numbers on a gas pump. He didn’t want her or anyone else thinking that he wasn’t going to pay what he owed. It was just going to take a while, and nothing was getting paid while he lounged around attached to monitors and an IV.

  “Let me go call Dr. Brody.”

  “No, she’s busy.”

  But Sophie was already halfway out the door.

  “Damn it.” He clenched his teeth then ripped the IV out himself. He pressed a towel against the trickle of blood as he crossed to the door and shut it. By the time he got to the closet, he was questioning his sanity. But he hadn’t been lying. Even with Chloe’s visits, he was beginning to feel the institutional walls close in on him. He needed to breathe fresh air, soak in the warmth of the sun on his face, not feel as trapped as he would in prison.

  He froze for a moment at that thought before hurrying as best he could to change out of the hospital gown and into his regular clothes. By the time he got his jeans pulled carefully over his bandages, he was sweating and light-headed. He grabbed his boots and held on to the bed as he walked toward the chair.

  The way he felt, he wouldn’t be surprised if he looked down to find himself cut into two halves.

  For a scary moment, he feared he’d never heal, would never climb onto the back of a bull again. He let out a breath, trying to push those thoughts away. Because without his riding, who the hell was he?

  Chapter Six

  Chloe retrieved a patient chart from outside an examination room and was about to open the door when Jenna came rushing down the hallway.

  “Chloe, you need to get over to the hospital. Wyatt Kelley just ripped his own IV out and is attempting to leave the hospital.”

  “Damn it.” That fool was going to injure himself all over again.

  She handed the chart to Jenna and ran toward the exit. The moment she stepped into the hospital, Angie, the X-ray tech, pointed down the hallway that led out through the ER. As soon as Chloe turned the corner, she saw Wyatt heading away from her, his hand propped against the wall to steady himself. Sophie was walking backward beside him, likely trying to get him to reconsider.

  Chloe shook her head and went after her patient. She walked past him then turned and parked herself in his path and crossed her arms. “Just where do you think you’re going?”

  “Home.”

  “Mighty long drive to Wyoming for a guy who can’t even walk without assistance from the wall.”

  Wyatt pressed his lips together and brought his hand down to his side. “You can’t keep me here against my will.”

  Chloe cocked her head slightly. “Did something happen? You seemed fine yesterday.” Surely her absence last night and this morning hadn’t pushed him over the edge. No, something else was going on, something he wasn’t saying.

  “I just need to get out of this place.”

  She mentally pulled back the layers of what he said. Beyond the need to be outside, what would be bothering a guy like him? Then it clicked. He was a bull rider on a smaller circuit, one who could
n’t ride now. No riding meant no income. And hospital bills didn’t come cheap.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you what. Let’s go sit outside for a while. Maybe you’ll feel better if you absorb a little sun and get some fresh air.”

  The look he gave her was full of suspicion, and she couldn’t blame him for looking that way. Even to a casual observer, she doubted she came across as a person who gave up that easily.

  Chloe glanced at Sophie. “It’s okay. I think Mr. Kelley and I can handle it from here.”

  Sophie looked at Wyatt briefly before she nodded and headed in the opposite direction.

  Chloe positioned herself next to Wyatt and patted her shoulder. “Hold on to me. I can’t have you toppling over. We frown on guts on the clean floors.”

  In contrast to his demeanor a moment before, he huffed a small laugh at that.

  “Well, look at that,” she said. “The guy with a sense of humor is still in there.”

  He didn’t respond, and she could tell it was because he was concentrating all his effort into not showing how much he was hurting. She slowly guided him out through the sliding ER doors and to a small courtyard off to the right. By the time they reached one of the benches, she could almost feel his pain herself. She had to give him credit. He might be as stubborn as the proverbial mule, but he was also tough. And not just physically. Somewhere along the way, Wyatt Kelley had perfected a mental toughness, too.

  When he was seated and had dropped his bag on the ground beside him, she sank onto the opposite bench and looked up at the bright blue April sky. “You’re right. It is nicer out here.”

  “You didn’t happen to bring my truck here, did you?”

  She let her gaze drift back down to his. “No. And no matter how determined you are, I don’t think you’ll make it all the way to the fairgrounds.”

  “I’ll catch a ride.”

  “Because everybody picks up a stranger on the side of the road.”

  “I’ll manage.”

  Chloe sighed and leaned forward. “Listen, I understand you’re not going to go back inside, no matter what I say. But you’re also in no shape to be on your own yet. You are on strong pain meds, still healing and in danger of reopening your wounds, at risk of infection if the wounds don’t receive proper care. You don’t need to drive quite yet, and you’ll need someone to help you for at least a while.”