by Janet Dailey
“Ready?” he called up to Daniel.
“Yes, sir!” Daniel gave him a military salute, probably something he’d learned from a movie. Conner dismissed a tug of misgiving. Maybe he should have refused to let Megan’s brother sit with him on the driver’s bench. But Megan had allowed it. Besides, the kid looked so damned happy.
It will be all right, Conner told himself. Last year, in the Christmas parade, Rush’s little girl had sat beside him, in that very spot. She’d been just fine. Daniel would be fine, too.
Conner rocked the sleigh one more time to make sure the runners were free. Then he clasped the handle and swung up to his place on the bench.
Glancing back over his shoulder, he gave Megan a wink and a smile. She was bundled in the quilt, with one arm around the dog. Her mouth smiled back at him, but he caught a glimpse of worry in her eyes. He would take no chances with the safety of her precious brother, Conner promised himself.
“Ready?” He glanced at Daniel. “Hang on tight. We’re off!”
Conner gave the reins the barest flick against the horses’ broad rumps. Moving as one, Chip and Patch leaned into their heavy collars. With a gentle creak of straps and buckles settling into place, the sleigh glided forward over the snow.
“We’re moving!” Daniel whooped with elation. Conner urged the horses to a brisk, steady walk. Their motion set the bells to jingling. The air was brisk, the sky sapphire blue, the snow a glistening white carpet. A flock of crows swirled above the horizon, then settled somewhere out of sight.
Conner glanced back at Megan, giving her a quick smile. When she smiled back at him, an unaccustomed glow seemed to steal around his heart. It had been a good idea, inviting Megan and her brother to the ranch. Everything was working out exactly as he’d hoped.
Daniel began to sing in a slightly off-key voice. “ ‘Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way . . .’ ” He paused, turning to look back at his sister. “Sing with me, Megan. It always sounds better when we sing together.”
There was a moment of silence from the back of the sleigh. “I’m too cold to sing,” Megan said.
“I’ll sing with you.” Conner didn’t have much of a voice, but he didn’t want to spoil the day’s happy mood. “Come on. From the top. ‘Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way . . .’”
What they lacked in musicality, they made up in volume. When Bucket began to bark and howl along with them, Daniel could barely contain himself. He doubled over, helpless with laughter.
That was when disaster struck.
The packed snow had covered a low spot on the side of the trail. As the sleigh ran over it, the snow caved in under the weight of one runner. The sleigh lurched sharply to the right and came to a stop. Megan screamed as Daniel flew off his seat and landed out of sight, on the snowy ground below.
Chapter 6
Startled by the sleigh’s sudden weight shift, the horses whinnied and reared. Their massive hooves flailed the air as they strained and twisted in the traces, tilting the sleigh at an even steeper angle. As Conner struggled to control the powerful animals, Megan flung the quilt aside, sprang out of the sleigh, and plunged through the deep snow to where her brother lay.
Daniel had landed in a deep snowdrift, which had cushioned his fall. He lay on his left side, his right arm and his legs thrashing—thank heaven for that, Megan thought. No limbs appeared to be broken, but his expression and his moans of pain told her he’d been hurt.
Bucket had jumped out of the sleigh with Megan. As she knelt beside her brother, the dog nosed in beside her to nudge Daniel and lick his face.
Megan’s most urgent worry had been that the sleigh might tumble over onto Daniel, or that he might be trampled by the horses. But Conner had managed to calm the team. Chip and Patch stood in their traces, sides heaving as he petted and soothed them. The sleigh was still tilted, but it didn’t appear to be in danger of falling over.
“Where does it hurt?” she asked Daniel.
“Shoulder . . .” He grimaced in pain. Megan could see that he’d landed on his left shoulder, which was still under him, partly supported by the snow. Until Conner could safely leave the team and help her, moving Daniel could be risky.
A frigid breeze had sprung up, blowing clouds across the sun. Daniel’s teeth were chattering. His hat had fallen off and was lying in the snow. Megan brushed it off and slipped it back on his head. Then she pulled the quilt out of the sleigh and laid it over him. “It won’t be much longer, Daniel,” she said. “When Conner comes to help, we’ll get you up.”
Bucket seemed to know what to do. He burrowed under the quilt, pressing his body against Daniel, warming and comforting him.
Moments later, Conner came back and knelt beside them. “Will the horses be all right?” Megan asked. “They won’t run off, will they?”
“The horses should be fine,” Conner said. “The sleigh won’t move until we tip it back onto the trail. Right now, I need to check before we try to get you up, Daniel. Can you move your arms and legs? Tell me when it hurts.” He moved the quilt aside. His hands ranged expertly over Daniel’s body, testing his limbs and joints.
Conner would’ve had plenty of experience with injuries in bull-riding competition, Megan reminded herself. He was taking his time, making sure Daniel didn’t have a spinal injury before getting him up. Still, Megan was getting impatient. Daniel was cold and he needed a doctor.
“Try his left shoulder,” she said. “I think it could be broken.”
Conner worked his hand into the snow and under Daniel’s shoulder. When he pressed, Daniel yelped with pain.
“Okay, partner,” Conner said. “We’re going to sit you up and get you out of here. It might hurt. Are you brave?”
“Mm-hmm.” Daniel nodded, his jaw clenched.
“Well, then, here goes. One, two, three.” On the count of three, he eased Daniel to a sitting position. Daniel’s face was pale. His arm hung at a slightly odd angle from his shoulder. Bucket stayed close to him, whining anxiously.
“You were right about being brave, Daniel,” Conner said. “Let’s hope it’s just a dislocation. We won’t know for sure until we get you to the clinic in town.”
“Here.” Megan unwound the knitted scarf from her neck. “We can use this to make a sling. But how are we going to get out of here? It could take time to get that sleigh back on the trail and turn it around. Daniel needs a doctor now.”
“I thought of that while I was with the horses.” Conner took the scarf and tied it loosely around Daniel’s neck, making a supportive sling. Then he wrapped Daniel in the quilt again. “Luckily, we were close enough to the house to get a phone signal. Travis got my call. He’s on his way in the ATV. Listen. You can hear him coming.”
Megan strained her ears. At first, there was only the rush of the wind. Then she heard it, the rumble of an engine, still faint but coming rapidly closer. Relief washed over her as the ATV came into sight, its thick winter tires rolling over the packed snow.
Travis parked behind the sleigh and unloaded the shovel and other tools that lay across the backseat of the open vehicle. “I’ve got this,” he said to Conner. “You take the ATV and get your patient back to the house. I should be able to move the sleigh with the jack I brought. If I can’t, I can at least get the horses home.”
“Thanks. I owe you.” Conner helped Megan ease Daniel onto the backseat. Bucket, choosing to stay with Travis, had jumped back into the sleigh.
The ATV was still running. Conner climbed into the driver’s seat. “Hang on to your brother,” he said, glancing back at Megan. “I’ll do my best to avoid the bumps, but it’s bound to be a rough ride.”
Megan wrapped her arms around Daniel, avoiding his injured shoulder. As the ATV rolled along the packed trail, the slightest bump triggered a jolt of pain. He pressed his lips together, determined not to make a sound. Megan was proud of his stoicism. But seeing him hurt broke her heart. Holding him, she could only wish the accident had happened to her instead.
They covered the distance to the house in about twenty minutes, but to Megan the time seemed much longer. Conner parked the ATV next to his Jeep, climbed out of the seat, and turned back to help Daniel.
“How are you doing, champ?” he asked.
“Okay,” Daniel said, although he was clearly not okay.
“You must be a pretty tough guy.” Conner guided him toward the open door of the Jeep and into the backseat, where Megan was waiting to make him as comfortable as she could. “I didn’t hear you make a sound.”
“I just kept thinking about you, Conner,” Daniel said. “I remember how tough you had to be when that bull got you. I was trying to be like you.”
Megan glimpsed Conner’s face as Daniel’s words struck home. He looked as if he’d been gut punched. She even caught a glimmer of tears in his eyes. Being the object of Daniel’s hero worship could be hard to take.
“Just hang in there a little longer, pal,” he said. “We’ll have you at the clinic soon. They’ll take care of that shoulder. But listen, it’s okay not to be tough. You’ve already shown us how brave you can be.”
Daniel managed a wan smile. “Thanks,” he said.
* * *
As Conner drove out of the ranch gate, Megan covered Daniel with the quilt and cradled him in her arms. Growing up, she’d always protected her little brother. If she’d protected him today and not allowed him to sit on that unsafe bench, he wouldn’t have fallen, and he wouldn’t be in pain now.
The nearest hospital was an hour away in Cottonwood Springs, but the small Branding Iron branch clinic kept a competent staff on rotation. Megan had taken her mother there and knew the place well. With luck, a doctor would be able to treat Daniel’s shoulder, or at least take an X-ray, check him for other injuries, and do something to make him more comfortable.
Daniel’s tough-guy pose was wearing thin. His forehead was creased with pain. He whimpered under his breath.
“I’m so sorry, Daniel,” Megan whispered. “Is there anything I can do?”
He looked up at her with his sad puppy eyes. “Sing for me, Megan. You used to do that when I got hurt. It always made me feel better.”
“Sure.” Keeping her voice low, she began to sing. “‘Silent night . . . holy night . . . ’”
“No, not that one,” he said, interrupting her. “Sing the one I like the best. Sing ‘Walkin’ After Midnight.’”
Thinking only to soothe him, Megan began singing the old Patsy Cline hit, which was part of her stage act—one of the songs Lacy had sung at last year’s Christmas Ball.
“ ‘I go out walkin’ . . . ’”
* * *
A door slammed open in Conner’s memory. His hands clutched the steering wheel of the Jeep. That song. That voice—the husky, sexy timbre of it . . .
Was he losing his mind?
Dry mouthed, he listened as he drove into town. There could be no mistaking that voice. It belonged to the goddess in the high-heeled boots and leather jacket, the woman with long black hair, flashing eyes, and dark red lips—the dream woman he’d been pining for, ever since last year’s Cowboy Christmas Ball.
What was going on here?
Ahead, he saw the sign for the clinic. The singing stopped as he turned onto the side street and swung the Jeep into the parking lot.
“We’re here, Daniel,” Megan said. “This is the clinic.”
Conner climbed out of the Jeep and went around to help Megan with her brother. Had he only imagined that sexy voice he’d heard, and the song? Or was there an even more mind-blowing explanation for what had just happened?
But the answers to those questions would have to wait. Right now, he had more urgent concerns.
The clinic was open and not too busy. The receptionist took Daniel’s information from Megan and ushered them back to an exam room. Conner had expected to wait out front, but Daniel, pale and in pain, had insisted that he come along. “I’ll be braver with you there, Conner,” he’d said.
So Conner found himself sitting in a corner of the exam room, with Daniel sitting on the edge of the table in a cotton gown and Megan hovering around him while they waited for the doctor to walk in.
Megan’s preoccupation with her brother gave Conner a chance to study her. What he saw only deepened the puzzle.
Was the woman of his dreams really Megan?
In his memory, the stunning singer had been tall. Megan wasn’t petite, but she was no taller than average. Then again, the singer had been wearing boots with high stiletto heels. That could explain the illusion of height. Makeup could have glamorized her face. And that wavy, luxuriant mane of black hair—yes, it could’ve been a wig.
He watched Megan as she sponged Daniel’s face with a damp paper towel and brought him water in a paper cup. She was an amazing woman, he conceded—compassionate, capable, smart, and independent. But if his hunch was correct—and nothing else made sense—the lady had been hiding one very big secret.
He could ask her, Conner mused. Get her alone, back her into a corner, and demand to know the truth.
But what would be the fun in that—especially if she never spoke to him again?
So, why not play along? Let her think she was fooling him, and see where it led? The possibilities were so intriguing that Conner had to hold back the urge to laugh out loud.
Just then, the doctor—a skinny fellow in glasses who looked young enough to be in high school—walked into the room with a folder in his hand. Pausing next to Daniel, he took out the X-ray that had been taken earlier.
“Here’s a picture of your shoulder,” he said, letting Daniel have a look. “The good news is, nothing’s broken. But you’ve got a dislocation. See right here where this big bone is sticking out?”
Daniel gazed at the X-ray, frowning. “It looks bad. Will I have to have an operation?”
“No, I’ll just pop it back into place. Then you’ll have to rest it for a few days.” He passed Megan a clipboard with a consent form, which she signed. Then he turned back to Daniel. “This is going to hurt. Are you feeling brave?”
Daniel nodded, although Conner could tell from the look on the kid’s face that he didn’t have much bravery left. “Will you let me hold your hand, Conner?” he asked. “That’ll help me to be tough like you.”
“Sure.” But this young man is the tough one, Conner thought. To forge ahead in life with the limitations Daniel faced every day—that took real toughness.
Conner’s gaze connected with Megan’s as he reached for Daniel’s hand. It had probably registered that Daniel had asked for his support, not hers. But he saw nothing in her warm brown eyes except worry and compassion.
“Ready?” The doctor slipped the gown aside and laid his hands on Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel nodded. His hand gripped Conner’s.
“All right, here goes.” The doctor gave the shoulder a quick, hard twist. Daniel’s face had gone white. He gave a yelp of pain as the joint popped back into position. Then it was over.
The doctor smiled. “All done. You did great. I’ll have the nurse get you a sling. You can take it off in a few days, after I see you back here.”
Daniel managed a shaky smile. Then his expression sobered. “What about work? I can’t bag groceries with one arm.”
“I’ll talk to your boss, Daniel,” Megan said, easing him back into his shirt. “I’m sure he’ll understand and give you a few days off.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Daniel said. “I’ve never missed work before. Not one day. I just hope my new boss, Sam, won’t be mad. He’s never been mad at me before.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Megan said as the nurse brought in a navy blue cotton sling and adjusted the straps to support Daniel’s arm. “After Conner takes us home, I’ll drive you to Shop Mart and you can talk to your boss in person.”
“That would be good,” Daniel said. “If he sees this sling, he’ll know I’m telling the truth.”
“I can take you by there on the way to your place,” Conner volunteered.
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br /> “Thanks, but I’m sure Travis will be needing your help,” Megan said. “You need to get back to the ranch. Just take us home. We’ll be fine.”
She was right, Conner conceded. He’d left Travis to rescue the sleigh and horses and take care of any customers who came to buy trees. He needed to get back. But he also needed an excuse to see her again and explore the secret she’d kept from him.
For better or for worse, he was hooked.
* * *
Conner returned to the ranch to find the sleigh in the yard and the horses in the barn. Travis was waiting on a family who’d come to buy a tree. By the time Conner had inspected the sleigh for damage and moved it under the shed, the family had taken their tree and gone.
“Thanks for coming to our rescue,” Conner said to his partner. “I owe you a favor, or maybe a steak dinner. Was it hard righting the sleigh?”
“It was easy enough with the right tools,” Travis said. “But before we take folks out, we’ll need to inspect every inch of that trail to make sure it’s solid. We can’t have that happening again. How’s Megan’s brother?”
“Fine. Just a dislocated shoulder. Life’s dealt the kid some tough cards, but he’s game for whatever comes. You can’t help admiring him—or liking him.”
“What about his sister? Did you make any points with sweet Megan, or has she written you off as a lost cause?”
Yes, sweet Megan. Conner smiled a secret smile as her husky-voiced song rose in his memory. For an instant, he was tempted to share his discovery about her. But, no, it was too soon for that. For now, the secret would be safer—and far more delicious—if he kept it to himself.
“I’m waiting to hear how it went with Megan,” Travis said.
Conner shrugged. “All right, I guess. Today was mostly about Daniel, especially after he got hurt. So, no, I didn’t light any fires with her. But I haven’t given up.”