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‘Bollocks to that. I’m going for it.’ She stuck her tongue out at him, then clicked Duke to a canter and made her way to the start of the run.
James’s heart beat faster in his chest. He liked being in control, but right now, he was most definitely not. Memories of Estelle tumbling over the banister played on repeat, falling from his mind to hit the pit of his stomach with a sickening thud, over and over again.
Letting out another cry, she urged Duke to a gallop, her bow already raised and an arrow in place. She let it fly into the first target, then pulled another from the quiver and tried to notch it in place. But at that moment, Duke jumped. Suddenly her balance was gone, and she was tossed from the saddle.
Panic shot through James as he sprinted towards her, Chester and Joy barking loudly beside him. Estelle was lying face down on the ground, not moving.
‘Estelle!’ he shouted, reaching her side.
She stirred and pushed to a seated position. ‘Fuck!’
‘Are you okay? What’s hurting? Can you move your legs?’
‘I’m fine,’ she muttered. ‘But my clothes are ruined.’
Chester and Joy were trying to clean her with their tongues. James pushed them back, his heart pounding as if attempting to exit through his ribs. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’
He went to take her arm, but she batted his hand away and got to her feet. ‘I told you, I’m fine!’
Part of him knew she was embarrassed, but most of him was still obsessed with needing to know she hadn’t just sustained a serious spinal injury.
‘Estelle, stop. Please. You don’t know you’re okay. You could—’
‘I’m FINE!’ She turned to the other end of the field where her horse had finally stopped. ‘Duke! Come here!’ Stomping forward, her attention was on Duke, not where she was walking. Her left foot caught on a clod of earth, her ankle turned, and she went down with a shriek of real pain.
Jesus Christ. James ran forward.
Estelle was clutching her boot, her eyes tightly closed.
He dropped to the muddy ground. ‘I didn’t hear a crack. Did you? Do you think it’s broken?’
‘Don’t think so,’ she hissed. ‘But it really hurts.’
‘We need to get your boot off before the swelling gets too much.’
She nodded.
He carefully unzipped it and took it off, followed by her sock. He couldn’t see any obvious sign of a break, but her foot was beginning to swell.
Without a second thought, he pulled off his four-hundred-pound silk scarf.
‘What on earth are you doing?’
‘Getting the ankle strapped up before taking you to hospital.’
‘I’m fine—’
He ignored her and took out his mobile phone. ‘I don’t have a splint, so this will have to do. Can you hold it in place?’
‘This is ridiculous. I can walk.’
He moved away, standing and crossing his arms. ‘Go on then.’
Estelle got onto her knees and tried to stand, but the pain must have been acute, as she flopped back to the ground, her eyes closed once more, her lashes damp with tears he knew she didn’t want to shed.
Chester and Joy were whining, knowing something was wrong with their favourite human.
‘Shh,’ James said to them. ‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’ Crouching again by Estelle’s side, he put his hand on her shoulder. ‘Please, let me help you.’
