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“Damn stupid, Gentry,” he mumbled.
Matt fisted Rogue’s tether as he walked him out the corral gate toward his new owner. Starting a new bloodline with this stud was a good move. The Thoroughbred would couple perfectly with the old man’s honey-colored mares.
“Gentry.” Jesse nodded and removed his worn straw. “Looks like a real winner we got there. How’s he handle?”
“He’s a little rough around the edges, but I think he’ll fit right in. The ladies seem to like him fine for all the stomping they got going on in their stalls.”
The old man tipped his head back and roared with laughter. “Well, those ladies apparently know a fine specimen when they see one. Speaking of ladies, where’s that daughter of mine?”
Matt damn well knew he was blushing and was readying his wrist to point over toward the barn doors where she stood when one of the greenhorns ran at them full bore, like a fire was riding his tail.
“Gentry,” the young man yelled. “Hey, Gentry! We got a huge problem with one of the—”
Rogue spooked at the sudden shouts, whinnying and dancing about. A second later, the mare Jesse sat on reared back on its hind legs, ceremoniously pitching the old man right off the saddle. He hit the ground hard, landing on the base of his neck and shoulders and rolling him into a lifeless ball left at the mercy of the stomping feet of the terrified mare.
Chapter Eight
In that one moment, Matt’s past flashed before his eyes when Jesse hit the ground. Ally’s screams echoed across the yard.Oh, God. What just happened?
He stood in a state of panic, knowing he needed to get the mare away from the man on the ground before he was trampled. Ally bolted toward her father. He grabbed her arm to keep her out of harm’s way, and shook himself into action. “Careful. He wouldn’t want you hurt.”
Gently but quickly, he backed Rogue into the corral and slapped him on the shoulder with a yell so he’d run off and then slammed the gate.
He turned to see two of his seasoned hands reaching for the spooked mare while his second in command, Tommy, covered the crumpled man with his own body to avoid any blows. Matt’s mind flew into action. He wasn’t a cowboy in that moment, standing in the face of danger and the possibility of a dying man. It became crystal clear what he had to do as Ally dropped to her knees at her dad’s side, crying hard.
“Daddy! Oh, God. Please be okay!”
He watched Ally with her dad; all the love she had for her father poured out in her tears. Was this his chance at redemption? He loved this old man, and he needed to save him or die trying.
Matt knelt beside his boss, shouldering the ranch hand out of the way, and shouting to anyone paying attention. “Call 911 and get an ambulance here, fast.”
“Ally.” He talked to her as though they weren’t in the middle of a life or death situation. “I need you to collect yourself and listen to me. Can you do that?”
Sobbing, she ran her hands over her father’s still body, seeming to will his body unharmed. “He’s not moving. He’s hurt bad. We have to get him to the hospital!”
“I know, sweetheart. But listen, we can’t move him yet. I need to look him over. He fell real hard on his neck, and he may have some damage we don’t know about.” He twisted slightly to yell at the men. “Somebody get a damn ambulance and then get me West Park Hospital in Cody on the phone. Now!”
He looked back at those beautiful green eyes filled with sadness and fear. “Sweetheart, can you just trust me? Everything is gonna be fine. Stay back a bit, I’m gonna slowly run a check over him.” He turned to Tommy, who was on his right at Jesse’s head. “Try to hold him very still. Moving him any further could be detrimental.”
Tommy nodded, his gaze silently promising to do whatever needed doing.
Matt slowly worked his way up Jesse’s spine to his neck, feeling each vertebrate but not adding any pressure. He’d guess if nothing else the old man at least had a concussion. A life-threatening injury was a strong possibility but not something he could determine—especially with his only daughter looking at him like she needed him to save her world.
Unfortunately, a severe injurywassomething he needed to consider. He’d seen them many times in his line of work, and it had never been a good thing. He forced himself to focus, to push away all the negative thoughts jabbing at his brain—she was counting on him. He’d let one woman down in his life when he couldn’t save her. He wasn’t about to let it happen again.
Roberto came hobbling from the house, holding a cell phone to his ear while Maribella trailed behind, crying softly. Matt spared a glance over his shoulder, assuming it was the hospital on the line. When he reached for the phone, sirens blared in the distance, getting closer.
“This is Matt Gentry,” he barked into the mouthpiece and sat back on his heels. His eyes locked with Ally’s briefly before he looked at the unconscious man. “Ross, glad it’s you.” He hesitated, his gaze moving from one to the other while he listened to the doctor. “Yeah, he hit the ground hard at the shoulder blades and neck area from what I saw of the fall. His pulse is erratic, eyes dilated. He’s unconscious but breathing.”
Varied expressions crossed her face. He could tell she was puzzled about everything he was spouting off, but this wasn’t the time to go over his medical knowledge and background with her. All of that was a part of his old life no one in Rock Creek or at the Circle K Ranch knew about. Although finding out his secret was pretty much inevitable—he’d have to tell her, and after what he’d done, he was pretty damn sure she would never speak to him or want to see him again.
“We didn’t move him, but I felt the vertebrae for any chance of abrasions or protrusions. Yeah. Okay, the ambulance is pulling up the road as we speak. We’ll be there soon. Thanks, Ross.”
Matt slammed the phone shut, tossed it to Roberto, and got to his feet. By then, the EMS—followed by a couple sheriff patrol cars and a Wyoming Highway Patrol vehicle—had pulled up the drive where one of the boys waited to tell them where to go. Ally glanced up, telling him without words that she had questions.
“The doctor’s a good friend of mine. He will have a bed ready and be waiting for Jesse.”
More tears immediately formed in her eyes, and he wanted so badly to pull her into his arms and comfort her like she needed—what theybothneeded—but he resisted. Not even a half hour ago, they had been as intimate as two people could get, but at the moment, he had no clue where they stood—friends, lovers, enemies? He’d bet on the latter once she’d heard everything.
