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Diablo was well trained. He wouldn’t stray. Farris dismounted and took two long strides. Then he realized what he had spotted. It was a cell phone, one he recognized, smashed beyond use. Perhaps the horse had stepped on it.
As Farris explored, he spotted blood. On a rock. His vision went blurry. India wasn’t here. She must have been ambulatory. Which way would she have gone? Surely not farther along the fence. She would have wanted to return to the house. Riding the perimeter would have taken her too far. The road would have been her best choice...unless she had been disoriented.
Carefully, he scanned the dusty ground. Then he found what he was looking for. Footprints, small ones. Feminine ones.
With his heart jolting in his chest, he sprang back into the saddle and eased the horse into motion. It was painstakingly slow. He followed the trail, bit by bit, knowing if he went too fast, he might miss something.
The next ten minutes were the longest of his life. But then he spotted her. A small, crumpled figure leaning against a tree. At least she was upright.
He pulled the horse to a halt and sprang from the saddle. “India. Oh, India. What have you done to yourself?”
She turned her head, blinking at him owlishly. “You’re supposed to be in LA,” she said, with a puzzled frown.
“I changed my mind.” He crouched beside her, touching her chin gently and tilting her face to catch the light. “Damn it, honey.” A nasty gash high on her cheekbone still oozed blood. He wasn’t even sure stitches would help. The rock had been sharp and jagged. “Where else are you hurt?”
Her eyelids fluttered shut, and her head lolled backward against the tree trunk. “Everywhere,” she muttered. “Do you have whiskey? All the cowboys in old Westerns had whiskey for emergencies.”
He grimaced. “No whiskey, Inkie. But I can give you a bottle of water.”
“That will do.”
He had to help hold it, and even then, some of the liquid dribbled down her chin. Because she didn’t seem able to catalog her own injuries, Farris ran his hands up and down her arms and legs. It was no easy feat, given the thick down coat she wore. But all the moving parts seemed intact.
India batted his hands away. “This is neither the time nor the place for fooling around, Mr. Farris Quinn. Keep your sexy hands to yourself.” Tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “I don’t feel so good,” she said.
He cursed inwardly. There was no way for him to know if she had internal injuries. On the other hand, she had walked this far at least.
He brushed her hair from her face. “I’m sorry you’re feeling rotten, India. We have to get you back to the house.” She was visibly shivering now. He worried that she might go into shock.
Getting her onto the horse was tricky. He was strong, but he didn’t think he could mount the horse while holding her. If he walked and led the horse back to the barn, it would take far too long.
“Look at me, Inkie.”
“Mmm...” She obeyed his command, but her gaze was hazy.
“If I set you on the horse, do you think you can hold on until I get in the saddle?”
“Sure, sure...” Her eyes were closed, which didn’t lend much weight to her blithe agreement.
Farris had no choice. Squatting, he gathered her up in his arms and stood, his knees and back screaming from the awkward move.
India whimpered and cried out when he lifted her.
“What is it?” he asked urgently.
Her cheek rested against his chest. “I’m fine,” she muttered. “Landed on my hip when I fell, that’s all.”
He sent up a wordless prayer. “Hang in there, sweetheart. We’ll be back at the house in no time.”
With all his strength, he eased her up into the saddle. But he didn’t let go. Not yet. He curled her fingers around the saddle horn. “Tight, Inkie. Hold it tight.”
As far as he could tell, she was following orders, but at any moment she might pitch forward or to one side or the other. He tucked the toe of his boot in the stirrup and swung up behind her. As soon as his arms slipped around her waist, he breathed a sigh of relief. This, he could handle. But he was afraid to let her go long enough even to radio back to the ranch.
Turning Diablo around, he nudged the stallion with his knees, and soon they were trotting back toward the house. The going was smoother once they were on the dirt road. He couldn’t tell if India was awake or asleep or even conscious.
Her body rested against his comfortably. He pressed a kiss to her hair and concentrated on the objective.
At the barn, his foreman took Diablo’s reins. Farris hopped down and eased India from the saddle, supporting her weight with an arm around her waist. She was milk pale. The gash on her cheek looked even worse now.
