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“What’s going on, sis?” he asked. “Did you need something?”
“It’s nothing,” I said. “I just hurt my foot today while I was riding.”
“You hurt your foot? How?”
“I got it caught in the stirrup. Ended up on my ass and in a lot of pain. It’s way worse now.”
“Crap,” he said. “I’m sorry, Mela. Are you going to go to the hospital?”
“Well, that’s the thing. I went and saw Mark at the clinic today, but I just got it wrapped and didn’t do an x-ray. He wanted to, but I was in a hurry to get back to the office. But now, I think I need the x-ray. I was hoping you could come pick me up and drive me.”
“Shoot, I would, you know that. But Bess’s appointment is a late one. The vet is already staying in the office hours after closing just to help me out, and I’m already in Buford.”
“I understand,” I said. “It’s fine.”
I was about to tell him I could call someone else and was currently wracking my brain to think of someone who could and would be available.
“I’ll call Mark,” he said. “He’ll come get you.”
“Oh, no, I don’t want to bother him,” I said.
“It won’t bother him,” Camden said. “He was telling me before I left how he was just going to sit around and watch TV tonight.”
“Oh,” I said.
“Just give him about twenty minutes. He’ll be there,” he said. “Keep me updated as to what’s going on.”
“I will,” I said.
With that, he hung up, and a minute or so later, my phone dinged with a new text message from Mark. It simply read, Be there in ten.
When Mark arrived, he looked like he had gotten dressed again before coming. I knew he wouldn’t have been sitting around the house watching TV in a button-up shirt and jeans with boots on, but here he was, walking into my office looking like he’d stepped right off the ranch.
“Not as good as you thought, huh?” he asked with a grin as he came in.
“Not even remotely,” I said. “Can you help me up?”
“Yeah, I’ve got you,” he said.
He helped me stand and then wrapped my arm around his neck as he guided me out of the room on one foot. His truck was parked up against the building, and he opened the door for me to tumble into. The drive was only a couple minutes away, since my office was right by the highway exit, and the hospital was only a few miles out of town.
It was awkward having him with me and a little embarrassing, but at the same time comforting. Having someone there to talk to made it less depressing under the florescent light of the hospital. He talked to me while they got me into the chair and into the X-ray room and then waited for me to come back and wait for the results.
Unfortunately, the results weren’t terribly clear. It was at least sprained, and there might be a small fracture in the ankle, but they were going to need me again in a few days for another X-ray to confirm it once the swelling went down. With that, they wrapped it again, gave me some crutches, and Mark brought me home, helping me into the living room and onto the couch.
“Let me grab you something to snack on and something to drink,” he said. “You stay here.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said.
“Nonsense,” he said. “We have a wedding to pretend to be a couple for coming fast. I plan on being a very attentive boyfriend. I need the practice.”
A few moments later, he returned with a glass of wine and a little box of dark chocolate I had stored in the wine cabinet.
“How did you know?” I asked, laughing.
“I had a hunch,” he said.
“Can I drink with the medication they gave me?”
“It’s just acetaminophen,” he said. “Just don’t drink more than a glass and you should be fine.”
I unwrapped the chocolate as he picked up a pillow from the couch and set it on the coffee table.
“Ouch,” I said as he picked up my ankle gently and moved it to the pillow.
“Sorry,” he said. “Yeesh, they did a terrible job wrapping your ankle.”
“I thought so,” I said. “It didn’t look like how you did it. And it hurts.”
“Hang on,” he said, kneeling down in front of me. “Do you mind?”
“No, go for it,” I said.
My heart started thudding harder in my chest as he gently, slowly unraveled my wrap. When it was off, he readjusted it and wrapped it again, taking his time and being extremely careful with me. As he wound the wrapping, he started moving up my leg, leaning closer to me as I leaned forward toward him. His fingers brushed my leg, and I could tell he was breathing harder too. He looked up, and our eyes locked on to one another for a moment. And then he leaned in, kissing me.
