AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not at all. Okay, for real this time. How much longer till you’re in Arrowleaf?” I’m still in Lane’s shirt, my hair is a knotted mess, and I need to do a few things around the house. Then there’s the fact I’ll have to walk to my mom’s, or I could make a call to either my mom or Lane. Hmm, I really need to think this through.
“Um, considering we’ve had to make several stops after the amount of coffee I’ve consumed, it’s safe to assume I won’t be there till around lunchtime. Rocky and I are also enjoying each pit stop by stretching our legs, aren’t we, boy?”
“Fine. If it must take you that long, I suppose I’ll clean up around here and head to Mom’s. I’ll make sure lunch is ready. Promise me you’ll call when you need to?” I make it sound like a question. Tully knows it’s more of ayou better, or else I’m going to be pissed. She’s been there for me. Now it’s time for me to be there for her.
“Yes, mother hen, I will. Between you and my mom, I don’t think I’ve had the chance to listen to a whole chapter of my audiobook.”
“We love you, so suck it up, buttercup.” I wish audiobooks did it for me like they do for Tully. She can read on her e-reader or listen to an audiobook and soak up every single detail. I’mmore of a paperback girlie, and on the rare occurrences a thick book is too much to carry, I’ll pull out my own e-reader. Usually, when the latter happens, I’m in bed for the night, my eyes are tired and heavy, then the next thing you know, my face is feeling the gravity-forced e-reader bopping me in the face. I get annoyed and vow to only read paperbacks until the next time.
“Yeah, yeah, smooches. We love you, and we’ll see you soon.” I start to respond, but this bitch of a best friend of mine hangs the fuck up on me. I mean, sure, sometimes I’ll extend the conversation on a different subject. It’s a habit of mine and usually ends up being a tangent about nothing. Still, it would have been nice to say bye.
“Freaking brat.” I place the phone on the counter, pick up my cup of coffee again, and take a sip. I’ve got a decision to make. As much as I wouldn’t mind walking to my mom’s, even I know it might be a bit too much on my body. There’s always the side-by-side in Lane’s garage I could take. Maybe I’ll leave a note and tell him where I am. I shake my head. Nope. I’m not trying to be denied an orgasm. He’d do it, too. Especially given that even I know my body is still healing. A bumpy ride would be bad, which also means walking that far is definitely a no-go. I’m dialing his number without another thought. This way, I’ll get to steal a kiss or two from him in the middle of the day.
13
LANE
“Birdie, you decent?”I open the door, noticing it’s unlocked, and I’ve yet to do a thing about it. Kind of hard to complain to Birdie to lock the door when I haven’t even discussed the issue of my family potentially barging in. The very least I can do is gather all the fucking spare keys that are circulating around the ranch. Today, I’ll take care of changing the lock after I drop Birdie off at her mom’s. As it is, I’ve got Juniper with me, our ranch nurse. Even though she’s of the female species, no fucking way am I going to bring someone in our house with Birdie only wearing my shirt and nothing else.
“Yes, do you think I walk around the house naked?” she yells through the house, making an appearance from the hallway. The air leaves my lungs when I see her. It’s clear as day that a few days of rest have done her body good. Birdie hasher hair in another side braid, and she’s wearing a tank top, jean shorts, and a flannel. My girl turned into a woman during her time away, and you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. On her feet, she’s wearing the same worn-down cowboy boots.
“I wouldn’t be opposed.”
“You’re just like your brother. Move out of the way. I’ve got about ten minutes before another one of you cowboys does something stupid, and I need to patch them up,” Juniper inserts with a snort.
“Birdie, this is Juniper. She’s going to take a look at your ribs.” Birdie is rolling her eyes before I can finish my sentence.
“Will this appease you enough for me to take the side-by-side to Mom’s, or will you drive me over, and I can drive my car back?” Her eyebrows shoot up near her hairline. This is a goddamn test, I can feel it, and I’m not stepping in the mound of horse manure if I can help it.
“That depends on what Juniper has to say.”
“Hey, Birdie, I’m Juniper, but I go by Juni most of the time. Do you mind if I take a look at what we’re working with? I promise to be fast.” She steps right into nurse mode. She’s small but mighty. The hands around the ranch know not to fuck with her, or she’ll fuck back harder. It’s also why Lawson has a hard-on the size of Texas for her.
“Nope, not at all. What do you need me todo?” I walk toward where the two of them are standing.
“Lift your shirt. I won’t be able to see how bad the bruising is internally unless we do X-rays. And since you only had them a few days ago, from what Lane told me, it’s safe to assume they’ll be about the same. I’d suggest in the next week or so, we can do them again.”
I listen to their conversation while watching as Birdie lifts her shirt. It still eats me up inside to see her bruised. In my head, I know she was lucky. I know she’ll heal, and I know it’ll take time. My heart is another story entirely. I’m ready for the process to hurry up. I can’t very well leave her alone for a day or two, driving to Colorado to take out the trash when she’s still dealing with everything. Plus, I’m still waiting to hear back from Fletch on any details he can gather.
“Yeah, I’d rather not have more X-rays.” We’re only a few feet away from one another, but when our gazes lock, Birdie’s cheeks blush with color, and she looks down at where she’s holding her shirt up for Juni. I get it now. Boy, do I fucking get it. Instead of seeing the blue, purple, and yellowish haze on her body, all I’m seeing is her round with our child. Now more than ever, I want that to happen. Each time I’ve taken Birdie, there’s been no pulling out, and she’s not on birth control, so there’s a very good chance she’ll be pregnant sooner than later.
“I don’t blame you. Okay, this may hurt a bit. I’m just trying to get the lay of the land. Is there any chance you can send me the medical records?” Juniper presses down in an area that must tweak Birdie.
“Yeah, I can do that. I’ll call tomorrow unless you need them today?” There’s a twinge of pain in her voice. I keep my eyes glued to her the entire fucking time, ready to call a halt to this entire damn thing, even though this was my idea.
“Tomorrow is fine. We’re not doing an X-ray anytime soon. When we do, we’ll have a comparison to make sure everything is healing correctly.” Juniper finishes her assessment, and Birdie’s shirt falls back down.
“Alright,” she responds.
“Everything looks good from what I can see and feel. I’d suggest not taking the side-by-side. You can drive and do everything else as usual, though.” She looks over her shoulder. “As long as she’s not hurting, she’ll be fine.” Birdie smirks, knowing she’s getting her way.
“Fine,” I grunt. Now I’m really going to have to share my woman.
“These damn cowboys, they pout more than any toddler I’ve ever seen before,” Juniper replies. I haven’t even said anything, yet I’m getting shit. Lawson must have pissed her off good and well today. Then again, whendoesn’t he?
“Thank you, Juniper. I appreciate you coming out here.”
“No problem. Whenever you get the records, let me know. It goes without saying I hope the person who did the damage receives it back tenfold. I’m heading out unless you need anything else?”
