Mountain Country Cowboy Read online

Wild Card had more tricks up her sleeve than any horse he’d ever worked with. But he had been working with her, beginning to build a trust. Or so he hoped.

  He shook the bucket, the sound catching her attention. Ears flicking, she lowered her head slightly, blowing hard.

  “Come on over here, you troublemaker you.” He rattled the bucket again, set it on the ground to free his hands. Took a step back. “When she gets close enough to check this out, I want you to let go of her mane and I’ll grab you off, all right? Then hold on to my neck tight.”

  As the horse took a few tentative steps forward, Joey’s voice took on an excited edge. “She wants some, Dad.”

  “That’s the plan.” He breathed easier with each hesitant step.

  Then, without warning, the mare swung around, lowered her head and kicked back at Cash with both hind feet, throwing Joey into the fence. Cash barely leaped out of the way of flying hooves before the wild-eyed animal spun and bolted past him and back into the box stall.

  Instinctively, Cash slid the door shut, penning her in. Then, barely able to breathe, he stumbled to where Joey lay motionless on the still-muddy ground, his body resting at unnatural angles and blood trickling from a cut on his head.

  Please, God, no.

  * * *

  “Thank you, Brax, for an enjoyable meal.” Rio placed her napkin on their table at Kit’s Lodge and Restaurant, wondering why she’d agreed to come. Maybe because he was a regular, down-to-earth guy. Not edgy like Seth and Cash.

  “You’re welcome, Rio. I’ve been hoping we could go out sometime. Get to know each other better.”

  Despite the fact that on their drive to Canyon Springs her thoughts too often drifted to her last visit to the neighboring community, her time with Brax had been pleasant enough.

  It wasn’t his fault that when they drove by the pet shop she could hear Cash’s laugh. Or that when they passed stores on Main Street she could almost feel Cash’s hand in hers. With renewed determination, though, she’d shoved aside those too-vivid memories when they reached Kit’s. For the most part, she and Brax had fallen into a nice enough, if stilted, conversation that waxed and waned. Typical first date stuff when two people were searching for areas of common interest.

  But she’d been especially hard-pressed to hear a word he said once she glimpsed the name tag of their waitress.

  Lorilee.

  Probably more women than she could count had that same distinctive name, but the coincidence unnerved her. Especially when—could she be imagining it?—the woman’s dimpled smile reminded her of Cash’s Joey.

  “Nice waitress,” Brax commented as he slipped a generous tip underneath the corner of his plate.

  “Very nice.” And not at all how she imagined Cash’s ex-wife. Friendly. Talkative. No horns or pitchfork. She went a little heavy on the eye makeup and was a bit too flirty—which would have irritated Rio had she taken an interest in Brax. But with shoulder-length hair fashionably cut and glossy nails appearing professionally done, she was beyond cute—as would be expected of someone who’d caught the eye of a teenage Cash.

  But on the surface, the auburn-haired woman with a tattoo of a ladybug on her wrist didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d kick a child out of her life once it became inconvenient. When a new love life beckoned.

  So maybe it wasn’t her. The matching smile thing was probably a fluke. But she’d talk to Cash as soon as she got back to the Hideaway to make sure.

  The return trip to Hunter Ridge took longer than it should have, with Brax stopping for gasoline, taking a detour to show her where his grandmother used to live, and a side trip to see an historical marker. In the midst of all that, they’d barely gotten on the highway when they’d had to pull over for an ambulance going in the opposite direction, no doubt headed to the regional hospital at Show Low.

  “I hope that wasn’t Delaney headed off to deliver Junior.”

  Brax grinned. “That’s right. The poor thing looks like she’s ready to pop.”

  Rio was more than happy to get back to town—although later in the afternoon than planned. This was a daytime date, though, so surely there would be no expectation of a so-called good-night kiss, would there? As stupid as it might seem, she wasn’t in a hurry to have her Cash-kissed lips touched by another man’s.

  “So how about it, Rio?” Brax pulled his truck up beside hers where they’d left it in the church parking lot. He shut off the engine and turned to her. “Are you up for dinner this week? I had a great time today and would enjoy seeing you again. That is, you know, if you’d want to.”

  “I had a nice time, too. But you know...” She hated this. Absolutely hated it. “I’m going to be leaving town in a few weeks to go back to college. This isn’t a good time to be starting anything. My future isn’t in Hunter Ridge, and getting involved now wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”

  There, that wasn’t too bad of a letdown. It allowed them both to exit gracefully. Required no further explanation.

  He shifted in his seat. “I knew you were headed back to school when I invited you to lunch today. But you know, Flag’s a hop, skip and jump for a guy who racks up county miles the way I do on a daily basis.”

  She tensed, but managed a smile. “Which is one more reason you need to relax during your time off and not pile the miles on your personal vehicle.”

  “You’ll be coming home weekends, though, won’t you?”

  “Doubtful.” Why couldn’t he let this drop? “I’ll be carrying quite a few hours, so lots of studying. I’ll also be working with local churches on the side to provide preventative education as well as counseling for victims of dating violence. There’s more of that going on than most people imagine.”

  “Yeah, I see more domestic violence in my line of work than I’d like to.” He pinned her with his gaze. “Heard about your talk to the youth group. I’m sorry that happened to you.”

  “It’s in the past now.” She reached for the door handle. “Thank you for taking me to lunch, Brax.”

  “You’re welcome.” He gave a somewhat resigned chuckle. “But we won’t be doing it again.”

  “My schedule, you know.”

  “And that Herrera dude, if I’m not mistaken.”

  Her breath caught. “What’s he have to do with it?”

  “Seems every time I stop by the Hideaway, looking for you, I only have to find him and know you won’t be too far away.”

  “Cash and I aren’t—”

  “He did jail time, Rio. Did you know that? For hitting his ex-wife.”

  So word had gotten around the law enforcement grapevine.

  “He didn’t hit her, Brax. She lied.”

  “He told you that?”

  “I believe him.” And she did. “Ask that deputy who is a friend of Cash’s—Will Lamar? He believes him, too.”

  “I know Will’s got good instincts, but it’s not easy to pull the wool over a judge and jury’s eyes. They look at things from all angles. Weigh the evidence, the conflicting testimonies. Ferret out the truth.”

  “But they’re human, too. They can make mistakes like the rest of us.”

  “Be careful, Rio. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “No fear of that. Like I told you, I’m heading back to school in a few weeks. Cash and I are...friends. Nothing more.”

  “He looks at you like there’s more.”

  She swung the door open and jumped out. “Well, there’s not.”

  Thanks to her.

  He leaned over, his expression concerned. “I didn’t mean to make you mad, Rio. I—”

  “You didn’t. I know you’re looking out for me. But you’re mistaken. About a lot of things. Bye, Brax.”

  She forced a smile as she slammed the door shut, then turned to her own vehicle and climbed inside. As so
on as she’d started the engine, the deputy pulled away.

  Way to go, Rio.

  The guy was trying to help, show he cared, and she’d gotten defensive and bent out of shape when Cash’s name came up. If Braxton was fishing to confirm his suspicions regarding her feelings for the other man, that likely clinched it.

  But it was too late for Cash and her.

  Back at the Hideaway, she pulled into the main parking lot, noting several family members were standing outside the inn talking. Sober eyed. Not laughing and joking—or heatedly debating—as usually befit an informal gathering of Hunters.

  With a ripple of uneasiness, she hopped out of the truck and covered the distance between them. “What’s going on?”

  Sunshine’s expression was grim. “Joey had an accident.”

  An icy cold shot through her. “What happened?”

  “That horse of Brax’s,” Grady clarified, “threw him.”

  “What was he doing on Wild Card?”

  How many times had she reminded Cash that kids needed to be supervised? That they were sneaky and fast and always where you didn’t think they could possibly be.

  “We don’t know details, Rio.” Her mother spoke with a reassuring calmness that her daughter didn’t share. “We didn’t know anything had happened until the ambulance raced in here, siren going and lights flashing.”

  An ambulance. The one they’d had to pull over for a good twenty or thirty minutes ago?

  “How badly is he hurt? Is he going to be okay?”

  “We don’t know, honey.” Dad pinned her with one of his just-calm-down-now looks. “He was unconscious. Cash said he’ll call from the hospital when he knows something.”

  Unconscious.

  She stared at her dad—at all of them. “And you let Cash go alone?”

  She spun away and raced back to her truck before anyone could stop her. She backed the vehicle out, put it in Drive, then paused to roll down the window.

  “I know you’re already doing it, but pray. Please pray.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  His heart still galloping, Cash paced the floor of the emergency room’s stark waiting area, pungent hospital odors strong in his nostrils.

  What was taking so long?

  Around him, under the harsh, fluorescent lights, others waited in anxious, worn-out silence for their turn to be admitted or to receive news of someone who already had been. A toddler screeched, getting on his nerves.

  For what seemed like the millionth time, he took a deep breath, willing himself to relax. He’d been praying nonstop for the past hour. Not only for Joey, but to banish the horrifying image of his son’s seemingly lifeless body lying on the ground.

  It had happened so fast.

  How had Joey gotten away from him? Managed to get up on that temperamental mare so quickly?

  Rio had warned him of the need for supervision, but with the amazing strides Joey was making around horses, he’d allowed himself to become careless. Inattentive, even if only for a few minutes. Joey’s continued interest in wanting to ride a “big horse” should have put him on guard.

  “Excuse me, mister, but would you please sit down?” A woman who appeared as stressed as he felt looked up at him from one of the seating clusters. “You’re wearing a hole in the linoleum and making the rest of us as jumpy as you are.”

  “Sorry.” He offered an apologetic smile and moved closer to the entrance doors, out of the immediate seating area. No way could he sit sardined in with the others. Not with the way his conscience was slamming him from one mental wall to the next.

  He should have sent Wild Card back to Braxton after the first week. But no, he wouldn’t admit defeat that early in the game. Not only did he like a challenge, but he had it in his head he could boost his reputation as a successful handler of difficult horses if he could turn the mare around.

  Now Joey was paying the price for his father’s ambition.

  His stupidity.

  What was taking so long? When they’d arrived, they wouldn’t let him go in with Joey. Said he’d be in the way. So shouldn’t someone show a little mercy and come out to talk to him?

  And then he saw her.

  An anxious-looking Rio, still dressed for church, trotted toward the ER’s entrance. Relief cascaded through him, the sense of aloneness and disorientation he’d felt since entering the medical facility dissipating.

  She spied him immediately and headed straight to him. For a moment he thought she was going to launch herself into his arms, but then she caught herself and halted in front of him.

  “I just found out. I’m so sorry, Cash. Is Joey going to be okay?”

  “I don’t know yet.” Frowning, he glanced back at the sliding doors leading into the inner recesses of the ER. “I assume someone will be out soon to tell me what’s going on.”

  “What happened? Grady said he was thrown off Wild Card?”

  He may as well face the music. No way could he wiggle out of the responsibility of this one. “Like you warned, Joey got away from me. He was right there one minute and gone the next.”

  “Oh, Cash.”

  “He managed to scale the fence to the enclosure outside Wild Card’s stall. Lured her over and climbed aboard. Did you know he’s been feeding her apples on the sly?”

  “No, of course I didn’t. I’d have stopped him.”

  “Anyway—” He took a ragged breath, thankful he had someone to talk to now. Someone who would listen. Who cared. “The mare got overexcited, and the next thing I knew she’d thrown Joey into the fence. Knocked him out. From the way he was all twisted around, I think he may have broken bones. Likely worse. He wasn’t wearing a helmet.”

  She looked up at him with compassion-filled eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Me, too. But it’s my fault.”

  “How can you say that?”

  He kneaded the muscles at the back of his neck. “Because at lunch he was bummed when I told him he wasn’t ready for a full-size horse. Eliot told him babies ride ponies, remember? A good father would have had his antennae up, recognized what might be going on in a little kid’s head and been more vigilant.”

  “But as I told you before, Cash, kids are fast. We can’t keep our eye on them every single second, no matter how hard we try.”

  “Well, I blew this one. Big-time.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  He closed his eyes briefly, then focused again on Rio, as if somehow connecting with her was connecting with his son.

  “At least the emergency team from Hunter Ridge allowed me to ride in the ambulance.” He glanced toward the waiting area and admissions desk, then lowered his voice. “But when we got here I had a tussle with admissions. My worst nightmare.”

  “Obviously they admitted him.”

  “I told them I didn’t have the proof of insurance with me, that I hadn’t been expecting an emergency. No way, though, was I telling them I don’t have custody. I signed every single paper they shoved at me as if I had every legal right to. They can sue me later for misrepresentation for all I care.”

  A shadow flickered through Rio’s eyes. “He’s insured, though, right?”

  “Yeah, his insurance is in his mother’s name. I pay the premiums. But I could kick myself. Why wasn’t I more persistent in pursuing Lorilee so these legalities would have been taken care of—or at least in process by now? But no, I didn’t listen to my friend Will. I dragged my feet, unwilling to rock the boat and risk prematurely losing Joey.”

  Rio looked up at him with troubled eyes, then something sparked within their depths. She gripped his arm. “What color is Lorilee’s hair?”

  He stared, foggy headed, not understanding her question.

  “Her hair color,” she persisted. “What is it?” />
  His lips compressed, suppressing irritation. His son might be fighting for his life and Rio wanted to know what color the boy’s mother’s hair was?

  “Tell me, Cash. It’s important.”

  He gave a disbelieving scoff. “Dark red. That’s the natural color, anyway. Who knows what it is now. Satisfied?”

  Rio’s eyes widened, her fingers biting into his arm. “And does she have a tattoo? A ladybug on her wrist?”

  Goose bumps raised on his arms.

  “She does,” he said slowly. “The horse she owned when we were first married was named Ladybug.”

  With a whimper, Rio pressed her hand to her mouth. “Cash, we’ve found her. I know where she is.”

  * * *

  “You know where she is and you didn’t tell me?” Cash’s voice had raised slightly, unexpectedly sharp, condemning.

  “No. I mean, yes. I—”

  “Where is she?”

  “Canyon Springs. She’s waitressing at Kit’s Lodge.”

  “Kit’s? Are you telling me she’s been in my own backyard this whole time?” Then confusion dawned in his eyes. “Why were you keeping it a secret?”

  “I didn’t. I wasn’t. She waited on our table today. Brax and I—” She halted, reluctant to divulge that she and the deputy had been on a date.

  “When were you planning to tell me?”

  She stared at him. “Excuse me? I just got here and thought Joey’s condition took priority. Besides, I had no idea what she looked like. I needed to confirm that with you.”

  “Then what made you think she was my ex-wife?”

  “The name. It’s unique. And—” She hesitated. Some exes didn’t care to see resemblances to the other partner in their offspring. “She has Joey’s smile. The dimple.”

  Cash’s own smile was grim. “So it is her.”

  “I’m sure of it now. And you know what that means, don’t you? She can cosign the hospital paperwork. Confirm the insurance.”

  Processing all she’d shared with him, he slowly nodded as he pulled up the number for Kit’s Lodge on his cell phone. In a matter of minutes, his ex-wife was called to the restaurant’s phone and he filled her in on the situation as briefly as possible.