High Stakes (High Mountain Trackers Book 2), page 9
Only one word sticks from what she just said.
“Then I have nothing to worry about, ’cause there is no relationship. Not sure where you got that idea.”
She barks out a laugh. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because instead of being out hunting that bighorn, you’re here comforting a crying woman? Or the fact you had her curled up against you in the saddle like she belonged there? Do I need to go on?”
Fucking James. He’s as much of a busybody as his wife.
“She’s just a friend.”
Ama snorts. “Newsflash: you don’t have any friends other than the team, and no way in hell you’d give up a bighorn for them.”
I sit down and fold my arms over my chest. There’s no arguing with this woman so why waste energy trying.
“Fine. I’ll leave you in peace, I’ve gotta get home, but I’ve got a big pot of stew back at the ranch. You both need to have a proper meal and some rest. You look like shit and she doesn’t look much better.”
Easier said than done. I doubt Nella will leave willingly but before I can tell Ama that she’s already on her way out.
All I can do is wait for Nella and make the suggestion.
As a last resort, I can always pick her up and toss her over my shoulder.
Pretty sure that’ll kill the rumors about any relationship.
Nella
She looks tiny.
Her face is almost as white as the sheets covering her, and the hand I’m holding in mine feels small and fragile.
Where is my strong, capable sister? The one who can take apart and rebuild any engine blindfolded, who could run like the wind, climb mountains, laugh without holding back, and who didn’t take shit from anyone. A woman larger than life, despite her modest five foot four.
It kills me to see her like this.
The incessant beeping of the monitors she and some of her neighbors are hooked up to grate on my nerves and part of me wants to run out of this room, from the sound, from this woman I don’t even recognize. But instead I sit here, holding onto her limp hand, praying silently for her eyes to open and her mouth to twitch into that lopsided smile of hers. I’d give anything to hear her customary, “Hey, Sis.”
Maybe I should talk to her, but it feels awkward in this otherwise empty cubicle. It’s not like she can hear me, and besides, what do I say? I love you? She doesn’t need me to tell her that, she already knows.
“I’m sorry…”
I startle in my seat when the same nurse from earlier sticks her head around the curtain.
“I gave you a few extra minutes but I’m afraid visiting time is over. You should probably get some rest. If you follow me to the nurses’ station, I’ll take down a number where you can be reached. If there is any change, I promise to call you right away.”
It’s hard to let go of Pippa’s hand when I get to my feet, but I bend over her prone form and press a kiss to her forehead.
“Fight, Sissy. Fight like only you can,” I whisper, before following the nurse from the room.
Fletch is right where I left him when I get back to the waiting room, but I don’t see Ama. By the time I reach him, he’s on his feet.
“She had to leave. They have a teenage daughter still at home.”
It’s a little unnerving Fletch apparently guesses where my mind wanders.
“Of course. It was nice of her to come,” I mumble.
I feel bad. I never even thanked her in person.
“That’s Ama for you. She mentioned saving us some dinner back at the ranch. Did you leave your number with the nurse?”
“I did, but I think I’ll stay here. I don’t want to keep you though. You should go.”
“You can’t even stand straight, you need rest,” he grumbles.
I don’t bother denying it, I can feel myself teetering on my feet, my ribs hurt, and my eyes are gritty, but I can’t bear to think of something happening to Pippa and me not being here.
“Look,” he says in a softer tone as he puts a warm hand on my shoulder. “You did everything you could. Hell, you almost killed yourself trying to find your sister—but you did it. You found her. She’s in good hands here. Best thing you can do right now is look after yourself. Make sure you’re well-rested for when she wakes up. If anything happens, I can have you back here in minutes.”
His dark brown eyes are almost mesmerizing and I find myself getting lost in their warmth and his deep, raspy voice.
“Please, Nella.”
A warm meal, maybe a shower, and a bed sound so good right now.
“Okay,” I finally agree after an internal battle between guilt and self-preservation.
“Good.”
He grabs the bag of medication I’ve thus far ignored, and drapes an arm over my shoulder, steering me firmly toward the exit doors.
“Nella, we’re here.”
I blink my eyes at the sound of Fletch’s voice. I must’ve dozed off.
We’re parked in front of a cute little cabin. A small covered porch in front, and one window on either side of the front door. Someone left a light on inside.
“Where are we?” I ask, expecting the ranch.
“Your home for now,” he says. “Don’t think you’re ready for the main house tonight. We’ll worry about introductions tomorrow morning. Get yourself situated, grab a shower or whatever, and I’ll go pick up dinner.”
A few days ago, I thought this to be the most unpleasant man I’d ever met, and although he’s still mostly bossy and overbearing, he is also surprisingly insightful and considerate. Never mind ridiculously handsome, even with those circles under his eyes.
It’s not exactly proper etiquette to eat and crash somewhere without at least introducing yourself to the owners, but I’m frankly too tired to concern myself with manners.
“That sounds good.”
He looks almost startled by my compliance, but then quickly exits the truck and comes around to my side. I let him help me down and welcome his hand at my elbow as we walk up the flagstone path.
“Wait. Where is my van? I’ll need some of my things,” I point out when we step onto the small porch.
It’s just wide enough for the two, side-by-side utilitarian chairs. A nice spot for morning coffee I guess. I’ll have to check out the view in daylight. I can’t see much tonight.
“Over there.” Fletch points to the left of the cabin where I see the outline of a second cabin sheltered under a few tall trees. “It’s parked on the other side. That’s my place.”
It’s only about a hundred yards from this one. A little shiver of awareness pebbles my skin when I realize how close he’ll be.
Fletch pushes the door open—I guess they don’t keep it locked—and nudges me inside.
“Go have a shower. We’ve got good pressure out here and plenty of hot water. I’ll go grab your bags and drop them just inside the door before I head over to the main house.”
Before I have a chance to thank him, his long legs already have him halfway to his truck. I shut the door, turn around, and lean my back against it as I take in the space.
In the far-left corner of the open space is a small, L-shaped kitchen with a full-sized fridge and stove. An old square kitchen table with two chairs stands in the middle of the room, and to my immediate right is a sitting area with a love seat and an easy chair in front of a wood burning stove.
It’s a bit more rustic but about the same size as my apartment, and surprisingly cozy.
My legs are heavy when I push away from the door. I’d love to sink down in that comfy couch but I’m afraid I won’t be able to get up again if I do. Instead I push open the first door to my right and find the bedroom. Ama left a couple of towels folded at the foot of the bed and I grab those.
A light knock on the front door has me turn around as Fletch reaches in to drop my bag just inside the bedroom.
“Thank you,” I call out.
He glances up and our eyes meet. For a second it looks like he’s coming inside, but then he turns his head and grumbles, “Be back in ten,” before he pulls the door shut.
I let out a deep breath and duck into the bathroom. I’m too tired to examine what just happened, but it feels like something did. Not that I’m all that experienced, but that glance he threw me sure looked smoldering.
True to his word, he’s back by the time I come out of the bedroom, dressed in my own comfy lounge pants and slouchy T-shirt. I couldn’t bring myself to put on proper clothes and these at least have me covered. I wouldn’t want to give off the wrong signal and walk out in a nightie.
He’s sitting at the table, two steaming bowls of something that smells delicious. A slight shiver tickles down my back as I take a seat across from him. The tension is thick. Trying to avoid his burning gaze, I tuck my damp hair behind my ear and sniff the fragrant stew.
“This looks so good,” I comment, picking up the spoon he laid out.
“Ama’s a great cook.”
“Does she always cook for you?” I ask as I take my first bite.
I’m trying to make small talk but can barely keep from groaning when the taste hits my palate.
“For me? No. I mostly look after myself, but she does a lot of the cooking for the others. Among other things.”
“You mean your team?”
“Among others. There’s Jonas, Alex—that’s his girlfriend—his father, Thomas, who all live at the ranch. Sully lives in the cabin closest to the big house and will eat at the big house most days as well. Dan, one of our ranch hands, and his mother, Gemma, have the cottage between this one and Sully’s.”
I can’t imagine what that would be like, living alongside the people you work with. They must all get along really well. Funny, because Fletch strikes me as a loner, not that different from me.
Other than when I was growing up, and since then a short stint with my sister after our parents died, I’ve always lived alone and barely know my neighbors.
“Wow, I had no idea you all lived here.”
“Not Bo, or Ama and James. They have their own places.”
“You didn’t want a place of your own?”
Fletch lowers his spoon and looks at me. The brief pause makes me uncomfortable and I wonder if I said something wrong.
“Don’t need it,” he finally responds. “I’m good where I am and everyone leaves me be.”
Is that supposed to be some kind of warning? It’s not like I forced him to follow me on the mountain, or to stay with me at the hospital. That was his choice.
“Then I’ll make sure not to disturb you,” I tell him, a little prickly, before focusing on my stew.
“Look. I didn’t—” He stops mid-sentence and grunts something unintelligible before bending down to his own dinner.
We quietly eat, the tension in the cabin suddenly of a different nature. Fletch is done first and immediately gets up.
“Get some rest,” he says gruffly as he takes his bowl to the sink and quickly rinses it.
Even his back looks tense and I’m starting to feel bad for being snippy. I may have overreacted a tad but I’m about at the end of my rope.
He’s already walking past me on his way to the door when I jump into action.
“Wait!”
His hand lets go of the knob and he turns around as I rush over.
“Thank you.” I step up to him and awkwardly slip my arms around his waist. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you,” I ramble in his shirt. “And I’m sorry if I was being nosy, and maybe bitchy—”
My weak apology is cut off when he lifts my face with a finger under my chin. His face is much closer than I expected and his eyes are dark with heat.
“Oh, fuck it,” he mutters as his mouth closes over mine.
Twelve
Fletch
I scowl at the empty spot where Nella’s van was parked. She must’ve snuck off while I was in the shower, or I would’ve heard her leave.
Part of me expected something like this after I kissed her last night. Not sure what possessed me to do that.
At first, she responded like a dream, granting me access to her mouth as her hands grabbed onto my shirt at the small of my back. She pressed her body against me, and the last of my control went out the window. I had my tongue down her throat and my hand under her shirt covering one of her luscious tits, when I could feel her freeze up.
All she did was whisper a soft, “No,” and I released her so fast she wavered on her feet. Then she mumbled an unnecessary apology and disappeared into the bedroom. My first instinct was to go after her but I could hardly barge into her bedroom, so I left without a word. It had been a long day, emotions were high, and I planned to have a chat with her this morning, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.
I spent half the night rethinking that decision, and now it’s not even seven o’clock and she’s gone. I just don’t know if she’s gone for good.
Walking over to her cabin, I try the front door which is firmly locked. We don’t normally lock doors here, but I guess Nella found the key by the side of the door. That would mean she intends to come back. I blow out a relieved puff of air before turning toward the main house. Better check in before I run after her. It’ll give me a chance to cool down first.
Alex is standing by the stove in the large kitchen and Jonas and his dad are sharing a newspaper at the table. My stomach grumbles at the smell of frying bacon. No sign of any of the others yet.
“Morning.”
Thomas is the first one to spot me.
“Morning,” I echo as Alex turns around and throws me a smile.
“Scrambled okay for you?” she asks.
“Great. Thanks.”
I take a seat beside Jonas, who eyes me conspicuously.
“Did you piss off our guest already?”
I wisely keep my mouth shut. The boss has an uncanny ability to see through any lie, and the truth is, I probably did piss her off last night when I groped her.
I guess he wasn’t expecting a response because he continues, “Saw her sneak out of the cabin earlier and take off.”
“Hospital would be my guess,” I volunteer as Alex sets a mug of steaming coffee in front of me.
“And yet you’re here, which makes me wonder.”
“Leave him alone, Jonas,” Alex admonishes him from the kitchen.
He mumbles something under his breath and dives back into his newspaper, but his father still has eyes on me.
“Pretty little thing, isn’t she? I saw her from a distance. Too bad we haven’t been introduced yet.”
“The woman’s had a tough two days,” I snap. “She’s walking around with broken ribs and her sister’s in a coma. Cut her a break.”
The old man seems to find my reaction amusing, and once again I feel his son’s sharp eyes on me.
“Relax, my boy,” Thomas says with a grin. “Not faulting her for anything. I just wondered why you’d been keeping her to yourself. And more importantly, why you let her go off on her own.”
“That’s quite enough out of you as well,” Alex pipes up, sliding a plate in front of him.
“What did I do?” Thomas asks innocently, making Jonas chuckle.
To avoid any further discussion about Nella, I ask what’s on the docket for today as Alex serves me a plate.
“We were supposed to move some of the foals to the south pasture,” Jonas shares. “But I just got a call from the family of a missing hiker up on Mount Sterling and I’m waiting to hear back from the ranger station. Looks like we’ll be heading out there so the foals will have to wait.”
“I can take care of the foals,” I volunteer, catching an odd look from him.
“I thought you were supposed to be off hunting bighorn,” he points out.
It’s the tenth of September today, four days left. I guess I could head out but, because of a pair of pretty hazel eyes and a lush mouth, I don’t want to venture too far. I could pop into the hospital, make sure she’s okay, and keep busy the rest of the day.
Before I can respond to Jonas, Ama bustles into the kitchen.
“Sorry I’m late. Una had a little episode this morning,” she mutters as she pours herself a cup.
“Oh no. Is she all right?” Alex wants to know.
Ama flaps her hand. “She’s fine, it’s me who has the lasting effects.”
Una is Ama and James’s sixteen-year-old daughter, who has been acting out a bit lately and giving her parents a run for their money.
“Like I told you before, feel free to drop her off at the rescue any time. Lucy is good at cracking the whip,” Alex offers before she announces to Jonas, “I should get going. I’ve got that blind appaloosa coming in this morning. Let me know if you go out on that search.”
She’s not kidding. Lucy is Alex’s manager at Hart’s Horse Rescue a few miles up the road. She’s tiny—shorter than Nella—but is tougher than many a man I know. That woman can be intimidating.
“I’ll walk you out.”
Jonas gets up and follows Alex down the hall and I hear the front door close. I’m sure they’ll be in a hefty lip-lock on the front porch. Those two seem to have trouble keeping their hands off each other. Even though they’ve been together for the past six months, this is the first time I envy their connection.
I find Nella in the small ICU waiting room where the nurse directed me.
Apparently, visits on this floor are limited to fifteen minutes only a couple of times a day, and I’m guessing Nella already had her first visit in. She looks up and sees me.
I experience a rare pang of compassion at the forlorn look in her eyes and the remnants of my earlier anger at her for skipping out disappears.
“Hey.”
“Hi,” she answers in a soft voice.
“How’s your sister?”
The waiting room is empty but I take the chair next to her.
She shrugs. “The same.” Then she slumps back in her seat, her shoulder brushing mine. “She still has a fever so they were giving her another dose of something to try and bring it down.”
She sounds dejected.
“Her body is weak yet, Nella. It makes sense she needs a little extra help and time to fight off the infection and the fever.”
