Hot on His Trail, page 15
Or had he been too worried about himself?
He mounted his horse, then rode away without another word to Deb. He galloped into the open range, leaving the herd and crew far behind. What he needed was time to think. Time to figure out if he was more concerned about Calley’s heart…or his own.
* * *
CALLEY DISHED UP a plate of red beans and rice as Deb approached the chuck wagon. She’d seen the older woman talking with Matt, then watched him gallop off into the sunset. “Looks like you managed to chase Matt away.”
“You and me both,” Deb replied, reaching for a fork and spoon.
Calley stiffened. “I’m just trying to make him happy.”
“Bullshit. The man obviously said something that rubbed you the wrong way and now you’re making him suffer for it. You’re doing a hell of a job, too. Matt is miserable.”
Denial burned in her throat. “If he’s miserable, it’s because I’m still hanging around. He wanted me to leave the cattle drive.”
Deb arched a brow. “Why?”
“You know more about men than I do. You tell me.”
“Maybe because you scare him.”
“Oh, I scared him all right,” Calley said, emitting a mirthless laugh. “Made the monumental mistake of telling him I was falling in love with him. Practically the next words out of his mouth were a suggestion that I hop on the next bus. I don’t think he could have made his feelings any clearer.”
“Did I ever tell you about the night Davis and I got engaged?”
Calley smiled in spite of her mood. She enjoyed Deb’s stories about her unorthodox courtship with Davis. “I don’t think I’ve heard that one yet.”
“Good. Now sit down there and get comfortable.” Deb pointed to an empty crate, then pulled up another one and sat next to Calley. “It was about five years ago, but it still seems like yesterday to me. We were punching cows in Laredo.”
“Punching cows?” Calley echoed, envisioning some kind of bovine boxing match.
“That’s cowboy slang for herding cattle.” Deb took off her battered cowboy hat and ruffled her short hair with her fingers. “Anyhow, Davis and I had been going together for about three months, but we weren’t going anywhere, if you know what I mean.”
“I think I do.”
“Well, I was tired of waiting for that man to make his move. Tackled him right outside of his bunkhouse and made it clear that I didn’t want to sleep alone.”
Calley bit back a smile, easily imagining the look on the face of shy Davis. “So what did he do?”
“Made up some lame excuse about how he didn’t want to sully my reputation. Said he was too much of a gentleman to take any woman to bed who wasn’t his wife.”
“So what did you do?”
Deb grinned. “I told him I accepted his proposal. Then I took off to find a preacher. We were married the next day.”
Calley laughed. “Poor Davis didn’t even see it coming, did he?”
“Nope,” Deb agreed, still smiling. “And that’s exactly my point about you and Matt. Most men are just too dumb to know what’s good for them. That’s why it’s up to us women to steer them in the right direction.”
Calley’s smile faded as she looked over the horizon. Matt still hadn’t returned. “And if he’s running the other way?”
“Then I guess you have to figure out a way to catch him,” Deb said with a shrug.
Calley shook her head. “Matt never made me any promises. How do I know I’m just not another conquest? You told me yourself that he’s a loner. Never staying in one place long enough to get attached.”
“And I’ve never seen him act this way around another woman, either. He’s testy, sullen and just itchin’ for a reason to knock that sweet-talking Boyd on his rear end.” Deb chuckled. “I’d say it’s definitely love.”
Despite Deb’s success with Davis, Calley wondered if the woman really had any more experience with men than she did. Matt had made it perfectly clear that he wanted her gone.
And so far he hadn’t done or said anything to make her believe he’d changed his mind.
* * *
THREE DAYS LATER, Matt lingered over a cup of coffee as he watched Calley scrape off the lunch plates. The rest of the crew had mounted their horses ready to drive the reluctant cattle out of the cool river.
The day was the hottest yet, the temperature climbing into the upper eighties. The hot sun made the cattle sluggish and the crew short-tempered. He’d sent Boyd ahead to scout the trail to the Lazy R just to get a break from his constant complaining about the heat.
At least, that’s the reason he gave the crew. He didn’t care to admit to them that he wanted to get the guy away from Calley. He hadn’t been able to enjoy a meal for the last week. Not with Tupper’s nephew making the moves on his woman.
His woman.
Matt saw Calley disappear inside the chuck wagon. His suggestion that she leave the cattle drive had been motivated by concern for her health. And by something else. Fear. Matt hadn’t wanted to face it, but that didn’t make it any less true. He’d fallen in love with her sweet, sexy spirit and found himself looking forward to seeing her smiling face every morning. The thought of losing her had been unbearable, so he’d tried to push her away instead.
They’d barely spoken in the last week. But Calley hadn’t left his thoughts. Or his heart. Matt had never been a coward before. And he wasn’t about to start now.
He dumped the rest of his coffee on the ground, then strode toward the chuck wagon. He’d already wasted five precious days. He wasn’t about to waste a moment more.
The sound of hoofbeats made him turn around. Boyd rode into the camp at full gallop, kicking up a cloud of dust. Then he reined his horse to a quick halt, pulling off his cowboy hat to swipe the perspiration off his forehead.
“How’s the trail look?” Matt asked.
“Perfect.” Boyd grinned. “We’re close, Matt. If we get a good start this afternoon, we should easily reach the Lazy R by suppertime.”
Matt picked up one of the water buckets and hauled it over to Boyd’s horse. Foam rimmed its mouth and its flanks heaved with exertion. “You shouldn’t push a horse in this kind of heat.”
“Jasper’s fine,” Boyd exclaimed, reaching down to pat his horse’s neck. “We’ve just been riding a long time. I decided to check on the progress of Lester Hobbs’s herd.”
Matt frowned. “Against my orders?”
“Hell, Matt, we want to win, don’t we? And we’ve got a good shot, too. Hobbs’s herd is at least an hour behind us, maybe two.”
“Did they see you?”
Boyd shook his head. “I didn’t see them, either. But their cattle kicked up enough dust to make them visible for a mile. I’m guessing they know how far we’ve come, too, and are making a big push to catch up.”
“They’ll end up killing cattle in this heat if they do.”
“Hobbs isn’t stupid enough to do that. But he is determined to win this thing.”
Matt wanted to win, too. His dream was literally only a few hours away. Then he could leave Tupper and this silly bet behind him. He’d have a ranch to buy. And a new life to build. A life with Calley, if she’d have him.
Matt nodded toward the river. “Go report to the crew. We’ll head out in fifteen minutes. Give the cattle plenty of time to get their fill of water before we do.” He took the empty bucket away from the horse. “And get a different mount for the rest of the trip. Your horse has done enough work for one day.”
Boyd nodded, then rode away with a boisterous holler that was sure to catch the crew’s attention.
Matt had fifteen minutes to convince Calley he didn’t want her to leave. He wanted her to stay with him. Forever.
But the words died in his throat when he reached the back of the chuck wagon. Calley lay crumpled on the rough, wooden floorboards of the wagon, pale as death and unconscious.
His time had just run out.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CALLEY HEARD the sound of voices floating somewhere far above her.
We can’t wait…hospital…so pale…fluttery pulse…hope it’s not too late…
She forced her heavy eyelids open, her mind spinning as she squinted against the brightness of the sun. Black spots danced in her eyes and long shadows hovered above her. It took her a moment to recognize them. They were her friends: Deb, Davis, Boyd and Arnie.
Then she tilted her head back and saw the face of the man who was more than a friend. The man she loved-Matt.
He sat on the ground, her head cradled in his lap and his face drawn.
She tried to speak, but found her mouth dry as dust. She swallowed twice, then croaked, “What’s wrong?”
“She’s awake,” Deb announced, kneeling down beside her. “You okay, honey?”
She struggled to rise, but Matt’s hands held her shoulders firmly in place.
“Don’t try to get up.” He sounded different. Hoarse. As if he’d been shouting.
Calley closed her eyes and tried to remember exactly what had happened. She’d been gathering up the lunch plates, a headache pounding in her temple. The nausea she’d been fighting all morning had gotten worse, so she’d decided to lie down in the chuck wagon for a few minutes. The rest was a blank.
“How do you feel?” Matt asked, his fingers stroking the damp hair off her cheeks.
“Dizzy,” she replied honestly. “A little weak.”
He looked up at the crew. “No more arguments. I’m taking her into the hospital in Jacksboro.”
“No,” Calley protested, trying to sit up again. A wave of dizziness overcame her and she slumped back down on the ground, her head threatening to split open. She took a deep breath, then another, her heart racing in her chest. It was like the last time. Dizziness. Pounding heart. The feeling that something wasn’t right inside her.
Deb held a flask of water to her lips and Calley took a few weak sips. She couldn’t seem to catch her breath.
“What about the cattle drive?” Boyd said. “It’ll take you at least an hour to ride into Jacksboro. And that doesn’t even count the time at the hospital or the trip back. Hobbs will overtake us by then. You’ll lose the bet.”
Calley opened her eyes. “I’ll be fine,” she insisted, more out of hope than certainty. Whatever happened, she couldn’t be the reason Matt lost his ranch. Not when she’d known the risks going into this adventure.
She licked her parched lips. “Just go on without me. I’ll catch up with you when I’m feeling a little better.”
Matt looked up at the crew. “Davis, you’re in charge of the drive. Take the herd into the Lazy R and wait for us there. Deb, get my horse.”
She ran off toward the makeshift corral.
Calley shook her head, despair welling inside her. “Don’t do this, Matt. They need you.”
“I need you,” he countered, lifting her up into his powerful arms.
She was too weak to protest, her body sagging against his broad chest. Tears pricked her eyes as Deb brought his horse around. She didn’t want Matt to remember her like this. Weak as a kitten and unable to stand on her own. Her throat grew thick as he handed her into Davis’s wiry arms, then mounted his horse.
Davis handed her to Matt again, as if she were little more than a rag doll. Matt cradled her in his lap on the saddle, his arms on either side of her. He wound the reins around his left hand, his right hand holding her body steady against him.
“We’ll keep supper warm for both of you,” Deb promised, injecting a note of cheerfulness in her strained voice, “and the champagne on ice. The celebration will begin as soon as you meet us at the Lazy R.”
Matt nodded, though Calley could see that his face was grim. Then she felt his powerful thighs flex beneath her as he spurred Jericho forward.
She held on to Matt, her hands curled around the fabric of his damp shirt. “Go back,” she pleaded, as the campsite and the herd slowly receded behind them. “I don’t want to be the reason you lose the bet.”
“I don’t give a damn about any bet,” he said, a muscle flexing along the line of his jaw. “It’s you I care about, Calley. You I love.”
“You’re just saying that,” she countered, her heart beating a rapid tattoo in her chest. “Because you think I’m dying.”
“You’re not dying.” He looked down at her. “I won’t let you die. Not when it took me so long to find you.”
“I have a bad heart,” she admitted at last.
“I know. Your mother tracked me down in Throckmorton.”
She sighed. “I should have known.”
“I heard all about your heart and how dangerous it was for you to be working on the cattle drive. She told me you could even…” His voice trailed off and she could feel his whole body tense.
“She told you I could die at any moment.” Calley didn’t need to read his mind to finish the sentence. It had been her mother’s mantra for the last ten years. She knew it by heart. “Is that why you wanted to get rid of me?”
“I never wanted to get rid of you,” he replied, his arm tightening around her. “I wanted to protect you. If anything happens to you…”
“It will be my own fault,” she said firmly. “Not yours. Don’t you see, Matt? I don’t want to spend the rest of my life dying. I want to spend it living. To see something of the world. To finally experience things I’ve only dreamed about…like love. And no matter what happens, I’ll never regret it.”
“I’ll tell you what’s going to happen,” he said, his eyes dark and fierce. “You’re going to get better. Then I’m going to marry you. I’ll buy a small ranch somewhere with the money Tupper is paying me and we’ll have the best damn life you can imagine.”
She smiled at the beautiful future he painted. “That sounds wonderful. I just wish you’d said it before you thought I was dying.”
“I’m saying it now,” he replied, his voice rough with tenderness. “Marry me, Calley.”
“You’re a man of your word,” she reminded him, fighting off another wave of dizziness. “If I say yes, you can’t back out.”
“Then say yes.”
She took a deep breath, a tumult of emotions warring within her. It wasn’t fair to trap Matt into a life of uncertainty. Wasn’t fair to take advantage of this moment, when his fears for her were probably clouding his common sense. But life hadn’t been fair to her, either. And she was just selfish enough to grab on to the beautiful dream he offered her. She might not live long enough to see it become reality, but she could hold it in her heart.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’ll marry you.”
* * *
MATT IGNORED the honks of the vehicles along the main drag of Jacksboro as he maneuvered his horse between lanes of traffic. He’d wasted precious minutes stopping to ask for directions to the hospital. Time Calley had spent drifting in and out of consciousness.
He’d considered calling an ambulance until he learned the hospital was only a few blocks away. Determined to get her there as quickly as possible, he spurred Jericho down the paved street, holding Calley tightly against him.
“Please, God, let her live,” he murmured as Jericho trotted into the hospital parking lot. Matt had repeated the prayer over and over, as much to rein in his burgeoning panic as a plea to the heavens above.
She shifted in his arms as he pulled Jericho to a halt, then her eyes fluttered open.
“We’re here,” he said, brushing a damp tendril off her clammy brow. “Can you stand?”
“I can try.”
He held on to her arm as she slid slowly off the saddle and onto the ground. When she wobbled on her feet, he jumped down to steady her. Then he looped the reins around a gas meter next to the building and left Jericho to graze in the lush grass.
Before she could take another step, he scooped her up into his arms again.
“I can walk,” she protested as he strode toward the double doors of the emergency room.
“You need to save your strength for walking down the aisle, remember?”
She gave him a fleeting smile, then her head bobbed against his shoulder, her hand feebly clutching his shirt.
He was running now. As he approached the automatic doors of the hospital, they swung open and he was met by an icy blast of air. It sent a chill down his spine. Or maybe it was the way Calley was gazing up at him now. Like it might be for the last time.
“I need some help here,” Matt shouted, heading toward the reception area.
A middle-aged woman in a floral lab coat sat behind a computer terminal at the counter. She pressed a button on an intercom and moments later two nurses pushing a gurney came out into the receiving area.
“My name is Maria,” said the younger nurse. “Can you tell us what happened?”
Matt laid Calley gently on the gurney. “She collapsed about an hour ago. I think it might be her heart. She has a heart condition.”
“Are you her husband?” the older nurse asked, peering at him over her steel-rimmed bifocals.
