Page 45 of Blue Moon Cowboy
“Of course. I know he needs rest and quiet. It might be best if I drive him home this evening.”
Shaun nodded his head. “I was thinking the same thing, unless you want to stay in a hotel room tonight?” He glanced at Jason, then back at Lainey. “Or we could play musical beds. Brylee and I could stay in the van with the kids, and Dad could have the trailer to himself. You could stay in the bed in the gooseneck.”
“No.” Jason carefully turned his head to look at his son. “My preference is to go home. If we leave soon, we’ll be in Baker City by midnight, at least the way Lainey drives.”
He glanced back at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him, making him chuckle, which made his head hurt, but it seemed worth the pain.
“Okay,” Shaun said, then looked back at Lainey, who nodded in agreement. “I’ll gather up everything, Dad. You and Lainey hit the road ,and be sure to text us when you get home. I’ll see if Brylee wants to drive home tonight or wait until in the morning.”
“It’s a plan.” Jason closed his eyes and leaned back in the seat, uncertain when he’d felt this awful. It had been a long while, likely the last time he’d been hurt at a rodeo.
“Have Kash call Galen. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind filling in for me for a few weeks. Tyler can hire some local kids to help out on the ranch while he’s gone.” Jason sighed, regretting the extra work and trouble he was putting everyone through. At least the next rodeo was only a few hours from the ranch instead of a long distance away.
Jason sighed again and found a more comfortable position in the seat. The next thing he knew, Lainey was gently shaking his arm.
“Come on, Slim. We’re here,” she said. Her fingers caressed his cheek, and he breathed in her fragrance. Instead of finding it tantalizing as he usually did, he was comforted by it.
He didn’t know how, but in the time since he met her, Lainey had become such a part of him, part of his world. A part he never wanted to let go.
Rather than open his eyes, he held still, wondering what Lainey would do to wake him up.
“Jason, please wake up,” she said softly, then her lips brushed over his.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap, intent on kissing her, but his bruised ribs protested. Jason sucked in his breath at the sharp pain stabbing his side, then his head began to throb like a drum line had taken up residence inside his brain.
“Serves you right, Romeo.” Lainey scrambled off his lap and got out of the van.
She opened his door, and he got out, wondering how he’d slept the whole trip, but then he remembered the doctor had ordered the nurse to give him medication for the pain. It had probably helped him relax and get the rest he needed.
“Come on. I’ll help you in,” Lainey said, slipping an arm around him and guiding him to the back door. A light was on in the kitchen.
“Need anything?” Lainey whispered at the kitchen doorway.
“No. Just rest.” Jason suddenly felt exhausted. And filthy. He smelled like horses, dirt, and sweat, and here Lainey was all snugged up close to him.
Before he could insist he could get himself upstairs to his room, Galen appeared in the hallway and took over assisting him.
Lainey remained in the kitchen.
After Galen helped him remove his boots and jeans, Jason took a quick shower, relieved he had just enough strength to see to the task before he pulled on a pair of pajama shorts. He opened the bathroom door to find both Galen and Lainey waiting for him.
“I’m fine,” he said, but leaned on his brother as he made his way to his bed.
“Here,” Lainey said, holding out a half-peeled banana. “Eat this, then you can take your medication.”
“Meds?” Jason asked, but accepted the banana and ate it in a few bites, then took the pills she dropped into his hand and washed them down with the glass of water she offered to him.
“The doctor gave you enough to last a few days. By then, you should be feeling much better,” Lainey offered in a voice she often used with his grandkids when she was reassuring them they were fine.
It would have annoyed him to no end if he hadn’t been too exhausted to think it through.
Jason slid between the crisp, clean sheets of his bed, and an involuntary sigh of relief rolled out of him.
“Thank you,” he whispered as his eyes drifted shut, and he fell into an exhausted sleep.
The next morning, streamers of sunlight crept around the edges of his bedroom drapes as Jason yawned and stretched. A pain in his side reminded him of his bruised ribs. He stared at the ceiling a moment, recalling everything that had happened the previous afternoon after the bull had knocked Stroker off his feet and onto Jason.
He closed his eyes and spent some time in prayer, grateful he hadn’t been hurt far worse than a mild concussion and a few ribs that would be sore for a week or so. He could have broken his neck or his back. He could have been crushed with grave internal injuries. He could have been paralyzed or killed.
