My Favorite Cowboy Read online

  “I’ll follow you.”

  Surprised by the easy acquiescence he heard in his brother’s voice, Jarred nodded his thanks. Junior had never been one to easily boss around. He might be younger, but he had Jarred by a good fifty pounds, and he’d been a state qualifier in wrestling. No one but a fool picked a fight with him.

  Luckily, the nurse was Rachel Williams. She’d gone to school with all of them. “Hey, Rach, when can I see Serena?”

  “Not for a while, I’m afraid. It’s supposed to be only family right now.”

  “Who’s with her?”

  Rachel frowned. “Unfortunately, nobody. Her sister is at some convention in Dallas, and her parents are in Oklahoma. She’s alone.”

  “So let me in.”

  As if she was passing him notes in English class back when they were sophomores, she looked to her right and left, then gave him a little nod. “All right. She’s due to be out soon anyway. The doctor just finished patching her up.”

  “Then she can go home?”

  A small smile played on the corners of her mouth. “Yes. Well, as soon as someone can take her home.”

  “I can do that.”

  “I’ll write that down. But we should probably check with Serena, too.” She stopped outside a room. “The doctor’s supposed to be in to see her again soon. Don’t rile her up.”

  He turned the door handle before she’d taken three steps away.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Serena’s body hurt like crazy. She had about a dozen cuts and a whole lot of bruises. And two fractured ribs.

  But all that was nothing compared to the way her heart skipped a beat when Jarred entered the room.

  “Hey, honey,” he murmured as he walked to where she was sitting. “It looks like that deer got the best of you.”

  “I’ve never liked you hunting them, but this one, he’s all yours.”

  “I’ll grab him from the side of the road and put his head on my wall,” he said with a smile. “We’ll hang hats on the antlers. How’s that?”

  She tried to smile, but a pulsating pain nearly blinded her. “Good.”

  His smile faltered. “We’ll get you out of here soon so you can rest.”

  “You don’t need to do that…I know you’ve got your dad to think about.”

  “There’s four of us for him. I’d rather concentrate on you.”

  He reached out to her again, clicking his tongue as he found a bruise on her arm, and a mess of scrapes on her bare foot. “Oh, honey.”

  Everything in her wanted to believe that he was there because he really cared. Well, more than as just friends. But too many times she’d fooled herself into thinking that there was something special between them when there wasn’t. “Why are you here?”

  Gently, he pressed his lips to her brow. “You know why. I’m here because I couldn’t stay away.”

  There was that light in his eyes that usually signaled trouble. But today it just made her feel happy. “I’m glad.”

  Still standing, his right hand hovered over her. “Look at that shiner on your eye. And your hands. You’re all cut up.”

  When he still looked ready to pick her up, she lifted her hands. “I’m okay. I don’t hurt too bad.”

  He carefully pressed both of his hands around hers. “I was thinking I could take you home. What do you think about that?”

  “I don’t want to be trouble.”

  “You won’t be. I thought I’d come to your place. I’ll sit with you there.”

  “You sure that’s what you want to do?” With effort, she tried to sound casual. As though it didn’t mean all that much to her if he stayed or went.

  “I’ve never been more sure. Serena, when Gwen called me, I nearly broke the sound barrier getting here. I want to be here for you. I want you to know that absolutely.”

  “Thanks,” she said simply. Funny how that word told so little about her true feelings. Because in reality, there was nothing more she would love than being next to him. Knowing he cared.

  She liked being near him. Jarred made her feel strong and special. And, well, she had nothing to lose anymore. Maybe he was going to be Veronica’s man forever. Maybe even for a short while.

  He might never be hers. But there was no reason to hide her feelings any longer. She’d given herself to him—that said it all.

  So, her feelings were secure, and she had to be all right with that. She may never have Jarred Riddell, but she knew he was her friend. And, well, after all those charm-school lessons, they now had a practically inseparable bond between them.

  As if on cue, Dr. Warren came in. “Hi, there, Jarred. Paying a call on Serena, hmm?”

  “Guess nothing gets by you.”

  “Nothing worthwhile,” he said as he took Jarred’s place by the side of her bed and pulled out a tiny light. After examining her pupils, her blood pressure, pulse and bandages, he turned to Jarred. “Serena’s going to be fine, but she’s going to need a few days’ rest to recover completely.”

  “I’ll make sure of that.”

  She waved a hand, peeved they were talking over her. “Excuse me, gentlemen, but I can’t rest for a few days. I have bills to pay.”

  “You can work all you want,” Dr. Warren said with a nod. “Next week. This week, you’re taking it easy.” He eyed Jarred. “Are you up to playing nurse?”

  That infamous spark in his eyes flashed. “Always.”

  The doctor chuckled. “I’m serious, now. She’s going to need some watching.”

  “I’ll be by her side. I’m going to take her to her place and sit with her.”

  “Jarred—”

  He placed a finger on her lips, gently hushing her. “The decision’s been made, Seri. Deal with it.”

  Dr. Warren smiled. “Glad y’all are working things out.” He handed a set of papers to Jarred. “Here are some instructions for you. Main thing is to wake her up often and keep a close eye on her. Okay?”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Good. Now, you tell your father to take good care of himself, too. You hear?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Dr. Warren turned to Serena. “Call if you need anything, dear.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  An hour later, he and Cal Jr. were walking on either side of her while one of the nurses pushed her wheelchair.

  She would’ve thought more about it, about how she felt about things, if the blinding sun hadn’t brought about a stream of unrelenting pain. She closed her eyes and hoped the pain relievers would kick in soon.

  And then she fell asleep.

  AFTER JUNIOR UNLOCKED her door and pushed it open, Jarred carried Serena over the threshold and into the smallest little bedroom he’d ever seen.

  Serena moaned a bit in his arms. “Shh, now.” Gently, he set her on the side of her bed, and clumsily pulled the pink sheets down around her. Then he helped her lie down.

  She relaxed against the pillows with a heartfelt sigh.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I’ll be better soon.”

  “I know.”

  He stood there, just looking at her for another moment before returning to Junior in the kitchenette.

  Junior looked at the tiny couch doubtfully. “You going to be okay bedding down here?”

  “Of course. I’ve slept in worse places.”

  “We all have, but this place is tiny.” Cocking an eyebrow, he added, “It looks a whole lot like a Barbie playhouse. We should have brought her home.”

  “You know what things are like at home. Either Dad would wake her up or Ginny would shove books her way. This is where she’s comfortable. It’s not all about me, you know.”

  “Since when?” Junior chuckled when Jarred glared. “Hey, don’t get mad. You know I’m just joshing you. Listen, I’m going to get going. Call home later, you hear? One of us will bring you some food or something.”

  “Will do.”

  As soon as Junior left, Jarred moseyed around, laying his wallet and his cell phone on
the kitchen counter. Next, he pulled off his boots and untucked his T-shirt.

  Then he took inventory. He found some iced-tea mix and made a pitcher of that. Located a couple of cans of soup and some saltines and set the fixings on the counter.

  Her bare cupboards nearly broke his heart.

  Then he took a tour around her place and noticed just how limited her life had been. There weren’t a lot of frills anywhere.

  With a sigh, he sat down on her sofa and turned on the television. He flipped around, which took two minutes because she had something like twelve TV stations.

  Finally concentrating on Dr. Phil and one woman’s search for her identity, he settled in for the long haul.

  She called out to him two hours later.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Jarred?” Serena called out, her mind still fuzzy. As she looked around her dimly lit bedroom, she wondered if she’d dreamed he was at her place. Surely he had other things to do than play nursemaid?

  Then, there he was, looking rumpled and, oh, ordinary. Looking as he always had. Except there was a new line of worry in between his brows.

  “Seri? You okay?”

  “Yeah. I mean, I think I am.” Still in a fog, Serena watched him cross the room, then settle right next to her on the mattress, his hip touching her thigh. “I guess I was just seeing if you were still here. And…you are.”

  “I am.” He brushed the hair from her brow. “You’re stuck with me, sugar. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Something about that statement made her look at him closer. Maybe it was the husky edge to his voice. Maybe it was the spark of awareness in his eyes. But whatever it was, it sure seemed like Jarred was talking about so much more than just one evening’s care.

  Gosh, it sounded like he was talking about a lifetime.

  While she was stewing on that, he had taken a hold of her hand and linked his fingers through hers.

  “Guess what, sugar? I looked through all the paperwork we brought with us from the hospital. You can have a bath if you want it.”

  “Really?” Only Jarred would know how happy that would make her feel. She took a bath every night.

  “Really and truly. What do you say?”

  Though her apartment was tiny, she did have the most beautiful antique bathtub. It would be heaven to have a soak. But at the moment, even sitting up seemed like too much work. “I better not,” she said with regret. “I wouldn’t be able to manage it.”

  “Why not?”

  As she sat up, she had to wait a moment for her world to regain focus. “Look at me. I can hardly keep my balance as it is. Stepping in and out of a tub is going to be next to impossible.”

  “Heck, a little thing like that shouldn’t stop you. I can help you get in and out.”

  “While I’m naked?” A sudden vision of him holding her tightly next to him flashed in her mind. “No, thank you.”

  Those blue eyes of his turned just a bit dark and languid. “Serena Higgens, after everything we did in that shower, are you turning shy on me?”

  “No. And…I’m not shy. I just don’t feel like getting undressed in front of you.” Anymore.

  Jarred rolled his eyes. “Now you’re just being silly. Don’t make this into something more than it is.”

  Well, that was what she was good at doing, wasn’t she? Making things between them more special than they were. “Still, I’ll pass.”

  Ignoring her, Jarred marched into her bathroom and started running the tub. Seconds later, he trotted back her way and held out his hands. “Come on, now. I’m not gonna take no for an answer, neither.”

  “Either,” she said wearily.

  He waved a hand. “Whatever. The water’s hot. I poured all kinds of pink bubble bath in, and you’re going to feel a lot better after you soak.”

  “Jarred—”

  Looking almost motherly, he directed a no-nonsense stare her way. “Come on, now. Water’s getting cold. As soon as you’re in the water we’ll cover you up in bubbles. I bet I’ll hardly see a thing.”

  It was the “hardly” part that worried her. But still…the bath did sound awfully good…and he was being so sweet. “All right.”

  “It’s about time,” he murmured as he helped her to her feet and to walk the short distance to the bathroom. Once they were by the tub, he turned off the water and deposited her on a stool. Then he turned his back. “See how good I’m being? I’m not even trying to sneak a peek when you don’t want me to. You get undressed and then I’ll help you in.”

  Seeing his broad back made her feel a tiny bit embarrassed. Jarred was right. She was making way too big a deal about being around him with her clothes off. “All right. But don’t turn around until I say so.”

  “Unbutton, Seri.” Only Jarred could sound so exasperated while he was doing her a favor.

  “Hold on a sec.”

  Now that she wasn’t feeling so modest, she unsnapped her shorts and pulled the T-shirt out from the waistband. Then she grabbed the edges of the cotton and got ready to pull. Unfortunately, getting that shirt over her head by herself wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Her ribs were so sore that raising her arms sent waves of pain through her midsection. “Hey, Jarred? I think I need more help than I thought.”

  Slowly, he turned around.

  “I’m having trouble with getting the shirt off.” She lifted her arms up a few inches to demonstrate how stuck she was.

  As if he were an engineer designing a new bridge or something, Jarred looked at her problem in all seriousness. “I can help with that.” Easily, he tucked one arm in an armhole, then the other, and carefully pulled the soft cotton over her head. When the shirt floated to the ground, he held her shoulders and gazed into her eyes. “You okay? Did I hurt you?”

  “I’m okay.”

  “Good. Now we’ll just finish up.” With the competency of a professional nurse, Jarred helped her stand up, then step out of her khaki shorts.

  A few more movements had her bra off and her underwear gone. Before she had a moment to wonder what he was thinking, he wrapped one arm around her waist, the other under her knees…and then deposited her into the tub.

  The hot soapy water felt wonderful. The generous amount of suds made her feel almost covered. With a little moan of delight, she leaned back.

  His eyes widened. “Pain?”

  “Just the opposite. You were right. This does feel good.”

  After tossing her clothes out of the way, he sat on the stool she’d just vacated. “I’m almost always right,” he said smugly. “You should listen to me more often.”

  His words—and the situation they were in—made her smile. “Maybe I should.” Funny how she finally felt her best…when she was carrying a black eye, two broken ribs and a whole slew of bruises and cuts. And funny that in spite of all those injuries, her light heart didn’t seem to notice. Not one bit.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. That had usually been Serena’s mantra, and lately it had never felt more true.

  Take everything that had happened since her accident, for example. After Jarred had helped her bathe, they’d watched some TV together. She had some of the soup he’d heated up, while he made do with saltines and peanut butter.

  And the tension between them intensified. No matter how hard she tried, Serena hadn’t been able to wish away the memories of being in his arms.

  Of kissing him in the library.

  And, of course, in the barn.

  Things must have been on his mind, too, because remarkably early he’d told her good-night and had spent the night on the couch.

  Yep, after dancing around the issue of how things were between them—being friends again but friends with good memories—they’d mutually agreed that it would be better if, perhaps, they kept a little more distance.

  So, the next morning he’d left, and her sister, Tracy, had taken over nursing duties. Over the next few days, a whole host of other people had
stopped by, too, armed with casseroles. Hannah and Paula. Gwen. Mr. Valentine from the restaurant brought over a meal. Even Veronica had come by for a visit, armed with a lovely bouquet of gerbera daisies.

  Jarred had come over again, but had brought Ginny, too. Ginny had handed her one of her beloved Penelope books. “We were missing you,” he’d said simply.

  “I missed y’all, too.” So, together, the three of them had curled up on her bed and read about the horse’s latest madcap adventures. Before long, Ginny fell asleep.

  Then she and Jarred had spent the next hour just catching up. And holding hands.

  For a while there, he’d looked as though he had been about to say something, but every time she prodded him, he clammed up.

  So she’d let it pass…but she hadn’t been happy about it.

  Fact was this relationship of theirs was making her halfcrazy. They’d gone from friends to lovers to nurse and patient to friends again—all in barely a month’s time. And, well, Serena didn’t really know how that friendship thing was going to work. Now that she knew what his bare chest felt like beneath her hands.

  And now that she knew just how talented he was in the kissing department. Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to forget about it all.

  So, here she was, waiting on Jarred Riddell again. He had insisted on taking her to the library so she could work for a few hours. Since her car had gone to a junkyard in heaven, she was more than happy to take him up on his offer.

  When the clock struck twelve, the doorbell rang.

  Opening the door, she couldn’t resist teasing him. “Jarred, since when did you become so punctual?”

  He grinned, holding up his wrist. “Since someone told me gentlemen wear watches.”

  She fought to close her mouth. But it was hard, because there, in broad daylight, stood an exceptionally handsome Jarred Riddell. Though he was clad in his usual uniform of jeans, button-down shirt and boots, all were clean and spiffylooking. He was freshly shaved. His eyes sparkled under the brim of his white felt Stetson. “You look very handsome,” she said.