Page 2 of Big Rowdy Cowboy

He manages to get to his feet. He doesn’t look too badly injured. Maybe I didn’t do any permanent damage.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” I ask, trying to decide what to do with him. I could call the sheriff, but he’s likely on the mountain with everyone else.

“Not anymore. It healed.” He reaches for the waistband of his pants and tugs them down a little, revealing a flash of black briefs and a purple bruise that’s bigger than my hand on the side of his hip. It might even be bigger than both my hands.

I gasp in shock, horrified that he’s hurt. I didn’t think I hit him that hard. He’s injured and in pain. This is all my fault.

He sways on his feet. The moment he does, I put his arm around my shoulders.

“Lean on me,” I tell him, the pit in my stomach growing bigger. Plastered this close to him, I can’t help but notice how good he smells. This is exactly what a cowboy should smell like—spice and leather and the end of a long summer day. But hedouses my enjoyment the moment he slurs, “You’re my future wife.”

“Let’s get you in the car, and we can talk about that in a minute.”

He leans close, staring intently at me for so long that I forget to breathe, despite the fact that he’s clearly not in his right mind.”I’m going to marry you.”

I snort at his words. He definitely has a head injury.”I can’t wait. I’ll be the one in white.”

I manage to help him into the car, watching as he settles into the passenger seat. It’s almost comical to see his big frame in my tiny car.

Since he’s not making a move to do anything else, I reach for his seatbelt and fasten it. I try to be as gentle as I can so I don’t bump him. I can’t believe I bruised him. I feel like a monster.

“See, my brother was right,” he says. “You have to find the right girl.”

I join him in the car, thankful that I left Rusty in park instead of turning off the ignition. That’s another one of Rusty’s charming quirks. Sometimes, she doesn’t like to start.

Zac closes his eyes, and I try to remember if it’s safe to sleep after a head injury. “Stay with me. Keep talking. Tell me more about our upcoming wedding.”

He frowns. “Me. You. A pastor or judge or something. We need...stop the car!”

I jam on the brakes and look for Betsy. It would be like her to show up now.”Did you see her?”

He reaches for the handle of the passenger door, yanking on it.Thankfully, I had the foresight to lock his door when I closed it. “Rings! We need—”

I need to distract him, so he doesn’t try to jump from Rusty. “Wait, hold my hand for a few minutes first.”

He takes my hand in his instantly, and I try to ignore the tingles that race down my arm as I drive him to the doctor’s office in town.

I pull up to the clinic. For a moment, I’m not sure what to do. Should I go inside and get someone to bring out a wheelchair?

Then I remember the way that Zac reached for the door handle while the car was still moving, and I decide that maybe it’s a better idea to keep him with me.

Quickly, I move around the car and help him into the building. He’s still leaning heavily on me and swaying a lot.Please be OK. Please make a full recovery.

As soon as we enter the clinic, the bell above the door rings. Martha, the nurse that’s been here since the clinic opened, hurries from the back.

As soon as Zac sees her, he asks, “Have you met my girlfriend? She’s beautiful. We’re going to have babies.”

I do not need to be thinking about having babies with Zac Maple because the cowboy is hot, and if he started singing to me, it would totally be game over.

I direct my attention to Martha, cringing as I admit, “I kind of hit him accidentally.”

Zac pulls his phone from his shirt pocket and taps on it. Somehow, the screen wasn’t dented when I hit him.

Martha frowns. “What do you mean you hit him, honey?”

I make a noise of total despair. “I hit him with my car, and now I think he has a brain injury, and I’m going to jail for the rest of my life!”

Chapter 2

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