Page 56 of Wrangling a Wild Texan

He knew it was a hurtful thing to say, but it was the truth. Sunny shouldn’t have been there. If she hadn’t been, Sophie wouldn’t be in the hospital right now. Of course, it wasn’t Sunny’s fault as much as his. He had worked so hard to get where he’d gotten with Sophie and he’d thrown it all away because he couldn’t keep his pants up.

And now Sophie was the one who would pay.

He fisted the steering wheel and tried to get a grip on his fear. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be blaming you. Not when it’s my fault. I was the one who started this. But you need to know that I can’t be the type of person who shirks his responsibilities just for a cheap thrill.”

“A cheap thrill?”

He glanced over at her. “Come on, Sunny. That’s all I was to you and you know it. You’ve made it perfectly clear you aren’t the type of woman who likes commitments. Are you saying that has changed?”

She stared at him for only a moment before she looked away, her lips pressed in a firm line. “You’re right. A cheap thrill was all it was.”

He didn’t know why her words hurt so much—especially when he had handed them to her on a silver platter. Maybe because he’d hoped she’d deny them and say she was staying. He should have known better. Sunny was a free spirit. No man would ever be able to hold her in one place. Not even her beloved brother could.

She had warned him about not being able to commit. And yet, he still couldn’t stay away from her. He now understood how his sister and mama had fallen for men who couldn’t commit. Sunny had his father’s carefree attitude about life. Maybe that was what had attracted him all along.

He’d been looking for his father’s love.

The pain of that epiphany mixed with his fear for Sophie had him spending the rest of the drive to the hospital in silent misery. Once there, a woman at the front desk of the emergency wing directed him to a room.

Reid didn’t realize Sunny wasn’t following him until he reached the room and glanced back to see her standing by the front desk, looking heartbreakingly sad. He knew her sadness had more to do with Sophie than the end of whatever they’d had together. He looked at her for one brief moment longer before he pulled his gaze away and walked into the room.

If he had thought he felt guilty before, it was nothing compared to what he felt when he saw Sophie lying in bed looking bruised and battered. Her face had multiple cuts and she wore a neck brace.

Emotion swelled in his chest.

He didn’t know how it had happened, but he loved this ornery teen. He loved her as much as he’d loved her mama.

“Hey, Soph.”

She jerked her gaze from the nurse who was adjusting her IV. Her eyes, eyes just like his, welled with tears. He didn’t hesitate to walk over and carefully pull her into his arms.

She melted against him and started to sob. “I’m—so—sorry, Uncle—Reid.”

He kissed the top of her head. “No, I’m sorry. I screwed up. But I’m not going to screw up again. I promise, Soph. I won’t screw up again.”

Thankfully, Sophie’s x-rays came back showing no broken bones or internal injuries. The cuts on her face from the flying glass didn’t even need stitches and when the doctor removed the neck collar, Sophie had no problems moving her head.

She was lucky, especially after hearing the details of the accident. She had been trying to pass a truck pulling a trailer hauling hay. When she’d seen a car coming in the opposite lane, she’d pulled back too quickly and clipped the bumper of the hay trailer. She’d spun out of control and hit a utility pole, causing the car to barrel-roll.

It was a miracle she had survived with only a few scratches and bruises.

Once she got her clean bill of health from the doctor and was released, Reid’s concern turned more to anger. He planned to give her a piece of his mind as soon as they were in his truck. But his plans had to wait. When they stepped into the lobby, he discovered it overflowing with Holidays and Remingtons.

Mimi, Darla, and the Holiday sisters clustered around Sophie, giving her hugs and words of sympathy, while the men showed their concern with gentle pats on Sophie’s back and hearty thumps on Reid’s. He could tell Sophie felt asoverwhelmed as he did. She started to cry while he graciously thanked everyone for coming.

Or not everyone.

There was someone obviously missing.

He couldn’t help the disappointment that settled in his stomach as he looked around for Sunny. Of course, he couldn’t blame her for not being there. Especially after the way he’d talked to her. He had let his fear turn him into some kind of raving lunatic. He wanted to call her and take back all the things he’d said to her, but then realized it was probably for the best if he just left things the way they were. Even if she wasn’t leaving now, she would leave eventually. Starting something up with her was just a dead end road.

On the way home, he started to give Sophie a stern lecture, but when he glanced over at her, he couldn’t do it. Not when she looked like she’d been through hell. He figured postponing the conversation for another day wouldn’t be bad parenting. So once they got back to the trailer, he made her favorite frozen pizza and they ate it on the couch as they watched Patsy Cline do her obstacle course around the trailer.

After they finished eating, he collected their plates and took them to the kitchen. “You should probably go to bed, Soph. It’s been a long day and you need to get some rest.” He knew he needed sleep. He felt completely drained—both physically and emotionally.

She brought her glass to the sink. “Do I have to go to school tomorrow? Everyone will be talking about what happened and how stupid I am.”

It looked like they were going to have this conversation after all.

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