Page 16 of Cowboy's Melody
Brooks
“Iwant this to last all night,” I breathe out as we fall against the hard floor of the cabin. “But I don’t want my mom or Logan to suspect anything is happening between us.”
I regret the words as soon as they come out of my mouth. Teddi rolls away and covers herself with a nearby blanket. “I understand,” she murmurs. “Tomorrow is my first sound check for the concert so I should probably have a decent night of sleep.”
I lean forward and cup her shoulder before placing a kiss on it. “I didn’t mean it like that. This thing between us is more than just a no strings attached fling. I have to figure out what I’m going to tell Logan.”
She turns to face me, and I see surprise in her eyes. “You think there’s more?”
I smile because to me, it’s obvious. “I knew the minute I kissed you it would lead to more.”
Teddi places a gentle kiss on my lips. “Okay, we’ll figure this out.”
We clean up as much as possible with limited amenities and pack up the ATV before heading back to the ranch.
The moment we pull up to the main house, my cell phone starts chiming. I pull it from my pocket and see missed call after missed call, all from my mother. My heart stops and a pit forms in my stomach. Something has to be wrong.
Then I notice the red flashing lights against the white of the house.
“Holy shit,” I mutter, scrambling from the ATV. I sprint toward the driveway just as two EMTs bring Logan out of the house on a gurney.
My mom stands on the porch, one hand covering her mouth and the other hand clutching her phone. When she sees me, she moans, “Oh, thank god you’re here.” She rushes toward me and throws her arms around my neck.
“What happened?” I ask in disbelief as my baby is loaded into the back of the ambulance.
“The horse threw her. She said she was fine and other than a few bruises and a couple scrapes, I believed her. Then she started to complain of a headache and passed out.”
“Was she wearing her helmet?” As much as I love my daughter, safety isn’t her priority. She hates being confined and fussed with so often, she doesn’t wear a safety belt or refuses to use her helmet. And now she’s paying the price.
“No,” my mother says with a sigh. “I saw the whole thing, Brooks. I was watching her. She didn’t hit her head very hard.”
I want to lash out at my mom, tell her it doesn’t matter how hard she hit her head because Logan is eight. But I don’t because my heart and my soul is in the back of an ambulance. Without another word, I rush toward the ambulance. When Logan sees me, her eyes light up just a little bit and she manages a weak smile.
“Daddy,” she croaks. “Where were you?”
“Doesn’t matter, peanut. I’m here now.” I crawl inside the back and crouch beside her while an EMT hooks her up to machines to check her vitals. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you were thrown. This is all my fault.”
The doors to the back of the ambulance are closed and I manage a quickly catch Teddi skidding to a halt in the driveway. I’m such a fool, blinded by a beautiful woman and my own loneliness. I look back at my baby girl and feel tears burn my eyes. No one is to blame for Logan’s accident except me.
At the hospital, Logan is whisked away for a CT scan. I was never good at playing the waiting game. Ugly memories of the car accident that killed Samantha flood my thoughts.
I waited for what felt like years to find out she was on life support. And then awaiting her parent’s arrival from Spokane because they were the only ones who could make the hard decisions because we weren’t legally married. Finally, those final moments with her when she took her last breath, when her heart stopped beating. It all felt like excruciating agony.
And now I had to relive it while I waited for the doctors to tell me my peanut was going to be just fine. Anything less is unacceptable.
Every time the door opens, my head snaps up, hoping it’s the doctor only to realize it’s not. This happens so often I start to convince myself something is seriously wrong with Logan. The sliding doors to the front of the emergency room open and my mother rushes inside with Teddi close behind.
“What’s happening?” My mom sits down beside me and grabs my hand. “What did the doctor say?”
“I’m still waiting for him,” I tell her.
“They shouldn’t keep you waiting like this,” my mom hisses. “I’ll go and talk to the nurse.”
I sit back, slightly relieved, because my mom is a ball buster. If anyone can get results, it’s her.
“I’m so sorry,” Teddi murmurs. She reaches out for my hand but I quickly cross my arms over my chest.
“Thank you but this is on me. I should have been there watching her ride. She hates wearing her helmet and every time she gets on that damn horse, it’s a battle to get her to wear it. My mom just gives in and Logan takes advantage. I should have been there.”
