Page 47 of Canyon of Deceit
He lifted his head from the blanket pillow for the water bottle, but the lines etching into his features told me he was having a rough time. “Have you called Sergio?”
I wish.“We don’t have a phone.”
His gaze met mine. “It’s not in your backpack?”
“My phone went over the edge during a skirmish with a rattler.”
“You’re not bitten?”
“No. I’m fine. I’ll explain later. First, your arm needs realignment. This isn’t setting the bone but to improve the circulation. I’m going to pull on it below the fracture. I’ve been trained in this and have set bones for others.” He nodded his understanding, and I continued. “This. Will. Hurt.”
“Figured it can’t be much worse. My vote is to pass out.”
“Might be easier if you did, except I need you awake with your head injury.”
“Beats turning into the Hulk.” He attempted a smile. “A kiss on my lips would make me feel better. Not my forehead.”
I gave him a quick warning while I eyed the best way to straighten his arm. “I’ve seen the Hulk plenty of times, and kissing wasn’t part of the script.” I moved my hands down below the broken bone and examined the area. “One, two, three.”
I pulled.
Blane shouted.
I tuned out his agony and finished aligning the bone. Resting back on my haunches, I studied him. Huge drops of sweat beaded the sides of his face.
“It’s in place, Blane.” I brushed a light kiss on his lips.
“That was better than a sucker and a balloon.”
I sensed myself blushing like a schoolgirl. Yep, I definitely had the attraction thing going. I hid my realization and pulled out flexible aluminum splints and tape from my backpack. I grabbed my extra shirt.
“You have everything in there to bind it?” he said.
“This shirt will help pad the splints.”
“Forget the padding. You’ll need the shirt. Alina might need it on a cold night.”
“Dirty and stinking might chase away Alina’s kidnappers.” I ignored him and tore my shirt into padding around his arm. I finished the splinting, not too tight to allow for swelling, all the while thanking God that Blane wasn’t dead at the bottom of a canyon.
“How much daylight is left?” he said.
“Maybe thirty minutes.”
“First thing in the morning, you’ve got to meet up with the team and find Alina. I’ll be fine.”
“Another topic to discuss later.” I sterilized a needle and threaded it. “Keep talking to me while I sew you up. I need to place a few stitches in your head. Nasty concussion you have there. Do you feel nauseous?”
“No. Vision’s blurred.”
“To be expected.” I ensured each stitch was precise with swift but careful movements. “What’s your favorite boyhood memory?”
“Tenth birthday. My dad got me a horse.”
“Aw. What a great gift. You rode as a boy?” I kept my eyes fixed on closing the nasty cut.Please, no infection.
“Yep. Competed in high school rodeo events.”
“You were a real cowboy. That wasn’t on your Ranger application. Did you collect all the trophies?”
