Page 51 of Rainwater
“You have to leave,” the nurse insisted.
“Who’s going to make me? You?” Corey challenged, thrusting out his hip and narrowing his eyes.
“Are you her kin?” the nurse asked with challenge.
“Close enough. You have some kind of argument?”
The nurse backed down and they began to put a cast on Ellie’s wrist.
Twenty minutes later, they were in the back seat of Buck’s car. Ellie’s face was set and determined, and Corey felt as if he were being attacked by a full army.
“I don’t want to go home. If I don’t compete tomorrow, I won’t have a chance at the buckle.” She stuck out her bottom lip, the sly look in her eye replaced by belligerence.
“Ellie, you’ve got a broken wrist.” He tried to reason with her, but knew that he was already losing the battle inside where it counted.
“I can still ride. I have to, Corey. I’m no quitter,” she said intensely.
“Ellie, I know you’re not a quitter, but you’re injured. It’s too dangerous,” he said, but even he could hear the doubt in his voice.
“It isn’t. I can handle a horse with one arm,” she said defiantly.
“Corey, I think the little lady deserves a chance.” Buck’s voice floated to them from the front seat.
Corey sighed. “Buck, I’m drowning here. I don’t need you pushing me under,” he said gruffly.
“Sorry,” the old cowboy said, but there wasn’t an ounce of remorse in his voice.
“Ellie, look at it from my point of view. I’m responsible for you. I couldn’t bear it if I let you up on that horse and you hurt yourself even worse.”
“You had nothing to do with me getting a broken wrist. It was a freak accident. Corey, I’ve trained sohard, please.” Tearswelled up in her eyes and slipped out to run down her face. “It’s important to me.”
Her tears tore through him like little barbed arrows. He knew what it cost her to cry. He could see the effort it had taken earlier to keep herself from bawling. Through the worst of it, she’d never let even one tear fall. Courageous and tough, his little darlin’. He couldn’t say no.
“All right, but stop that blubbering,” he said gruffly, with more compassion than irritation.
Ellie smiled and wiped at her tears.
“How about an ice-cream cone on me?” he offered, chucking her under the chin.
Ellie’s grin widened. “Mom says that ice cream can just about cure anything.”
“Your mom may be on to something there.”
Later that night, he sat on the motel bed, watching Ellie sleep, worrying about tomorrow and hoping he had made the right decision. He thought about calling Jennifer, had just about dialed all the numbers when he heard Ellie’s voice.
“Don’t call her. She’ll make me come home,” Ellie pleaded.
“Ellie, you’re my responsibility. Your mother has a right to know if something happened to you.”
She sat up in bed. “I agree, but I’m not seriously injured. In fact, my wrist doesn’t even hurt at all. So I’ll have a cast for a few weeks. Big deal.”
“Ellie, your mom will want to know.”
“She’s probably still in Phoenix conducting business. You don’t want to upset her when she needs all her negotiating skills.”
“Ellie…” He stopped, at a loss for words.
“Please, Corey. I’ll just die if she makes me go home. I don’t want to give up.”
