Page 83 of My Cowboy Freedom
The doc did a routine exam, after which Marge took me into a different room for a blood draw. She worked quickly and quietly, and like I said, she had good hands. She’d just folded my arm up to put pressure on the needle stick when we heard the front door open and then slam closed.
Marge narrowed her eyes and then she growled.
I swear to God she growled.
One does not slam the good doctor’s door on Marge’s watch.
“Declan Winters.”Uncle Sterling’s voice.“You are not Rock’s doctor. I want him out here, now.”
Marge and I hurried to the reception room. Sterling stood waiting with a look of frozen rage on his face. A quick glance around told me the doc already had Sky in an exam room. Christ. If the boss saw him here, if he guessed the reason Elena brought him here had anything to do with me, my life would be over.
Elena rose from her chair. “Sterling—”
“I told you, Elena. That charlatan isn’t Rock’s doctor anymore.”
“I understand you’re angry, and I know you have a valid reason to feel that way, but since Rock had a generalized tonic-clonic seizure last night. I felt that—”
“You felt?” Nostrils flaring like a bull’s, he said, “I told you no. Are you really going to go to war with me over this?”
All color fled Elena’s face. “What?”
I put my arm around my Nina and Maisy stood by my leg, hackles up, worried about this new shouting business.
“Iam an adult. You don’t get to tell me who my doctor is going to be.”
“You don’t think so?” He was angrier than I’d seen him since he’d first found out about Ryder and Declan. It was scary as hell. “What do you suppose would happen if I got your dad involved?”
Elena’s indrawn breath was loud in the silence. “Sterling!”
“Your parents made themselves very clear,” he shouted. “Any activity on your part that could be deemed to put your soul in danger is a deal breaker. You’ll go back to them, or even to Reckonings. Is that what you want?”
“You can’t do that.” Doc closed the door between the office and the exam rooms. Sky couldn’t see our little scene, but he was probably getting an earful. “As an adult, Rock can choose any physician he likes.”
“Elena, take Rock back to the ranch.”
The exam room door opened again and Sky stepped out. His gaze swept over everyone and settled on me.
“Everything okay here?”
The boss spoke first. “I’m sorry, Skyler. This is a private family matter.”
Sky nodded but didn’t leave. “Yessir.”
“It’d be best”—Oops.Boss hates to repeat himself—“if you could give us some privacy.”
Sky didn’t take his eyes off mine. The question was there.What should I do?
“It’s all right, Sky.” I turned back to the boss with my teeth clenched. “Declan Winters is my doctor.”
The doc said, “Rock’s health care is a private matter that doesn’t concern you. You need to leave, Sterling.”
Everything happened at once. Sterling stepped toward me, bumping my chest with his, pushing me into Marge, who grabbed Doc Winters’ shoulder to keep from falling over. Maisy went absolutely nuts. She’s trained not to bark unless I’m in danger, or we get separated, but this was something they didn’t cover in school. Elena shouted over everyone to stay calm.
Quick as a cobra, Sky planted himself between me and the boss.
To be honest, the boss and me were acting like bad-tempered bulls. We had size on our side, but Sky was one tough, wiry son of a bitch. He made it perfectly clear he was willing to work as hard at keeping us apart as we were working to come together, and he wasn’t above getting a dirty elbow jab in either.
“Ow, who’s side are you on?” I pressed my hand to my ribs.
