He even missed his baby brother, Casey.
He wanted to go home. Even if he wasn’t returning as the conquering hero, as he’d imagined, he wanted to go home. As soon as the doctor released him, that’s what he would do.
The nurse brought in his breakfast, giving him a cheerful greeting. She was young and pretty and he flirted with her. But he kept calculating how long it would be before the doctor checked on him…and how long it would be before the waitress came back.
“Anybody here to see me?” he asked as the nurse prepared to leave.
“I don’t think so. Do you want me to check?”
“Yes, please. I’m expecting a lady, tall, willowy brunette.”
The pretty little nurse looked disappointed, giving his ego a lift. “I’ll ask,” she said and turned to leave.
“Say,” Rich said, stopping her again. “When will the doctor be by? I need to get out of here.”
“In about an hour,” she replied as she walked out of his room.
Almost to the minute she’d predicted, the doctor examined him and promised to put him in a cast that evening so he could leave the next morning. But he told him he couldn’t drive for a month, even though he’d put him in a walking cast up to his knee.
Rich was devastated by that news. There was no way he was going to stay in Flagstaff for a month. Maybe he’d get the waitress to call home and get someone to fly down and drive him back. They’d have to come soon. His horse was stabled at the rodeo grounds, but they’d be closing the place tomorrow.
He spent the next three hours trying to plan a scenario that would get him home, get his animal taken care of and…with growing worries, figuring out what had happened to the waitress and his truck.
Just before they served lunch, the woman he’d become increasingly annoyed with finally walked into his room.
“Where the hell have you been!” he yelled.
Chapter Two
“Sorry I’m late,” the waitress said, seemingly unconcerned about his frustration.
“Where have you been?”
“Packing my belongings,” she replied, moving closer to his hospital bed.
“Just like a woman,” he said in disgust. “I’m lying here in pain and she’s packing a huge wardrobe!”
She ignored his remark. “Has the doctor been to see you? What did he say?”
“He said I get out tomorrow. They’ll put the cast on this evening, a walking cast.”
“Great! You’ll be all set, then.”
“Not exactly. He said I can’t drive for a month.”
She seemed taken aback, which made him feel better. “What are you going to do?”
“Well, I’ve had plenty of time to work things out, since it took you so long to—what do you mean pack? Where do you think you’re going?” He liked her. He appreciated what she’d done for him, but he hadn’t expected her to pack her belongings and follow him home. What did she think she was doing?
She grinned. “Don’t panic. My packing has nothing to do with you. I’m out of a job and—”
“Can’t you find something around here?”
She raised one eyebrow. “I could.”
“Then you wouldn’t have to move,” he pointed out.
“Thanks for the advice. Now tell me what you decided and where you want me to leave the truck.”
“I need you to do a couple of other things for me if you don’t mind. Can you go to the rodeo grounds and take care of my horse?”
“Your horse? You have a horse here with you?”
“Yeah.” Why did she sound so surprised?
“You don’t need a horse to do bull riding.”
“I also do calf roping and team steer wrestling.”
“Oh. Well, what do you want me to do with your horse? Do you mean clean out his stall and feed him? I can do that.”
“I’m not asking you to do that kind of work. Check and see if Gabe Randall has left yet. If he hasn’t moved on with the rodeo, get him to take care of Bella.”
“Bella?”
“My horse.”
“And if he’s gone?”
“I’ll give you some money to pay for someone to take care of her.”
“Okay. For how long?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to call home collect and explain. Explain what happened and ask someone to fly down here and drive me home.”
“Where’s home?” she asked, curiosity on her face.
“Rawhide, Wyoming.”
He frowned when she didn’t respond. She seemed to be concentrating, causing him to ask, “What?”
“Is Rawhide big enough to have some restaurants, a diner or something?”
“Sure. It’s got just about everything…on a small scale.”
“Then I’ll drive you home, save you the cost of airfare.”
Rich was suddenly uncomfortable. “Look, I appreciate the help, but I’m not offering— I just met you.”
She stiffened. “All I offered was my driving ability, cowboy. Nothing else. Forget it. Where do I leave your truck after I see about your horse. At the rodeo? Is there someone I can leave the keys with?” She took several steps toward the door as she waited for his answer.
“Wait a minute! Don’t leave yet.” He didn’t want her to leave. Had he made a mistake? The women who followed the rodeo, called buckle bunnies, took a little compliment and magnified it into a proposal or marriage if a man wasn’t careful.
“Shall I wait until after you call so I can make arrangements for your horse?” She waited, but she didn’t smile. She didn’t look friendly, either. She looked more like she had last night when she thought he was conning her.
“Why would you want to drive to Wyoming?”
“I don’t,” she snapped, taking another step toward the door.
“Look, some of the women around here seem to think that if a guy pays any attention to her, he’s offering something long-term. I didn’t want to give you the wrong idea. I’ll give you some money to carry you ’til you get a new job. I know I owe you that much,
