CHAPTER 4
Kia
“WELL, YOUNG LADY, I must say, you’re mighty lucky to escape your first encounter with a horse’s hooves with only some mild bruising,” Dr. Miller said as he handed me an ice pack, his examination finished. “He must have only grazed you.”
Mild bruising? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
The area was dark purple and blue now, but I held my tongue about it. The doctor was right. I was lucky I hadn’t broken anything.
“I guess I managed to get out of the way just enough,” I said tiredly.
“Now, remember, make sure to put this on for fifteen minutes every hour. Try lying on the couch and placing a pillow underneath your back, so you can elevate your ribs above your heart,” the doctor said as he busied himself putting instruments away. He finished cleaning up and then opened the door for me. “Let’s go ahead and tell your man the news.”
“He’s not my . . .” I started to say. Then I sighed.
Who am I kidding? The doctor wasn’t going to listen to me.
Grumpy, I followed him out, barely refraining from stomping my boots on the floor like a child. What has gotten into me?
Hunter was waiting in the living room, the platter of cookies mostly demolished. He stood as we entered. I had to admit, he looked damn good in his Wrangler jeans and worn leather cowboy boots. His black Stetson was in his hands, revealing his headful of thick, wavy blond hair grown to just below his jawline. His green-and-white plaid button-up shirt was open at the collar, showcasing just a hint of the broad, tanned chest I knew must be underneath it. My fingers suddenly itched with the desire to undo a few more buttons and see if he had any chest hair to run them through.
His eyebrows rose as he caught my stare, and I felt my cheeks flush. I didn’t look away though, and something like amusement glimmered in his emerald-green eyes before he turned his attention to the doctor.
“So, what’s the news?” he asked.
“The news is that your lady friend suffered a good bump on the head and has some bruised ribs, but other than that, she’s all right. You’re going to need to check on her every few hours in the night to make sure she doesn’t slip into unconsciousness. Just tap or gently shake her to wake her. If she doesn’t respond, call 9–1-1 right away.”
“What? I don’t—” I started to protest.
Hunter cut me off. “Understood. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”
“Good.”
The door opened, and an elderly man hobbled in with a cane.
Dr. Miller smiled at him. “You’ll have to excuse me. My next patient is here. Please see my wife about payment.”
He bustled off to the older man with a jovial greeting, taking him into the back room, leaving me standing in the living room, flabbergasted.
“Shit,” I muttered, patting myself down. “I don’t have my purse or anything.” I’d been so out of it that I didn’t think to grab any of that stuff from the house.
“Don’t worry about it.” Hunter took me by the arm, bid Mrs. Miller adieu, and led me outside. “I took care of payment while I was waiting for you.”
“You did?” I stopped dead.
Hunter tugged me by the elbow, impatient to get to the car. “Yes, I did. Can we go now? I’d like to get back to the ranch and check on those horses of yours.”
“I can’t allow you to pay for my medical bills,” I said, digging my heels into the ground. “I did this to myself, not you or anyone else.” There was no way a doctor’s bill was chump change for a small-town cowboy. I didn’t want to take money from someone who needed it.
“I said, don’t worry about it.” He tugged more firmly at my arm, and this time, I followed. “I don’t want your money.”
“But . . .”
I started to protest again, but he yanked open the passenger side door, giving me a look that told me he was reaching the end of his patience. Biting back a scathing retort, I got into the car. I might not like his attitude, but he was helping me out. The least I could do was not give him shit about it.
We drove back to the ranch in silence. Hunter parked around the front of the house, and then he came around to help me out of the car. As I got to my feet, a sharp pain lanced through my side, and I gasped, stumbling.
Hunter instantly stepped forward to catch me, his strong hands grabbing me by the underarms. He pulled me against him, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around his torso to steady myself. Then I froze at the intimate contact. My breasts were pressed up against the bottom of his rib cage, and the heat from his hard body enveloped me, inciting an answering heat from my own.
“Are you all right?”
He tilted my chin up so that I was looking directly into his eyes, and my heart fluttered at the concern I saw in their green depths.
“Yes,” I said.
My eyes latched on to the sensuous curve of his mouth, and I hastily backed away as a sudden urge to kiss him took hold. It had been a while since I’d had sex with a man, but I wasn’t exactly a stranger to one-night stands. But I also knew that getting involved with this man would be a damn bad idea, especially since I didn’t really know why he was here. Not to mention, I was injured and hurting like a motherfucker.
That knock on the head must have really fucked up my common sense.
“Come on. Let’s get you inside.” Hunter turned away, taking the porch steps two at a time.
I followed him a little more slowly and allowed him to settle me onto the cracked, faded brown leather couch.
“Just hang out here for a few and put some ice on that, okay? I’m going to go and check on the horses.”