Jack’s last two days went by far too quickly, and before I knew it, we were saying goodbye. Uncle Ryan was driving him to the airport, but I’d chosen not to go with them opting to say my goodbyes at the house, saving myself the long car ride.
The previous two days we had spent riding and swimming and just spending time together. It was great to spend some time just the two of us, it had been far too long and who knew how long it would be before we would do it again.
His last two nights at the ranch had been spent on a boy’s only night that Brody had arranged at a bar in Marble Falls, and then a family meal on his last night. I was really going to miss him. I hadn’t seen much of Mason over the last two days, he’d been working both days, and we hadn’t had the chance to meet. Aunt Claire and Uncle Ryan had invited him to the family meal, and he’d sat next to me, his hand stroking my leg under the table. He’d asked me to spend the night with him, but I’d decided to stay at the house to spend the morning with Jack before he left.
After a tearful goodbye, I called out to Savannah, who was studying on the porch swing, telling her that I’d decided to take Cookie out for a ride. I fancied reading my kindle by the lake in the sunshine, escaping into my latest book. Savannah had gone inside to fetch me a bottle of water, and as I waited for her, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I spun around quickly feeling like I was being watched, but there was no one there when I looked. I shook my head thinking that I was going mad. When Savannah came back, I thanked her for the water and headed over to the stables.
I hadn’t been out alone before, but I knew the ranch well enough to find my way around if I didn’t venture too far. I made my way to Cookie’s stall. “Hi, beautiful,” I said to her as I approached, reaching up to stroke her nose. “Fancy a ride?” I made my way into the tack room in search of her saddle, the smell of the leather invading my senses. As I was searching I heard a noise from the stalls, poking my head around the door, I called out. “Hello?” Assuming one of the ranch hands was in there seeing to the horses, but there was no reply. An uneasy feeling came over me, but I pushed it aside and went back to searching for Cookie’s saddle. Finding what I needed I quickly saddled her up, leading her outside into the sunshine. I looked over to the house and saw Savannah waving from the porch, I waved back after I’d mounted her and disappeared around the back of the stables towards the lake, setting off in a steady trot.
It was a beautiful day, and I was looking forward to lying by the lake and reading. After ten minutes or so I was feeling comfortable on Cookie, so I pressed my legs against her encouraging her to go faster. As we picked up speed, the saddle began to move, and I started to slip, I pulled back on the reins but it was too late, the saddle worked loose, and I was flung into the air. A scream came from my mouth before my head impacted with the ground, and I was knocked out.
I was surrounded by blackness, my eyes felt heavy, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t force myself to open them. There was a pounding in my head, and my left wrist was throbbing, my other hand was intertwined with someone’s, and I could feel them gently stroking a finger over the pulse point on my wrist. I tried to move my fingers but it was as if my body wasn’t cooperating with my mind and nothing happened. There was a constant beeping noise coming from the side of me, and I could hear muffled voices talking, I thought I recognised the voices, but I couldn’t place them. Suddenly the fog lifted slightly, and I heard a woman say. “The cinch was cleanly cut, it looked like it had been done with a knife, it was only held on by a thread. I’m surprised she made it as far as she did without falling off. This wasn’t an accident Mom, someone did this, and I’ve a pretty good idea who!” I recognised the voice as Savannah’s. I desperately tried to open my eyes, but nothing happened.
“What do you mean, who do you think did this?” I heard a different female voice say, one I recognised as Aunt Claire’s.
Then I heard Mason, he must have been close to me as his voice was louder than the others. “Amber, someone I was seeing before I met Libby. We’ve had a couple of run-ins with her, although nothing like this.” Anger was evident in his voice. He must have leaned closer towards me, and I felt his breath against my ear as he whispered. “Please wake up sweetheart. I need to know that you’re okay. I love you, baby. I’m so sorry this happened.” I felt him press his lips to mine in a soft kiss.
“God Mason! Why would she do this? Are you sure it was her?” Aunt Claire asked.
“I wouldn’t put it past that psycho bitch!” I heard Savannah say, fire in her tone.
“I really don’t know Claire, but I don’t know anyone else who would want to hurt Lib. She has this deluded idea that we should be together and hasn’t taken too kindly to me dating someone else. Have you managed to get hold of Libby’s parents yet?” Mason asked.
“No, I haven’t been able to contact them; I’ll keep trying, though.”
I desperately tried to move my hands or open my eyes, I didn’t want my parents to know that I was hurt. They were so far away, and they would be so worried. I felt my eyelashes flutter as they began to open, squinting against the bright lights of the room. “Mason.” I croaked, my throat dry and scratchy.
“Libby baby, I’m here, you’re going to be okay I promise.” He said reassuring me, his voice low and full of love. “She’s awake, fetch the Doctor.” I heard him say to someone behind him. My eyes were slowly adjusting to the light, and as they began to focus, I could see Mason sat next to me holding my hand. His face was a mask of concern, but he smiled at me when our eyes met. “Thank god sweetheart. You had me scared there for a while.” He stood up and gently brushed his lips against mine.
“Where am I? What happened?” I asked him, confused. As he pulled away from me I saw Savannah standing behind him along with Brody and Uncle Ryan, I gave them a small smile before returning my gaze to Mason, waiting for him to respond.
“You fell off the horse and hit your head, you’re in the hospital. You’ve been unconscious for quite a while, and because of your previous head injury the Doctors have been worried.” As he said that Aunt Claire came back into the room, followed by a man in a white coat who I assumed was the Doctor.
“Hello Libby, I’m Dr. Carter, how are you feeling?”
“I’m okay, my head hurts, and my arm is sore.” I looked down at myself for the first time since I woke up and realised that my arm was in a plaster cast. “Is my arm broken?”
“I’m afraid so, it’s a relatively clean break, but you will be in a cast for about six weeks, as for your head, you sustained quite a nasty bump when you were thrown from the horse, and we’ve had to stitch a small gash in your hairline. You’re going to have some bruising from where you fell, and you’ll probably find yourself stiff and sore tomorrow. You’ve been unconscious for about an hour while you’ve been here but were not sure how long you were on the ground before someone found you. We did a CT scan when you first arrived, and there is no bleeding or swelling to the brain, so that’s good news. Do you remember if you were awake at any point after you fell?” He asked me with a kind smile.
“I don’t think so, I don’t really remember much, one minute I was riding Cookie the next I woke up here.”
“Don’t worry too much about not being able to remember, it may come back to you.” He came over to the side of the bed. “I just need to shine a light in your eyes.” He told me flashing a bright white light at me. “It all looks good, try and get some rest. We’d like you to stay overnight as a precaution, but you should be able to go home tomorrow. The nurse will be in shortly to take your vitals. If you’ve got any questions, the nurses will be happy to page me.”
“Thank you,” I whispered as he left the room. Mason moved back from my bed so that Aunt Claire could reach me, she came over and pulled me into a hug, taking care not to knock my plaster cast.
“I’m so glad you’re okay honey.” She said hugging me tightly.
“Have you spoken to my parents?” I asked her as she released me.
“No sweetheart, I haven’t been able to contact them. Both of their cell phones are turned off, I’ll keep trying, though. I didn’t want to leave a message and have them worry.”
I grabbed on to her hand. “Please don’t tell them, they will be so worried, and they are so far away, plus I’m fine, I’ll be back to the ranch tomorrow. Please?” I begged her, my eyes wide.
“Libby, I’m not sure that I can do that. If it were Savannah or Brody, then I’d want to know.” She frowned at me, chewing on her bottom lip.
“Please Aunt Claire, I’ve been such a worry to them over the past few months, I don’t want to burden them with anything else. I really am okay, I promise.” I heard her sigh, and she turned to look at Uncle Ryan who raised his eyebrows at her and shrugged his shoulders.
“Okay.” She reluctantly agreed, shaking her head at me. “But I’m calling them if anything changes. No arguments.”
“Thank you.” I rushed out, breathing a sigh of relief. If they knew what had happened, they would be on the first flight out here, and I knew that it would be a struggle for them to come.
“We’re going to go and grab a coffee now that you’re awake, we’ll leave you two alone for a bit, we’ll be back soon.” Aunt Claire said motioning between Mason and me before kissing me on the cheek. Uncle Ryan also came and gave me a hug along with Brody before the three of them left the room. Savannah plonked herself down on the bed next to me and took my hand in hers.
“Bloody hell Libby you scared the crap out of me!” She said dramatically.
“I’m fine. Honestly, just a bit bruised. Tell me what happened.” I asked, looking over to Mason. I saw him ever so slightly shake his head at Savannah before coming to sit down on the other side of me. He had obviously decided that he wasn’t going to tell me that they thought Amber had tampered with the saddle.
Savannah spoke first. “Well I waved you off from the porch swing, do you remember that?” I nodded at her, and she continued. “About forty-five minutes later Cookie came wondering down to the stables with her saddle hanging off and you nowhere to be found. I called Mason who was out at the river, and he came straight back. I wasn’t sure where you’d gone, but Mason said how much you love the lake, so he headed there while I called Mom and Dad.” Savannah looked over to Mason.
“I found you not far from the lake, lying on the ground unconscious, I didn’t know if you were dead or alive when I first saw you. I’ve never been so afraid Libby.” He pulled me to him gently so as not to hurt my arm. “When Savannah called me and said that Cookie had come back without you…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I called the EMT’s when I found you, and they brought you here, I came in the ambulance with you, and everyone else followed. Ryan came straight from the airport.”
“Does Jack know?” I asked.
“No, Dad had already dropped him off and was on his way back when we called to tell him what had happened.” Savannah stood up. “I’m going to leave you two alone for a bit, I’ll go and find Mom and Dad. I’m so glad you’re okay Lib.” She smiled squeezing my hand.
After she’d left the room, I asked Mason if he would lie on the bed with me. I snuggled into him, resting my broken arm on his chest. “Mason, before I opened my eyes I heard you all talking… was it Amber who messed with the saddle?” I felt him take in a deep breath before blowing it out slowly.
“I think so, I haven’t seen the saddle yet, but Savannah got a look at it while she was putting Cookie back in her stall. She thinks the cinch was cut with a knife, it was cut just enough so that no one would notice, but any rigorous movements while riding would have caused it to snap completely which is what we think happened.”
“What’s a cinch?” I asked, not familiar with the terminology.
“It basically the strap section of the saddle, it goes underneath the horse and keeps the saddle in place.”
“Could it just have been wear and tear and it worked loose? Maybe I didn’t secure it properly?”
“No sweetheart.” I heard him sigh. “It wasn’t a tear in the leather, it was a clean cut according to Savannah. It wouldn’t have been because you didn’t fasten it properly.”
“I had just started to ride faster, and as we increased the pace I felt the saddle slip, and I was thrown. I tried to pull back on the reins, but it was too late.” I closed my eyes at the memory. “If it was Amber, why does she want to hurt me?” I asked him in a whisper.
“I don’t know baby. I’m so sorry, this is all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault Mason, don’t blame yourself. If it really was her, then she has some serious problems.”
“Did you see anyone hanging around the stables before you went out?” He asked me. I thought back to hearing the noise while I was in the tack room and feeling uneasy.
“Actually, I felt like someone was watching me while I was outside the house, then, when I was in the tack room, I heard a noise out by the stalls but when I checked there was no one there.” I paused, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. “It was Amber, wasn’t it?” I asked him.
“I think so, sweetheart. But unless someone saw her hanging around, we’re going to have trouble proving it.” I tilted my head back and looked up at him, my eyes dropping to his lips. “Kiss me, Mason. Please.” I begged him, desperate to take my mind off what had happened.
He smiled, his mouth inches from mine. “That I can do.” He murmured, his lips capturing mine in a soft and gentle kiss. I could feel how much he loved me as he kissed me and after what had happened to me today, I realised that life is unpredictable and that I should grasp tightly onto him and never let go.
As he broke the kiss, I looked up into his eyes and whispered. “I love you, Mason.”
His eyes widened in surprise before his face erupted into a heart-stopping smile. “I love you too Libby. So much.” He brushed his lips against mine again before pulling me into his chest.
I must have fallen asleep in his arms, and when I woke up, Aunt Claire and the others were back, chatting quietly amongst themselves.
“How are you feeling Libby?” Uncle Ryan asked me.
“I’m okay, my head’s still hurting but not as much as before.”
“The nurse came in and topped up your pain relief while you were asleep sweetheart,” Mason told me, kissing me gently on the head. “I bet that’s started to kick in.”
“I really want to go home.” I felt Mason tense at my words, and I realised what I’d said, looking up at him I waited until his eyes met mine before speaking. “By home I mean back to the ranch.” I felt his body relax and he kissed my forehead.
“Libby honey, if you’re okay we’re going to head back?” Aunt Claire asked me. “I’m assuming that Mason is staying here with you?” She looked over to him.
Before he could respond, I said. “No one needs to stay with me, I’ll be fine.”
“I’m staying,” Mason said forcefully.
Savannah laughed. “Thought he might be, come on let’s leave the love birds to it.” She came over to me, and I moved out of Mason’s arms to give her a hug. “Mason give me a call when she’s discharged tomorrow, and I’ll come and get you both.” I smiled gratefully at her.
After a round of hugs from everyone, and the promise that we’d call as soon as I was discharged, we were left alone. I couldn’t let myself think about Amber, and what we would do about her. Mason must have felt the same as he didn’t mention her either, it would have to be a conversation we had once we were back on the ranch.
I managed to force Mason to go and get himself something to eat, finally persuading him that I would be okay on my own for half an hour. He was only gone for ten minutes or so, returning with two canteen sandwiches, telling me that he would rather eat with me than alone in the hospital restaurant. I couldn’t help but fall in love with him a little bit more at how insistent he was at taking care of me.
Throughout the afternoon and early evening, the nurses were in and out taking their observations and making sure I wasn’t sleeping for long periods of time. They had warned me that I would need to be woken every two hours through the night because of the head injury, so I knew that I was in for a long night. Mason had managed to charm the nursing staff into letting him stay the night, and I was currently curled up next to him, resting my broken arm on his chest.
“You really don’t have to stay you know Mason, you’re not going to get much sleep wedged on this tiny bed,” I told him.
“Lib, I want to be here with you. I’d get even less sleep if I were at home, I’d only be worrying about you. I’m staying.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Let’s get some sleep sweetheart, it’s been a long day.” He tightened his arms around me, and I turned my head to kiss him goodnight. “I love you.” He murmured against my lips.
“I love you too,” I told him, before melting into his kisses. Breaking the kiss, he pulled me closer into his chest and exhausted from the day’s events I quickly fell into a deep sleep, feeling safe in his arms.