6. Colt
Chapter 6
Colt
“ Y ou’ve gotten yourself pretty banged up my boy,” the doctor said, pulling his cold hands away from the massive bruise on my ribs. “You’re damn lucky you didn’t puncture a lung.”
“Do I need surgery or not, doc?” I asked, not trying to hide my annoyance at the entire situation.
“No surgery,” he said. Then he hesitated. “But you’ll need to stay in bed for the next week.”
“A week?!”
“And no rodeo stuff for at least six.”
I just sat there, my jaw hanging open. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Six weeks? How the hell was I supposed to go that long when I had another ride coming up in less than a month? If I didn’t show up in that arena, people would start to believe the rumors about me. Maybe they’d think I was retiring. That sort of press could end my career, and I didn’t have anything to fall back on. Hell, I probably didn’t even have enough money to pay this doctor for his stupid fucking advice.
I gritted my teeth, fighting back the urge to lash out at the doctor. It wasn't his fault, after all. He was just doing his job. But damn if I didn't want to punch something right now.
“Look, doc,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I appreciate your concern, but I can't just sit out for six weeks. I've got bills to pay, a reputation to maintain. Isn't there anything else we can do? Some kind of brace or something?”
The doctor sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I understand your position, son, but you're playing with fire here. That bull did a number on you, and if you push yourself too hard, too soon, you won’t just have a busted rib, you’ll be dead. Is that really worth it?”
I didn't answer. We both knew the truth - in this game, it was always worth it. The rush, the glory, the paycheck - it was all worth it. The brightest stars always burned out the fastest. But I could see the concern in the doc's eyes, and for a moment, I felt the tiniest pang of guilt.
“Listen,” the doctor said, his voice softening. “I've seen too many young bucks like you come through here, thinking they're invincible. Take it from someone who's patched up more broken cowboys than he can count - your body needs time to heal. And believe me, one day when you have a family sitting around eating a big Sunday dinner, you’re gonna be happy you took it easy.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The doc might’ve been right for some folks, but not for me. I didn’t have anyone, especially not a family. And that was never gonna change.
“Tell you what,” he continued, reaching for his prescription pad. “I'll give you something for the pain, and we'll reassess in two weeks. If you're healing well, maybe - and I mean maybe - we can talk about getting you back in the saddle sooner. But you've got to promise me you'll be on mostly bedrest the entire time.”
“But I have classes to teach!”
The doctor lifted an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “Do you want to get back on the circuit or not?” I didn’t reply. “That’s what I thought.”
I left the doctor's office with a prescription in hand and a storm cloud over my head. The thought of two weeks cooped up in my crappy little apartment was enough to make me want to scream. And now I’d have to let down Caroline too. But what choice did I have?
As I limped to the car, I caught sight of my reflection in the window. Bruised, battered, and looking every bit the washed-up cowboy I was trying so hard not to become. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Maybe the doc was right. Maybe I did need to slow down.
But then I thought about the bills piling up on my kitchen table, the rent I was already late on, and the hungry look in my landlord's eyes every time he saw me. Slowing down wasn't an option. Not for me.
The passenger window rolled down, pulling me from my thoughts.
“You gonna just stand there and admire yourself or are you gonna get the hell in the car?”
Another sigh. God, I fucking hated Eli. Him and his stupid perfect lips.
I yanked open the car door and slid into the passenger seat, wincing as the movement sent a jolt of pain through my ribs. Eli didn't even look at me, just put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb.
“So, what's the verdict?” he asked, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
“Two weeks bedrest, then we'll see,” I grumbled, leaning my head against the cool glass of the window.
Eli let out a low whistle. “Damn, that bull really did a number on you, huh?”
I could hear the smirk in his voice, and it made my blood boil. “You don't have to sound so damn pleased about it.”
“Oh, come on now,” Eli drawled, that sarcastic edge creeping into his voice. “You know I'm just concerned for your well-being, Colt. You being so important and all.”
“Are you always this much of a heartless cocksucker?” I shot back at him. “Some of us have lives and bills, we can’t all just abandon everything and never look back like you did.”
“I’ll have you know I put a lot of heart and passion into my cocksucking.”
The comment caught me off guard, my mind suddenly filling with images. At first, I tried to push them away. But the thought of those full lips of his wrapped around my cock sent a bolt of lightning through me. I felt the twitch in my jeans and the sudden tightness of the denim. What the hell was wrong with me?
I expected him to continue, to defend himself, he didn’t say anything else. Even so, I could see the muscles in his jaw working. Clearly what I’d said upset him, but he wasn’t giving me the pleasure of a response. He knew exactly what I was talking about though, the reason we stopped being friends in the first place.
The silence in the car grew thick and heavy, broken only by the rumble of the engine and the crunch of gravel under the tires. I shifted uncomfortably, my ribs protesting the movement. Part of me wanted to apologize, to take back my harsh words, but my pride wouldn't let me. Besides, Eli had always been able to give as good as he got.
“Look,” Eli finally said, his voice tight, “I know you think I just up and left without a care in the world, but you don't know the half of it. You think I wanted to come crawling back here? To this dusty little town where everyone knows your business before you do?”
I snorted. “Oh, poor little rich executive, having to slum it with us country folk again. Must be real tough for you.”
Eli's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “You know what, Colt? Fuck you. You don't know a damn thing about what I've been through.”
The venom in his voice caught me off guard. I'd seen Eli annoyed, even angry before, but this was different. There was a raw edge to his words that made me pause.
“I lost everything,” he continued, his voice low and intense. “My job, my reputation, my whole fucking life in Dallas. Do you have any idea what that's like? To wake up one day and find out that everything you've worked for is gone, and it wasn't even your fault?”
I stayed silent, watching his profile as he drove. The tightness in his jaw, the way his eyes narrowed - it was all so familiar, yet so different from the Eli I used to know. I didn’t know he’d lost his job or why. I just thought he was on an extended visit or something.
“So yeah, I came back here,” Eli continued, his voice softening slightly. “Not because I wanted to, but because I had nowhere else to go. You think you're the only one with bills to pay and a reputation to worry about?”
I felt a pang of guilt at his words. I'd been so caught up in my own problems, I hadn't even considered what Eli might be going through. Still, old habits die hard, and I couldn't quite bring myself to apologize.
“Well, at least you've still got a family to come home to,” I shot back. “People around here actually want you.”
“How about this, Colt?” he offered, the venom in his voice not lessening one iota. “Instead of being a fucking dickhead to me all the time because your family is a bunch of assholes, why don’t you go tell them how you feel?” He turned his gaze on me, those amber eyes full of fire. “I’m not the one that kicked you out of your house or the one that got your football scholarship revoked.”
“Yeah,” I scoffed. “But you’re the one who went to college anyway and left me behind.”
“I told you to come with me!”
“I couldn’t fucking afford it, Eli!”
“So what? I should’ve just stayed behind and gave up my entire future because you didn’t want to take out student loans like the rest of us? How is that fucking fair, Colt?”
“I… I don’t know,” I grumbled, knowing I was fighting a losing battle. “But you… you left me behind. Everyone did. I had to figure it all out on my own.”
“We all have to figure it out on our own, dickhead. It’s called growing up.”
Eli's words hung in the air, heavy and sharp. I wanted to argue back, to tell him he didn't understand, but deep down I knew he was right. I'd been holding onto this anger for so long, blaming everyone else for my problems. Maybe it was time to let it go. I just wasn’t sure if I could. My anger felt like the only thing holding me up lately.
The car slowed as we approached his family’s farm. Eli pulled up to the house and put the car in park, but neither of us made a move to get out.
“Look,” Eli said after a moment, his voice softer now. “I know things haven't been easy for you. And I'm sorry if you felt like I abandoned you. But that was ten years ago. Can’t we just forget about it?”
I swallowed hard, glancing his way. That smooth sharp jaw of his made my stomach flutter and my resolve began to crack. “Yeah, well... I guess I could've handled things better too.”
Eli chuckled softly. “That's an understatement.”
Despite myself, I felt a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Shut up,” I muttered, but there was no real heat behind it.
Eli turned to face me. “Look, Colt, I know we've both said and done things we regret. But maybe... maybe this is our chance to start over. Clean slate. We’re different people now.”
I hesitated, my pride warring with the longing I felt deep in my chest. It had been so long since I'd had anyone I could really talk to, anyone who understood where I came from. And despite everything, Eli had always gotten me in a way no one else did.
“I don't know if I can just forget everything,” I admitted quietly.
Eli nodded, his expression softening. “You could at least be less of an asshole.”
“So could you.”
He just nodded, both of us knowing how mutually dickish we’d been to one another. I reached to unbuckle my seatbelt, wincing as the movement sent a jolt of pain through my ribs.
Eli's eyes flickered with concern. “You okay? Need help getting inside?”
“Nah, I got it,” I said, reaching for the door handle. But as I tried to push myself up, a wave of dizziness hit me, and I slumped back into the seat.
“Yeah, you look like you've totally 'got it',” he said dryly. Before I could protest, he was out of the car and coming around to my side. He opened the door and held out his hand. “Come on, tough guy. Let me help you.”
I wanted to refuse, to prove I could do it on my own. But the throbbing in my ribs and the spinning in my head convinced me I didn’t have any other choice.
“I hope you know my mother is going to force you to stay here,” Eli said as he pulled me toward the house. “You might not have had a family in Sagebrush yesterday, but you might have one now against your will.”
I tipped my head down, letting the brim of my hat hide the tiny smile on my face. As much as I wanted to be independent and take care of myself, deep down a part of me was thrilled to be cared for at long last. I just couldn’t let myself get used to it. In four weeks I was going back to the rodeo circuit. There was no other choice.