Chapter 13
13
Nikki
N ikki’s heart slammed into her chest, propelling her forward as she sprinted toward the barn. She couldn’t believe she’d allowed this to happen. Paxton had insisted he wasn’t going to go anywhere near the barn. He’d wanted to go outside and watch the cowboys work for a while, and she’d figured there was no harm in letting him.
But she should have known better.
Paxton was an inquisitive child. He was also more confident in his own abilities than he should have been at his age.
She didn’t even realize tears were streaming down her face until she stopped long enough to look for Paxton the second she’d made it to the barn door.
He sat whimpering, holding his arm close to his chest. He looked up at her, tears drawing streaks down his dusty cheeks.
Nikki gasped, only vaguely aware of the two men behind her as she rushed for her baby. “What happened?” she demanded, her voice sharper than she’d intended. “You didn’t listen to me, did you? I told you not to get into any trouble, and you didn’t listen.”
“Nikki,” Mateo said softly, his hand on her shoulder. “It was an accident.”
The mother bear inside her wanted to scream at him to step back and let her handle this, but the woman who was scared to death for her son wanted nothing more than for Mateo to pull her into his arms and reassure her.
These warring thoughts consumed her, made her head spin. It was hard to figure out what this man was beginning to mean to her.
Only when she realized she hadn’t said or done anything in response to Mateo did she turn her full focus to her son. Tears still streaked his cheeks, and fear flooded his eyes. “I don’t want to move,” he whispered. “It hurts.”
“What hurts?” Mateo crouched down and reached for the boy’s arm. “Here?” He gently squeezed Paxton’s wrist and slowly moved up his arm each time Paxton shook his head. When they got to his shoulder, Paxton winced. But then Mateo ran his hand across Paxton’s collarbone, and his eyes found Nikki’s. “I think he’s broken his collarbone. There’s a bump right here.” Mateo placed his fingers gently to indicate what he’d found.
“His collarbone!” Nikki had to soften her voice and school her features. Her baby broke his bone—because she wasn’t supervising him. This was going to come back to bite her. Hospitals were required to report instances like this one. Nikki’s heart rate shot through the roof. She fought her instincts to overreact. It wouldn’t do any good to get Paxton riled up.
Nikki swallowed hard, her eyes pleading as she met Mateo’s. She wasn’t strong enough to handle this on her own. Already she felt like she was crumbling.
Mateo, the amazing man that he was, noticed. He turned to Paxton and smiled broadly. “I’m going to take you to urgent care. We’ll have someone take a picture of your bones just to have a better idea of what’s going on in there. Okay?”
“Will it hurt?” Paxton’s lower lip trembled, and Nikki leaned forward to take his hand in hers.
“Pictures don’t hurt, kiddo.”
“You’re mom’s right, kid. From what I’ve heard, broken collarbones are one of the most common breaks.”
Nikki gave him a surprised look, but he didn’t explain where he’d heard such a thing.
“Do you think you can walk?” Mateo asked. “Are your legs hurt?”
Paxton pointed his toes forward, then up. “No. My legs are okay.”
Mateo nodded. “Okay, let’s get you to your feet. Careful—don’t want you bumping your shoulder on anything.” He helped Paxton to his feet, his touch gentle, and it was all Nikki could do to not cry over just how sweet Mateo was being with her son.
During the whole ride to the clinic, Mateo kept the conversation light while getting information out of her son at the same time.
Mateo looked at Paxton through the rearview mirror before tossing a look in Nikki’s direction. “Hey, buddy. Did you know that I broke my arm once?”
Paxton didn’t respond right away, and Nikki turned to look back at him, finding him staring out the window. She frowned. Had she done more damage than she’d originally thought when she’d gotten upset with him? He shook his head, not giving either of them his focus.
“Well, I did. It was really dumb, too. I was playing tag in the dark with my friends. I tripped on a tree root and landed on my hand wrong.” Mateo grimaced. “But the best part was letting people sign my cast.”
Paxton swiveled his attention to Mateo. “Do you think I’ll have a cast?”
Mateo cut another glance at Nikki. “Actually, I’m not sure. I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
He shifted in his seat, and Nikki pulled out her phone to look it up. She offered Mateo a small smile before she answered Paxton’s question. “I think they usually just have you wear a sling or something along those lines.” She craned her body so she could meet Paxton’s gaze. “You doing okay, kiddo?”
Paxton nodded, though his whole demeanor was still sullen. Her chest squeezed. The guilt still racked her body for how she’d reacted to Paxton’s fall. She took in a deep shuddering breath as she faced forward and then squeezed her eyes shut to prevent herself from crying right here, right now. She couldn’t afford to make him feel worse. He needed her to be strong and calm.
A large, warm hand wrapped around hers. Her eyes flew open to find Mateo staring at her with a mixture of support and concern. He squeezed her hand and gave her a short nod. There was no talking—not with Paxton just a few feet away and able to overhear their conversation.
She nodded back, then mouthed the words, “thank you.”
Thankfully, the wait wasn’t terrible at the urgent care. They were able to see the doctor within ten minutes of arrival.
After an exam and a set of X-rays, Mateo’s assumptions were confirmed.
“It looks like your son has a break in his clavicle.” The young woman smiled with empathy at the trio in the examination room. “I’ll put in a referral to see a specialist. They’ll be able to tell you how long it will take to heal and what to expect. For now, we’ll give you a sling.”
“Will I get a cast?” Paxton asked with a small voice.
The doctor shook her head. “No, I don’t believe so, not for a broken clavicle. The good news is that the break was clean.” She turned to Nikki and Mateo. “That means no surgeries. And for kids, it usually doesn’t take as long to heal.”
Nikki exhaled with relief. When Mateo took her hand in his, she didn’t startle as much as she had before. She gave Paxton a small smile. “Everything is going to be okay.”
His lip quivered, and she couldn’t take it any longer. Nikki scooped him into her arms as gently as she could. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” She shifted to place her hands on either side of his face. “I still don’t understand why you were on that ladder to begin with.”
Paxton looked away. “I wanted to help feed the horses. There was some hay up there that I could give them.”
Nikki twisted to look at Mateo. She could get upset with him. To a degree, Paxton’s interest in taking care of the horses was his doing. But how could she? Mateo had merely been trying to instill in her child a sense of responsibility. Her son had wanted to help. He’d figured out what he needed and taken charge. To get upset about the situation wouldn’t do her or any of them any good.
She swallowed back the frustration and turned her attention back to her son. “Next time, how about you ask one of the cowboys for help—but only after you get permission from me. You weren’t supposed to be in that barn. You know that.”
He nodded, only briefly lifting his gaze to meet hers. “I know. I’m sorry, Mom.”
Mateo moved closer and ruffled his hair. “If you ever want to do something with the horses, you come find me. I’ll make sure you stay safe.”
Nikki gave him a warning look, and somehow, he immediately understood.
“After you ask your mother, of course,” he said with a chuckle.
A shy smile graced Paxton’s lips as his focus shifted between the two of them. Today had felt so long, and it wasn’t even time for supper.
Mateo brought them back to the ranch and set Paxton up with a movie at the house while Nikki got to work prepping for supper. Her mind continued whirling while she was on her own. There could have been a very different outcome today. She shuddered to think about what would have happened if something worse had happened.
She’d been so deep in thought that she hadn’t noticed Mateo’s arrival. His presence had a gasp ripping from her throat, and she dropped the carton of green beans she’d pulled from the commercial fridge.
He stood there, leaning against the wall as if he had all the time in the world. Immediately, her thoughts shifted back to what they’d been discussing before her son had gotten hurt.
Chaos erupted in her stomach. She couldn’t even think about anything romantic occurring between them right now. And yet, everything he’d done for her and Paxton was shoved to the forefront of her mind.
Tears prickled behind her eyes, and Mateo’s smooth expression shifted to one of concern. He swept across the room without comment and pulled her into his arms. At first, she attempted to push him away, but it had been so long since she’d been wrapped in an embrace like this one. It didn’t feel like he was expecting anything from her. Nor did it feel like he was laying any sort of claim on her. It wasn’t forced. It was just… nice.
She waited for him to bring up the conversation that had been interrupted—to take her chin in his grasp and claim a kiss from her. While the idea was both thrilling and terrifying, she couldn’t deny the relief she felt when he said, “Everything is going to be okay. He’s a strong kid. He’s already milking his break for all it’s worth.”
Nikki let out a strangled laugh. “Really?”
Mateo pulled back and swiped at a stray tear with his thumb. “Really. He’s got both Sophia and Camilla eating out of the palm of his hand. They made him popcorn and helped him find the perfect movie. When I left, they were discussing the possibility of building a fort.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”
His smile did things to her she wasn’t proud of, and a sliver of herself wanted that smile to mean more than it did. But this was just the way Mateo was. He hadn’t brought up his interest in anything more. Perhaps he’d realized it just wasn’t a good time—for either of them.
She refused to be disappointed. She wasn’t ready for anything more. She didn’t need to be dragged into a relationship with someone as perfect as Mateo Palmer because it would inevitably end in heartbreak.
No one stuck around for her. She’d learned a long time ago that she wasn’t meant to have unconditional love. And that was okay. Nikki pulled back and tucked her hair behind her ear with a swipe of her wrist. “Thank you, Mateo. I really appreciate everything you’ve done today.”
He gave her a funny look, and she frowned.
“What?”
Mateo shrugged. “Nothing.”