Chapter 7
Travis
I wanted to kick my own ass. When I had answered that call from Corrine, I hadn’t meant to sound relieved that she would be running behind.
No, I had sounded like that because I had burnt the freaking meal. I could train million-dollar horses. I could tell you where they came from just by their gait. I could tell you every single supplement that every single horse in my stables needed and had and on what schedule.
But I couldn’t cook worth a damn.
Cursing, I placed the burnt meat and the pan in the sink and turned on the cold water. The smoke that arose had me rearing back coughing. Damn.
After I cleaned up my mess, I took in the contents in my fridge. This was going to call for a dinner at a restaurant instead and I would have to replan this whole thing. I already had everything in the truck for the evening but the damned food.
I ran my hand through my hair and hightailed my butt into town.
Luckily, I had called in an order so that by the time I got there, it was bagged and ready. I tossed a few bills on the counter and sped out of the door. I hadn’t said a word to Martha the owner, but I had no doubt I would hear about it from her the next time I was there.
I sped all the way home. Luckily, the sheriff wasn’t around to witness the breaking of the law.
Just as I pulled my truck right in front of my house, my phone dinged with a text.
‘On my way.’ I had snapped a picture of Corrine the other day when she had been riding stormy for her contact photo. It looked badass if I do say so myself.
‘Be careful.’ I texted back. What did it say when a thirty-seven-year-old man texted a twenty-four-year-old female. We looked like fucking teenagers.
But did it stop us? Hell no.
I bounded out of the truck with a new step and carried what I bought inside.
I placed everything in containers so the food would hold. I placed the ones that needed to stay warm inside the microwave.
I ran back out to my truck to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything and then nodding to myself, I walked up on my front porch, kicked back in one of the rocking chairs while I looked to the road.
I ran how this was going to play out. I already knew that she was under my skin where no other woman other than my mother had ever been.
I knew that I could see her cooking dinners at the stove, and her red hair fanned all over the pillow in my bed.
I knew that if Champion got a hold of Stormy then those colts were going to be some of the best this world had ever seen.
Earlier, I had told most of the hands that they were off for the night. The older men had stayed to finish a few chores and then they were calling it a night.
A few of the older men had no other places to go and they hadn’t wanted to.
I knew the gist about most of my men, I understood their need to be out in the open with no strings. I didn’t blame them. Not one stinking bit.
I looked at my watch, frowning, I pulled out my cell phone to pull up the text she had sent me.
That had been over half an hour ago. It shouldn’t have taken her but fifteen minutes or so to get to my ranch.
Something in my gut told me that something was wrong. That gut feeling had never steered me wrong once.
I scrolled to her name to call her, but it kept ringing.
Just as I was about to hang up, someone answered the voice. A male’s voice.
“Hello.”
What the fuck? I had to bite my tongue to keep that from spilling out of my mouth.
“I’m looking for Corrine.” I said as thoughts of being betrayed ran rampant through my mind.
“Oh thank god. My name is Brandon, I am a doctor at Saint Marks Hospital…” Whatever the man was saying, it hadn’t registered.
I jumped out of the rocking chair on my front porch as I hauled ass to my truck.
I yanked open the door so hard that my truck jerked and then I had my seat belt on, my door closed, my truck started, all within fifteen seconds.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” I said to the doctor. The moment I hung up, with my booted foot to the pedal, I sped for the second time that day. This woman had me breaking all kinds of laws.
As soon as I made it to the front of the emergency room department, I slammed on my brakes and bounded out of my truck, all the while the security guard ran after me yelling that I couldn’t leave my truck parked there.
Just as I made it to the nurse’s station, “Boss?”
Weston one of my hands said while he held a bloodied towel to his forehead.
“What the hell happened to you?” I growled out.
“Bar fight.” The younger man smiled.
Just as I was about to say something, the security guard started back up, “Think you can go move my truck for me?”
When Weston nodded, he walked away to do as I had asked him, everyone knew that I left the keys to my truck in the ignition. Whoever needed to steal from me was desperate. Plus everyone knew my reputation.
No one would dare.
“I am here for Corrine Matthews. A doctor told me that she is here.” I said as I eyed the bleach blonde woman with caked-on makeup that sat behind the desk.
When she looked up, there came the look that I hated seeing on a woman.
“Fuck never mind. I’ll find her my damn self.” I roared out at the woman.
It was as I was turning to make my way to the doors, a man walked out in a lab coat.
“Can I help you?” I recognized his voice immediately.
“You’re the man that answered Corrine’s phone.” That was all I needed to say as the man’s eyes registered.
When he nodded, he turned, “Follow me.”
I walked through the doors, wanting the doctor to walk faster.
We took three right turns and then he pointed to a room on the left.
I didn’t need any further direction than that. I moved across the hall and then without even knocking I barged into her room.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I looked at her.
She looked plum awful. Her face was swollen, and she had hives on her neck.
My heart broke when I heard, “Travis.”
Her damn throat must be hurting her.
“I’m here Darlin’. What happened?” I asked her as I pulled the blue padded chair closer to her side and sat down while I grabbed her smaller hand in my own.
“Bee sting. Allergic.” She rasped out.
“Epi-pen?”
“I hadn’t gotten to my pen in time.”
Nodding, “Say no more. I’m right here Darlin’.” For the next two hours, I held her hand in mine while we watched some weird show that was on the television they had mounted to the wall.
In those two hours, her swelling had gone down and a nurse had walked in to check on her periodically.
Then the door opened and in walked the Doctor.
“How are you feeling?” I didn’t appreciate the way the Doctor was looking at her with a glint in his eyes.
“Better. Thank you.” She told him. I wasn’t sure if she was aware of what she had done but she had squeezed the hand she held with her own.
I still held her hand in mine and I noticed the moment the Doctor saw that fact, gone was the glint in the younger man’s eyes.
“Excellent. Since you are breathing on your own and the swelling has gone down. I’m okay with sending you home. I want you to take some antihistamine when you get home. It’ll be written in your paperwork when your last dosage was.”
“Okay.”
“Is there anyone you can stay with for the first twenty-four hours or so? I just want to make sure that everything is good to go?” the Doctor questioned.
Without zero hesitation I said, “She is with me.”
I ignored the startled look that Corrine sent me, but on this, I wouldn’t be swayed.
Thirty minutes later I was walking beside Corrine that was dozing off in the wheelchair that the nurse was pushing her in.
Luckily, I had Benadryl at home, so we didn’t need to stop anywhere. Hell, no one was open anyway but if I had to go to a town over then I would.
I saw where Weston had parked my truck, so we hadn’t had far to go. I jogged ahead of them and opened the passenger door after I tossed her discharge papers on the console/
Once they reached me, I knelt down and picked Corrine up, as I placed her in the truck, her eyes closed, and she let out a little sigh.
“She’s a very lucky woman.” The nurse murmured then turned to wheel the wheelchair back into the hospital. After I had Corrine buckled up, I closed the door softly so as not to rouse her awake.
For the first time, I didn’t have the radio on as we drove home.
When I carried her carefully into my house, I debated putting her in my bed. Was that taking it too far? Would she be okay there?
Then I tossed that thought out of my mind. I would have her in my bed when she chose, and not a minute before.
I carried her to the couch and laid her down carefully. I looked over her papers to see that she wasn’t due for another pill for an hour.
I piddled around the kitchen while I pulled the containers out of the microwave and placed them in the fridge. We would be having that dinner another night.
Even though this wasn’t how I saw this night going. Knowing she was safe in my home and not across town tonight, that erased everything that had gone wrong today.
Seeing it was time, I grabbed a glass full of water along with a pill and made my way over to Corrine.
I roused her awake and helped her take her pill while I helped her drink down some water. With a smile, she fell back asleep.
I didn’t fight the pull. I grabbed the throw off the back of the couch and covered her with it after I took off her cute shoes.
Once I was in a t-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms, I carried another throw blanket back into the living room with me.
Grabbing the remote I turned it on something as I settled on the other end of the couch. Once I was comfortable, I turned my head and watched Corrine sleep soundly.
Within minutes I was asleep, I had slept like the dead, I knew that I had because my neck hurt. Normally, I moved in my sleep like crazy.
But as I thought about that, the smell wafting from the kitchen ended that line of thought.
I looked to the other end of the couch and the throw was folded but Corrine wasn’t there.
Standing I stretched my body and allowed my nose to lead me to the kitchen.
Corrine looked a lot better.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her softly.
Had she known what that beautiful pink blush did to me, she would use it whenever she could,
“Much better. I really am sorry about last night.” I saw it in her eyes. She really did feel terrible.
“Well, then I think you owe me another date.” I said as I grabbed a coffee mug and poured myself some of the freshly brewed java.
“Deal. Umm, blueberry pancakes and bacon okay for breakfast?” What was that I saw? Was she nervous?
The moment I saw her bite that bottom lip, I had to turn so she wouldn’t see how hard she had just made me.
“More than okay.” I told her as I leaned my hips against the counter and watched her cook.
One of my dreams had already come to life. Would the rest of them be this sweet?