Chapter Twelve
Riley groaned and blinked as she woke up to the sounds of a machine beeping in the darkened room. A large man sat beside her bed, and in her drugged mind, she whimpered in fear. The man rose and touched her hand.
“It’s me, Riley. You’re safe at the hospital. It seems you have a broken arm and a badly bruised leg. Your hip and ribs will be sore for a while, but you’ll recover,” Garrett assured her.
“Tara?” she asked weakly.
“She’s at the ranch. Matthew and his fiancée, Rachel, took her home to rest,” he told her. “Do you have any pain?”
Riley closed her eyes and swallowed. “No. I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound fine,” he said as he regarded her.
“If you don’t believe me, then don’t ask me,” she gritted out.
“If you’re hurting, I can call a nurse to give you more medication,” he offered as he positioned the pillow under her leg.
“I don’t like taking meds. They make me groggy,” she said, wincing and trying to sit up.
“Let me help,” he said gently, raising her and fluffing her pillow behind her head. “How about some ice chips?”
Riley shook her head. “How did you find me?”
“Tara drove your friend’s ugly car to our farmhouse, searching for me. She said you gave the bikers my money,” Garrett said, leaning over her. “Why didn’t you tell me about your sister?”
“You hit me with your truck,” she stated flatly. “We’re not pals. You offered me the money to keep me from suing you. I swear I won’t if you promise to leave me be.”
Garrett frowned as her face scrunched in agony. He pressed the nurse’s button.
“Yes, may I help you?” the nurse asked.
“Riley woke up and she’s hurting. Can she get something for the pain?” he asked, staring down at her.
“I’ll be in shortly,” the nurse responded.
“I told you I felt fine,” she grumbled. “You can’t go around insisting people take pain meds when they don’t want to do it.”
“I’m not going around. I’m sitting here with you and you’re uncomfortable,” he explained.
“You’re not the boss of me. You hit me with your truck. I don’t have to listen to you because you paid me,” she snapped as the nurse entered the room.
“Hello, Riley. I’m Connie. I’ll be your nurse for the evening.” She took out a syringe and added something to Riley’s IV, making her send daggers in Garrett’s direction. “Do you need anything else?”
“No, thank you,” she replied stiffly.
The nurse left and Riley punched her pillow and turned away from Garrett.
“Come on, don’t be like that,” he teasingly chastised her. “How will you heal if you don’t rest when your body needs it?”
“I’m not five,” she sniffled. “Don’t treat me like a kid.”
Garrett swiped his hand over his face. He hated it when women faked crying, but by the sounds of it, Riley’s sobs sounded real.
“I’m sorry. I won’t make you take them again. Your face scrunches when you move, and you can’t tell me a broken arm and an injured leg don’t hurt like a bitch.”
“How would you know?” she asked, turning back around.
“At age eight, I fell off a ladder and broke my arm. My grandfather took me to the hospital, and they gave me a cast. When we returned home, he gave me a pain pill for the night, and the next day, he threw the others away. He said pain lets you know you’re alive,” he confessed as he swept away her bangs from her face.
“How mean,” she said sleepily.
“Yeah. He was a mean son of a bitch. But he taught me how to survive,” Garrett said, as he continued to brush her hair with his fingers. The silky strands felt soft against his rough hand.
“Why did you come for me?” she asked as her eyes began to droop.
“Because I left you alone after hitting you with my truck. Maybe if I had stayed, you might’ve told me about Tara.”
Her eyes closed. “No. She’s all I have. I promised my mom...” Riley stopped, and her mouth parted in sleep, never completing her sentence. Garrett repositioned her pillows and covered her with a blanket.
He leaned back, taking in her physical features.
Her fair hair and blue eyes drew a second glance.
A small scar peeked beyond her bangs. Her defined arms and legs showed she stayed in great shape.
His gaze fell on her hands. Instead of appearing soft and feminine, her nails seemed chewed to the nub, and the outline of faint callouses showed on her finger pads.
“Hey,” Jameson whispered. “How’s she doing?”
“She’s crabby as hell,” Garrett informed him. “What’s up?”
“Matthew and Julio will be here soon to relieve us. Do you need any coffee?”
“No. I’m good. Tell one of them to stay home. I’m not leaving,” Garrett said, planning to dig his heels in if necessary.
“Brother, you really need to learn how to pick your battles,” Jameson muttered. “You did a good job today.”
“You did all the groundwork and went inside the biker’s hangout. We all did a damn fine job today,” Garrett replied. “You say the word, and I’ll help you when you need it.”
“I may hold you to that,” Jameson said. “I’ll call Matthew and tell them to stay home. It’s not like we’ve never pulled an all-nighter in our line of work.”
“Ranching? Or the other thing you do? Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. You can ask Matthew and Mac. I told them they don’t act like a normal ranch. Why do you think I wanted to work there?”
“Don’t go around snooping. I kinda like your ass. I’d hate to see you booted out,” Jameson said. “I’m grabbing a cup of coffee.” Jameson left the room as Riley moaned in her sleep, shifting the pillow away from her leg.
Garrett rose and gently replaced it, touching her soft skin.
An electric current ran through him as he put her leg on the pillow, surprising him.
He gazed at Riley’s face, noticing the worry lines on her forehead.
Wanting to smooth them away, he leaned forward, trying to guess her age.
She acted older than she appeared, but he imagined her around twenty-six.
What problems did a twenty-something have to make her stressed even in sleep? They saved Tara, and she lay in a hospital bed with two guards. From what Tara told him, her father seemed like her biggest obstacle. Why didn’t he go to the police and press charges against Riley for kidnapping?
His gut churned as he replayed Tara’s conversation in his head.
She mentioned her dad found them wherever they went.
How did he find them in Embers when they obviously didn’t know anyone?
Questions and uncertainty filled him. Garrett didn’t need drama or a woman with money problems. He dealt with too many of them and didn’t plan on letting these two stay any longer than necessary.
Garrett sat back and watched over Riley. He rubbed his chest as he pondered if he planned to let them go, why did he feel protective of the woman lying in the hospital bed?