Chapter Four

Ella’s eyes felt gritty from crying, and she was annoyed at herself for giving way to tears. But between being cooped up on the couch, her body aching, and accepting the fact that her dream was likely on hold, tears were bound to happen.

Ty implying she cared more about her pride, and her career, than her horse really tipped her over the edge.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it that way,” Jordan said as she wandered into the kitchen, cocking her head at the foil tray. “Who brought this over?”

After Ty left, she’d called Jordan to let her know she was alive and home. Jordan came over before her shift at the hospital started, her hair up in a tight bun and wearing blue loose-fitting scrubs.

“I don’t know. I know rumors fly quickly in a small town, but I got injured and less than twenty-four hours later food shows up at my place? It had to be someone who tracks rodeo.”

“Or a neighbor?” Jordan was already peeling back the foil, revealing an apple crisp. “Oh damn. This smells like heaven on earth. Can I have a bite? I have a long shift ahead of me.”

The other woman was already heading for the utensil drawer before Ella could respond.

“Go for it. I don’t trust strange food. That could be poisoned.”

“Strange food?” Jordan dug right in without a concern. “This is Garnet Valley. Neighbors make dishes for people who need help all the time.”

“Not for me they don’t,” she said drily. No one had ever sent her food before. So while it may be normal for Jordan, and apparently Ty, it was odd for her. Her neighbors would have stopped by and knocked.

“Have you called your parents?” Jordan stabbed her fork into the apples and crumbled topping and took a huge bite.

Ella’s mouth watered as the scent of sweet apples and cinnamon wafted over to her.

“Oh dear god,” Jordan groaned. “That’s one good crisp. I hope you find out who made it. I’d pay them to make me another.”

Her stomach growled.

Maybe after Jordan left, she’d have a bite, though she was still plenty suspicious of the anonymous sender. Why not leave a note?

“Dad reacted as expected, and it took me twenty minutes to convince him that he didn’t need to come back to help out while I was injured,” Ella said, answering Jordan’s earlier question. Though to be honest, every part of her wanted him to come take care of her and ease some weight from her mind. “He has that new hardware store he manages, and I don’t want to interfere with his success. He’s doing well. And Mom just got a job at a bookstore she loves.”

The last thing she wanted to do was pull her father away from his work now that he finally had his feet under him. She was proud of him for making the move and finding success at a job. His voice sounded lighter, and he laughed more.

She couldn’t bring him back here. Even if it was to take care of her for a few weeks.

Jordan went to the freezer, rummaged around, and came back to the counter with a carton of vanilla ice cream. She and Jordan had been friends for so long that the other woman moved around her kitchen like it was her own.

“I’m glad to hear they’re doing so well. I know the move to Oregon was a big decision for them.” Her friend grabbed a bowl and waved it at her. “Are you sure you don’t want any?”

Her stomach grumbled insistently. “Positive.”

Jordan shrugged and scooped some crisp into the bowl and topped it with a large scoop of ice cream. “Did you tell them about Red?”

Ella swallowed and eased onto a stool at the kitchen island. The cheap laminate counter top was cool against her bare arms. Her leg felt stiff and heavy strapped into a brace, and she shifted her butt to the edge of the seat so the weight of her leg and brace wasn’t hanging from her hip.

“I didn’t dare tell him. He was in a good mood, and he would have blown a gasket. Dad is still bitter Beau Hartman took our horses, and he’s adamant that Beau calling in the debt was unfair.”

Jordan held up her hands. “I’m not getting into the middle of that one.” She paused and chewed an apple thoughtfully. “So, are you going to do it? Leave Red with Ty?”

Her head hadn’t stopped pounding since she woke up, and this thing with Red wasn’t making it any better. This was the third time in three days Ty had come to her rescue. The dance, the rodeo, and now Red.

And she wasn’t the type that needed, or wanted, rescuing.

Unfortunately, Ty had a point about her horse traveling.

“I’d rather Red be here so I can keep an eye on her, but if she’s as bad as Ty thinks, it probably isn’t wise to put her in a trailer and take her down that worn, pitted highway back to my place.” She pressed her hands against her cheeks. “I would have preferred it was anyone but Ty. I don’t know what’s in it for him.”

“Why would there need to be something in it for him?”

Ella rolled her eyes. “Because he and his dad took and sold my rodeo horse? Or because he and Jeff are friends?” Though he had stuck up for her at the rodeo dance. “And I’ve already learned that Jeff was only interested in me for his own self-serving interests.”

“Hmm…” Her friend didn’t look convinced. “I don’t think Ty and Jeff are friends anymore. I heard they had a falling out a couple years ago.”

Ella straightened on her seat. She had not been aware of that. Those two had been as thick as thieves growing up and into college. She shifted. Maybe that was why Ty didn’t mind sticking up for her at the dance.

“Besides,” Jordan continued. “He’s got a reputation as the best vet in the valley for a reason. And I don’t think it’s because there’s something in it for him.”

“You mean besides recognition, a larger reputation, and more clients?” Ella listed off, ticking her fingers. “Red is famous in Montana right now, and I can see Ty taking advantage of this opportunity.”

“Look.” Jordan pointed her fork at Ella. “You need to think about how wise it is for Red to be here. You’re injured and don’t have the knowledge to work on Red’s therapy.”

“You could help,” Ella threw out there.

“One, I’m an expert in human health care, not animal health care. Two, you know I’m going out of town in the next couple of days for that medical conference. Where does that leave you?”

Helpless at home. Ella dug her fingers into her hairline and pressed. She needed to figure out how to feed, how to cook, heck, even how to get around town while she was on crutches and pain medication.

And she also had to determine if her dream of going to the NFR and buying a small ranch this year was even salvageable.

She dropped her head between her hands. “I could ask my neighbors.”

“I have no doubt Ms. Minna will make dinner for you every night, but we both know that she is not going to work your horse,” Jordan said, her voice firm. “Besides your father’s grudge, and the fact he and Jeff were friends, what is your issue with Ty?”

She worked her jaw.

“I just don’t trust him,” she said finally. “Ty Hartman fooled me, and Jeff Parker fooled me. I’m not going to be fooled again, and certainly not by the same man twice.”

Jordan looked like she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

“Spit it out,” Ella said.

“We aren’t in high school anymore, and the man has grown up. He’s a good vet, and he’s going to give it to you straight. If he says Red is better off at his place, there isn’t a reason you shouldn’t trust him. I’m not going to force you to keep your horse there, but if you want to up your chances to get back into the rodeo circuit as soon as possible, I’d leave your mare at Ty’s.”

Ella drummed her fingers against the cheap kitchen island, studying her friend.

“I looked at your standings this morning,” Jordan continued. “While you and Lindsey were neck-in-neck at the beginning of the season, you’ve pulled ahead significantly. You still have a chance to qualify for Finals.”

So there was a chance she could go to the NFR. Ella had been too afraid to even look at the standings. She already knew that if she had been able to keep going this season, her route to the NFR was practically guaranteed. Maybe, just maybe, her season wasn’t quite over yet.

“I’m out for eight to ten weeks,” Ella pointed out. “That gives Lindsey plenty of time to catch up, to qualify ahead of me. Add on Red’s injury… You wouldn’t happen to have a horse I could borrow again?”

Jordan laughed at the reference. Ella had borrowed a barrel horse from Jordan during high school after her dad gave her mare, Rocky, to Beau to pay off the debt. “I’d lend you my cutting horse, but I don’t think Quinn would know what to do with a barrel.”

She laughed, but it sounded hollow. How had she tumbled from the crest of success to the valley floor down below? “Shit.”

Her friend came around the counter and pulled Ella into a hug.

“There’s no way that Lindsey won’t take the lead.” And it killed her that Lindsey of all people was going to take her place at the Finals. Lindsey who had friended her in high school only to mess with her head. “And Ty sees this as an opportunity.”

Jordan shook her head. “Ty saved you from two drunk cowboys, one who used to be his friend. He also took you to the hospital after you got injured, drove you home, and offered to take care of Red.”

There had to be something he had his eye on. The question was what?

“He probably feels obligated to help out.”

“Or maybe Ty isn’t as terrible as you think he is,” Jordan said quietly.

No, that wasn’t true. She had learned her lesson from Lindsey, from Ty, from Jeff—none of them wanted anything to do with her until she started being successful.

“Do you think I’m more concerned with my career and pride than I am with Red?” she asked, voicing the concern Ty had put in her head.

Jordan shook her head. “I think you’re in a shitty situation and trying to do what’s best for you and your horse. Unfortunately, the best thing may be to leave her with someone you’d rather avoid.”

Leave it to Jordan to say it as it was.

“I’ll consider leaving Red at Rocking H,” she relented. But that didn’t mean she trusted Ty.

On infrequent days off from his vet practice, Ty used the time to catch up on ranch repairs and management.

“That ought to do it,” Ty said as Jace placed the end cap on a wheel line where a section of pipe had sprung a leak. They wheeled the pipe section over to the pickup and loaded it into the truck bed before walking to the other end of the line to turn the water back on.

The damp stalks of alfalfa brushed against Ty’s jeans until the denim was soaked through, and the irrigated ground was soft under his boots. He ducked his head against the slight chill in the wind. Soon enough it would be jacket weather again.

Ty twisted the valve to the waterline open and listened to the rush of water flowing into the wheel line followed by the heavy thunk as the flow hit each sprinkler head, bringing the wheel line back to life.

The two brothers ducked out of the way of the end sprinkler head as it shot water in a wide arch directed at them. Jace had done this enough now to know to get out of the way. The first time they had gone out to move wheel lines, his brother had ended up soaked from head to foot.

“What do you do with the broken pipe?” Jace asked as they climbed into the ancient rig, settling onto the old cloth seats. The truck doors creaked as they slammed them shut.

“I’ll see if I can repair it,” Ty said as he pointed the truck back to the ranch, driving slowly over the worn path along the edge of the field to avoid creating ruts. “One day, I’d like to get a pivot on this field so we aren’t constantly replacing worn-out pipe. Plus, they’re more water efficient than wheel line. Win-win.”

Transitioning the ranch from wheel line to pivot was a long-distant goal, though. First things first, he needed to focus on making sure the ranch stayed in the family, and after that, he would shift his vet practice to Rocking H.

Jace nodded and stared out the window. “You know, I never would have guessed I’d spend a year in Montana on a ranch. Then when I got here, I never thought I’d enjoy this. Now I think I’ll miss this when our time is up. I can see how the life grows on you.”

Ty’s stomach dropped like a rock in a pond. “Decided already, huh?”

Jace let out a soft laugh. “Come on, man. What am I going to do here? Mine and Hailey’s life is in Houston. I have a new building that will start construction right when I get back. My aunt lives there. Hailey has contracts there. We have no ties to this place.”

“It’s your legacy. It’s part of your family.” The second he said the words, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Jace went rigid, and the mood of the cab dimmed.

“No, Ty, it’s your legacy. It’s Colton’s legacy. You guys grew up around this. Lived this. Breathed this.” Jace motioned out of the truck window at the broad expanse of land that rolled out in endless waves. “It was never mine. The old man left me in Houston without a second thought. He knew I didn’t belong here. Even I know I’m out of my element here.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Sure, Jace had been out of his comfort zone when he had first arrived. However, Ty and Colton had done everything they could to make sure Jace felt involved in the ranch, learned the ropes, and figured out the ins and outs.

He had wanted Jace to feel like he had some control and ownership in the ranch. And his efforts had paid off as Jace grew more and more confident each day. The guy didn’t hesitate when he was around horses and cows anymore, and he frequently started the morning chores before he and Colton were out.

“It’s in your blood,” Ty insisted. “You’re adapting quickly. You look like you belong here.”

Jace snorted derisively. “Right. Now that I have your old Levi’s?” Jace refused to wear Wranglers. “Adapting or not, this place was never mine. I’m living at the home of a father that didn’t want me, and my life is back in Texas. I’ll come visit, but we both know that Montana doesn’t fit.”

It wasn’t rational, and he knew it wasn’t rational, but learning that Jace wasn’t planning to stick around was making him feel ill, out of control.

Abandoned.

Again.

It took everything he had to not hit the brakes, lock the doors, and hash everything out until Jace agreed that this ranch was his legacy as well. He wanted to ask Jace to stay, but suddenly felt like he was seventeen again and trying to convince his mom to stay in Montana.

She hadn’t bothered to stick around. So why would Jace?

“What do you plan—” Ty started but was cut short when he spotted a white truck parked in front of the barn.

Garnet Valley was small enough that he recognized most trucks, and Jordan’s white pickup with a dent in the front bumper was hard to miss.

His eyes landed on the two women in the front seat.

Jordan. And Ella.

His question for Jace evaporated on his tongue.

Jordan had her eyes on him as he parked the ancient ranch truck by the barn. Ella, on the other hand, was looking at the ranch as though she had never been on the property before. Her eyes were as wide as silver dollars.

Granted, the last time she was on the Rocking H was years ago and likely before it had fallen into disrepair.

“Who’s that?” Jace asked.

“The woman who owns Red,” he said shortly, pushing the rusty truck door open. The damp denim of his jeans felt cold and clammy against his skin, and he would love to change into a dry pair, but there was no way he was going to disappear inside the ranch house to change with Ella on the property. He didn’t trust that she wouldn’t load up Red and disappear down the road.

“I see,” Jace said as though he understood perfectly.

Ty slammed the heavy door behind him as Jordan hopped out of her rig. Ella pushed her door open and took her time getting out.

“I didn’t realize you two were coming by.” Ty drawled out the words watching Ella’s reaction carefully.

“We called, but you didn’t answer,” Ella bit out as she pulled sunglasses over her eyes then maneuvered her leg out of the truck.

Even with dark sunglasses, but he could tell her complexion was still too pale. Her long hair was pulled back into a long braid over her shoulder, a few strands escaping to frame her face. It made her look soft and vulnerable.

Only he knew better than to be deceived by Ella’s appearance.

He held out his hand, stepping closer, but Ella quickly waved him away.

“I’ve got it.” Grabbing the “oh shit” handle on her side, she eased herself down, landing on her good leg, and keeping her weight off the other.

He held up both hands and took a step back as she reached into the backseat and grabbed her crutches.

If she didn’t want help, he wasn’t going to force it on her.

“After our call went to voicemail, we figured we could drive out and try to find you,” Jordan offered.

Ella’s mouth was pulled tight, and he could tell that she wasn’t pleased to be there. She kept looking around, pausing at the herds of cows and horses that were now a tiny fraction of their original size. His shoulders hunched forward as Ella continued to say nothing.

“Where’s Red?” she asked finally, pulling her gaze back to him.

“Right around here,” he said, motioning to the side of the barn. It probably would have been easier for Jordan to drive her over, but Ella tucked her chin and started moving in the direction he’d pointed.

She wore jean cutoff shorts, exposing her long, lean, tan legs, and the threads escaping the raw hem of her shorts brushed against her thighs as she swung herself along the uneven path, the muscles in her legs flexing with each move.

Was there a part of this woman that wasn’t gorgeous?

Jordan fell in step with him and cleared her throat.

He quickly averted his eyes, pulling his gaze to a spot just beyond Ella’s shoulder.

“Question for you,” Jordan said, keeping her voice low. “I’m heading out for a conference in a couple days, and I worry about her.” The woman jerked her head in the direction of Ella who was gaining ground as both he and Jordan slowed their pace. “Would you mind keeping an eye on her? If you are already taking care of Red, you can also keep tabs on her without her really knowing.”

Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes against the glare of sun. “Jordan—”

“Just throwing it out there. You and I both know that Ella doesn’t like to give many people a chance.”

“And I’m no exception,” he muttered. Where the hell had Jordan even got this crazy idea? “She’s not going to go for it. And, honestly, I’m not up for it. Being her vet is the best I can do for her.”

Jordan sighed, and he thought that was the end of the conversation.

“Just think about it,” Jordan said. “She’s on her own.”

And he hated that she was on her own and hurting, but there was no way he was going to involve himself more in her life. Ella wanted him out of her way, and after their last encounter, he was more than happy to oblige.

But the damn request burrowed in the back of his brain. He glanced up at Ella just as she approached the pen containing her mare.

The second Ella caught sight of her horse, he sensed, rather than saw, the tension ease from her body. Just like that, the barbed wire and careful barriers she had in place melted away.

“Hey there, girl,” Ella crooned. She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head then held out her hand.

Red nickered a greeting as she swung her big, anvil-shaped head over the railing and pressed her muzzle into Ella’s palm.

Ella’s face softened. The look of determination, the press of her lips, even the edge of her jaw, relaxed into an open expression of love.

Even if he wanted to, there was no way he could tear his eyes away from her. Her entire demeanor had shifted to easy, open, and gentle.

A sliver of regret threaded through him. It was only this morning that he accused her of caring more about her pride than her horse. Looking at her now, he was clearly in the wrong. The escaped strands of her hair blew in the wind as she pressed her face against the white snip at the end of her horse’s nose.

This was a side of Ella he never saw. Around him, it was all barriers and barbs and walls. This side of her was…stunning.

A warm pull stirred low in his belly, like a gravitational force, and he found himself fighting to keep from drawing nearer.

Not wise, the rational part of his brain advised. The irrational part of his body wanted to touch her, draw her close.

He shoved his hands deep in his front pockets.

“It’s her front leg, right by the cannon bone,” he said, retreating to the safety of veterinary medicine. It was either that or say something stupid. Ella was on edge enough around him without adding his conflicting feelings to the mix.

“I see that,” Ella said as her eyes dropped to the vet-wrapped bandages around both of her horse’s slender forelegs before her gaze ran along the rest of Red’s body, carefully assessing her horse, looking for other injuries. “What’s the recovery time you expect?”

Ty stepped cautiously closer. He freed his hands from his pockets and gripped the fence railing. “If it’s a minor strain, six to eight weeks.”

“Similar to me,” Ella said, a hopeful note in her voice.

“But if it’s severe, eight to ten months.”

Her entire body seemed to droop. The light in her eyes diminished, and her mouth pulled down hard in the corners. “Months? Eight to ten months? That’s almost a year!”

He nodded slowly, keeping eye contact with her to show just how serious he was. “I would recommend an ultrasound to determine how serious the injury is. It will let us plan accordingly. However, I already suspect that it will take at least three months for her to recover and be ready to train again. So maybe four months until she’s fully recovered and racing.”

“Why didn’t you do an ultrasound earlier?” she asked. It wasn’t a condemnation. She just sounded stunned, confused. He could practically read it in her face. Two hits to her rodeo career within twenty-four hours. Ella had to be reeling.

And for some damn reason, he wanted to steady her.

“I normally don’t do a procedure on an animal without the owner’s permission, and you weren’t exactly willing to talk when I stopped by this morning. I gave her an anti-inflammatory and iced her for a bit this morning to help the swelling go down.”

Ella’s gaze flitted back to Red before she ducked her head. “Shit. Okay.” There was a catch in her voice, and he could see the chords of her neck move as she swallowed. “I don’t have a couple months. The Finals are in three months. Is there anything we can do?”

“An ultrasound. Followed by a routine to reduce the swelling. Once the swelling is down, and we confirm everything looks good, we start with light exercise and therapy to get the tendon back in order.” He dropped his head and rubbed at the back of his neck. “We essentially take this day by day. Hopefully, it’s a light tear and it’s a quick recovery. If it’s a larger tear than expected…”

Ella’s body went eerily still. Then slowly she turned toward him, her entire body rigid, as though she were waiting for him to sucker punch her. “Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”

He sucked in a breath. “Recovery isn’t guaranteed if the injury is severe.”

She was shaking her head before he could even finish. Her eyes were wide, too wide, as she opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

This was his chance. “If we add in pressure point therapy, it could help reduce the recovery time by a few weeks or more, and possibly help her recover from a more severe injury. If the injury isn’t too severe, she could be running by the time Finals comes around. Not her best run, but you could make a showing.”

Sucking in her lip, Ella bit down until it was white.

Placing a possessive hand on Red’s neck, she turned away from him. “Is this my fault? For…” she waved her hand, as though trying to come up with the words. “…for delaying anything?”

He wished he had never told her she was too proud to care for her horse.

As a vet, he knew people were tied to their animals, their lives intricately woven. It was the nature of growing up in a place like Montana. Animals were a part of your life, and they left their brands on the hearts of their humans.

“Hey.”

She flinched at his voice and turned farther away.

“You didn’t delay anything. I did the same thing with her I would have done with any horse.” He moved closer, wanting to give her comfort, but not quite sure how. Ella always appeared to be so strong, he didn’t know how this more vulnerable side of her would react to comfort.

He reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

His fingers hit her soft bare skin exposed by the strap of her black tank. A bolt of warm shot through him. If she felt the same, it didn’t show.

“She’s going to be fine. But she needs to stay at the ranch, where I can keep an eye on her and put her on a recovery schedule. I do not recommend loading her in a trailer and taking her down the dirt roads and unmaintained highway to your place until she is ready. And right now, Red isn’t ready.”

Ella glanced over her shoulder at him. Her lips were less than an inch from where his fingers rested on her shoulder. A long, teasing strand of dark hair fell across one eye as she looked to him for confirmation.

“What I said back at your place, what I implied, it was wrong. I’m sorry I made you worry. I know you care about Red more than anything. I’ve watched you two at rodeos, and I know you’re a team.”

Ella nodded. He could feel her breath on his hand, and he didn’t want to move away.

Jordan cleared her throat, and he dropped his hand like he’d been burned. For a minute there, he’d forgotten they weren’t alone.

Ella turned back to her horse. “So this pressure point therapy… You think it will really work.”

“I don’t have a doubt in my mind.” Everything he read and studied showed significant results.

“Are you sure you aren’t doing this because you’ll get the recognition if it does work?” she asked. Her voice didn’t hold an accusation.

He shook his head. Sure, if the recovery went well, this would help boost his reputation, but as always, his focus was on the animal first and foremost. And he was positive this therapy would be the way to go.

After a moment, Ella pulled her shoulders back, lifted her chin, and set her expression. “Fine. She can stay here. You can do the therapy. But I want to be here every time the therapy happens.”

“It’ll be about three to four times a week,” he pointed out, so she knew how much time she’d be spending with him.

“I’m willing to commit to it,” she agreed.

For a minute, he could only stare. Had she really just agreed to his idea? He glanced back at Jace, who was smiling as he leaned against the fence, his eyes on the famous horse.

“Deal.” He held out his hand.

Ella looked at it warily, before pressing her palm against his. He tried to ignore the surge of desire that laced through him at the innocent contact. But the blush high on Ella’s cheekbones made it impossible to ignore the reaction.

She felt it too.

“Deal,” Ella said, her voice just a touch throatier than it had been a minute ago.