Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 58(@200wpm)___ 47(@250wpm)___ 39(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 58(@200wpm)___ 47(@250wpm)___ 39(@300wpm)
“Sniper, Keeper… you all can go. I got this from here,” she tells them but still doesn’t look away from me.
Keeper walks up behind her. “Rancher, are you okay with this? I don’t want you kicking her out and her having to walk back into town.”
I stare at her a few seconds, but she doesn’t seem affected by Keeper’s train of thought.
I glance up at him. “Keeper, I think you know me better than that.”
She smiles up at Keeper. “Thank you for your concern, but I’ll be fine. No worries here.”
I smile at her. She thinks she’s won, but she hasn’t. I’ll let her stay, because fuck, I’d be dumb to kick her out. But I’m not going to let her “work” on me. No, I have other plans for her.
“You heard her, boys. She’s good. See ya tomorrow.”
Nova
I wait until the other men walk out of the house before I say anything else to him. I use that time to try and get myself collected. When the bikers showed up at the clinic today, I couldn’t help but be interested in what they had to say.
The way they talked about their “brother,” well, they may be big, burly, tattooed men, but they also seem to be genuinely worried about him. They came prepared too. They handed me his folder and after reading the doctor’s notes and seeing his file, I knew I could help him. I felt it to my core that this was something I needed to do.
So here I am, sitting on a strange man’s coffee table in his house, watching him watch me.
I smile and hold my hand out to him. “I’m Nova, by the way. Your friends told me to call you Rancher, not Michael.”
He looks at my hand before reaching out and wrapping his around it. Mine looks so small in comparison.
He smiles at me with a nod, and I ignore the jolt I feel in my lower belly. “Nova? Like the car?”
I shrug my shoulders and pull my hand back from him. “Yep, something like that.”
His hands go to my knees and slide up my thighs. I don’t let him see my body tremble and I hope he doesn’t notice the goosebumps on my arms. “So, Nova, I have a bum leg, but I can think of a few things to keep us busy.”
I put my hand on top of his to stop them and then I get up and put some distance between us. “I have plenty of plans for you, Rancher. But not tonight. We’ll get started tomorrow morning.”
He just shakes his head. “Nope, I’m not interested. The only thing I want from you is to tuck me in.”
I cross my arms across my chest. I hope this isn’t the real Rancher. I’m hoping this is some kind of defense mechanism, because honestly, this Rancher is an ass. A handsome ass, but still an ass. “With my help, you’ll be walking without a limp in six to eight weeks. The damage is minimal.”
Surprise garners his face. “No way.”
I scrunch my nose at him. I wouldn’t lie to him and I tell him that. “I looked at your file. With the right amount of therapy, you will definitely be walking again without the help of these.” I gesture to the crutches I pick up off the floor and lean against the couch so he’ll be able to reach them.
He still looks at me skeptically. I put my hand on my hip, a litt(le offended. “Do I need to promise you? Swear on a Bible? Pinky promise? What?”
He struggles to his feet and stands up without the help of his crutches. Oh yeah, this will be a piece of cake.
“And I won’t have a limp?”
I blow out a breath. I can hear the desperation in his voice. This is not a man that is used to being down. “Rancher, there are no guarantees. But I feel one hundred percent certain that I can help you. Will this leg bother you? Probably when it rains or if you are on it without rest for long periods of time. But you will be able to ride your bike, your horse, whatever you want to ride again.”
He looks at me for a minute, like he's trying to see if I’m being completely honest with him. I don’t look away, no matter how uncomfortable I am. This is too important. I want him to trust me. But I don’t want him to see the attraction on my face either.
When he finally nods, he mutters, “Tomorrow then.”
I turn quickly and start walking to the hallway, relieved to put some space between us.
“Second door on the left,” he yells. “Right next to my room, honey. Just holler if you need me.”
2
Rancher
I couldn’t sleep all night. I tossed and turned thinking about Nova in the room right next to mine. Am I excited to think that I might be able to walk without a limp? Absolutely. But what I can’t get my mind off is Nova.