A Maverick's Heart (16 page)

“Rory, I’m going to strip off my T-shirt and hope it’s long enough to bind your arm so it won’t hurt as much while I carry you out. Your mom’s waiting in the main grotto. She’s worried sick.”

“Seth, I’m sorry I came. I didn’t see any sapphires. I wanted a batting machine like Kemper’s.” His sobs increased as Seth molded the soft shirt material around the injured arm and across the kid’s narrow chest.

“Shh. There’ll be time to talk after we get out of here.” He left the oxygen mask and tank he’d dropped earlier behind and hoisted Rory. Loose ore cut his feet through the thin material of his socks as he picked his way along the old rails. He hobbled the last twenty feet to where his headlamp illuminated a sight he’d prayed every step of the way to see.

Though Lila stood looking disheveled, wringing her hands, with tears streaming down her pretty face, to Seth she was beautiful. A goddess.
His
goddess.

She raised her arms, no doubt to take her son, but Seth stumbled into them and with breath coming in spurts, he kissed her, pouring out every shred of his soul.

“Rory needs the ER,” he rasped. “Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter Eleven

“Mama, are you mad?” Rory’s chest shuddered in and out.

“No, honey, Mama loves you. What hurts? Did you fall?” Lila blinked in the daylight as they left the mine. It was no longer raining.

Rory tucked his dirty red hair under Seth’s chin. “Uh-huh.” He opened his right hand, in which he clutched a big white stone that sparkled in the natural light. “I saw this and thought it was a diamond. I bent over to grab it and fell in a hole. I can’t move my left arm, Mama.” He started to sob. “I bet I can’t play baseball.”

“Hon, the doctor will fix your arm. Seth, can you buckle him in beside you if I drive to the hospital?” Glancing back at him, she gasped. “Mercy, I saw what you did with your shirt, but where in the world are your boots? They were new.”

“They’re at the bottom of the shaft where I found Rory. It’s a long story. One better saved till later,” he said wearily. “Now my socks are getting wet.”

“It still smells like rain, but thankfully the storm has passed,” she said, rushing ahead to unlock the Cherokee.

Directly above the car, a pair of snowy owls flew by, then made a large arc and circled back to disappear in a layer of low-hanging clouds.

“Wow, did you see that?” Lila gaped after them. “Tawana would say seeing them now signifies good luck.”

Seth nodded. “I only drove out here one other time weeks ago. I saw owls that day, too. Maybe they nest in the mine. Are they like bats?”

“According to Jewell they took over abandoned eagle nests, or she’s found them nesting atop boulders in the woods,” she said, hurrying around to open his door. “People say they’re good luck, and we all came out of the mine alive.”

“True. Lila, I know Rory should be buckled in, but I’ll hold him on my lap to keep his arm from jiggling when we travel this bumpy road.”

She bit her lip, watching him awkwardly crawl into the backseat with her crying son. Rounding the hood, Lila got in. After twice stabbing the key at the ignition, she managed to start the car.

Seth darted a concerned frown in her direction while settling Rory, who yelped in pain. “Are you okay to drive? If not, I can probably manage.”

“As bloody as your socks are, no way,” she said and stepped on the gas.

Sinking into the seat, Seth allowed himself a relieved sigh. Every bone, every muscle, in his body ached and the bottoms of his feet stung like hell. But they were all together. Injuries were minor considering how much worse things might have been.

“Darn, I forgot to phone Mom. I called once to tell her why I didn’t get back to the café. She’s a bigger worrywart than me. She’ll be in a tizzy.”

“Let’s get Rory to a doctor then worry about Doreen.”

“And you,” Lila said. “You’ll probably need a tetanus shot. That’s not all blood on your socks,” she murmured, glancing back to where he’d stretched out his long legs along the seat. “Some spots look like rust. Everything in the mine is old.”

“Did you hear that, Rory? I may need a big ol’ shot,” Seth said to distract him.

“I hope I don’t,” the boy said between hiccups.

They all quit talking, and it wasn’t long before Lila pulled up in front of the emergency entrance. “If you’ll take Rory and check in, I’ll park. Oh, drat, my phone died or I’d call Mom.”

“Take mine.” Seth handed it off, slid out and, half hobbling, carried Rory into the building.

Surprisingly the ER wasn’t too busy. Doreen had told Seth the morning he’d brought her in that in their small town the ER, lab and X-ray also served local doctors in private practice.

A nurse placed Rory and Seth on adjoining beds with only a curtain between. That would make it easier for Lila to keep an eye on both once she joined them.

Things moved fast. The doctor came and after a quick check of Rory’s arm, ordered X-rays. It wasn’t long before he had the images and asked a nurse to prepare cast material.

Lila stepped around Seth’s curtain. “They’re going to cast Rory’s broken arm.” Worriedly she lowered her voice. “I asked Dr. Rice to check him for a concussion. Rory... Rory said, oh it’s foolish, but he said after he fell in a deep hole, Kevin told him not to move until someone came. I corrected him and said it was you. I mean, he knows his father died. Rory insisted it was before you came and only his daddy called him ‘little buddy.’ But that’s impossible.”

Seth shifted on the bed, taking Lila’s hand. “He told me the same thing when I reached him. Lila...the first gem hunters left the mine after a day even though they found sapphires. Did you know they claimed the mine was haunted?”

“I heard rumors. Surely you don’t believe that.”

“Traveling in remote lands, I’ve witnessed odd miracles. Is it so hard to believe in guardian angels, sweetheart? Especially since all of you consider seeing snowy owls a good omen?”

She shrugged. “It won’t hurt to have him checked for a head injury.”

“No.” Seth brought her hand to his lips for a kiss.

Lila bent toward him as if to kiss him on the mouth when the outer curtain was swept aside and a nurse shoved a gurney into the room. She ground to a halt, opened a chart and stared at Lila and Seth. “Mrs. Maxwell?”

Seth raised up on an elbow. “I’m Mr. Maxwell.”

“This is my second day working here. Are you Zeke and Myra Maxwell?”

Lila straightened away from the bed.

“I’m Seth. Zeke’s my twin. But I’m the one here to have my cut feet checked.”

“X-ray sent me to get Myra Maxwell for an ultrasound. Clearly I’m in the wrong cubby. But what are the odds?” She backed out with the portable bed and chart.

Seth and Lila shared a confused look. “You saw Myra yesterday at Rory’s game,” she said. “Come to think of it, last week Mom saw her in Dr. Rice’s office.” Lila patted Seth’s arm. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to find out.” She called to Rory, too.

Seth heard a commotion in an exam room beyond Rory’s. Suddenly Lila burst back into his room wearing a huge grin. “Myra and Zeke are here. Myra’s pregnant. They’re checking to confirm that everything is normal.”

“Wow! Fast work. It’s only been six weeks since they got married.” Seth sat up.

“More like eight. But I think it’s neat, don’t you?”

“I guess.” Seth lay back. “Son of a gun! I’m going to be an uncle.”

A nurse led Rory into Seth’s cubicle and sat him in a chair. The subdued boy rested his new psychedelic orange cast on its arm while the doctor cut away Seth’s socks and inspected his feet.

“You pulled off quite a rescue,” the doctor told Seth. “My nurse will clean these cuts, give you a tetanus shot and provide a pair of clean white socks. Expect your feet to be tender for a few days. I recommend soaking them in Epsom salts. Call my office if you see any infection.” He turned to Lila. “Your young man had two clean breaks, like I told you. And no sign of concussion. We’ll leave his cast on four weeks then re-x-ray.”

“I can’t play ball the rest of the summer.” Rory looked glum. “But I shouldn’ta gone to the mine.” He held out the dirty white stone. “This is all I found and the nurse said it’s not diamonds.” He scooted the chair nearer to Seth’s bed.

Seth smiled. “Not diamonds, but it’s a nice white quartz. Wash it, and it’ll make your mom a pretty paperweight.”

The doctor rinsed at the sink, said a nurse would be right in, then left.

“Lila, your mom will lay Rory going to the mine right at my feet.”

“Your poor, cut feet,” she said, but dropped a kiss on Rory’s bent head. “When I spoke to her, she praised you, Seth, for rescuing him. But if she reverts, Rory and I will set her straight, won’t we, son?”

The boy nodded.

“Still, I’m sorrier than you know that Rory overheard my friend Yoti’s call. I tried to be clear that few gem hunters find stones worth millions. It’s not his fault for hoping a windfall of sapphires would let you work less and spend more time being a mom. I wish I’d made clearer that’s my intention, too. We’ve discussed my future, Lila, but not really ours. We’d never have as much money as Kemper’s folks, but by teaching and coaching I can provide for us well enough to allow you to cut back at the café,” Seth said, holding Lila’s gaze.

Her eyes popped. “Seth Maxwell, was that a backhanded proposal? Are you asking to marry us, as Rory might say?”

“Yes. I want nothing more than for the three of us to be a family. Never more so than when I first heard Rory’s voice in that mine. I knew then that you and he are my real treasure.”

Lila rushed over to drape her arms around Seth’s neck, but she spoke to her son, who’d sat up straighter in his chair. “We’ll marry him, won’t we, Rory?”

“Oh boy! Yeah! Having a dad to play baseball with when my arm gets better is way cooler than Kemper’s batting machine.”

“I have an admission,” Lila said soberly. “When you didn’t come straight out, Seth, I conquered my fear of mines to go inside to find you. I can’t explain how peace came over me right before you yelled that you had Rory and would bring him to me. Trusting and loving you killed my old dread. Seth, I love you both so much.”

“I love you guys, too. Can we make us a family ASAP? Mid-July? I see no reason to wait, do you?”

“None. When we leave here I’ll phone the Artsy Ladies and put them in charge of planning our wedding. And you, Rory Jenkins, can escort me down the church aisle, neon-orange arm cast and all.”

“Yay! Can Memaw fix food like at Auntie Myra’s wedding? She made a yummy cake and lots of other good stuff.”

Seth grinned as a nurse bustled into the room with a syringe and a basin to clean his cuts. “Rory may only be nine, but it’s plain the way to his heart is through his stomach, like it is for all men.”

Their shared laughter set the tone for their future.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
COWBOY IN CHARGE
by Barbara White Daille.

Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003

Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!

Do you want to earn
Free Books
and More?
Join
Harlequin My Rewards
points program and earn points every time you shop.

You can redeem your points to get more of what you love:

Free books
Exclusive gifts and contests
Book recommendations tailored to your reading preferences

Earn
2000 points
instantly when you join—getting you closer to redeeming your first free book.

Don’t miss out. Reward the book lover in you!

Click
here
to sign up
Or visit us online to sign up at

http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Western Romance story.

Do you love small towns and cowboys?
Harlequin® Western Romance
books are contemporary stories of everyday women finding love, becoming part of a family or community—or maybe starting a family of her own.

Enjoy four new stories from Harlequin Western Romance every month!

Connect with us on
Harlequin.com
for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Other ways to keep in touch:

Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com