The Cowboy's Summer Love (25 page)

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Trey said, sitting down on a chair by the bed. “Why don’t you tell us what happened?”

Travis sighed and ran a hand through his mussed hair. He felt dirty and exhausted and completely trapped. Scared of what was going to happen to him when he couldn’t go work off some of his tension and aggression, he decided to close down that train of thought and focus on getting everyone out of his room.

“Why don’t you get the girls, then I’ll only have to tell it once,” Travis said, looking at Trent, who stepped into the hall and called for the girls to come from the kitchen.

“When I left after lunch, I decided to go windsurfing since I hadn’t been for a while. The wind was perfect. I put in at Riverfront Park and couldn’t believe how great the air was today,” Travis said, remembering how much he was enjoying the afternoon until he went into hero mode. “I was riding the water, having a great time, when I looked back and saw some jerk waving frantically from his board while his kid was trying to ride a board on his own. The wind was tossing him all over the place and the kid was terrified.  I steered over with the hope of catching some air and grabbing him off his board when he blew by.  All went according to plan except when I jumped up to catch him I heard a loud pop and then the pain hit me. I fell into the water, but managed to get the boy onto my board until some guys in a boat pulled us in. I tried to stand up when we got in the boat and that’s the last thing I remember until I woke up at the hospital to hear Tess call me an idiot.”

“You are in idiot,” Tess said with a warm smile. “A hero, but still an idiot.”

“I wonder if the boy is okay. Did anyone mention seeing him at the hospital?” Travis asked, concerned about the little guy. He was obviously frightened when Travis plucked him off the airborne board.

“The nurse said the guys who brought you in mentioned you made a daring rescue, but the boy wasn’t with them. I’m guessing they returned him to his father,” Tess said.

“I hope the kid was fine,” Travis said absently. He wondered again what kind of fool turned a child loose windsurfing when he obviously had never done it before. He hoped the parent wouldn’t repeat that kind of mistake.

“We’ll try to find out for you,” Trey said, giving Travis’ shoulder a squeeze. He saw fatigue lining his brother’s face and decided they should probably let him rest a bit. Trent and Tess took off the ice packs with a promise to bring him new ones in a few hours then they all left the room. Turning off the light, Trey left the door partially open in case Travis needed something. He knew they’d all be listening to hear him call.

Going back to the kitchen, they made sandwiches and sat down to eat the simple meal. Trey gave special thanks for Travis’ safekeeping.

“Tess, you’re more than welcome to stay here if you want. I’ve got a feeling you might get more rest close by than if you go home and worry all night,” Trey said, looking at her thoughtfully.

Surprised by the invitation, Tess was grateful to accept.

“That would be nice, thanks. I appreciate it,” Tess said, looking at Cady. “If you’re sure it isn’t an imposition.”

“None at all,” Cady said, with a welcoming smile. “You can take the guest room by Travis’ room. That way if you want to check on him you won’t have far to go. Do we all need to take a turn sitting up with him?”

“I thought maybe Trent and I could take turns tonight. He’ll need to have ice packs on every couple hours and he will no doubt need some pain reliever at some point. Since you and Trey are clear on the other side of the house, maybe Trent and I can take the night shift if you want to take over during the day,” Tess said, thinking about the best way to give Travis the care he needed.

“I can help, too. I can do day or night shifts,” Lindsay said, glad that she was out of school for the summer and had the extra time available.

“If you could help during the day, Lindsay, that might be best,” Cady said, thinking of adding nursing duty to her already full plate.

“Great. I’ll plan to be here after breakfast,” Lindsay said, getting up from the table and putting her dishes in the dishwasher. “I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

Trent walked out with Lindsay. Trey picked up Cass, who had fallen asleep over her half-eaten sandwich, and carted her off to bed. Cady showed Tess to the guestroom and sent Trent back out to bring in Tess’ bags from her car while she did the dishes.

Meeting back in the kitchen, Trent and Tess decided to take alternating two-hour shifts so they could each get some sleep.

Tess said she’d take the first shift. Still dressed in her scrubs, she left her shoes in the guest room, and went in to sit with Travis. She’d wake him up in an hour and put more ice on him then be ready to turn him over to Trent’s care for a couple of hours.

Trent came in and moved the straight back chair that was by the bed, replacing it with an overstuffed arm chair. If they were going to have to sit up, they might as well be comfortable. Tess patted his arm and whispered a word of thanks, then settled down to watch Travis.

The light from the hall trickling in the half-open door allowed Tess to see that Travis looked to be resting comfortably. Or as comfortable as you can get when you are immobilized for a week, possibly longer. He wouldn’t die from his injuries, but Tess wasn’t convinced his imprisonment in bed wouldn’t kill him. They hadn’t discussed his treatment plan with him yet and she knew he would pitch a royal fit when he found out what was going to happen.

Watching him sleep, she studied his face. His defenses were down and he looked much younger, like the boy she remembered before he joined the Army. Travis was undeniably handsome and strong, and despite his wild ways, there was an innate goodness in him that plucked at her heartstrings. She’d witnessed it many times as he interacted with Cass. Even last night, when he’d been acting like a jerk, he set aside his attitude long enough to let the little girl cuddle in his lap for a while.

Travis had always been good about helping the underdog and fighting for what he believed was right, even if it meant giving a bully a bloody nose in the process.

Growing up, she thought he was fearless, reckless and about the most wonderful boy that ever lived.

She still held those same opinions of him.

If he hadn’t been trying to save the little boy today, he wouldn’t be in his current sorry state. But that was Travis. He would always stick his neck out to try and help someone else in need.  It wasn’t that he set out to be a hero, or enjoyed the glory of others thinking he was. It was just part of what made him Travis. He helped others without thinking what was in it for him or what that help might cost him.

Tess just hoped the cost of his actions today wouldn’t be more than Travis could bear.

Chapter Fourteen

Love is a great thing, a great good in every way;

it alone lightens what is heavy

and leads smoothly over all roughness.

Thomas A. Kempis

Travis awoke with a start and looked at the clock beside his bed. The big red numbers said five-thirteen. He would need to get up soon. They were in the middle of the second cutting of hay and there was plenty of work to be done. He hadn’t been much help on the ranch lately, and he wanted to make up for it today.

Deciding to relax for a minute before getting up, Travis closed his eyes and put his hands under his head, inhaling a deep breath. Tess’ warm, citrusy scent filled his nose and he smiled in the darkness. He must have been dreaming about her again. He was convinced he could smell her scent at night while he slept and sometimes when he caught himself daydreaming.

This morning, it was as though she was right in the room with him. He could feel the warmth of her presence near him.

Stretching, Travis bit his lip to keep from yelling. His legs. The pain radiating from them was so violent, he gasped for breath.

“Travis?” Tess’s voice was like a soothing balm. He opened his eyes to see her shadowy form sitting next to the bed on the opposite side of his of his clock. She flicked on a lamp and leaned toward him.

“Tess, what are you doing here?” he asked, trying to swallow down the waves of pain that were about to pull him under.

“Trent and I sat up with you all night,” she said, getting up from the chair and stretching. She wore a T-shirt and a pair of plaid shorts, with her hair cascading in an unruly mass around her face. She looked tired and sleepy, especially with a handprint on her cheek where she’d been leaning against her fingers while she slept. “Don’t you remember what happened yesterday?”

Suddenly Travis saw pictures of the previous day flash through his head: the argument with Trey, windsurfing, saving the little boy, the hospital, and lying on his stomach while Tess and Trent put ice packs on his legs.

“I do now,” he said. No one told him what exactly was wrong or what needed to happen to fix it. He assumed it couldn’t be too bad or they wouldn’t have let him come home. “I guess I better get up, though. There’s been enough lazing around.”

Tess laughed at him. “You aren’t getting out of that bed, buster, for at least a week, maybe longer. And when you do get up, you’ll be using crutches until your legs can bear your weight again. What part of bed-ridden and immobilized didn’t you understand?”

“What?” Travis asked, confused. He didn’t remember anyone saying he had to stay in bed, or walk with crutches. When had that been discussed and how had he missed it?

Tess sat carefully on the bed next to him and took his hand in hers. “Travis, you tore both of your hamstrings yesterday, significantly. Not only did you tear the muscle, but you also damaged the little blood vessels in those fibers. All that needs time to heal. If you get up and try to bear weight before you are ready, you could cause permanent damage. If you behave yourself and follow doctor’s orders, you’ll be out of this bed before you know it and then I’ll be overseeing your physical therapy.”

“Therapy?”  Travis asked, as things went from bad to worse. He’d seen guys in therapy after injuries. Some of them actually broke down from the pain. He sure wasn’t going to have that happen, especially while Tess was watching. The last time she’d seen him cry was when he was eight and thought he’d killed Brice. The two of them got the bright idea to jump out of the barn loft onto a pile of hay. Only Brice missed, landing on a hay bale and getting the wind knocked out of him.

“Yes, therapy. We’ll start with stretching and range of motion exercises. If we don’t get on it right away your muscles can atrophy and you’ll have scar tissue that will make it harder for your legs to function normally. Personally, I’d hate to see those fine legs of yours suffer from either problem,” Tess sat looking at him with a straight face while her eyes were full of mischief.

“Did you just give me a compliment?” Travis asked, not entirely sure he heard her correctly.

“Possibly,” she said, with a saucy grin.

“Could you repeat it, please?”

“I said I’d hate to see thighs as impressive as yours lose their muscle or build up scar tissue. That’s why you have to listen to everything I tell you from here on out,” Tess said, scooting a little closer and trailing her fingers gently along his forehead. Travis leaned into her softness and drank in both her scent and warmth. The accident might have been worth it if he got to sit like this with her for any length of time.

“Feeling better?” Trent asked with a cocky smile as he came in the door. Tess jumped and fell off the bed onto the floor, bumping Travis in the process.

Wincing, he shot Trent a cold glare.

Trent laughed and helped Tess to her feet as her face flushed red. Tugging her twisted shirt back into place, she looked like a kid caught with her hand in the candy jar.

“I was explaining to Travis that he has to follow our orders for the next few weeks if he wants to get up out of this bed anytime in the foreseeable future,” Tess said, stepping away from the two brothers, both of whom were intently staring at her.

“Yep. I could tell that was what you were doing,” Trent said. “Why don’t you go get a cup of coffee while I help Travis?”

“Thanks,” Tess said, backing out of the room and closing the door behind her.

“What was that all about, bro?” Trent asked, pulling back the sheet covering Travis’ legs and removing the compression bandages.

“Nothing.”

“Looked like something to me. I’m not so sure I should leave Tess alone in here with you. Even without the ability to use your legs, I don’t know if you can be trusted,” Trent teased, gently touching the backs of Travis’ legs, glad they weren’t quite so hot this morning. “Since you can’t walk a step and you could really use a bath, Trey and I are going to carry you into the bathroom. You can do your business and we’ll get you in the tub. You can soak as long as you like then we’ll help you out. How does that sound?”