Page 29

OZZIE

I f I’d known little kids were all the exercise I needed, I might have gotten one years ago. I sat back against the couch and rubbed my lower back. Later I would have to sneak into Gray’s room and ask him to give me a massage. Caring for a small child like Ivy, who was so vibrant, meant bending down constantly, lifting her, carrying her around, and then bending again. Added to me being up for most of the night in Gray’s bed, it was a recipe for a worn-out body.

Yet these past couple of days, taking care of the little girl brought a light into my life. Ivy’s laughter never failed to make me smile. In such a short time, I’d come to care for her as if she were my own, so it was a bummer every evening Hudson picked her up. Ivy was content to spend the day with me. She was a bit possessive about not wanting anyone else to touch me, which I found sweet and endearing, but as soon as she saw her father, she would run to him with her arms wide open. Hudson would scoop her up in one swift motion, his tired eyes lighting up with a father’s love. From afar, I would watch their reunion, a tight knot forming in my throat.

I wanted to be someone’s destination too.

I watched her for a few minutes, ensuring she had fallen asleep. Satisfied that she was down for the count, I rose to my feet and stretched. With one last glance over my shoulder, I hurried to use the bathroom, then went to the kitchen.

“Someone’s enjoying babysitting.” Gertie kneaded dough on the counter, her wrinkled hands moving in a rhythmic motion.

“What’s not to like? Ivy’s a sweetheart.” I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, unscrewed the cap, and took a long gulp.

“What I can’t understand is how you got Hudson to open up to you. That man is as closed off as a clam in a storm. You be careful with that one.”

“Hudson’s harmless.”

“Hudson’s the least of your problems. Now Matty…”

When she didn’t finish, I shuffled closer. “What about Matty?”

“It’s not my place to say.” She shook her head. “Still such a sad thing for those two. I wonder…”

Gertie didn’t seem ready to divulge her boss’s secrets, and I didn’t have the time to coerce her. “All right, don’t tell me. I’m sure I’ll find out sooner or later.”

I already knew they had intense chemistry despite their animosity, which held a familiarity. Whatever had happened between them was deeply personal and had hurt them both. A hurt so profound the only way they tolerated each other was through anger.

And yet Matty kept Hudson around. He could have easily fired Hudson.

My mind continued turning over the puzzle as I returned to the living room. I drew to a halt, and the breath flew from my lungs. Matty sat on the floor with the little girl in his arms, her head on his shoulder, a thumb in her mouth, and her other hand clutching his shirt tightly in her little fist. He patted her back gently, whispering to her, but too low for me to hear what he was saying.

Matty’s face looked more relaxed than I’d ever seen. The way he held the child and the wistful expression on his face painted a different picture of the man I’d come to know. This was a man who showed his heart, and all it took was that sweet little girl whose father he couldn’t stand.

Matty raised his head, and our eyes locked for an eternal moment, the air between us growing heavy. The softness vanished from his features, replaced by the familiar hardness. He looked down at Ivy again, adjusting her in his arms and patting her back, still gently but more forcefully than earlier. It was clear he wanted me gone.

What should I do? Leave them alone? But Hudson had left her in my care.

“You should watch her more carefully.” Matty frowned, his stern gaze pinning me to the spot.

“I just left to use the bathroom and get a drink of water. She was laying on the floor, so there was no danger of her rolling off anywhere.”

“Still.” He didn’t elaborate but kept staring at the child in his arms as though fascinated. “She feels so small. I thought I’d hate her, but I don’t.”

He snapped his head up, and a stricken look crossed his face as if he hadn’t meant to speak his thoughts aloud.

“Of course you don’t hate her. You hate her father, but she’s just an innocent baby.”

“I don’t hate him.” Matty’s chest rose and fell. This time when his eyes met mine, the grief and pain were so profound it stole my breath. His gaze dropped back to Ivy, and he hesitantly brushed a lock of her hair that had fallen over her eyes. “I don’t hate him,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “I’m angry, or I was angry, but then holding her…” He shook his head.

The front door banging open made us both jump.

“What in the world!” I cried. Who the hell had slammed the front door like that? Was Carter home? Did he know?

Matty rose to his feet, Ivy still cradled in his arms. Thankfully, the little girl seemed so peaceful in his arms she merely stirred.

“Ozzie!”

Hudson?

Panic crossed Matty’s face, and he tried to hand me Ivy, but I pretended I hadn’t seen his gesture. Hudson burst into the living room, sweat beading on his forehead and dirt smeared across his cheeks.

“Hudson, is everything all right?” I asked.

He stared at Matty holding Ivy. “What are you doing with my daughter?”

“It’s okay. He was only helping her get back to her nap,” I said quickly.

Matty opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He lowered the child back to the makeshift bed of pillows and blankets. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”

Matty stalked off, but Hudson blocked his way. “No, don’t—”

“Get out of my way, Hud.”

Hudson placed a hand against Matty’s chest. “I would, but…it’s your dad. He’s had an accident and—”

“Wait, what?” My heart thumped in my chest. “What kind of accident?”

“He got kicked in the head by a horse, but he’s going to be all right. Someone’s taking him into town to see the doctor, but he wanted me to let you know he was fine.”

“You should have told me the moment you walked in!” An accusation flared in Matty’s eyes as he pushed past Hudson.

“Matty, wait!” I yelled, but he was already gone. “Hudson—”

“I’ve got her. Go after him.”

I nodded and ran as fast as possible after Matty’s retreating figure. He was already halfway down the driveway, his strides long and purposeful. The gravel crunched underneath my feet as I tried to catch up, my lungs burning with the exertion.

“Matty!” If he didn’t want to take me to Gray, I would walk to town if I had to. I had to see for myself that he was okay. Desperate, I pushed my legs harder, stumbling a bit as I finally caught up to him at his truck. I grabbed his arm. “Matty, slow down.”

He shrugged off my hand. “I don’t have time for this.” His voice was cold, detached.

“Please take me with you.”

“That’s not a good idea. Why would I take you?”

I clenched my hands into fists. “You know damn well why. If anything happens to him—”

“You heard Hudson. He’s fine.”

“I also heard him say Gray was kicked in the head by a horse. Please. I know you don’t like me, but please. I care about him so much. I love him.”

He looked at me intensely as if he were trying to read my thoughts. Finally, he sighed heavily and slid his hand down his face in frustration.

“Fine.” He unlocked the truck and opened the passenger side door for me. “Just…stay out of the way. Don’t make a scene. It’ll be odd that you’re there when you’re not family.”

“I promise I won’t make a scene.”

Even if my throat grew tight with anxiety, and my hands were trembling. I climbed into the truck and pulled the seat belt across me, gripping the rough fabric for reassurance. Matty shut the door with a soft thud and circled to the driver’s side. As he started the engine, his face was hard and unreadable.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He grunted but didn’t say anything else. The drive was silent save for the low hum of the engine and the rattling of loose stones against the underside of the truck. The image of Gray lying unconscious in some cold, sterile hospital room brought a lump to my throat.

He has to be okay.

To be kicked in the head by a horse must have been painful. Those animals were massive.

Why is it so far to get into town?

After what felt like hours, we finally arrived. Matty parked outside the town’s clinic and killed the engine, but I made no move to get out.

“We’re here,” he said.

I swallowed. “I know. It’s just…” Matty didn’t want to know my thoughts. He didn’t care about me or my relationship with his father. “Nothing.”

“Fuck.” He smacked his hand on the steering wheel. “Look, if Hudson says he’s going to be fine, it’s the truth. Dad’s a tough man. He’s been through worse than this. Many times. We grew up on a ranch. We’ve had broken limbs, broken ribs, and concussions. He’s been through his fair share of animal accidents, and he’s still here.” Matty opened his door and slid out of the truck. “And then there’s you. I’ve never seen him this happy in a long time. He’s not the kind of man to give that up by dying so easily.”

My eyes filled with tears. “Matty.” My voice was a whisper. The tears spilled over, streaking my face with wet trails.

“Jesus.” He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to me. “The one time I’m nice to you, and you fall apart. Use this, or Dad’s going to think I made you cry, and I’m still recovering from the last time he took me apart for the way I talked to you.”

“Thank you.” I wiped my face with the cloth. Despite all his animosity, Matty had somehow consoled me. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. He had a little bit of Gray inside him.

Stepping out of the truck, I took a deep breath to collect myself. A harsh gust of wind caused a shiver down my spine. Matty moved ahead, his strides confident yet measured as he walked to the entrance. I followed him silently, my heart pounding. A peculiar mix of anxiety and hope welled up within me as we stepped into the sterile hallway.

The nurse at the front desk glanced up from his computer. “Matty. You must be here for your father.”

“Hey, Evan. Yeah. This is Ozzie, a… family friend.”

A warm smile spread across Evan’s face. “Hello, Ozzie, it’s nice to meet you. You must be Gray’s new son-in-law. I hope you’re enjoying Bristlecone.”

I gave a weak smile. “I am.”

“Great. Dr. Knight should be with Gray now. You can see him in room four down the hall.”

“Thanks, Evan.”

Matty led the way down the dimly lit hallway, his boots echoing off the linoleum. Room four was on the right, and as we stood outside the closed door, a hand clutched my arm gently. Matty’s eyes bore into mine, but their hard veneer was softened with worry.

“Just remember what I said. Dad’s strong,” he said, but it sounded as if he was reassuring himself more than me. He pushed open the door.

Gray sat on a bed, his head bandaged and his face pale. A middle-aged doctor with fiery red hair streaked with gray and Emma were with him.

“Matty, thank god you’re here.” Emma rushed into her son’s embrace. My heart beat wildly as I tried with all my might not to make a fool of myself by crying or hugging Gray like I wanted to. It was bad enough to be here when I was technically not family yet.

“Whatever she’s saying, don’t listen to her,” Gray said. “I’m fine.”

“You have a concussion, Gray,” the doctor said. “You’re not fine.”

“He’s not?” The words burst from me.

“I’ve had concussions before,” Gray mumbled. “Come on, Cherilyn. Tell them I’m going to be fine so they don’t worry unnecessarily.”

“Actually, I’m worried you don’t seem to realize how serious a concussion can be,” Dr. Knight said. “You’ve had a severe blow to the head. Concussions aren’t something to be taken lightly. You need plenty of rest and time for recovery. For the next twenty-four hours at least, you’ll need constant supervision.”

“Don’t worry, Doc. I’ll take care of him.”

I squeezed my hands tightly and bit the insides of my cheek to prevent myself from contradicting Emma. Of course she would be the one to volunteer. They weren’t divorced yet. She was probably still his emergency contact.

But I should be the one to take care of him, dammit.

“Mom, you’re in bed by eight,” Matty said. “And you get cranky if you don’t get your beauty sleep. Ozzie’s room is close to Dad’s. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on him. Do you, Ozzie?”

“I-I—” Matty’s turnaround stunned me into a stammering mess. Could I trust him? Did he really want to help, or was he setting me up?

“Honey, we can’t ask Ozzie to do that. He’s a guest.”

“I’ll do it.” Anything to keep her away from Gray. I didn’t like she was by Gray’s side, threading her fingers through his hair. “Gray’s been so n-n-nice since I’ve been here. It’s the least I can do.”

“All right, then. It seems you have more than enough people wanting to take care of you at home,” Dr. Knight said. “But first we need to do a CT scan before we release you. I’ll send someone for you in a few minutes, Gray.”

I repressed the sound of distress that wanted to escape. So the doctor wasn’t sure yet that Gray was a hundred percent all right. There was still a possibility that his injury was worse than we all thought.

“Mom, why don’t we call Carter?” Matty took his mother’s arm and guided her from the room. He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze moving between me and his father. Was he giving us time to be alone?

As soon as the door closed behind them, I was in front of Gray, carefully taking his face into my hands. “Does it hurt?”

He settled his hands on my hips. “A little, but I’m fine.”

“You don’t know that. What if the CT scan—”

“Ozzie.” He squeezed my hips. “Sweetheart, I’ll be fine. Things like this happen from time to time.”

“You mean you’ve been kicked in the head by a horse before?”

“Well, no, but other things, yes. How did you get Matty to bring you?”

“I don’t know. He was…nice. Sort of.”

“Matty? Nice?”

I chuckled. If Gray was making jokes, he couldn’t feel that bad, could he? I placed a kiss lightly where a goose egg had formed. “He did find a way for me to take care of you and gave us a few minutes of privacy.”

“That was weird, but I’m glad he did.”

“Me too. I was so worried on the way here.”

Footsteps echoed outside, and I stepped away from Gray just in time before the door opened. Dammit. I didn’t have nearly enough time alone with him. A nurse entered with a wheelchair. Behind her, Matty and Emma came in as well.

“Gray, I’ll take you for the CT scan now if you’re ready.”

“Let’s get it over with,” Gray said. “The sooner I do this, the sooner everyone will be at ease I’m not going to die. Not today at least.”

“You’d better not,” Emma said. “Remember, I get to call whether they pull the plug.”

Emma was joking. I knew she was, but it didn’t stop my heart from feeling like it was being torn out of my chest. I couldn’t breathe. What were we doing? How could I be in a relationship with a man whose wife had the power to choose something so serious?

I kept it together, smiling bravely as they led Gray away. As soon as he was gone, I crumbled.

“Excuse me. I need to get some fresh air.”

I hurried past Emma and Matty. Thankfully, the clinic wasn’t big enough to get lost. I rushed past the desk, too choked up to respond when the nice nurse from earlier asked if I was okay.

Outside, shudders rippled through me. With a groan, I collapsed against a stone bench with cracks snaking deep into its center. Just like me. I couldn’t do this for much longer. I couldn’t wait on Carter anymore.

“Ozzie.”

Matty slowly approached me. I wiped my cheeks with the backs of my hands and sniffed. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

“We both know it’s not fine.” He sat down next to me on the bench. “But I’m sure he’s okay. The CT scan is just for precaution.”

“It’s not that.”

“Oh. Well, I don’t know what’s going on, but—”

“Why are you being nice to me? The other day, you were so mean to me, and I get it. What I’m doing with your father is wrong, but why should I show any consideration to your brother, given the way he’s been treating me? He couldn’t even be here to prepare for our wedding!”

Matty held up both hands. “Look, I was wrong for judging you. I’ve been wrong about a lot of things, and I’ve been thinking about it, that’s all. I shouldn’t have said those things, since I’m not in your shoes. No telling how I’d act. But…I think you do care about Dad, and he’s right. I know him enough to know he would never have gone after you if he didn’t believe you were the one for him. I just hate that it has to happen behind Carter’s back.”

“I get that. It’s not ideal for us either. Gray puts on a brave front, but he’s worried about how our relationship will come between Carter and him. And how can I live with myself, knowing I’m the cause of any rift between them? Then there’s your mother…”

“What about her? There’s nothing romantic going on between them. Don’t tell me you were jealous and that’s the reason you ran out of the room?”

I hung my head. “Only partially. It hit me that for as long as we’re a secret, I have no right to speak up for anything concerning Gray. I hate that so much, but thank you. I appreciate you finding a way for me to keep an eye on him.”

Matty rose and shoved his hands into his pockets. “You hurting my brother is something I can forgive and live with, but if you’re hooking up with my father for some ulterior motive, like his wealth, that’s where I draw the line.”

“I’m not.” I jumped to my feet. “Gray’s wealth has nothing to do with how I feel about him.”

“Good. Because if it is, believe me, you haven’t seen the worst side of me.” His tone was firm, but not unkind. Still, I believed every word.

“We should head back inside,” I said weakly.