Page 5 of Cowboy Heat

Beau Montgomery might check off a lot of physical attraction boxes for me, but that won’t matter a lick when I finally leave this place.

“The nearest hospital is twenty miles, thataway,” I say after successfully standing tall. I take a quick mental note that I really do feel fine other than my headache. “I’m not about to go sit in the lobby for a few hours, get a different kind of bill I can’t afford, only for them to give me ibuprofen and say take it easy. I’d rather go to the town doctor bleeding than do that.”

Beau seems eager to accommodate my remark. He motions to his car parked behind us on the shoulder. It’s some smooth, black thing that still has shine to it. Not something I see often in Robin’s Tree. “Then I’d be happy to take you there now. Give me a second to clear my front seat.”

He’s walking back to his car before I can fuss. He must be excited because he’s got this uneven gait to his hurrying. Some men thrive in these kinds of situations. I guess Beau Montgomery is one of them.

I accept this defeat and move around to the other side of the Jeep. My doors work fine, but my hood looks sad. I hope the whole thing isn’t totaled. It’d rather drive out of town than walk.

I have my purse and phone collected, roll up my windows, and then grab a few things from the glove compartment just as Beau is done rearranging his things. He has the passenger side door open and his handy-dandy phone back out again.

This time, though, he looks to me for consultation. “Can I call you a tow truck, or is there someone there you don’t like either?”

He’s teasing me a little.

I shake my head. “There’s a tow in the city, and I might like the owner, but his current driver wouldn’t let me hear the end of me swerving.”

He laughs and stands with the door open for one last question after I’m in. “Another issue from when you were sixteen?”

No reason to lie, so I shrug. “Yes, butthatguy I used to date.”

He doesn’t comment past that, but his brow is drawn when he’s in the car again. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to the hospital? I don’t mind.”

I tell him no again. “The doc in town used to run the ER in New Orleans,” I say to sweeten the deal. “She’s more than capable.”

It does the trick, but then my phone lights up on my lap. The vibration makes my earlier, pre-tree anxiety wake back up.

“But actually, if you really don’t mind driving, could we make a pit stop on the way? It’ll only take a minute.”

He looks at my phone, then those blue eyes swing up to mine.

I think he’s going to say no but he nods.

Now I have exactly ten minutes to figure out how to sneak intoLa Lumiere, keep Guidry from seeing the newest resident of Robin’s Tree, and keep Beau Montgomery sitting in the car while I do both.

Something tells me Beau isn’t the kind of man to sit around, though.

I’ll find out soon enough.

CHAPTERTHREE

Beau

She’s itchingto do something, and when I’m told to park at the end of the dirt road with a metal gate closing it off, I have a feeling she doesn’t want me to come with her.

“It’ll only take a minute,” she says, shooting off a text I can’t read. “Two at the most. Then we can head to the doc. Promise.”

She’s cut off my concern on purpose. But it’s not the only concern I have.

I point out to the gate and the road beyond it.

Trees line each side, and darkness covers every inch but a faint light in the distance. It’s next to what looks to be a house. A fire pit burning, maybe. If there are people around it, they’re too far off to really see. I’m not even sure it’s a fire burning in the first place.

“I don’t know a lot about head injuries, but I think going off into the deep dark by yourself probably isn’t doctor recommended.”

She has the door open. I think about following her, but my leg’s gone stiff. Driving for hours the way I did and then the tour of the ranch has me hurting more than normal. I’ve also been skipping physical therapy, something Maximus has been nagging me about.

Still, I can get the leg going when it needs to get there, and I go for my door handle too.