Page 2 of More Than a Little Spark (Cowboys of Stargazer Springs Ranch #9)

Daphne

Daphne

A s minutes tick by, I’m becoming more and more aware of pain, but being snuggled against Carson is cozy. Maybe not worth totaling my car, but it’s too soon to make that call.

He leans back far enough that I can’t lean my head on him. “Talk to me, Daphne. Tell me about your life.”

“You don’t want to hear it, I promise.” I want my cozy spot back.

“I do, I swear. Tell me.” He’s looking at me with those deep blue eyes, which are super interesting because they are brownish in the middle, then transition to a dark blue.

I remind myself to take shallow breaths because that hurts less than normal breathing. “I like your eyes.”

“They’re weird. It’s called central heterochromia.” He turns his head, staring down the road. “I hope they hurry. You’re hurting, aren’t you?”

“A bit.” I try to downplay my pain because I don’t want him to worry. “But my life. Where should I start?”

“At the beginning.”

I chuckle, then regret it. Note to self, no laughing. “I was born in a hospital, and I was a chubby baby.”

He blinks, then grins. “Funny. I sort of meant like where you were born. That sort of thing.”

Now that I’m talking, he isn’t leaning away.

I rest my head on his chest again. “I’m from here.

Well, not right here.” I point around me without lifting my head.

“But Texas. And after I graduated from college, I snagged a job as an admin for the CEO of a software company. A professor recommended me. That’s how I got the job, and it’s been great.

I mean, my boss is super work-oriented. Not as much now that he’s married, but I like my job. No real complaints.”

“So you live near here?” When I shiver, he wraps his arms around me but doesn’t hug me tight.

“In San Antonio.” I’m quiet while I think of what else I should tell him.

He lightly taps my back. “You have to keep talking. Any siblings?”

“Six, all younger. That’s why I moved out to go to college. My dad died when I was in middle school, and my mom worked. But when she was home, she mostly slept or stared at the TV.” I lift my head when I hear the whine of sirens.

“You parented your siblings?”

“Yeah, but I never talk about that. So like, can we rewind, and then I won’t say it?”

“Sure. Put your head back where it was and we’ll start that part over. I’ll reset us.”

My head against him, I hear words rumble in his chest.

“You have to keep talking. Any siblings?”

This guy is funny.

“Yeah, a lot of them. They’re all younger and still live in the area. Except one. I have a brother in Alaska. He’s stationed up there.”

“Interesting. Alaska would be a cool place to visit.”

“He keeps inviting me up. But I don’t really like the cold.” Now that my adrenaline rush is fading, my eyes don’t want to stay open. Snuggling against Carson is cozy, and I want to close my eyes and sleep for a bit. But he’s trying so hard to keep me awake, and I don’t want to disappoint him.

“They’re here. I’m going to back up so they can check you out, okay?” He points at the sheriff’s vehicle and ambulance parking nearby.

I reach under the bottom of the coat and grasp his hand. “You won’t leave, right?”

“No. I’ll hang around. I want to tell the police what happened so they can find the guy.” He buttons up his shirt. “And I’ll try to grab your phone. Is there someone you need me to call?”

“Rose, but I don’t know her number. It’s in my phone, so I don’t have it memorized. Are you from around here? Maybe you know her husband. His name is Dallas.” I look down at the zipped-up coat. “Will you undo me?”

“Sure. And yeah, I know him. He was a ranch hand at Stargazer Springs Ranch, and that’s where I work.” He pulls down the zipper on the coat, freeing my arms.

My heart sinks. If Carson is a ranch hand there, then he’s married.

Because Rose told me right after she met Dallas that all his ranch-hand buddies were married.

Maybe when I tell her about tonight, I should leave out all the parts about how sweet this guy has been because I don’t want to get him in trouble.

It’s not like he did anything inappropriate at all.

I’m doing all the cuddling. He’s just being nice.

I guess the spark I felt was all in my head.

But considering my car just rolled over, I’m probably not thinking straight. I’ll blame that.

“Good, okay. Then you can call him and tell him what happened. But don’t make it sound really bad because I don’t want Rose to worry.” I flash a smile at the paramedics, letting them know I’m not hovering near death’s door. “Will you snap a picture of my car for me please?”

“Sure thing.” He moves farther away as the three paramedics gather around me.

Carson calls out, “Be careful of her ankle and foot. It’s messed up, and she winces when she takes a deep breath, so her ribs might be broken.”

A deputy walks over to Carson, and they start talking. But they’re too far away for me to hear what they are saying.

One of the paramedics flashes a smile at me. “I’m Lucas. Can you tell me what happened?”

“I was driving, and some idiot hit my car as he was trying to pass me.”

Lucas hooks a thumb over his shoulder toward Carson. “That guy?”

“Oh, no no no. He’s my hero. I’d still be hanging upside down in my car if it weren’t for him. Passed out probably.”

“Did you lose consciousness?” the woman paramedic asks.

“I don’t think so.”

Carson moves closer. “She passed out for maybe a second or two. Woke up when I patted her cheek.”

“Thanks.” Lucas turns his focus back to me. “So what else can you tell me?”

“Carson saw it happen and stopped to help me. I really don’t even remember rolling.

But the car being upside down kind of made it clear that I’d flipped over.

The wheels aren’t supposed to be pointed up.

” I lean close to the woman, who is checking my ankle, and nod toward Carson.

“Will you see if he’s wearing a wedding ring? ”

I’m holding out hope that maybe Rose was wrong because Carson doesn’t really act married. Is that a thing? Acting married? It is for my boss. I’ve met a whole new side of him since Zoe came into his life.

The paramedic grins. “I’ll sneak a peek in a minute and let you know.”

Lucas and the other guy step away and walk toward the ambulance.

“They’re getting a stretcher so that we can lay you down. We’ll try not to jostle you too much, okay?” She stands and gives a warm smile. “I’m Trudy, by the way.”

“Hi Trudy. I’m Daphne. Y’all are taking me to the hospital?” I blink, hoping to clear the mist pooling in my eyes. I’m glad they’re checking for injuries, but every touch hurts.

“Yes, unless you refuse, but I’d recommend you go. They’ll x-ray your ankle and ribs and likely keep you overnight for observation. You had a pretty serious accident.”

“Yeah. It didn’t seem so bad at first, but then I saw the car and started to feel all the parts that hurt.”

She glances over her shoulder toward Carson. “I’m glad he stopped to help you.”

“Me too.”

Lucas and his partner roll the stretcher up to the truck.

Trudy pats my hand. “I’m going to step away while they move you. And I’ll spy for you.” She winks.

“Thank you.” I close my eyes and hold in all yelps and screams while the guys put me on the stretcher. From the few times I’ve worked out, I know that the next day always hurts worse. And I am not looking forward to that. Because on a scale of one to ten, I’m at a nine. And I hate it.

“You can’t sleep right now,” Carson says.

My eyes snap open, and I give him a smile. “Okay. I promise.”

“The deputy wants to talk to you. And my dash cam caught the whole thing. I’ll send it in.”

“Oh, good. They won’t think I’m crazy.” I motion to my outfit. “I don’t always run around as a Scooby-Doo character.”

He gives a courteous chuckle, then steps back, giving the deputy room to talk to me.

“Evening. Can you tell me what happened? Are you up to that?”

“Yeah.”

He glances at Trudy. “Is that okay?”

“Her vitals are stable. But only a few minutes.” She walks over to Carson.

After I tell the deputy my name, information, and the details of what happened, he peppers me with questions, and I answer as best I can. But it’s getting harder to stay awake, and the pain is making it hard to focus on his words.

Trudy cuts in. “We should probably get her loaded.”

The deputy steps back. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”

“Alright.” I pick my head up and look for Carson. When I see him, I say, “Don’t forget to grab my phone and call Rose. Okay?”

“I will.” He waves. “Feel better.”

The paramedics load me in the ambulance, and Trudy climbs in and sits beside me. “No ring, and I made sure he knew where we were taking you.”

Now irritation is distracting me from the pain. Rose lied. There is a completely single ranch hand that she just didn’t mention at all. When I see her, she’s getting a piece of my mind.