Page 5 of Will (The Cowboys of Calamity, Texas #3)

Chapter Three

Honey had a big problem.

She turned off the car and attempted to figure out how to remove the unconscious man from the back seat of her Chevy Malibu. Next, she had to get him into the family cabin.

Plus, she had to do it in a thunderstorm.

At least the wind had died down and the earlier downpour had softened into a gentle rain. The air was much cooler up on this Texas hill where her parents’ one-story cabin was well hidden among the trees and brush.

Could be worse. She wiped the raindrops off her face.

She could be still sitting inside a noxious dumpster instead of standing in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

The full moon shone through the trees and illuminated the Hallgren family's wooden cabin that had been in her family for three generations.

It was all about perspective. Her mother had taught her to never back away from a challenge. But maybe she was getting ahead of herself. Before she tried to extract Will from her back seat, she needed to make the cabin ready for him .

Honey climbed out of the car, then peeked through the back driver’s side window. There was enough light for her to see that Will was still fast asleep.

She straightened and turned toward cabin, carefully traversing the graveled driveway to avoid the puddles of muddy water.

When she reached the front porch, Honey wiped her wet shoes on the welcome mat, then stepped out of them before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

She hadn’t been up to the cabin since Christmas three months ago, when her family had spent the holiday together there. Both she and Theo had left the day after Christmas, but her parents had stayed on at the cabin for a few days longer. They’d left it in pristine condition, as usual.

Honey suppressed a chill, realizing it was almost as cold in here as it was outside.

She hurried over to the fireplace, where her dad had left firewood stacked by the large hearth. After getting a fire started and adjusting the temperature on the cabin’s thermostat, Honey headed down the hallway.

There were three spacious bedrooms there, including the primary, which was only used by her parents. She would put Will in Theo’s room, which was the closest distance to the front door.

She walked over to the queen-size bed, turned down the clean bedcovers and fluffed the pillow.

With any luck, Will would be conscious enough to walk to the cabin on his own two feet, but not aware enough to question why she’d brought him here.

That conversation could wait until morning, after they’d both enjoyed a good night’s sleep, but first she had to figure out how to get him inside. Too bad there wasn’t a wheelbarrow in the shed because that might have made it a little easier.

“I can do this,” she said under her breath, walked out of the cabin and left the front door slightly ajar behind her.

A coyote howled in the distance as Honey hurried back to the Malibu. When she opened the back car door, she could hear Will snoring. He hadn’t moved a muscle while she’d been gone.

She hated to wake him, but it was too cold to leave him out here all night. Besides, the way his large body contorted to fit into her back seat looked extremely uncomfortable.

“Will?” She placed a hand on his right shoulder, gave a gentle shake. “Will, it’s time to wake up.”

She waited a moment, but he didn’t move or even open his eyes. The moonlight illuminated the thick stubble of dark whiskers on his face, as well as the blue-and-purple bruises from the fight.

The doctor at the county hospital had warned them that Will’s injuries would look worse tomorrow, and probably feel worse too.

He’d also recommended that Will take some over-the-counter pain relievers if he continued to have discomfort, but it looked like the pain medication he’d been given at the hospital was still working at full strength.

Honey bent down so her mouth was close to his right ear. “Will?”

When he didn’t move, she tried again, only louder this time. “C’mon, Will! It’s time to wake up!”

After trying to wake him three more times to no avail, Honey finally acted. Sliding her palms underneath his broad back and down past his armpits, she hooked them up around his brawny shoulders and began to pull.

She tried to use her body weight as leverage to slide him off the vinyl seat and out of the vehicle, but to her dismay, she was only able to move him a few inches.

Fortunately, her actions did finally wake him up with a jostle.

“What the hell?” Will asked in mumble, weakly struggling against her. “Let go of me!”

She moved away from him, relieved that he was finally conscious. And she wanted to make sure he stayed that way, so time was of the essence. “It’s time to wake up and go inside. Let me help you.”

But a very groggy Will pushed her hands away. “No, I can do it.”

She reluctantly stepped back from the car, then watched him try to pull himself out of the back seat. He groaned loudly.

Eventually, he was half in and half out of the car. It was obvious to Honey that he was still dazed by the pain pills. She noticed that he kept closing his eyes, then jerking them back open again.

She sighed. Men.

It was time for her to take charge before he fell and hurt himself even worse. The family cabin was far from civilization, much less a hospital.

“Let’s go inside and get you into bed,” she said, as he half tumbled out of the back seat.

“That’s sounds good to me.” He rose to his feet, then a smile tipped up one corner of his mouth as his unfocused gaze moved to Honey. “Lead the way.”

His smile said Will had taken her comment all wrong, but he wasn’t lucid enough to set him straight. Better to humor him, especially if it kept him moving.

Moving was a problem. His long legs wobbled with each step. She finally circled his waist with her arms and let him lean against her as they slowly made their way to the cabin.

“This is nice.” He winced with each step. “Who are you?”

“I’m Honey.” Why did he had so much trouble remembering her name? “It’s probably the drugs.” She worried his injuries might be worse than the doctor had thought.

“Honey B. B for beautiful.”

She jerked her head up to look at him and wondered if he’d been putting on an act this whole time.

His dazed expression told her he was completely out of it, yet somehow, a fragment of their time together at the bar had floated into his befuddled brain.

She smiled as they climbed the front porch steps, even though she knew he’d never remember saying it. At least, he hadn’t picked an unflattering B-word, which she’d been called while working as an investigative reporter. It just came with the territory.

Honey pushed the front door open with one foot, then held on to Will as he stepped over the threshold. “Be careful. We’re almost there.”

The fire was burning brightly now and the temperature in the cabin was warm and cozy. She’d already turned down the bed in Theo’s room. Now she just had to get Will in there.

“I need to lie down,” he said, wobbling a little.

She thought about steering him toward the sofa, but it was probably too short for his tall frame, and they were so close enough to Theo’s room to risk it.

“Just a few more steps. We’re almost there, I promise.”

“Almost there.” He leaned against her even more heavily than before.

At last, they reached Theo’s bedroom and Honey steered him toward the bed.

“We made it!” Honey tried to turn him slightly so he could sit down on the mattress, but the movement made him stumble and fall against her.

The heavy weight of his body pushed her all the way back onto the bed, with Will lying heavily on top of her.

Stunned, Honey just lay there for moment, not moving and trying to ignore the strange sensations coursing through her. She tapped Will on the shoulder. “Hey, can you get off me, please?”

“Hmm.” He nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck. “You smell nice.”

A moment later, he was snoring softly, his face still pressed against her neck.

“Well, this isn’t how I expected to spend the night,” Honey murmured, and considered her options.

Still exhausted from hauling Will into the house, she waited a moment, then braced both of her palms against his chest and pushed him off her. He rolled back onto the mattress, his head at the foot of the bed and his cowboy boots resting on top of one pillow.

And he was still fast asleep.

With a sigh of relief, Honey climbed off the bed. She pulled his boots off and placed a patchwork quilt over him.

“Sweet dreams, Will.” She walked to the door and switched off the light. “I can’t wait to write your story.”

* * *

Will opened his eyes and stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

Bright sunlight streamed through the lacy white curtains that hung over a window across the room.

He lifted his head just far enough off the bed to see that he still wore the same blue chambray shirt, denim jeans, and black leather belt that he’d worn the day before.

Then he saw his stocking feet atop a soft pillow at the head of the bed.

Apparently, he had fallen asleep upside-down last night, although that memory was still a little fuzzy.

He wasn’t even sure where he was or how he’d gotten here. This certainly wasn’t his room at the Crossroads Motel.

Then he smelled bacon.

That’s the moment Will realized he was starving. His bedroom door stood partially open, and he decided it was time to do some exploring. But when he rolled over to climb out of bed, every part of his body protested. He froze and groaned aloud, his torso and limbs stiff and sore.

He hadn’t felt like this since his bull-riding days, when he’d been younger, dumber, and more limber. His face hurt, too, feeling as if someone had rammed it into a rock. He gingerly touched a large swollen knot on the left side of his jaw with one hand.

Everything from the night before came back into focus. The bar fight. Mr. Whiskey Sour. The gorgeous blonde.

Even their visit to the ER.