The Trouble with Cowgirls Read online

  “I think so, too. I’ll reassure her the best I can,” Lane said. “She’s advanced at an incredible rate, which I expected with her background. I’m holding her back when she deserves to fly. There’s just nothing left for me to teach her unless you want her on the back of a cutting horse.”

  “Don’t you dare.” Lucy sighed. “I’ll be consoling both of you tonight, won’t I?”

  “Why didn’t you warn me kids could break your heart?” Lane teased. “I don’t know who this is going to be harder on, her or me. Is it all right if I tell her she can take Jigsaw out whenever she wants? Or that she can ride with me whenever she wants? Of course, you’re welcome to take Frankie out with her.”

  “Yeah, that’s fine.” Lucy wrinkled her brow. “Come over for dinner tonight and we’ll plan to do something tomorrow so she understands nothing else is changing. I did speak to the rodeo school today about their future dressage plans, and it’s still a work in progress. They hope to have something together by the first of the year and then she’ll be able to help with the students. She’ll have to wait until then.”

  Lane wondered if that was the real reason Carina hadn’t wanted to stop their lessons. It would mean no lessons for a couple months. “I know you’re going to give me an argument about this, but I’m going to do it, anyway. I will pay for her lessons until they implement the program. And if you’re that uncomfortable with it, then call it a loan and pay me back sometime over the next fifty years. I want to see how far she can go. Not just with barrel racing, but also with dressage and possibly even Western dressage. She has so much ahead of her.”

  Lucy exhaled. “I’m not going to argue with you. I know how much this means to you. Probably as much as it does to her.”

  “Then it’s settled, then. I’ll see what I can do to get her into Monday’s class. I can’t make any guarantees, though.” Lane turned and opened the door. “Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck,” she called out to him. “Don’t forget about dinner later.”

  “I won’t.” He waved to her over his head.

  On the way to the round pen, he stopped in the kitchen and grabbed two carrots. Outside, Carina was trotting Jigsaw around the pen. The late-October air carried a slight chill. He stood at the fence and waited for her to ride over. But she didn’t. She kept her distance and stayed on the far end of the pen. She knew and she was doing her best to avoid conversation. After watching her ride for a half hour, he decided to rip the bandage off. She clearly wasn’t in the mood for a lesson, and he’d rather remember yesterday as her last lesson.

  She continued to circle him in the pen until he waved a carrot. Jigsaw had zero self-control when it came to his favorite orange treat. As hard as Carina tried to stop him, the horse was coming straight to Lane.

  “Carina, I know what you’re doing.”

  “And I know what you’re trying to do,” she countered.

  Lane reached for Jigsaw’s halter before she could turn him away. “Don’t you want to fly with the big girls? It’s all you’ve talked about.”

  “I want to fly with you.” Carina’s piercing hazel eyes held his.

  “This isn’t all we have.” Lane hated to see her fear of abandonment prevent her from moving forward in life, whether it be with him or anyone. “I’m not leaving you. I’ll still be right here. You can see me every day if you want. You’ll be in class while I’m still at work, and if you want to meet afterward, we can. Just text me when and where, and I’ll be there. You’re still going to see me on weekends.”

  “Mamma said she couldn’t afford the rodeo school right now.” Carina pouted. “Without you I’ll have nothing.”

  “Your rodeo school is being taken care of and you might be able to start on Monday.” Lane covered her hands with his. “Will you do this for me? Will you show me how far you can take these classes?”

  Carina nodded. “Will you ride with me?”

  “I’ll ride with you whenever you want.”

  “Ride with me now?” she asked. “Instead of a lesson.”

  “You stay here while I saddle Frankie, okay?” Lane couldn’t remember another child who’d affected him the way Carina had. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her or Lucy. And if their relationship kept progressing the way it was, he planned to propose to Lucy on Christmas.

  * * *

  LANE AND CARINA had been on one of the ranch trails for the past hour. She talked to him about everything from class to boys. He hadn’t been prepared for the boy talk.

  “Can I use Jigsaw for my barrel-racing lessons?”

  “I’m afraid not. Jigsaw was bred to be a cutting horse, so he has a natural ability to cut cattle, but he’s definitely a Western pleasure horse. Barrel horses have been specially trained, just like cutters.” The sun had already dipped beyond the horizon and neither one of them was equipped for riding in the dark tonight. “We need to head back. We need to meet your mom for dinner.”

  “How fast can Jigsaw run?” Carina asked.

  Why did kids always ask that question about the horses they rode? “Jigsaw’s never run full out with a rider.”

  “I’ll race you back home.” Carina stood slightly in her stirrups and gripped the reins tight.

  “What are you doing?” The hair stood up on the back of his neck. “This isn’t the Kentucky Derby and we’re not going to race these horses.” And that was when he saw it. The mischievous twinkle her mother had when she was a teenager. “Carina, promise me.”

  Carina lowered herself back in the saddle. “You’re no fun.” She playfully pouted.

  “Now I’m insulted,” Lane teased. He rubbed the back of his neck, still sensing something wasn’t right. He took stock of her seat position and posture. She was relaxed, not ready to run. But something felt off. “Carina, ride closer to me.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, glancing around them.

  “I don’t know. Just a gut feeling.” Lane squinted in a vain attempt to see farther in the distance. Increasing cloud cover darkened the sky, hiding the sliver of a moon. “Keep your eyes open. Stay sharp and alert.”

  He reached for his two-way radio and remembered he’d left it on his desk. It wasn’t uncommon to spot a bobcat or two on the ranch. As long as they kept their distance, they would be fine. He shifted slightly in the saddle and took out his cell phone. He was pulling Shane’s number up on the screen when a slight vibrating sound caught his attention. Before he realized what it was, it struck.

  Jigsaw squealed, rearing up on his hind legs. Carina screamed as she struggled to hang on. The horse began to buck wildly and then took off in a full gallop. Lane spurred Frankie after her. He needed to keep her in sight. It was too dark and they were too far out from the ranch.

  “Carina!” Her silhouette faded into the night, leaving him to follow the sound of her screams.

  And then they stopped.

  He couldn’t hear her any longer. “Carina! Carina!” He reined Frankie to a stop and listened.

  Nothing. Where were they?

  “Carina!”

  If she had fallen off Jigsaw, he feared he’d trample her in the darkness. If she’d gotten hung up in the saddle and the horse was dragging her, he feared he’d be too late.

  “Carina!”

  He nudged Frankie into a trot, allowing him to see small sections of the ground in front of them when the clouds briefly parted.

  “Carina!”

  He searched frantically. He reached back into his pocket for his phone, only to discover he had dropped it when Jigsaw reared. He stopped once again and listened.

  “Carina!”

  “Lane!” It was faint, but he heard it.

  “Carina!” he shouted. “Keep calling my name until I reach you!”

  Up ahead in the distance, he saw the flash of a tiny white light. He guided Frankie toward it. It was Carina; it had to be her. As he approached, he slowed the horse down, unable to judge how far away he was from the light. It seemed so tiny, so remote, and then he realize
d what it was. It was a flashlight on Carina’s phone.

  He jumped off his mount and ran to her, then fell to his knees beside her.

  “Lane,” she cried. “Lane, help me!”

  Lane took the phone from her hand and scanned her body with the light. Cuts and scratches covered her hands and face. “I’m here, baby, I’m here. Tell me where it hurts.”

  Carina tried to sit up, screaming from the pain. “My shoulder!”

  He held the flashlight above her and pulled away her shirt. It was definitely dislocated, if not broken.

  “Tell me if anything hurts.” He ran his hands down both of her legs, across her arms and her rib cage. She attempted to sit again, rolling onto her right side first. “Carina, lie still. I’m calling for help.”

  She fought against him to get on her knees. “We need to find Jigsaw. He’s hurt.”

  “So are you.” Lane quickly dialed Shane’s number on Carina’s phone.

  “Hello!” Shane’s voice boomed through the phone.

  “I’m with Carina and she’s hurt.” He switched the phone to speaker and set it on the ground.

  “Lane! Where are you? Are you okay? I heard screaming when you called me. We’re tracking your phone now.”

  Lane didn’t even remember pressing the button to connect the call, but thankfully he had. They were looking for them.

  “I lost my phone and Jigsaw. It was a rattlesnake strike. Frankie’s with me. I need to get Carina to the hospital.” He looked up at the stars to establish his direction, but the sky was too overcast. Dammit! “We took the Northwoods Trail. We were heading back to the ranch when I lost my phone. I think we’re southwest of the trail, but I’m not sure. I lost all sense of direction when I was chasing after Carina.”

  “We’re on the way,” Shane said. “I have five vehicles out. We’ll find you.

  “We need to get Jigsaw.” Carina shifted. “My shoulder and my head hurt.”

  If they hadn’t ventured off the trail, they could have ridden back to the stables. He was so twisted around after chasing Jigsaw that he didn’t want to take the chance. Lane had no idea how much time had passed when he heard an engine roaring in the distance.

  “Shane.” Lane picked up the phone. “I hear a vehicle. Someone’s close. I see headlights!”

  He turned Carina’s phone around and waved the flashlight back and forth in the air.

  “Over here! We’re over here!” Shane’s black Jeep pulled alongside them. “We need to get her to the hospital,” said Lane.

  Lexi jumped out of the passenger side and ran to Carina. She flipped open a first-aid kit and began to check the child’s injuries. “It appears to only be her shoulder, but I don’t like the looks of it. Let’s get her out of here.”

  “You drive,” Shane said to Lexi. “I’ll take Frankie and see if I can find Jigsaw.”

  Lane lifted Carina into his arms. “Call Lucy and tell her to meet us there.”

  If anything happened to Carina, he’d never forgive himself. She was his responsibility and he’d stupidly taken her on a trail too close to sunset. He’d be surprised if Lucy ever spoke to him again.

  Once she was tucked safely in the backseat of the Jeep, he held Carina in his arms. “It’s going be okay. I won’t leave you.” He kissed the top of her head as she sobbed softly against his chest. He didn’t know if it was from the pain, the fright or both.

  “Will Jigsaw die?” she asked.

  “Shane is out looking for him.” He met Lexi’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

  “Hey, sweetie,” Lexi said from the front seat. “It sounds to me like Jigsaw was bitten on the leg. He’s healthy and in great shape. We may have some tissue damage to deal with, but we’ll know more when we find him. As soon as they find him, I will go treat him. Okay?”

  “It was all my fault,” Carina said. “I wanted to go fast. I should be more careful what I wish for.”

  Lane laughed quietly against her hair. She’d been thrown from a horse and had done heaven-knows-what to her shoulder and she still found humor in the situation. Forget waiting until Christmas to propose. He loved them both too much. If Lucy would still talk to him after tonight, he wanted to officially make them a family.

  * * *

  LUCY COULDN’T GET to the hospital fast enough. Shane had said nothing looked life threatening, but after Antonio had died in a matter of minutes, she didn’t trust that diagnosis. She forced herself to drive the speed limit, lest she wind up in a hospital bed alongside her daughter. After circling the hospital’s parking lot, she finally found the emergency-room entrance.

  “My daughter.” Lucy ran to the desk. “I need to see my daughter, Carina—”

  “Lucy,” Lexi called out to her from the hallway behind the desk. “She’s in here.”

  She started to walk around the desk when she caught a glimpse of Lane standing in the waiting area.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” Lucy stormed over to him. “You took my child on a trail ride, in the dark, without even telling me. You don’t do that. You always tell a parent where you’re taking their child.”

  “You’re right,” Lane said. “I had just finished telling Carina about the rodeo school—”

  “She can forget about that.” Dressage was tame and methodic compared to all this Wild West chasing around. “It’s too dangerous. I don’t need my daughter racing forty miles per hour around a barrel. That’s insane and I never should have allowed you to fill her head with these crazy ideas.”

  “I didn’t fill her head with anything,” Lane argued. “The last time I checked, you work next to a rodeo school. Carina was interested in those horses long before she knew who I was. She wasn’t barrel racing when she got hurt. A rattlesnake bit Jigsaw. And if they don’t find him, or if they find him and it’s too late, it will be one more disappointment in her life.”

  After she’d lost all of their horses in Italy, Lucy didn’t know how Carina would react if something happened to Jigsaw.

  “Why aren’t you out there looking for him?” It was his horse, his responsibility.

  “Shane and some of the ranch hands are out there looking on ATVs and horseback,” Lane said. “I’m not leaving here until I know Carina is okay. You both mean everything to me.”

  Lucy took a step toward him. She wanted yell at, slap and hug him all at the same time. Carina was her world. “I realize this was an accident, Lane. I do. I—I need to see my daughter.”

  She made her way down a short hallway to a small private room.

  “Oh my—” Lucy wasn’t prepared to see numerous cuts on her child. When Shane had said she’d injured her shoulder, that was all she’d pictured. “My poor baby.”

  She held her daughter’s bruised hand in hers. The last time she’d seen Carina in the hospital, she’d been in an incubator, connected to machines.

  “Lucy, it looks worse than it is,” Lexi said. “Everything is superficial, except for her shoulder. They brought her back from radiology no more than ten minutes ago. They believe she separated her shoulder, but we’ll know shortly.”

  “Is Lane outside?” Carina asked.

  “Honey, you need to rest.” Lucy pulled a handful of paper towels from the dispenser and ran them under warm water. She held her daughter’s arm and gently began to wash away a spot of dirt and blood the nurse had missed.

  “Lane told me he wouldn’t leave me. I need to know. They wouldn’t let him in.”

  “They wouldn’t?”

  “He’s not a family member, so they told him he had to wait outside,” Lexi said.

  “How were you able to stay with her, then?”

  Lexi smiled. “I’m married to a Langtry. Nicolino is married to a Slater. And the Langtrys and Slaters own Bridle Dance. So in a roundabout way, I’m a family member. It was either that or she’d have to stay in here alone.”

  “I appreciate your help.” Lucy continued wiping Carina’s arms and face. “Thank you for taking care of her and getting her here.”

&n
bsp; “Don’t thank me—thank Lane. He’s the one who found her. He’s your hero.”

  “Found her? I thought they were together.” Lucy forced herself to calm down. She needed to hear the entire story.

  “We were,” Carina said. “Then a snake bit Jigsaw and made him take off. I held on as long as I could and then I fell. Lane had to search the ranch for me in the dark. But I turned on the flashlight on my phone and that’s how he found me. Don’t be mad at Lane, Mamma.”

  Lucy had no idea her daughter had been through such an ordeal. All Shane had told her was that they had been on a trail in the dark and Carina had fallen. She hadn’t known her daughter had been missing.

  Lexi’s phone buzzed across her chair. Picking it up, she smiled. “That was a text about Jigsaw. They’ve found him and they’re trailering him back to the stables. I’m going to head there and give him a thorough exam.”

  “Why can’t he walk home?” Carina asked.

  “Because the venom will spread quicker. Although after all the running he’s done, it probably wouldn’t have mattered much. One of my techs is with him and says he looks good.” She gave Carina a kiss goodbye on the forehead. “I’ll give you a full report later.”

  “You’ll tell Lane about Jigsaw on your way out?” Lucy whispered to Lexi.

  Lexi gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “Keep me updated on Carina.”

  A few minutes later the door opened. “Hello, I’m Dr. Sheila Lindstrom and this is Nurse Mariah. I hear you had quite an adventure. You can call me Doc, Sheila, Linny, whatever you’d like.” She crossed the room to the light box hanging on the wall and flipped it on. “I have your films.” She held the first one up to the light and clipped it on the box. “I don’t see any chips, breaks, fractures or dislocations.” She repeated the process on the next three. “Everything looks great. You do have a separated shoulder, so I don’t want you doing any riding for at least a month.” Dr. Lindstrom turned to Lucy. “You’ll need to follow up with her doctor after then.” Sheila looked down at Carina. “You’ll need to wear a sling awhile but we’ll find you a really pretty one.” She turned her attention to the nurse. “I want these wounds on her face and arms flushed.” She rested her hand on Carina’s arm. “Then we’ll bandage you up and send you home.”