Lexie and Killian (3 page)

Killian laughed. “I started out to get just one, believe it or not. For me. Can’t quite get Lexie up on a horse yet, but I’m working on it. Somehow, I ended up with four. Guess I wanted to have them so you guys could come out and ride when you’re around and want to.”

“Yeah?” Dylan gave him an interested look. “Really? Ride those horses?”

“Only if you know what you’re doing,” Killian amended.

Dylan pointed to Jackson with his beer bottle. “You ought to be willing to get up on one of them, rodeo man.” He took a swallow of beer and glanced at Rogue. “What about you?”

“Hell, yeah. I’ve been on a horse a time or two. Or maybe three.”

“I’m serious, you guys,” Killian insisted. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, someone can get hurt.”

“Hell, I’ll help.” Jackson pushed himself out of his chair. “Come on. I’ll hold your hands.”

“Shit.” Rogue shook his head. “I don’t know about that. Doing anything with you is dangerous. Look what you did to your hand on a simple fishing trip.”

“Yeah, but it’s healing nicely. I’ll be fine before my next date on the rodeo circuit.” He glanced at Dylan. “You game, bro?”

“You know,” Killian drawled, rubbing his chin, “I didn’t say it had to be done this minute. Just whenever the time feels right.”

“Well, I say that’s now,” Dylan said. “At least for me. But, Rogue? You’re fixin’ to take your lady on a cruise. You think she’d be happy if you showed up home on crutches?”

“Oh.” Rogue sat up straight. “So you don’t think I can sit on a horse?”

“Listen, guys,” Killian broke in. “We don’t have to do this today. I just thought I’d let you know the horses are there for, well, whenever.”

He sure didn’t want a repeat of the fishing trip, when Jackson ended up in the ER getting his hand stitched. Damage from a horse could be a lot worse.

Rogue pushed himself out of his chair. Killian noticed his brother had been a little on edge since he got there, although he’d been doing his best to conceal it. Maybe a ride would settle him down.

“I figure if we just let them walk slowly, we’ll be good.” He grinned. “They do walk, right?”

Killian began to get an uneasy feeling about this.

“Come on, Killian,” Rogue urged. “Get us up on those horses and at least let us walk them around. Get a feel for them.”

Killian checked them all to make sure they hadn’t had too much beer to be careful. Then he took them into the barn where he brought the horses out of their stalls one at a time and saddled them. Jackson helped with the process, the others a combination of excitement and nerves. Finally, he had everyone up on a mount, instructed them on what to do with their hands and feet, and led the little procession out of the barn. He figured he’d take them out onto the path on the other side of the barn, lead them in a big circle and then back again.

But once they got out in the open pasture, Dylan urged his mount up beside Killian, grinned at him and said, “This is fun. Let’s move it along a little faster.”

Killian’s stomach knotted. “Uh, no, bro. Not happening. Let’s just take us a nice slow walk, enjoy the horses, and get back to the barn.”

Dylan laughed. “I can handle it. Like this, right?”

He tightened the reins and urged his horse forward with his legs. The gelding responded to the signal, certainly unaware he had a greenhorn on his back, and took off across the pasture.

“Oh, shit,” Dylan hollered. “Killian, where’s the brake?”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Killian swore under his breath, urged his mount into a canter, and took off after his brother. “You two stay back,” he yelled at the others.”

“We’re good,” Jackson shouted, although Killian barely heard him.

He could only hope Jackson, the experienced bronc rider, kept an eye on Rogue. Up ahead, Dylan held onto the reins for dear life and, thankfully, leaned forward rather than backward as most people would.

Killian urged his own horse forward at the fastest speed he could get from him. He managed to pull alongside Dylan’s mount, grab the bridle, and turn him. The gelding slowed down but, before he settled completely, he tried to rear up on his hind legs. The movement startled Dylan, who had eased his hold as soon as he thought Killian had control of his mount. He jolted out of the saddle and landed on the ground, letting out a huge groan.

Rogue rode up in a hurry, Jackson moving slowly behind him.

Killian grabbed the reins of Dylan’s horse, holding him steady. “That was a dumbass thing to do,” he snapped at his brother. “You could have broken your fucking neck.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Dylan insisted, pushing himself to a sitting position even as he groaned with the effort.

“Let me check you over again before you do any more moving,” Killian insisted. He knelt beside his brother, inspecting his arms and legs for any injuries.

“Nothing’s broken,” Dylan insisted. Then he moaned when Killian checked his hip. “And get your hands off my ass, you pervert.”

“Ha ha. Let’s see if we can get you up.”

Killian rose and held out his hand to Dylan. The other man took it and pushed slowly and with obvious discomfort to his feet. He took a couple of tentative steps, pain etched on his face, but Killian was thankful at least the man’s legs didn’t crumple under him.

“I think we need to get you checked out in the emergency room,” he stated. “Just to be sure.”

“No fucking way,” Dylan snapped. “We don’t need any more emergency room trips. I’ll be okay after a hot bath.”

“So you say.”

“So I say is right.” Dylan grimaced as he took another step.

“Okay.” Killian sighed. “The first thing we need to do is get you back to the house.” He looked at the others. “I’ll ride my horse and lead Dylan’s,” he told them. “You guys wait here. I’ll bring the pickup, and we’ll tote him back in that. Dylan, you sit down while you wait.”

It was an indication of the man’s pain that he didn’t argue.

Killian spurred his horse to get to the ranch as fast as he could. In the barn, he found some horse blankets and threw them in the back of the pickup to provide padding then headed out to where the others waited.

“Too bad you didn’t land on your head,” he grumbled to Dylan. “At least we’d know nothing got hurt.”

“Ha ha ha.” Dylan gave a sarcastic laugh, but, in the next second, he moaned again as they lifted him into the pickup and settled him on the blankets.

Killian drove the truck slowly to the barn, Jackson and Rogue following along with their mounts. When they arrived, he made sure Dylan was okay before getting the horses unsaddled and stabled with Rogue’s help.

“Emergency room,” Killian insisted. “And don’t give me any shit.”

“No damn fucking way,” Dylan ground out again.

“You don’t get a vote,” Killian pronounced when he saw the trouble his brother had moving around. “You’ve got obligations to take care of. That music camp for kids you’re working on getting started. Then, around Christmas, a new tour, right? We need to make sure you’re in shape.”

“I won’t be doing any heavy lifting,” Dylan insisted. “And I promise you I’ll be fine in the morning. Besides, our women will have a shit fit if they have to come to the emergency room again, especially so soon after the last visit. So no. No, no, no.”

Despite his arguing, however, they loaded him into Killian’s SUV and trooped off to the emergency room.

“You know the ladies will never let us out on our own again,” Rogue commented. “Right?”

*****

Killian looked around the waiting area at the hospital’s Emergency Room and hoped they weren’t going to make this a regular stop on their schedules. Much of the blame for this trip landed on his shoulders. He should have known better than to let the greenhorns up on the horses. But the animals were very tame, no spooky habits, and he’d figured a slow walk couldn’t hurt anything.

Hah!

Showed how much he knew.

All he’d wanted was an afternoon with his newly discovered brothers, a chance to eat good food and drink beer, and to maybe show off his ranch a little. They’d all agreed they should take this time to do a little bonding. So far, they were mostly bonding over disasters.

He’d taken the responsibility of calling Zoe, sucking it up as he related the situation, and telling her where they were. To her credit, she didn’t scream or cuss him out over the phone. She just thanked him for calling and said she’d be right there. But he heard the underlying tones in her voice, a mixture of anger and fear, and again he’d cursed himself for his stupidity.

He’d insisted each of the men call their women, knowing there’d be holy hell to pay if even one of them got left out of on the situation. The call to Lexie was the hardest for him because he didn’t want to hear the blame in her voice. She’d actually been quite calm, but when she arrived at the hospital, she wasn’t smiling.

Shit!

But she allowed him to kiss her cheek and to tug her down into a chair next to him. She sat there quietly while the others asked the million questions about how this could have happened. Watched while the other men did their best to defend themselves. At last, she sighed and looked at each of the women in turn.

“I don’t think we can ever let them out on their own again.” Lexie turned to him. “You guys are worse than little boys.”

“She’s right.” Rori shook her head. “You guys knew he was a greenhorn. Rogue, you aren’t much better. You never should have saddled those horses. What were you all thinking, anyway?”

“We just wanted to get in a little ride,” Rogue complained. “I mean, we were on a ranch. That’s where you ride horses, right?”

“And we were bonding,” Jackson put it. “You know, like brothers should.”

“Maybe you should find something safer to bond over.” Kit made an unladylike sound. “You guys don’t seem to do too well with physical things. Fishing and horseback riding sure aren’t in your wheelhouse.”

“She’s right,” Rori agreed. “Personally, I’ve seen all I want to of emergency rooms. They’ll need a note from us before they go out to play again.”

“Right.” Rori snorted. “Jackson gets a fishhook in his hand. Dylan falls off a horse. Maybe we should keep you guys tied up and in the house.”

“Ooh, darlin’,” Jackson teased. “That sounds hot.”

Rori smacked him, but Killian noticed a tiny twitch of her lips as she squelched a smile.

Beside him, Lexie cleared her throat. “Well, I’d still like to take my husband’s head off for letting such stupidity take place to begin with. I would like to point out, however, it’s not all his fault.”

“Thanks, darlin’.” Killian gave her a crooked grin.

“Don’t be thanking me too much,” she snapped. “We’ll discuss this when we get home.”

“You’re right, Lexie.” Rogue cleared his throat. “We all talked him into letting us do it.”

Kit flapped her hand at everyone. “Fault’s not the big thing right now. We still don’t know how much damage Dylan did to himself.”

“I’m fine.”

They all turned at the sound of Dylan’s voice. A nurse had pushed him into the waiting room in a wheelchair. Zoe walked beside him looking both concerned and pissed off.

“He is,” she told them almost reluctantly. “And I’m taking him home so he stays that way. I’m not sure I’ll let him out to play again any time soon.”

Dylan gazed at his brothers and their women. “Like I said, I’m okay. The docs all checked me over. I’ve got a few bruises, including a big one on my ego, but Zoe promised to kiss them and make them better.”

“In your dreams, little boy.” She glanced at Killian. “They were your horses. How could you let him be so careless that way?”

“Zoe.” Dylan’s quiet voice rang with authority. “Leave the man alone. I told you. I made up my own mind.”

“It was his fault,” she insisted.

Dylan’s face reddened, but Killian saw him bite his lip, knowing now wasn’t the time to object to anything.

“Like he said, he’ll have some bruises on his hip.” Zoe’s voice sounded a little calmer but irritation still sparked in her eyes. “But the doctor says otherwise he’s fine.”

As a group, they followed the little procession out to the emergency room exit and waited while Zoe went to get their vehicle.

“I’m happy to drive both of you home,” Killian volunteered, trying to get back in Zoe’s good graces. “We’ll get your vehicle back to you.”

“We’re fine, thank you.” She remained polite but definitely still unhappy with him. “We’ve got it from here. Thank you all for coming.”

She walked away, her back stiff as a ramrod. The icy demeanor continued as she pulled up to the loading area and waited while Dylan was loaded into the passenger seat. Then, with a curt nod, she climbed in behind the wheel and drove away.”

“That is one pissed-off woman,” Killian commented.

“No shit,” Rogue agreed.

“Well.” Jackson cleared his throat. “I guess we’d all better get the hell out of here. If I never see this place again, it will be too soon.”

*****

On the ride back to the ranch, the atmosphere in the SUV vibrated with tension. Killian realized what people meant when they talked about a silence so thick you could touch it. Unable to stand it any longer, he said, “Okay, I agree. It was my fault. I was stupid to let this happen.”

He sensed Lexie shift beside him.

“You think I’m mad at
you
?” Her voice shook with outrage.

“Well, yeah. Aren’t you?”

“Lord, no. I’m mad at Dylan for wanting to do it and at Zoe for blaming you. Maybe it was a stupid idea, and we’ll get to that later. But, Killian, these are grown men. No one held a gun to their heads.”

“They’ll get over it,” he assured her, relieved not to be in the center of the hot seat. But it did bother him he might have upset Lexie, who he loved beyond anything. And yeah, he’d been stupid even bringing up the horses today, but he’d be a lot more careful after this.

“I hate for there to be friction between you and your brothers,” she told him. “You’ve all just found each other and figured out how to be a family. I don’t want anything to disturb that.”

“It won’t,” he promised. “I think between the fishing and the horses we’ve decided to stay away from those kinds of group activities for a while.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I’m more interested in what’s going on with you.”