Wilde Thing. Jannine Gallant

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ returned to his side. “How bad is the shoulder? Did you tear your rotator cuff?”

      “The doc said I didn’t. They did an x-ray and an MRI then put me in this stupid sling. I guess I can start range of motion exercises in a few days, but right now I can’t use it at all.” He grimaced and shifted against the pillows, aching all over. “I suck at texting with my left hand.”

      “Is that why you were swearing when I walked in?”

      “Pretty much. I was trying to cancel my date for tonight. I don’t think going to the concert I had tickets for over in South Lake Tahoe is in the cards for this evening.”

      Hannah rolled her eyes. “Maybe the lucky lady will offer to sit by your bedside instead.”

      He snorted. “Doubtful. Poppy—or was it Pansy? I know her name was some type of flower…” He frowned. “Whatever. Anyway, the girl didn’t strike me as the nursemaid type.”

      “If you tried dating women instead of girls, you might find them a little more compassionate. You have to be pushing thirty…”

      “Next month.” He winced and glanced down at his sling. “My body’s too old to take this kind of abuse.”

      Hannah crossed her arms over her chest. “Then jumping off cliffs might not be the wisest career choice.”

      “I never claimed to be the smartest Wilde brother. Maybe the best looking…”

      Her lips curved upward in a smile. “The avalanche didn’t smash your ego, at least.”

      “Takes more than a mountain of snow to crush my spirits.” He sighed. “Not that I’m happy about missing the middle of the ski season.” An understatement, but there wasn’t much point in whining about something he couldn’t change. With an effort, he unclenched the hand fisted at his side. “My manager is scrambling to cancel everything I have on my schedule for the foreseeable future. I—” When his cell dinged, he reached for it with his good hand then read the text on the display. “Well, hell.”

      Steady bright eyes regarded him. “Another problem?”

      “Jake can’t pick me up.” He let out a long, slow breath. “This day just keeps getting better and better.”

      Hannah unzipped her jacket then dropped onto the chair beside the bed. “When are they releasing you?”

      “After the heavy meds wear off, which could be any time now if the way I ache all over is any indication.” He shifted again and readjusted the sling. Damn, his shoulder throbbed. “I can’t go home alone, though. They want someone to keep an eye on me because of the concussion. Not that I could drive myself with one arm in a sling. My truck’s still at Squaw. Shit.”

      Hannah reached for the plastic buzzer draped over the railing on the hospital bed. “Want me to call the nurse’s station to get you more pain meds?”

      “No, I just want to get the hell out of here.” He struggled to think who to contact since his buddy had bailed on him. His closest neighbor would still be at work. Maybe his trainer…

      “I can give you a ride home.”

      He glanced over, hope stirring. “You can?”

      She nodded. “You look frustrated and stressed…and exhausted.” Compassion filled her amber eyes. “What you need most right now is rest, so I’m going to help you out. For Eden, if nothing else. Quit worrying about everything since there isn’t a damn thing you can do to fix any of it, and relax. I’ll go see when you’ll be released and discuss your therapy with your doctor, if I can find him, along with pain management protocols. You’ll probably have to sign a form allowing him to talk to me.”

      “Sure.” He shifted and winced. “Thanks, Hannah. You’re being really nice about this. I appreciate it. A lot.”

      “No problem.” She stood and headed for the door. “I’ll be back later.”

      His attention focused on her hips, swaying gently beneath tight denim as she exited the room. When he’d thought of Hannah in the past, which admittedly wasn’t often, he’d pictured her in flowing skirts and baggy sweaters or T-shirts. Not jeans that showed off an extremely fine ass. But then, back when she’d visited their ranch a time or two with his sister, she’d been more…well-rounded. Not fat, but a little on the chubby side. Sometime in the last few years, those extra pounds had disappeared.

      His lips quirked in a self-deprecating smile. Eden would no doubt tell him he was a superficial jerk for focusing on a Hannah’s appearance first and foremost. The truth didn’t exactly hurt…maybe just stung a little.

      He’d noticed Hannah’s new and improved figure at his oldest brother’s engagement party the previous fall and thought about giving her a call afterward. Settling against the pillows, he closed his eyes. Somehow, he’d never gotten around to it. Probably because he’d rarely been home in the last couple of months, and she wasn’t really his type. The sort he dated—women like Poppy or Pansy or whatever the brunette from the bar’s name was—made him feel like a hero. Hannah was smart enough to know better. Way too smart to be interested in a guy like him.

      He couldn’t think of one woman he’d dated recently who’d care enough to visit him in the hospital…and wasn’t that pathetic. Maybe Hannah was right. Maybe it was time to make a few changes.

      Chapter 2

      “Are you all signed out and ready to go?”

      Hannah pushed the wheelchair into the room and surveyed Tripp from the top of his slightly shaggy chestnut hair downward. His face was still pale, the skin drawn tight over high cheekbones, while a bruise darkened the side of his jaw. He wore an old, black University of Colorado sweatshirt that hugged broad shoulders beneath the white sling.

      “More than ready.” When he stood, faded jeans stretched over hard, muscled thighs. “At least Jake brought me some clothes, earlier.” He lifted a brown paper bag. “They cut me out of my race suit. What’s left of it is in here.”

      She nodded. “Do we need to pick up your meds from the pharmacy before we go?”

      “I guess so.” Tripp swayed slightly as he fished a folded paper from his back pocket.

      He really didn’t look great. Stepping around the chair, Hannah took the prescription from him then held on to his good arm. “Are you sure you should be leaving the hospital this soon?”

      “They wanted to keep me overnight.” He frowned. “I refused. I just need some rest, and I can do that at home.”

      “I don’t know…”

      “Well, I do. Let’s go.” He limped toward the door, steps faltering as a little more color leached out of his face.

      “You’re supposed to use the wheelchair until you get outside. That’s why I brought it in with me.”

      “The hell with that. I can walk out under my own steam.”

      Not likely. “Sit down, or I’ll get in trouble.”

      “Whatever.” He let out a sigh СКАЧАТЬ