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СКАЧАТЬ which was lined with medicine bottles. The clock there showed it was almost 11:00 a.m. Another day in hell. He hated how the pain meds fogged his brain, but some days they were the only way to get a few hours of relief from the constant ache. Then there were the torturous workouts at the gym. They seemed to be doing next to nothing to restore strength to his thigh.

      Almost three months after surgery he was still a cripple. He’d been able to put his full weight on his leg for a week now, but without crutches, he still struggled to keep his balance.

      Seth sat up again, more gingerly this time. Slowly he shifted his legs over the side of the bed. He pushed himself to his feet, then stood still for a minute to let the pain ease before hobbling to the bathroom. After a hot shower that loosened him up a little, he poked around the kitchen, then nuked a large chunk of leftover casserole and sat down at the table with the steaming food and a glass of milk.

      He hated to impose on his sister for so long, but the choice had been Libby’s house or his parents’ ranch. In truth, he’d rather be alone all day than have to deal with his father after the way they’d parted when Seth left home after high school. Seth’s jaw tightened at the thought that once again he’d disappointed the man, even though he’d made a name for himself on the bull riding circuit. Rookie of the Year right out of high school, he’d earned a good living, been to the Professional Bull Riders World Finals in Vegas the last three years in a row, came in third last season. Damn it. He would have qualified this year, too. The way he’d ridden in the first few events, he could have ended up number one.

      Then he could have returned home on his own terms to mend the rift between him and his father. Not now…not after that night in the hospital room when his father had assumed he was asleep.

      “I knew he would end up this way. I tried to tell him,” he’d heard his father say to his mother. “What’s he going to do now that he’s all busted up?”

      Judd Morgan had no idea that Seth had heard, but the old resentment had flared up again and Seth would rather have gone to hell than drag himself home in disgrace.

      Instead, he’d ended up here. Laid up at his sister’s house, too dispirited to even follow the rest of the season on TV. He needed to get back on the circuit to bring in some money. He was losing his savings at an alarming pace, on expenses his meager medical insurance wouldn’t pay. No company wanted to insure a bull rider, at least not at a reasonable rate, so he’d taken the minimum coverage. Even though he knew the bull riding mantra—it’s not if you get hurt, it’s when and how bad—he’d never intended to use that insurance. The best intentions…

      Plus, he had a hefty truck payment, and insisted on paying room and board to his sister. Libby didn’t want him to, but she didn’t make much teaching, and he refused to mooch off her. His sponsors had been patient so far, but the nasty rumors that he’d never ride again were getting around, and those sponsors wouldn’t wait for him forever.

      Bile rose in Seth’s throat as he recalled the orthopedic surgeon’s dire prognosis after hours of intensive surgery.

      “I’m optimistic you’ll be able to walk without a limp again, in time.”

      Walk again? Of course, he’d walk again!

      “Cut to the chase, Dr. Tandy. When can I get back on a bull?”

      “Bull riding? No.”

      Bull riding, yes! It was all Seth knew. All he loved. “I’ve got to ride, Doc.”

      “Is it worth the risk? You could do permanent damage.”

      If it wasn’t worth the risk, I never would have climbed on the back of a bull the first time.

      “Come on, Doc,” Seth had countered, refusing to accept his fate. “Guys ride after breaking a leg. No big deal.”

      “The bone twisted apart in three separate places. If you injure it again…” He’d shaken his head and turned away from the hospital bed, writing on his chart. “Do yourself a favor, Seth. Find another career.”

      Seth made himself stop thinking about that. He grabbed his gear bag, went out to his truck and headed to the gym.

      THAT EVENING, Libby brought home food from the local café. Seth didn’t say so, but the fried fish, coleslaw and beans were a welcome change from the casserole he’d eaten for three days straight now.

      “How did your workout go?” she asked.

      Her sincere interest made him feel guilty. Her eyes searched his face and she shook her head, making her short blond hair bounce. “Not so well, huh?”

      “I didn’t go today.” He wouldn’t admit that he had driven all the way to Bozeman, only to take in a movie and drive home again.

      “Seth, you can’t do that! You have to be consistent with your rehab or you’re never going to make progress.”

      “So what? Doc Tandy says I’ll never ride again, anyway.”

      “Maybe not, but you’ll do something else, and you’ll want to be healed.”

      Libby must have seen despair on his face, because she changed to that firm older-sister voice she always used when he was hurt. “It’s going to take awhile. There’s no overnight fix and you have to have patience. Grab a couple of plates, okay? I’m starving.”

      Seth limped to the cabinet, laying napkins and utensils on the table, as well. “Patience,” he griped. “You sound like Doc. If I hear that word one more time, I’m going to blow. And patience for what, if I can’t ride?”

      Libby began to eat, her face set in a worried frown. Maybe, Seth thought, he needed to move out, get away from his sister so she wouldn’t feel so…burdened, and he wouldn’t feel so guilty. The problem was, he’d sublet his apartment in Billings for the summer—a decision he now regretted.

      “You’re not going to ride bulls again,” Libby said at last, “and you might as well accept it.”

      “I don’t accept it!” Seth retorted. “And I don’t intend to.”

      Libby put down her fork. “You know, changing your attitude might help a little.”

      “My attitude will change when I see progress.”

      The two of them ate in silence for a while. When Libby took her empty plate to the counter, she said, “Well, you can’t just lie around this house all summer. You’ll only get more depressed and down on yourself.”

      Seth followed her to the sink, where she began to wash the dishes. “Are you kicking me out?” he asked.

      She handed him a plate to dry. “You know I’d never do that. But I want you to do me a big favor. I want you to help out a friend of mine this summer.”

      “Doing what?” Seth asked skeptically. He leaned against the counter, shifting his weight off his sore leg while he dried. “You know I can’t work on a ranch with this useless leg and that’s about all I know how to do. Besides, I have enough saved up to get by until I can ride again. If you need more rent I can pay it.”

      “Certainly not. You’re welcome to stay here for free for as long as you want to—you’re the one who insists on paying room and board.” СКАЧАТЬ