Chasing Clovers (10 page)

"
Sure thing, Boss."

"
Lead the horse out front of the barn. I'll grab it in a minute."

The other man nodded, and John went to find Ezekiel. He needed to ask him if he could watch Ben and Emily for a few hours while he took Livy for a ride. He
'd meant to go riding alone, but when he'd seen Clive talking with her, he changed his mind, marched over and invited her to come along. He shook his head as he rounded the corner of the cook shack. Ezekiel stood outside, hands deep in suds, as he scrubbed out one of his pots.

The other man smiled when he saw John approach.
"Boss."

"
Ezekiel, could you watch Emily and Ben for me for the rest of the afternoon? I'm taking Miss Green for a ride." He hoped the cook wasn't so busy that he wouldn't be able to do him the favor.

"
That'd be fine." His large dark hands placed the cloth over the metal container he used as a sink, and his full lips tilted into a smirk. "I could use a break anyway."

"
Much appreciated."

"
Any time, Boss."

He'd come to think of Ezekiel as more than one of his hired hands. He had often relied on him to watch Ben and Emily after their Ma had died, and when Alice couldn't get away. Walking back to get Livy's horse, he watched as a few of his men fixed the gate on a corral.

The mare he
had asked Rusty to saddle for Livy was tied to the fence, and chomping on some grass. His own horse, a black stallion named Midnight had meandered close by. He smelled the mare, John was sure.

Grabbing Midnight
's reins, he pulled the animal's head close, "Don't even think about it."

Midnight shook his head and grunted, stomping his front hooves on the ground
.

"
You heard me fella, not today." He held his horse close until he settled down. Still holding Midnight's reins, he went over to grab Livy's horse and lead her to the back of the house.

She
was waiting for him on the back step. Her blue dress contrasted with the brown cowboy hat that sat lopsided on top of her head. Her brown hair hung in a long braid, draped over her front shoulder. She was a sight―that was for sure. She stood out like a three-eared rabbit, and not in a bad way.

"
Ready?" He offered her his hand. She reached out, and he noticed her hands shaking before she clasped onto the horn of the saddle. He helped her onto the mare. Her body stiffened under his touch, and he knew she was uncomfortable. She wasn't heavy, not that he was surprised. Her waist was so tiny he was sure he could wrap both his hands around it.

"
Ever ride before?" he swung up onto his own horse.

"
A bit."

"
Well, it ain't too hard. Pull on the left rein to go left and the right to go right." He gestured with his own ropes, "If you want to go fast, dig your heels into her side and lay low. But don't forget to hang on."

She bobbed her head.

"
Got it?"

"
I think so."

"
I'll take it nice and slow, till you get the swing of things." He clicked his tongue and the black horse trotted off. The mare followed suit.

They rode for over a half hour at a slow, steady pace. He was determined to let her get the feel of the horse. When he glanced back at her, she sat stiff in the saddle, her body not moving in rhythm with the horse's steps.

"
If you don't move with the horse, you'll be sore tomorrow."

He
saw that she tried to do as he'd told her. Relaxing a bit, her hips rocked back and forth with the animal's gait. He'd held his own horse back, and could tell Midnight needed to run. Stallions were bred for that, and his was no different. He gave Livy a few more minutes to get her bearings before he called out to her, "You ready for a real ride now?"

"
I think so," she said.

He
dug his heels into Midnight and let him go. The stallion took off like lightning.

"
Yee haw," he yelled. He'd gone a fair distance before he turned and saw her galloping behind him. Back straight again, she bounced up and down as the horse galloped toward him. He chuckled. She'd be sore tomorrow. No horse could match Midnight's speed, so he pulled on the reins to slow him down a bit and let her catch up. A bright smile adorned her pretty face, and he couldn't believe how it transformed her rigid features.

"
This is great," she shouted over the clopping of horse's hooves.

He was about to answer her when he saw the look of terror in her eyes. Then she disappeared from his sight.
He pulled hard on the reins, and waited for his horse to stop before he scanned the field. The mare was running full tilt for the hill. Livy was not in the saddle.

His stomach in his throat,
he frantically searched for her. He blew out a breath when he saw a blue flutter on the ground. He dug his heels into the stallion's sides.

"
Yaw, yaw, go boy."

Midnight took off toward her. Before the horse had a chance to stop, John jumped from its back, ran toward her, and slid onto his knees before her. She lay on her side, a crumpled mess. He placed his fingers on her neck and checked for a pulse. "Thank God," he breathed, when he felt it.

He looked her over, glad that no bones were protruding from her frail body. Another wave o
f relief washed over him. He took his time turning her over. Her right cheek had a nasty scrape, but he couldn't tell how deep it was because of all the dirt and blood that covered it. Both her nostrils bled, and she had cut her forehead above her left eyebrow. He let his hands roam over her body to check if anything was broken.

Coming to,
she moaned.

"
It's gonna be okay darlin'. I want to make sure nothin's broken." He continued his examination. Lifting her skirt, he felt her left leg first. She called out and then whimpered. He put his hand on her shoulder and lightly rubbed it.

"
Okay, honey, I won't touch there anymore." He wasn't sure if the leg―already swollen and bruised―was broken, and he didn't want to touch her again to find out. Instead he went to her other leg and felt from her thigh to her toes. Nothing seemed out of place, and she showed no signs of pain.

He blew out a breath and continu
ed to examine her. Her hips seemed fine, so he moved up to her ribs as she lay beneath him. He gazed down at her tear-streaked face and dirty cheeks. The sight of her tore at his heart.

"
Does this hurt?" He touched her shoulders. He moved his hands down the side of each arm.

She slowly
shook her head.

"
Just the leg then?" he asked, needing to be sure.

She nodded.

She
seemed dazed, and he was sure she had a concussion. Worried she could have internal injuries as well, he worked out a plan to get her back to the ranch.

"
I'll be right back, lie still." He mounted Midnight and took off toward a stand of trees he'd seen earlier. There he searched for two long sturdy sticks. When he returned, she was passed out again, and he bent to check her pulse. Satisfied she was still alive, he went about making a splint for her leg.

John rummaged through his saddle bags and pulled out an old blanket
. He ripped the cloth into short strips, then placed the wood on either side of her leg and tied them together. She moaned and tossed her head from side to side. He tried to be gentle, but knew that with some injuries, it didn't matter how careful you were, they hurt like hell anyway. Once he had her leg wrapped, he woke her.

"
Livy." He nudged her. "Livy, I'm gonna lift you onto my horse."

She frowned
.

"
I know it hurts, darlin,' but I need to get you back to the ranch."

Green eyes stared up at him, and
he wished he could do more for her. Wished it was him lying there and not her. With the splints on either side of her injured knee, her leg stuck straight out and he maneuvered his position a few times in order not to hurt her. With his left arm under her butt and the other cradling her back, he lifted her.

She
howled in pain.

"
Shush, I'm sorry, sweetheart." His lips brushed her temple. "I'll be putting you on Midnight now." He held her higher and gently sat her sideways on the stallion's back.

Her face twisted in pain, and John knew it was his fault she had fallen. He shouldn
't have let the stallion run. Why did he take her along? Why did she let go of the reins, especially when he'd told her not to? He shook his head. The blame wasn't hers, it was his, and when she was better, he'd tell her he was sorry. He leapt up with ease behind her and wrapped his long arms around her waist.

"
Lean against me," he told her, waiting until she was somewhat comfortable before he continued. "We'll ride nice and slow, so try and relax. It'll take us a while before we get back to the ranch."

She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lower lip.
He was a selfish ass. His stomach rolled. The pain must be unbearable for her. At a loss to help her, he clicked his tongue and the stallion set out in a steady, rhythmic gait.

Livy's leg hurt like hell, and she wished she'd pass out again. The pain was too much. Every step the horse took almost sent her over the edge. She was uncomfortable, but didn't dare move an inch. Her knee felt as if someone dug a knife into it, and left it there, twisting it every few minutes.

Her face felt swollen, the skin tight around her left eye and her mouth. Her head was pound
ing, and it was a chore to even blink. Just when she'd been able to touch her nose again without sending a jolt of pain up her face, she went and fell off a damn horse. Dizzy and tired, she closed her eyes. Resting her head on John's chest, she hoped the ride back to the ranch would end soon.

John had never been so glad to see the ranch house as he was right now. He glanced down at her, asleep in his arms. She'd been out cold most of the ride. They would've gotten here sooner if he hadn't stopped to let Midnight have a break. The stallion wasn't used to carrying two for such a long time, and he deserved extra oats for pulling through.

He
brought the horse to the front porch and called for Ezekiel. The man appeared through the front door, but his smile disappeared when he saw Livy on top of John's horse.

"
Go get Shorty." John told him. He slid off his horse and carried her inside. He took the stairs two at a time, kicked her bedroom door open, and laid her on the bed.

"
Is—is she dead Pa?" Ben asked. He stood in the doorway holding his sister's hand, the same wide-eyed expression on both their faces.

John left Livy's side to go talk to his children. "She fell off her horse."

"
Is she gonna be all right?" Ben asked, trying to peer around his father to look at Livy.

John's hand came to rest on his shoulder. "I hope so, Son."

Ezekiel and Shorty came bounding up the steps, Clive close behind them. Shorty, named for his height, was the one who fixed up the hands on the ranch.
John had seen him do everything from stitches, to setting broken bones, to nursing a cowboy who fell ill with pneumonia. He trusted him.

"
What happened, Boss?" Shorty asked, leaning over Livy, his head to her chest. Ezekiel took the children downstairs.

"
She fell off the mare while we were at a full run."

John
's gut clenched, why did he let the horses run? He asked that question a dozen times on their way back to the ranch, and he still had no answer.

"
Where's the mare now?" Clive asked.

"
She took off toward the east quarter section, near the line shack." John said.

"
I'll go find her." Clive hurried to the door.

John
stood on the opposite side of the bed as Shorty. While Livy slept, he watched as Shorty pulled up her skirt to examine her leg. Without being asked, he bent to help untie the strips and remove the wooden splints on either side of her knee. They unwound the ripped fabric, careful not to cause her any more pain. Once they were done, Shorty began his assessment of her leg. Thorough hands moved up and down, steering clear of the swollen knee.

"
I'll need you to hold her," he told John.

Livy let out a cry and almost jerked off the bed when Shorty pushed on her knee. John went to her, pressing down gently on her shoulders to keep her from falling off the bed.

"
You might've given me a chance to get to her before you started pushin' on her leg."

John glared at his friend
.

Shorty didn
't answer him, and he didn't care―he was busy trying to keep Livy on the bed.