Page 68 of Rancher's Heart

His shoulder incision was healing nicely. There was no blood like Fallon had said, she was just trying to get me back.

His burn looked like I thought it would so I removed the old dressing, and redressed it better than it had been at the hospital. He’d need Jake to look at it soon. Some of the places looked like they needed a little more attention and debridement, but they were fine until I could get him into the clinic.

Cleaning up the mess I always make while changing dressings, I took everything to the bathroom and stood staring at myself in the mirror. My mouth started to water, and an intense wave of nausea rolled through my body.

I reached for the toilet lid and barely got it up before I let go of everything in my stomach. My retching filled the small room. “Elle?” Griff called from the bed. “Ryder, go check on her.”

“No, I’m fine,” I called back, but I should have known he wouldn’t listen.

“Go,” Griff yelled angrily. I could hear the best friends talking to one another in hushed tones.

“Elle?” Ryder asked as he dropped to his knees beside me. “Maybe not a great time to tell you congratulations.” His quiet words held a hint of amusement as he grabbed my hair and held it out of the way.

I rested my elbow on the rim of the cold porcelain and let my head fall into my hand. “The timing of this is so bad.” A tear fell from my cheek into the toilet, and I reached for a tissue to wipe my eyes and mouth.

“It might be, but I think it’s what you’re going to need to keep him going.” Ryder leaned back against the tub as I sat up and closed the lid. “He’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember, but he doesn’t handle needing help well. Obviously, you know that.” He smiled slightly and I nodded, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

“What happened in that barn killed him, but feeling useless is going to do the same thing. You being pregnant will make him fight. So he might not be able to do much for you right now, but he’ll be fighting a hundred times harder so he’s healthy for you, Parker, and this baby.”

Ryder’s words bounced around in my head as I leaned back against the shower. It wasn’t just Griff who needed the constant reminder of this baby. It was me too.

CHAPTER 36

GRIFF

Night enveloped the ranch, and when it did, I could pretend that the barn still stood, and I hadn’t laid out there on the ground dead, and my girl didn’t have to do things to me she never should have had to.

I hadn’t seen her since she’d done my dressing. Ryder stayed, and the other guys had rotated through, and then there were my parents, who had been a constant since I’d woken up. But Elle wasn’t anywhere near me.

“Hey, are you up for a visitor?” Looking up from the book I was reading, I smiled at Troy, who had peeked around the half-open door.

“It’s good to see you, sure come on in.” Troy opened the door, and Parker walked in first.

“Hey, pal.” I couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.

“Can I hug you?” He asked, standing a few feet from the bed.

“Of course you can, but just not as tightly as normal.” The boy crossed the space between us and I could see he had to restrain himself from leaping at me. He wrapped his arms around my neck, and I used my good arm to embrace him.

“You have no idea how good it is to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”

“You look so much better than when I saw you at the hospital.” The boy smiled, and I watched the concern in his eyes ease a bit.

The three of us chatted for a bit. “I’m going to see Mom, and grab a few things from my room.” Parker hopped off the couch and ran out of the room.

“I expected Elle to be glued to your side.” Troy said as he crossed his leg over the other and relaxed back onto the couch.

“Well, she had been until this morning when she went to change my dressing. She totally shut down.” Closing my eyes, I’ll never forget the hollow look in her eyes as she stared out at the barnyard.

“Let her come around. She has to go into nurse mode to process things sometimes.” He leaned ahead and rested his knees on his elbows. “When we finally got the diagnosis for Parker, she was someone I didn’t even recognize. She dove into research, figuring out which implants worked best for kids and what would make life easier for him. She knew how to sign because of her brother, but she worked endlessly with Parker so he would be able to recognize signs when he was older. She’s a fixer, and she’s feeling a little lost right now.” Troy took a deep breath, and I wondered if he was thinking back to those days.

“I will be honest and tell you I wasn’t the supportive spouse I should have been. I didn’t help her. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. It was something that Parker would eventually learn, and I let my family get in my head. It wasn’t fair to either of them. Parker deserved a dad who did everything he could for him, and Elle deserved a husband who supported her in trying to figure it all out. I wasn’t the man they needed me to be back then.”

“She’s pregnant,” I mumbled loud enough for him to hear. And he heard because he nodded slowly. “It wasn’t planned.” I looked down at my hand all bandaged and closed my eyes.

“I’m going to take Parker home. I think you both need to talk to one another.” Troy stood and held out his hand. We shook hands, and as weird as it sounded, this man was becoming a friend. “Give her a little space. She’ll process it and be back to the woman you’re in love with. Just make sure you don’t give her too much space. Take it from someone who did.” He smiled tightly, and that’s when I saw it. Troy was still in love with Elle, but the lack of support from him had closed her heart and she’d never given him another opportunity to disappoint her.

“Thanks. And thanks for bringing Parker.”

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