Page 16 of Head Over Spurs

“Smart girl,” Riley chuckled. “And no, everything is perfectly under control.”

Closing the laptop before him, the doctor wheeled his standing desk towards the door. “Okay, well this all sounds good. And I didn’t see anything particularly alarming during the physical exam. I still want to keep a close eye on you though. After that fall—and a vertebrae fracture like yours—it’s extremely rare that someone forgoes surgery. We need to be sure you don’t run the risk of another spinal fracture, which is a real possibility.”

“Three weeks again?” Piper asked on his behalf. As if hewasn’t in his late twenties and perfectly capable of handling this on his own.

“Yes ma’am,” his doctor agreed, adjusting his white lab coat. “Just schedule it on your way out.” Then he disappeared into the hall.

Piper reached for Paisley’s hand, pulling the six-year-old towards the door as well. “Meet you in the lobby?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” he grunted.

Paisley stood firm as her mother tried to pull her out of the exam room. “And then pancakes, right?” she asked urgently.

Softening his tone, Riley replied, “And then pancakes.”

Satisfied, the tiny girl turned and led her mother out. The metallic click of the door closing rang out before he was engulfed in silence. Finally. He dropped his head to his hands, a stress headache threatening to settle in above his brows.

Yes, he was having pain.

Yes, he was having numbness and tingling.

Yes, he was having spasms.

And difficulty standing and walking at times. That is what his sister was noticing, his inability to move positions with ease. Not necessarily pain, but immobility.

The writing was on the walls, he should have gotten surgery. And maybe soon, he’d be facing the need once again.

Riley peeled himself off the exam table and dressed quickly, snapping his buckle into place and stepping into the hall. This was a problem for another day. Right now, all he cared about was getting to the ranch. There was a certain strawberry blonde with whom he was eager to see.

“Uncle RyRy!” Paisley cheered as he rounded the corner into the waiting room. He reached out for her, giving one of her blonde pig-tail braids a tug.

“How ‘bout those pancakes, squirt?” he asked her, leading his family out to the parking lot. Piper’s husband was in the AirForce, and when he managed to get stationed back in their home state, they found a home halfway between Sterling Ridge and the base. Meaning his sister was less than an hour from him. It worked out especially well when her husband was deployed, and Piper needed a hand with Paisley. Uncle RyRy was able to be there.

“What are you getting on your pancakes?” he asked as they piled into his truck. But before Paisley could answer, he was distracted by his phone vibrating in his pocket. He worked to bring his attention back to her answer. Something about strawberries, chocolate chips, and sprinkles. But he couldn’t help wondering who was trying to reach him. Brett and Grey knew about his appointments, they weren’t expecting him for a few more hours. Maddie had even made a plan to stick around this morning and take care of things with Jules. Checking his text, he learned that apparently Jules hadn’t gotten the memo, though.

Juliette

Okay, this time you actually are late. Are you coming in today? Or are you leaving me alone with our horses already?

His chest erupted with a small round of fireworks as he read the wordour. Our horses. Ignoring the way Piper was studying his grinning face, he typed back quickly.

Riley

Missing me, Juliette?

Riley

I had to do something this morning. Be there soon.

“Who’s that?” Paisley asked. So, they were both being nosy. Go figure.

“Just a friend of mine.” He put his phone away and started driving through the parking lot. They could be friends, that would still be professional.

Piper was far from satisfied by his answer, though. “What kind of friend? You don’t smile at Cooper’s messages like that.”

“She’s new at the ranch, Maddie’s friend. With Laurel on bed rest, she came in from Colorado to help out for the time being.”

“And you like her, don’t you?” His sister beamed at him.

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