Page 43 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
“You did cancel my plans, and I just about—”
Shit. The memory rushed in. Five years ago, in the situation of being broken and bent, she’d blown up hard at her sisters for taking over her calendar even though they’d meant well.
Because having another thing ripped out of her control had only exacerbated the problem.
Karen hated having a hard truth handed to her so neatly. “You’re right. I’ll remind Zach at our morning meeting that it’s coming up, and they can decide what they want to do.”
She didn’t go out to the hospital that night either, staying home and chatting quietly with Julia and Lisa even after Tamara had taken Tyler home to be with her family.
The only message that day from Finn had been a short update.
Doing okay. They took me out of traction and gave me a cast. It’s hugely awkward, but at least I’m not tied to the bed anymore. Hope you’re enjoying the sunshine. Sorry I missed getting your flowers these past days.
Midmorning Tuesday, Karen went riding on one of the back paths at the very edge of Finn’s property. A soft nicker caught her attention, and she slowed, pulling Starlight to a standstill.
The wild herd moved slowly through the trees. They angled toward a gully that led up a nearby ravine. Karen followed cautiously, not wanting to spook the horses into a panic.
By some chance she hit the very edge of the cliff as they moved into a clearing. Counting quickly, she observed the herd covertly.
The stallion was clear. Hands taller than the rest of them, he moved like the cocky bastard he was, adjusting position to crowd parts of his herd and ensure none of his followers loitered behind.
One of the mares in the group was heavily pregnant. She popped in and out of view at the outskirts of the group as they grazed on the fresh grasses of the clearing.
The mare moved slower than expected, and Karen examined her gait closely, wondering why.
It was her hind leg. She barely used it when she moved. With the added weight of the baby, the mare was having a hard time keeping up.
The escape from Silver Stone the other day probably hadn’t helped matters, and guilt rushed in.
Wild animals always had difficult challenges to face. If Karen hadn’t chased them, cougars or a pack of coyotes looking for dinner were always in the area. Injured beasts were culled by others in the animal kingdom all the time.
Karen tugged the reins to the side and slowly led Starlight far enough away to avoid spooking the herd before she increased tempo and returned to the cottage by a different route.
She kept herself busy because waiting for Finn was easier while distracted.
Tuesday night there was a thing down at the elementary school with her nieces, although listening to grade threes play recorders was more like torture than distraction.
Still, it meant that when Wednesday came around, it’d been more than a couple of days since she’d seen Finn.
Zach stopped by the house before she’d finished her first cup of coffee. “Finn sent a text. The doctor’s in after lunch, so Finn won’t get parole this morning. I’m headed to Calgary to do some shopping until he calls to say he’s ready. Don’t count on his arrival until maybe suppertime.”
“Not a problem,” she said. “Why don’t you stay when you drop him off?” She offered him a wry grin. “Maybe he’ll be on his best behaviour if we gang up on him.”
“Are you ever delusional.” Still, he gave her a wink. “You know he’s probably going to be a bear to deal with.”
She paused, wrapping one arm around herself as she cradled her coffee mug in the palm of her other hand. “You ever break a limb, Zach?”
“Nope.”
Karen tilted her head at him. “He gets to growl all he wants. At least at first. Later we’ll get him to behave, but speaking from experience? I bet he’ll get here and pretend like everything is hunky-dory. Heck, I bet he asks for a coffee at some point, when what he really wants is to go lay down and not move for a good twenty-four hours. I love my sisters to pieces, but nurses are assholes. Every single time I’d fall asleep, someone would come by to take my temperature or draw blood. Or they’d take my blood pressure and then tell me I needed to relax.”
She got a full-on laugh out of Zach at that one. “I bet you’re right. Okay, how about this? I’ll be in town anyway. Why don’t I grab whatever we need for supper before I pick up Mister Bear?”
“Sounds like a plan.” They tossed a couple of menu ideas back and forth before Zach took off and Karen headed to work.
If she spent some of the day distracted by thoughts of Finn Marlette lying in the bedroom next to her that night, she’d write it off to the overactive imagination gene that obviously ran rampant in the Coleman family.
Finn was itchingto leave by the time he’d gotten the doctor’s approval.
