Taming a Texas Rascal (Bad Boy Ranch #6) - Katie Lane Page 0,20
been just a young kid at the time, and he had suffered under Sam’s temper.
“Lincoln had some demons he had to deal with,” Dixie said. “But he loves you like a little sister now.”
And Maisy loved him like the brother she never had.
As if they had conjured him up with their conversation, Dixie’s cellphone rang. From the look of pure joy on Dixie’s face when she glanced at the caller ID, Maisy knew it was Lincoln.
“Hey, honey,” Dixie answered. “What’s up?” Her smile got even bigger. “Now you know I can’t talk about those things when I’m on duty. But when you get home tonight, I intend to not only talk about them, but also demonstrate them.” She winked at Maisy. “Right now, I want to know why you didn’t call and tell me that Maisy was back in town and injured. I had to hear the news from Sawyer. If I’d known earlier, I might’ve been able to keep her from gettin’ all settled in out here in the middle of nowhere.” She sent Maisy a pointed look. “Yep, she ran off from the Double Diamond and she’s camped on Sawyer’s land . . . yes, I know, dear.” She lowered the phone. “He’s madder than a hornet and wants me to take you back to our apartment.”
Maisy grinned. “Tell him I’m not going to butt my nose in on two newlyweds. Especially after hearing you talking about your plans tonight.”
“We can postpone our plans. We’ve had plenty of newlywed time.”
“And I want you to have plenty more. I’m fine!” She yelled the last at the phone. Even without the phone being on speaker, she could hear Lincoln yell back.
“You’re not fine! And neither is Sawyer. But he’s heading back to the rodeo circuit.”
Maisy took the phone from Dixie. “What? Sawyer’s heading back?”
“He plans to be at the Tulsa rodeo this coming weekend,” Lincoln said.
“He can’t ride again.”
“Try telling him that. He’s as stubborn as you are. You need someone to watch out for you, Maisy.”
“I just have a broken collarbone. It’s nothing compared to Sawyer’s multiple concussions.” She realized her mistake as soon as the words were out.
“Multiple? What are you talking about?”
Maisy mentally kicked herself. She’d given her word to Sawyer not to say anything about what she’d overheard at the hospital. She knew how it felt to have people worry about you all the time—to have people look at you like you were an idiot because you liked to be tossed around on the back of a horse. She understood what drove Sawyer. Bronc riding was like a drug. Nothing could duplicate the adrenaline rush. Once you got that rush, you wanted it again and again. Even at the cost of your body.
But the cost for Sawyer’s riding had just gone up. This wasn’t about a few broken bones. This was about a broken brain and how it could cause Sawyer to suffer from long-term memory loss, bad headaches, erratic behavior, depression, and even death. No adrenaline rush was worth that.
Which was why Maisy decided she had to break her word.
“We can’t let Sawyer go back to the rodeo, Linc,” she said. “And I’m not just talking about this season. I’m talking about forever.” She put the phone on speaker and proceeded to tell him and Dixie what she’d overheard in the hospital. When she was finished, Dixie’s eyes glistened with tears and Lincoln cussed.
“Dammit. I knew he wasn’t being completely honest with me.”
“What are we going to do?” Dixie asked. “We can’t let him go back when he could already have sustained brain damage.”
Maisy shook her head. “I don’t know. I know how he feels about bronc riding and I can’t see him giving it up. I’m not sure I could if I was in his boots.”
“Which is crazy,” Lincoln said. “Especially when you’re sitting there with a broken clavicle because you were too stubborn to wear a neck roll and safety vest.”
He had a good point.
Maisy blew out her breath. “I promise I’ll wear them from now on. And a helmet. And I have no intention of heading back until I’m completely healed. Sawyer is just going to ignore what the doctor said and head back when his brain hasn’t even had a chance to heal from this concussion.”
“Well, we just can’t let him do that.” Dixie nibbled on her thumbnail. “There must be something that would keep him here. What about if Chester or Lucas faked an injury?”