Montana Cowboy Daddy (Wyatt Brothers of Montana #3) - Jane Porter Page 0,38
urine bag and Erika took advantage of the interruption to make her escape.
“You have a very pretty girlfriend,” the nurse said, smiling, as she checked Billy’s pulse.
Billy was about to reply that Erika wasn’t his girlfriend and then closed his mouth. Because Erika was gorgeous, and he’d been looking forward to her coming this morning and he was sorry she’d left. “Yes, she is.”
“That baby’s adorable, too. You’re a lucky man.”
Warmth filled Billy’s chest and he nodded. “Thank you,” he said gruffly. “I feel lucky.” And not just because he’d survived yesterday, but because he had people who cared. His family. Friends. Erika.
He knew Erika cared. He knew she wasn’t giving him grief just because she could. She was genuinely concerned, and her concern mattered. The last thing he wanted to do was worry her, but at the same time, he was a professional cowboy, and there were hazards to his occupation, and as much as he didn’t want to stress her, he couldn’t—wouldn’t—change who he was.
The doctor arrived late in the day, and Billy asked all the questions he wanted to know, questions regarding recovery because riding, roping, and competing were central to him. His identity was that of a cowboy. He couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t competing. He’d learned back in high school if he competed well, he walked away with trophies, saddles, and belt buckles. As an established name in the PRCA, he earned big money, and now that he was a dad, he needed to provide for his boy. His earnings would give Beck a home.
*
Every day Erika took Beck to see Billy at the hospital. Billy had his own room which made it easier for visits. Some days she’d have to wait in the hall while nurses did whatever they did in Billy’s room, and other times he was alone when she arrived, and he’d reach for Beck, which made her happy.
While Billy held Beck, she’d settle into a chair and chat about whatever Billy wanted to discuss. Sometimes they’d just watch the news on TV, and other times he’d ask her to read something to him on her phone. “Do you need reading glasses?” she asked him the second time he’d requested she look something up for him.
He adjusted Beck in the crook of his arm, so that Beck could sit up properly. “No. I just… don’t read well.”
She frowned. “But you can read.”
“I can. I don’t find it easy, though.” He paused a beat. “I’m dyslexic. It’s not a big thing, just something I deal with.”
“I had no idea.”
“It’s not something I brag about.”
“Not something to be ashamed of, either.”
“Maybe if I’d been diagnosed younger, there would have been less shame. But I was eleven when I was diagnosed, the end of fifth grade, and by then, I hated school. I’d been labeled lazy and troubled for so many years that school felt like prison. I just didn’t want to be there.”
She’d studied dyslexia and learning disabilities extensively as part of her program. “How did they finally figure it out?”
“Sam did.”
“Your brother Sam?”
“Sam was really good in school, especially with reading and writing. One night after Mom had gotten really mad at me for bad grades, Sam offered to tutor me. It took him about a week to understand what was going on, and he was the first person to figure out that my trouble was seeing the letters. I had a difficult time decoding them. My brain didn’t ‘see’ the whole picture, and then I had trouble remembering what I did read.”
“Visual dyslexia.”
He nodded. “Once Sam figured it out, the school’s special education program was able to confirm it.”
“Don’t tell me you were put in special ed.”
“They didn’t think I was very smart.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
He smiled at her vehement tone. “I’m just glad Sam was able to help me. Sam’s smart that way. He’s always been focused. Strategic. He’d make a great general.”
“And you’d be his foot soldier?”
“I’d follow Sam anywhere.” He hesitated, then smiled ruefully. “And I have.”
“Do you like his wife?”
“Ivy? She’s amazing. She and Sam belong together.”
“You like Joe’s wife, too.”
“Sophie is perfect for Joe.”
“Does Tommy have anyone special?”
Billy shook his head. “No. He and I are confirmed bachelors.”
Erika was silent a moment processing everything, before asking, “Have you told your family about Beck? That he is your son?”
“I sent a text to everyone. No one was surprised.”
“Not even your mom?”
He laughed. “Least of all her. She said she knew it all along.”