One Southern Cowboy - Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,30

turned on his side, clutching his ribs.

“Help me!” she said to the cousin. I can’t lose you. Not when I’ve just now gotten you back.

The cousin seemed to snap out of his daze as he went to her side. “Let’s get you up,” he said to Jaxson.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” Jaxson sputtered through clenched teeth.

This time, Lemon managed to find her voice. She leaned her face close to Jaxson’s, locking eyes with him. “I don’t know what you think you just saw, but you were mistaken.” She ground her teeth. “Now stop being a stubborn mule and let us help you up.”

Surprise streaked through Jaxson’s eyes, and then his body relaxed. “Okay,” he relented.

“You get one arm,” the cousin directed, “I’ll get the other. On the count of three, we’ll take him to the couch.” He gave her a nod. “One, two, three.”

They heaved Jaxson to his feet and maneuvered him over to the couch where they deposited him as carefully as they could. Lemon clenched her hands as she looked at the cousin. “Should we call an ambulance?”

“I’m okay,” Jaxson grunted. His skin was ashen, his lips thin with pain.

“I think you should call,” the cousin said.

“I said I’m fine,” Jaxson grumbled.

Lemon sat down beside Jaxson. She wished she could somehow shield him from the pain of what he was experiencing. “You don’t look fine.” She moistened her lips. “You took a hard fall. We need to make sure you don’t have any internal bleeding.”

Jaxson’s brows furrowed. “I’ve had worse.” He glared at his cousin. “You know I’m right, Lucas!” His words got cut off in a hiss as he sucked in a breath, wincing in pain. “I’ve taken plenty of falls harder than this bronco riding.”

The cousin’s name was Lucas. Lemon made a mental note.

Lucas rubbed his neck. “Yeah, you have, but you weren’t already injured.”

“Good point,” Lemon agreed.

Jaxson gritted his teeth, eyes flashing fire. “The only way y’all are getting me back to that infernal hospital is in a body bag.”

“Um, if they take you out in a body bag, it’ll be to the morgue, not the hospital,” Lucas said practically.

Jaxson swore under his breath.

Lemon shot Lucas an exasperated look. “Seriously? You’re baiting him right now?”

Lucas spread his hands. “What? He asked for it.” He rolled his eyes and looked away.

She shook her head. “Y’all are acting like you’re both ten.” She turned her attention back to Jaxson. His breathing was labored, and he was ghostly pale. He was trying to be tough, but he was in a lot of pain. “What can I get you?” she asked, her voice softening.

“Four ibuprofen and a glass of water,” Jaxson rasped.

She looked at Lucas. “Get him the items.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said in a faint mocking tone as he turned to do her bidding.

She pulled the coffee table closer to the couch and grabbed two decorative pillows that were nearby. “Let’s get your ankle propped up.”

“Take the boot off first,” Jaxson directed, “so we can ice it.”

Talking was an effort for him. “Just relax,” she admonished. As carefully as she could, she undid the Velcro straps. A soft moan issued from his throat as she removed the boot. Jaxson’s ankle was wrapped with an elastic bandage, but even with the compression the bandage offered, his ankle was severely swollen. Lemon winced, guilt churning in her stomach. She’d been so selfish today, allowing Jaxson to take her all of those places, not thinking about how it would affect him. She lifted his ankle onto the pillows.

Lucas returned with the water and four blue gels. He handed the items to Jaxson. “You sure it’s okay to take four ibuprofens?” he asked, glancing at Lemon in concern.

“Yeah,” Jaxson said gruffly as he placed them in his mouth and wolfed them down with several swigs of water. He handed the glass back to Lucas who placed it on the coffee table.

“We need to get some ice on your ankle.” It looked bad. Lemon shuddered wondering about the state of his ribs. Jaxson was so dang stubborn. She needed to insist that they get in touch with Doctor Jepson to get his advice on what they should do.

Lucas plopped down in a recliner across from the couch. Not wanting to ask him to do anything else, Lemon went to the fridge. She returned with a Ziplock bag filled with ice and a dishtowel to protect his skin from direct contact with the cold. She sat down beside Jaxson. It was with some relief that