Saving Her Billionaire Cowboy Hero - April Murdock Page 0,33
It’d be best to have Dakota handle that.
At that moment she walked in, her hair in disarray, bags under her eyes. She looked exhausted. Brady frowned, grabbed his IV stand, and walked across the room to meet her. “You look awful.”
She rubbed her temples and scowled at him. “Gee, thanks.”
“No, I mean you look really tired. Did you not sleep well?” He bit back the instinct to remind her he’d invited her to share the couch with him. She wouldn’t think that was funny.
“No, not really. My thoughts were all over the place after I went to bed. I’m fine. I probably look worse than I feel.”
Brady’s brows pulled together. “Maybe you should go back to bed. I’m sure I will be fine for the next few hours.”
Dakota waved her hand through the air. “The horses need to be fed, your arm needs to be checked, and I have to make sure Cobalt is doing okay. I really should have put him back in the stable last night. If anything happens to him, AJ will kill me.”
She held out her hand to him. Brady stared at it, unsure of what she wanted from him.
“Well, let me see your arm.”
“Oh.” Brady gritted his teeth, using his good arm to help support the broken one. “I feel a lot better today. I took another one of those fish antibiotics and I’ve been drinking more like you’ve asked. Had to use the restroom a lot more in the last twelve hours than I ever thought possible, but I don’t think I need the IV anymore.”
Dakota glanced at him from under her brows, the majority of her focus still on his arm. “We’ll see. I would rather you still flush those fluids through your system to help with the blood flow. Especially if we can get it set. If it’s a clean break, I think it shouldn’t be any more difficult than when I set the leg of a dog that lives on our ranch.”
“Ouch. Now I’m being compared to a dog.”
A hint of a smile twitched at her lips. “You said it, not me.” She checked the site of his IV and the cut before giving a short nod. “Okay, let’s get some breakfast first. You should take some aspirin because this isn’t going to be fun, but once it’s done, we should be in the clear.”
“Dakota.”
She looked up. “Yeah?”
“You don’t have to make me any breakfast. I can have cereal. Or I’m sure there’s plenty of Pop-Tart options. Really, you ought to get a little more rest.”
“I’m fine. But if you want junk food for breakfast, go for it. I learned my lesson on picking your meals for you.”
She smiled at him and his heart jumped into his throat. She hadn’t given him such an easy smile from the moment she arrived. What prompted this change?
“Personally, I’m going to make myself some French toast. If you want any, I’ll make extra.” She turned to the front door, grabbed her jacket, and slipped her arms inside. She stared at him expectantly.
“What?”
“Well? Do you want your junk food or do you want French toast? I have to go to Mary’s kitchen for the stuff, so you might as well tell me now.” Her hand was on the doorknob as she shoved one foot at a time into the muddy boots by the door.
“I guess I’d be a fool not to try some of your French toast while I have the chance, right?”
“Right.” She smiled again. “I’ll be right back.”
Brady moved to the window to watch Dakota cross the yard to the cafeteria. The sun was just coming up over the mountains, casting the ranch in a pink glow. A light breeze played with her hair as she walked and tugged at her jacket. It would have been a perfect morning for a ride.
He stared down at his arm, frowning at the state he was in. He wanted to do something nice for her with all the things she’d done for him, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t take her riding, he couldn’t do the chores, and he couldn’t cook worth a darn. He was utterly useless.
Fighting the feelings of inadequacy, he focused on watching for her when she exited the building. If he allowed himself to dwell on these thoughts, he’d only push her away even more. History had taught him she didn’t like snippy Brady. She didn’t like flirty Brady either. He’d just have to focus on being friendly Brady.
He