Before I could nag him about not getting his knee looked at, Sky stepped forward.
“Hey, I’m Skylar. I’m an orthopedic nurse practitioner, and that limp looks awfully painful. Would you mind if I took a look?”
Kit removed his hat—by the crown, because he was nothing if not traditional—but his face retained its stoic expression. “That’s kind of you, but I don’t need no help, and if’n I did, I don’t got no time for it. Got a schedule to keep,” he said, pointing to the horse trailer.
He put his hat back on, then winced and was forced to grab the handrail by my steps, looking like he was about to hurl into my bushes. Sky dramatically—as only Sky could—crossed his arms over his chest.
“What?” Kit spat out.
“All you are is leather and wire, cowboy. And youstillcan’t bear your own weight.”
Kit swayed, gripping the banister until his cracked knuckles went white. “It looks worse than it is. I torqued it a few weeks ago and then pissed it off again this morning. I’ll ice it when I get home. It’s fine.”
“Shut up and sit down,” he said, flicking his long, hot pink manicure toward the steps.
My eyes widened. Not only had I never heard Skylar talk like that to anyone, I’d never heard anyone dare talk like that toKit.
Kit thinned his lips, and I braced for a fight. But...huh. Cursing up a blue streak, he limped over and sat down on a step.
“Rowd, be a doll. Go grab me some Vicks and an Ace bandage.”
I slipped by them and opened the door to the cabin; afraid any delay would set Kit off all over again.
“Plus two Advil with two Tylenol, if you have them.”
“You got it, boss.”
I quickly gathered the supplies and filled a glass of water. By the time I made it outside, Sky had Kit’s jeans rolled up to past his knee and was examining it while Kit sat there, trying very hard to look like he was not at all in excruciating pain.
“Okay, I’m just gonna palpate the tendons and bones,” Skylar said, uncharacteristically gentle.
Kit lifted his chin, and Skylar continued his examination. Kit’s jaw tensed even under the lightest pressure, and his breathing went shallow. After a few moments of that, Skylar pulled his hands away, concern in his eyes.
“What’s the verdict?” Kit asked, his voice gravelly from lack of use.
“Look, it’s not terrible,” Sky said softly. “I do wish your knee were more stable, but the bandage will help with that. And I’d rather you go to the doctor and get some imaging done, but I’m not one for tilting at windmills.” Sky raised his brow, and Kit had the good sense to seem embarrassed.
“Well, look at that. You’re smarter than you appear,” Kit joked, his chest hitching through the pain.
“Got ourselves a cowboy comedian,” Skylar threw back as he knuckled out a dollop of Vicks, then warmed it between his palms.
Kit almost smiled, something I hadn’t seen him do in a long, long time. He gestured at Sky’s hands. “Say, why’re you using Vicks on me?”
Skylar didn’t answer him immediately and instead focused on rubbing the area around the swollen knee. Despite Sky’s claws, Kit seemed to appreciate the attention.
Finally, Sky answered. “Because you’re the kind of stubborn cuss who’d say that the more advanced options weren’t any better, which means you probably have a big, fat tub of this at home, along with massive jars of Wal-Mart brand ibuprofen and acetaminophen.” He took the Ace bandage and began crisscrossing it over the joint. “Just a guess.”
I turned my face and put my hand over my mouth. Sky had—with one hundred percent accuracy—just read Kit for filth.
Kit huffed out a laugh, then relaxed as he straightened and bent his leg. “H-E-B brand, actually. And I got a whole jar of Tiger Balm at home, thankyouverymuch.”
“Well, ain’t that something.” Sky stood and reached over, sliding a hank of hair off Kit’s forehead with a bejeweled nail. “You’ll notice I didn’t go after your knee directly because it’s too painful.”
Kit dipped his chin. “I do appreciate that.”
Was that a blush?
“I went after the big muscles upstream and downstream because they were so tight, they were pulling on the already inflamed joint. If you can release the muscles between baling hay and your next rodeo event, that’ll alleviate some of the pain, and the meds will help with the rest.”
