Riley scooted a little closer. "I can set it for you, but I need you to relax and trust me, okay?"
"Relax? Yeah right."
"Daniel, look at me. Look at my eyes."
He did as she instructed, zeroing in on her beautiful blue irises. He loved how they were dark around the edges and lighter—almost a silvery blue—close to the pupils.
She lifted his hand to rest on her shoulder, sending another wave of pain shooting through his. "Take deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth." Her voice was calm and steady.
It reminded him of how he'd instructed her to do the same thing when he unbuttoned her shirt at the cabin two weeks ago. At the time, his only goal was to make her feel as comfortable as possible, so shedidn't knee him in the groin again. But she'd trusted him. Now he needed to trust her.
"We're going to take this nice and slow. It'll be easier and go faster if you relax."
"I'm trying." The words came out akin to a growl.
"Jake, kneel behind Daniel, so he can lean back against you yet stay upright."
"Got it." Jake shifted, and though it was the strangest thing Daniel had ever done with his boss, he leaned back.
"Good, now remember to take deep breaths," Riley's soothing voice pulled him in again as she gently massaged his bicep, slowly working her way up his shoulder.
Her soft touch set off an awareness in him that distracted him from the pain in his shoulder. His fingers itched to reach up and pull the elastic from her braid so he could run his fingers through her hair.
"Do you remember back when that old blind mare we used to have stepped on my foot, breaking two of the bones?"
He gave a small smile. "Yeah. You were what...ten?"
"Eleven." Her fingers inched up his arm as she slowly rotated his elbow away from his body. "You were my hero that spring."
He frowned at her. "How so?"
"You carried me everywhere when I got sick of the crutches and complained about them hurting my hands."
Ah yes. He remembered now. He'd felt guilty that she got stepped on because she was helping him do his chores so they could go for a ride on the four-wheelers.
It dawned on him that she was trying to distract him, just like he'd done for her at the cabin when she had her panic attack. He appreciated the effort, but he really wanted to go back to daydreaming about the silkiness of her hair.
Her fingers continued their tender ministering as she shifted his elbow to an awkward angle. The joint and muscles grew so tight and uncomfortable he was ready to swear. Then with a small pop, his shoulder slipped back into place. The noise wasn't nearly as loud as when it popped out, and the discomfort he expected to feel with themovement ended up being a release of pain rather than an additional burst.
"Thank you." He sank back even farther against Jake, letting out a sigh of relief.
Riley continued to gently probe his shoulder joint, and he couldn't help wincing when she hit an especially tender spot. She frowned. "It's possible you've torn your rotator cuff."
"Nah, I'm sure it's just sore muscles."
She shifted her fingers and pressed again.
He winced again.
"We'd better get you to the hospital and get an MRI done."
"I'm fine." Cradling his arm to his side because his shoulder still throbbed, he managed to get to his feet. "We have work to do." He picked up his hat that had fallen on the ground and settled it on his head.
Jake rose also. "Riley's right. We shouldn't take any chances." He rubbed at the back of his neck as he scowled first at the herd that was growing more distant by the second then at his sister. "You'd better ride back to the house with him and drive him to the hospital."
"No way." Daniel looked around in search of Rebel. He found him not far away patiently waiting to get back to work, which is what Daniel needed to do because if he didn't, he'd seek out a stiff drink to dull the pain in his shoulder. "We need to drive this herd another five or six miles. It's going to take all of us to get them to their summer pastures safely."
"No, you're done for the day," Jake said, stepping in front of him.
