Mitch blew Rachel a kiss. “Bah. I’m a crusty old man. There’s nothing that’s gonna get me down, girls. You know that. Now let Mr. Halley get me up.”
The girls all moved, Bekka grabbing the youngest one, Rachel, and pulling her away.
Waiting until they were out of earshot, Cam peered down at Mitch. “Does anything new feel cracked or broken?”
“I don’t think so? I have new X-rays day after tomorrow anyway, so it can wait. I just got overwhelmed.”
“Uh-huh.” He got his hands under Mitch’s arms and around one hip, then helped him up off the floor. “Bed.”
“Oh, no, I need to go sit with the?—”
“Bathroom, then bed,” Cam stated. “The girls can climb into bed with you and watch TV in there.”
“Shit.” Mitch limped along, leaning hard on him all the way through the bathroom to do his thing, then to the bedroom. “Okay. I ain’t got the energy to argue. But I got to feed…”
“Nope. I was working with the animals when you fell. I’ll deal with that. And the kids… I can order a pizza. I know Columbo’s delivers here.”
“They do.” Grimacing, Mitch eased down on the bed, letting Cam get his legs up.
“The brace?”
“Off. Please. I just want to relax.”
“You got it.” Cam helped Mitch remove the brace before propping him up on pillows. “Let me go get the girls. I’ll be around doing work, so if you need to get up, have one of them come get me.”
Mitch just nodded, his lips tight, his jaw clenched.
“Do you need a pain pill?”
“I can’t take one yet, but I would take some Tylenol.”
“You got it.” Cam could do that.
And then he had to make a plan. Because dammit, as much as it wasn’t his place, he was going to have to take care of this man and his kids and this little ranch for the time being.
So he was going to cowboy up and figure it out.
Chapter Four
Mitch woke up sometime around two a.m., his body heavy from sleep, his brain fuzzy as three-week-gone cheese. Lord have mercy. He’d slept more than the clock around.
The girls had cuddled up into bed with him, turned onInside Outnumber whatever, and he’d been out like a light.
Shit. He had to pee again, his belly felt like it was caving in he was so hungry, and he had no idea where his kids were.
Grunting, he tried to sit up, but pain shot up from his back to throb in his temples, and he moaned, easing back down.
He heard a grunt and someone cleared their throat from over on the threadbare recliner he’d put in his bedroom when he’d first gotten home from the hospital.
“Hey. You’re awake. You need to hit the head?”
“Uh.” He blinked, because why was Campbell Halley sleeping in his bedroom? “Yeah.” His voice sounded rough as a cob to his own ears, so he coughed to clear it. “Where are the kids?”
“Asleep. They’re having a slumber party in the front room, with a blanket fort and pillows. So many pillows.” Cam rose, stretching, making his back pop, which Mitch envied.
“Yeah, they like squishy things. Can you help me into my brace?”
Cam came to stand by the bed, staring at him. “You need it to pee?”
