Chapter Nineteen
Ishould havegone home, Chase thought, getting ready for his first ride. He knew Damaris couldn’t be too badly hurt or Marshall would have told him, but he still felt guilty leaving Marshall with all the work that Damaris usually shared with him. Plus worrying about Damaris. Gabe could help, and they had the hands, not to mention Ella, but still… At any rate, when he talked to Damaris she also told him it was no big deal and: “Don’t you dare come home until that rodeo is over.”
So he stayed. And wished he hadn’t after his first horse bucked him off in three seconds. Damn, what was wrong with him? He was distracted, worrying about home. That’s what. Maybe tomorrow would be better. He called Ella that night.
“Hey, how’s Damaris?” he asked when she answered.
“Didn’t you talk to Marshall?”
“Yeah, earlier. I talked to Damaris too. She sounded okay.”
“Well, she’s not. The last I heard she was staying in the hospital overnight. They’re keeping her for observation because of her concussion.”
“But she’ll be fine, right? Both she and Marshall said it wasn’t that bad.”
He could swear he heard her sniff derisively. Or maybe he just felt guilty.
“They don’t want to worry you.”
“I specifically asked Marshall if he wanted me to come home. He said not until the rodeo is over. Damaris backed him up.” Obviously, Ella thought he’d screwed up. He could hear it in her voice.
“Chase, Damaris is in the hospital with broken ribs and a concussion. That’s not nothing. The concussion alone will keep her from doing much for several weeks. Marshall is going to need help.”
“Then why the hell didn’t he say so?” But he knew why. He’d missed so much of the season they didn’t want him to miss any more.
“Because he and Damaris—not to mention, Gabe; in fact, your whole family, I’m sure—are determined not to make you miss any more rodeos since you’ve already missed so much of the season.”
Exactly what he’d thought. “Why do you sound like you’re pissed?”
“I’m not pissed. I just don’t understand you people.”
“Because I’m not coming home instantly when Damaris is fine?” The flare of guilt intensified, but it annoyed the hell out of him that Ella clearly thought he was wrong.
“Fine? You call a concussion and broken ribs fine?”
“I call it one of the hazards of being a rancher,” he shot back. “You should know. It’s not like you’re unfamiliar with ranches and how they work.”
“I’m familiar with them, all right. And I’m very familiar with how rodeo cowboys work.”
“Ella, I—”
“I’ve got to go.”
“Wait.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Look, if I’d realized it was that bad I’d have come home. I still can.” He’d just eat the entry fee.
“Don’t do it on my account. It’s none of my business.”
“I’m calling Marshall. I’ll let you know what we decide.”
He called his brother, asked him again if they needed him at the ranch.
“No,” Marshall said. “I told you, we can handle it. Damaris would feel terrible if she thought you weren’t staying because of her. You’ll be coming back right after, won’t you?”
“Yeah. Ella seemed to think it’s worse than either of you told me.”
“Ella’s overreacting. Everything’s fine. Don’t come back until you’re done.”
He called Ella again and told her he’d be back tomorrow after the rodeo. He knew what this was about. It was tied in to Ella’s feelings about her ex. He understood it, but it pissed him off that the bastard, what he’d done to her, still had the power to affect her, to color her reactions.
