(3 Book Romance Bundle)
Loving The Bull Ride
Cowboy Down Under
The Escort Next Door
Copyright 2016
Table of Contents
Loving The Bull Rider
Cowboy Down Under
The Escort Next Door
Loving The Bull Rider
by
Helen Evans
Copyright © 2014 by Helen Evans
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Loving The Bull Rider
All rights reserved.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. No part of this work may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording and faxing, or by any information storage and retrieval system by anyone but the purchaser for their own personal use.
This book may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Helen Evans, except in the case of a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages for the sake of a review written for inclusions in a magazine, newspaper, or journal—and these cases require written approval from Helen Evans prior to publication. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
Chapter One
Dinner Guest
I distractedly chewed my food, my attention too focused on the novel I was reading to notice much of anything else around me. Although the sterile, cool air of the hospital caused goose bumps on my arms, which was hard to ignore, or maybe that was a result of the place I was at in my book. The heroine was moments away from certain death, but the hero was right outside the door, ready to barge in and rescues her. I sighed.
If only my life were a romance novel. I could get out of this small town, away from the monotony of my job, and the loneliness of my bed. Of course, I’d have to leave my family, but that would be a small price to pay for some excitement in my life. I took another bite of my turkey sandwich, and then set it down on the cellophane wrapping it had come in. I flipped through the pages faster, wanting to witness the heartfelt reunion between the two main characters when the hospital’s intercom buzzed.
“Nurse Montgomery to the ER. Nurse Montgomery to the ER.”
So much for having a peaceful lunch break. I really should stop expecting the luxury of finishing a meal in this place. I gathered my trash and tossed it into the garbage can on my way out of the cafeteria. As I stood waiting for the elevator, I seriously considered what my life would be like if I were to leave this town. I’d been born and raised here in this small town of Onalaska, Georgia. But the town was dwindling, people were leaving, factories were closing, jobs were being lost. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful everyday for the things I have, but I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t more out there.
The elevator dinged, and I stepped inside the crowded car. There were a couple of nurses who were new to the staff. They gave me polite smiles and carried on with their private conversation as if I weren’t even there. I stared at the glowing numbers as they slowly ticked down, until they finally stopped on the first floor.
“This is me,” I mumbled as I stepped out into the ER. “You paged me?” I said to Claire, the secretary on duty.
“Oh, hey Rebecca. Doctor Masters is looking for you. He’s in the fourth exam room on the left.”
“Thanks,” I said, as I headed back toward the hallway of exam rooms. I wasn’t all that surprised Doctor Masters paged me specifically. We worked well together, and I was one of the few nurses who could handle his brusque, no-nonsense attitude.
I carefully pulled open the curtain and peeked inside. “You asked for me, Doctor Masters?”
“Yes. Come in.”
Stepping inside, I pulled the curtain closed to protect the patient’s privacy, and went to stand beside the doctor.
“What do we have today?” He said. There was a young boy lying on the table, face pale and clammy, eyes closed.
“Broken ankle. It needs to be set, and I need your help,” Doctor Masters said as he moved around the bed. “He’s already been given a mild sedative and some pain medication. I had to send his parents back to the waiting room. His mother was inconsolable.”
I nodded. I would’ve preferred to have been able to speak to the patient directly, but he was clearly out as a result of the sedative. It was for the best. Setting a bone was painful, and not something any child should have to be conscious enough to experience. “What’s his name?” I asked.
“Billy Jenkins.”
The Jenkins boy. I should’ve known. His family had lived on my street for almost three years now. I smoothed the hair from his forehead and leaned closer. “It’s okay, Billy. It’s me, Rebecca. I’m going to be right here the entire time, okay?”
I knew he couldn’t answer me, and I doubted he could even hear me, but I was a firm believer that a kind voice during a trauma like this was helpful. Other nurses and even a majority of the doctors thought I wasted my time, but I didn’t care. In my mind, I was helping and that’s all that mattered to me.
“Are you ready?” Doctor Masters asked.
“Yes,” I leaned over the boy’s body in an effort to keep him still in the off chance he jerked involuntarily while having his ankle set. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened.
I closed my eyes and tried to prepare myself for the unmistakable sound of the bones being cracked and set back into place. I heard Doctor Masters quietly count to three, and then I cringed. No matter how many times I did this, I would never get comfortable with that sound. It always reminded me of the time I’d fallen off my grandfather’s horse and broke my leg. I swore the sound of it had been worse than the pain itself.
“All right, let’s get this foot into a cast before he wakes.”
“Ok,” I responded. I once again smoothed the hair from the little boys face and smiled. There didn’t appear to be any signs of distress on his face, and I was thankful for that. “Would you like me to let his parents know things went well?” I asked.
“Yes, that would be great,” he said, scribbling on the boy’s chart, not bothering to look up from it. “Have me paged as soon as you get that cast on, and I’ll give his family discharge instructions.”
“Okay,” I told the Doctor. I scurried out of the room to gather the supplies for a cast, including another set of hands. Thankfully, I only had an hour left of my shift. It had been calm compared to some nights, but still, I was exhausted. It would be heaven to get home and climb into my bed.