Texas Rebels: Quincy Read online

  Lindsay came through the double doors to the ER and her face was pale. Jenny ran to her. “How is he?”

  “His pulse is low, as is his body temperature. He has hypothermia and they’re trying to warm him up to his core temperature. He has a bump on his head and he’s lost some blood, plus he has a concussion. They’re taking him to the intensive-care unit where they’ll do some extensive testing. He’s...he’s in critical condition. How long was he out in this weather?” The question was directed at Jenny, and Quincy didn’t like the tone, but he stayed out of it.

  “He wanted to go check on that calf he’s been looking for for the past two days. I told him it was getting late and I would do it first thing in the morning. He wouldn’t listen to me and I told him if he wasn’t back in thirty minutes I was coming to look for him. Then he got mad and told me I treat him like a little kid and that he could take care of himself. When he didn’t come back, I gave him an extra five minutes and then got in my truck and went to find him. I drove all over and that’s when I really got worried. Then I saw his truck over near Quincy’s barn, but he wasn’t in it. I searched and searched until I saw him on the ground. I couldn’t wake him and I tried to drag him to the truck so I could get him in it, but then it started to rain and I covered his body with mine. I didn’t want to leave him, but I knew I had to do something. I was going to drive to the house to call 9-1-1 when Quincy showed up.”

  “You should never have let him go out of the house in the first place in this weather.”

  Jenny stiffened. “Don’t talk to me as if I’m one of your employees. He’s my dad and you think I wanted him out there in this weather? Do you think I wanted him to get hurt?”

  “I’m sorry,” Lindsay immediately apologized. “I’m just so worried.”

  “Me, too.”

  The sisters embraced and Quincy thought only brothers fought and argued, but he guessed sisters did, too.

  Lindsay drew back, eyeing Jenny’s bedraggled wet and muddy appearance. “I’ll send someone to get you some scrubs.”

  “I can get them myself,” Jenny snapped.

  Lindsay looked at her sister. “Let’s stop arguing. I’m going to ICU while you get changed.” She walked off down the hall.

  Jenny turned to Quincy. “Sorry for the sister drama.”

  He shrugged. “I’m used to brother drama, and trust me it’s much more volatile.”

  “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t showed up. Oh, Quincy.” She went into his arms and rested against his chest.

  All his wet and tired muscles came to life. All she had to do was touch him and he felt alive and young and all male. For years, he’d denied what he felt for her, but today, here in this hallway, all those feelings were right there and he knew he would love her forever, no matter if she loved his brother or not. The cruel irony stung.

  He held her away from him. “You better get cleaned up and go see your dad. I’ll see you later.”

  She reached up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Quincy.” She walked away, her wet sneakers squeaking on the shiny hospital floor.

  It was after eight o’clock when he climbed back into the truck. He found his phone in the backseat and he supposed his jacket and slicker were in the ER. It didn’t matter. He had others.

  Checking his phone, he saw he had seven messages: two from his mother, two from Elias and three from Grandpa. Evidently, he’d been missed. First, he called his mother to let her know what had happened, then he called Elias because his grandpa would never get off the phone. Elias told him he’d already picked up the soup so Quincy headed home.

  Grandpa met him at the door loaded with a ton of Rebel drama. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick.”

  Quincy was soaked and cold and he was not in a mood to listen to Grandpa running on. “I told Elias what happened.” He walked into the house.

  “You couldn’t call?”

  He turned to face his grandpa. “Clyde was lying out there on the cold, hard ground, barely alive. No, I didn’t have time to pick up the phone and call my grandfather. I was worried the man wouldn’t make it.”

  Grandpa sagged and all of his seventy-six years showed in the wrinkles on his face. “I thought something had happened to you. I can’t lose a grandson, especially you.”

  He threw an arm around his grandpa’s shoulders. “I’m fine. I’m a little wet and tired, but fine.”

  “Don’t scare me like that again.”

  “I’ll try not to. Now I need a shower and some dry clothes.” He made his way down the hall to his room. As he was pulling on some jeans, Elias came into the room.

  “Grandpa was really shook up when we couldn’t find you. He made me go three times to your barn to check on you. The fourth time he went with me and we opened up the barn and looked around to satisfy him. Your truck was there, but you weren’t. He was afraid something had happened to you.”

  Quincy slipped on a fresh T-shirt. “I know. I called as soon as I could.”

  “Don’t do that to us again. I’m not equipped for this.”

  Quincy slapped his brother on the back. “You did great. Is any of that soup left?”

  “Grandpa wouldn’t let me eat all of it. He saved you a big bowl and some bread pudding,” Elias said on their way to the kitchen.

  Quincy put the bowl in the microwave to warm up the soup. “I’m going back to the hospital in a little while. Do you think you can handle Grandpa?”

  “Quincy.” Elias sighed deeply.

  “I don’t want Jenny to be alone.”

  Elias lifted an eyebrow. “Ah, Jenny. Sweet Jenny.”

  “Will you stop trying to read my mind and stop goading me?”

  “I don’t read at all, big brother. I just go by the signs. Anyway, isn’t Lindsay there?”

  Quincy took the bowl out of the microwave and sat at the table. “Yeah, but they’re both upset and worried and Lindsay has a tendency to pounce.”

  Elias straddled a chair. “Now, there’s a woman who’s wound too tight. I bet she doesn’t even have to curl her hair.”

  “Do you know everything about every woman in this town?”

  “Just about. That’s why they call me The Stud.”

  Quincy spit soup all over the table.

  “Hey, I’m serious.”

  “Since when?” Quincy took his bowl to the sink. Everyone should be as free and uninhibited as Elias. There would be a lot less heartache.

  Elias pointed a finger at him. “You tell Grandpa where you’re going.”

  “Tell Grandpa what?” Grandpa shouted from the living room.

  Quincy frowned at Elias and then made his way there. “I’m going back to the hospital to check on Clyde.”

  “Now? In this weather? You just got home.” Mutt was comfy in his bed by Grandpa’s chair. Evidently, the dog had opted for the warm house instead of the freezing weather.

  “Clyde’s in bad shape and I’m worried about Jenny.”

  Grandpa shook his head. “Boy, that’s just asking for trouble.”

  “It’s my life.”

  Elias plopped down on the couch. “When did you realize that?”

  “About two hours ago.” The moment Jenny had rested her head on his chest, he’d known there was no turning back for him. Like a poker game, he was going all in, heartache and all.

  Quincy finished dressing and found another coat. In the living room, he spoke to his grandfather. “I’ll call a little later. Elias will be here and he’ll fix your breakfast.”

  “We’re having cereal, Grandpa,” Elias said.

  Grandpa thumbed toward Elias. “He’s lazy.”

  “You better not complain. I’m all you got right now.”

  “Humph” was Grandpa’s response to that. “What was Clyde doing out in
this weather?”

  “He has the same disease you have. It’s called Stubborn Pigheadedness.”

  He pointed at Quincy. “Watch how you talk to your grandpa.”

  Quincy squeezed his grandpa’s shoulder. “I always do.”

  “Tell Jenny and her sister I’m praying for their dad.”

  “I will.”

  Quincy opened the door and a gust of cold air hit him right in the face. It might be presumptuous of him to go back to the hospital, but he knew he wouldn’t sleep worrying that something could happen to Clyde. Jenny might need him.

  Like Elias had told him, which he found strange since he never listened to his brother: he was going after what he wanted.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jenny was restless and couldn’t sit. She paced in the waiting room while Lindsay talked to the nurses. They were waiting for the doctor to come out and tell them what was wrong with their dad.

  So many emotions churned inside her, and through all of them she was cursing herself for not being more assertive and not letting her dad leave the house in bad weather. Lindsay would have put up a fuss and her dad would have stomped off to the living room as he usually did when Lindsay confronted him. But Jenny couldn’t talk to her father like that.

  She was filled with guilt. It was her fault her dad was injured. How was she going to live with that? She paced some more, wearing out the sneakers Nurse Denise had graciously loaned her. How she wished Quincy was here.

  She stopped in her path as a stubborn-ass truth hit her. For years she’d been avoiding her feelings for Quincy. Even a child could probably have seen how she felt about him. She went to Rebel Ranch because of Quincy, not to visit the horses, and certainly not to see Paxton.

  She ran her fingers through the tangled wet rattails of her hair. Don’t do this. Don’t do this, she repeated to herself. Not now when she was worried and upset. But she knew how she felt. Her future was with Quincy. How did she convince him of that?

  Lindsay was coming down the hallway and Jenny ran to meet her.

  “What did the doctor say?”

  “From the cardiac test and blood work, they’ve officially ruled out stroke and a heart attack. And the tests reveal no bleeding or swelling of the brain. They’ve concluded, as we thought, that from the bruise on his head he must’ve fallen. They’re waiting for him to wake up before doing more tests.”

  “What about his hip?”

  “The X-rays show no fractures or broken bones.”

  “Thank God. When can we see him?”

  “The doctor will be out in a minute.” Lindsay sat in one of the chairs and buried her face in her hands. That shook Jenny. Lindsay was very good at controlling her feelings.

  She sat by her sister. “What are you not telling me?”

  Lindsay raised her head. “I’m just upset that we’re not taking better care of our father.”

  Jenny drew back. “You mean you’re upset with me.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to.” Jenny got to her feet. “I’m not treating him like a kid, Lindsay. He’s a grown man and I’m not going to make him feel helpless and worthless. Yes, I regret that I didn’t go with him and I’ll probably regret that to the day I die. I’m well aware this is my fault.”

  “Jenny...”

  The doctor came out and Lindsay was immediately on her feet.

  “Your father is awake and asking for you. He’s got a few things mixed up in his head and he just wants to make sure his daughter is okay. Please only stay a few minutes. He really needs to get his rest.”

  Jenny hurried into the unit and to her father’s bed. She paused when she saw his face. Near his right temple was a big bruise and it was black-and-blue all the way to his eye. His skin was as white as his hair, and Jenny swallowed a sob that threatened to bring her to her knees.

  With strength she didn’t know she had she walked closer to the bed. “Daddy,” she whispered and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

  He opened his eyes and she was never so happy to see his beautiful blues. “There’s my girl,” he murmured.

  “How are you?”

  “I’m all right. I feel a little foolish, but that’s what happens when you have a hard head.”

  “Oh, Daddy.” She gently hugged him.

  “I saw your mother.”

  “What?” She wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.

  “I could see that mother cow by the woods, and if I drove my truck any closer she’d take off, so I got out slowly and made my way to her. I could see she’d had the baby in the bushes. The calf was okay so I started back to my truck and realized the sky was dark and it was fixing to rain. I guess I got in too big of a hurry. I tripped on a tree root and fell. That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up and I was shivering from the cold. I kept trying to get up, but I couldn’t, and I thought I would die out there. I guess I was fading in and out of consciousness. Then suddenly your mother was there. I could see her so clearly and she said, ‘Not now, Clyde. It’s not your time.’”

  Tears filled Jenny’s eyes and she tried her best not to cry, but she was losing the battle. Lindsay stood on the other side of the bed with a stone-like expression Jenny didn’t understand.

  “I wanted to go with her and she said no again and that Jenny was coming, and she told me to hold on. It was so cold, but I could feel her presence right there with me. Then I remember you pulling on me and the rain and I tried to wake up to help you, but couldn’t. Then your mother’s voice said, ‘Don’t worry. Quincy’s coming.’” He looked at Jenny. “Did Quincy come?”

  “Y-yes, Quincy put you in the truck.”

  Lindsay motioned to a nurse and walked over and spoke to her. The nurse nodded and came back with a syringe. She injected the medication into the IV in her father’s arm and soon he was out again. Jenny followed Lindsay into the waiting area, fuming.

  “Why did you do that? He was talking and he didn’t say he was in pain.”

  “He was talking crazy. Seeing Mama? He was just dreaming and when he wakes up he probably won’t mention it again. Rest is what he needs now.”

  “He needs you to stop being such a hard-ass.”

  Lindsay’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t start with me, Jenny.”

  Jenny went over to a love seat and sat down. She was exhausted beyond anything she’d ever felt, and arguing with Lindsay wasn’t going to make things better.

  “I’m going to my office to get some rest,” Lindsay said. “This would be a good time for you to go home and do the same thing.”

  “I’m not leaving Daddy.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  It was dark outside and Jenny had no idea what time it was. Then she saw the clock on the wall. Almost midnight. What a long night it had been. She curled up on the love seat, just needing a break to regroup. Heather, one of the nurses, brought her a pillow and a blanket.

  “Thanks,” Jenny said. “When my dad wakes up again, would you please call me?”

  “Will do.”

  Jenny stared into space, unable to sleep. A nurse from the ER came into the room with Quincy’s slicker and coat. “Jenny, I don’t mean to disturb you, but what would you like me to do with these things?”

  Jenny sat up. “I’ll take them.”

  “How’s your dad?”

  “He woke up, but he’s sleeping again. He’s going to be okay.”

  “That’s great. Try to get some rest.”

  Jenny laid Quincy’s slicker across the love seat and curled up holding his coat. It had a musky, male scent that reminded her of him, his warmth, his gentle spirit and his strong presence.

  She was drifting into sleep and she sensed she wasn’t alone. Turning her head, she saw Quincy standing there, as tall and strong as any
oak. All of a sudden everything seemed a little brighter. He was here. That was all she needed.

  She sat up. “You’re back.”

  He removed his hat, revealing dark hair that tended to curl, especially in damp weather. Sitting beside her he said, “I wanted to see how Clyde was doing.”

  She held on to his jacket as if it was the one thing in the world that could give her comfort. “It wasn’t a stroke or heart attack. He was hurrying to his truck and caught his foot on a tree root and fell. Evidently it knocked him out, but he woke up several times.”

  The love seat was small and she scooted a little closer to Quincy, just needing to be near him. “How did you find us?”

  “I was closing up for the night and for some reason I looked toward your property and saw the lights.”

  “What lights?”

  “Your truck lights.”

  An eerie feeling came over Jenny. “I didn’t have the truck lights on. I turned them off when I started looking for Dad. I didn’t want to run the battery down and it wasn’t dark yet and I still could see. I walked and walked until I found him, but there were no lights.”

  A confused look marred his face. “I saw lights.”

  “Dad says he saw my mother and she spoke to him saying to hang on, that Jenny was coming. He said he wanted to go with her but she said it wasn’t his time. And when I couldn’t pull him any farther she told him again to hang on, that Quincy was coming.”

  “Jenny, that’s weird.”

  “Isn’t it? Lindsay says he’s talking out of his head because of the hypothermia, but I believe him. I believe my mother was there and...”

  “And what?” He gently wiped a tear from her cheek.

  “I wanted to see her, too.” He gathered her into his arms and she snuggled against him. “I’m a little emotional right now.”

  “Just go to sleep.” He tried to pull the coat from her arms.

  “No. I want to keep it.”

  “Jenny, it’s damp.”

  “I don’t care.” She rested her face in the warmth of his neck, feeling his strength, and relaxed. So many years she’d tiptoed around her feelings, but tonight there were no restrictions, no boundaries, nothing holding her back. She kissed his neck and whispered, “I love you, Quincy.”