“Shall I wait until after you call so I can make arrangements for your horse?” She waited, but she didn’t smile. She didn’t look friendly, either. She looked more like she had last night when she thought he was conning her.

“Why would you want to drive to Wyoming?”

“I don’t,” she snapped, taking another step toward the door.

“Look, some of the women around here seem to think that if a guy pays any attention to her, he’s offering something long-term. I didn’t want to give you the wrong idea. I’ll give you some money to carry you ’til you get a new job. I know I owe you that much, but—”

She fished the keys out of her pocket and said, “I’ll go get my bag out of the truck and then leave the keys at the desk in the emergency room. Good luck!”

She headed for the door.

“Wait!” he ordered, but he wasn’t really surprised when she kept going. He tried to swing his legs to the floor and fell with a cry.

She stopped and looked at him. Then she moved toward him. He smiled at her, expecting her help to get back into bed. His ankle hurt, but at least he’d stopped her from leaving. Instead, she punched the button for the nurse.

“Yes? How may I help you?” A voice came through the intercom.

“Mr. Randall has fallen out of bed,” she said calmly.

Almost immediately two nurses reached the door. They rushed to his side. He watched the waitress move to the door again. “Please, don’t leave! Make her stop, nurse!” he pleaded.

“Ma’am, please wait. Surely you don’t want to upset the patient.”

After staring at first the patient and then the nurse, she gave the conventional answer, “Of course not,” but he noted the complete lack of concern in her voice.

“Now, Mr. Randall, don’t try to get up again or the doctor won’t release you in the morning,” the nurse warned after they had him settled.

When they left the room, he asked the waitress, “Why would you be willing to drive me all the way to Wyoming?”

“Because I need to get away from here and it would save me the cost of a bus ticket.”

Her simple explanation raised a few questions. “Why do you need to get away?”

“None of your business.”

“It is if you’ve broken the law.”

“Well, duh, if I’m a criminal, you don’t want me to drive you anyway.” She moved closer to the door again.

“Wait! Look, it would help me a lot if you’d drive me. I just didn’t want—I mean—”

“I’m not expecting a wedding ring in exchange for two or three days’ driving.”

He drew a deep breath. “Okay, then I won’t need to call my family. I’ll call them when I get out of this place. But my horse… Hopefully Gabe will be there.”

“Who is he? Family?”

“Yeah, kind of a second cousin.”

“Why doesn’t he drive you home?”

“Because he’s on the hunt for the National Championship. He can’t afford to miss a single rodeo. But he’ll be glad to help with Bella if he’s still in town.”

“Fine. Is Bella hard to load?”

“No, but whoever you get to take care of her can load her for you, and hook up the trailer. Hand me my billfold, please. It’s in that drawer,” he said, waving her in the direction of the bedside table.

She opened the drawer and took out a leather wallet, then handed it to him.

He pulled out three one-hundred-dollar bills. Holding them out to her, he said, “You should be able to hire someone for a hundred, but if you need to pay more, you’ll have it. Before you hitch the trailer up, fill up the gas tank. You might get us some drinks for the trip, too.”

She stood there staring at the money. “Are you crazy?” she finally asked.

He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t hand over that much money to a stranger,” she said, as if speaking to a child.

“You’ll need it.”

“I don’t think so.”

Frustration filled him. “Just take the damn money. And tell me your name.”

“Samantha Jeffers,” she said slowly.

“My name is Rich Randall,” he replied, handing her the bills.

She took the money, folded it and slipped it into the pocket of her tight jeans. “I’ll return what I don’t spend.”

“Fine. I should be ready to go by eight o’clock. You can make that, can’t you? Since you’ve already packed.” He regretted his sarcasm as soon as it left his lips. He needed her. It wouldn’t be wise to insult her.

“I’ll be here.” Without another word, she left.

Rich leaned back against the pillow, feeling as if he’d just fought a battle. The woman was difficult. And he hoped he hadn’t made a mistake.

GABE RANDALL WAS saying his goodbyes when Sam reached the rodeo grounds. She explained what had happened to Rich, and Gabe offered to stay an extra day to help him out.

She refused his generosity, explaining that Rich had told her that Gabe didn’t have any spare time. She asked him to show her the feed and where to get water, and she’d take care of everything else.

Gabe did more than that. He showed her everything that would need to be done, and he introduced her to several men who worked at the barn. They agreed to help her the next morning.

“You’ve been very kind,” Sam said, shaking Gabe’s hand.

“Are you and Rich, uh, together?”

“No. I’m just helping him out.”

“Well, Rich is a lucky man.”

Sam figured she would be the one everyone would think lucky, if their engagement were real. The cowboy, like his cousin Gabe, was a handsome man.

“Do you have everything you need?” Gabe asked, seemingly reluctant to abandon her.

“Thanks to you, I do,” she assured him.

“Well, I hope I’ll see you again. I’ll be stopping by Rawhide after the Nationals. Will you be there?”

“Maybe,” she said with a grin.

“If Rich is as smart as I think he is, then I will be seeing you again. Tell Rich I hope he heals quickly.”

With a frown, Sam asked, “Will he come back to the rodeo then?”

“Maybe. But I don’t think so. I don’t think his heart is in it.” Then he shook her hand and walked away.

After Gabe left, Sam examined the trailer, hoping it was one of those that had a bed and storage at the front end. But no such luck. However, she could stay in the cab of the truck again, as she had last night. And the rodeo offered bathing facilities for the cowboys who stayed in trucks and trailers.

She made a run to a grocery store and bought some drinks and snack food. She also paid for a cheap blanket. It got cool at night in Flagstaff. But she knew it got downright cold in Wyoming. Then she drove to a gas station and filled the truck. When she returned to the rodeo grounds, she visited Bella. She’d been around horses a lot when she was little. Her father had made a little money following the rodeo and she’d cleaned stables alongside him.

Bella, she decided, was much sweeter than her owner. Sam and the mare became friends in the shadows as the light faded. Then she returned to the truck. With her new blanket, she settled down for the night.

RICH FOUND HIMSELF looking forward to Sam’s return. Or did she prefer to be called Samantha? He seemed to remember the café cook calling her Sam, but Rich didn’t think she liked the man too much. Maybe he’d ask her.

He was feeling much more congenial toward the waitress this morning because everything had been worked out. He was leaving the hospital. It wasn’t a bad hospital, but he wanted out. He would be mobile again with his walking cast. And, most important of all, he was going home.

They brought in breakfast at seven. Rich enjoyed the scrambled eggs, biscuits and sausage. He figured it would save them a stop until lunch. If they pushed it, they might reach Rawhide late tomorrow. If they needed more time, they could pull in the next day at a reasonable time. It depended on what the driver could handle.

He was just finishing breakfast when Sam walked in. “You’re early,” he exclaimed.

“I thought you might be anxious.”

He grinned. “Yeah, I am.” He punched the nurse’s button. “Hey, I’m ready to go. What do I have to do?”

“The doctor will be there soon,” the disembodied voice assured him.

He scowled at Sam. “Did everything go all right?”

“Yes.”

“Gabe took care of everything?”

“Yes,” she repeated, smiling but reserved.

“You’re not a big talker, are you?”

“No.”

He stared at her, wondering if she was normally so taciturn. She’d seemed friendly enough the night she’d brought him to the hospital. Since then, they’d been at odds most of the time.

“Did you get breakfast?”

This time she nodded, just as the nurse came in to collect the breakfast tray. “Doctor just came on the floor, so he’ll be here any time now.”

Rich thanked her. After she left, he got up to visit the bathroom.

“Can you make it?” she asked, taking a step forward.

“Yeah. I’ll be right out.”

The nurses had slit the right leg on his jeans, which made it easy to get them on. He’d have to see if his mom could sew the seam again when he got the cast off since these were his favorite pair of jeans.

He came out of the bathroom just as the doctor entered the room. “Hey, Doc, I’m ready to go.”

“I can tell. Good thing your fiancée is here to drive you.”

Rich came to an abrupt halt, staring at Sam. She gave him a cool stare, not bothering to explain. “Uh, yeah.”

“You remember you’re not to drive for four weeks,” the doctor reminded him.

He gave a nod but said nothing, still watching Sam.

The doctor turned to Sam, too, and handed her a small bottle of pills. “These are pain pills. He’s going to suffer some before things get better. Be careful with these, they’re pretty strong. Don’t overdo them.”

“No, I won’t.”

“I should be in charge of those,” Rich protested, holding out his hand.

Sam slipped the bottle into her purse. “Is there anything else, Doctor?” she asked, ignoring Rich.

“Yeah. He’ll be more comfortable if his leg is elevated. And he should see his own doctor when he gets home.”

“Of course. I’ll remind him,” she said and gave the doctor a smile that lit up her face. Rich hadn’t gotten that kind of smile.

“That’s it, then,” the doctor said. He held out a hand to Sam and, in Rich’s mind, held it too long. Then he shook Rich’s hand. “Good luck.”

Sam didn’t move until the doctor had gone. “Ready? I’ll get your jacket.”

A nurse came in with a wheelchair. “Here we are, Mr. Randall.”

“I have a walking cast,” he pointed out.

“Good for you. Get in.”

“But I—”

“Hospital rules,” the nurse said, her manner firm.

He ignored the smile Sam was giving him and sat down in the chair.

She said, “I’ll go ahead and pull the truck around to the door.”

As she hurried ahead of them, the nurse said, “Pretty girl. When are you getting married?”

“We’re not!” Rich snapped.

“The doctor said she was your fiancée.”

“No, she’s a friend.” He needed to ask Sam about how the doctor had gotten the idea that they were engaged. But first he needed to get out of the hospital.

The nurse wheeled him outside and up to the truck. Once he was inside, Sam drove to the back of the parking lot and stopped. “Do you want to check on Bella?”

“Yeah.” Had he been that obvious? Or did she understand about cowboys and their horses? He didn’t know, but he was glad she’d stopped. He hobbled out of the cab and checked the connection between the truck and the trailer. Then he opened the trailer and tested the halter Bella was wearing.

“Everything is fine,” he pronounced to Sam. “I should have known since Gabe took care of it.”

Sam said nothing.

Once he was back inside, Sam pulled out a map. “I assume we’ll be going east on—”

He stopped her. “No, we’re going north, through Utah, into western Wyoming.” He pointed out the route he wanted to take. “Okay?”

“Whatever you say. I’d like to stop and buy you a couple of pillows. It will make the ride easier.”

“I don’t need them,” he replied.

Showing no emotion, she said, “Whatever you say,” repeating a phrase that should’ve pleased him. They settled into the truck and she started the motor.

“Where were you going to stop for pillows?”

“There’s a shopping center on the next block.”

She didn’t urge him again to consider pillows. Finally, he said, “We might as well get a couple of pillows. Thanks for thinking of it.”

“No problem.”

She pulled into the economy store’s parking lot. “Do you need anything else?” she asked, as she reached for the door handle.

“Did you get drinks?”

“Yes, they’re in the back. I’ll get a couple out when I get back.”

He watched her trot across the parking lot, wondering why she was irritating him. What she said had been perfectly polite, accommodating.

She returned with two pillows and cases to cover them. She removed the plastic and slid them into the cases and handed them in to him. Then she grabbed a six-pack of sodas and put them on the floorboard.

After she got in the truck, she told him to undo his seat belt and move to the middle of the seat.

“Why?”

“Well, since your right leg is the one hurting, we need to put it on the seat.”

He insisted on putting the pillow against the door and putting both his feet on the seat next to her. She didn’t argue. She took the other pillow and put it under his foot. Then she got a soda and opened it, passing it to him. He assumed they were ready to go, but then she pulled the pills the doctor had given her out of her purse. “Take this,” she ordered, handing the small pill to him.

“I don’t need it,” he said.

“You’re already hurting. There’s no need to suffer.”

With a sigh he took the pill, then sipped some soda. “Fine.”

She didn’t reply.

Once she started the truck, he relaxed against the door. The pillows had been a good idea. He began to feel bad about his difficult behavior. He noticed The Hot Skillet ahead. Thinking to make up for his boorishness, he said, “We can stop at the restaurant so you can tell your friends goodbye.”

“No!” she replied sharply. “No, thanks, that’s not necessary.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want them to know where I’m going.”

“You didn’t take anything you shouldn’t have, did you?” He regretted the question. Her face paled and her jaw tightened.

“No.”

“I didn’t mean—” He broke off, remembering why he was still wary of her. “Hey, why did the doctor call you my fiancée?”

Chapter Three

“You sure must be popular with the ladies,” Samantha said, not directly answering his question. “Relax and go to sleep. I promise I won’t marry you while you’re napping.” Okay, so she shouldn’t be sarcastic, but she was tired of this man accusing her of something.

“I didn’t mean to sound so suspicious,” he apologized, turning on the charm. “But a man gets alarmed when he’s told he’s engaged to a stranger. An attractive stranger, I’ll admit, but still a stranger.”

“Like I said, you don’t have to worry. I’m not looking for a husband. Just a ride. So you can save your cowboy charm for someone more susceptible.”

He chuckled, even as his eyelids began to droop. “You think I’m flirting?” His voice grew softer, a little slurred.

Sam watched him out of the corner of her eye until she was sure he was down for the count.

It wasn’t the first time she’d been falsely accused, though no one had ever suggested she was trying to trick a man into marriage. She’d discovered the newest person on the job had to walk a straight line or all kinds of sins would be heaped on her head. She kept her gaze on the road and he remained silent also.

A couple of minutes later, he gave a little snore. She gradually relaxed. It took energy to resist that charm she’d accused him of using.

At least she didn’t have to worry about Brad anymore. He had no idea where she was now. Thanks to Rich Randall. She looked at him once again noting how handsome he was. Frowning, she turned back to the road. He looked familiar, but she knew she hadn’t met him before.

With a shrug, she shoved that thought away. The less she looked at him or talked to him, the better off she’d be.

RICH SLEPT all morning. He awoke a couple of minutes around two when she stopped to fill up. She’d grabbed herself a hot dog while she was paying the bill. As she started to leave the station, she thought she ought to buy one for Rich, too. If he didn’t want it, she’d eat it. Breakfast seemed a long time ago.

When she got in the truck cab, he was awake, frowning.

“Is your ankle hurting?”

“My ankle and my head. Where are we?”

“We’re in Utah. Want a hog dog?”

Still frowning, he sat up a little bit, reached for the hot dog with a thanks, and ate it quickly.

When Sam held out another pill, he intended to refuse it, but the annoying pain had him reaching for it. Two minutes later, he was sleeping again.

Samantha waited until he’d nodded off to eat her own hot dog. Then she nursed her soda, making it last as she headed down the road again. She’d checked Bella’s water while the truck filled, and the horse had seemed to be all right.

She decided she’d need to watch for a horse motel when it got time to halt for the night. Rich hadn’t mentioned any place, even though he’d obviously driven this route before.

But she was pleased. Flagstaff was behind her. And a new life was ahead of her.

JUST THEN, the phone rang at the Randall home in Rawhide, Wyoming.

“Jake, is that you?” a voice asked when Jake Randall picked up the phone.

Jake knew he should recognize the voice of the caller, but he couldn’t quite place it. “Yeah, who’s this?”

“It’s your cousin, Gabe.”

“Gabe. How are you? Rich said you were in the hunt for the Nationals.”

“I’m doing okay. Listen, is Pete there? I need to speak with him.”

Jake waved to his brother, sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in front of him. “Here’s Pete.”

Pete took the phone. “Gabe? How are you? Are you coming our way?”

“No, sorry. I’m heading for California. I just wanted to check on Rich. He has called you, hasn’t he?”

Pete felt his heart clutch. “What are you talking about?”

“Ah. He didn’t call. Well, I hope I did the right thing. A young lady stopped by the rodeo grounds yesterday, she was driving Rich’s truck. She asked me to show her what needed to be done to load up Bella. Seems Rich had a bad fall Sunday. He was in the hospital, she said. A broken ankle.”

“A broken ankle?” Pete exclaimed, catching the attention of everyone sitting at the kitchen table. Especially Janie, his wife.

“Yeah. I tried to call him at the hospital afterward. I was a little worried, but there was no answer. That’s why I thought I’d check with you.”

“Well, thanks for the heads-up, Gabe. I’ll check things out. Good luck this week. And come see us when you can.”

“Will do. Hope everything’s all right with Rich.”

Pete hung up the phone. His wife, Janie, was beside him, her eyes big. “Now, honey, don’t worry. I’m sure everything is fine,” he said at once, as if he weren’t worried.

Pete’s three brothers and their wives were all there when the call came and all started firing questions.

Holding up his hand to stop their questions, Pete returned to the table and sat down beside Janie. “Now, a broken ankle is nothing. I mean, it will stop Rich’s career for a while, but I’m sure he’ll be all right.”

“But why hasn’t he called?” Janie demanded.

“Because he’s a man and he can take care of himself,” Pete assured her.

“But he won’t be able to drive home,” Jake pointed out.

“I know. But he’s got a friend with him.” Everyone relaxed as he added, “I’m sure she’ll drive him home.”

Janie stiffened. “She? His friend is a woman?” B.J., Jake’s wife, chuckled. “Are you surprised? Rich has always attracted the ladies.”

“Yes, but I—I want him to marry someone from around here, not some—some rodeo floozie!”

“Now, Janie,” Pete said soothingly, “Gabe said she was a friend. He would’ve said something if the woman was, uh, something else.”

Jake leaned forward. “Yeah, you can trust Gabe, Janie. He’s family.”

They hadn’t really known Gabe long, but he’d clicked with the men in the family at once. His father, a cousin of their father, had lived in Kansas City. Gabe’s father and his wife had been to visit after their honeymoon. They’d planned another trip, but he’d been in an automobile accident and had died. Their father had gone to the funeral and offered the widow a home with him and his boys. But she was pregnant with Gabe. She’d chosen to remain in Kansas City.

She came to see them one more time, when Gabe was six, but she’d been a sad woman. She remarried when Gabe was eight. Then she’d died when Gabe was twelve.

They’d lost track of Gabe until Toby, Jake’s oldest, went on the rodeo circuit. Since then Gabe had visited several times. He’d even discussed the possibility of making Rawhide his permanent home.

“What can we do?” Janie asked, drawing Pete’s attention back to his son.

“I don’t know. He’s not carrying a cell phone. I’ll call the hospital and make sure he was there.”

He returned to the phone with everyone watching. When he finished the call, he told Janie that Rich had been released that morning with a walking cast. “The nurse said his fiancée was there to drive him home.”

“Oh, no!” Janie exclaimed, covering her face with her hands.

RICH STRUGGLED awake, something nagging at him. When he opened his eyes and saw Sam driving, he tried to sit up and groaned with the effort.

She glanced over at him. “You’re awake.”

“Sort of,” he said, shaking his head, hoping to rid himself of the grogginess he felt.

“How are you doing?”

“I don’t know. Where are we?”

“Right at the border of Wyoming. I’m looking for a horse motel for Bella, but so far I haven’t found one.”

He pulled himself up to look out the window. “There’s one about two more miles, next to a hotel. Nothing fancy but clean.”

“Good.”

When she didn’t say anything else, he asked, “How’s the trip going?”

“Fine.”

“You want to add any details to that answer?” he asked, exasperated.

“I’ve filled the truck up twice. I’ve checked Bella each time. I’m tired. Want to know anything else?”

He shook his head and sighed. “Sorry I slept so long.”

“There wasn’t anything for you to do.”

“I could’ve kept you company,” he pointed out.

“I’m not much of a conversationalist.”

No kidding. “Hey, you never answered my question about why the doctor thought you were my fiancée,” he suddenly remembered. This time he was getting an answer.

“I was afraid they’d toss me out of the room when the doctor asked me if I was family. I didn’t think I’d pass for your sister. It seemed the best thing to say.”

A simple enough explanation. He should’ve figured it out himself, but he’d been jolted by the doctor’s statement.

“I see.”

“You’re paranoid about women, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. That wasn’t a subject he wanted to discuss with her. “Hey, where are you from? You got family somewhere?”

“No.”

He stared at her. “You don’t have family?”

“Not that I know of. But it doesn’t affect my driving.”

“Cute,” he drawled. “I didn’t say it did. I was just surprised. So where are you from?”

“My birth certificate says Dallas, Texas.”

He shifted his weight and winced.

“You in pain? Need another pill?” she asked.

“No, I don’t need another pill. Do you hate conversation that much?”