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“There are certain aspects I don’t care for much. Cows, for one. I really hate cows. But give me a horse and an open trail, and I’m as happy as can be.”
“So, you’re a cowboy who doesn’t like cows.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“One of these days, you’re going to go home and not want to come back to Missoula.”
He thought about it for a moment. “I’m sure that’s true.”
Chapter seven
"Don't call me sweetheart."
As the room spun and his pounding head felt like it was full of wet sand, Sawyer had only two clear thoughts. He’d gone the ten rounds. And he was hurt. He was hurt bad. He wasn’t sure how the other guy was, but once they announced Sawyer as the winner, he let the darkness overtake him.
He woke on a gurney with a paramedic shining a light in his eyes. He turned his head away from the light, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Keith Meyer’s face was a few feet away from his.
Sawyer tried to focus. “What happened?”
Keith patted his shoulder. “You won, kid. But you took a beating. The paramedics want to take you to the hospital.
Sawyer shook his head, then was instantly sorry he did. “No. No damn hospital.” He tried to sit, but Keith stopped him. He grabbed Keith’s shirt. “No hospital.”
Keith stepped away from him for a moment and Sawyer watched him through a blur as he talked to the paramedics. When he returned, Keith patted him again. “Okay, kid. I’ll take you home. But I’m not going to leave you alone tonight. Unless you have some pretty nurse stashed in your apartment. I’m it.”
“I do.”
“You do what?”
“Have someone at home. Just take me there.” He struggled into a sitting position, then Keith helped him to his feet. Sawyer leaned heavily on Keith while they walked the twenty feet to Keith’s car. It seemed like a mile.
When they got to the car, Keith opened the front door and helped Sawyer into the seat. When he got in behind the wheel, Sawyer looked at him. “What about my truck?”
“I’ll get it to you. I’ll have some of the boys from the gym get it in the morning. We’ll get your stuff out of the locker, too. Are the keys in your pants pocket?”
Sawyer nodded. “Don’t let Stevie drive it.”
Keith grinned. “You got it.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s after nine.”
“Shit. My sister.”
“You can call her when you get home.”
When they got to the apartment building, the twenty-foot walk he took to Keith’s car seemed like nothing. To get to his apartment, they had to go three times that far and up the stairs. He would've let Keith take him up in the elevator, but it had an ‘Out of Order’ sign taped to the door. Sawyer nearly passed out twice on the way up the stairs, and when they got to the door, Keith knocked.
“Are you sure there’s someone in there?”
“Yeah. Knock again.”
A muffled, “Who is it?” came through the door.
“Jade. Open up.”
“Sawyer?” The deadbolt clicked, then Jade opened the door with a gasp. “Oh my God.”
