Page 105 of Cowboy Daddies

My chest feels tight.

“He made it six seconds,” Levi says quietly.

I nod, staring at Tripp. “And then he got hurt.”

Levi's hand is still around my wrist. When I look down, his fingers loosen, but he doesn't pull away completely.

“We'll wait,” he says.

I glance at him.

There's something in his expression that makes me realize he isn't only worried about Tripp. He's worried about me too.

I swallow and turn back toward the arena.

The medics carefully roll Tripp onto the stretcher. He looks impossibly small against the wide expanse of dirt, so different from the powerful cowboy I’d seen just minutes ago.

The cheering has stopped now. The stands are as silent as I’ve ever heard them. There’s not even a whisper of chatter. The whole place is holding its breath.

All I can hear is the distant buzz of the arena lights and Levi's steady breathing beside me.

This is my worst nightmare. Even though it kills me, I let go of his hand.

Chapter Eleven

Levi

“Go,” Marci whispers, dropping my hand. Her voice is thick with pain, and her face is impossibly white. I know I need to go, to rush to Tripp’s side, to ride in the ambulance with him, and to be at his side in the hospital.

But I know even before I ask that Marci’s not going to come with me. I stare at her for a moment, paralyzed at the thought of losing her, of losing them both.

But I’ve known her for a day, and Tripp for what feels like my whole life. He needs me. There’s no real choice to make.

So I smile weakly, give one last kiss on her soft cheek, and race down the stands, reaching the ambulance just as they are loading him in. “Wait!” I cry. “That’s my… he’s my partner.”

Normally, I’d use the word partner and hope they took it in a rodeo sense, rather than a significant other sense. Both things are true, and most small towns weren’t very open-minded. But as the paramedics stare at me, I remember where I am. This is Blue River. As I had put it yesterday, a town full of gay men, or bi men, more accurately. A town centered on unorthodox relationships.

I clear my throat and start again. “He’s my rodeo partner,” I explain. “And my life partner.”

The paramedic, a lanky man with dark curly hair that’s on the longish side, smiled. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Hurry and hop up in here. They’re expecting us at the hospital.”

I nod, tears pricking the corners of my eyes, and hop into the back of the truck, taking a seat on the bench that ran along the side wall, across from Tripp. There’s an oxygen mask covering his face, and his eyes are dark with pain. I’ve never seen him look so small.

“What’s… What…” I falter. I’m not sure what to ask, and I don’t want to voice the terrible thoughts running through my head. I squeeze my eyes shut and swallow hard.

“Hey.” The medic’s voice is soft. Strong. Calming. “That was a rough fall. It’s okay to be scared. But I’ve seen worse. This is going to be okay. I really believe that. He’s going to hurt, and he’s going to need you to be strong for him. You’ve got this.”

The surety of his voice eases the turbulence of the emotions roiling through me and I force my watery eyes open. They’re clouded with tears and before I can clear them, there’s an awkward pat on my knee. I look down and see Tripp. He’s the one who’s hurting and yet he’s trying to comfort me.

Typical Tripp. I grab his hand and hold it tightly. Tripp has always been the stronger one in our relationship. And it’s always worked for us. But it’s not right now. It’s my turn.

I won’t let him down.

And before I can stop it, a glimmer of hope rolls through my brain.

Maybe I can not let Marci down either.

Tripp