Page 5 of The Cowboy’s Secret Lover

“I’m fine, honey,” he said. “Besides, I’ve been thrown lots of times.”

Erin’s blue eyes filled with tears. “I just don’t know what I would do without you,” she said.

Kurt felt the same way about his daughter, which is why he decided to ride bulls again, and would never complain.

“I’ll be fine,” he said. “You are the one I’m worried about.”

Before Erin could respond, the curtain was pulled aside. Faith stood nearby, with a tablet computer balanced on her arm. She wore a lab coat over a blouse of cream-colored silk. A pair of dark jeans and diamond hoop earrings completed her outfit. Her long, auburn hair had been pulled up into a low bun. Kurt’s heart skipped a beat and the heartrate monitor beeped.

“Hello,” she said. Stepping closer to the bed, she pulled the curtains closed. Then she held out her hand to Erin. “I’m Faith McGregor, a nurse practitioner, and you must be Erin.”

Erin gave a small smile as she shook the other woman’s hand. “I am.”

Kurt didn’t bother asking how Faith knew all about his daughter. After all, she had access to his medical records, including those that listed Erin as his daughter and emergency contact.

“How are you feeling?” she asked Kurt.

“My head still hurts but not as bad. It’s my knee that bothers me the most now.”

“I have the results from the CT scan that I ordered. The good news is, you only have a concussion and the bleeding in your brain has stopped on its own.”

Kurt said, “I assume if there’s good news, then there’s bad news, too.”

“I’m afraid that you’re right,” said Faith. “It appears that you’ve only received a concussion today, but you’ve had plenty of head injuries over the years and I’m worried that you really can’t take much more without suffering permanent damage.”

Kurt went cold. Still, he smiled. “That’s okay. I haven’t had much use for my mind in a long time.”

“I’m sorry,” said Faith. “This isn’t a joke. I’m not going to give you medical clearance to return to bull riding. As far as you are concerned, your rodeo career is over.”