Randall Riches Read Online Free

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.
     
    R ICH 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