Dakota moved some furniture out of the way and dragged Brady as carefully as she could near the fireplace in the sitting room. Flipping on the gas fireplace, she set to work removing everything but his undergarments. Then she covered him in a couple of blankets.
His eyes fluttered open, bleary and confused. He looked around, his brows pulled together. Words coming out in a garbled mess, he met her gaze for just a moment. “Fire… horses need help.”
“Shhh.” She leaned over him and held his cheek in her hand. “You got them all out. They’re going to be okay.”
His eyes fluttered closed, his shallow breathing deepened—that was a good sign. Dakota chewed on her lip. But he wasn’t improving like she’d hoped. Carefully, she lifted his blanket and he shivered. She tucked the blanket under his arm. Brady groaned and his eyes shot open again. “What are you doin’?” he slurred as he attempted to pull away from her, but his strength was gone.
“I think it’s broken, Brady. What happened?” She attempted to rotate it.
He sucked in a breath and cursed. “Don’t do that!”
She glared at him. “It’s definitely broken, Brady. I need to set it.”
“I’rem fine,” he grumbled incoherently. “Just need… rest.”
The pounding on the roof lightened up. Dakota replaced the blanket over his body and crossed the room to get a jacket off a hook by the door. Tugging it around herself, she ran out into the rain toward the vet clinic building. If she was going to find the tools needed to set his break, they would be there.
Dakota flew through the door and to the back room where the supplies would normally be kept. She pulled open cabinets and drawers until she found a suitable splint and bandaging. She’d need a sling too, but that would be harder to find.
The medicine cabinet caught her attention. Brady would need pain medication too. It was locked and she had no idea where the keys could be. Brady would have to tell her. If drastic circumstances were to arise, she could always break the glass.
Gathering all the supplies in her arms, she ran back out into the rain that was now more like a drizzle. The smell of fresh earth mingled with the smoke of the now crumbled stable. Thank goodness the fire hadn’t spread.
Chapter Five
Pain, deep and excruciating pain, shot through his arm and to his fingers. He fought the nausea building in his stomach, threatening to overwhelm him. He opened his eyes. His chest burned with every breath and he felt lightheaded despite not moving around. Everything had been a blur from the moment he’d run out to the burning stable.
Brady opened his eyes. Had a woman been with him? He seemed to recall someone was here a little while ago. He turned his head to the side but saw no one. How did he get back into the house? The fireplace warmed him and soothed his chills. He closed his eyes briefly. He was either very lucky or very good.
The sound of a door opening startled him. He winced with the movement. A woman rushed to his side and dropped a pile of items on the ground. She was familiar. Where did he know her from? She lifted the blanket off him and straightened out his arm. She pressed something cool to his skin, causing it to burn.
“What are you doing?” he growled at her.
She gave him a look. “Your. Arm. Is. Broken.” She enunciated every word. “Not only that, but we need to clean the wound.”
In a flash, the memory returned. That blasted horse stepped on him. He groaned when she shifted him again. “Easy!” He stared at her, suddenly remembering where he knew her from. Oh yeah, she was Arthur’s cousin.
Her grey eyes softened. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.” She probed his arm with her fingers. “It feels like a clean break, but I really wish I had an X-ray.”
“There’s one at the clinic.” He sucked in a breath through his teeth. This was pure torture.
“Do you think you could make it out to the clinic for one?”
He met her eyes. The gentleness and concern penetrated him to his core. He moaned again as he used his right arm to prop himself up. Stars swam before his eyes and the inky clouds moved from the corners of his vision. He settled back down, his head thunking against the ground. “I don’t think so.”
“It’s pretty swollen, I can’t put a cast on it right now anyway. We’ll just splint it for now. Do you have a sling anywhere?”
Brady raised a brow. “What do I look like, a doctor?”
“You need one, Brady. I had to ask. Just be grateful I know what I’m doing.”
“We’re animal doctors, sweetheart, not people doctors. When the storm is over, I’ll just go to a real doctor.” He knew it sounded harsh, but he couldn’t help it.
Her soft expression hardened. “Don’t call me sweetheart.”
“I don’t exactly know your name, now, do I? You never told me.”
She placed the splint under his arm and wrapped a bandage around it, securing his arm to the board. “Dakota.”
Cute. It suited her, but he liked sweetheart better. He sucked in a breath between his teeth as pain shot through his arm. Despite the pain he was in, his thoughts continued to dwell on a certain black-haired beauty.
She cinched the wrap around his arm and tied a knot. He brought his knuckles to his mouth. This hurt worse than having the wind knocked out of him after being bucked from an angry horse.
“There. Done.” Dakota leaned back on her heels. “How do you feel?
“Like I was hit by a bus.” He coughed and wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. “It feels like my throat is on fire and when I tried to sit up, I felt like I was going to pass out.”
Her brows pushed together. “You might have complications from the smoke. I’m going to get you some water.” She got to her feet.
Brady’s hand shot out to grab her wrist. He needed to thank her. Whether he liked it or not, she was the one who had helped him.
She gazed at him with curiosity. “You need something else?”
Brady looked away. Then back at her. “I noticed you removed my clothes… normally a girl takes me to dinner before going to the next step.”
Dakota flushed and pulled her hand away. “Very mature, Brady.” She headed in the direction of the kitchen.
“I would like a pair of pants, though,” he called after her. Then the coughing fit started again. His chest burned. The rain must have washed off the smell of smoke, but he still felt filthy.
Dakota returned and shoved a glass of water toward him. “Here, drink something. You need it.”
Brady grunted and tried to sit up again. The familiar sensation of dizziness hit him. “Help me get propped up against the couch.”
Using his good arm, he scooted toward the couch with her help. The blanket pooled around his waist, revealing his bare chest. Dakota looked away as she retrieved the glass and again offered it to him. “Which one is your room? I’ll get you some clothes.”
Brady rested his head against the couch and closed his eyes. “Across the hall from yours.”
When she left, the room felt colder somehow. Despite being beside a fire, Brady missed her presence. He looked down at his arm, his jaw tightening. This was going to take months to heal. How was he going to do his job, let alone help the others with theirs? He had been careless, and he deserved the pain.