Damaged

Rancher Romance Series: Book 2 – Darrell’s story

(Contemporary Cowboy Romance)

Amelia Rose

Visit www.ameliarose.info

Copyright

© 2013 by Amelia Rose

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by

any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and

publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's

imagination or used fictitiously.

First Printing, 2013

This document is provided with giveaway rights.

This means that this document can be shared anywhere online or

offline as long as proper credit is given to the author and it is not

modified in any way.

Chapter One

“Hey, Darrell! Your phone is ringing,” Mark yelled across the corral.

Darrell checked his watch and swore under his breath. It was way later than he’d thought it was.

He’d promised to be on the road at two and it was already almost three in the afternoon. He held

up a gloved hand and Mark threw him the phone as he walked closer.

“Hey,” Darrell said as he pushed the green button. “I’m--” That was as far as he got.

“Where are you?” Cole demanded.

“Corral,” Darrell answered, picking up his pace as he walked across the hard-packed dirt.

“The corral?!” Cole shouted.

Darrell pulled the phone away from his ear with a wince. When Cole paused his yelling to take a

breath, Darrell put the phone back and said, “I’m hurrying.”

“Hurry faster,” Marshall’s calmer voice said.

“Hey, Marshall,” Darrell said in surprise.

“Hey. I caught the phone when Cole threw it just in case you’re wondering. You know he’s

freaking out. Here, I’ve brought him to the church on time--”

“Courthouse,” Darrell corrected.

“And now you’re late,” Marshall went on doggedly. “You’re not even the one getting hitched.”

“I’m on my way,” Darrell protested. “I’ve got some time, right?”

“Some, but not much,” Marshall said.

“Get here now!” Darrell heard Cole shout.

“I’m getting there,” he said. “Don’t worry.” He hung up the phone and pushed it into his pocket.

“What’s up?” Mark asked.

“Cole’s getting married. I think I’m late.” Darrell glanced up at the sun and then down at his

watch. Well, he wasn’t quite late but he wouldn’t have time to spare.

“I was counting on having you around today,” Mark said in disappointment. “They’re bringing in

a new bull.”

Darrell knew he didn’t have time to stop and talk, but he couldn’t help pausing. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Mark said almost proudly. “In fact, it should be any minute now.”

Darrell wavered for a second and then said, “Guess I can stick around for a few more minutes.” I

can spare a few minutes or so and just change my clothes a little bit faster, he thought.

A few minutes later, a truck pulled up with a trailer attached. “There he is,” Mark said.

Darrell nodded and he and Mark walked over to look at it.

“Looks like a tough one,” Mark said. Darrell nodded, impressed.

Small bulls didn’t really exist but this one was massive. Muscular and furious, it snorted and

smacked its horns against the iron bars that separated it from them, eying them defiantly for

being corralled.

“He wants to come out and play,” Mark said with a laugh as the bull lowered its head and

rammed the bars once more.

“Ya’ll have fun with him,” Darrell said. “I’ve really gotta get moving. I’m not looking to piss

Emma off.”

“Don’t blame you one bit for that,” Mark said.

In the year and a half since she’d been running Raven Branch, she had garnered a reputation for

being a tough customer in spite of her sweet ways. Having a baby had turned her into a bit of a

mama bear but with little Justine six months old now and Emma able to fit back into her old

clothes, she was easing up. However, that calmer Emma might just disappear if Darrell screwed

up her wedding.

He turned and headed for the corral gate slowly. Was there something he was supposed to do? Or

bring? Darrell pulled his gloves off and stuck them in the back pocket of his jeans as he thought

intently. He only remembered one instruction from Emma and Cole. He knew he was supposed

to bring the alcohol for the reception, but he had that in his truck. It might have been a little

much, but he had decided to play it safe. He heard raised voices behind him and the snorting of

the bull. It seemed like it had gotten closer. He turned around to look and saw two tons of pissed

off bull heading straight toward him. There wasn’t time to move out of the way.

He pivoted just as the bull lowered its head and rammed right into him. Darrell felt several ribs

crack and then snap when he hit the ground.

“Shit,” he managed to say as the air whooshed out of his lungs.

It wasn’t just his ribs. The bull’s horn had caught him in the side as well and he felt a rush of heat

as blood flowed freely down and soaked into the waistband of his jeans. It was a good-sized

gash, bigger than several fingers in width when he tried to cover it to stop the flow.

“Not good,” he muttered with a cough, groaning in waves of almost unbearable pain.

“Move!” Mark yelled as he ran toward Darrell. “Move!”

Darrell felt real fear for the first time in a long time. The bull was coming back. He tried to

scramble to his feet and yelled in pain as his broken ribs pierced something that was probably

vital. More blood gushed and he noticed the leg of his jeans was now soaked in the dull, wet red.

It had mixed with the mud in the corral and it clung to his hands as he braced his weight on them.

The bull was close. So close it felt like there was an earthquake under his fingers. He was used to

that feeling, but he wasn’t used to being on the ground when it happened. He wouldn’t be able to

get out of the way by running so he did the best thing he could do. He dived forward and covered

his head with his hands as he rolled to the left.

The last thing he felt was the bull’s hoof crashing down on his right leg. He was vaguely aware

of a ragged yell of pain before everything became silent and he passed out.

Chapter Two

“Where is your brother?” Emma asked in a deceptively level but firm voice as she took hold of

Cole’s jacket.

“I don’t know,” Cole said grimly as he tried Darrell’s phone again.

It was fifteen minutes after Darrell was supposed to be there and when he heard the call connect,

he didn’t even wait for his brother’s hello.

“Where in the hell are you?” he yelled.

“It’s...it’s...not Darrell,” a shaky voice said.

“What?” Cole snapped. “Mark? Is that you? Get my worthless brother on the phone right now.”

The connection began to break up a bit and Cole heard, “Darrell...bull...don’t know...

bad...hospital.”

“What?” Cole felt suddenly sick. “I didn’t get that.”

Marshall walked over quickly when he saw his younger brother’s face go pale. The scowl slid off

Emma’s face as Cole went still.

“All right,” Cole said into the receiver after a long moment.

“What?” Marshall asked.

“Uh...Darrell was leaving. They’d just brought in a new bull.”

Emma’s hand went to her mouth.

“Why was he on the bull?” Marshall demanded.

“He wasn’t. He was leaving and it got free. It...I don’t even know exactly what it did. They had

to call the ambulance. It took them a while to get the bull distracted. He lost a lot of blood and

his leg is...pretty bad. They...they don’t know.”

“They don’t know what?” Marshall winced at the harsh tone in his own voice and put his hand

on Cole’s shoulder when his little brother flinched.

“They don’t know,” Cole said again, looking down at the phone as if it would ring and help him

out. “They say we should go to the hospital now.”

Marshall turned and walked out. Cole put his arm around Emma when she stepped up beside him

and then he pressed his face against her side. He felt her finger entwine softly into his hair.

“God,” he whispered. “God, Emma. Emma, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t,” she said. “Cole, he’s my family now too and we need to go.”

“What if...what if it’s not all right? You didn’t hear Mark. He sounded like it was worse than he

was saying. He said...he said there was so much blood.”

“Cole,” Marshall called sharply from the doorway. “Let’s go!”

“Go,” Emma said gently. “I’ll tell everyone and find someone to watch Justine. I’ll be there as

soon as I can.”

Cole stood up but before he walked away, he pulled her into a fierce embrace.

“Be safe,” he said roughly. “Be safe, okay?”

She remembered him telling her about how he’d lost his mother in a car wreck, and his father in

the field and now she felt a similar tremor run through him and knew he was imagining losing

his brother as well.

“Darrell’s a survivor,” she said firmly, even though she was scared too. “It’ll take more than this.

Now, go and see him.”

It took everything Cole had, but he walked out and got into Marshall’s truck. They drove to the

hospital in silence and hurried inside.

“We’re looking for Darrell McKenna,” Marshall said as they walked up to the desk. “He was

brought in earlier.”

“Cowboy or car accident?” the receptionist said.

“Cowboy,” Marshall snapped. “We’re his brothers and we want to know what’s going on!”

“He’s in the intensive care unit,” she said. “You can’t see him right now.”

“The hell we can’t!” Cole said roughly.

“A doctor will see you soon,” she said unflappably. “Please be seated, sir.”

“I am not going to be seated until I know whether my brother is going to live or die,” Marshall

said. Unlike Cole, his voice was level but his voice and stare were ice cold. The receptionist

swallowed hard. “Now, maybe you could find something out for me.”

“Sure,” she said, pushing her chair back. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

It was about ten minutes before a doctor appeared. Cole paced, but Marshall hadn’t moved.

“I can allow you to see him,” the man said. “But only for a few minutes. His condition is stable,

but just barely.”

“What do you mean just barely?” Cole asked with obvious concern in his tone.

“Come with me, please,” the doctor insisted before turning back in the direction he had come.

The doctor led them through a maze of hallways and into a room filled with people and

equipment. Darrell lay amid the machines, sheet pale and totally still. Marshall put his hand on

Cole’s shoulder as they looked. There was a huge bandage across Darrell’s side but its clean

white surface was already stained by fresh blood. There were bruises forming over his chest

already. Glancing away from his brother’s bruised and battered body, Cole saw his jeans in

tatters in the corner. They were soaked with blood as well.

“You had to cut them off?” he asked.

The doctor followed his gaze and then said, “His leg is...well, we’re not sure yet what we’ll be

able to do.”

“What happened?” Marshall demanded.

“I can give you the medical side of things,” the doctor said. “I suggest you get the rest from his

cowboy friend. There is a huge laceration on his side; it was deep but we were able to stitch it up.

He has a broken rib and cracked four others. The broken one punctured a lung. The only thing

we can do for the ribs is wrap them up, but I guess you know that.” Marshall and Cole nodded,

so the doctor continued. “There was other internal bleeding as well as massive blood loss.”

“From his side?” Cole asked.

“From his side and his leg,” the doctor said. “The bull stomped on it, just below the kneecap.”

“A bull...” Marshall trailed off in shock. He saw Cole run his hand up and across his forehead as

he leaned against the wall. Darrell may have been the only rodeo rider in the family, but that

didn’t mean that the other two McKenna brothers didn’t know how dangerous a bull could be.

“Did you give him any pain medication?” Marshall asked.

“Yes,” the doctor said quickly. “He woke up briefly when we brought him in, so we put him

under again as quickly as we could. He needs to remain sedated so he doesn’t cause himself

further injuries.”

“God,” Cole muttered.

“Are you going to do surgery on his leg?” Marshall asked.

“Yes,” the doctor answered. “We just don’t know what kind yet.”

“What do you mean?” Cole asked. “Can’t you put pins in it even if it’s shattered? Don’t you do

that now?”

“It isn’t shattered,” the doctor corrected. “It’s crushed and that’s a very different type of injury. It

might be too badly crushed to repair. Now, I’ve really got to get back to work. I have to ask you

to leave for now.”

“We’ll be in the waiting room,” Marshall said. “If you need anything.”

“We’ll keep you posted,” the doctor promised.

Customer Reviews. “This was the best in the series . I loved Darrell most of all, because of his personality . “ by

R.Griffin

“ It was a good read from the beginning and great storyline too. I loved Darrells character. “ by

K.Masters

Thank you for taking an interest and reading the first two chapters in my novel, to carry

on reading and to find my most current list of romance stories please visit my Amazon

author page.

Amelia Rose’s author page USA click here

Amelia Rose’s author page UK click here

****

Please feel free to visit my website at www.ameliarose.info to view my other books and to

sign up to my newsletter so that you will be notified as to when my new releases are

available .

Click here to follow me on Twitter

Amelia’s Facebook Fan Page Click Here