Rough Road Home (The Circle D series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

warmth through him. “Sit down and make yourself comfortable while I go back and grab your medication.” Releasing him, she turned and jogged off toward the truck.
    Before he could argue about no time for a break, the world began to spin. Nick knelt until his palm flattened on the gravel and then eased his body the rest of the way down. The doctors said he’d be dizzy. His vision cleared with a slow shake. He’d be fine in a week. He had to be. Riding in the National Finals Rodeo depended on it.
    In the distance, the truck engine chugged to keep the diesel flowing. The slam of the heavy door vibrated across the quiet of the open land. Rachel reappeared with jackets in one hand and a cooler in the other. Nick looked up and down the desolate highway then settled his gaze on the prairie ahead of him. What a place for a picnic.
    She stopped and held out his jacket. “Here, put this on.”
    “I’m not cold.” He folded his arms across his chest. He didn’t need a nursemaid–-if it got much colder, he’d just go back to the truck.
    As if she hadn’t heard him, she opened his jacket and wrapped it around his shoulders. The denim with sheepskin lining instantly cut the chill from the wind. He blew a breath as he shrugged the collar into place. Fool woman, if she wasn’t going to listen to him, why had she even asked?
    “It’s the end of October. . .we’re in South Dakota...and a cold front is blowing through,” she listed as if she’d heard his thoughts. She pulled on her own jacket styled surprisingly similar to his own. “Like I’ve always said, bull riders have mush for brains.”
    “And how many bull riders have you known?”
    “Enough to know what I’m talking about.” Plopping down next to him, Rachel opened the cooler and grabbed a bottled water. She held out a tinted pharmacy bottle. “Here, I rummaged this out of the pocket of your bag. You look like you need one. . .or two.”
    Nick took the water and medication. Turning the bottle in his hand, he read the prescription and whistled low. “This isn’t your everyday extra-strength aspirin.”
    “Yeah, pretty strong stuff.”
    The hesitancy in her normal take-charge voice stopped his comeback answer. Even with his scrambled brains, Nick sensed she had more than a casual knowledge of the drug. He shook out a couple pills and washed them down with the water. “You take this?”
    Rolling her shoulders, Rachel turned her collar up to the wind. “No, my Dad did.”
    The wind at her back ruffled her brunette hair across her cheek. She didn’t seem to notice as she stared out across the field. Nick wasn’t sure if he liked this side of her. Tough he could deal with, pensive was a different matter. When the silence dragged, he weighed his choices and opted for info. “What does he need them for?”
    “Pain, off and on. Usually more on than off,” she added as she picked at the cuff of her jacket.
    He waited, unsure whether to ask or not. “This is pretty strong to be on for long. Does he still take them?”
    A slow, sad smile crept across her face. “No, the pain went away. He doesn’t need them anymore.”
    “That’s good.”
    Rachel nodded as she opened a bottle of water for herself. She pulled her jacket closed and gazed out over the open prairie. “Listen to that quiet. Isn’t it awesome?”
    He could take a hint and uttered a silent sigh of relief at the change of subject. He didn’t need deep right now. Actually, if he came out of this little jaunt down the road without knowing more than the basics about Rachel Hill, he’d consider himself lucky. Unfortunately, he didn’t think luck was with him.
    Wind whistled through scrub oak and prairie grass as the honking of geese flying south echoed faintly in the distance. Yes, sir, peaceful and serene; two elements Nick avoided at all costs. He preferred the roar of the crowd; the “atta boys” of his fellow riders; the whoops of the bull fighters. Less talk, more action, sound words to live