Rough (Wolf Ranch 1)

She deftly wound some white medical tape around the braced finger and the one beside it, securing them together, then tore off the strip. He’d lucked out it wasn’t the hand he used to grip the rope, so he could compete.

“What are you doing later? Think I can buy you a cup of coffee to thank you?” With Abe sitting on the exam table, they were the same height. All he had to do was lean, and he’d be able to kiss her. She eyed Abe, and I wanted to growl, then rip his head off.

“I won’t be able to concentrate without knowing your answer.”

“Focus less on me and more on that bull you have to ride.”

Abe grinned, that smile a known lethal weapon to women’s panties.

I launched myself forward, tugged off my cowboy hat and stuck my hand out. “Hey there, I’m Boyd.”

She glanced my way, then back to her work. Her gloved fingers wound one more strip around Abe’s fingers. “Hi, Boyd. Sorry—my hands are full.”

Blue. Her eyes were blue behind those nerdy, fuck-me glasses.

“Oh, ah. Right.” I dropped my hand and settled instead for my own panty-dropping smile. The one that usually guaranteed me a woman’s phone number without having to ask for it. I stepped closer, close enough that Abe frowned.

Mine, buddy. Back the fuck off.

“I’m Doctor Ames—Audrey. Excuse me.” She needed me to step back because I nearly had her pinned against the table with my body. Not touching, but definitely crowding.

“Audrey Ames,” I repeated. “Guess you always got the first desk in school.”

“Yep, you know it.” She didn’t look at me twice. Didn’t blush or bat her eyelashes. Didn’t stick out her chest, so I could see what was on offer. Hell, she hardly did more than glance my way once more as she moved to the counter where she made notes in a file.

“Doc here works at a hospital but is moonlighting the event in case someone gets hurt,” Abe explained, holding up his injured hand.

I frowned. “You know her shoe size and what she had for breakfast this morning, too?”

Audrey spun about and gave me a look that would have withered the balls on a lesser man. Still, it was far from the fuck me now expression I was used to. “I’m standing right here.”

I winked and looked her up and down. “You sure are.”

After a quick purse of her lips, she tugged off her gloves and tossed them in the trash can.

Goddamn. The first time a female had truly interested me in years—maybe ever—and she barely saw me. Didn’t give a shit that the big buckle on my belt meant I was a rodeo champion. Didn’t give a shit that the dick pressed uncomfortably right behind it was rock hard just for her.

How was that even possible?

I ignored the hairy eyeball Abe threw my way.

“Why haven’t I seen you around before?” I tried again.

“Me?” She looked over, surprised. Like I came in here to flirt with Abe or something.

“As Abe said, I work at Community General in Cooper Valley, and unless you were going to have a baby, we’d never meet. Your regular rodeo doc had something come up, so they called our hospital begging for a fill-in to cover tonight. The pay was decent, and I have med school loans, so I figured, why not?” She shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to see a rodeo.”

Of course, I never got hurt, or if I did, not enough to ever need a hospital since shifters healed so fast.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Abe said, his eyes going up to the ceiling as if he could see through to the stands above us. “I’ve messed up your spectator plans.”

She gave him a small smile. Him. Why the fuck didn’t she offer me one of those soft turn of her lips?

“I’ll get up there after this and see you ride.”

Abe’s chest puffed up, and I wanted to break the rest of his fingers. Better yet, his leg, so he couldn’t compete. If she was going to see someone ride a bull, it was going to be me.

“You live in Cooper Valley.” I hardly believed the coincidence. “You gotta be kidding me.”

She finally gave me her full attention, turning and leaning that gorgeous ass against the cabinet to look at me with curiosity. “Yes. I moved here a little while ago. Why?”

I pointed at my chest. “I’m from Cooper Valley—Wolf Ranch. You know it?”

She shook her head, her dark hair sliding over her shoulders. “No, I’m fairly new to town and work tons of hours. I know the inside of the hospital really well.” She gave me a wry smile.

There. A fucking smile. I was like a beggar seeking the smallest of crumbs from her.

I sidled in her direction. “I could take a day or two off and show you around. Love to, in fact.”