Sleeping with the Enemy (An Enemies to Lovers Collection)

“I’m fine,” I managed to say in a funny voice as my face was squashed sideways on his soggy t-shirt. “Can you please put me down? You’re squishing me and I can’t breathe.”

“Sorry.” Damon put me down. His eyes were wet with unshed tears.

I wiped the sweat from my cheeks as I heard the calf call out again. Before Damon could ask me what had happened, I took off toward the calf. Luckily, no cow attacked me.

“Hello,” I said softly, tears streaming down my face as I looked at the little baby.

It mooed as I slowly sat down next to it, not caring that it was right in the middle of the road. I vaguely noticed the truck had stopped a couple of feet away and a young man was running toward us.

“I’m going to take a look at your leg, okay?” I put my hand out and stroked its head to put it at ease.

The little thing was obviously used to humans as he pushed his wet nose into my hand. I laughed and had completely forgotten my hand was full of cow poo. I reached down and looked at the little leg and sucked in my breath. I was not going to be able to put my scarf around its leg. It looked like it was broken.

My eyes teared up again as I thought of the pain the little thing must be in. I needed to get it to the vet.

“Are you okay, miss?” I looked up to see a young man looking down at me.

“I’m fine but this little guy needs a vet,” I said to the man.

“So does your cow,” Damon glared at the young man. “She’s in distress.” He pointed to the cow who was now bellowing as if she was in pain.

“Oh shit,” the young boy rushed to the cow. “Take it easy, Josie girl,” I heard him say.

“Damon, this little guy needs to get to the vet,” I looked up at Damon who was standing towering over me. I could feel my eyes tearing up again. “He’s in so much pain and I’m sure his leg is broken.”

“Let me help you with him.” Damon reached down and gently picked up the struggling calf. “Is the car still running?”

I turned and looked at the car in amazement. There was a hugged dent in the hood and the bumper was hanging at an awkward angle.

While I tested the car to see if it started, Damon helped the young man load the cow back onto the truck. He then put the calf on the back seat of our car, and against his advice, I slid into the back with it to keep it calm while we followed the truck to the vet which the guy told us was up ahead in town.

CHAPTER 35

Damon

Carla had childishly thrown her phone out of the car window, and then when I went to retrieve it, she’d driven off and left me stranded. You don’t realize just how deserted these back roads are until you want to hitch a ride to the nearest town.

There were no cars or anything else whatsoever and I could not wait until one showed up. That could be hours from how. So, I broke into a sprint in the same direction Princess Carla had taken off like a bat out of hell. There was a small town up ahead although I have no idea of the distance to get there but if I was lucky, there might even be traces of civilizations before then.

But as I rounded a bend, I stopped dead at the scene in front of me. My blood ran cold as I recognized the car that had stopped in the middle of the road.

Carla.

I sprinted toward the accident scene faster than I have ever ran in my life.

Images of Carla lying bleeding on the side of the road flashed through my mind. I had worked myself up so much that by the time I’d found Carla facing down a cow, I could’ve burst into tears. Instead, I almost crushed her in a bear hug. Well, after she’d nearly punched me because I’d given her such a fright. Carla was so involved with the cow she hadn’t heard me come up behind her.

The car’s hood was dented and seemed to be covered in cow shit. Carla too seemed to be covered in poop and was insisting on taking an injured calf to the vet. I tried to stop Carla from getting into the back with the calf, but she’d defied me as usual and did so anyway.

We’d now been waiting with the young man, Shaun, at the vet’s office in a beautiful little historical Californian town.

“I’m so sorry,” Shaun said again to Carla. “I’m so glad you weren’t injured.”

Shaun had insisted on getting our details and giving us his. He told us that his father would pay for all the damages to our car. Shaun also invited us to stay at his friend’s guest lodge for the night until another rental car was delivered for us tomorrow.