Genevieve's Story (Freedom, Colorado Book #2 )

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The nights alone after the men made love to me were the hardest. Even after so many years I still felt the pain. I had often thought about what would have happened if I had gotten pregnant. We hadn't used any form of birth control and for weeks I waited and waited until I finally started my menstrual cycle. Part of me was thankful and relieved while another part of me was sad. The thought of being a mother to their children brought me immediate happiness.

Two days had one by since I decided to stay at the ranch house. The men made themselves scarce and I found out by one of the ranch hands that Law had even taken an overnight trip to Denver to meet with a business partner.

Josie was busy with her men as they rescued three new horses from a slaughterhouse. They didn't have enough pasture fenced in so she was making multiple trips to the lumbar and back with Mike and Ray while Dylan began clearing the land from trees and brush.

I asked her if I could help but she declined by offer and slyly told me I needed to rekindle a couple relationships before I did anything else.

7 o'clock came around and I had just finished cleaning up my dinner for one when the front door abruptly opened and in came a long, tall cowboy.
Colt's face was distressed, his shirt was torn open and he sported a big gash on his arm.

Stunned, I watched as he grunted and groaned before landing roughly in one of the wooden kitchen chairs.

"Colt!" I fretted, grabbing a dishcloth as I ran towards him. "What happened?"

"One of the bulls got a little frisky tonight when he found a hole in the fence line." He gritted through his strong teeth. He had sweat running down his thick brow and his chest heaved heavily as he checked out his wound.

"We need to get the doctor." I murmured as I pressed my checkered cloth to the cut, noticing how he didn't even wince as I put pressure. Instead his eyes glared deeply into mine.

"I'll be fine." He snapped.

I felt myself wince and stumble back before I could stop myself. My eyes glued to the floor. I barely kept my hold on his arm. I had to get the bleeding to stop.

"We have to get this cleaned and you'll need stitches." I told him softly.

"You learn that with your Vet Tech degree I paid for?"

I was silent, afraid I'd show him my temper again as I did in Law's bedroom just a few nights ago. My face was scarlet red as I remembered the guilt I felt every time I swiped their credit card for food, or school books. I ran away but they still supported me in almost everything else.

"I'm very thankful for that." I finally told him, sneaking a look at him.

"You ignored every damn call. Didn't even look at us when Josie married our cousins." He continued, his chest began to rise and fall much quicker and his face held disgrace. He was mad.

"I thought you used me."

"No. If we used anyone it was that damn woman from the bar."

My gut became uneasy, and it took a few deep breaths before I could speak again. I tried to change the subject. "We need to call the doctor for you Colt."

"Fine." He eventually agreed.

The doctor advised me to clean the wound with hot water until he could get here. It wouldn't take him much longer than twenty minutes for him to arrive, but that short time lasted forever.

We were silent, and the only thing that seemed to break the ice a little was Colt gathering me on his lap when he realized my legs were aching from standing for so long.