The Cowboy Daddy Hero (The Winchester Cowboys Series Book 1), page 18
A Sheriff’s Department cruiser pulled up and the officer inside got out to direct oncoming traffic.
While the new EMTs hurried to the wrecked truck, the DPS trooper walked over to Carson and said, “Another deputy is managing traffic up past the curve. We should be safe to talk here now.”
Carson nodded and then handed him Haley’s ID. “This is for the woman inside the car.” Then he added, “I’m Carson Winchester. I arrived here first, right after the accident happened.” He realized that he was still holding Haley’s purse. “I’m going to the hospital with her.”
The officer raised an eyebrow. “Are you family?”
He shook his head. “I looked in her purse and couldn’t find any emergency contact information, and her phone has a lock code on it. She’s alone and unconscious. She needs someone with her.”
The officer took the phone from him and attempted to find emergency contact information but was unable to.
Then the officer looked at him for another long moment. “I suppose you’re right, but I’ll need to get your information.”
While the trooper was writing down the details from Haley’s driver’s license, Carson stepped away and called his mom. He told her about the accident and that he’d be going to the hospital with Haley.
“Honey, that’s terrible! I hope she’s not injured too badly. Just call if there’s anything we can do from here,” she said. “Keep us posted, okay?”
“I will, Mom.” He walked back over to the crushed SUV. The fire engine had arrived while he’d been on the phone, and two firefighters were striding toward the car.
Shelly had applied a pressure bandage to Haley’s head wound and put a neck brace on her. As the firefighters assessed the scene, Carson walked around the car to stand near them. He wanted to see what they were going to do.
Within minutes, the firefighters had applied the jaws of life and opened the door wide. One of the men supported Haley’s head while the other went around to the passenger side and took a tool to the steering wheel. A third firefighter worked on it from the driver’s side. Several minutes later, they gently removed the steering wheel from its base.
Shelly stepped in and took control of Haley’s head while a second EMT rushed to her side with the gurney. That EMT and one of the firefighters worked to gently extricate Haley from the wreckage while Shelly stabilized her head.
Carson could see blood on the leg of Haley’s jeans. Was it just a cut or was there a more serious injury to her leg?
Once on the gurney, Shelly strapped Haley in and used blocks to immobilize her head.
He’d been right about how small she was. She definitely wasn’t more than five feet tall. And she appeared so fragile lying there all strapped in and braced in place. Her advanced pregnancy and her tiny frame made her look like she had a beach ball under her shirt. He hoped again that her baby was all right.
He touched Shelly’s sleeve. “I’m going to the hospital to be with her. Where are you taking her?”
Shelly glanced at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know or I would have told you. We’re just stabilizing her here. Life Flight’s on its way to pick her up because she’s still unconscious, and because of her late-stage pregnancy and possible complications. They’re taking her to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin. It’s a Level I Trauma Center.”
He nodded. “Not a problem. I’ll head over there.” Austin was less than a two-hour drive, and he wouldn’t pay much attention to the speed limit on the way. Then he said, “Listen, she’s got several thousand dollars in cash in her purse. I’m worried that something’s going to happen to it in all the confusion once you get to the hospital. Is there some way that you can be sure that it’s safeguarded? I’m sure the helicopter will arrive before I do, and she doesn’t have anyone else to look after it.”
She bit her lip and thought for a moment. “Why don’t you talk to the trooper about it?”
“Good idea.” He strode over to the DPS trooper who was talking to another sheriff’s deputy who had arrived on scene.
During a lull in their conversation, the trooper nodded to him.
Carson motioned to the purse in his hand. “Officer, this is Haley’s purse, and I know it’s supposed to go with her to the hospital. But it’s got several thousand dollars in cash in it, and I’m worried that something might happen to that when she gets there. I’m going to the hospital to stay with Haley, but she’ll get there before I do. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Yeah, I hear Life Flight’s on its way.” The trooper stared at him for a moment. “There’s really no way to protect it at the hospital.” He glanced up at the sound of a helicopter approaching in the distance. Then he exhaled loudly. “Follow me and bring the purse.”
When they got to his car, he said, “Give me the cash.”
Carson handed him the two envelopes, and the trooper took the cash and began to count it on the hood of his car. Each time he reached a thousand, he handed them to Carson. There were four thousand dollars in hundreds and a thousand dollars in twenties.
The trooper said, “Put them back in the envelopes, and then hand me your driver’s license.”
As Carson reached into his back pocket for his wallet, the helicopter arrived. Wind whipped around them as it landed on the road past the ambulances.
When he handed over his driver’s license, the trooper snapped a photo of it with his phone. “Is this your correct address?" he asked as he took photos of both envelopes of cash.
Carson nodded. “That’s my family’s cattle ranch. I’ve lived there all my life.”
The trooper handed Carson the cash envelopes. “You can keep the purse with you. I’m going to the hospital to get a statement from Ms. Wilson when she wakes up, so I’ll know if you did the right thing or not.”
Carson nodded. “Don’t worry. I will.” He glanced over as Shelly helped load Haley into the helicopter, then raced to his truck. It might take them a while to take off, and he wanted a head start.
Once he was out of sight, he leaned on the gas, unable to get his last vision of Haley out of his mind. Frail, hugely pregnant, bloody and unconscious. He prayed, “God, please keep her safe on the flight to Austin. And don’t let her wake up afraid. Keep me safe as I drive to the hospital. And, God, please protect the little one she carries inside her. He bore down on the gas pedal again as the empty road unwound ahead of him. He had to be there when Haley woke up.
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The Cowboy Daddy Hero, copyright © 2024 by Janalyn Knight. This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.
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About the Author
Nobody knows sexy Texas cowboys like Janalyn Knight. She grew up competing in rodeo, later working on a ten-thousand-acre cattle ranch, and these experiences lend an authenticity to her characters and stories. Janalyn is an avid supporter of the Hill Country Horse Refuge and absolutely owns the title of wine drinker extraordinaire. When she’s not writing spicy cowboy romances, she’s living her dream—sharing her twenty-acres of Texas Hill Country with her daughters and their families.
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Janalyn Knight, The Cowboy Daddy Hero (The Winchester Cowboys Series Book 1)
