I thought I was all out of tears, but when more cascade down my cheeks, Grant pulls me against him and pats my hair.
“I told you it’s gonna be just fine, Ripley.He’s tough.Hard head.”
I hiccup, wanting to say something, but the words escape me.
Mr.Thrasher gets up.“I gotta do something.I can’t just sit here.”
“Go get us some coffee.It’s gonna be a long night, so I’m thinking we can use it.”
“Sure thing, Susie-Q.I can do that.”Mr.Thrasher strides off toward a hallway.
I pull away from Grant’s shoulder and swipe at my eyes.“I’m so sorry.I don’t usually cry—”
He gives me a soft smile.“It’s okay.”
“Grant, call Wendy and give her the update.Have her tell Ky that Uncle Boone is okay.He was freaking out something fierce,” Mrs.Thrasher says.
Grant gives me a nod and stands.“Will do.That boy loves his uncle.”He walks toward the doors to step outside and make his call, leaving Mrs.Thrasher and me alone in the corner of the waiting room.
The matriarch of the Thrasher clan doesn’t screw around when it comes to family, and I respect her for that.
She reaches over and clutches my hand again.“You looked like a warrior princess running to her fallen man on the battlefield.That’s what Rand said.He’s always had a more fanciful imagination than me, but I have to say he’s right in this instance.That bull wasn’t even contained when you threw yourself over the fence, girl.What the hell were you thinking?”
I meet her faded blue gaze and blink back more tears that burn my eyes at the rough emotion in her voice.
“I didn’t think.I just ...I had to get to him.”
“Any woman who’d put herself in the path of two thousand pounds of bull to get to my boy deserves my respect, and you have it.I’ll never forget that moment for as long as I live.”She pauses.“One thing you can always count on—love makes us do stupid things.”
Her last words shock me.
Love?
She studies my face carefully.“You don’t even realize it, do you?”
“I’m ...He ...I ...”My stammer comes out sounding ridiculous.
Mrs.Thrasher squeezes my hand again.“It’s okay, Ripley.You’ll figure it out soon enough for yourself.But I’ll tell you there’s not a single soul in that arena tonight who has any doubt about how much you care for my son.You didn’t have to say a word because everyone saw it in your actions.”
Care.Okay, I can handle that.“Of course I care about him.He’s a good man.Maybe the best one I’ve ever known.”
Her grip on my hand tightens.“And the fact that you only see the man and not the star tells me that you’re as different from the last one as you could possibly be.”
It feels wrong to bring thoughts of Amber into this waiting room, but I can’t say I’m not curious when Boone’s mom tells me I’m different.
“What do you mean?”
“That girl wouldn’t have lifted a finger tonight.She might’ve wrung her hands and worried about how this would affect her, but there’s no way in hell she would’ve climbed a fence in her stilettos and run through the dirt to get to his side, let alone ripped her shirt off and used it to staunch the bleeding.I might be an old lady from the country, but I got a knack for reading people.You were closed up tighter than a drum when you first walked into my house.Not letting any of us see the real Ripley or how you felt about my boy.I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt because Boone told me plenty that gave me hope.When I met you, I wasn’t totally sure, though.”She pauses meaningfully.“But I’m sure now.He finally picked a woman worthy of him, and I don’t say that lightly.”
The doors to the ER open and close as Grant paces in front of them, talking on the phone.
“I see your true colors, Ripley Fischer.You may not realize you’re in love with Boone yet, but I see it.Just as clearly as I see that he’s in love with you.”
Grant hangs up and crosses toward us in time to catch the tail end of what his mom says.My stomach knots, wondering what he’s going to say.
He tucks the phone away in his pocket, his gaze moving from me to his mom and back.
“She’s right, you know.I thought you were gonna be like Amber, fake and clinging to your lottery ticket, but you’re a different breed.I mean that in the best way possible.”