Читать книгу The Cowboy And The Debutante - Stella Bagwell - Страница 11

Chapter Three

“Anna! Anna, wake up!”

This time it was her mother’s instructions rather than Miguel’s and the urgency in the older woman’s voice caused Anna to come awake instantly.

“What’s wrong?” She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and was alarmed to see it was the middle of the night.

“Don’t panic, darling, but we’ve had a telephone call from South America. It sounds as though Adam has been involved in some sort of accident out at one of the oil sites.”

Anna bolted upright in bed, and the sudden movement caused her to clutch her head and groan.

Chloe sat down on the side of the mattress and put her arm around her daughter. “I’m sorry I had to wake you up like this. I know your head must be killing you. But your daddy and I are going to be leaving in a few minutes.”

Anna dropped her hands from her temples and stared anxiously at her mother. “Now? Tonight? Is he—” She was forced to stop and swallow as fear knotted her throat. “Is he injured critically?”

Chloe shook her head. “No...it doesn’t sound that serious. The caller said Adam was in the hospital with a broken leg. And that was the only injury he knew about.”

“Thank God for that much,” Anna murmured as thoughts of her brother whirled through her mind. He’d always been like a third arm or leg to her. Even when they were apart, she always felt his presence, as he did hers. She ached for him now.

“Don’t you think I should go, too? I want to see him,” she said, quickly throwing back the covers.

“Not tonight,” Chloe said quickly. “You don’t need to be traveling with that lump on your head. Besides, if it turns out Adam needs surgery on his leg, we might have to stay down there for an extended time. If that’s the case, I’ll need you here to see after the horses for me.”

Anna nodded at her mother’s reasoning. “Of course, I’ll do anything you need me to.”

Chloe hugged her close. “I know you will, darling.”

She got up from the bed and gently pushed Anna back down against the pillow. “Try to rest and don’t worry. We’ll call you as soon as we find out anything. And in the morning please go over to Miguel’s and explain to him what’s happened and that it looks as though we’ll be away for a few days.”

“Go over to Miguel’s? Mother, there’s no need for that! The man will probably be down at the stables by daybreak. I’ll let him know then.”

Chloe frowned at her daughter. “He won’t be down at the stables in the morning. The men are going to be doing roundup without him tomorrow. He was going to Alamogordo to make a deal on some liquid feed.”

“Then I’ll tell him when he gets back.”

Chloe shot her an exasperated look. Anna groaned and scrubbed her eyes with both fists. “I know, Mother. I’m being a pain. It’s just that I’m worried sick about Adam, and I’d rather go see him than stay here with...Miguel Chavez! You might as well know right now that we’ve had...a run-in.”

Chloe made a palms-up gesture as if to tell her daughter so what. “Then the two of you will just have to get back on track. I can’t concentrate on Adam unless I know this place is being taken care of, and that’s going to mean both you and Miguel seeing after things.”

Anna always loved having a chance to help her parents, to pay them back for all the wonderful years they’d given her. But why the heck did she have to do it with Miguel Chavez?

“Don’t worry,” Anna assured her mother. “I won’t let you down. If need be, I’ll murder Miguel and persuade Lester to come back.”

“Fat chance.” She headed toward the door, then paused with her hand on the knob. “By the way, just what did Miguel do to get you so stirred up?”