Cowboy Love

Chapter 5

"What the hell happened?" paw-paw demands as Rebel cuts off my tennis shoe while Rowan holds the pitchfork still. 

"I was thinking, and I was startled when Aspen asked me a question. I ended up stabbing myself in the foot with the tool," I admit with a red face. 

"Alright kid, I'm gonna pull it out carefully once Rowan and Aspen have a hold of you, so you don't move on me," Rebel says once my shoe is off. 

Looking down, I find the prongs barely breaking the top of my foot with blood leaking from my skin. 

"I'm gonna barf," I mumble just before leaning to the left, and empty the contents of my stomach onto the dirt driveway. 

Aspen climbs into the back of the truck to wrap his arms tightly around my upper body. His arms trap my arms to my side once I've stopped vomiting, and he pulls me tightly to his chest as paw-paw and Rowan each hold a leg tightly. Paw-paw nods to Rebel for him to pull the tool from my right foot. I let out a loud scream of pain when he does. I don't remember anything else after that since I pass out against Aspen.

Aspen's P.O.V.

When Echo's body becomes lax against mine, I look down in shock to find him passed out against me. 

"Is he alright?" I worriedly ask Rebel, fearing that something is wrong with him. 

"He's fine, the shock is finally hitting him is all," Rebel says, not only reassuring me, but everyone else, too. "I have to clean the wounds, and stitch these up. Aspen keep a hold of him in case he wakes while I'm working."

"Okay," I reply, adjusting my hold on his body.

"What the hell happened to his face?" Quinn demands irritated. 

"I, uh, I slapped him," Ethan admits with a timid voice. 

"Why did you do that knowing Kyle abused him?" Quinn demands angrily of his husband. 

"He was smoking after he got home from droppin' Emery off at school with an attitude. I felt bad for doin' it after he explained that a guy threatened to force him into dating him when he turned the guy down," Ethan explains sadly. 

My anger boils in my veins at his explanation; "Did he know who the guy was?" 

"He didn't, but when he explained the guy, it sounded like Nathan Evans," he replies with his own frown and guilty expression. 

"Maybe I should pick Emery up with Echo to find out who it is," I mumble. 

"If we let you do that, you're gonna kill the guy," Quinn chuckles humorlessly, but he's not wrong. 

"Fine, I won't do anything yet, unless I need, too," I grumble as I stare at Echo's innocent face. 

He's a tough yet vulnerable, which seems to show when he's sleeping. I think he's had to build walls around himself, and only seems to let his granpa's, his brother, and Carson in his walls. Well, I'm going to break those walls down and make my way inside. 

"Alright, I'm finished," Rebel announces pulling me out of my thoughts. "Thankfully his shoe took the biggest impact, and the wounds are minor. He's gonna be sore, but he seems to be a tough kid."

Rebel then looks at me asking; "Can you carry him into the house, so someone can keep an eye on him?" 

"Yup," I agree, shifting him in my hold to step off the truck, and carry him into the house and lie him on the couch.

Taking the blanket off the back of the couch, I cover him up after rooming his left shoe, which I hand to Ethan unsure what to do with it. He takes it and tosses it into the garbage can as I head back outside to work, but I decided to finish mucking the stalls for Echo. 

Echo's P.O.V.

Waking with a gasp, I bold upright while taking in my surroundings, then sag in relief when I know I'm at the ranch. The pain and tightness from my foot and back sets in, and I glance down at my feet, and remember what happened. Silently standing from the couch, I look around for my shoes, and can't find them. I pull of my remaining sock and toss it into the laundry room on my way out to my truck. I open the back door to grab my flip-flops out and slip these on before heading off to find something to do. 

"Why are you out here?" Rowan asks as I stop next to him as he fixes the rabbit cages.

"I need to do something to keep my stay," I shrug, watching what he's doing. 

"Dude, you're 17, you don't need to do that. Your granpa's aren't gonna send you away," he replies with a frown. 

"Perhaps, but I need to make sure," I shrug. "Mum sent us away, what's to say they won't, too?" 

He's silent, so I peak at him through my hair, and I find him scowling as he thinks and works. Once he's finished, he still hasn't spoken, so I figure he has nothing to say, so I stay quiet, too, as we move to the horse corral. 

By lunchtime, I'm sore, irritable, hungry, and need to do my schooling, so I can pick Emery up on time. Entering the house with Rowan, we find everyone in the kitchen, and they look upset. 

"Where have you been?" paw-paw questions as soon as I step into the room. 

"Helping Rowan," I reply, confused by their mood.

"You should be taking it easy," Aspen scolds with a frown at me. 

Frowning back at him as I say; "Can't. Besides I'm fine enough to do my share of work."

Grabbing a plate off the counter, I take a grilled cheese from the plate, and sit down at the table by Tenygi. I stay out out of the conversation as we eat. 

"We're taking you and Emery this weekend to get items you guys need," papa says, catching my attention. 

Looking up at him, I swallow before saying; "I don't need anything, thank you though. Emery needs a few things though."

"You need work boots and new shoes since we had to throw away your shoes this morning," paw-paw says. 

Biting my lower lip as I try to figure out how to repay them for this; "Okay. Thank you, and I'll figure out how to pay you back for everything for Em and me."

Maybe I can get a night job.

"Echo, that's not happening. We took you both in, along with any financial responsibilities," papa firmly replies. 

Nodding, I let them feel that they've won, but I'm still going to get a job to pay for everything Emery and I need.