Pressure Rising (Rhinestone Cowgirls Book 2) Read Free Page A

watched her—mouth closed, lips thinned—as she turned and marched out of the room. DJ smiled. There was something about making her angry that made revenge a little tastier.
    Feeling a cool breeze sweep across his butt cheeks, DJ flinched and shot a look over his shoulder. The doc had the gown open and was examining DJ’s rump. “How does it look, doc?”
    “Like you’re one lucky son-of-a-gun. It’s only a flesh wound, but I’ll give you a couple of stitches and you’ll be as good as new—at least in a week. No riding though for two weeks.”
    “Two weeks?” DJ couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
    “Yes, that’s what I said. Two weeks. Although the wound is nothing serious, you’ll need to take it easy so you don’t pull out any of the sutures. They’ll have to stay in for ten days. If you’re worried about a scar and what the ladies might think, we can keep them in longer.” The doc covered the flap of DJ’s gown.
    “Can’t you just slap on a butterfly bandage or use glue and I’ll keep ointment on it?” The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a horizontal position for one day, let alone a week.
    “The wound’s too deep for a bandage alone. And you’ll risk infection.”
    DJ ground his hands into fists. All of this over a donkey, a horse, and one out-of-her-mind woman! “Then let’s just get this over with.”
     
    ****
     
    Pearl heard the tapping of heels on the waxed floor and looked up to find Em coming up the corridor, a smile on her face. Only she would find this situation humorous.
    “I’m glad you came, Em.”
    “And I thought Jewels shouldn’t handle a gun.” Em shook her head, her smile growing wider.
    “I didn’t know if you got my message. Service is crappy here.” Pearl stood up from the seat in the ER lobby.
    Em gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I wish I could have seen the look on DJ’s face when he got shot in the butt. Priceless.” Her words made several surrounding people turn their heads in interest.
    “Shhh!” Pearl grabbed her sister’s arm and tugged her down the hall away from others. “I’m not proud of what I’ve done. It was an accident.”
    Em raised a thin brow. “Okay.”
    “What? You don’t believe me?” Pearl wrapped her arms around her waist, feeling a wave of uneasiness.
    “I believe you, but you do know this doesn’t look good.”
    Pearl nodded. What could she say in her defense? The proof was in DJ’s wounded ass. “What do you think Dad is going to say?”
    “Oh, I think you’ll find out very soon.” Em’s face paled.
    “Why is that?” Pearl asked.
    Em stabbed a finger through the air. “Look.”
    Pearl turned and her breath rushed from her lungs. Coming toward them through the lobby was Joshua Stone. His furrowed brow, red face, and quickstep told her just how upset he was. “Did you call and tell him, Em?”
    “No, I didn’t. Maybe Scrawny did.”
    Once he was closer, Pearl attempted to put a smile on her face. Sometimes that worked for the Stone daughters, but his jaw remained steely. “Dad, what are you doing here?”
    He shook his head and, as he stopped, his boots squealed on the floor. His grey eyes narrowed into slits. Powerful and in-charge, her father had the capability of making almost anyone cower under his glare—including his three daughters. He wasn’t a mean man, but he had little patience when it came to mischief.
    “I’ve come to clean up another mess.” His focus drifted over the lobby full of sick people. “Let’s take this to a private spot where we can talk.” He nodded his head toward the other end of the hall.
    Pearl followed him, shoulders slumped. Em gave her a look of encouragement.
    “You didn’t need to come and clean up anything. I have this under control.”
    Joshua’s wrinkles deepened. “Pearl, then why am I getting a call from Scrawny telling me you took off in a huff after threatening DJ Walters? Then I come to find out