Unbreak My Heart (Rough Riders Legacy #1)

“Do you have a tough travel schedule?”


Kyler shrugged. “It’s different for college teams. The profs cut us some slack for missing class, but most of us are on the five-year bachelor’s program because of athletics, so we’ve gotta keep up our academics or face suspension.”

“Does suspension happen often?”

“As of last week two freshman football players were sidelined. The idiots didn’t bother going to their classes because they assumed coach was bluffing.”

“I’ve been assigned to work with guys like that in the army. First they bend the rules, then they break them and they act surprised when they get busted for it.”

“I don’t understand how you’re here, acting like you have a choice where you’re assigned. Isn’t that the deal with the military? They can force you to relocate anyplace they want, any time they want?” Kyler asked.

“Yeah. But this is a two-year experimental program involving all branches of the armed forces and the Veterans Administration. It’s strictly voluntary.” I grinned. “Well, voluntary meaning my CO had to put my name in for consideration.”

“So you were hand-picked? Sweet. You must be a real hero with commendations and shit, huh?”

I rolled my eyes. “Hero. Right. I’m proud of my exemplary service record and all of the specialized medical training I’ve received. What I don’t have is a BS in nursing, which would advance my rank. That’s pretty much the only reason I signed on for this. The additional education.”

“How does it work? How do you get to choose where you end up?”

“Since the VA system has had issues in recent years, the preliminary program is focused on active-duty medical personnel working with civilian healthcare specialists in the places with the highest number of violations. So my choices are Cheyenne or Phoenix.”

Kyler’s gaze turned sharp. “That’s why you were in Wyoming.”

I nodded. “One of the requirements is working two weeks in a hospital or clinic with a preceptor associated with that VA.”

“You weren’t bullshitting me—or Sierra. You’d planned to be in Phoenix for at least two weeks.”

Before he could ask the question I saw in his eyes, I answered it. “I had no idea if Sierra still lived in Sundance when I showed up to work with Doc Monroe.”

“But you had to expect if Sierra wasn’t living in Wyoming she’d be living here,” Kyler tossed out.

With the way things had ended between us years ago, I had zero expectations when it came to Sierra. But the instant I saw her…everything had changed. “When I left Wyoming, I left for good. I didn’t keep in contact with anyone.” It wasn’t like anyone had sought contact with me either. “Besides, my dad bailed out of state. My mom moved to Montana with my sister and brother. My uncles were busy doing their own shit. And the McKays…” I shrugged. “Anyway, approval for the program happened fast, which is odd for the government. Not a lot of information has been released to us individually about specifics, but I’ve heard that’ll change once I submit my final request.”

“You did that today, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” Raj was gonna flip his shit when I told him.

“You don’t know where you’ll be going to school?”

“I doubt it’ll be a traditional campus setting like you’re in. Especially since the Phoenix VA is a teaching hospital and affiliated with over a hundred colleges. I just hope the hours I spend in the classroom every week count toward my required duty hours. It’d blow if I had eighteen credit hours of instruction, plus I had to work a full forty.” I shrugged. “But it’s a possibility.”

“Will you tell Sierra you’ll probably be here for longer than two weeks?”

I shook my head and walked to the fridge for a bottle of Gatorade. “Not until I figure out what to do next.”

Kyler snorted. “You know what you need to do, West.”

Kiss her stupid and beg her forgiveness? Like that’d work. “What?”

“Approach her on a professional level. Show up at her office tomorrow and pile on the guilt that she’d thrown you out before you could explain you were trying to hire her. Then tell her you’d like to look at rental properties since you’ll be around a while.”

Ideas raced through my head—a variation on Ky’s suggestion because I didn’t want to tip my hand too soon. I needed to get her to spend time with me. I’d deal with any backlash of what I had to do to make that happen after the primary goal had been achieved. Wasn’t it better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission anyway? “Quick thinking, Ky. Damn. You’re good.”

He grinned. “It’s what I do—learn to think on my feet and adapt fast.”

The doorbell rang.

Ky glanced at his phone and said, “Shit.” He stood, whipped off his sweat-stained wife-beater and tossed it aside. He yanked on a Sun Devils Football T-shirt and looked at me. “You have all your stuff?”

“Trying to get rid of me?”