1. Beth

"Bring him in here," Beth said, opening the door to the guest room in the house. "Lay him gently on the bed."

The tall, dark-haired man groaned in pain. His brown eyes fluttered open a minute and peered into Beth's soul, causing a bolt of electricity to explode inside of her. She pushed the thought away as she stared down at the broken man in front of her.

"His name is Conner Curry," the doctor said. "He's too badly hurt. I can't help. You're the only one who can."

"What happened?" Beth asked.

Gideon Foster, a bear shifter and rodeo clown answered. "He was on one of the bulls and had just made eight seconds when he was bucked off. Before we could get to him, he was trampled."

The man's makeup was smeared, and he wrung his hands together. "I called Doctor Jean since Conner is a wolf shifter." He wiped his face, smearing more of his makeup. "I tried, but I couldn't get that damned beast off of him. It was almost as though the animal was possessed."

While everyone knew that the clowns entertained the crowd, a rodeo clown's primary job was to protect the cowboys and cowgirls from the animals, especially during the bull riding and bronc events.

"He is suffering from multiple internal injuries and a lot of broken bones," Dr. Jean said. "You're his only chance of surviving. I would suggest that you try to heal his organs before I set his bones."

Beth nodded, brushing a lock of her long, red hair out of her face. She closed her eyes and ran her hands slowly over Conner's body, scanning his injuries. The healer witch was no stranger to broken bones and even more severe issues, but Conner was worse than anything she had ever come across.

"I don't know, but I will try," she said, quietly.

"What can I do?" Gideon asked.

"All the warm wishes and good vibrations you can send," Beth said. "Leave us now."

Dr. Jean put her hand on Gideon's shoulder. "Come on. There's nothing more we can do to help."

With one last look at Conner, Gideon let himself be led out of the room.

"Alright, Conner. We have a lot of work to do here. You're going to have to help me. You have to want to heal, no matter how much it hurts," she said.

Beth closed her eyes again and put her hand on his belly. The bull had lacerated Conner's liver and smashed one of his kidneys.

"If you weren't a shifter, you'd be dead," she muttered.

She lit a black candle to drive away all the negative energies surrounding her patient. Then, she lit white and blue candles to enhance healing. A red candle was lit to help both Beth and Conner use their strength in the healing process.

Beth took a deep breath and focused all of her energy and all of the energy around her on the wounds. Her hands seemed to snap with electricity as she muttered incantations beneath her breath.

With all the love in my heart and soul

I call upon the heavenly and earthly powers that be

To send down healing light and make him whole.

As I will it with all my heart, so mote it be.

She repeated the incantation several times. Beth pictured his kidney and liver healing itself. Combining her power with the shifter's natural ability to heal faster than mundane humans, she could feel the organs start to mend themselves. When they reached the point that she thought that he had a chance to survive, she called Dr. Jean.

"I've worked on his organs. Do you want to come and set his bones now?"

"On my way."

Beth turned her focus back to her patient. There were a couple spots where he was slowly bleeding internally. Using the last bit of her energy, she healed them. Then, she slumped down in the chair next to the bed, barely able to move.

Dr. Jean arrived with her assistant. Together the two of them set Conner's leg. He moaned in pain.

Beth put her hand on his forehead. "Sleep."

He stopped moaning, and he breathed slowly and regularly, consistent with a deep, good sleep. The doctor and her assistant set his arm.

"I can't do anything about his ribs, except tape them up."

"I'll take care of that as soon as I can," Beth said.

Dr. Jean disappeared for a minute and then came back with some ginger and green tea sweetened with honey.

Beth took a few sips, gradually feeling her strength returning.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure," the doctor said, hugging her.

The doctor left and Beth healed Conner's ribs before she collapsed in the chair once more, falling into a deep sleep.

Her patient's moaning woke her twelve hours later. He opened his intense, brown eyes and stared at her. "I dreamed that I got hurt and was saved by an angel."

"You were hurt pretty badly, but I don't think that I'm an angel." She laughed. "I imagine that you are in quite a bit of pain right now."

"I feel like I've been rode hard and put away wet," he said.

Beth knew that the saying referred to the fact that a horse needed to be cooled down after being ridden, especially if it was ridden hard, to prevent heat exhaustion and pulled muscles.

"I bet you do," she said. "Give me a minute."

She brewed him some wild lettuce tea. "It might not taste all that good, but it will help with the pain," she assured him.

Wild lettuce had the same pain-killing effects as opioids without any of the negative effects such as addiction.

"Thanks," he said.

Beth nursed her patient over the next couple weeks. During that time, they got to know each other very well. He told stories about his life in Angel's Creek, New Mexico. She laughed at the trouble that Conner and his brother, Zac, always got into. Beth told him about her life. They had long discussions about philosophy, science, art, and even their opinion about actors and movies. It didn't take long for the handsome cowboy to capture her heart.

One night, after a couple rousing games of Uno, Conner pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was hesitant and gentle at first, but then became more insistent. Her soul and knees melted at the same time.

She led him to her room and they slowly undressed each other. Beth already knew every inch of his body, but now looked at it in a whole new light.

"You are so sexy," she told him as he stood naked in front of her, his full ten inches at attention.

He grinned. "You should see me when some crazy witch isn't holding me hostage and making me lay around in bed all day."

Beth laughed. "If you just got a puppy instead of a three-thousand-pound bull to play with, you wouldn't have been grounded."

"It was only fifteen hundred pounds, thank you very much."

Their smiles dissolved into kisses and moans of ecstasy as they explored each other with their hands and mouths. He pushed her gently onto the bed, and his fingers found her womanhood. He gently rubbed the hard pebble between her legs while he made love to her mouth with his own. Conner tantalized her sensitive nipples. His touches created a burning flame inside of Beth that she never knew existed.

The world disappeared around her as the fire became all-consuming and her body began to tremble. An explosion of pure bliss poured out of her.

"That's my girl," he said.

When she caught her breath, he rose up over her and pressed the tip of his large shaft against her hot, wet opening and slowly embedded himself deep inside of her.

"Conner," she cried out as her body slowly adjusted to her lover's size.

She moaned when he found her maidenhead and gently pushed past it. There was a tiny pinch of pain, but it was quickly replaced by absolute bliss.

Their bodies began to move together rhythmically, a slow dance of love and bliss.

An inferno raged out of control and lightning coursed through her body. Beth moaned his name and the world disappeared. Pure ecstasy shrouded them. She began to tremble and her inner walls pulsated, massaging him.

"Yes, Beth. That's it, Baby."

He began to throb, together they reached the highest mountains. Then, he collapsed, lying next to her, pulling her close to him.

"I love you," he said.

Beth's heart stopped. Those were the words she had been dying to hear for so long.

"I love you, too."

They snuggled together and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Matilda, Beth's mother, stopped by the house the next day. Beth groaned. Her mother's magic was dark, and the energy she carried around with her reeked.

"When is that cowboy leaving?" Matilda demanded.

"I don't know," Beth said.

"He's had plenty of time to heal."

Beth didn't say anything. She simply busied herself in the kitchen, preparing one of her special lotions for a woman with multiple sclerosis.

"You're in love with him," Matilda announced.

Beth still didn't speak.

"Send him on his way. He's a rodeo man. He'll only break your heart," Matilda said.

"Since when do you care about my broken heart, Mother?"

"How can you say that? You're my baby daughter, and I love you."

The only thing you love is yourself,Beth thought, although she didn't say the words aloud.

"He'll run off and leave you hurting. Mark my words, Little Girl," Matilda said as she bustled out the door.

Conner, who had overheard the conversation, came up behind Beth and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I do love you. We'll find a way to make this work." He kissed her neck.

She turned around and laid her head on his chest and sighed. The world felt so right when his arms were around her.

"I've got some business to take care of today," Conner said. "I'll see you later."

Beth never knew that when he walked out that door, she would never see him again.

A few days later, Beth was in the living room lying on the couch. She had been feeling tired lately. For the last week it seemed that as soon as she got up, made breakfast, and ate, she needed a nap.

Lyla, Beth's older sister, had come for a visit and noticed that she was pale. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired. I probably just caught a bug or something. I'm going to lie down."

Lyla called their mother, who then dropped by.

"She thinks it might be a bug. I wonder if she's depressed because that rodeo man left town without so much as a goodbye."

Matilda giggled. "That was my doing. I knew that man wasn't good for her. He went into town and was going to buy her an engagement ring of all things. Thank goodness I found him in time. I put a spell on him to make him forget about Beth."

"That's awful," Lyla protested.

"Why? I was just protecting her. He would only end up breaking her heart. Besides, we need her to focus on her magic. She can't do that if she's mixed up with that man."

"Mother, how could you?" Beth demanded.

"I was doing it to protect you," Matilda said. "You don't need someone like him interfering with your life."

"It's my life and my decision about who I want in it," Beth protested.

"He's a rodeo man. Conner would leave you without a second thought. You know how those types are. He's got all those women flocking around him and he would have sex with every single one of them, not caring about how you feel. You need to put him out of your mind," Matilda said.

"That's not going to be possible," Beth said.

"I know you think you're in love with him, but that'll pass."

"It's not just that. I'm pregnant with his child."