“Probably ate too much. Made it tough to sleep.”
“I know. Hard not to overeat when there’s that much good food and good company.”
Jethro nodded but seemed to avoid Rob’s gaze.
“I’ll head out and start feeding the cattle. Take your time.”
The older man nodded. “I’ll have a cup of coffee, and then I’ll join you. I got started a little slower than usual this morning.”
Jethro joined him about forty-five minutes later just outside the barn. He shuffled and his color still seemed off.
“Are you feeling all right?” Rob asked.
“Just sluggish, that’s all.”
“Why don’t you take the day off? I’ve got this.”
Jethro rubbed his face, and Rob noticed the sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Rob frowned. “Seriously, you okay?”
“Yeah, but maybe I will take it easy today.”
“I’ll check on you as soon as I take care of the cattle. Text me if you need anything.” Rob left the house and headed toward the barn, pulling out his cell.
“Hey, Tyler, it’s Rob. I’m over at Jethro’s, and he’s not looking good. I’d like him to go to the doctor’s. Can you stop by? Maybe you’ll have more luck talking him into it than me.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I’ve let the horses out.”
Rob had just finished feeding the cattle when he saw Tyler’s Expedition pull up in front of the farmhouse. He met him on the front porch. He followed his friend in, alarmed when he heard Tyler say, “Oh, shit!”
Rob saw Jethro on the floor and immediately pulled his phone out to call 9-1-1. Tyler kneeled down and checked the older man’s pulse, ripped his shirt open, and started CPR.
Rob explained to the dispatcher Jethro’s age and what they were doing.
“The ambulance is about five minutes out,” Rob relayed to Tyler as he continued to work. “Do you need me to take over?”
“No, I’ve got this.” His expression was grim.
As soon as they arrived, the EMTs took over and hooked Jethro up to an IV.
“You guys following?” one of them asked Rob and Tyler.
Rob nodded.
“Grab his phone and wallet,” Tyler instructed. They grabbed Jethro’s keys and locked the house, turning off the lights and coffeepot. “We can take my SUV,” Tyler said. “I have to come back this way, so dropping you off to get your truck won’t be a problem.”
They didn’t say much on the way to the hospital in Green Oak. Rob was busy second-guessing his decision to leave Jethro alone in the house.
As if he knew, Tyler reached out and grabbed his arm. “It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you were here. If he’d been out alone with the cows, we might not have found him in time.”
“I sure hope we were in time.”
“Me, too.”
They pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and entered the ER, stopping at the desk to check for Jethro’s whereabouts. He was being seen by a doctor, and the ER had paged the cardiologist.
Later, they were told Jethro was still being evaluated but would likely be admitted. They decided to contact Catherine in Atlanta, and Tyler explained what had happened. Catherine promised to be there as quickly as she could.
Rob called MJ to tell her what had happened. “I’ll come to the hospital after I let Maverick out,” she said.
MJ arrived at the hospital just after five. “I didn’t think you’d get here this fast,” Rob said, leaning in to give her a quick kiss.
“I called Jennifer, and she came and covered for me.” She reached over and grabbed his hand. “Have you heard anything?”
“Not really. I know they paged the cardiologist around noon, and we heard they’ve admitted him, but they don’t tell us anything. Maybe when his daughter gets here, they’ll talk to her.”
Tyler waved at MJ as he ended a phone call. “I called my brother to go feed horses for me. I don’t want to leave.”
“Crap. I’d better go check on Jethro’s horses and cows.” He turned to look at MJ.
“Why don’t I go with you? It’ll go faster with two of us,” she said. “We can come back and find out how Jethro’s doing.”
“Thanks. My truck’s out there, so we have to take your car. We’ll be back as soon as we can,” he told Tyler. He put on his jacket and turned to leave, taking the car keys from MJ’s outstretched hand.
“Sorry, Rob,” Tyler said. “Too bad my brother doesn’t know how to take care of cattle. I’d put him to work for both of us.”
Rob forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. “We’ll let him practice with Satan,” he said, naming one of Jethro’s crankiest bulls. He waved at Tyler as they went out the door.
They made it back to the hospital a few hours later. Tyler sat in the waiting room drinking out of a cup from the vending machine in the corner. He gave them both a chin-lift greeting.
MJ and Rob sat down next to Tyler. “Has Jethro’s daughter shown up yet?”
“She’s still back with him,” Tyler told them both. A double door opened, and a young woman with straight, brown hair approached them, looking worried.
MJ stood up and reached out. “Catherine, is he okay?”
Jethro’s daughter took a deep breath and shrugged. “They think he had a heart attack. They did a cardiac catheterization and found his arteries were over seventy-five percent blocked. They’ll perform bypass surgery tonight. He’s being prepped now.”
“Is he aware of what’s going on?” Tyler asked.
“Sort of.” She looked at Rob. “Are you his new hand?”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m Rob Michelini. Tell him not to worry about the ranch. Everything’s fine and I’ll take care of whatever needs to be done.”
Catherine nodded. “Thanks. I’d better get back. I’ll be in the Family
