“She called about an hour ago and said Ashley had left and for me to call her at home. Obviously you tried there.”
“Yes. There was no answer. I guess I’ll just have to keep trying.”
“Are you okay? You sound kind of shaky.”
He sucked in a deep breath and tried to steady his voice. “Actually I’m at the hospital. Sally Keller took a fall. I came in with Matthew.”
“That’s awful. Is Sally all right?”
“They’re checking her out now. She’d come around by the time we left the farm, but there’s a good chance she broke her hip in the fall.”
“I am so sorry. Please tell Matthew we’re thinking about both of them. And don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll find Maggie and send her over there, okay? Would you like me to send Mike in the meantime?”
For a minute Rick considered saying yes, but he stopped himself. He wasn’t used to leaning on anyone. “No, I’ll be fine.”
To his astonishment, his eyes were stinging with unshed tears as he hung up. For a man who’d had no one in his life a few short weeks ago, he now seemed to be surrounded by people he cared about, people who genuinely seemed to care about him. Getting emotional about a thing like that seemed crazy. He blamed it on his concern for Sally. There was no point in trying to deny that he’d started to think of her and Matthew as the grandparents he’d never known.
So this was what it was like to have his life emotionally entangled with someone else’s. He’d always avoided romantic love, because he knew the heartache that sort of attachment could cause, but this one had snuck up on him. He hadn’t protected himself from starting to care for these two old people.
He was on what had to be his third cup of very bad coffee and his hundredth trek between the waiting room and the emergency entrance when he finally spotted Maggie running across the parking lot. He met her halfway and swept her into his arms, clinging to her like a lifeline.
He felt steadier when he finally let her go. “You didn’t have to come over here.”
“Of course I did. I came as soon as Melanie caught up with me. Ironically I’d gone out to the farm to see the Kellers, but no one was there. You must have already left for the hospital. How is Sally?”
“I’m still waiting for word. Matthew is with her.” He looked into her eyes. “I know I said you didn’t need to come, but I’m glad you’re here.”
Maggie reached up and touched his cheek, her expression filled with understanding. “I know. Why don’t we go back inside?” she urged. “It’s hot as blazes out here, and we want to be where Matthew can find us when there’s news.”
They went into the crowded emergency waiting room. Maggie checked at the nurses’ station to see if there was any word on Sally, while Rick found a couple of empty seats. What was it with hospitals that every waiting room was too cold and had this antiseptic smell? He’d have felt better outside, but Maggie was right. They needed to be right where Matthew could find them if the doctors booted him out of Sally’s treatment cubicle, which they were bound to do sooner or later.
“The nurse at the desk doesn’t know anything, but I’m going to see if I can get into the treatment area,” Maggie said when she finally joined him. “I spotted a nurse going into the back who looked familiar. I think my sisters and I used to play with her when we were girls. At least she might get us some information. I’ll be right back.”
Rick nodded. After she was gone, he closed his eyes.
“Let Sally be okay,” he murmured, not entirely sure if he was expressing a wish or saying a prayer. It had been a long time since he’d had any reason to ask God for anything, so it was little wonder he wasn’t sure if that’s what he was doing now. Praying seemed like a good idea, though, so he silently repeated the same words. “God, please let her be okay. Matthew needs her. And,” he added, though he was still surprised by it, “so do I.”
Until today, he hadn’t realized how true that was. For years and years, he’d told himself he didn’t need anyone. He’d gone through life with a tough attitude and a grim determination to keep people at arm’s length. If a man didn’t need anyone, then he couldn’t be hurt. He couldn’t get his heart broken. Letting people close was a guarantee that sooner or later there would be heartache.
Matthew and Sally hadn’t allowed him to keep his distance. They’d poked and prodded. Matthew had butted in with advice whether Rick wanted to hear it or not. Sally had fed him and teased him and—yes, he could see it now—loved him. They’d asked nothing from him in return. They’d simply welcomed him into their lives.
As had Maggie. Of course, with Maggie it was entirely different. Her welcome had been more cautious, her trust harder to win. In fact, he was still on that particular journey, but after witnessing the glory of the love between Matthew and Sally, he was beginning to see the value of the prize.
His eyes were still closed when he felt Maggie’s presence. She slipped into the hard plastic chair beside him and linked her fingers through his.
“I was right. It was Laurie. She wouldn’t let me go back to the treatment area, but she went in and found out that Sally’s having her hip X-rayed. Matthew is with her. He won’t leave her side, mainly because she keeps insisting she’s getting up and walking out of here. Her determination to leave is beginning to make the doctors a little nervous. They seem to think she just might try it, broken hip or not.”
Rick smiled. “That’s Sally, all right. She hates people fussing over her. She thinks she’s the only one who gets to do any fussing.”
Maggie grinned. “I know someone else like that. I’m a little surprised you called me at all.”
“Thought you’d want to know,” he said, fearing that he’d revealed far too much about his own neediness.
“I did and not just because I like Matthew and Sally.”
He slanted a look at her. “Oh?”
“Because I know how important they are to you.”
Rick nodded slowly. “Funny thing about that,” he said. “I’m just now figuring that one out myself.”
Maggie wondered if Rick had any idea at all that his emotions were written all over his face. She doubted it. If he knew, he’d have found some way to mask them.
When Matthew eventually emerged from the treatment area, his expression was grim, his legs unsteady.
“What?” Rick demanded, bolting to his side and walking with him to a chair.
“Broke her dang hip, just like I thought,” he said, sounding shaken. “They’re talking about putting her in a nursing home when she leaves here. She’s mad as a wet hen about that. She says if I let them do that, she’ll divorce me. Wouldn’t put it past her, either.” He regarded them with a helpless expression. “What am I supposed to do? I’d do anything in the world for her, but this is beyond me. We can’t afford to have a nurse at the house, and I can’t manage her till she’s back on her feet some.”
“Couldn’t one of the kids come home?” Maggie asked, but even before she’d finished the question, Rick said, “I’ll move in.”
The unexpected offer surprised Maggie and clearly stunned Matthew. Hope lit his eyes. “You’d do that?”
Rick looked embarrassed. “It’s no big deal. Living in a bed-and-breakfast place is getting old anyway.”
Matthew turned to Maggie. “You got anything to say about this?”
Other than wanting to throw her arms around the man in question and hug him, Maggie knew her opinion wasn’t really the important one. “If Rick wants to do it, I think it would be foolish of you to turn him down.”
“Might put a crimp in things for the two of you, though,” Matthew said, giving Rick a sly look.
“Stop worrying about my love life, old man,” Rick said. “Just think of the fun Maggie and I will have trying to sneak around behind your back.”
Maggie couldn’t help chuckling at that.
“You’re sure?” Matthew asked again. “I don’t want to say a word to Sally if there’s a chance you’ll change your mind.”
“I’m not changing my mind,” Rick said, his voice filled with resolve.
In that instant, Maggie’s heart did a little lurch. This caring, compassionate side of Rick was something she’d suspected he possessed. Now that she’d seen it, though, she knew she was a goner. She could build brick and steel barriers around her heart, but they wouldn’t do a damn thing to protect it. The man was already inside, as much a part of her as breathing.
She watched Matthew clasp Rick’s hand.
“You can’t imagine what this means to me,” Matthew told him. “Don’t know what I’d do if Sally and I had to be separated, even for a few weeks.”
Rick glanced at Maggie, his eyes filled with raw emotion he didn’t even attempt to hide. “I think I understand,” he said softly. “For the first time in my life, I honestly think I understand.”
Chapter Fourteen
Rick had been as stunned by his impulsive offer at the hospital as everyone else, but the instant the words were out of his mouth, he’d known that offering to stay at the farmhouse was the right thing to do.
It didn’t have anything to do with impressing Maggie, either. He’d wanted to be there for Matthew and Sally. There was no way in hell those two should be separated, even for a short period of time, not when he was in a position to prevent it. At least this was one time when his presence might make a real difference. Sticking around home had never been much help to his mother. If anything, he’d only served as a reminder of his father.
A week later he was settled into an upstairs room at the farmhouse. He’d spent most of the week doing odd jobs around the place to make it easier for Sally to get around once she was in a wheelchair and eventually on crutches. The offensive rug that had caused her fall had been rolled up and stuffed in a closet. Matthew had wanted to toss it in the trash, but Rick had persuaded him to put it away and let Sally decide where it belonged.
Now everything was ready for her arrival. An ambulance would be bringing her and Matthew home in an hour. Maggie was in the kitchen preparing a welcome-home lunch. After making one last check of the downstairs rooms, Rick went to join her. He slipped his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled her neck. She smelled like night-blooming jasmine. The scent had turned into an aphrodisiac for him.
“Guess I better get my fill of you before the chaperones arrive,” he said.
Maggie chuckled and took an exaggerated look at her watch. “How much do you think you can get away with in twenty minutes or so?”
“Not nearly enough,” he said, his voice husky.
Maggie turned in his arms. “You’re doing a wonderful thing, Rick. You know that, don’t you?”
He still felt uncomfortable with the praise. “Anyone would have done the same thing.”
“Their kids never even offered,” Maggie reminded him.
“Because I’d already agreed to stay here,” he said, giving them the benefit of the doubt. “They did come right up to visit Sally in the hospital. And their daughter seems like she really wants them to move to Atlanta to be close to her family once Sally’s back on her feet.”
“I suppose that’s something,” Maggie conceded. “Do you think they’ll do it?”
Rick shrugged, not at all sure how he felt about Sally and Matthew leaving the home they’d always known. It wasn’t his call anyway. “I think Matthew is considering it,” he admitted. “Sally’s refused to discuss it.”
Maggie gave him a knowing look. “And you? What do you think?”
“It’s not up to me.”
“But you have an opinion. I can tell.”
Rick sighed. “Actually I don’t. On the one hand, it saddens me to think that they’d leave this place behind. On the other, I can see why it would mean a lot to them to be close to one of their kids, especially at this time in their lives. This may be the first major health crisis they’ve faced, but it probably won’t be the last. They’d be closer to excellent doctors and hospitals in Atlanta or over in Charlottesville or Richmond, if they moved closer to one of their sons.”
“That’s definitely a consideration, since you won’t always be here to pitch in,” Maggie said, looking oddly sad herself.
Rick studied her curiously. “Probably not,” he admitted.
“To say nothing of the fact that it’s not your job to look out for them in the first place,” she added. “Which makes it all the more remarkable that you’ve made it your responsibility this time.”
“Don’t go back to that,” Rick said. “I’m glad I’m able to do it. It’s not going to be forever.”
“No, I don’t suppose it is,” Maggie said, that surprising hint of sorrow still in her eyes.
Before Rick could figure out what that was about, he heard the ambulance pulling up in front of the house. “They’re home,” he said.
Maggie gave him a fierce, lingering hug.
He studied her curiously. “What was that for?”
“To make up for the fact that we never got to fool around,” she teased.
Rick laughed. “You can’t make up for that unless you’re willing to sneak over here and into my room in the middle of the night.”
“Fat chance. There’s nothing wrong with Matthew’s hearing.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure we’d have his blessing,” Rick said.
Maggie shook her head. “Men!” She shooed him toward the door. “Go meet them. They might need some help getting Sally settled. I’ll check the chicken and be right out.”
Rick released her reluctantly and went off to greet Sally and Matthew. The paramedics had already settled her into the downstairs bedroom she and Matthew had shared for their entire marriage. She beamed when she saw Rick.
“Come right over here and let me give you a kiss,” she said, holding out her arms. “I wouldn’t be here in my own bed if it weren’t for you.”
“Don’t make too much of it,” Rick said. “I’m here for the apple pie. Matthew said there are half a dozen in the freezer. When they’re gone, I’m out of here.”
“Stop it right this minute,” Sally said. “Don’t make light of what you’re doing for us. We won’t ever forget it.”
Rick clasped her hand in his and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “I’m just glad you’re well enough to be back home.”
She gave him a sharp look. “It is wonderful to be surrounded by my own things. Just one question—what did you and Matthew do with my rug? That ornery old coot won’t say.”
Relieved that he’d had the foresight to keep the rug from getting tossed out, Rick chuckled, but Matthew obviously saw nothing amusing about the question.
“Should have burned the dang thing,” he grumbled.
Sally’s gaze stayed on Rick. “But you didn’t, did you? You wouldn’t let him.”
Rick winked at her. “Nope. It’s in the closet in the hall.”
“Thank you. I know it’s silly to be so attached to a thing like that, but I brought that rug from my mama’s house. I’d hate to think of losing it.”
“That rug is why you’re in this bed,” Matthew retorted.
Sally frowned at him. “No, it’s not. I’m here because I was rushing around and not paying attention to what I was doing,” she insisted. “Now where’s Maggie? I can smell lunch cooking, and I know Rick wasn’t the one fussing around in my kitchen.”
“She’ll be in here in a minute,” Rick promised, “and we’ll have lunch soon. Since Maggie cooked, it will be delicious, though I’m no slouch in the kitchen. You’ll see when I whip up breakfast tomorrow.” He saw the weariness in Sally’s eyes. “Why don’t you take a little nap? There’s time before lunch.”
She gave him a grateful look. “I believe I will,” she said, her gaze seeking out her husband. “Matthew, will you stay with me?”
Matthew immediately pulled a chair closer to the bed and took her hand. “Now, where else would I be?”
Rick saw the emotion in their eyes and knew they’d already forgotten all about him. He slipped from the room, quiet
ly closed the door and leaned against it. Something that felt a lot like yearning filled his heart. He wanted what they had, wanted it with all his heart.
He could have it, too. There was a woman in the kitchen who could give him all that and more. He simply had to take the risk and ask.
He sighed and moved away from the wall, knowing that he wasn’t quite brave enough yet. For too many years he’d been conditioned to run. A few weeks around a couple as much in love as Matthew and Sally couldn’t completely banish the memory of a woman whose volatile relationships had never lasted, or in some ways had lasted too long. It would take more than one little streak of yearning to overcome that history.
But one of these days he would. With every day that passed, he was growing more confident of that. He’d just have to pray that Maggie was patient enough to wait him out.
“Come sit by me,” Sally encouraged Rick one morning a few days after her return home. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Rick eyed her warily. “You’re not meddling again, are you?”
She laughed. “Somebody certainly needs to, but no. Not this time, anyway. I want to ask you what you think about Matthew and me moving to Atlanta.”
Rick’s heart immediately felt heavy. He’d known this was coming—their daughter was calling almost daily to pressure them to make a decision—but he hadn’t wanted to think about it. Staying here had given him a sense of family, something he’d apparently craved far more than he’d ever realized.
“I think it’s up to you and Matthew,” he said honestly. “Is it what you want to do?”
“Matthew does,” she admitted. “He adores Ellen, and he says it’s time for a new adventure.”
Rick studied her expression. Reluctance was written all over her face. “You disagree, don’t you?”
“Not entirely,” she said carefully. “It’s just such a huge step. Neither of us have ever lived in a big city. Haven’t even been to Atlanta to visit, if the truth be told. Even if we had been, a visit doesn’t tell you what you need to know about living in a place. I’m afraid we’ll get there and hate it, that we’ll feel overwhelmed. Then it will be too late.”
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