She rested her crutches against the wall and turned out the light. Suddenly exhausted, she lay down on top of the bed.
Face it, Audra. You’ve come to the crossroads of your life. It’s up to you to make the best of it without Rick Hawkins in the picture.
Things had to get better once her cast came off. If all went well, she’d be free of it by this time next week. What a difference it would make when she could drive the truck again, do her program at the studio.
If it appeared her uncle wanted to be free to invite a woman over, she’d find herself an apartment and start giving harp lessons. Until then she had a project that would keep her busy for a while.
She’d be all right during the days. It was the nights she had to get through, those dark hours when her subconscious brought her deepest longings and fears to the surface.
The sounds of the men’s voices in the other room droned on. It was after one in the morning and they were still going strong. That was good. By the time they left, her uncle would be ready for sleep.
Audra needed to get up and brush her teeth. As she started to move off the bed, her cell phone rang. It was on the dresser. She felt sick for fear it was Tom.
After grabbing a crutch, she got up to look at the caller ID.
It was Rick!
With heart pounding, she clicked on. “Hello?”
“Audra? I hope you don’t mind me phoning this late. I was listening to your prerecorded radio program tonight and got this urge to phone in on the request line. How about singing something to help me stay awake?”
Rick.
“I take it you’re back at the bungalow. Where’s Nate?”
“Observing from the widow’s walk.”
“I haven’t been up there in years. You can see the whole property from there.”
“That’s the idea.”
“How long do you plan to keep this up? The boys might not cause any more trouble again for weeks.”
“Nate’ll keep watch with me through Sunday morning. Then he and Laurel have to fly back to Colorado Springs.”
“This has been no vacation for them,” she lamented.
“It wasn’t intended to be.”
“She’s amazing. She pitched in all day to help. I know she’s exhausted and will probably be up in the night several times to nurse her baby.”
“Laurel knew what this visit was about. She wouldn’t have come with Nate if she hadn’t wanted to. It’s given Dad and Pam a chance to be with her and Becky.”
“Actually, I think Uncle David spent more time with the baby than anyone else today. He adores that little girl.”
“She’s a cutie. How’s he doing?”
“His friends are still here playing poker.”
“That had to be your idea.”
“I thought it would help.”
“And who’s helping you?”
Oh, Rick. Don’t ask me questions like that.
“You did when you sent the photograph of the bluebonnets. Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
“It does belong to you. I thought it might make you feel more at home.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “We’ve hung it in the living room as a reminder. But in case you didn’t realize, when I was in college I lived on campus during the week. After that, I was gone for two years in France. Living in the city, away from the ranch, is nothing new. Uncle David and I have each other. That’s the important thing.”
“Audra—”
Her breath caught. “Yes?”
“I’m glad he’s there if you should have another nightmare.”
She’d thought he was going to say something else. She didn’t know what exactly.
“Me, too. Good night, Rick.”
THE LINE ON HER END had gone dead. Rick clicked off with a grimace.
She was so damn noble, but he wouldn’t want her any other way.
The situation with the boys was so infuriating, he felt as if he was going nuts, especially in this straitjacket he had to wear. Less than a minute passed before his cell phone rang.
“Nate?”
“We’ve got company.”
That was music to Rick’s ears. The sooner this business with Audra’s cousins was resolved, the sooner he could make plans for a future he’d never thought possible.
“A white half-ton pickup truck just pulled into the driveway.”
“That’s Greg’s. Give me a minute to phone 9-1-1, then call me back.”
Rick gave the dispatcher the particulars and the case number on the card the detective had left with him, then he started for the main house at a run.
He slowed down to take Nate’s next call.
“Two guys are down there. The one hooking up the horse trailer to the back of the truck is slender. The huskier one has walked to the barn.”
“That would be Tom.”
Maybe Sherry had gotten to Jim by moving in with her mother. Too bad Greg hadn’t seen the light yet.
“As long as Tom’s out for revenge, he’s mercenary enough to want to make some money off the girls’ horses. That’s what the boys are after. I’ll be there in a minute, Nate.”
“I’m going downstairs now. I’ll slip out to the front porch to wait for the police.”
After clicking off, Rick picked up speed. His adrenaline had kicked in. It felt good to stretch his legs. This was a different kind of high, one he wasn’t going to come down from.
Nate met him in front of the house. “You got here fast.”
“That’s what happens when you’re motivated.”
“One way or the other, the boys are in for it now.”
They didn’t have to wait long for the police. If Rick had set up the scenario himself, he couldn’t have planned it better.
Greg had just pulled the trailer as far as the road to make a turn when three squad cars suddenly appeared coming from both directions.
Their lights were flashing and Rick could hear one of the officers telling the boys to step out of the truck with their hands on their heads.
Rick turned to his brother. “Thanks for coming. We do good work.”
“I agree.”
They waited nearby until the boys had been placed under arrest and driven away, then they spoke with the officer in charge.
It took close to a half hour before their statements had been taken and the horses were led back to the barn.
Nate drove his rental car out of the barn while Rick shut the doors. Tom had broken the lock, but Rick was satisfied nobody would be breaking in before his dad and Pam arrived back at the ranch.
He climbed into the car and shut the door. “Drive me to the bungalow for my things. Then let’s head to Austin.”
“And then what?” It was a leading question.
“Since the base of Becky’s car seat is already in the back of my M3, how would you and Laurel like to drive me to Colorado Springs this morning?”
His brother grinned. “I’ve been waiting to get my hands on that baby. Dad’s going to miss her after we leave.”
Rick nodded, momentarily distracted. But his mind was on other things than his car. “Jed phoned and told me he’s found the perfect spot for my business. I thought I’d pay Chip a visit. We’ll check out the property. I want his input and Wally’s before I make a decision.”
A decision that was going to affect his whole life and hopefully Audra’s. If she loved him enough….
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“MY LEG FEELS so strange without the cast.”
“That’s normal,” the doctor said. “My nurse will give you the number for the physical therapy clinic. Make an appointment as soon as possible to get started. It will strengthen that leg and hasten your recovery time.
“Use your crutches when you leave here. Start walking around the house without them when you get home. Your therapist will tell you when you don’t need them anymore.”
Audra looked him square in the eye. “Give it to me straight, Dr. Tobler. Do you think I’ll have a limp?”<
br />
“No. The X ray shows your bones have knit together beautifully. I expect you to make a full recovery.”
“Really?” she cried out, trying hard to fight back the tears. Last night she’d had a humdinger of a nightmare where she limped so badly she couldn’t reach Rick’s race car, which had overturned and burst into flames.
“Yes. In a couple of months you’ll be able to ride your horse.”
“What about driving the truck?”
“Ask your therapist after you’ve had a few sessions. It’s all in how that leg starts to feel to you.”
Her heart swelled with gratitude. “Thank you for saving it.”
The surgeon eyed her with a solemn expression. “Someone upstairs performed the miracle, not me. He must have something special in store for you.”
“My life and leg were spared. That’s special enough.”
She hugged the doctor, then walked to the waiting room on both feet using her crutches. The second her uncle saw her without her cast, he broke out in a smile and rushed over to her.
“You’re walking great, honey.”
Audra nodded. “The doctor says I’m not going to have a limp. I should be able to function at the wedding reception for Pam and Clint next Saturday without my crutches.”
Now both their eyes had tears.
“Give me a minute. I have to make an appointment with the therapist, then we’ll go home.”
Except that the condo wasn’t home. She didn’t have one.
Her heart quaked.
Life as she’d once known it was over. She could never go back. It was all gone. Everything.
Rick was gone.
He’d been out of her life for a week, having left for Colorado Springs with Nate and Laurel. She’d tried to survive without him, but you wouldn’t call it living.
Now that the cast had been removed, she was supposed to get back to normal. How?
What was normal when you had no place to go? When the man you adored had moved on to pursue his dreams?
Except that he was coming for the reception. At least she’d be able to stand on her own two feet and wish him luck in his future racing endeavors.
But hard as she tried to convince herself that she was strong enough to face him one more time, the truth was, she felt like dying every minute. Clint had told her that until Rick was free of the sling, he’d be spending time at the Pike’s Peak Raceway with his buddy Chip.
Of course—Rick lived for racing. Still, next Saturday couldn’t come soon enough for her. She needed to see him, look at him one more time before he returned, once and for all, to Arizona. She couldn’t think beyond that.
Between plans for the reception, visits to the therapist and doing her radio programs, she filled her week with activity, but nothing could stop the ache in her heart. If there was one good thing, Mr. Cutler had talked with the boys’ attorney. Some plea bargaining had gone on before their arraignment in front of the judge.
The charges of breaking and entering, vandalism and attempted burglary would be dropped if the three of them all went into two years of intensive psychiatric counseling by order of the court to get the help they needed. The boys agreed, even Tom.
Shock of shocks, Jim came by the condo with Sherry and actually apologized to Audra and their uncle. They made another visit to the ranch to see Clint and Pam and tell them the same thing.
After so many years of family turmoil and pain, Audra couldn’t have been happier with the astounding turn of events. The family’s debt to the Hawkins men just kept growing.
Pam planned to wear the cream-colored suit with the lace trim she’d been married in to the reception. But she insisted on taking Audra shopping for a new dress—something frothy and feminine. Something to match her eyes.
In the end, Audra picked out a simple blue silk dress with cap sleeves and a scooped neck. It might not be frothy, but when she modeled it for her cousin, Pam said it would do fine. She bought of a pair of black, low-slung heels that wouldn’t give her leg problems.
The night before the reception, Audra and her uncle went to dinner with the Torneys at the hotel where they were staying. The police had been in touch with them. Now that the threat was over, they wanted to get together for a friendly visit.
Audra knew that Hal had instigated it. Nevertheless, they had an enjoyable time. His parents were very nice people. It turned out Sheila Torney had been raised on a farm in Ohio.
She wasn’t a big-city type and she had bad arthritis so the winters were too hard on her. That’s why they’d decided to buy ranch property in Texas where she wouldn’t freeze in the colder months.
The revelation made Audra a little ashamed of her blanket criticism of the windshield ranchers gobbling up their state.
On impulse, she invited them to Pam and Clint’s reception at the church recreation center in Hill Grove the next day between six and nine o’clock. If they came, they’d get to know some of the ranching families in the area, which might make them feel more at home.
Hal said yes without looking at his parents. She feared he thought she was attracted to him. To be honest, Audra couldn’t see the day coming when she’d be interested in any man again, not after Rick.
But she smiled at Hal and his parents, telling them she and her uncle would look forward to seeing them if they could make it.
The next day Audra and her uncle drove out to the church early to start setting things up. The food was being catered, but when the pastor’s wife showed up with a lot of friends from the church, everyone had brought casseroles and cakes and a ton of wedding gifts.
Before long, Josie Marshall, the friend whose wedding Pam had attended in Colorado, arrived to help.
Soon Sherry and Diane appeared with their children and half a dozen pies. Everyone hugged and kissed. It was an emotional reunion, but Audra was glad there wasn’t time to talk about the past. They’d reserve that for another day.
She’d hired a wonderful band from the University of Austin to play for the occasion. The guests could eat and dance to the music. Audra had worked out a program to appeal to all ages and tastes.
Two of the guys in the group were good friends of hers. She’d given them an arrangement of a little song she’d written for Pam and Clint. Around four-thirty the group came in and set up so she could practice with them before the guests started to arrive.
The idea that Rick would be among them made her feverish with longing.
RICK WALKED through the doors at the rear of the church behind Brent and Julie, who were flanked by their two boys.
His heart raced like the engine of his car as it screamed around the last lap of the track. It felt good to be wearing a tuxedo jacket. No longer a one-armed bandit, he was ready for that 4:00 a.m. truck ride with a certain redhead.
Judging by the vehicles out in the parking lot, a large crowd had already assembled. His dad and Pam stood at the front of the hall greeting well-wishers. Rick and Nate had been assigned to float for the next three hours.
That was fine with him. He could follow Audra around, but first he had to find her. His hungry eyes scanned the room for a head of dark mahogany curls. He didn’t have to wait long.
She was a beautiful sight as she came through the double doors leading from the kitchen. The way she moved in that blue dress, you’d never know she’d almost lost a leg.
Since the moment he’d climbed in her window and found her battling nocturnal demons, an ache for her had been growing in his heart. It would not go away until he could make sure there would be no more separations.
He blazed a path through the crowd to intercept her.
“Audra?”
At the sound of her name, she came to a standstill. A mischievous look entered the lovely eyes that lifted to his.
“Uh-oh. One tall, dark, sexy man has just entered the room. Now hear this. All ladies, run for your lives!”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “How come you’re not taking your own advice?”
“I alread
y have a crush on you, remember?”
“I’m glad you haven’t forgotten.”
“That would be impossible. There’s only one Lucky Hawkins. He’s standing in front of me, and he even has two arms.”
“This must be our lucky night. I see you’ve got your other leg back. How does it feel?”
“Not as weird as it did the day my cast came off. Are you still in pain?”
“No, but I’m not ready to do handstands at the gym yet.”
She cocked her head. “Did you ever do them?”
He grinned. “No.”
That produced a chuckle.
“What can I do to help?”
“Looking like you do tonight, just continue to circulate. It’ll keep the female population happy.”
“Even you?”
“Especially me. I’ll talk to you later when things settle down.”
He let her go, but he was no longer smiling. Rick could tell she was glad to see him. You couldn’t hide certain signs. Yet in his gut he felt something was wrong.
Her banter was too pat—as if she was party to a secret he didn’t know anything about. It made him nervous as hell. Until he could get her alone, he’d be forced to remain in this anxiety-filled state.
For the rest of the evening he did what Audra had asked of him and made conversation. He was in Texas now. People were dancing and enjoying themselves. No one was at a loss for words.
Many guests had come from all over the region to honor Pam and her new husband. It was a real tribute to her and the Jarrett family.
Audra never came near him, but he hadn’t expected her to. She was in charge of the reception, the perfect excuse to stay clear of him. He had to bide his time and simply watch her from a distance.
At ten to nine he saw her walk over to the band and reach for her guitar, resting on a stool. She approached the mike with the kind of poise and ease of a seasoned celebrity. Her beauty made it impossible to look anywhere else. The crowd fell quiet and Audra began to speak.
“Everyone has wished the happy couple well. Now I’d like to add my contribution by singing a little song. This terrific band from the University of Austin is going to back me up.
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