“Look Mom, here come Dave and Mike. Can I go with them for a while? I think Ed and I have seen all we need to see here.”
Ed’s jaw jutted out and he turned white and then red. Was that fear in his eyes? She gave him a coy smile. Ed looked at the boy as if about to speak, then shrugged his shoulders and directed his attention back to the show ring.
“Sure, son,” Maggie said. “Run along. Remember, we’re meeting Carolyn at the Ferris Wheel at six o’clock.”
After watching her son dash off with his friends, Maggie said to the still-stunned man sitting beside her, “Kids can be fickle without even trying. Don’t take it personally. He has really enjoyed being with you.”
She stretched, thinking a nap would provide a nice interlude. No, he probably wouldn’t like that suggestion. Well, he wasn’t getting away from her this time. Even if it was hot enough to fry an egg, they would see the fair—together.
Maggie pulled the pink tank top she was wearing away from her skin in an attempt to garner some cool relief. Maybe they should find a shade tree and make out. She chuckled at her teenage memories and then directed her attention to the man who was doing his best to avoid her.
“Guess we have nearly four hours to kill until the Ferris Wheel rendezvous,” she said. “What do you want to do?”
- o -
Ed drew a blank. Maybe crawl under a rock? Or better yet, take a four hour nap. No, don’t go there. Not with Maggie Anderson beside him. Four hours with her hounding him was not going to be much fun, but there was little choice. They’d come together; they’d leave together. She’d stick to him like a burr to a dog. He’d probably be lucky if he could go to the bathroom alone. Ed inhaled deeply. Damn kid. Maybe he’d get sick on the rides and they’d have to go home early.
Unlikely. Cool would be the best way to play this situation. He wasn’t going to show Maggie Anderson that he was unnerved about spending an afternoon with her. It wasn’t like there weren’t a lot of other people around. “The showing here is almost done,” he said. “Guess we could walk through the other animal barns. Maybe something is going on at the grandstand.”
Two hours later, Ed had to admit that being with Maggie for the afternoon was turning out to be quite a bit of fun. He hadn’t been to a county fair since he was a kid. Their conversation was less strained than at the farm. They laughed at the odd looking caged birds with unpronounceable names. They oohed at lambs suckling their mother’s teats. They watched enviously as a sow received a cold water bath. Maggie seemed so happy and carefree. You wouldn’t know the problems she carried on her shoulders. He guessed a small break from worry was what they both needed.
She often glanced at him with an impish come play with me look. Damn, he wanted to kiss those lips; they seemed fuller than usual. He only remembered them being so full after he’d bruised them badly with his own.
“Ah, a day at the fair,” Maggie said, turning to face him. “Isn’t it fun?
“It’s okay.”
“Come on, Ed. Loosen up. You’ll get a day older each day no matter how you live it. We still have more than an hour before we meet the kids. Let’s go ride the Octopus.”
Ed scowled at those wide blue eyes. Surely, he must have misheard. No, he’d heard right. “You got to be kidding. At our ages?”
“Well, you old fuddy duddy. There are people on the rides who are a lot older than us.” Rising on her toes, she barked, “I dare you. I say the Octopus. You can pick the next ride.”
“Okay, lady, you’re on.” Grabbing her hand, he almost dragged her down the midway. She scrambled to keep up.
Awkwardly, Ed sat alone on the left side of the Octopus cart. Maggie grinned, as if telling him he couldn’t prevent her from sliding tight against him once the machine started.
The Octopus arm lifted and then dipped. He squinted. Sure enough, here she came like a cannonball, screaming her lungs out. Ed swung his arm down to protect her. After making sure she was safely tucked in, he looked away. She looked far too satisfied with their situation.
Well, she’d angered him with her smug dare—he shouldn’t have reacted so instinctively. But she did feel good snuggled up against him. One thing he had to say about her, she had guts. She must know that the whole damn county would be talking about them after this day. Those country phone lines would be at risk of burning up from overuse. He smiled. Wait till she sees the next ride.
As they stepped off the Octopus, Maggie pleaded, “Let’s take a short break. It’s been awhile since I’ve done this. Got to get my legs back.”
“Okay. How about some cotton candy?”
“Damn, you are getting into this.”
“Haven’t been to a county fair in decades, but used to go a lot when I was a kid. Always liked it when a girl dared me to take her on a ride.”
They ate their cotton candy while strolling across the midway. Bright pinks, oranges, reds, purples, and yellows splashed across the carnival booths, in front of which hawkers shouted at Ed trying to cajole him into winning a stuffed bear for his girl. Over their shouts blared music and recordings enticing folks to sideshows and monumental rides. The scents of hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob and elephant ears wafted on the air. There was no escape from the assault on the senses.
Ed watched Maggie light up as she immersed herself in the whirl of the midway. They walked for nearly a half an hour laughing at the clowns, at the barkers, at people leaning every which way in their attempts to land quarters on slanted glassware.
Ed pulled Maggie to a halt none to gently and reached down to pluck a piece of cotton candy from her hair. Her upturned smile sent warmth radiating throughout his body. His pulse raced. The familiarity of such a simple act thrilled him like no carnival ride ever could. Yet touching her terrorized him, if he allowed himself to think. He tried desperately not to think.
“I’m ready for more. It’s your choice,” Maggie said, running her fingers lightly across his forearm.
“Come on, then. It’s a ride from my youth. They used to call it airplane, only it doesn’t look like one. Looks more like baskets.”
“Oh God, I remember.” She took a step back. “I was never very good being upside down.” Bravely, she squared her shoulders and handed her ticket to the attendant.
Ed stood aside letting Maggie climb in and sit down on the narrow, hard bench. “Damn, I remember these baskets being bigger than this,” he muttered, trying to find enough room on the bench for himself.
“Seems comfy to me,” she said, with her head somewhere between his chest and shoulder.
The tall machine purred, their basket rose like a chair on a Ferris Wheel. He knew that would change quickly. With one strong arm holding Maggie securely, Ed began to rock the basket.
“No…” she breathed.
The heat of her wet lips seared his bare arm. He spun the basket. Over and over they went.
“Oh, my God,” Maggie cried out. She bit his arm. “I give up,” she screamed. “You win. Whatever you want. Just stop the spinning.”
The ride ended. Bemused, Ed watched Maggie stagger toward a nearby tree. Without even the slightest touch of class she tossed her hotdog, fries, cotton candy, and soda.
Ed didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. This was not what he’d intended.
“Sonofabitch, Ed, don’t just stand there looking like you swallowed a frog! Give me your handkerchief.” Moaning, Maggie leaned hard against the tree trunk. “Damn, I may yet live. Wow! What a ride. You must have been something in your youth.” He turned away as her stomach lurched again. “I may be older than I thought,” she gasped.
“I’ll get you some water. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Don’t worry about that,” she retorted.
“How are you?” Ed asked, handing Maggie a tall paper cup filled with ice and water.
“Better. I’ll make it.” She sipped the water and rinsed out her mouth. “This helps. Thanks. Let’s move over there,” she said, pointing to a tree some thirty feet away.
“I’m sorry, Maggie.” Ed put his arm around her waist to help her to the tree.
Relieved, Maggie promptly sat down and leaned back against it.
He removed his cap and sat down beside her. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to scare you for getting me into such a pickle like this.”
“I know. I should’ve been more forceful about my sensitivity to hanging upside down.” She met his gaze. “This is a small price to pay to see you finally loosen up some. Damn, that was good. If I hadn’t just thrown up lunch, I’d kiss you.”
Sliding away from her, Ed said flatly, “Thanks for small favors.”
“Is that you, Maggie Anderson? You’re looking a little peaked,” Sandy Singer asked. She was a longtime schoolmate and friend who, with her husband, managed the local motel.
“It’s me,” Maggie groaned. She smiled weakly. “Seems like my stomach isn’t much better than it was when we were kids.”
Sandy laughed. “You always did have a weak stomach when it came to rides.” She winked at Maggie before glancing at Ed. “Looks like you’re in good hands, though. Are you going to introduce me to your handsome friend? Is this the hired hand I’ve been hearing so much about?”
Maggie frowned. Ed scowled. “This is Ed Harrington, Sandy. Ed, this is an old friend, Sandy Singer. She’s good people, even if she is nosey.”
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Ed said, rising to his feet.
“Likewise. I’d really like to stay and talk, but I have to get over to the garden show. I’m one of the judges and can’t be late. Good seeing you both.” Sandy smiled broadly and waved a bejeweled hand at them as she turned to leave.
“Knew it wasn’t a good idea to come,” Ed said.
“No need to pout. We’ve had some fun. Sandy isn’t going to say anything to hurt us. She’s a friend. She’ll talk, but I’ll have to be careful to keep the other women off you now that they’ll know you’re here.”
“I’m not pouting. I just don’t want anyone getting the wrong impression, that’s all.”
“Come on, Mr. Hot Shot Trainer,” Maggie teased, “I’m not worried about impressions. Come sit back down beside me under this old oak tree and regale me with stories of winners and losers while I try to get these tennis shoes cleaned up some. I’m done with carnival rides, until maybe next year.”
Ugly dark clouds raced across the western sky. Maggie stepped off the porch to get a better look. She hadn’t seen a cloud in weeks. Please be filled with rain, she begged. Swirling dust devils sprouted everywhere ahead of the gusty winds.
Running headlong toward the paddocks to check on the horses, Maggie heard screams even before she rounded the corner of the barn. Panic clawed her heart.
Turning the corner, she witnessed, to her horror, her son being buffeted about like a bag of fluff by an hysterical mare. Somehow Johnny hung suspended from the horse’s halter. As the animal repeatedly reared, the boy’s body was flung up and down. Maggie ran, but felt as if her legs were stuck in concrete. No noise issued from her clogged throat. The terrifying scene of horse and boy moved in slow motion.
She saw Ed dash from the barn doorway to grab the lead rope. He moved gracefully, seeming to know what to do and say to steady the horse while lifting Johnny’s legs in his arm so her son’s weight no longer pulled on the mare’s head.
She saw Johnny pull away from the horse and place one arm around Ed’s neck, his other arm dangling helplessly by his side. As she neared, hardly able to breathe, Maggie counted five fingers on his hand. “Thank God,” she murmured.
“Here, take the boy,” Ed commanded when he saw Maggie. “Head for the truck. I’ll be right behind you. We got to get him to a hospital. Keep talking to him. Don’t let him fall asleep.”
She nodded dumbly; Johnny cried silently on her shoulder.
Ed led the skittish horse toward the barn and called to Carolyn, who stepped out of the doorway with a quizzical look on her face. “We’ve got to get Johnny to the hospital. He’ll be okay,” Ed added quickly. He saw Carolyn fight back a rush of tears.
“See that the horses are fed. We’ll call you.”
“I’ll do it.” Carolyn’s knuckles on the pitchfork turned white. “You take care of Johnny and Mom.”
“Right.”
Ed ran toward the truck and sprang in behind the steering wheel. The boy sat in the middle propped up against his mom. Truck tires spun gravel every which way as Ed made his way toward the road. He didn’t want to think about what might be wrong with the kid or of what might have happened if they hadn’t gotten to him right away.
He gave Maggie a quick glance. Her face was almost as pallid as Johnny’s.
“You got to keep talking to him, Maggie. Otherwise he might go into shock. That’ll only complicate things. As it is, the doc will have to pop his shoulder back in place.”
“Tell me what happened, Johnny,” she asked, taking her eyes off the speedometer.
“Dunno,” was the plaintive response.
“Did the horse spook?”
“Yeah. Some paper flew in the wind,” Johnny sobbed. “She got scared.”
“Why didn’t you let go of the halter?”
Johnny shook his head. Tears rolled down his cheeks. “Ed will be mad at me,” he mumbled.
“What?”
Concentrating on his driving, Ed never looked at the boy. He knew what Johnny meant. The kid had screwed up, and he hadn’t seen Johnny quickly enough to prevent an accident. Now the kid was paying the price. And his mom.
Johnny exhaled. “I had two fingers through the halter ring.”
Maggie rocked back. “My goodness,” she gasped. “You could have lost both fingers.”
“I know. Maybe. If Ed hadn’t been there, maybe I would’ve.”
“Oh, my.” Maggie brushed the locks of hair from the boy’s forehead and kissed him over and over. Johnny didn’t complain.
It was early evening before Dr. James entered the waiting room to talk to Maggie and Ed.
“He’s going to be okay. No lost fingers. No permanent damage. It’ll take a few weeks for him to heal fully. A dislocated shoulder, two broken fingers, and pulled ligaments are nothing to sneeze about.”
Breathing freely for the first time in hours, Ed felt like a huge anvil had been lifted from his chest.
Tears crept down Maggie’s cheeks. “Thank you, Doctor,” she mumbled through a shaky smile.
“From what the boy tells me, you two took some quick decisive action that probably kept him from going into shock and suffering any permanent damage.” The young, dark-haired physician smiled. “I imagine you know it, but you’ve got a lad who thinks you both walk on water. We don’t see kids relating to their parents that well very often.”
Glancing at his clipboard and then at his watch, the doctor continued, “Well, I’ve other patients to see. I want him to stay overnight. Just a precaution. We have him on pain medication. He should sleep pretty much through the night. He’ll be able to go home in the morning.”
Maggie started to speak.
“Yes, you can spend the night in his room.”
An hour later, Maggie stared at her son sleeping soundly in his hospital bed. The room was quiet and semi-dark. She tried not to think of what might have happened. He could have been maimed, or crushed under the horse’s hooves. They all knew there would be accidents, but she hadn’t counted on this.
“Thank you,” she whispered to Ed, who sat next to her on the small couch. She placed her hand in his.
He didn’t pull away. She was relieved at that. She needed his comforting, and she also needed to give comfort. She squeezed his fingers; he squeezed hers in return.
“I wish it hadn’t happened,” he stammered. He had hardly spoken a word since they arrived at the hospital. “I should’ve been a better teacher. One of the first rules of being with horses is never wrap a rope around any part of your body or put your fingers through halter rings or in places where they might be caught. I didn’t see what h
e was doing until it was too late.” Ed dropped his head into his hands and sobbed.
Maggie stroked his neck and looked at the haggard man as if for the first time that day. He’d been through hell. He thought he was responsible for Johnny’s mistake. And he cared. A lot. A new kind of warmth claimed her body. She didn’t want to name it—not now.
“Don’t whip yourself, Ed. You told all of us rule number one over and over again: never place your fingers in halter rings or rope loops. Maybe we really don’t learn until something like this happens. We got off easy.”
“This time.”
“We got off easy this time because you were there and knew what to do,” she asserted. She smiled weakly. “You surprise me, Ed. In some matters you have more courage than any five men combined, and then in others you seem so timid.”
She’d give anything to know what the man was thinking. But he so seldom shared any inner thoughts or feelings. At least he wasn’t running from her touch. But he looked so drained by the ordeal. “You know,” she said, “you’ve been through a lot. More than me. Why don’t you go home and get some rest. I can…”
Maggie stopped mid-sentence under his withering glare. It was clear Ed Harrington was not about to go home until he saw for himself that Johnny was okay.
Curling up on her end of the couch, Maggie laid her head on his thigh. Did he realize he was stroking her hair?
- o -
As Maggie and the boy slept, Ed tried to sort things out. He seemed to be a danger to Maggie and her family if he stayed or if he left. With the crops dying, the horses were the only realistic hope she had for saving the farm. But he couldn’t protect them from every conceivable danger. Risks came with the horse business. But would they learn to do everything they could to prevent accidents? Johnny had done a very stupid thing. Ed knew it. Maggie knew it. And so did Johnny. Ed shuddered at what might have been.
Heat Wave (Riders Up) Page 11