by Neva Brown
Her voice shook a little. “I guess the lightning set off the memory of the firecrackers. In my mind, I saw the whole wreck as Sassy Silk reared and fell just before my head exploded that day. But I’m okay now, except for a nasty headache.”
He touched her arm. “Can I get you something to ease the pain?”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but I have what I need in my evening bag.”
Tres watched her cross the room to the coffee table where her bag lay. He pulled the drapes, shutting out the storm, and went to Casey, insisting she lie down on the couch for a few minutes to let the medicine take effect. He sat on the edge of the couch, putting cold, wet napkins on her forehead, dripping water as he wet the napkins in the ice bucket that had been brought in to fix drinks.
In a few minutes, Casey sat up and smiled. “Headache’s gone. I’m really sorry.” She lowered her gaze to the drops of water on the floor. “We better clean up this mess.”
Tres laughed with relief and leaned back on the couch beside her. “Don’t worry about the mess. Just sit here by me for a little. Dinner will be ready soon.”
Rosalinda called them to the small dining room off the den where she had arranged their meal on a small table set with white linen, silver, and crystal to complement the delicious-smelling food. She lit the candelabra in the center of the table. “Just ring if you need anything. One of the girls will help you. I’m going to watch my TV program.”
“Goodnight,” they both said as the aging woman sailed out the door, moving like someone half her age.
Tres avoided talking about anything that had to do with Casey’s rehab. But he watched as she cut the sliced beef with ease and handled herself with absolute grace. She was a far cry from the frustrated person he had seen only a few weeks before, who had sat on the floor and belabored a piece of clay as she struggled to cut it. Tonight, her long, slender fingers tipped with shiny, buffed nails moved with dexterity as she handled silver, crystal, and napkin. Tres found himself relaxing, enjoying both his meal and his alluring dinner partner.
Casey’s nervousness died away as Tres talked his way back into being the companion of her youth rather than the aggressive male who had made her weak in the knees with a single kiss. Before the meal was over, she contributed voluntarily to their conversation.
“Vera said you made arrangements at the college so I won’t lose my certification for not honoring my contract. Is it true?”
He smiled at her. “Yes. Professor Durham is happy to fill in for you. He had been retired for two years and was at loose ends. So all is well.”
Setting down her water glass, she said, “I’m hoping I’m okay by the second semester. Do you suppose they will let me start then?”
Tres hesitated before he replied, “I imagine so if Dr. Newton says it’s okay. You do know you don’t really need to work.”
“I’m afraid I do. I certainly don’t expect my parents to take care of me for the rest of my life.”
Tres raised an eyebrow. “Why? J.D. left you a substantial inheritance and Jody’s dad made a hefty settlement to keep his son out of prison. You are a wealthy woman.”
She stared at him with fear in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Have I forgotten something important?”
Swearing at his thoughtlessness, he covered her unsteady hand with his. “No, you didn’t forget. I did. The final reading of J.D.’s will was done after you were hurt. And, of course, the settlement came while you were still in a coma. I guess none of us thought to tell you.”
Tres got up from the table and clasped her hand in his, then shepherded her back to the den. The flute music that had been a haunting whisper in the dining room became more distinct. He punched a remote. Soft, bluesy dance music filled the room.
“May I?” He opened his arms for her acceptance. “We can talk about work and money later.”
“I’m not sure I can dance. I haven’t tried.”
“Then this is a perfect time with just the two of us here. Remember all the things I taught you when you were a kid?”
He turned her into his arms and gazed at her with longing in his eyes as they moved across the room to the light switch. With the chandelier dark, the indirect lights illuminated the ceiling, giving the room a soft, dim glow.
Her miscues made her stop and look at him in despair.
He squeezed her hand. “Don’t fret. Take off your shoes and stand on my boots.”
She wrinkled her brow at him like he had lost his mind. “I can’t stand on your feet. It would hurt you.”
Hearing a note of despair in her voice and fearing he had pushed her too far, he led her back to the couch. “Then let me take off my boots and we’ll practice some dance steps sitting down.” He punched off the music as he settled her on the couch, then pulled a chair in front of her and sat down.
He set his boots aside. “Now put your toes so they touch mine.” As he watched her scoot each sheer-hosed foot up to his black silk socks, he doubted his wisdom. His body clamored for something it couldn’t have tonight. “Now, I’m going to count as we move our feet together. When I push my toe against your toe, back up your foot. When I pull my toe back, follow it with your foot. If I go sideways, you do, too. Ready?” He grinned and began to count. “One, two, three. One, two, three.” When she finally laughed at their mistakes, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Now put your feet on mine. Let me move my feet and you try to stay on top of them.”
She set her toes lightly on his insteps. He hummed a tune and moved his feet in the same pattern they had been practicing.
Only a few steps into the routine, Casey said, “I think I remember. Can we try it with music?”
His desire to hold her made him more than ready to dance to music whether they followed the routine or not. He punched another button on the remote and an old country waltz about a last cheater started. Standing and tugging her up, he gathered her close, Tres swayed to the music. He moved tentatively at first, but then with more confidence.
After two songs, she peered up at him with sparkling eyes. “How am I doing?”
“You’re doing great. Does it feel good?”
“Oh, yes.” She blushed, not ready to admit she wished they could pick up right where they’d left off earlier in the cabana when his kiss made her insides turn to hot honey. The sweet ache for him now made her body throb and heat up like an oven set on ‘high’.
Tres laughed. “It makes me feel more than good.” Wanting to keep her with him, he said, “Come with me in the morning to see how the grass and waterings are going into the winter.”
“Do you think it would be okay with Brad?” she asked.
Tres didn’t know whether to be pleased or irritated at her deference to the therapist, so he said, “Let’s go talk to Brad.”
As Casey and Tres entered the room, Brad shifted his gaze from the TV and said, “According to the weatherman, there’s another hurricane building up in the Pacific that could set off rains as far inland as the western third of Texas.”
Tres nodded. “We can always use a good soaker to replenish the water table.” Tres paused, then said, “Could I steal Casey away in the morning?”
Tres’ agitation did not escape Brad. “Dr. Newton’s receptionist called and asked if we could be in San Angelo at three o’clock tomorrow afternoon for Casey’s checkup. The doctor flew to San Angelo to do an emergency operation that will take several hours, but said he would like to see Casey while he’s there since he has to be in Houston day after tomorrow for several weeks.”
Gazing down at Casey, Tres smiled then tucked a strand of her hair behind one ear as his palm cupped her face. “Then you’ll need to get an early start,” Tres said. “We’ll get away another time.”
A resolute Casey strolled into Dr. Newton’s office. She hardly remembered him, but knew he had saved her life. She offered him her hand. “Thanks for getting me back up and running.”
He smiled and nodded. “It’s good to see yo
u doing well,” he said as he shook her hand. Then he pointed to an empty chair at his desk. “I’ve read all of Brad’s reports, and you have made tremendous strides in your recovery.”
Casey nodded. “I’m feeling well and I am able to cope with my world a lot better than I could a few months back.”
The doctor closed her records. “Let’s do a few tests and see where we need to go from here.”
Three hours later, she and Brad were once again in the doctor’s office. Dr. Newton sat down at his desk. He reopened Casey’s file before he started to speak. “You’re doing well. Brad said you have been driving and doing many of your normal activities.”
“Yes, sir, I feel comfortable, not nervous or worried.”
He made a scribble in the file. “Considering how well you are doing, it should be safe for you to ride a horse again. Sometimes riding can help refine the fine motor skills. Of course, fast and fancy stuff is out, just simple walking or trotting will have to do for now.”
He scanned the next page in the file. “One more thing, your eye tests indicate some extra therapy is needed. I’m sending a machine home with you that will help you regain the reading speed you have been accustomed to. Brad can help you learn how to use it then you can work on your own. Don’t get discouraged if it takes a while for this skill to be regained. Just keep working at it.” He met her gaze. “Now it’s your time. Do you have questions?”
“Yes, sir. Is it feasible for me to start making plans to live alone?”
He nodded. “I don’t see why not. Just be honest with yourself about what you can and can’t do. Be aware that it will probably be at least a year before you reach your full recovery. So don’t push too hard.”
Looking over at Brad, as if dismissing her, the doctor said, “By the way, I’d like to talk to you about working with another one of my patients as soon as Casey feels she can manage without you. He’s not as good-looking as Casey but he needs long-term therapy and is eager to get out of the rehab center.” He returned his attention to Casey.
Casey said, “Maybe you and Brad could discuss the possibilities now. Vera and I need to do some shopping. We can meet Brad back at the hotel for dinner.”
“Are you sure you’re not too tired?” Brad asked.
Rising with easy grace, giving no indication of how badly her body had been damaged, Casey nodded. “I feel great. Dr. Newton has pretty much given me my life back, and I want to celebrate by spending some money on new clothes.”
Both men laughed.
“Just like a woman.” Dr. Newton faced Brad with a wide grin. “I believe she is back to normal.”
Casey laughed along with the men. Outside, her mood changed. What a dumb thing to use for an excuse. Now she had to really and truly go shopping. She hated to shop, but she screwed up her courage, determined to appreciate the experience. She would enjoy her excursion and be grateful she was able to shop.
Once alone, Casey rang Vera on the cell phone. Her breathless answer made Casey ask, “What are you doing?”
“I just placed a call to my husband, Ray. He’s supposed to call back any minute. He may get to come home early. I got an official-looking letter, but it was delivered to Brad’s address here in town rather than being sent to the ranch.”
“Then I’ll get off the line. Brad is talking with the doctor about another patient, and I’m going shopping. See you at dinner. Bye.”
“Bye.” The click of the phone made Casey smile. Vera had more important things than shopping on her mind. Feeling free, Casey drove to an elegant little boutique she would have never considered going into before. Stepping onto the plush, mauve carpet inside the shop’s door sent an excited shiver up her spine. Today she’d shop for the fun of it. Never before had she wanted feminine clothes. Today she wanted someone to help her find clothes that made her look subtly glamorous.
She found the saleslady was more than happy to oblige. It was a banner day for the boutique and a new education for Casey.
Later, at dinner, an excited Vera broke the silence before their salad had even arrived. “Do you suppose it would be okay for me to stay here and get things fixed up for Ray’s homecoming?”
Casey spoke up. “I don’t see why not. Dr. Newton said I’m able to manage by myself. What do you think, Brad?”
“I’ll run it by Tres when I talk to him tonight. It seems like we’re all ready to make some changes.”
“How did your discussion about a prospective new patient go?” Casey asked.
Brad leaned back in his chair. “Good. We went over and visited with the man. He sustained some serious injuries in a construction accident. He has a long, hard road of rehab ahead, but his attitude is good. He’s chomping at the bit to get out of the center. We’d live at his place near the lake and go to the health club each day to use some of the equipment that he doesn’t have at his house.”
“Then I don’t have to feel guilty about running you off?” Casey asked, gently teasing, but somewhat relieved at the knowledge her need for independence wouldn’t put Brad out of a job.
“Hardly, the eye-training machine Dr. Newton requisitioned from the therapy department will let us get started immediately on your eye coordination exercises. He thinks you can work alone with it in a couple of weeks. It’s mostly a matter of repetition after you learn the procedure.”
They consumed the delicious meal amid nonstop talk of things to be done to bring their lengthy sojourn at Spencer Mansion to a close.
Later, when Brad called Tres, he had already talked to Dr. Newton. Tres expressed his uneasiness about Casey’s being on her own, but reluctantly conceded she needed some space to come to terms with the changes in her life. As their conversation wound down, Tres said, “Mattie Lou’s back at the ranch. She’s been beside me listening and insists that you and Casey have your meals with us when you get back.”
“That will work out great for these last two weeks,” Brad said. “We can concentrate on the things to get Casey back into a normal life style rather than full days of therapy.”
“Let Mattie Lou know if you need anything. I’m gone from early until late most days. We’ve started the fall roundup in order to meet the contract’s shipping date. Things are a little hectic right now.”
“We’ll be fine,” Brad said. “It may be late before we get back to the ranch tomorrow. Casey wants to stop in Cielo Alto and do a few things.”
“Is she up to all this activity?”
“Dr. Newton said to let her try anything she wants to these two weeks and call him if there are any ill effects, so I guess he thinks she is.”
“Just watch so she doesn’t overdo.” Tres heard the protective tone in his voice. Well, he did feel protective of Casey.
After Tres hung up the phone, he frowned. Before the next two weeks passed, he needed to think of some good reason for Casey to stay at Spencer Mansion. He felt unsettled about how events were unfolding so fast.
Chapter 8
Casey turned down Brad’s offer to drive when they got ready to start back to the ranch the next morning. She loved the feel of her subconscious directing her body to do the right thing at the right time. Knowing she could do things she had not been able to do for so long gave her much-needed confidence. As she drove away with Brad in the passenger seat, they looked back at Vera standing on the balcony of Brad’s apartment waving goodbye.
Casey chuckled as she maneuvered her pickup into the traffic. “She can hardly wait for us to get out of the way so she can start getting things fixed for Ray’s return.”
“Yeah,” Brad said grinning. “I’m glad things worked out so they can have my apartment to themselves. Ray should have a thirty-day leave before going to his new assignment. She can probably go with him this next time.”
“What about you? Does going directly to a new patient feel okay for you?”
Brad cut his eyes around to her, seeming surprised at her concern for him. “I think it’s going to be great. Of course, I’ve spent over five years on the S
pencer ranch, so I’ll have to adjust to living near a lake and being close to the city. I might even get used to socializing a little.” He grinned.
Casey sighed. “Looks like I’m the only one left who needs to get a life.”
Brad reached over and straightened the kink in her seatbelt. “No need to rush things. You know you’re lucky to have a life.”
“I know, but it seems like other people have either been organizing my life or taking care of me forever. I really would like to see if I can make decisions and get by on my own.”
Brad sat quietly for a time then said, “All the years I took care of J. D., I watched him and your dad plan your life. I can see why you would like some freedom, but you need to know you gave that remarkable old rancher a reason to live when things were really bad for him. You’d have thought he won those trophies himself.”
Casey swallowed hard, the lump in her throat threatening to melt into tears. J.D. held a special spot in her heart that she couldn’t possibly explain. They left the city, heading southwest.
When she could finally talk, she said, “J.D. hiring my dad was the best thing that ever happened to us. My mother was debilitated by Lyme Disease by the time we came to the ranch. Dad pretty much had to take care of everything. Some days she felt like cooking and doing household things, but she never felt like putting up with an energetic kid, so I tagged along with him when I wasn’t in school. Luckily, I inherited an ability to handle horses. I worked with him for years without ever having a thought about pay. But my hard work all paid off when J.D. talked my dad into letting me and the Running S quarter horses go to college.”
“Do you remember most of the past now?” Brad asked.
She nodded. “I think I do. There is a short period after I regained consciousness that I can’t account for, but from what I hear it’s just as well.”