Memories of how it felt to have her sitting behind him, her arms circling his waist, flooded his mind. When he’d freed her blouse from the fence, he’d tried to ignore the way her hair had slid through his hand. He could still feel every single strand.
What was she doing now? She was probably on a date with her boyfriend or chatting with friends. He blew out a breath of frustration and stood from the settee. Whatever she was doing, it had to be a lot more exciting than anything he had to look forward to the rest of the day.
~
Chelsea closed her eyes against the bright lights in the hospital waiting room. It’d been a lengthy weekend. At first, the medication had worked and Laurie’s contractions slowed. They’d even stopped for a while. Just when they were about to release her from the hospital to let her go home on bed rest, they started back up again. All attempts to stall labor failed after that.
It was one o’clock Monday morning and they were in the operating room, delivering the baby by C-section.
Poor Laurie was beside herself, upset that her plans for a medication-free birth had not only gone out the window, but had smashed to smithereens on the floor below. Tuck clearly felt helpless.
Much like the rest of the family.
Chelsea opened her eyes again and took in the surrounding people. Tuck’s mom, Patty, sat across the aisle from Chelsea, her hands twisting over and over in her lap. Grams, Patty’s mother, sat next to her. Unlike Patty, Grams seemed calm and collected.
Tuck’s older sister, Lexi, worked as a nurse for a pediatrician in town and volunteered in the NICU there at the hospital. It was a big relief to all of them that she was being allowed to go into the operating room with the expectant parents.
Lance Davenport, Lexi’s husband, continued pacing back and forth in front of the large window overlooking the parking structure below. “We should be hearing something soon.”
“I hope so.” Patty ran a hand over her eyes. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Grams patted her hand. “It’ll be okay. God’s in control.”
“I know, Mom. Praise Him that it isn’t any earlier in the pregnancy.” She wiped her hands on her pants. “Serenity texted and said she and Gideon will be driving down later today. She’s got to talk to the staff and make sure she can get the time off.”
Chelsea had heard nothing but good things about Gideon’s special needs school where Serenity also worked. She was sure they’d understand the situation and hopefully they’d arrive before dinner.
Ugh. Work. There was no way Chelsea would call in sick or take the day off, either. Not after only one week at a new job. It would be a long day.
It was even more frustrating that she hadn’t been able to get a hold of her parents to tell them about Laurie going into labor. You’d think, with a daughter in her third trimester, they’d make sure they were reachable. Apparently not. She’d left several messages on their phone and then given up. She’d be lying if resentment wasn’t one of the many emotions she was toiling through at the moment.
Chelsea leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
Please, God. Please let Laurie and the baby be okay. Guide the minds and hands of the doctors and nurses. Be with Tuck and Laurie.
She could only imagine how they were dealing with it all right now.
The next fifteen minutes passed as though they were going through slow motion. Patty was walking the aisle, Grams had doled out peppermints from her purse, and Lance was about to go ask for an update when Lexi came into the waiting area.
Chelsea stood, her stomach rolling. Lexi was smiling. It had to be a good sign, right?
Lexi’s shoulder-length dark hair was still mostly hidden beneath a surgical hat. She slipped her hands into the pockets on the front of her purple scrubs. “Laurie’s fine and the C-section was textbook. They’re closing her up now, and then she’ll be going to the recovery room.”
“And the baby?” The question came from Patty.
“He’s tiny. I wasn’t going to tell you guys the weight and all but Tuck said I could. He wants to stay back there with him and Laurie right now. But he was born at five pounds five ounces and is sixteen inches long. A great size considering how early he is.” She paused, and Chelsea sensed she was having to keep her emotions in check. “Laurie got to kiss him, but he was having a hard time breathing so they whisked him away to the NICU. I just came from there and we’ve got him stable, but he’s on oxygen right now. We’re going to start him off on C-PAP hoping we won’t have to put him on a ventilator.”
Lance ran a hand through his blond hair and released a lungful of air.
Chelsea knew how he was feeling. She’d hoped they would find out the baby was fine and there weren’t any worries. But the truth of the matter was that there were likely going to be some complications.
Grams reached over and clasped Patty’s hand.
“Things are going as well as we could have hoped for, guys. The baby’s seven weeks early and often boys experience delayed lung development compared to girls.” Lexi looked back at the door she’d come through. “I need to get back. Tuck asked if I’d stay with the baby so I’m going to go. Tuck or I will keep you guys updated, okay?”
Patty and Grams gave her a hug, and Lance kissed her briefly before she disappeared again.
Chelsea glanced at her phone. Still no call back from her parents. She chucked it onto the waiting room chair before flopping down on the one next to it.
Patty sat next to her and put a hand on her arm. “Honey, are you okay?”
“My parents should know about this. But I haven’t heard back from them since I tried to get in contact with them on Friday. Isn’t that messed up? I mean, is it just me?”
Patty put an arm around her and hugged her. “Who knows? Maybe their phone died? Or they’ve been in flight all this time to get here? International flights are a nightmare.”
“Yeah, maybe.” She doubted it, though. They’d always put their travels ahead of their daughters. Why would this be any different? “I wish I were back there to see for myself how Laurie’s doing. I’m grateful they have Lexi.”
Grams was still standing and she motioned everyone to her. “We have a new life to celebrate. A new member of the family. I have a great grandson who needs our prayers.”
They joined hands and began to pray for Laurie, Tuck, and the baby.
Chelsea waited until they visited Laurie in her room and then caught a glimpse of the baby in the NICU. He was tiny, and with the C-PAP machine and the numerous wires and tubes around him, all they could see were his feet. Such teeny feet. Laurie was exhausted. Chelsea promised she’d come back the next evening.
She got home around three in the morning and hoped to catch a few hours of sleep before going to work.
After what felt like minutes, something pricked the edge of Chelsea’s consciousness. She struggled out of her slumber, her eyelids like bricks. She was still in her clothes from the day before.
What time was it?
She blinked and tried to focus on the clock next to the bed.
8:30
What?! No!
She was supposed to be at the ranch thirty minutes ago. Why didn’t her alarm go off? A glance at her phone told her she’d forgotten to plug it in before falling asleep. The battery had died. Fantastic, she couldn’t even call Parker to tell him she was on the way in or explain why she was running late.
Parker wasn’t going to be happy. And all this after she felt like they’d made some serious progress on Friday.
She threw open her closet with a forceful groan and rummaged around for a change of clothes. All Chelsea could do was pray he’d understand and get to the ranch before her job had completely washed down the drain.
Chapter Seven
Parker used the pitchfork to throw hay into the horse stalls with more force than necessary. With lips pressed together, he put every bit of his annoyance into the physical work. He noticed Happy was keeping his distance and he didn’t bl
ame him. He’d make it up to him later. Parker would take him out to the stock pond, Happy always enjoyed that.
For now, Parker was irritated he was on the ranch at all this morning. He should be at the hospital, talking to the kids. Instead, he’d had to reschedule at the last minute, pushing their regular visits to Monday evenings instead.
It shouldn’t be a big deal. While the kids might have been disappointed, Nurse Kay assured him the change was fine and they’d all look forward to seeing Parker and Happy later that day.
But it was a big deal because Mom had pulled him aside Sunday evening. Now that Chelsea had joined the staff, Mom insisted she needed Parker on hand during the workday in case Chelsea had any questions. It irked Parker to no end because he didn’t think they’d needed to hire someone else to begin with. Besides, she’d been working at the ranch for a week now. She could manage for a few hours in the morning on her own.
Even as he fumed, he knew most of his reasons for being upset were selfish. Yes, he loved going to the hospital and talking with the kids. Watching their faces light up while they played with Happy made his week. But it was also his place to hide. A way to postpone the beginning of a new week where he had to interact with more people than he wanted to deal with. It was his buffer. Having that taken away made him as mad as anything else.
So yeah, it could’ve been worse. But it didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.
It isn’t Chelsea’s fault.
The thought struck him out of nowhere. No, it wasn’t her fault that Mom hired her behind his back. Or that Parker hadn’t wanted to return to his life here on the ranch in the first place.
He sighed. After last week, he’d chosen to abandon his attempts to make her quit. She’d more than proven she could take anything he dished out. In fact, he was ready to tell her she didn’t have to scan in the rest of the invoices since it really was just busywork to make her bored.
And while she had no clue what to do on a ranch, he couldn’t deny she was trying her best. Spending time with her last week hadn’t exactly been terrible, either.
Truthfully, he’d awakened this morning looking forward to seeing her. Until the time for her to show up for work came and went. He even walked up to the main house to see if she’d stopped there first for some reason. He finally pulled his phone out of his pocket. No missed calls.
Thirty minutes morphed into an hour late. Not exactly good etiquette for an employee, much less one as new as she was. His breath caught and his heart clenched. What if all his attempts to make her quit last week had worked after all?
This was why he shouldn’t have let her get under his skin in the first place. Of course she’d leave, and why wouldn’t she? He chucked the pitchfork into a corner and cracked his knuckles. Instead of finishing his work on the stalls, he walked outside, his body tense, just in time to watch Chelsea’s car pull up.
She shoved the car door open and got out, pausing to duck back inside and retrieve her keys. Her hair, which was always well kept, looked like she’d just gotten back from a run outside. Her green eyes wide, words rushed from her like a horse shooting out of the starting gate.
“I’m sorry. I was going to call, but I forgot to plug my phone in. The time got away from me this morning. I…”
Parker held up a hand to stop her. All his frustrations with his mom combined with Chelsea being late and resulted in a volcano of anger. “You’ve been here a week. We rely on our employees to be on time unless you’ve arranged a day off or you’re sick. Are you sick, Ms. Blake?”
“No, I’m not sick. But my…”
He didn’t want to hear it. Mom owned this place, and he still had to be up every morning and was required to do his job. Chelsea was no exception.
“If you’re late like this again without letting us know ahead of time, it will be your last day here. Do I make myself clear?”
Chelsea lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. “It won’t happen again.”
Parker whirled on his heel and beckoned her to follow him. “Before you go to your office and work on cataloguing the rest of the invoices, I want you to finish adding hay to the stalls.” He picked up the pitchfork, scooped up some hay, and deposited it in the stall. “Three per stall.” He motioned to the other side of the barn. There were still four stalls that needed hay.
Chelsea blinked at him as though she wasn’t sure he was serious. “You want me to feed the horses?”
As a way of answering, Parker handed the pitchfork to her. He waved a hand at a stall.
Chelsea set her bags down, took the tool from him, and awkwardly scooped some hay. She dumped it over the fence.
“You’re going to need to get more than that.” She tried again, and Parker shook his head. He knew he was overreacting. But it was as if his mouth was going faster than his brain could process. It was a train wreck, and he couldn’t have stopped it if he tried. “Again.”
She did, struggling to lift more hay than she had before.
“You’re doing it wrong.”
Parker was reminded of the Chelsea he’d met at the convenience store, only this time she appeared ready to spit fire. She planted one hand on her hip and took two steps forward, the toes of her shoes touching his.
“You know what? This isn’t in my job description.” She chucked the pitchfork to the ground and sidestepped away from it and him.
Anger erupted inside and Parker jabbed a thumb at her car. “Then quit. No one’s stopping you. There’s nothing keeping you here. If you believe I’m being unfair, then quit. If you think you can show up whenever you want to, you obviously don’t need this job.”
“You don’t know a thing about me. I need this job more than you can imagine. If you want me gone, you’ll have to fire me.” She studied him, her brows knit together and the vein in her neck pulsing.
Her eyes followed his scars from the top to his neck. That only added fuel to the fire. “Go ahead.” Parker turned his face allowing her to see them more easily. “Get a good look at them. They’re all anyone sees.”
Chelsea flinched but didn’t back away. She crossed her arms in front of her. “You have quite the chip on your shoulder, Parker Wilson. And you want to know something? It’s bigger than those scars on your face. I guarantee you people may notice the scars first, but it’s your attitude and the way you treat people that make any kind of lasting impression.”
With that, she swiveled on one foot, picked up her bags, and headed toward the stairs that led to the second floor. “I wish I knew what I’ve done to make you dislike me so much.”
Chelsea’s words hit Parker in the chest and they burrowed their way to his very core.
“I don’t dislike you.” But his words were pointless because she’d already gone and he’d barely spoken them above a whisper.
Everyone he’d known on the rodeo circuit had treated him with kid gloves since his accident. He was sick and tired of people walking on eggshells around him. As though he might explode or fall apart if they told him anything remotely negative.
But Chelsea was different. Other than his mom and sister, and maybe Ray, she was the first person to stand up to him in a long time.
Part of him was annoyed beyond reason. Another part of him gained a lot of respect for her. Without warning, his body flooded with regret. He thought about Kara. What would he do if a man spoke to her the way he’d spoken with Chelsea? He’d deck the guy in a minute and make sure he was never that disrespectful to a woman again.
And if Dad were here right now, he’d have given Parker a right cross himself.
Parker would have deserved it.
“How’d I end up here, Happy?”
His dog walked tentatively from the other end of the barn, sad eyes trained on his master. He stopped and wagged his tail. Parker knelt to pat him. “Let’s finish feeding the horses. I think this is a good day for some fence repairs.”
Maybe the sound of a hammer hitting nails would drown the regret ricocheting around in his chest.
~
After leaving Parker downstairs in the barn, Chelsea went to her office, closed the door behind her, and seethed. How dare Parker have that kind of attitude toward her? How dare he try to punish her for arriving late by having her do work that she didn’t know how to do, was outside of her job description, then criticize her for doing it wrong?
She walked back and forth between the door and her desk several times, fists clenched. She considered quitting and would have if she didn’t need the job so badly. Especially now that Laurie’s baby was here. Their parents may arrive sooner than they’d planned — assuming they ever bothered to check their phone and get Chelsea’s message in the first place. They still hadn’t called her back. She needed this job to turn into a full-time position. If that was even possible after having yelled at Parker just now.
She was stuck. Stuck at the stupid ranch. Stuck with Parker who apparently had a real issue with her. If he’d given her a chance to explain… Truth be told, she thought she’d made some progress with Parker. She’d hoped she was proving herself to him. Apparently, it’d all been in her head. That was probably what bothered her the most right now. She thought they’d gotten past their bad first meeting. Parker could hold a grudge. And if that were the case, there wasn’t a blasted thing she could do about it.
For a while, she hoped he’d show up at her office. Expected him to come back and ream her again for being late or fire her on the spot. She wasn’t good with comebacks in the moment, but she had several of them for him now. But he never did show.
She ate lunch while she worked to make up for the hour she was late. The anger she felt slowly evaporated, replaced with tears. With her teeth clenched and tears racing each other toward her jaw, Chelsea decided she wouldn’t give Parker the satisfaction of quitting. She’d do her job — the one she was actually hired to do. And if he decided to fire her, he wouldn’t be able to say it was because she’d slacked. She finished one box of invoices and left promptly at five. So far, it appeared she still had her job. How long would that last?
Finding Joy (Love's Compass Book 5) Page 7