Cowboy on the Run

by Devon McKay

  He swallowed hard, taken aback by the impact her words had on him. Nate shook his head. “No, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee, and it looks like you could use a sandwich, or two.” He poked a finger at her side, causing the animated woman he remembered to release a girlish giggle. “How do you feel about hospital food?”

  Sandy grimaced. When she stole a glance at Doyle, her demeanor changed in an instant. “It doesn’t seem right. Me eating and him...”

  She shook her head and Nate caught on to her hesitation. The discussion of a feeding tube swam through his memory. He thought about mentioning it to her, but stopped himself, not knowing if the tube was worse than whatever way they had been feeding him up until now.

  Instead, he nodded his head in complete understanding and guided her out of the room. “Well, a girl still needs to eat. Besides, we both know Doyle likes his women with a little meat on their bones,” he said, encouraging her.

  “Woman,” she retorted with her trademark sass, and for a moment, the old Sandy reappeared again. “Doyle likes his woman with a little meat on her bones.” She smiled, although the effort failed to light up her brown eyes.

  Nate led Sandy to the cafeteria, sat her at a table and returned a few minutes later with a couple of sandwiches and two fountain drinks.

  “I got you ham and cheese. Or you can have turkey, your choice.” He placed both sandwiches in front of her.

  She reached for the ham and cheese, toying with the sandwich, much more interested with the plastic wrapper than the actual content it covered.

  He watched with concern, biting his tongue, until she took a bite out of the bread, then he followed her lead, forcing himself to gulp down the bone-dry meal.

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she whispered.

  He’d had to lean in to hear her words. Questioning her admittance, he felt one of his eyebrows tug upward. “Do?”

  “I don’t know how I’m going to run the ranch and stay here at the same time. I don’t want to leave his side. What if he wakes up and I’m not here?” she asked, tears welling up in her eyes. Sandy put the sandwich down and fingered the plastic wrap again before pushing it to the side.

  Nate reached out and took hold of her hand. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to do anything. I’ll take care of it, okay? You just stay here and take care of Doyle. Leave everything at the Corral for me to handle. Got it?” When a heavy breath escaped her, Nate added, “It will be all right. You know how tough Doyle is. Hell, he’s probably in his room right now, demanding they let him get out of bed.”

  She smiled slightly and squeezed his fingers.

  “So, how about I walk you back to the room, and then go check on the home front? I’ll bet those boys of yours have got the place torn to shreds by now,” Nate teased. He stood and helped her to her feet.

  “Lord, I hope not,” she stated with a halfhearted giggle. “But you’re probably right.”

  Nate walked with her back to Doyle’s room in silence. He left her at the door of her husband’s room, not ready to go into the space again, not sure if he could stand to see his friend the way he had seen him earlier.

  She seemed to understand and kissed him on the cheek before saying goodbye.

  He hurried through the halls, unable to leave the confinement fast enough. The sterile whiteness of the walls made him sick. A fleeting image of his mother, weak and unresponsive, flashed from memory, and he held back a wave of nausea. The recollection seemed as vivid now as it had been the day she died in a hospital not so unlike this one. Passing the blonde receptionist without so much as a toss of his head, he ignored the upbeat, “Have a nice day,” following him out of the sliding glass doors.

  Once outside, he sucked in a deep breath of air. Allowing himself a moment, Nate tucked away the memories of his mother he rarely allowed to surface, then he headed toward the O-K Corral, a little worried about what he might find.

  What he’d made as a joke to Sandy could very well be the truth, considering the boys had been on their own since yesterday, with only one or two counselors to chaperone them. It could be complete chaos or an uncanny kind of calm. Whatever faced him, looked like he would be bunking down for a couple of weeks.

  Chapter 26

  “Who are you calling sport? Girls are called princesses,” Jade said with a giggle.

  Jessie shook her head, smiling at her daughter’s antics as the little hand held the large receiver of the phone up to her ear while keeping her brother at arm’s distance.

  “No. Gage is outside. He’s feeding something. ‘Sides I’m not done talking to you yet.” The impetuous child laughed again.

  Her brother, having no more patience for her games, tore the phone out of her grip. “I’m not outside,” he shouted into the receiver. He stuck his tongue out at Jade. Standing a proud inch taller than his sister, he was able to keep the phone out of her reach.

  Jessie stifled a giggle, enjoying the open display of sibling rivalry.

  “No, I’m not feeding anything. Jade’s a liar. Mom?” Gage spared a glance at her.

  She knew Nate was asking about her. Again. A stab of emotions shot through her. He had called every day for the last four weeks now. Stubbornly, she’d kept to her reserves, refusing to talk to him.

  Jessie shook her head. It was hard to believe a month had gone by. A long, painful month. She kept telling herself life without Nate was for the best, and that was what she focused on as she heard Gage tell him she didn’t want to talk yet. At least he had stayed in contact with the children. However, it did little for her spirits. With each passing day, she became more distant, living her life in a fog, despite trying to convince herself it was a good thing he was gone.

  Her heart was safe now.

  Yet her heart felt anything but safe. Her heart was broken. She’d been a fool to think he could change.

  ****

  Nate pulled up to the front door of the hospital just in time for Sandy to wheel Doyle out in a wheelchair. His friend’s complaints were so loud he could hear it through the open driver’s side window. He smiled, welcoming the sound, like magic to his ears.

  To think how close they’d come to losing the man was unbearable. Struggling, Sandy steered the oversized wheelchair toward the bus. He opened the door of the vehicle and jumped out to give her a hand.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me, Sandy,” Doyle growled.

  “Didn’t you hear the nurse, you old goat? No release without aid of the wheelchair to the car.”

  Her response was like pouring gasoline on a fire, and it was hard not to see Doyle’s irritation escalate the moment he saw the Corral’s bus.

  “The bus? You picked me up in the bus? It isn’t bad enough I can’t walk out of this place on my own two feet, but you had to bring that enormous eye sore?”

  Nate laughed at the pair, taking over the handles of the wheelchair from Sandy. His friend did look pretty idiotic in the ride, his six foot frame making his legs stick out at odd angles. Although, he figured the complaints had little to do with the wheelchair or even the bus. Knowing his friend’s independent nature, the loud protests were more about having to rely on someone else for aide.

  Once at the ramp, Nate pressed the brakes on the chair and extended a hand to help Doyle to his feet. Reluctant, the man accepted, rising slow and shaky to a standing position. His equilibrium was still a little off, and he swayed on his feet.

  “Of course, I told him to bring the bus,” Sandy stated. “I couldn’t let you ride on the back of Nate’s motorcycle, could I? Or a horse for that matter. I’m sure Black Fury would have been more than willing to give you a ride home!”

  She smiled and stood in front of the door, her eyes lit with complete joy. She was hopeless, the love for her husband blinding. Doyle stopped grumbling long enough to enamor his wife with a love stricken stare of his own.

  Nate turned his head away, feeling as if he were invading the couple’s private moment. He hoped to see the same look from Jessie one day.
/>   If that day ever came.

  She still hadn’t returned or accepted any of his phone calls, although he had been fortunate enough to talk to the kids and her father every day. Thomas had continued to encourage his hope, telling him to be patient with her. His exact words: She will come around.

  Come around?

  Nate’s patience was beginning to wear thin. Damn the woman was stubborn!

  After helping his friend through the door, he seated himself in the driver’s seat, watching the couple in his rearview mirror.

  Sandy guided Doyle down the narrow aisle, pecking at him like a nervous hen. “You have to be careful, doctor’s orders. I don’t want you to take another fall.” She held onto his arm as he tried to fit his large frame in the thin aisle, bumping his hip as a reward.

  “Damn it woman!” he snapped, rubbing the injury. “If you were so worried about me not falling, maybe you should have picked me up in a different vehicle. Now, let go of my arm so I can get to a seat. Lord knows there are enough of them to choose from.”

  Doyle shook off his wife’s resilient grip and lost his balance. Nate started to rise to help, but saw his friend catch himself on the nearest seat.

  “How about you humor me and let me take care of you, you stubborn old goat?” Sandy quipped, leaving little room for discussion. She eased him down into the seat, sliding in beside him. “Besides, I haven’t raised the premium on your life insurance, yet. You aren’t worth one red cent to me dead,” she added with a sweet smile.

  Doyle released a low chuckle, grabbing her hand.

  Nate glanced away from the tender scene. Seeing the entire heartfelt reflection in the rearview mirror had been enough to make him miss Jessie even more as he started up the bus.

  In less than half an hour, he steered into the circular driveway of the O-K Corral. Sandy helped Doyle out of the bus, somehow with a deaf ear to his loud, vocal complaints.

  Once inside the house, she sat him on the couch then left to gather his medication. Nate chuckled at his friend who sat, sulking and grumpy, swallowed up in the midst of various colorful flowers of the floral print couch.

  Sandy came back from the kitchen, a large glass of water in one hand, a handful of pills in another. “I don’t know why you have to take some of these pills,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Like this little white one. You’ll get a kick out of this Doyle.” Sandy chuckled holding up a small pill. “It says it’s for your dizziness, but the side effect may cause dizziness. Go figure, huh? Well, I guess, according to the doctor, you have to take it anyway,” she said, handing the pills to him. “Now, give me just a minute and I’ll whip up a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches.” A second later, she was gone,

  “She’s one hell of a woman,” Nate remarked. “She was pretty messed up about you, Doyle. We all were.”

  “Foolish to get all worked up over a little bump on the head,” he grumbled, although the bite in his words had softened.

  “A little bump?” Nate stared in astonishment. But remembering how Doyle hated to be fussed over, he changed his strategy. “You’re right. I guess it’s stupid to worry about you and your hard head. Even if the little bump landed you in the hospital. Yeah, you’re right. It’d take more than a knock on the noggin to keep you down. Still, I was pretty worried for a minute.”

  Nate paced across the living room in order to get a better hold of his thoughts. “Do you remember when we were at my spread and you said something about Justin? You said he could bolt if triggered?”

  Doyle jumped to his feet, holding his head to block the pain the sudden movement caused. “Did he run? Is he all right?”

  Nate eased his friend back down to a seated position, overwhelmed by the concern in the injured man’s eyes. He understood, becoming just as devoted to his kids—all twelve of them.

  “He’s fine. Settle down. Just...when you mentioned it, I kind of thought you were talking about me.”

  “Oh, hell son, you scared me.” Doyle sank back, disappearing into the flowers again. “So, we are talking about you then?” He chuckled, relaxing a bit. “Hell, you don’t think you’re the only cowboy who gets a little antsy as soon as the grass grows an inch taller than your boots, do you? Kind of like an itch you can’t scratch?” He cradled his head with one hand and patted a couch cushion with the other.

  “Sit down for a spell. Looking up at you is killing me. ‘Sides, I’ve got something to say to you. Something I’ve needed to say to you for a long time now.”

  “I always hated this couch.” Nate scowled, finding a place beside his friend. He adjusted himself until he was comfortable.

  “Yeah, me too, but don’t let Sandy hear you say it. She claims it’s comfortable. ‘Sides, if you say something, we’d have two more of ‘em just like it out of pure spite.”

  Nate nodded, knowing how true Doyle’s words were.

  “I have no clue where she could find another couch this ugly. But, knowing my wife, she’d find a way.” A grin spread across his face. After a moment of silence, a somber expression replaced the smile. “Do you ever wonder why you and I get along so well?”

  Nate shrugged, urging his friend to continue.

  “It’s because we’re so much alike. You and me, we’re like two peas in a pod. Yeah, you remind me a little of myself about twenty or so years ago. Not so much now, but when you first got here...man, it was like watching an old movie. You remember? You were so restless...so ready to go off like a bomb.”

  Nate shifted his weight, sinking deeper into the quicksand of flowers. He remembered. The angst...the running away. All a part of his past he wanted to forget. Not repeat.

  “Why do you think we hired you? It was pure instinct. Takes a special kind of person to deal with these kids...one who’s been knocked around by this world a bit. I wasn’t sure you would stay, but Sandy...well, she couldn’t be swayed otherwise. She knew you would stick. Has that peculiar faith in people.”

  Nate nodded his head. He’d seen the way she believed in people. However, the man seated beside him was a different story. He didn’t trust like his wife, rarely letting his guard down unless someone earned his conviction. “How did you know Sandy was the one for you?”

  Doyle released another loud chuckle. “That’s easy, son. She told me so.” He laughed again and held his head. “No, I’m just joshing you. The truth is, she just got under my skin. I couldn’t shake her. And she told me so.”

  “Lord, you make me sound like some kind of blood-sucking parasite,” Sandy interrupted. She placed a plate in front of each one of them as Nate witnessed Doyle eye the dark brown bread with a weary stare and arched eyebrow.

  “Yeah, but you’re my little parasite.” He jabbed the bread with an index finger before raising his head and smiling at her, somehow making the words less insulting and bringing a little sparkle to her eyes. “Thanks for the sandwich, blood sucker.”

  “Eat it then,” she demanded in mock anger.

  “I will, but don’t think you’re fooling me. Burning my sandwich doesn’t hide the fact this is wheat bread instead of white.”

  In response, Sandy placed her hands on her hips, and Nate saw a spark of real anger in her stare.

  She pointed a finger in the direction of her husband. “Can’t fool you, can I? You are a real smart one, Doyle Rawlings. Yep, I picked a winner. Well, you can just get used to eating healthy. No more junk food, doctor’s orders. The doc and I had a little chat about your diet. He says your cholesterol is sky high,” she shouted before leaving the room

  Doyle turned back to him, showcasing a satisfied smile. “I love stoking her fire.” He took a large bite out of his sandwich, chasing it down with a little water. “But honestly, it didn’t take me being roped and hog-tied to know Sandy was the girl for me. In spring, it will be twenty-five years. Can you believe it? Twenty-five years.” He took another bite. A string of melted cheese clung to the bread. “Went by quick, too,” he stated, with a distant expression. “Even if it wasn’t always
easy.”

  Several minutes later he redirected his attention back to Nate. “What the hell’s in this wheat bread anyway? Sorry, Nate. Must be these pills making me all sappy.” He wiped at the corner of his eye with the back of his sleeve. “What’s this about? Are you thinking about your gal?”

  “Yeah, I guess I am.” Nate nodded his head. “I know Jess is the one for me. I get the part about not being able to shake her. She’s always been on my mind. But the thing is...” He released a loud sigh. “The thing is...well, I’m not sure she thinks I’m the one for her. Hell, I’m not sure I am the one for her. Before I left, she was so distant. And since I’ve been here, she hasn’t accepted even one of my calls. I think I blew it.” Nate put his head in his hands. “I guess I can’t blame her. I let her down. I ran out on her before. Seems I’m always running on her.”

  Doyle winced, releasing a shrill whistle. Nate nodded in total agreement. Distracted, he picked up his sandwich, then placed it back down. His thoughts whipped inside his head like the beginning of a tornado. His friend’s reaction pretty much settled it. Things were as bad as he thought.

  “I’m not sure I am good enough for her,” Nate continued.

  “Why don’t you let Jessie decide? Oh hell, son, even a blind man could see how much the little lady loves you. She may just need some more convincing that’s all. Most women need a little convincing at one time or another. And the bull shit about not being good enough? Where in tarnation did that come from? Not good enough...” Doyle glared. “Second thought...you may be onto something. Truth is, you aren’t ever gonna be good enough for the likes of her. Do you think I’m good enough for Sandy?”

  Nate took a bite out of his sandwich, shaking his head.

  “Well, I’m not. Sandy might as well have been dropped straight down from heaven. I still can’t find any flaws with the woman, other than putting up with me. But you, Nate...” He leaned forward and shook a finger. “You’ve come a long way from the restless cowboy we first hired. Been a long time since you wanted to run, hasn’t it?”

  “Honestly?”