Montana Wrangler

by Charlotte Carter

  The knot in Jay’s gut wasn’t going to let go anytime soon.

  Chapter Nine

  Bryan had already left for school when Jay came into the kitchen for breakfast. Paige was at the table drinking coffee. Her sandy-blond hair was still mussed from sleep, her face scrubbed clean of makeup. She’d pulled on one of Krissy’s old T-shirts. The combination made her look sleepy and warm and just right for cuddling.

  “Morning.” Putting his earlier thought aside, Jay grabbed a bowl from the cupboard, poured himself some cereal and took a banana from the fruit bowl on the counter.

  “Good morning.” Her flat voice and the worry lines across her forehead suggested troubled thoughts.

  He poured milk on his cereal and sat down. “I assume you’re planning to visit Henry at the hospital this morning.”

  “Yes, someone needs to be there to protect the nurses from his wrath. I don’t think he’s a very good patient.”

  “Probably not.” He spooned some cereal into his mouth. He had to be careful how he phrased his next comment. “Bryan reached out to me yesterday. He’s really upset about Henry being so sick. He thinks he should stay here to take care of Henry.”

  “That’s so sweet of him to worry over Grandpa.” Her faint smile traveled like a moonbeam right into his chest and pricked his conscience.

  “He’s dead set about not moving to Seattle with you.” He cleared the uncomfortable lump in his throat. “He said if the judge ruled he had to go with you, he’d run away.”

  Paige set her coffee mug down hard and gaped at him. Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. Then she gave her head a quick shake.

  “All children run away at one time or another. Krissy ran away when she was four. She got on her tricycle and pedaled down the road. Some neighbor found her about four blocks away sobbing. They brought her home no worse for wear.”

  “I think Bryan’s threat is a little more serious.”

  Leaning forward to make her point, Paige said, “Krissy ran away again when she was about ten. She spent the night in a neighbor’s tree house. By morning she was hungry and came home on her own. Running away is a rite of passage for some kids.”

  “Did you ever run away?” Jay countered.

  “Well, no. Not until I got my job in Seattle. That hardly counts as running away.”

  Jay wondered if that was true. Given her family’s treatment of Krissy, Jay could only imagine that he would have wanted to get away as soon as possible in her position.

  Leaning back, he exhaled in frustration. “I’ve been trying to think of some sort of a compromise that might be okay with Bryan.”

  “Like what?” A skeptical note sharpened her voice.

  “Maybe something like shared custody. Bryan could live with you during the school year and spend summers and holidays here.”

  Her eyes widened and she pushed back her chair. “There was nothing in Krissy’s letter that suggested I should be Bryan’s part-time guardian. I’m confident once we get the details worked out, Bryan will be fine living with me. Of course, we’ll come and visit. I know how much Bryan loves Grandpa.”

  Standing, she held his gaze for a moment before carrying her mug to the sink and rinsing it. “I’d better get showered and dressed. I want to get to the hospital early enough that Grandpa hasn’t badgered the nurses too badly.”

  “Right.” So much for shooting down his compromise without a second thought. “I’ll be out at my truck whenever you’re ready to go.”

  “There’s really no need for you to come along. I’m sure you have other work to do with the horses or something.”

  He carried his bowl over to the sink. “I care about Henry, too. I want to be there if he needs me.”

  With a curious look in her soft brown eyes, she nodded. “If that’s what you want.”

  Jay wanted a bunch of things, starting with Paige understanding Bryan belonged right here in Bear Lake and ending with kissing her in a way that would go on for a long time.

  Neither option seemed likely, however. In the mood she was in, a kiss might make her mad. Maybe madder than when he’d sneakily forced her into trying to saddle Bright Star. He smiled as he recalled how beautiful she’d been that day, giving him a piece of her mind.

  “What are you smiling about?”

  “Uh, nothing. You go get dressed. I’ll be waiting for you.” Waiting for the right time to kiss her again.

  * * *

  Paige entered the hospital room and found Grandpa sitting up in bed. His hair needed combing and his whiskers grayed his cheeks. The tray table next to his bed held a half-eaten breakfast.

  “Good morning, Grandpa.” She bent over to kiss him on his unshaven cheek. “How do you feel this morning?”

  “Dandy,” he grumbled. “When can I get out of this zoo? Folks kept waking me up all night wanting to take my temperature and sticking me with I don’t know what all.”

  Jay took up a position opposite Paige, placing his hands on the guardrail. “Sounds like you’re in fine form, Henry. We came to rescue the nurses from your bad humor.”

  “I’m the one who needs rescuing.”

  “Be nice,” Paige said.

  “Harrumph.”

  Jay placed a small leather case on the bed table. “I brought your shaving gear. That’ll perk you right up. Let me get a towel from the bathroom and we’ll get you back to your handsome, pink-cheeked self.” He stepped into the bathroom.

  “My cheeks haven’t been pink—”

  “I think it’s very nice of Jay to give you a shave. I wouldn’t have thought to bring your razor along this morning.”

  “If you had, I wouldn’t’ve let you touch me. You probably would’ve slit my throat.”

  She laughed. The hospital stay had certainly turned him into a grumpy old man. But maybe he was simply worried about what the doctors might find.

  Jay returned, lowered the bed railing and sat down beside Grandpa. “Turn your head away and be still. I don’t want to cut you.”

  Paige watched as Jay lathered Grandpa’s cheek. Then with great care he pulled the razor down, making a trail of smooth skin. She’d observed Jay’s gentle touch with his horses. The way he had calmed them with quiet words of reassurance. But this was special. More loving. As if Jay was Henry’s son, not simply a hired hand.

  She hadn’t realized how close the two men were. Apparently in the five years Jay had worked for Grandpa, they had bonded. She envied the closeness they shared.

  Taking a copy of the day’s Kalispell newspaper from the tray table, she sat down in a chair. But she was unable to take her mind off the intensity of Jay’s attention to the job at hand.

  She wondered what it would feel like to have Jay so intensely attentive to her. At the image she conjured, she felt a decidedly feminine response.

  Quickly, she snapped the paper open and began to read the headline story about the decrease in gasoline prices and how that would impact tourism in the county.

  Out in the hallway, she heard the passing laundry cart. Over the loudspeaker system, a disembodied voice paged Respiratory Therapy. The nurses in the nearby station chatted among themselves.

  “There you go, boss.” Jay used a towel to wipe the remaining shaving cream from Grandpa’s wrinkled face. “You’re all smooth and not a single drop of blood.”

  “Huh! Through no fault of yours, I’m sure.”

  “Say thank you, Grandpa,” Paige reminded him.

  He mumbled something under his breath that made Jay laugh.

  Paige chewed on her lower lip. Jay had wanted her to consider a compromise that would make Bryan happy. Maybe she could convince Grandpa to sell the outfitting business and move to Seattle to be with her and Bryan. They’d be a loving family and she could take care of her grandfather.

  Maybe Grand
pa could even sell the property to Jay.

  She frowned at the thought, realizing her idea would separate the two men and their close relationship. Would that even be fair?

  Just then Dr. Johansen stepped into the room. “How’s our patient doing?”

  Paige stood. “We’ve been giving the nurses a break from his grumpy disposition.”

  “I heard that,” Grandpa groused.

  The doctor shot Paige a boyish grin and nodded to Jay before turning his attention to Grandpa. “In that case, Mr. Stephenson, we’ll take pity on our fine nursing staff and send you home.”

  Immediately alert, Grandpa sat up straight. “’Bout time. Bring me my pants, girl.”

  “Hang on a minute.” The doctor handed Paige several sheets of paper with discharge instructions. “We’ve gotten all your tests back and your heart looks good.”

  “I could’ve told you that.” Grandpa threw his bare, pale legs over the side of the bed.

  “You still have a lot of fluid around your heart,” the doctor continued as another doctor was paged over the loudspeaker. “That’s what is making it hard for you to breathe. I’ve ordered three prescriptions for you to take at home.”

  “I don’t need any pills,” Grandpa objected.

  “I’ll make sure he takes his pills, Doctor,” Paige promised, although she wasn’t sure how long she’d be staying in Bear Lake. At least until after the guardianship hearing on Thursday. Then she’d have to find another solution.

  “The fluid is putting a lot of pressure on your left ventricle.” The doctor named the medication, which Paige checked on the prescription list he’d provided. “You’ll also be taking a diuretic pill and another for your high blood pressure. Your granddaughter can pick them up at the pharmacy downstairs.”

  Grandpa responded with a grunt.

  “And I want to see you in my office on Friday to gauge how you’re doing.”

  “It’ll be a waste of time. I’m feeling as fit as can be.”

  “I’d like to keep you that way, Mr. Stephenson.” He extended his hand. Reluctantly, Grandpa took it, and they shook.

  Turning to Paige, the doctor said, “If he gives you a hard time, Miss Barclay, bring him back. My nurses know how to handle grumpy old men.”

  Grandpa mumbled something that sounded like an invective while Paige smiled and thanked the doctor. When he left, Paige said, “Do you want me to help you get dressed, Grandpa?”

  “I’ve been dressing myself since I was as young as a newborn colt. You go get them fool pills and then get me out of here.”

  “Easy, Henry.” Jay rested his hand on Grandpa’s shoulder. “I’ll help you get dressed while Paige goes for the prescriptions. We don’t want you falling down and hitting that hard head of yours.”

  Grandpa acquiesced, but didn’t look happy about it.

  As Paige left the room, she decided she was glad Jay had come with her to the hospital. He had a way about him that kept Grandpa from flailing at the world out of frustration or maybe his fear of dying. An admirable talent.

  * * *

  By the time Paige returned from the pharmacy, Grandpa was dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed, Jay lounging beside him. A gray-haired volunteer in a blue jacket was there with a wheelchair. She looked vaguely familiar.

  “Hello, Paige. I’m Adrienne Walker. We met at your sister’s funeral. I’m the pastor’s wife.”

  Her cheeks warmed. “Oh, yes, of course, Mrs. Walker. For a moment—”

  “No need to apologize, dear. Funerals are so emotional, it’s hard to remember who was there and who wasn’t.”

  “I was very grateful for all your husband and the ladies of the church did for us.”

  “It’s just part of our service in the Lord’s name, dear.”

  Grandpa stood. “Could you two ladies stop your jabbering so I can go home?”

  “That’s what I’m here for, Henry.” Adrienne adjusted the wheelchair so he could sit down. “Climb aboard.”

  “I don’t need that thing. I can walk fine on my own.”

  “Sorry, but it’s a hospital rule. No patient leaves without our escort service. Think of this as your personal chariot.”

  “Sit, Grandpa.” Paige retrieved the vase of flowers she’d purchased at the gift shop downstairs. She reached for the bag of her grandfather’s personal effects, but Jay got to it first. “The sooner you stop fussing, the sooner you’ll be back home.”

  * * *

  Once Paige got Grandpa home, she fed him some chicken soup for lunch. After he got most of the soup down, he pleaded fatigue and went to bed to take a nap. Jay had gone out to see to the horses, leaving Paige on her own.

  With nothing specific on her to-do list, and Bryan not home, she got out a mop and pail from the mudroom and scrubbed the sticky kitchen floor.

  While the floor dried, she went down the hall and stopped in front of Krissy’s closed bedroom door.

  Near the hospital she’d noticed Second Time Around, a thrift shop supporting Bear Lake Medical Clinic. That seemed like a good organization to support. Grandpa had suggested she take on the task of cleaning out Krissy’s room if she had time. When she checked with Bryan, he’d given her an indifferent shrug.

  Swallowing hard and bracing herself against the threat of tears, she opened the door and went to the closet. The jumble of shoes and boots remained on the floor; tops, pants and dresses hung every which way.

  Paige flicked open a large trash bag. She dragged a flannel shirt off its hanger, folded it neatly and placed it in the bag. Somewhere in Krissy’s room there would be items she’d keep for Bryan—scrapbooks and jewelry, but not these worn clothes.

  The faint scent of horses and Krissy’s lemony shampoo filled her nostrils as she worked her way methodically through the clothing. Jeans went in the bag. A nice pair of khaki slacks. An old sweater with two buttons missing.

  She heard a truck door slam shut, and wondered if they had company.

  Setting the bag of clothing aside, she left the bedroom. As she walked into the living room, Bryan appeared from the kitchen.

  “Hi! How did you get home so soon?” She glanced out the window trying to spot the truck she’d heard.

  “Jay picked me up at the bus stop. Is Grandpa home?”

  “He is. He’s napping right now. I imagine he’ll be up soon.”

  “Is he...” Worry puckered his forehead. “Is he okay?”

  “He has to take some medications, but the doctor thinks he’ll be fine if he does as he’s been told.”

  “I’ll make sure he does,” Bryan said in a determined, grown-up voice.

  Smiling, she skimmed her hand over the boy’s sweaty head. “Me, too.”

  He eased away from her. “Can I see him?”

  “I don’t want you to wake him if he’s still asleep.”

  “I’ll be quiet.” He hurried down the hall.

  Paige appreciated Bryan’s obvious love and concern for his great-grandfather. Grandpa had always been like a father to the boy. A steady influence who gave his love unconditionally.

  Her stomach knotted, imagining how Bryan would feel to leave Grandpa. But maybe that wouldn’t happen. If her idea worked and she could convince Grandpa to sell the outfitting business and move to Seattle with her, they could all be together.

  Then what would happen to Jay? She couldn’t picture him living anywhere but right here with mountains and streams and wilderness in his backyard. Could he buy the outfitting business? Or find another job nearby?

  She heard Grandpa and Bryan talking in the bedroom, Grandpa insisting he was as fit as he’d ever been, Bryan not quite buying his story.

  She decided this was a good time to pose a compromise position that she could live with. Putting her boots on in the mudroom, she headed for the b
arn.

  * * *

  Jay picked up a bridle and started to polish it. He and Nathan were scheduled for an afternoon trail ride tomorrow. Just as well he made sure the tack was in order.

  Footsteps on the gravel walkway preceded Paige’s arrival. She stopped at the open barn door, her feminine figure silhouetted by the afternoon sun.

  Jay swallowed hard. He squeezed the polishing rag harder. Just seeing her there gave him an urge to pull her into his arms and hold her.

  Knowing that he had to stop Paige from taking Bryan away, for Bryan’s sake, prevented him from giving into the impulse.

  “There you are.” Paige strolled toward him, her hips swaying gently with each step. “Bryan said you’d given him a ride home from the bus stop.”

  He cleared his throat. “I had to make a quick run into town for some electrical tape. I was just pulling into the road when I saw the school bus coming. Figured I’d save him a few steps.”

  “He went right in to see Grandpa. Poor kid is so worried about him.” She snared a bridle from its peg and picked up a polishing rag. “Cleaning tack seems to be a full-time job around here.”

  “Pretty much. We’ve got a trail ride scheduled for tomorrow. Figured I’d better check the tack. Is Henry okay?”

  “He was tired. I fed him soup and then he went to his room for a nap. The doctor seemed to think he’ll be fine.”

  “For an eighty-five-year-old.”

  “That’s true.” Paige pursed her lips, understanding what Jay was trying to say. She had no way to refute the truth, only to ignore it. For the moment. “You didn’t come in for lunch. If you’re hungry, I can fix something for you.”

  “It’s okay. I grabbed a burger at the Peewee Drive-In when I was in town.” He hooked the bridle back in place. “I’m going to take Thunder Boy for a ride. He hasn’t been out for two days and needs the exercise.”

  Focusing on the bridle she was cleaning, Paige searched for the right words to broach her idea. “I’ve been thinking about your compromise suggestion.”

  His head snapped up. “You have?” He looked far more eager than she liked.

  “I have a countersuggestion. Clearly Grandpa is getting on in years. He’s going to be needing help soon. I thought I’d talk to him about selling the business and moving to Seattle with me and Bryan.”