by Leann Harris
But if it had been Paul who survived, Tyler never would’ve meet Beth.
Beth. With her pushy ways and determined spirit. And green eyes and a smile that reflected heaven.
They’d called Zach and Sophie earlier from the hospital and Beth filled them in. He thought about having Zach bring Dogger to comfort Riley, but doubted the hospital would allow the dog to come in. Dogger had been his touchstone after Paul died, and Tyler knew the dog could help Riley in ways that no adult could.
Beth walked back into the waiting room. She noticed a new group of people sitting on the other side, and nodded to them. Beth carried a tray with two coffees, orange juice and several sandwiches, a bag of chips and cookies on it. She placed the tray on the table, pushing aside the magazines.
“I’ll assume you are a man who like his coffee black. If you need some cream, I can get it.”
“In the Army, you learn to like it black.”
Beth walked to where the boy lay sleeping. “I brought him some chips and a couple of cookies. I don’t know if he’s going to want to eat, but it might keep him from worrying.”
She sat next to Tyler and grabbed the other coffee and began to drink it.
“You were great with Riley’s questions,” Tyler whispered between sips of coffee.
She shook her head. “Talk about being caught flat-footed. I had no idea what to say. All I knew was that Riley was dead wrong. I scrambled to come up with an answer. You weren’t so bad yourself.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t want Riley to think he was alone. I know what it feels like.”
“You’ve got a gold star in your crown.”
He drew back. “What are you talking about?”
“Haven’t you ever heard that expression? When we get to heaven, you’ll get a gold star in—”
“There you are, Beth,” Sophie cried as she walked into the waiting room. Zach walked in behind her.
After hugs, Sophie asked, “Have you heard anything?”
“We’re still waiting.”
Riley moaned and opened his eyes. After scanning the room, he bolted straight up. He appeared embarrassed. “Is there any news?”
“Nothing so far.” Beth pointed to the tray. “I brought you some orange juice and a sandwich if you’re hungry.”
He reached for the orange juice.
Sophie talked with Riley, getting him to tell her about the night. He automatically answered her questions.
Pastor Mike walked in the room. Tyler moved and Pastor Mike sat beside Riley.
“We’re here for you, Riley. I called several of the teens and we’re all praying for your mom.” He looked at Beth. “If there’s anything the church can do, we want to help.”
“Thanks,” Beth said.
“Why don’t we pray now?” Pastor asked.
The group huddled around Riley and joined hands. Pastor quietly led the prayer, but Beth finished it.
“…and strengthen Susan, help the doctors and touch Riley’s heart with comfort and peace. Amen.”
“Amen,” the group repeated.
Riley nodded. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
A doctor came in and talked quietly to the others in the waiting room. “He’s not dead,” the woman screamed.
The room went silent as the woman started crying. The man beside her pulled her into his arms and they followed the doctor out of the room.
A heavy silence hung in the air, nearly suffocating them. Riley bolted to his feet and left the room. Beth exited after him. Tyler followed. Riley stood by a window that looked out over the parking lot.
“What am I going to do?” he whispered.
Tyler rested his hand on Riley’s shoulder. “I’ll be here for you.”
“None of us will desert you,” Beth reassured him. “But let’s wait to hear what the doctor says.”
A flicker of hope entered his eyes.
The doctor appeared in the hall. He still had on his blue surgical cap, scrubs and shoe covers.
“How is she?” Beth asked.
The doctor motioned for them to go into the waiting room before him. He settled on the coffee table across from Riley and Beth. “You’re mom is out of surgery.”
A tear rolled down the boy’s cheek. Beth slipped her arm around his shoulders. “So she’s going to be all right?”
“Well, she’s alive and came through the surgery well.” He looked at Beth and Tyler. “We removed her spleen. She broke both legs and had several broken ribs. She won’t be returning to work any time soon.”
“But she’s okay,” Riley asked again.
Beth could see the doctor choosing his words carefully.
“Your mother’s alive, but she does have some major injuries.”
Riley nodded.
“We’re going to keep her in ICU probably for the rest of the day just to keep a close eye on her. Any questions?”
“Can Riley see his mother for a moment?” Beth asked.
“I think that can be arranged. She’ll be in recovery for a while, then moved to ICU in the late afternoon. Check with the nurse later.”
The doctor left.
Sophie hugged Beth and Riley. After a brief prayer of thanks Sophie, Zach and Pastor Mike left.
A couple of hours later, the nurse appeared, calling for the relatives of Susan Carter. Since Riley was so young, he was allowed to have someone with him when he visited his mother. He asked Tyler to come with him.
“Two minutes,” the nurse warned. She looked at Riley. “Don’t let all the tubes and machines scare you. She’s waking up from a deep sleep, and she’s coming along just fine.”
Riley walked slowly toward his mother. He hesitated, taking in her battered body. He looked up at the nurse. “Can I touch her?”
“Yes, just be careful not to pull any of the tubes.”
The boy touched his mother’s left hand. “Hi, Mom.” His voice quivered. “You got banged up pretty bad in the accident, but you’re going to be okay. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to stay at the ranch with Tyler. And Dogger and Prince Charming. So you hurry up and get well.” Riley looked over his shoulder to Tyler. “She’s going to be okay, right?”
How did he answer without lying? “Everyone in this hospital is going to work to help her.”
Riley turned back to his mother. “And we’re going to pray, Mom, that you’re going to get well.”
The words hit Tyler in the heart. “We are.”
* * *
Beth stood in the ICU waiting room, looking out the windows at the courtyard below. It was done in a traditional Southwestern motif, with big mason jugs piled on each other and a waterfall from one jug to another. An adobe bench with mosaic tiles covering the seat. A matching covered bench sat in the corner with vines growing up the wooden pillars holding up the overhead lattice.
She tried to still her raging thoughts and crushing worry. “Lord, please bring Susan through this. Help Riley,” she whispered.
Tyler had been a steady presence in the past few hours. She saw him in a new light. When the chips were down, he was a man who didn’t walk away from the situation.
In the background, the early afternoon news came on, with the number-one story being the wreck this morning. Beth grabbed the remote and turned off the set. Riley didn’t need to walk in on that.
Beth’s cell phone rang. Digging though her purse, she found her phone and answered.
“Hey, sis, how are things going there at the hospital? Zach called to let me know what happened. Do I need to come down there?” Beth’s older brother asked.
“No, Ethan. There’s nothing you can do but pray. Susan made it through surgery. Riley’s in there with his mom now.”
&
nbsp; “What about Riley or Tyler? You think that Zach will need another hand at the ranch this afternoon?”
“I don’t know. Call him, see how things are going.”
“Have you called Susan’s work, letting them know what happened?”
“No. That’s a good idea. Thanks, Ethan.”
“Call if you need anything.”
When Beth hung up, she called Sophie and got the number for Susan’s work and called them.
“You mean that story I heard this morning going to work was Susan?” Susan’s boss replied. “She said she might be a little late, but we never thought—” After a tense moment, she added, “Thanks for letting us know.”
“Susan’s at UNM hospital if you want to come by,” Beth told the woman. “By tomorrow she’ll probably be in a private room.”
The instant she finished, Riley and Tyler walked into the room.
The fear in the boy’s eyes cut into her heart. Beth pulled him into her arms. He didn’t resist. Beth looked into Tyler’s eyes.
“Susan’s in serious condition.”
“She looks so helpless,” Riley whispered.
Beth pulled back. “But she’s alive and has a fighting chance.”
Riley didn’t look convinced.
“Let’s go back to the ranch and get some sleep. Your mom needs us rested before she sees us. It will make her feel better if she sees you looking well,” Tyler said.
A flicker of hope danced in Riley’s expression. “Really?”
“Tyler’s right,” Beth added. “The best thing we can do now is to go back to the ranch and sleep.”
“Okay.”
As they walked out of the hospital, Beth touched Tyler’s arm. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He nodded.
Riding back to the ranch, Beth’s last thought before she slipped into a light sleep was that Tyler was a man of honor.
Chapter Twelve
By the time they arrived at the ranch, Riley was sound asleep, slumped against Beth, who also was out like a light. Riley staggered out the driver’s side of the truck and into the foreman’s house. He fell fully clothed onto the bed in the first bedroom. Beth’s eyes fluttered open when Tyler came back to the car.
“My car’s at the church,” she mumbled when Tyler opened the passenger side of the truck.
“I think you need a nap before you drive anywhere.”
She didn’t move, only gave him a sleepy smile. “Yeah, you’re right. Come back in a little while.”
“You can crash in my room.”
Her eyes widened.
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” he hastily added.
Her eyes drifted closed and she shook her head and wagged her right forefinger at him. “No can do. I’ll crash at my brother’s place. Give me a minute before I walk up there.” Her hand flopped onto the bench seat. She frowned and pulled something up in her hand.
“What’s this?” she mumbled, holding up the plastic-wrapped fried pie. She opened one eye.
Tyler’s face flushed. “It’s a coconut fried pie. I bought it for you.”
She rolled her head on the seatback toward him and smiled. “That’s nice.” Her eyes fluttered closed and a soft snore left her mouth.
Tyler laughed, shaking his head. He gathered her in his arms and started up to the main house.
“I can walk,” she mumbled into his neck.
A chuckle rumbled through his chest. “I know, but I’d like to go to sleep, too, so I figured it would be faster this way.”
“You’re funny.” Her left arm snaked around his neck and her right hand clutched the fried pie to her stomach. She rested her head under his chin. “You smell good,” she mumbled.
“That’s the fried pie. Someone sat on it.”
She shook her head. “No. It’s you.”
He didn’t bother to answer.
“You smell real good, and you’re strong and handsome, too,” she whispered into his neck.
Her breath tickled. “Thank you.”
“I thought you were stuck-up when I first saw you, but—”
He waited to hear what she thought.
“I—I wondered what you looked like when you smiled.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, and you know what? When you did smile, you were dreamy.” She smiled and slipped into a deep sleep.
He’d been called a lot of things, but dreamy? Tyler moved up the walk to the main house. Ollie saw him.
“What are you doing?”
“Putting Sleeping Beauty to bed.”
Ollie shook his head and went back into the stables.
As Tyler climbed the front steps of the house, the screen door opened and Sophie and another older woman stepped out. Sophie’s eyebrow arched.
“The night’s caught up with her. She didn’t want to sleep at the foreman’s house, but said she’d crash here, only she’s never been awake long enough to walk up here by herself.”
“I can see that. Margaret, I’ll be back in a moment. Come in, Tyler, and I’ll show you where to put her.” Sophie opened the screen and led him down the hall to what he guessed was a guest bedroom. He laid Beth on the bed and they took off her shoes. Tyler gently took the fried pie out of her hand and put it on the nightstand. Sophie threw him a look, but he didn’t explain about the pie. He’d bought that for Beth because—because he wanted to surprise her with that little gift.
Sophie didn’t question him about it, but put a blanket over her friend. “How’s Riley?”
“He’s sound asleep at my place.”
“I don’t doubt that. You need to get some sleep yourself. I know your combat experience helps you, but you need the rest.”
He felt his sleep coming on and agreed with Sophie.
She motioned to him. “Come and meet the last owner of the ranch.”
Tyler followed Sophie out onto the porch. An older woman was by the stables talking to Ollie. From what Tyler could see, they knew each other well.
“Margaret owned the ranch for close to forty years before she sold it to me. I used to ride here when I was a teen.” Sophie motioned to the two. “Ollie’s worked here for nearly thirty years.”
The wind carried Margaret’s words. “I like my apartment in the retirement center. I don’t have to worry if the stock is fed and watered or if we’ll have enough money to continue.”
Ollie nodded, but his eyes never left Margaret’s face. “Sophie and Zach are running things well. Lots of new folks and Army vets. You’d be proud.”
Tyler looked at Sophie to gauge her reaction to the praise. Her chin came up and her eyes sparkled.
Turning back, he saw Margaret smile at Ollie, but the left corner of her mouth didn’t go up. “Come by and see me again, Ollie. I enjoyed dinner. You know I’m not driving, but that doesn’t stop me. And it shouldn’t stop you.”
They traded looks.
Sophie leaned close to Tyler. “I always wondered if they had a thing for each other.”
Margaret turned and walked back to the porch. She had a slight limp.
Sophie introduced them. “Margaret just came by to visit and see how things were progressing here. I think she heard I was pregnant and nothing was going to stop her.”
“I told the people at the retirement center to bring me here or I’d escape.”
“Sounds like you.” Sophie turned to Tyler. “After I was discharged, I knew I wanted to start the equine therapy for soldiers after I saw some of the guys I treated riding in Iraq and making amazing progress. When I came by to see Margaret, I discussed it with her. She loved the idea and knew it would help her granddaughter who has Downs, so we launched the program for kids and worked to
set up the program for vets.”
Tyler nodded. “Ma’am. It’s nice to meet you. I wish I could stay a little longer and talk, but I spent the night at the lock-in with teens and have been at the hospital most of the day. I can’t guarantee how much longer I’ll make any sense.”
“Go.” Sophie shooed him away.
“Nice to meet you, Tyler.”
“Same here.”
Sophie glowed. Tyler wondered if all women did that when they were pregnant or was it only because Sophie was so happy. He wondered how Beth would look.
He stumbled. Whoa. He clamped down on the thought. Marriage and babies. He really was tired.
And yet, the idea took root and he liked it.
Entering his house, he checked on Riley. Tyler moved to the bed and took off the kid’s shoes. Dogger had settled bedside on the floor.
“You going to keep watch over the boy?”
Dogger looked up at Tyler, then closed his eyes. That was fine with Tyler. Dogger had more sense than a lot of folks he knew.
As he settled in his bed in the back room, his mind went to what Beth had mumbled as he carried her up to the main house. She thought he was dreamy. He’d never had a woman tell him that, but kind of liked that idea.
* * *
They were on patrol. The tiny village looked deserted. The intel they possessed indicated this village was a bomb-making hot spot.
“Found it,” Paul called out.
Tyler slipped into the house. The first room stood empty, the cooking fire in the corner of the room cold. As Tyler started though the second door to the back room, he heard Dogger growl. The dog had followed them from the truck. Dogger’s hackles stood up, and Tyler knew something wasn’t right.
“Paul, you okay?”
“There’s C-4 and sticks of dynamite and nails in here.”
Dogger continued to growl.
“Somethin’s not right. The dog’s on alert. Look around.”
Paul didn’t respond. Finally, he whispered, “It’s booby-trapped. Get out.”
Tyler turned and ran out the front door just as the house blew up, knocking him to the ground, forcing the air out of his lungs. After several minutes, Dogger licked his face, whining. “Paul,” Tyler cried out. He staggered to his feet and ran around the back of the house. Paul lay sprawled on the ground. Tyler rolled him to his side, looking for any wounds.