“It’s just too bad she’s had a crush on you since her junior-high years.”
Kevin frowned. “What? Why is it too bad?”
“Cause she’s still got a crush on you, that’s why. But isn’t that the way it always goes? If I’m even remotely interested in a woman, it turns out she’s got eyes for you.”
“You’re interested in Lara?”
“I’m not telling you anything about anyone I might be interested in,” Brent growled, and Kevin imagined him clenching his jaw while his brown eyes sparked with contained fury. “After what you did with Emily, you’re lucky I’m even speaking to you.”
“I didn’t do anything with Emily—except kiss her after she flung herself at me.”
“You’re a liar.”
“No, Friend, she’s the liar.”
A long pause filled the airspace. “Well, look, it doesn’t matter anymore. Neither does Emily. But I will say this—the man who lassoes Lara Donahue’s heart won’t have to worry about her being unfaithful.”
“No, I don’t suppose he will.” Kevin felt like he’d been socked in the gut.
“And I can contend with a schoolgirl crush. It’s nothing compared to true love, right?”
“Leave her alone, Brent. Don’t try to get back at me by using Lara.”
Brent chuckled. “Is that what you think? Listen, Pal, I have a lot more integrity than you give me credit for.” Another pause. “I’m not like you.”
Moments later, the phone line went dead, and Kevin felt a deep regret fill his soul. Memory after memory rushed forth like waves against a shoreline. He’d been and done all the things he learned as a kid that God condemned, and yet Brent had been a true friend through it all.
Until the situation with Emily occurred—but that hadn’t been Kevin’s fault.
Still, in spite of his self-defense, sadness washed over him. The word “integrity” described nothing about Kevin Wincouser. He was about as honorable as a rattlesnake.
Oh, God, why did You let me live? The world would be a lot better off without me in it.
On that dark thought, he tumbled off into a restless sleep.
Eleven
After the uplifting sunrise service, Polly convinced Brent to eat breakfast with them instead of returning to his bed as he’d threatened to do ever since they took their seats in the grandstands. However, after consuming several cups of coffee at a quaint diner in town, he came to life. Still, as they drove back to the Cyprus Ranch on which the rodeo was held, Lara had to wonder if anything from this morning’s message penetrated his heart. The gospel couldn’t have been presented any clearer, and Lara rejoiced that Brent had not only heard God’s plan of salvation from her and Polly, but from another cowboy too—a cowboy-preacher. But had Brent been too tired to comprehend the truth?
“Why are you frowning so hard, Lara?”
He’s watching me. . .again. Embarrassed, she looked up from where she sat in the backseat of Brent’s black pickup truck and smiled. “Oh, it was nothing. I didn’t mean to frown.”
Stopping at an intersection, he twisted around and tossed a glance at her, and Lara felt that familiar angst settle around her. Ever since yesterday afternoon, she’d done her best to hang back and try to be invisible, but Brent sought her out time after time. It seemed he paid more attention to her than to Polly—and that wasn’t supposed to happen. Worse, Lara had gone from disliking Brent to finding his charm and good looks rather appealing. But each time the thought formed in her head, Kevin’s warning rang in her ears. Brent wants to settle an old score, and I’d hate to see you get hurt.
Lara recalled that first day up in Kevin’s hospital room when Mackenzie Sabino mentioned that “Wink” had stolen Brent’s “girl.” But Lara couldn’t figure out how Brent would use her to settle any score. It wasn’t as if Lara was Kevin’s present girlfriend, although she imagined she wouldn’t mind the title.
Then again, in all reality, maybe she would. Ten years changed people—the years had changed her—and now Lara knew Kevin about as little as Polly knew Brent.
Brent pulled onto the vast ranch, and the truck bumped along dirt roads until it slowed as he steered toward the small colony of trailers and tents. Finally, he parked beside the one in which he lived, pulling in alongside Polly’s car.
“You ladies want to come inside for more coffee? Quincy and Jimmy are probably awake by now.”
“Actually, I’d like to get some pictures of the horses to take back to my kids,” Lara said. Turning to Polly, she added, “Let’s go for a quick walk before we go back to the hotel.”
Polly bobbed her head. “Okay.”
“While you two do that, I’ll pack up some of Wink’s things,” Brent said. “I imagine he’ll need ’em once he gets better.”
Lara met his deep brown gaze.
“You don’t mind taking them to the hospital, do you?”
She blinked, feeling oddly flustered. “No, of course I don’t mind.”
Lara watched as a slow grin spread across his face before he pivoted and strode toward the trailer. “Don’t get lost now.”
With a flickering skyward glance, Lara turned to Polly. “How could we possibly get lost?”
“I don’t know, but if there’s a way, we’ll be the ones to do it.”
Lara laughed as they took off toward the arena. She hoped Polly hadn’t noticed her sudden peculiar behavior with Brent.
Lord, please intervene here. I’m acting like an insipid junior higher with an unattainable schoolgirl crush, and I don’t want to hurt Polly for the world. She mulled over her petition, examining her heart. Lord, is that all I’m capable of—schoolgirl crushes? Will I ever know what it’s really like to fall in love?
“Hey, look. Horses.”
Lara gave herself a metal shake and gazed up ahead where she saw a cowboy walking toward them leading two frisky mares. When he got within earshot, Polly asked for his picture with the horses, and the husky man of average height obliged them.
They strolled on, pausing here and there to snap a photograph. Reaching the arena, Lara and Polly stepped inside, and to Lara’s delight, some cowboys were perfecting their roping techniques. With her video recorder in hand, she filmed their practice.
“My kids’ll love watching this video,” Lara said as she and Polly traipsed back to Brent’s trailer. More than an hour had lapsed, and the noonday sun rose high in an overcast sky.
“I suppose we should start driving back home soon,” Polly murmured, pushing strands of hair off her forehead.
Lara agreed with a nod.
“I had fun this weekend.”
“I did too.”
Polly glanced Lara’s way and grinned. “Then it was a worthwhile trip, wouldn’t you say?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And just wait until the singles’ group hears about our adventure.”
Lara laughed. “They’ll all wonder why we didn’t ask them to come along.”
“Oh, yeah, right. Could you imagine that field trip?”
Again, Lara had to chuckle. With so many stoic souls in their Christian singles’ group, it was amazing anybody had fun. But they did try. Lara had to give them a little credit.
They reached the trailer just as Quincy and Jimmy were exiting.
“Brent’s getting worried about you ladies,” the younger man said with a boyish grin. “But he should be used to having women run out on him by now.”
Quincy gave the youthful cowboy a shove, and Jimmy hooted.
“Don’t mind him,” Quincy said on a note of apology. He drew in a deep breath. “So, you two are going to be heading home soon, eh? Drive safely now.”
“We will,” Polly said.
“It was real nice seeing you both again. And, Lara. . .” He turned to face her. “You take car
e of Wink for us.”
“Sure.” She smiled. “I’ll tell him you all say hello.”
“You do that.” Quincy gave the rim of his wide brimmed hat a polite tug, then turned on his heel and followed Jimmy.
Lara moved toward Polly’s car, preparing to deposit her video camera into the backseat just as Brent emerged from the trailer carrying a large blue suitcase.
“Thought I heard you girls out here,” he said with a smile. “Finally found your way back, huh?”
“We were never lost, contrary to popular belief.” Polly opened the trunk for him, and Brent set the luggage inside.
Brent chuckled. “That’s a good thing.” He glanced at Lara. “These are most of Wink’s clothes. I packed his socks, underwear, shoes, razor. . .everything he’ll need once he’s out of the hospital and on his way to meet us wherever we might happen to be at that time. There are also some get-well cards in here from friends and admirers.”
“Do you travel a lot, Brent?” Polly wanted to know.
“Honey, traveling is my life.”
Oh, good, he called her ‘Honey.’ Lara grinned as she gave the back door of Polly’s sedan a push. For the better part of the last twenty-four hours, Lara had been “Honey,” and the title felt a little demeaning somehow.
“That’s the biggest part of the rodeo. Getting there.”
“Do you think you’ll be back to see Kevin?” Lara asked.
Folding his arms, Brent leaned up against the car. “Guess it all depends.”
“On what?” Polly ventured.
“On whether I’m still speaking to him. You see, me and Wink had a bit of a falling out before his accident.” Brent held up a hand, forestalling further questions. “I don’t care to discuss the particulars, all right? But I wish Wink a speedy recovery.”
“I didn’t mean to pry,” Polly told him. “I just feel like you’re a friend now, so I thought I’d ask.”
“I am a friend, and don’t you forget it,” Brent replied, and Lara didn’t miss the warmth of sincerity that entered his brown eyes. She felt glad that he’d bestowed the expression on Polly. “And I hope you girls’ll come to another rodeo soon. You’ve got my itinerary. Illinois isn’t so far from Wisconsin.”
“A lot closer than South Dakota,” Lara quipped.
Brent grinned. “Yep. So maybe you can make that competition. It’s over the Fourth of July weekend.”
“We’ll certainly try,” Polly promised, and Lara knew she meant every word.
Brent stepped forward and wrapped Polly in a better than “friendly” embrace. Watching on, Lara wanted to giggle, imagining she’d hear all about the weak knees and pounding heart on the way back to Milwaukee. Moments later, Lara got a hug too.
“Drive careful, now,” Brent told them after both women climbed into the car.
“We will,” Polly promised.
Lara couldn’t stop smiling as they drove off the Cyprus Ranch. Thank You, God, for turning things around.
❧
The next day, Monday, proved a veritable challenge for Lara. She felt tired from the long hours of traveling over the weekend, and the number of patients who required her services caused her to forego a lunch break and work a couple hours of overtime.
When she finally punched out, she decided to go straight home and skip a visit with Kevin. She figured if she missed one night it wouldn’t matter. Maybe he’d even feel relieved if she didn’t go up to the floor and see him tonight. But as she walked toward the parking structure, she felt a tweak in her spirit, as if she was disregarding a certain, important responsibility. Of course, that was silly. Kevin wasn’t her responsibility.
But he was her friend.
Expelling an audible sigh, Lara pivoted and strode in the opposite direction. After walking through several meandering hallways, she reached the hospital elevators. However, when she arrived on Kevin’s floor, she discovered he’d been transferred to the Rehab Unit, so she made her way over there. Finding Kevin’s new room, she entered to find him sitting in a wheel chair. Except for his glassy stare, he made an encouraging sight. The huge white bandage that had covered his head like a winter cap had been replaced with gauze that now resembled a bandanna.
“You graduated to Rehab. That’s great.” Lara sat down in the hard-backed chair next to him. “Did you have a good day?”
“Oh, yeah, real good. The highlight was getting my hair washed and brushing my teeth. That’s about all the excitement I could handle, though.”
Lara laughed and set down her purse and the canvas bag she habitually took to work. She noticed Kevin didn’t appear amused. He seemed almost depressed.
“What’s wrong, Kev?”
“What’s wrong?” His blue-eyed gaze pinned her in place. “How can you ask me that, Lara? Look at me. I just turned twenty-nine years old, and I can barely hold my toothbrush.”
“You’re recovering from a head injury. What do you expect? It’s going to take time for you to get your strength and coordination back. Give yourself a break.”
Lara regretted her harsh tone when she saw Kevin’s eyes grow misty.
“I’m sorry,” she said, resting her hand on his forearm. “I didn’t mean to bark at you just now.”
Kevin blinked, and a slight grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “And I don’t mean to be such a little sissy.”
The phone began to ring before Lara could reply. Kevin looked at it, then at her.
“Want me to answer it, Kev?”
He nodded.
Leaning forward as she stood, Lara kissed his cheek. “You’re not a sissy, either.” With that, she walked to the metallic beside table and lifted the receiver. “Hello?”
“Hello, yes,” the soft feminine voice replied, “I’m looking for Kevin Wincouser.”
“Sure, he’s right here. Who’s calling?”
A pause. “None of your business, who’s calling. Put him on.”
Lara was taken aback. If she’d “barked” before, this woman was snarling.
“Who is it?” Kevin wanted to know.
Lara covered the mouthpiece of the receiver. She had a good idea as to the caller’s identity. “I think it’s that red-haired woman.”
“Mac?” Kevin made an effort to wag his head. “She’s the last person on earth I want to talk to right now. She’s been calling here all day.”
Lara said nothing.
“Hang up on her.”
“Kevin, I can’t do that. Our Heavenly Father wouldn’t be very pleased with me if I did.”
He stared at her with those big Baby Blues, and Lara suddenly felt thirteen years old again
“Why do you have to be so sweet and nice?” Kevin muttered.
Lara gave him a helpless shrug. She didn’t think of herself as “so sweet and nice.”
Kevin blew out a long sigh. “Okay, would you mind wheeling me to the phone so I can hang up on her?”
Setting down the receiver, Lara tried not to laugh. She walked over to Kevin, and coming to stand behind his wheelchair, she pushed him to the bedside table.
Kevin reached forward with this left arm and grabbed the phone. He lifted it to his ear. “Mac? Don’t call here anymore. I don’t know when I’ll get back in the saddle again, all right? So quit asking!” Without waiting for a reply, he unceremoniously hung up the phone.
“Well, I guess you told her.”
“Yeah, for the third time. I doubt she’ll listen.” He looked up at Lara. “Think you could help me into bed? I’m whipped.”
“Sure.”
Moving to his left side, Lara helped him stand. Kevin leaned on her to take a heavy step forward. Reaching the bed, he sat down, and Lara straightened the blue printed gown he wore over baggy blue pajama bottoms. She then lifted his right leg up onto the bed while
Kevin swiveled on his backside. With the goal painstakingly accomplished, he lay back against his pillows, looking exhausted.
“All that just to get into bed.”
“It’ll get better day by day.”
“And what if it doesn’t?” Kevin snapped.
“It will.”
Lara lowered herself onto the edge of his sheet-covered mattress. She didn’t let his abrasive tone affect her. She’d learned that people handled their illnesses and injuries in all different ways. Some turned weepy, some moaned and complained, and some patients became grumpy ol’ bears.
Lara gave Kevin a smile. “Just look at the progress you’ve made over the last ten days.”
He gazed at her through sleepy eyes, and finally, a smile escaped. “As I recall, you were always cheerful. I think that’s why I liked having you around when we were kids.”
“You did?” Lara felt her face warm with the compliment. “I thought I was just the neighborhood pest, and you were just a nice guy.”
“Just a nice guy? Brent said you still have a crush on me. Is that right?”
By now, her cheeks were aflame with embarrassment. “All you cowboys have egos the size of Montana.” Lara stood, and Kevin caught her wrist.
“Come on now, Miss Happy-go-lucky. Let’s hear the truth.”
“Kevin, I haven’t seen you in ten years.” Lara hoped she was covering her emotions. “How could I possibly still have a crush on you?”
He released his hold and allowed his hand to fall onto the bed’s mattress. His expression lost all signs of humor. “Yeah, you got a point there. And I’m not much to look at these days. I might never be. I could end up an invalid for life.”
Lara’s heart ached for him. “Where’s your faith?” She all but whispered the question. “It’s times like this that we need the Lord. We draw our strength and determination from Him.”
He rolled his head toward the windows, his face turned away from her. “My faith died with my parents, Lara.”
She sat back down, realizing the social worker in her wouldn’t let her leave him in this frame of mind. “Will you tell me about it—about how you felt after your mom and dad’s tragic accident?”
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