Boughs of Holly

by Shanna Hatfield

  He was still several feet down the hall from his grandfather’s room when the older man’s raised voice could be heard bouncing off the walls.

  “Get away from me with that thing,” Sam hollered.

  Seth ran the rest of the way down the hall and grasped the doorframe in one hand as he slid around the corner into the room. A persimmon-faced nurse, who could have filled a position as an offensive linebacker for an NFL team based solely on her size, stood next to Sam’s bed with a bedpan in her hand.

  “What seems to be the problem?” Seth asked in a calm voice.

  “This stubborn old goat refuses to listen to reason,” the nurse tattled.

  “That’s because you aren’t reasonable, you cranky ol’ prune.” Sam swung his good leg over the bed and the nurse whacked it with the bedpan.

  “If you stick your leg out of that bed one more time, you’ll pull back a bloody stump!” she threatened.

  “I’d like to see you try!”

  Seth studied his grandfather, aware of the spark of amusement in his eyes, the strong timbre of his voice. In spite of all the fuss, his grandfather was having a grand time tormenting the nurse.

  When she turned and winked at Seth, he discovered she apparently enjoyed the battle of wills, too.

  “I’m going home and no one is going to stop me,” Sam declared, once again attempting to get out of bed.

  All joviality fled from the room as the nurse and Seth gaped at Sam.

  “You aren’t going anywhere you demented fool,” the nurse finally said, trying to shove Sam’s leg back under the covers.

  “I’m leaving. Now. If I have to roll this bed outside and paddle it home, I’ll do it, but I’m not spending another night here. It’s bad enough you people kept me from enjoying Thanksgiving with my grandson, but I won’t stay another day.” Sam’s anger and desperation seemed to multiply with each breath he drew. “I am leaving.”

  “Pops…” Seth stepped forward, hoping to talk his grandfather into seeing reason. Evidently, the time for that had long fled, because Pops swung both legs off the bed and somehow got to his feet.

  “Get your pickup and meet me out front. I won’t stay another minute!”

  “But, Pops!”

  Sam cut him off with a frigid glare. “Now, son. I’m not joking around.”

  “Sit down you idiot,” the nurse said, pushing a wheelchair behind Sam.

  Thankfully, he sat in the chair with a weary sigh. “I’m still leaving.”

  Seth gave the nurse a pleading look, uncertain what to do.

  “Wait here. I’ll be back in a minute.” The nurse rushed out of the room and returned a few minutes later with the doctor on duty.

  “I understand you want to leave our luxurious accommodations, Mr. Stafford,” the doctor said, stopping in front of Sam and studying him.

  “That’s right. Are you gonna let me?”

  “My advice is for you to stay put over the weekend. One of the best home health nurses you could ask for has been assigned to you, but she doesn’t start until Monday. She’s excellent in dealing with the senile, stubborn, and opinionated.”

  Seth had to turn away to hide the chuckle that burst out of him.

  “You hush up, son,” Sam said, waggling a finger at Seth before turning his attention back to the doctor. “If I don’t take your advice, can I leave?”

  The doctor sighed then nodded his head. “You may leave, but only on the condition that you’ll follow orders and not terrorize whatever poor nurse gets stuck with you for the weekend.”

  Sam was all smiles as he reached out and shook the doctor’s hand. “Thanks, Doc.” He flapped his hand at Seth. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Just slow your roll there, cowboy,” the nurse proclaimed. “There are release forms that need to be signed and your grandson will need a detailed list of what you can and can’t do, prescriptions, and so forth.”

  “Well, hurry it up. I’m antsy for this jail break to commence.”

  The doctor grinned and moved to the door. “Seth, if you’ll come with me, we can complete the paperwork.”

  Twenty minutes later, Seth settled his grandfather in the front seat of the pickup. By the time they made their way back to the ranch, Sam was clenching the arm of the seat rest in pain.

  Wisely, Seth refrained from mentioning the fact his grandfather should have stayed at the care facility. Instead, he somehow managed to get his grandfather inside the house and to his bedroom. At that point, he was glad Pops had insisted on switching rooms with him a few years ago.

  Seth had gone to a cattleman’s meeting out of town and came home to find all his things moved into the master suite while his grandfather had taken over Seth’s old room. Pops had shrugged and said he didn’t need the big space, proclaiming at some point Seth might actually go on date.

  “That one date might lead to marriage. Marriage will lead to children, and then I’ll have a great-grandbaby to spoil.”

  So far, Seth hadn’t found either the time for dating or a woman he liked well enough to invest that many hours into getting to know. But that was something to worry about another day. Right now, he had his hands full of his mule-headed grandfather and making him as comfortable as possible.

  Seth ordered his grandfather to eat a banana and two pieces of toast then brought him his medication. Ten minutes later, Sam was out. Neither of them slept well, since his grandfather woke up every hour or so, hurting, thirsty, or just wanting to complain. Seth gave up on getting any rest after the third time his grandfather woke up before midnight ever arrived.

  The next morning, after he made breakfast and ensured his grandfather was comfortable, he went in search of Andy and Brian. He found them breaking ice in the water trough by the barn.

  “How’s Sam?” Andy asked as Seth approached them.

  “As ornery as ever.” He couldn’t quite bring himself to look either of them in the eye when he next spoke, though. “I have to go into town to get a few things for Pops. I’ll pay double wages, in cash, to whichever one of you will go in and sit with him while I’m gone.”

  Andy and Brian hastily pointed to the other one and simultaneously said, “He will!”

  Seth shook his head. “Come on, guys. I’ll make it triple wages for the time you spend in the house. If we’re lucky, the home health aide will be here by the time I get back.”

  “Fine, I’ll do it, but it’s triple wages and my birthday off with pay,” Brian said, staring at the house as though entering it might bring about his demise.

  “Done.” Seth reached out and shook his hand. “Just go sit in there and try to keep him from getting up. That’s the main thing. He has to stay immobilized.”

  Brian squared his shoulders, took a deep breath and headed toward the house.

  Andy chuckled and watched his friend and coworker walk across the snowy yard. “I’d have held out for three extra days off with pay, if it was me.”

  “Get back to work,” Seth said with a grin.

  “Sure, boss.” Andy waved to him as Seth strode over to his pickup and headed down the driveway toward town.

  The stop he made at the pharmacy and then the grocery store was akin to putting up a neon sign that said, “Sam is home!” People followed him around, asking questions, promising to visit, and offering advice. So much unwarranted, unwanted advice.

  He couldn’t even get a few moments of calm when he dropped by Rhett’s garage to let him know he’d brought Pops home. Mrs. Pith and Mrs. Burnside followed him there, wanting to know what they could do to help.

  Seth was grateful for their concern, but what he needed most at that moment was a few minutes of peace and quiet.

  “I’ll keep them occupied while you escape,” Rhett whispered as he guided the two old women to the front of his waiting area in the garage where he’d decorated a stack of tires with lights and asked their opinion on what type of garland to drape around the windows.

  Seth returned to the ranch to see a small pickup he didn’t r
ecognize parked in front of the house. He’d barely turned off the ignition when Brian jogged over with a look of worry on his face.

  “I didn’t know what to do, Seth, but I couldn’t stay in there with…”

  The sound of yelling drifted out to them, even with all the windows and doors shut against the cold air.

  “Nurse Hatchet?” Seth muttered aloud.

  Brian laughed. “She said her name was Betty Newman, but Nurse Hatchet fits. She and your grandpa have been hollering like that since she stepped foot inside the house.”

  Seth grinned. “I think they kind of like tormenting each other, but don’t tell Pops I said that.”

  “I know nothing,” Brian said, accepting the envelope of cash Seth held out to him. Thanks, boss.”

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for braving the lion’s den, especially when the second one appeared.”

  Brian nodded, but didn’t volunteer to do it again.

  Seth sighed and made his way inside. By the following afternoon, he was ready to toss the nurse and his grandfather out in the snow. When Rhett called and asked if he could come to his neighbor’s house and help string lights along with Drake and Drew, he practically jumped up and down in relief, pleased to have an excuse to leave.

  “I won’t be gone long,” he said, as he pulled on his coat and made sure he had warm gloves in the pockets. “Don’t kill each other before I get back. I don’t have time for a forensics team to paw through a crime scene in the house.”

  Sam laughed, but Betty scowled at him.

  Seth returned a few hours later, wondering how Rhett was going to dig himself out of the hole he’d put himself into by deceiving the lovely Cedar Haynes. He had no idea why his best friend felt inclined to pretend he didn’t live next door to the woman. From what he could see, Cedar was exceptionally beautiful and equally as intelligent. It wouldn’t have taken her long to deduce Rhett was the rude neighbor who failed to return her calls about his camel running loose in her yard when she first moved in a few weeks ago.

  For reasons Rhett refused to explain, he’d asked them all to keep quiet about the fact he lived across the pasture from Cedar. But when Drake slipped up and mentioned Rhett controlling his errant camel, Cedar had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, she never wanted to speak to Rhett again.

  He’d never seen Rhett like this, completely twisted up over a woman, which made him even more concerned. Thoughts of tangling with a woman brought a spunky red-headed menace to mind. Seth thought about her sparkling gray eyes, the mass of curls surrounding her head, the freckles on her nose, and grew completely agitated. What was he doing thinking about that goofy female who clearly possessed not even a single lick of common sense?

  The house was quiet when he walked inside. His grandfather slept and the nurse had left a note that she would not be back the next day and they’d have to make do until Monday because she could not tolerate another minute in the presence of someone as disagreeable, mean, and spiteful as Sam Stafford.

  “Perfect,” Seth said, sinking down onto a kitchen chair. He sure hoped whoever they sent had a thicker skin than Nurse Hatchet, because they were going to need it.

  Chapter Three

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Holly Jones nodded to her supervisor. “I’m sure. I need something to keep my mind and hands busy.”

  “But, Holly, are you certain you’re ready? Mr. Abernathy’s funeral was on Friday. I know how attached you grew to him while you provided his home health care. Do you need some time for yourself before you take on another client?” Julie Roberts asked.

  “I’ll be fine, Julie, but I do appreciate your concern. I knew when I took on Mr. Abernathy that it was going to end this way. Who knew he’d be the sweetest little old man in the world? It was hard to say goodbye, even though we’ve known it was coming for a while.”

  “It’s never easy to lose someone you care about, especially when you watch cancer steal them away, a day at a time.” Julie took a deep breath and slid a file folder across her desk. “From what I’ve heard and read in the report, your new client is nothing like Mr. Abernathy. He’s cantankerous, opinionated, stubborn, and he even made Betty Newman cry.”

  “What? You’re joking? No one penetrates her shell.”

  “Apparently Sam Stafford did. She refuses to share what was said, but she is adamant that she will not spend another minute in the man’s insufferable presence, as she put it.” Julie tapped her pen on her desk blotter. “Unlike our dear Mr. Abernathy, Mr. Stafford will make a full recovery. He fell off a haystack, dislocating his hip and suffering a bad concussion.”

  “A haystack? What is a man his age doing up on a haystack?” Holly asked as she glanced through the notes in the file.

  “Ranching, if you ask him, which I wouldn’t advise. He gets testy when questioned, or so I’m told.” Julie gave her another long look. “Are you positive this is a good idea? Maybe you should take a break until after the holidays, you know. Give yourself time to grieve and regroup.”

  “No, I need this, Julie. Honestly, I’ll be fine.” Holly stood and tucked the folder into her oversized purse. “Besides, you know me. I won’t give up until I can get a smile out of Mr. Stafford.”

  “If you do, be sure you put that in the notes,” Julie teased. “Maybe even take a photo of it for us to share with Betty. She swears Mr. Stafford is the evil stepbrother of Lucifer himself.”

  Holly grinned. “I guess I’m about to find out.”

  She left the office, filled the gas tank on her car, and headed out of town. The address for the Stafford Ranch was programmed into her phone, so she relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful drive that took her up a plowed highway toward Mount Hood. Snow frosted the trees on either side of the road like icing dripping off a gingerbread house. Holly wanted to stop and admire the sight, but she continued on her way.

  After spending most of her life traveling from one end of the country to the other and back again, she’d arrived in Portland a year ago and decided to stick around, at least for a while. As a registered nurse, she had no trouble finding work wherever she went. A stint working the emergency room in a busy Los Angeles hospital, though, made her switch paths. The senseless deaths from shootings, stabbings, and overdoses weighed too heavily on her soul. When she moved to Portland, she decided to focus on providing home health care. The majority of the patients were the elderly and infirm who deserved all the dignity and assistance she could provide for them.

  The only problem with her current job, though, was her inability to maintain a professional distance from her clients. Each new patient somehow managed to wind their way around her heart. And most of those she cared for were terminal.

  It was her honor and privilege to make their last days as pain-free and comfortable as possible, but it ripped her heart to shreds when they lost their fight to survive.

  Last week, she’d been beside herself. She’d just driven downtown to run a quick errand on her day off when she received word that Mr. Abernathy had taken a turn for the worse. She’d been so distracted by the news she hadn’t even realized she’d taken someone’s parking space until the man had already driven off in a huff.

  Mindful of the long day ahead of her, she’d popped into the coffee shop and treated herself to a chai latte. She barely had the drink in her hand when she’d received a text that Mr. Abernathy was on his way to the hospital. Concerned about reaching him as quickly as possible, she’d pushed open the door and smacked into a solid wall of man, spilling her coffee all over the cowboy.

  She wasn’t sure if running into him and spilling her drink or the fact there was a real-life cowboy wandering around downtown astounded her more.

  Holly couldn’t help but admire how handsome he looked, even with latte dripping down the front of his denim coat and onto his boots. The cowboy had acted rather snippy, though, when she tried to apologize. But another text from Mr. Abernathy’s family kept her from lingering.

  The next afternoon, she’
d been on her way home when she received a text Mr. Abernathy didn’t have long left and had asked for her. Holly raced to the hospital and didn’t even take time to find a parking space in the crowded parking lot. She double-parked behind a pickup that looked as though it had been there for a while, considering the snow accumulated over it. It wouldn’t take her long to say goodbye to the elderly man she’d come to love like an uncle.

  Her distracted state resulted in her running into that same hunky cowboy from the previous day.

  Holly didn’t think it had been a coincidence. She firmly believed everything happened for a reason, even when she couldn’t grasp why. The cowboy had caught her arms in his big, warm hands, keeping her upright. He smelled of leather and horses and fresh air, a welcome scent to someone used to hospitals and sick rooms.

  His eyes were a spectacular shade of blue, so pale they almost looked translucent. Although she wasn’t particularly into men with facial hair, the beard he wore looked good on him and fit his rugged persona. Briefly, she made note of an attractive man who looked like a stereotypical bad boy standing back, watching the two of them, but her interest focused solely on the cowboy.

  When he’d snapped at her, and brought up the coffee incident, she couldn’t blame him. She had blindly run into him twice. Obviously, he was upset about more than the coffee, too. If he was at the hospital, he most likely had a loved one there who was either hurting or sick. Situations like that often made people feel helpless and angry.

  Holly had made it to Mr. Abernathy’s room in time to kiss his cheek and tell him goodbye. Since the family knew the end was near, arrangements for a funeral service had already been put into place. The day after Thanksgiving, Holly had stood with other mourners in a cold drizzle of rain and paid her last respects to a gentle, kind old soul.

  Despite Julie’s suggestion she take time off, Holly needed to work. From the sound of it, grumpy Sam Stafford was just the medicine she needed to keep her mind occupied.