“Let me show you the rest of the house.”
She followed him from the living room to the kitchen, a bright room with white cabinets and ceramic tile floors. Down the hall were two sunny bedrooms. She stood in the center of one of those rooms, hugging herself, thinking she might possibly wake up from a wonderful dream where things went right in her life only to find herself still in the halfway house praying for a way out.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m good.” She looked around the room with the quilt-covered bed, windows overlooking green fields and hardwood floors covered with a few deeply colored area rugs. She shook her head. “No, I’m better than good. And I’m waiting for the catch.”
“The catch?”
“Things like this don’t happen for people like me.” She tried to smile but it hurt and her eyes filled with tears that she blinked away before they could fall.
“There’s no catch. You need a job and a place to stay. I need help because I can’t keep up with housework and laundry.”
“No catch?” She walked to the window. In the distance she could see the shimmering waters of Grand Lake.
“None at all.” He stepped back into the hall. “You should rest. I need to get some work done around here but I’ll stop by later to check on you. Don’t forget to put away the milk and other groceries that I left on the counter.”
She followed him to the front door. “Jesse, I’ll never be able to repay you. Thank you for doing this for me.”
“You’re welcome.” He tipped his hat and walked from the porch to his truck. And she was alone.
But less alone than she’d been in years.
Chapter Four
“Heard you hired a housekeeper.”
It had only taken two days for the news to spread. Technically she hadn’t really started working until today. The past two days she’d been on the couch of the cottage, sometimes feverish. He’d kept her drinking hot tea and taking cold medicine. This morning she’d stepped out of the house to greet her new life.
Jesse closed the stall door and turned to face the brother who had managed to sneak in on him. Not that Blake typically sneaked. Sneaking would be something Gage would do, or Jackson, maybe Travis. Of all of his brothers, Blake was the one most likely to keep his nose out of everyone else’s business. Probably because he didn’t want them in his.
Blake stopped at a stall door and ran his hand down the sleek neck of the mare Jesse had just bought.
“Yeah, I hired a housekeeper.” Jesse opened the stall door of the gray, snapped a lead on her and led her out for Blake to look over.
“I still can’t believe you’re raising Arabians.” Blake shook his head. “What were you thinking?”
“They’re great animals.” Jesse shrugged it off, the way he’d been doing for six months, since he brought home the Arab stallion and mare.
“Right, I’ll let you raise your girly horses and I’ll stick with a good, strong quarter horse.”
“And I’ll outride you on an Arab any day of the week.”
Blake ran his hand down the mare’s back and shook his head. “I think we’ll have to put them to the test.”
“We can do that. What brings you out here?”
“Thought I’d stop by. It’s been a while.”
“I’m not buying that. You never stop by because it’s been a while.”
Blake walked away. He stopped in front of the stallion’s stall. The big horse moved restlessly around the stall and settled in the far corner.
“I found my daughter.” Blake turned as he made the announcement.
“How?”
“I hired a private investigator. He isn’t sure if he found her or if Jana allowed him to find them. He said it was pretty easy once he got on the right track. She’s in South Africa.”
Jesse whistled and shook his head. Blake’s ex-wife had taken off years ago, filed for divorce and then hightailed it out of the country with their little girl. Blake had been chasing leads for ten years, trying to get his daughter back, or at least hoping for a chance to see her.
“How old would Lindsey be now?”
“Twelve.”
“Man, Blake, I don’t know what to say.”
“Yeah, me either.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Blake nodded and walked down the wide aisle between rows of stalls. He stopped at the open double door.
“I’ll let you know. And I thought I’d warn you that I stopped to visit our grandmother and she’s on her way out here.” Blake shot a look toward Jesse’s house.
“That’s good to know. I’m sure she only has the best of intentions.”
Blake actually smiled. Maybe because he enjoyed their grandmother focusing on someone other than himself, or because he felt some amazing relief, knowing where Lindsey was. “See you later, brother.”
Jesse waved and went back to work.
When he walked up the steps to the back door of his house, he knew Laura would earn her keep and more. The deck had been swept, the flowers were no longer wilting and the patio table where he liked to drink his morning coffee had been wiped off. He headed for the door but it opened before he could reach for the handle.
Laura jumped back and her hand went to her heart. “I didn’t see you.”
“Sorry about that.” He hung his hat on the hook next to the door and swept his hand through his hair. “I’m going to fix a sandwich. Do you want one?”
“No, I can run up to my place for lunch.”
“I’ll make us both a sandwich. There’s no need for you to walk down there.”
She walked out the back door to the edge of the deck and shook a rug out. After several hard shakes, she turned to look back at him. “I really don’t need to be taken care of.”
“I know you don’t. But I really don’t want you to work more than a few hours today. You need to get your strength back.” He studied the little garden at the side of the house. The garden he’d been meaning to plant something in for as long as he’d had this house. “Did you plant flowers?”
She nodded a little. “I should have asked. It’s just that I saw the plants on the table in your utility room and they were starting to look bad. You had tomatoes, too, and a few pepper plants.”
He motioned her inside. “I’m glad you planted them. I do this every year. I buy plants, consider planting them, get busy, think about them once or twice and then I forget them until they’re brown and long past saving.”
“A doctor who can’t keep a plant alive.” She smiled as she said it. He ignored that smile—with effort.
“Exactly.” He touched her back as she moved ahead of him into the kitchen. The house smelled like pine cleaner and fresh air from the open windows. “This is great. I’d forgotten that a house could smell this good.”
“It wasn’t really messy, just...”
He stopped when he reached the kitchen. “The word you’re looking for is neglected. And what’s in the Crock-Pot?”
She walked past him and lifted the lid. “Roast. I hope you don’t mind. I found it in the freezer and thought it would be an easy meal for you. It’ll be done by six this evening and if you don’t want it tonight, I can put it in a container and you can reheat it tomorrow.”
“Amazing.” He’d lived the bachelor life since he’d left home for college. He’d forgotten what a woman’s touch did for a place.
A car door interrupted his musings. He glanced out the window and saw the corner of a silver car. He pulled ham and cheese out of the fridge. Behind him he heard the water running and Laura washing her hands.
“You have company.”
“That would be my grandmother, here to check on you.” He put the luncheon meat on the counter and found bread in the cabinet.
Laura turned from the sink, a towel in her hands. “Does she know that I’m working for you?”
“I’m sure everyone in town knows. I bought two meals at Vera’s two nights in a row.” He handed her a
paper plate. “Don’t worry about it.”
Her eyes widened and pink stained her cheeks. He felt bad about teasing her, but in the past two days he’d learned that she was easy to embarrass, and when that happened, pink crept up her neck to her cheeks.
“Well, I hadn’t planned on worrying until you said something. I don’t want people to get the wrong idea.”
“They won’t.” He grinned because she was watching the door. “Relax, I’m just teasing.”
Before his grandmother could knock, he called out for her to come in. She did. The door banged softly behind her and he heard her mutter something about needing to kick off her shoes before she tracked in mud. The comment reminded him and he looked down at his boots and cringed. Even the hems of his jeans were caked with mud. When he looked up, Laura smiled and shook her head.
“I tracked in on your clean floor.” He reached for a roll of paper towels and she stopped him.
“The mop is still damp. I’ll clean it up after you’re finished with lunch.”
Granny Myrna stepped into the kitchen. She eyed the two of them and helped herself to a cup of coffee.
“Now, isn’t this cozy?”
“Gran, it isn’t what you...”
She raised a bejeweled hand and shook her head. “I know that. It’s just...very domestic. I’m glad to see this place clean and smelling of something other than that dog of yours.”
“Thanks.” He offered her a sandwich and she shook her head.
“I’m not here for lunch. I’m here to see if Laura wants to ride into town with me. I thought we’d check on her car and then we can go by and see her aunt Sally.”
Laura had stopped fixing her sandwich. Her hands stilled over the bread and she glanced his way, as if seeking his permission.
“I really need to finish up. I haven’t mopped the upstairs bathrooms.”
Jesse offered her a bottle of water. “Tomorrow. Eat and go with Gran. I promise she’s usually a very safe driver.”
Laura smiled up at him, a shy smile. “Thank you. And I trust her.”
He grinned at that. “Suit yourself. But trusting her driving, way overrated.”
She turned pink again. He looked away but caught his grandmother watching him, an all-too-knowing look in eyes that probably saw too much, even if she did say they weren’t as good as they used to be.
* * *
Ten minutes and just a few miles later, Laura had lost that trust in Myrna’s driving. A ride to town brought new fears and a renewed belief in the power of prayer.
“Relax. And try breathing. By the way, don’t wear yourself out cleaning Jesse’s house. I don’t think you’re over that virus.” Myrna slowed and pulled into the parking lot of the Lakeside Residential Care Facility. The building was one level, a long, low building with brick siding and multiple windows.
Laura smiled at Myrna.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen or talked to Aunt Sally.”
“Does that mean my driving has nothing to do with your pale face or the death grip on the door handle?”
Laura relaxed her grip and smiled. “Maybe a little.”
“It’s always been a problem for me. I get behind the wheel and something takes over. Mort and I, back in the day when there was a local dirt track, raced. I had a powder-puff car and I could rip up that track.”
“You raced?”
“Don’t look so shocked. I wasn’t always a grandma.”
They got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk together. Myrna touched her arm. “Have you talked to your little girl?”
“Abigail.” Laura nodded. “I was supposed to see her on Saturday but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to.”
“Why ever not?”
“It depends on my car.” She hated to mention it.
“Well, of course you’ll see her. I’ll make sure of it—if I have to drive you myself.”
Laura choked back a laugh and a sob. “Thank you, Myrna.”
“Don’t you mention it, sweetie. Now, let’s go see how Sally Ann is doing.”
Laura followed Myrna down the hall, and Myrna seemed to know right where they would find her aunt. They stopped at a small room with several tables and a few women with jigsaw puzzles in front of them.
Aunt Sally was one of the women. It had been years, but Laura knew her aunt immediately. She wore a pale blue housedress and her dark gray hair was freshly permed. Her wire-framed glasses slid down her nose as she stared at the puzzle pieces in front of her.
“She probably won’t remember you.” Myrna patted Laura’s arm. “I guess you know that.”
Laura nodded, tears filling her eyes as she stared at a woman she remembered from childhood, a woman who had been from Dawson but lived in Tulsa at the time. They would visit on weekends and Aunt Sally would make cookies and show Laura how to crochet granny squares out of multicolored yarn.
She approached her aunt, taking the empty seat next to her. Myrna stood behind Sally, a hand on her shoulder. Sally looked up at Myrna smiling and then offered Laura a vacant smile.
“Hi, Aunt Sally. I’ve come to visit you. I know it’s been a long time.”
“I can’t talk long. I have to go to work.” Aunt Sally held a puzzle piece in her hand.
“That piece goes here.” Laura showed her the spot.
Aunt Sally shook her head. “I don’t see it.”
“Here.” Laura pointed.
Aunt Sally placed the piece in the spot in the puzzle and looked up at Laura. “Are you taking me home? They have my car and they won’t give it to me.”
“No, I’m sorry, I can’t take you home. I’m your niece, Laura White.”
“I thought you were Abby. She married my nephew. You look like her.”
“I’m Abby’s daughter, Laura.”
“I haven’t seen her in years.” Sally picked up another puzzle piece. “I remember them.”
“I’m glad you do, Aunt Sally.”
“So when are we leaving? I want to get out of here. They steal my clothes. Sometimes they put me in a dark closet and leave me there for days.”
“We can’t leave right now.” Laura helped her aunt place another piece down. “But I’m going to live close by so I can see you more often.”
Aunt Sally looked around. “Live here? Do they have apartments for rent?”
“No, I have a job in town. I’m going to live in a house nearby.”
“I’ll have to pack my bags.”
A nurse walked in, smiling at Laura as she rounded up the women who were still working on the puzzle. “Time for snacks, ladies.”
“Will you have a snack with me?” Aunt Sally reached for her hand.
“I would, but I have to go now. But I’ll be back soon. I love you, Aunt Sally.” She kissed her aunt’s cheek. “And I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”
“They do like punctual workers.”
“I know. I’ll be on time from now on.”
Aunt Sally stood, wobbling a little as she reached for a walker. “See that you are. And make sure you feed the cat.”
Her aunt left with the other women. After a few minutes Laura got up and left the room. She had no idea where Myrna had gone. Rather than wait in the empty activity room, Laura walked down the hall. She passed a room where someone cried out, the words unintelligible. A familiar voice with a comforting tone and comforting words followed the cry.
Laura turned back to the room and peeked in. Myrna sat on the edge of a bed, holding the hand of the woman in the bed. Laura started to walk away, but Myrna saw her.
“You can come in.”
Laura stepped into the dimly lit room, very aware of every scent, the heaviness of the air, the shades pulled over the window. Myrna stood, but she still held the hand of the woman in the bed.
“This is Gayla.”
Gayla didn’t move but she smiled just a little. Laura couldn’t guess her age. Maybe twenty. Maybe thirty. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her body curled in the fe
tal position.
“Hello, Gayla.” Laura touched the hand that curled in. “I’m Laura.”
Myrna smiled and leaned to brush back the blond hair of the woman in the bed. “We have to leave, but Jesse will be here tomorrow.”
Gayla no longer smiled. Her eyes watered with unshed tears.
Myrna shook her head and reached for Laura’s arm. They walked out of the room together. Questions formed but Laura didn’t want to ask. Who was Gayla? Family? A friend? Someone special to the Coopers?
Or to Jesse?
“She’s a local girl.” Myrna led Laura down the hall. “She’s been here for years. Her mother had to move to Tulsa and there’s no other family. We visit her when we can.”
“What happened to her?”
“Car accident.” Myrna pushed a code into the front door. It buzzed and she pushed it open. Laura followed her through the door.
“That’s terrible.”
Myrna stopped on the sidewalk. Her light hazel eyes caught and held Laura’s. “It’s a tragedy that has touched several lives.”
Laura didn’t know what to take from that. Didn’t know what Myrna wanted to tell her. Rather than asking the questions, she got in the car and Myrna cranked the engine to life.
Their first stop after the nursing home was the garage where Laura’s car had been towed. The mechanic walked over to Myrna’s car and leaned in the driver’s-side window.
“It doesn’t look good, Myrna.” He wiped his face with a rag and slipped it back in his pocket.
Myrna shook her head. “Will, I thought you said you could fix anything.”
“I usually can, but sometimes fixing is more expensive than the car is worth.” He offered Laura an apologetic smile. “Sorry, ma’am.”
“Well, then, you see what you can find to replace it.”
Laura put a hand on Myrna’s arm. “No, Myrna, it’s okay. I can save up money and buy something pretty cheap.”
“Nonsense. Will, you see what you can find. Something decent and dependable, not a lot of miles.”
He saluted and backed away from the car. “You’re the boss, Myrna.”
“Don’t you forget it.” Myrna shifted into Reverse and backed out of the parking lot. “How about coffee and pie at the Mad Cow? It’s Wednesday. Vera has coconut cream on Wednesday.”
The Cowboy's Healing Ways (Cooper Creek) Page 4