“You got it, hon.” Linda switched off the fluorescent lights.
The relief on Shelby’s eyes was instantaneous. A soft nightlight glowed on the wall behind the bed, preventing the room from becoming completely dark. “Thanks, Linda.” Shelby spoke slowly in order not to slur her words.
“Here’s the call button if you need me.” Linda draped the cord over the other arm rail. “Dr. Gardner should be checking on you in the next half hour or so. And your collection of handsome young gentlemen is waiting out in the hall. I’ve had to kick at least one of them out of here every hour in order to do my rounds. You must be quite the heart-breaker.” Linda’s voice carried a note of laughter. “All right, then. I’ll open the door and let the hottie-parade begin.”
Shelby heard Linda speaking to someone in the hall, and a figure walked through the open door. In the dim light, Shelby couldn’t make out his face. She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the dazed feeling in her head. Her skull felt like cotton was stuffed inside.
“Hey, Shel.”
“Xan.” Shelby hoped he couldn’t hear the disappointment in her voice. She’d thought for a moment…
“How’s the ankle?” Xan grasped her hand.
“Aches, but my head is killing.”
“Yeah, you got a concussion. Your forehead is pretty bruised, and you’ve got some stitches. But it’s your ankle they operated on.”
Shelby had a vague memory of the ER. She remembered being wrapped in an air blanket that surrounded her with heat. X-rays, doctors, hot water bottles. The mention of surgery helped dispel any lingering mugginess, and she forced her mind to concentrate. “How bad is it?” Her heart sank. An injury would kill her entire ski season.
“Pretty bad, from how the break looked up on the mountain. The doctor didn’t tell us much, since we’re not family. You know, HIPAA or whatever.”
She shifted and sucked in a breath through her teeth as pain shot through her head. “I can’t remember very much. Must be the drugs.”
Xan rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “You’re lucky to be alive. We were freaked out for a while there.”
“Thanks, Xan. Thanks for rescuing me.”
“I helped, but really, the huge Arab was the one who saved you.”
“Nasir?” Shelby asked.
“I guess he has some kind of commando training. He knew what to do to stop your bleeding and even did mouth-to-mouth. Who knew such a giant guy could be so gentle?”
Shocked, Shelby didn’t know what to say. The thought of Nasir doing mouth-to-mouth made her stomach clench in embarrassment. “Is Nasir here?”
“Yeah, he and Hakim have been in the waiting room all day.”
Her heart leapt. “Could you get them? I want to thank them.”
“Uh…Yeah, sure,” Xan said. “I’ll see if I can find ’em.”
She thought his voice sounded a little reluctant and squeezed his fingers to show her gratitude. “Thanks, Xan.”
“I’ll be back to check on you, okay?” He laid her hand down on the bed.
While Shelby waited, the hammering in her head grew worse. The pain in her ankle rose to a throbbing ache. She still hadn’t seen a mirror and had no idea what her head injury looked like, and she couldn’t lift her head to see her ankle. She needed to push the morphine button but wanted to act coherently when she saw Hakim again. He is here! Did this mean he wasn’t going to Kentucky? Would he keep in touch? Maybe see her again?
A soft knock drew her gaze to the doorway. Although the room was semi-dark, she recognized Hakim’s silhouette as he came to stand next to the bed.
“Shelby Jo,” he said in a quiet voice.
Her heart rate sped up and the monitor beeps followed suit. “You’re still here. I thought you’d be in Kentucky by now.”
“I could not leave until I was certain that you were all right.”
“Where’s Nasir? Xan told me what he did. I want to thank him.”
“I will give your message to Nasir.” Hakim gave a short nod. “His ways are very traditional. He would not wish to offend you, but he would feel uncomfortable coming into your room to speak with you.”
Shelby realized what she had interpreted as rudeness—his unwillingness to make eye contact or to shake her hand—had really been a form of respect. She grimaced, feeling ashamed for judging him so harshly. “Oh, I understand. Please tell him how grateful I am.”
“I will. I also owe Nasir a debt of gratitude for what he did. If not for his training…”
In the darkness, she felt his fingers brush her hair off her forehead, avoiding the wrappings over her stitches. She reached up and grasped his hand. Even though almost every part of her body pulsed with pain, what she felt from Hakim’s touch caused her skin to tingle.
“Hakim…” Shelby said after a moment. “This is goodbye, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” he said. “Shelby Jo…”
“You have to go, I know.” Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. She had only known this guy for a few days. Why am I crying? It has to be the medication.
“I have enjoyed the time we spent together, Shelby Jo Walker.” He paused. “There have been very few opportunities for me to make new acquaintances. Your friendship has been very special.”
“Yeah, bruised, bloody, and doped-up on painkillers is how you’ll remember me.” Shelby wrinkled her nose and grimaced.
“I am confident there are enough pleasant memories of our time together to overshadow the sad ones. My first snowball fight, for example.”
“That reminds me, I owe you some major payback for that little snow shower you gave me.” She let go of his hand and tapped her fingertips together like an evil genius.
He laughed quietly and then took her hand again. “I wish I did not have to leave you like this. Your recovery will be a difficult one, and—”
“My dad will be here soon to take me home to Culver Springs.” Shelby’s words rushed out. “I’ll manage.”
“Goodbye, Shelby Jo Walker.” He set down her hand and turned to go.
“Goodbye, Hakim.” She barely managed to whisper the words before pushing the morphine drip button, hoping the drug could dull the ache in her heart.
Chapter Five
Shelby stretched across the back seat of her parents’ full-size pickup. Her mom had covered her with blankets and propped her up with pillows, but Shelby still felt every bump and curve in the road on their five-hour drive.
The conversation with the surgeon had left her discouraged. He’d explained she had a trimalleolar fracture, which meant all three bones in her ankle were broken and held together with plates and screws. She couldn’t put any weight on her foot for six weeks. Her dad pushed her to the car in a wheelchair and loaded her new crutches in the back of the pick-up with her luggage.
Shelby’s parents, Burke and Debbie, stayed with her in the hospital overnight, although she asked them to at least sleep in the soft bed at her apartment. She hadn’t been surprised when they insisted the chairs in her hospital room were just as comfortable.
They always meant well. They loved her and wanted to take care of her, but she knew the next few weeks would be hard. Her parents weren’t the best at giving her the space she needed.
She sat up and rested her cheek against the cold window. Shelby always enjoyed the familiar drive to Culver Springs. Even in the dead of winter, she saw a beauty in the desert country that most people overlooked. The car twisted through another canyon, and she gazed across the barren terrain. A few straggly bushes and trees stood stoically, breaking up the harsh landscape. Here and there, fences marked cattle country. Most ranchers built their enclosures using odd-shaped, crooked branches strung together with barbed wire. Shelby thought this type of fence complemented the desert terrain better than the artificial-looking manufactured railings used by wealthy ranchers.
Frozen snow drifted in ribbons across the road, blown by the almost-constant wind. Cracks formed by water zig-zagged here and there in the hard, flat ground, i
nvisible until a person practically fell into one. Some of the deeper cracks ran for miles, forcing animals and humans alike to find alternative routes around them. The land was unpredictable and exciting, and in winter, the weather was severe.
Shelby let out a frustrated sigh. After trying so hard to be independent, here she was, totally reliant on her parents. Not doing things for herself piqued her frustration, and she dreaded the “talk” her parents would have about where her life was going. She knew they would bring up her accident as another reason for her to move back home and settle down.
As the vehicle left the highway and drove into town, Shelby felt memories leap from every direction. Unlike most towns its size, Culver Springs had resisted modern super-stores. Instead, the majority of business took place in small, family-owned shops. The two-block expanse of Main Street functioned as the commercial hub for the town and surrounding ranches. Main Street ended at the high school, where the entire community turned out on Friday nights to support the football team, The Culver Crusaders. The oldest houses stood in the center of town, with newer constructions growing on the edges.
Her dad drove straight down Main and turned west on Center. They still had another ten miles to go, and Shelby braced herself for the bumpy ride as Center became a dirt road. As the pick-up bumped over the road, the sun went down. Burke turned onto the gravel drive and the truck’s headlights illuminated the ranch house where Shelby had grown up.
The Walkers lived in a white, two-story Victorian with pointed gables and a wrap-around porch. During the day, a large oak tree shaded the porch. A wreath of painted wooden snowflakes hung on the front door. Shelby let out a slow breath. The familiar sight of her childhood home thickened her throat. Even though six years had passed since she’d moved to Denver, every time she visited, the happy memories of this place soothed her. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy feeling warm and comforted before the inevitable smothering by her mother began.
Burke parked the pick-up and carried Shelby across the porch and straight upstairs to her room.
Her mom rushed ahead to pull down the sheets while her dad settled Shelby on the bed and then left to check the animals.
Debbie tucked blankets around Shelby. “Do you need anything, dear?”
“No. Thanks, Mom. I’m fine.”
“Honey, you are far from fine.” Her mom fussed over the pillows.
Aside from a few streaks of gray, Debbie Walker’s hair was the same strawberry-blonde as Shelby’s, but her style was a bob, instead of long like her daughter’s. They had the same bright blue eyes, but Shelby’s infectious smile came from her dad. “I’m running downstairs and get a little broth and crackers. I’ll put your cellphone on the night stand. Call me if you need anything.”
Shelby sighed. Her mother was a natural care-giver. She always managed to find someone to nurture, ever since Shelby could remember. Debbie cooked dinner for new mothers and delivered fresh homemade bread to anybody who was sick. She volunteered at the hospital and served on the library board. Burke often said that half of Culver Springs depended on Debbie.
This had frequently been a source of contention between Shelby and her mom. Debbie wanted to take care of Shelby, almost to the point of running her life. Shelby had struggled to be independent. Maybe that was why she had been such a rebellious kid, always getting into mischief, just as a way of showing she was going to making her own choices.
****
Shelby woke to the familiar sights and smells of her childhood bedroom. The sun shone through the sheer lace curtains Debbie made when Shelby was a little girl. With slow moves, she sat upright. Her room had remained untouched while she was gone. Stuffed animals sat on a shelf above her bed. Posters of country western singers and high school dance pictures covered the walls. The dream catcher Lacey’s mom made to keep away Shelby’s nightmares still hung from the headboard. She fingered the faded flower bedspread she’d slept under since she was twelve and wrinkled her nose. The décor could use a little updating. Especially when she saw her old boyfriend, Jake, grinning from so many different photographs. She wanted to wipe that cocky smirk right off his face. Why had she thought that guy with his blond hair flopping into his eyes was so handsome?
“You awake, honey?” Debbie entered, bringing soft-boiled eggs with butter—her classic cure for all ailments. “There’s someone here to see you.”
“Hey, Shels!” Shelby’s younger brother, Chet, bounded into the room. “Dude, can you believe you were totally in an avalanche? I mean, what the…? My own sister: Back Country Disaster Survivor. You know, you could get a reality show.” He plopped down on the bed.
“Chet! Shelby is in no condition to be bounced around!”
“You think sitting on the bed bounces her more than an avalanche?” Chet turned toward his sister, tipping his head and widening his eyes.
Shelby recognized his look as a you-know-how-mom-is expression
He moved to her desk, lowering his lanky frame into the chair. He grinned, and dimples appeared in his round cheeks. “So, tell me all the deets, sis. What was it like?”
In spite of the bouncing and the jolts of pain in her leg and head, Shelby grinned. Chet’s enthusiasm was contagious. “I’ll tell you about it another time, Chet.” Her gaze slid sideways toward their mom then back to his. Understanding registered in his face. They both knew how sensitive Debbie was, and hearing how her daughter nearly died was something she wouldn’t handle very well.
“No prob, Shels. Great to have you home. Hurry and get better so you can come open the chutes while I practice my roping. Rodeo season is just a few months away. Catch ya later.” Chet hurdled out of the room, riding the same wave of energy he had arrived on.
“See ya,” Shelby called after him.
Shelby hated to admit her mother’s care was just what she needed to heal.
Debbie carefully removed the wrappings from her head and clipped the hair around Shelby’s forehead to give her bangs.
The stitches were close enough to her hairline that the new style hid the wound. Shelby contemplated the new look in her bedroom mirror. Not bad.
In the reflection, Shelby saw Debbie studying her high school pictures. Her mother turned toward her with an innocent expression that Shelby knew all too well.
“You know, I ran into Jake’s mom at the grocery store a few days ago. She told me he really misses you. Maybe now that you’re back, you could give him a call. He’d probably love to come over to watch a movie or something.” Her mother lifted a hand, palm up, and tipped her head to the side.
Shelby pursed her lips in frustration. “Mom, I’ve told you. I don’t want to call Jake.”
A week later, Shelby started to use her crutches to make her way downstairs in the mornings and sit on the couch for most of the day, watching TV or folding laundry. After two weeks cooped up inside the house, she thought she would go insane and decided she felt well enough for a walk. She seriously needed fresh air. With her mom’s help, she bundled up against the early spring cold, grabbed her crutches, and started down the lane toward the barn.
“I didn’t mean to be nosy, but your cellphone was down on the coffee table, and I answered it last night without thinking.” Debbie matched her steps to Shelby’s slow pace.
Shelby took a calming breath. Here we go. She kept her voice light to hide her irritation. “Oh? Who was it? Lace?” Shelby’s best friend, Lacey, and her husband lived just south of town.
“No, it was your friend, Xander.” Debbie focused on Shelby’s face.
“Did he say what he needed?” Shelby was careful to keep her expression neutral. She knew her mom was digging.
“No. He was just checking on you. What a nice young man he is. Your father and I are so grateful he called us when you had your accident. I was surprised the two of you were together up at the resort. Does he usually go along on assignments?” She tipped her head and smiled, blinking.
“Mom, are you asking if Xan and I are in a relationship?”
“I don’t mean to pry, honey, but he seems to care a lot about you.” Debbie shrugged and continued to smile.
“I think you’re right, Mom, but the problem is I don’t feel the same. He’s a super friend, but since you asked—in your crazy roundabout way—there is someone else. Actually, I guess there was someone else.” Shelby turned her gaze to the gravel road in front of her.
Debbie inhaled a breath.
Shelby braced herself for the volley of questions she knew would follow.
“Who is he? Someone you met at work? What happened between the two of you?”
“Mom, I don’t really want to talk about it.” Shelby knew her evasive answer frustrated Debbie, but would her mother ever give her space?
Debbie smiled and brushed the hair off Shelby’s shoulder. “If you change your mind, honey…”
“I know.” Shelby balanced on one foot while she rubbed her sore palms, before swinging around her crutches and tottering toward the house.
****
Three days later, Shelby leaned back, exhausted. She had just spent the last hour unloading the whole story to Lacey while the two sat on Shelby’s bed sipping sodas.
Lacey hung on every word. The only interruption came when she said that this story was too juicy to listen to without chocolate. Then she rummaged through her perpetually stocked purse, until she found a small package of chocolates and ripped them open on the bed between them. “Okay, I’m ready now.”
That had been twenty minutes ago.
“Wow, Shel,” Lacey gushed as she swung her straight, chestnut brown hair over her shoulder with the back of her hand.
Shelby recognized the familiar gesture from the all the years the girls were inseparable. They still kept in touch, but Shelby thought nothing compared to actually being with your best friend.
“It’s like you’re living in a movie or something,” Lacey continued. “A tall dark stranger rides into town, sweeps you off your feet, saves your life, and then leaves as mysteriously as he came.” She held the back of her hand against her forehead in a dramatic pose, pretending to swoon.
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