Escaping the Past

by Tammy Falkner

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” he said as he dismounted.

  Brody threw one leg over the back of the horse and pivoted gracefully to the ground. He adjusted his jeans and reached to help her dismount as well. Her foot caught in the stirrup and she fell against him. Her blood warmed at the contact. He grabbed both her elbows and steadied her. One hand reached out and brushed the chestnut locks of hair from her face.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yep. Just fine.” She turned her back to him and reached into the saddlebag for her lunch. She carried it over to a large rock, climbed atop and sat down.

  “Now what?” Brody asked.

  “Now we wait,” she replied.

  “Wait for what?”

  “For her to come over to see us. She’s way too nosy to stay over there.”

  “Ah, I see.” Brody hitched himself up on the rock where she was perched.

  Lou found it hard to ignore him. “Pretty soon, we’ll go ahead and move her up the foaling pens. She’s going to be ready to have that baby within the next two months and we certainly don’t want her to do it out here.”

  “That so?” Brody questioned, totally unconcerned with the topic as he eyed her sandwich.

  “Got one of those for me?” he asked.

  “I have a knuckle sandwich for you if you try to steal my lunch,” she replied with as much cheek as she could muster.

  “I guess I’ll have to take my chances,” he said, reaching for one triangle of the sandwich. She swatted at his hands, then gave up and offered him half with a loud groan.

  “You’ll have to fight me for Sadie’s cookie,” she said, her eyes narrowing.

  “Point taken,” he said.

  She raised the water bottle to her lips and took a sip. “I guess you want some of this, too.”

  “You guessed right,” he replied, taking the bottle from her outstretched hand. Her pulse sped up at the thought of his lips touching the rim of the bottle where hers had just been. He drank slowly as she watched his Adam’s apple bob, and then he handed the bottle back to her.

  Lou picked up one of the apples and bit into the flesh. A trickle of juice ran down her chin. Brody wiped the juice that ran from her lips with the pad of his thumb. He raised his thumb to his mouth. The jolt of electricity that sliced through Lou was surprising and fast.

  “You want some?” she asked, her mouth full of chewed apple.

  “Yeah. Got some extra?” he asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

  “That one is for the little mama but you can share this one,” she said, handing him the apple that already had a bite out of it.

  He accepted it graciously and bit off a chunk.

  Lou felt a snort on the back of her neck. Sunny stood grazing several feet from them so she knew he couldn’t be the source. “Shhh…be very quiet,” Lou whispered, her breath a mere few inches from his. She turned slowly and extended the apple to the mare. She didn’t try to make eye contact or to touch the mare, but simply extended her shaking hand toward the huffing animal. The mare took the apple from her and stomped away to enjoy the treat.

  “Six months ago, I couldn’t even get close to her,” Lou said. “She was way too skittish. She would run about a hundred yards away and stand there, stomping, taunting me. She has gotten closer and closer each time I came out here and seems to be starting to trust me.”

  “Now you have her eating out of the palm of your hand. Literally,” Brody replied. “That was amazing.” He passed her own half-eaten apple back to her.

  “If you hate ranching so much, why did you want to come out here with me?” Lou asked, her brows knit together as she took a healthy bite.

  “I don’t hate ranching. I hated having my choices taken away,” was his reply. “And besides, I had a hunch.”

  “What kind of hunch?” Lou asked.

  His hand gently cupped her neck and threaded into the air at the back of her neck as he pulled her forward. “A hunch you would taste like this.” His head tilted and his lips gently touched hers. He tasted of warm apple. His firm lips closed over hers as he lingered at her mouth. He deepened the kiss by turning his head and taking firmer possession of her lips. “Open your mouth, Lou,” he whispered gently.

  She was so surprised by the command that her breath caught in her throat. Her mouth opened of its own free will, and his tongue slipped inside. He traced the line of her teeth and the inside of her lips with gentle circles. He gently and tenderly touched his tongue to hers. It rose in response. The kiss deepened and Lou’s heart began to pound in her chest. His hands played in her long dark hair, holding her head still as he assaulted her senses. His strong fingers cradled her head, gentle but insistent.

  Just then, she heard a snort behind them again. Lou stiffened and tried to move back. Brody’s hand tightened in her hair, his tongue still probing her mouth. His eyes opened, and he took the half-eaten apple from her hand. He did not break the kiss but reached behind her and held out the apple to the mare. She ate it from the palm of his hand just like she did with Lou. Like before, she ran away after she stole her prize.

  Brody broke the kiss and placed his forehead against hers, his breath coming in gasps. A small smile played across his lips.

  “You had a hunch, huh?” she asked, her heartbeat returning to normal.

  “Yep,” was his only reply. “I was right. You’re not as untouchable as all the hands seem to think.”

  It took a moment for his words to sink in and then her spine stiffened. Her hand met his cheek with a resounding thwack, leaving behind a red handprint that covered the side of his face.

  A muscle jumped in his jaw. He stepped back and raised a hand to his cheek.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” he ground out.

  “Ditto,” she ground back.

  Chapter Three

  The ride back home was completed in silence. Lou sat stiff as board in the saddle. She ate her cookie without a word and did not offer even the smallest crumb to Brody, who sullenly looked on. She figured his ardor was sufficiently dampened by the slap, so there were no issues with squirming and movement. Nonetheless, she was about as inviting as a cactus sitting in front of him.

  As they rounded the corner and came out of the north pasture, Lou straightened in the saddle, realizing there was a vehicle with flashing lights parked in the driveway. She shielded her eyes with her hand to see what was going on.

  “I think that’s an ambulance, Brody,” she said, concern evidenced by her tone.

  Brody tore the reins from her hands and kicked the horse into a gallop. He held the reins in one hand and the other wrapped firmly around her waist with his arm beneath her breasts. He pulled her back against him so they fit as one in the saddle. They tore across the last half mile of open pasture and skidded to a halt before barn. Brody quickly dismounted and pulled Lou from the saddle. He handed the reins of the horse to a stable hand that stood nearby.

  Both Lou and Brody ran toward the ambulance as Margaret Wester was being lifted into the back on a stretcher. She had an oxygen mask over her pale face and blue lips.

  “Mom, are you alright?” Brody asked, his voice clouded with anxiety as he grabbed his mother’s hand.

  Mrs. Wester’s eyes opened slightly but she did not speak.

  Sadie placed her hand on Brody’s arm, “She wouldn’t wake up from her nap, son. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “You did the right thing, Sadie. Thank you.” He squeezed her hand and climbed into the back of the ambulance with his mother. He was taking a stethoscope off a technician’s neck and listening to Mrs. Wester’s chest as the doors closed and the ambulance came to life.

  Lou turned to Sadie and was immediately enveloped by her welcoming embrace. Sadie wrapped her arms around Lou who buried her face in the old woman’s neck. “I’m sure she’s going to be all right, child. Just you wait and see. Why don’t you get the car and meet them at the hospital? I’ll stay here and John will get Sarah off the bus. She can keep Jeb and
me company until you come back. Go on, now,” she said, patting Lou on the arm.

  Lou walked quickly to the backdoor and retrieved a set of keys from the peg on the wall. She grabbed her purse and ran to the Jeep that was normally for farm use, started it and left, rocks flying in the driveway behind her.

  Mrs. Wester would pull through this, wouldn’t she? Lou entered the emergency department via the sliding doors. She walked toward the reception desk to inquire as to the whereabouts of Mrs. Wester when she heard the shouting.

  “Damn it! She’s my mother! I’m a surgeon for Christ’s sake!” said Brody.

  “You very well may be, Dr. Wester, but you don’t have privileges at this hospital so you cannot be present during the diagnosis and testing phases. Your mother is critically ill. We need to concentrate on her care.” The doctor’s voice lowered and he asked, “Do I need to have someone escort you to the waiting room?”

  With an exasperated look and a roll of his eyes, Brody shook his head. “Hell, no. I don’t need an escort to help me move to the waiting room.” His voice was suddenly nasal as he mocked the doctor’s tone.The doctor closed the curtain that separated mother and son and stepped behind it.

  Lou approached Brody and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Do you know what’s happening yet?” she asked.

  “Not yet. The sons of bitches won’t let me go in there,” he ground out.

  “That’s ok. We’ll just wait out here until they’re ready for us.” She patted his shoulder gently and encouraged him to move to the waiting area. “Sadie said your mother took a nap like she normally does in the afternoon but she didn’t respond when Sadie tried to wake her up?”

  “That’s what she said. I didn’t get a chance to examine her because the little bastard in the ambulance took the stethoscope back. I should have just clobbered him over the head with it.”

  Lou couldn’t hold back a small smile at the idea of Brody knocking out the ambulance technicians and stealing their equipment. “I don’t think that would have been a very good idea,” she chuckled.

  “Sure would have made me feel better,” he flopped into a waiting room chair and lifted his feet onto the coffee table. His fingers drummed on the arm of the chair.

  “I’m sure they’ll come out and tell you something soon. Is it okay if I wait here with you and keep you company?” she asked.

  “You’re welcome to stay but I’m not sure how much company I’ll be,” he responded.

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  The minutes became hours as the day went on. The doctor came out once and explained to Brody that they were taking his mother down to x-ray and then get an ultrasound of her heart. He did assure Brody his mother was now stable yet they were very concerned. He had not returned since that time.

  Brody was restless and couldn’t sit still in his chair. He shifted and moved constantly, looking at his watch every five minutes. At 7:30 in the evening, he checked his watch again and was stopped by the rumbling of Lou’s stomach.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you’re hungry?” he asked as he lowered his feet to the floor.

  “I’m not hungry,” Lou replied, her face heating in embarrassment.

  “Bullshit. Your stomach says otherwise. When was the last time you ate?” he asked.

  Lou straightened in her seat, her back stiffening and she replied, “The same time you did.” Her face warmed again as she remembered sharing the sandwich earlier that day.

  “At least you had a cookie,” he mumbled under his breath.

  “What did you say?”

  “Nothing,” he sighed. He rose from his chair. “Come on. Let’s go and get you something to eat.” He waved his hand at her with an impatient gesture.

  Brody stopped at the emergency desk and checked out a pager that would alert them if the doctor was ready to see them or if there was a problem. He put it in his back pocket and touched his hand to the back of her arm, urging her to precede him into the elevator. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, exhaustion taking over. She yawned loudly and long.

  “Am I boring you?” Brody asked with a small smile on his face. “I must be keeping you from a date or something.”

  “I don’t date and I’m not bored.”

  His eyes narrowed. It was almost imperceptible, but it was there. “Why don’t you date?”

  “I just don’t go out much. I work a lot of the time and spend the rest of the time with my daughter.” Lou shrugged her shoulders. “She’s my number one priority.”

  “But surely someone who looks like you takes some time off for a date very now and then?” Brody cocked one eyebrow with disbelief.

  Lou looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. “What do you mean, someone who looks like me?”

  “You can’t tell me that someone with your…” He stopped as though looking for the right word, “assets…” His eyes finally found their way back up to her face. “Has a hard time finding a date.”

  “Are you going to tell me next that I have great birthing hips?” she asked, a grin tugging at her lips.

  Brody chuckled. Under his breath he said, “Those hips may be made for something but it sure ain’t birthing.”

  “What?” He didn’t really say that, did he?

  “Nothing.” He swiped a hand down his mouth.

  The elevator doors opened and Brody landed at the small of Lou’s back, nearly stealing her breath. She stepped away from him as they reached the counter.

  “What’s your pleasure?” Brody asked.

  “It doesn’t look like any of this will be pleasurable,” Lou said under her breath and then turned to the attendant behind the counter. “Vegetable soup and a diet soda will do it for me.”

  “Same here but add a burger and fries to mine,” Brody requested.

  “You’re going to eat all that?” Lou asked.

  “Yep. I’m a grown man. You have to feed us every now and then.” He patted his stomach playfully like he was playing a drum. “Keep in mind I work at a hospital. You eventually get used to the really bad food.” Brody took the tray from Lou and guided her to a table where he clunked it down. He passed her soup and soda over and sat down across from her.

  “So…let’s get back to the conversation we were having.” He dipped a French fry into a huge pile of ketchup and talked around it. “Why don’t you date? My mother can’t possibly keep you that busy.”

  “My life keeps me that busy. I have Sarah, my work, and your family. They all keep me busy. I don’t leave the ranch unless Sarah has something going on at school or Sadie needs something from the store. I make it a rule not to date the hands, because it just causes bad feelings if it doesn’t work out. I can honestly say I have never been on a real date.” She tapped her fingers lightly on the tabletop and thought about it.

  “Surely you dated Sarah’s father?” he asked.

  “That was different. Why are we discussing this?”

  “I just wanted to find out a little about you. That’s all.” He shrugged his broad shoulders.

  “You’re hoping I’ll spill the beans and tell you my life story. Okay. Here goes. My mother was a stripper. She worked in the shadiest places in the worst parts of town. She used her body to keep me clothed and fed. I had a different ‘Uncle’ every month or two. He moved in long enough to screw my mother. When he pissed her off, she would move on to the next one. And then another one after that. The last few years she was alive, she was almost never sober. Except for the night she died.” She paused briefly. “I’ll never, ever, let anyone use my body like she did to survive. Now you know the reason I don’t date. Happy?”

  Brody shoved a French fry in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. Then said softly, “Tell me something good about her.”

  “What?”

  “It can’t have been all bad. Tell me about a good memory you have of her.”

  Tears suddenly pricked at the backs of her lashes. This was why she didn’t talk about her mother.

  “I don’t have a
ny.”

  Just as softly, “I don’t believe that.”

  Lou shook her head. “She never made cookies like the other moms.”

  “What did she make?”

  “What?” Why did this matter?

  “She had to make something. She obviously fed you. What did she make?”

  Lou shrugged. “Regular stuff. Pizza. Burgers. Hot dogs. But nothing was ever called by its name.” Lou smiled. “Everything had a crazy name, like you would see on a menu at a restaurant. When we had burgers, we were having Ole Bessy over to dinner.” The grin was now unmistakable on her face.