by Rose Verde
He nodded and left. There was a slight tap on the door and Chance and Andy came back in.
“What did he say?”
“To go home and come back if I have any problems.”
His eyes widened. “Is that a wise thing to do?”
For the second time, she noted the concern on his face. It was as though a block in the wall she’d erected to protect her heart chipped off. “I’m fine. I’m sorry to have held you up. You can go home. When I’m done with paperwork, I’ll come by and spend a few hours with Andy.”
“No way I’ll let you do that, Samantha. You just survived a major accident.”
“But—”
“No buts. We’ll wait and you do whatever you need to do. I’ll take you home. You have the rest of the week off.” He held her gaze in a no-more-excuse look.
Sam sighed. “Okay. I’ll call Chris and ask her to pick me up.”
“Don’t trouble her. I’m here so no big deal, okay?”
An awkward moment of silence passed and Sam scrambled in her head for something to say. “Uh, how did you find out?”
“I thought you’d never ask. I could be a genie who finds things out.”
She laughed. “A cowboy, but not a genie.”
Her smile dimmed. Was he flirting with her?
“I called your number and one of the cops at the scene answered the phone.”
It touched her heart in ways she couldn’t explain that he thought to come look for her. She nodded. Sam rose and winced.
“Are you sure you should be going home?” he asked, concern in his voice.
Sam waited for the banging in her head to ease some. “I don’t want to stay here. I’ll go over to my friend’s place. That’s why it’s better I just call her to pick me up.” She turned her back to him and stuffed her things into her bag.
“You really want to get rid of me, don’t you?”
She faced him. “Why would I? I’ve kept you from your work all morning. Waiting for me will further delay you.”
“I don’t mind. I’ll rest easy when I know I’ve gotten you to your friend’s safely.”
Sam didn’t point out that if he was going to take her to her friends and then go all the way back, he could as well leave her here. “Thank you.”
Andy was looking at them strangely, as if he could read the awkwardness between them. For the life of her, she didn’t understand it herself. Her nurse came in and gave her discharge instructions and fifteen minutes later, she was good to go.
“I got it,” Chance said, taking her bag.
She met his gaze, and unsure of what she read in them, all kinds of alarms set off in her head. She turned to Andy as they walked out of her hospital room. She ruffled his dark brown hair like his dad’s. “I’m sorry I missed out on studying today.”
“It’s okay. We can do it tomorrow.”
“Don’t count on that, bud. Ms. Samantha needs a lot of rest.”
“I’m okay with that, but maybe you could come stay with us? Dad and I can take care of you.” He grinned up at her and her heart warmed. But she didn’t look at the man just beside her.
“Your dad is a busy man.”
“Then I’ll take care of you,” he persisted.
“That’s so sweet of you, hon. But, I’m fine. I’ll come see you quickly, okay? And don’t you dare forget what we learned.” She ruffled his hair again.
“I won’t.”
By this time, they’d reached the truck. He opened the door and allowed Andy to get in at the back.
“You might want to take Andy up on his offer. You’ll find him a very caring kid.”
Sam blushed. “I’ll pass.”
“I’m not asking you to do anything inappropriate, Samantha.” A smile played on his lips. “My sister and her kids are coming in later today. You will have someone there.”
He grinned and left her scouting in her brain for a response. Okay, she needed to keep those blocks from coming down again.
Chapter Nine
Sierra walked into the kitchen where Chance sat studying the bible. He glanced at the timer on the microwave. “It’s not even six yet.”
“It’s okay. Might as well just relieve you today while I’m here. But don’t make a mistake about it, though. I came here to rest.”
Chance chuckled. “I know, and you have my undying gratitude for stepping in. You had a good night?”
“I sure did.”
“I made coffee. Help yourself to some while I finish up here and help you.”
“Sure.” Sierra poured herself some coffee, added cream and sugar and sat on the stool beside his.
Chance bowed his head and prayed. Thoughts of Sam filtered into his mind and he prayed healing for her. He prayed for Andy and his sister’s family that had come visiting and then wrapped up his devotion.
“You do this, every morning?”
“I try. My day goes better that way. Else, I have a thousand and one things that would drive me up the wall.”
“So true. Except that I seem to be having a hard time fitting spending time with God into my life. You know how you think once you have everything you desire, life would just be sweet?”
Chance nodded in understanding. For him, he knew it was a matter of priority and what he knew benefited him. His sister would have to figure that out.
“Don’t get me wrong. I have a wonderful family. I have a job, but I seem to want more out of life and my time keeps shrinking. I feel like I’m in so much of a hurry these days.”
His sister was getting her doctorate in nursing. He imagined how demanding that would be with a full time job and family. “I know how that is. As the season changes, responsibility changes, and I have to pick and choose what is important. Does that make sense?”
She chewed on her cheek for a moment like only she could, and then nodded.
Chance ginned. “It’s a good thing you guys are here now. Thank God for little blessings, right? I’m not sure what I’d have done with Andy.”
“So how long did you give Sam off?”
He wondered at the way his sister used Samantha’s name like she knew the woman well. “As long as she needs.” He shook his head as memories of her mangled car came to mind. “Beyond a miracle, there’s no way to explain her escape.”
Chance rose and downed his coffee. Grabbing his phone from beside his closed Bible, he found his gallery, scrolled to the picture he wanted and handed the phone to his sister. “Apart from a cut on her forehead, the doctor didn’t see a need to keep her.”
“Wow. And you said you dropped her off at home?”
“Her friend’s.” It still felt like a dream to him. But he remembered the scripture in Psalms that said when God turned the captivity of the children... “Your little ‘detectiving’ like you call it didn’t yield the fact that she doesn’t have family.”
“What do you mean? Her parents are alive as far as I heard.”
“You and Jad need a little more training. She told me she had no family to call when I asked.”
“Maybe they’re estranged?”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that.”
“You better have proof, kiddo, before you fault our report.” She winked at him. “I hope I get to meet her before I leave. Andy couldn’t stop talking about her. He misses a woman figure in his life. Does he ask about going to see his mom still?”
Chance began to assemble ingredients for breakfast. “Since he mentioned it to her and she said he couldn’t come visiting, he hasn’t asked.”
“I bet her billionaire husband wouldn’t want someone else’s child in his home.”
Anger rose in Chance. “He’s her child as much as he’s mine. I’d wonder at the kind of man who wouldn’t want your own son in his home.”
“Priorities are different. Money and comfort meant the world to her. Kids will take backstage for someone like Teresa.”
Sierra was spot on. How he’d been so blinded to fall for someone like that, he didn’t know. “You want to make th
ose amazing pancakes of yours? I’ll fry the bacon. That’s my specialty.”
“You got it.”
It was like when they were kids. While their dad was busy working the ranch, they did house chores, cooked, tried some recipes, failed and laughed over it.
“Sometimes I wish we could stay kids forever. No cares of any kind. We just saw fun in everything. Now we have people who depend on us and we just let the fun in life slip by or take the back burner.”
“Yeah, right. It’s so true for me too. Calving will be over in a few weeks. I plan to take Andy on a trip. I have no idea where yet. I’ve really been considering a lot of things recently and for his sake I need to get things in order.”
“Good for you, brother. You should think about settling down again.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“I can imagine a non-existent social life like yours.”
He laughed. “Between cattle and horses, I couldn’t do worse than I’m doing. And I doubt any nurse would love a cowboy.”
She laughed. "Maybe not. Are you telling me none of the ladies in church think romantic thoughts toward a cowboy as handsome and well built like my brother? And I promise, I’m not biased.”
His neck warmed. Back in the day, Sierra was very protective of him and his friend teased that he was going to have to marry his own sister. “Unfortunately no. But, seriously, how come you leave me alone to work the ranch?”
“Because you’re better at it than anyone.” She winked at him.
Chance shook his head at her. “Easy for you to say. I wasn’t born with it. Thanks to Jad for stealing my sister away.”
“Hehe. True, but you always loved animals. Mine ends with puppies.”
They bantered back and forth, laughing and teasing. Soon the smell of bacon and pancakes filled the kitchen.
Charis, Sierra’s eight-year old daughter, walked into the kitchen, rubbing at her eyes. “Good morning Mom, Uncle Chance.”
“Good morning, munchkin.” Chance smiled at her as he went to set the plate full of crisp bacon slices on the kitchen island. “Had a good night?”
Her mom gave her a hug and she came over and hugged him too, then she climbed on one of the stools. “Yeah. Until you guys got loud.”
Sierra laughed. “Do you know the last time I saw my brother? Don’t worry, when you get to our age and live in different cities, you will understand.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Andy and Nate are still sleeping, right?”
She nodded. “You guys want me to do anything?” she looked at her mom, then at Chance.
He shook his head.
“Go jump into the shower. Make sure you brush your teeth properly.”
She rolled her eyes and climbed down from the stool. Chance held a smile until she exited, and then he chuckled. “She’s all grown up so that she’s learned how to roll her eyes. It always drove me up the wall then, when you did it.”
“Your way of saying I’m getting a taste of my own medicine, right?” Sierra turned off the stove and brought the pancakes over.
Within minutes, they had the table set. “I’ll go grab the boys.”
“Go ahead. I’ll clean up.”
When Chance got into the room, he expected to see the boys still sleeping, but Nate had gotten into Andy’s bed and they were checking out Andy’s cards he used to study words. “You gotta be kidding me!”
They startled at his voice and he walked into the room and burst out laughing. “We thought both of you were still sleeping and snoring.”
“Kids don’t snore, Uncle Chance.”
“We didn’t snore, Dad.”
“Next time, I’ll be sure to record it.” He grinned and ruffled their heads. “You guys slept well?”
They nodded. “Okay, let’s go freshen up before Sierra and Charis finish the food.”
They didn’t need any cajoling. They dashed out of the room in a flash and Chance had to hasten after them before they flooded the washroom like they did when they did their routine the night prior. They chattered as they brushed. A new side he noticed in the few weeks Sam had been with Andy. Chance could have sworn his son wasn’t always this talkative and excited about things. That reminded him. He needed to call and find out how she was doing.
In between, Chance had to keep turning off the tap. Minutes later, he shepherded them to the kitchen where Sierra and her daughter sat talking.
If Chance said so himself, he and his sister turned out well after their traumatic past with their mom. “Phew! I was afraid they’d have finished the food already,” Chance joked.
Daughter and mom giggled.
“Grab your seats, guys.” A car turned into his driveway in front of the ranch house. “Just a minute,” Chance said, and went to the window to see who that was. Sam climbed out of the car and then turned to wave at her friend and Andy’s pediatrician. His pulse sped up at the sight of her so that he had to pause to get his heart rate going easy again.
SAM KNOCKED AT THE door and it pulled open immediately like someone had been watching out for her. “Hey.”
“Hey, you too. You’re supposed to be resting.”
“I’m fine.” She shrugged, his nearness doing a number on her heart. “Chris was going to work. No way I could stay cooped up all day. I hope it’s okay that I’m a bit early.”
“It’s fine.” He searched her face and pointed to the dressing on her head. “How is your head doing?”
“Great. Still some headache, but it’s bearable. Can I come in?”
He seemed to regain himself. “Forgive my manners.” He stepped aside and let her precede him. “We’re just about having breakfast. Join us, please?”
“I’ve had breakfast.”
“Maybe tea, then. Or coffee.”
She followed him into the kitchen. A woman she assumed was his sister smiled at Sam. “Hi.”
“Sam, you came.” Andy was all smiles. He got up and grabbed a table mat and set it on the empty spot beside him. “There’s space here.”
So cute.
“Hi, I’m Sierra. Chance’s older sister. My kids, Nate and Charis.”
“Nice to meet you.” Sam wiggled her fingers at the children who stared at her.
“Did you really have an accident yesterday?” the little boy about Andy’s age asked her.
“Yes. But, I’m fine. How are you guys doing?”
“Good,” they responded.
“My brother has told me a lot about you.” Sierra passed her the plate of pancakes.
Sam glanced at the person in question and he had this innocent look on his face. He hardly knew anything about her. “I hope they’re good things.”
“All good things, promise. Andy corroborates everything. Thanks for your help with him. He couldn’t wait to show us all that he’s been learning.”
“I’m glad. I have fun doing it.” She took the tea Chance handed to her. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Samantha, I need you to take things nice and easy. Even if he doesn’t learn anything today, I’m okay with that.” The look that held her was soft, understanding and warmth spread over her.
“Sure. I’ll see what we can do,” Sam responded.
“Sis, I got to get my lazy butt out of here.”
The kids giggled at the ‘lazy butt’ thing.
“I know you’re always working hard. It’s okay to take things easy now and again and enjoy family,” Sierra said.
“I know.” Chance kissed the children and headed out of the kitchen.
Sam could breathe easy now. It was not a good idea to come here. At all.
“Looks like you’re a workaholic like my brother. You should’ve stayed back and rested. He showed me your car. That was a miracle.”
“It was. I stayed over at my friend’s yesterday. And then she had to go to work. If I went home, I’d go stir crazy.” Years of confinement did that to her. She’d been better able to manage anxiety in closed spaces. But...
“I’m outgo
ing too. I hope we get to hang out a lot while we’re here. My husband traveled to Ontario on business. He won’t be back for a few days. So I figured I would spend time with my cowboy brother.”
“How come you’re not into ranching?”
“I’d always wanted to be a nurse like my mom. It was like my connection to her. And then I loved it. Then Chance left too. He studied accounting and got a job in his ex’s father’s firm after college. When dad became ill, he came back home. At the time, I was dating the IT nerd in the university. I wish I could turn off as easily as Chance did. But I’m unidirectional.” She laughed.
“Your mom must be proud of you.”
“I don’t know. We talk once in a blue moon and never anything to do with me following in her footsteps.”
Sam sipped her tea. Not so different from hers. Except that she had to deal with two uninterested parents.
“Let’s go to the patio and talk.” They rose up, cleared the table, put plates in the sink and while the children retired to Andy’s room, Sam followed Sierra out on the patio overlooking a large area of the ranch. Sierra waved Sam to a seat on the lounge chair.
“Where’s your family?”
Sam shrugged. “No idea. They’re travelling all the time. We’re not close so nine times out of ten, I’m not sure where they’re at until they call.”
“Any siblings?”
“A brother. He passed.”
“Oh.” There was silence after that.
“Did you always want to be a teacher?” she asked, changing the subject.
What she didn’t know was that the question would lead her right back to her brother. “No. I was going to be a psychologist. But, growing up, my brother had difficulty learning. And then my aunt, who we were living with at the time, took him in for a test and they found out he was dyslexic.”
“How old was he then?”
“He was ten. At the beginning everyone thought it was just because he hated studying. He also had autism so it was difficult for him. By the time we found out, it had affected his psych so badly. The desire to help him study was why I decided I’d be a teacher. Except that he was ten years my junior and my qualification wasn’t going to help him.”
“I’m sorry.”