| |
Working with this man might be the end of me. I wasn’t sure the stunt in his bedroom was on purpose or an accident, even when he claimed it was an accident. He leaned toward me and it seemed like he was going to kiss me. Even though a part of me was begging for him to kiss me, I couldn’t have that. I needed to protect my heart from him. He hurt it once before and I wasn’t going to do that again. I pushed his wheelchair down the hall towards the kitchen.
“Are you hungry or want to watch TV?” I asked.
He grunted in response. I wheeled him into the kitchen and put the fixings for sandwiches on the counter where he could reach them. My phone vibrated in my pocket. “I got to get this.” Melanie’s name lit up the screen. I walked out to the porch.
“Hey girl,” Melanie screeched through the phone. “I heard a rumor. Is it true?”
“Depends what the rumor is?” I twisted a long strand of hair around my finger as I leaned against a post, waiting on her to continue as cows meandered passed in the field.
“I heard that a certain bull rider is in town.” Her voice took on a sing-song sound.
“I heard that too,” I said, with a sigh. What was she getting at?
“I also heard he has a new nurse.” Melanie pressed on.
I wasn’t going to give into her. Instead, I said, “Kaleb said he had a lot of nurses.”
“Ha. I knew you knew things.” She laughed. She was probably pointing at me through the phone. “How are you talking to Kaleb nowadays?”
“I ran into him in the grocery store.” I pulled out some gum and popped it into my mouth. The peppermint flavor exploded on my tongue. Melanie was not going to let this one go.
“Come on, Delilah. Just tell me where you are. I went by the apartment to see you and your stuff is packed up.”
“Fine,” I rolled my eyes and snapped my gum. “I am at the Kisment ranch...Taking care of Kade.” Silence came from the other side. “Melanie.”
“Is that the smartest idea? Are you sure you can be in the same room as him?” I knew she was going to be worried. She found out about Kade and me a couple of months ago when Pete’s cows got out. Kade was in town for the rodeo and at Pete’s ranch when she briefly met him.
“Yes, we need this.” I dropped my voice to a whisper. “It’s going to help get the riding stable off the ground. You won’t have to ask Pete or your parents to help us.”
“But at what cost?” Her voice was soft
“I’ll be fine.” That’s what I kept telling myself. “It was a long time ago.” Also, what I kept telling myself and maybe I will believe it one day.
“I’m worried about you, and I don’t want you to get hurt. If you ever need anything, give me a call. Love you.”
“Love you too. Melanie. Don’t worry it will be ok.”
A click sounded in my ear and I slipped it back into my pocket. My gum snapped when a clatter came in from the kitchen. Back to work, Delilah. I went back inside.
“What are you doing?” I swung open the screen door to see Kade straining toward the coffee pot, from the wheelchair.
The coffee maker was pushed up against the back wall and three inches from his fingertips. The knife block had tipped over scattering knives over the counter, and a couple of pots and pans were on the floor. Kade had a sheepish grin on his face as he glanced over at me.
“Making coffee. Do you want any?” He gripped the edge of the counter and inched towards the coffee pot. “I’m having problems reaching the coffee machine.”
“Just how were you going to put a filter in the pot?” I approached his side to stare at his clear blue eyes, for a moment.
Kade shrugged and snagged the pot with a long finger. “If you could pour the water, I will get the rest.”
I filled the reservoir with fresh water as he scooped the coffee grounds into the filter, sprinkling cinnamon on top before handing me the filter. I seated it in the coffee maker before turning it on. I raised my eyebrows at him.
“I remembered you like a little cinnamon in your coffee.” A smile pulled at the edges of his lips and his eyes crinkled.
After all these years and he remembered how I like my coffee! Then, he shrugged before settling further in the wheelchair and wheeling into the living room. “Bring the coffee when it is done.” He called over his shoulder.
The demand grated on my nerves as I tried not to grind my teeth. He was always so arrogant. But he remembered how I drank my coffee, and I wondered what else he remembered. I shook my head at the thought. To buy some time, I cleaned the kitchen as the coffee brewed, the knives went back in the block, the pots and pans were put away, and the counters scrubbed. The coffee maker buzzed as the last bit of the black liquid dripped into the large glass pot. The smell of coffee and cinnamon permeated throughout the house.
“Delilah, are you coming with that coffee? I heard it beep.” His voice demanded from the living room.
“Great. The annoying Kade was back,” I muttered as I poured each of us a mug and made my way into the living room.
He’d settled himself in the middle of the room staring at the bull riding event on the TV. He leaned forward in his chair taking the mug from me, wrapping his hands around the mug, and glancing at me before going back to the bulls and cowboys. I sank into the overstuffed recliner in the corner to savor my hot mug for a minute.
A cowboy in black chaps mounted a large white bull. The cowboy nodded as the chute gate swung open. The bull burst from the chute, bucking, twisting, and snorting. The cowboy hung on until a buzzer rang. Kade slammed his fist into his armrest. A list of profanities came from his mouth. I looked over at him in surprise.
“There’s a lady in the house.” I tossed a throw pillow at him. He ducked, spilling his coffee over his lap.
“Hot! Hot! Hot!” He squirmed in his seat. I ran to get a towel from the kitchen and raced back to him. I dabbed at his lap to soak up the coffee.
“I am so sorry.” I sputtered. I dabbed and rubbed at his lap some more.
“Um, Dee. Can you stop?” He cleared his throat and adjusted in the chair.
My eyes met his. Heat raced up my chest and cheeks when I realized where my hand was resting. I jerked it away, but he caught it between his. He drew me closer until his lips touched mine for the briefest moment before he drew away. My heart and mind were twisting and turning. What did it mean? Why did he do that? I stood there staring at him when Kaleb strolled into the house.
“The coffee smells wonderful.” His words dropped off as he walked into the living room. “Look at what we have going on.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.
“It was nothing.” Kade slid his chair back.
“Yep, nothing going on.” I stepped back and flipped my hair behind my shoulders. “Kade spilled his coffee and needed help.”
“He does need help.” He laughed and he went back into the kitchen.
“What was with all the swearing?” I whispered to Kade, but he just shook his head.
“Do you know who that was?” His voice dropped as he leaned toward me. “Jose Garcia just moved up into the number one spot now that I’m out of the race for the world champion title.” The bitterness dripped from his lips as they turned into a snarl, his eyes grew black, and he withdrew into himself. “Take me back to my room.” The hurt in his eyes broke my heart. How did he end up this way? I tried to keep my face neutral as I wheeled his chair to his room.
JOSE GARCIA RODE HIS bull for a 94-point ride. A perfect ride was 100 but no one ever had a hundred-point ride. Any score over 90 points was good. It pushed him into the first spot, and I fell to the number two spot. I had been the number one rider in the country but with my accident, the other riders accumulated more points while I was out. The rider with the most points would lead the rankings heading into the Bull Riding Finals. It would be only a matter of time before another rider passed me up while I sat in bed watching them on TV. That should have been me. I should be the number one bull rider. But, no, I was stuck in my home with the one person I had ever loved taking care of me. At least, she was taking care of me today.
After wheeling me into my room, she helped me to bed, making sure the pillows were fluffed, and the wheelchair was placed within reach. She set a glass of water and a package of fruit pastries next to the bed on the nightstand before leaving the room.
Night fell and the house grew even more silent than normal. It was normally a quiet house with only me and Kaleb living here. He went to bed early so he could be up before dawn to start work on the ranch. My clock read midnight and the restlessness overcame me. I strained and lifted myself into the chair. Slowly, I wheeled myself out of my room and down the hall. A light came from the living room. I rolled to the doorway and stopped. Delilah sat in the corner of the couch with a lamp shining over her shoulder. It cast a halo of light onto her hair. I smiled as I thought about how angelic she looked. She hunched over a laptop and typed furiously, like a madwoman.
I cleared my throat, causing her to jump. The laptop fell towards the floor before she caught it and shut it with a snap. She uncurled her legs. She slid the blanket covering her down the couch.
“Kade, you surprised me.” She placed a hand on her chest. “My heart is just racing.” She placed the laptop next to her on the couch. She slowly stood, eyeing me.
“What are you doing here?” I narrowed my eyes at her. “Don’t you have a fancy apartment in San Antonio to go to?”
She straightened her back and raised her chin a tab. “I’m working.”
“Obviously...Can’t you do that somewhere else?” I rolled my chair closer to her, backing her into a corner.
“No, I’m working here, in this house.” She sighed and sunk back into the couch. “Kaleb wants me to sleep here.”
“Why?” Of all of Kaleb’s ideas, this one was crazy.
“To care for you.” She cocked her head at me as her black hair fell over a shoulder. I wanted to reach out and stroke it. My hand raised of its own volition, before I realized what it was doing, I snatched it back to my lap.
“Wait, you are my nurse?” I narrowed my eyes at her as understanding dawned on me.
“Took you long enough.” She retorted. She drew up her long legs and tucked them under her, pulling the blanket back over her lap. “Kaleb hired me to take care of you and as part of the arrangement I have to stay here.” My brow furrowed as I looked at her. “I’m more than qualified to dote on your every whim. I can send you my resume` if you’re concerned.”
“No need.” I rolled back towards the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”
“Are you cooking?” She unfolded herself from her seat.
“Only if you do everything for me. What do you want to make?” I tried to chuckle to break the awkwardness of the moment.
“Frozen pizza, ok?” She asked.
Delilah followed me into the kitchen. Her bare feet padded on the floor. She moved with the ease of being comfortable in her environment, getting the oven on and finding the pizza stone. After some time, the smells of bubbling sauce and cheese filled the air. She sat on the chair across the table from me.
“Do you want to play a game of cards?” She tapped her nails on the tabletop in a nervous gesture that she had back in high school.
“Sure. How about letting me make up a new game?” I winked at her, causing a faint blush to color her cheeks.
“I am not stripping.” She rolled her eyes at me and snapped her gum before heading to the junk drawer. She reached into the drawer and pulled out a worn-out deck of cards. My siblings and I spent many hours playing with that deck, and it was missing a few cards.
“No, I was thinking war and whoever has the losing turn has to answer a question.” I rolled my wheelchair closer to the table and leaned my elbows on it to look into her beautiful eyes.
“Fine, but if you ask something I don’t want to answer, I am not going to.” She shuffled the cards, cut the deck, and shuffled it again. She slid it across the worn wooden table. I cut the deck and she dealt the deck in half. The top cards were discarded. The first hand was laid down. She had a five of diamonds to beat my three of clubs.
“In all of your travels, where’s your favorite place to travel to?” She snapped her gum.
“That’s easy. The Chicago bull ride in January.” A questioning look crossed her face. “I love the snow. I wish we got it down here more often.” Next hand, I laid down a King of spades to Delilah’s Jack of hearts. I grinned at her.
“Where did you go to college?”
“Western New York University.” She slapped the next card down it was an Ace. I put down an Ace. We laid a couple of cards each and flipped the last one.
“I win!” I fist-pumped the air before scooping the cards into my pile. The cracked ribs shot pain through my side at the sudden movement. I grabbed my side and wheezed for a second. “Do you have any pets?”
“I have a betta fish. He’s in Katie’s room. His purple clashes with the pink of the room.” She laughed a bit at that, her eyes brightening a bit.
On the next hand, Delilah won and asked, “are you really still driving that old truck parked outside?”
I nodded as I laid down the next round. Having won that hand, I asked. “How are you available to nurse me back to health?”
“I quit my job.” She straightened the cards in front of her.
“Before or after I got hurt?” I held my breath hoping she did it for me. Wow, where did that come from?
She raised her eyebrows at me and shook her head. “Only one question.” She laid down her next hand. I won again. I inhaled and steadied my hands. Time to go for broke.
“Do you ever think about me?”
She rocked back in the chair, balancing on two legs, and stared at me. I thought that she wasn’t going to answer that one. She reached over her shoulder to twirl her hair around her finger. I leaned towards her and grasped at her hand. Her gaze held mine and the corners of her eyes softened.
“Yes,” she whispered. “More than is healthy.”
The timer buzzed for the pizza. She jerked her hands from mine and ran to get the pizza out of the oven. My mind whirled with her response. Did I hear her right? ‘More than is healthy.’ Maybe I had a shot at her affections again. She brought the golden-brown cheese pizza over to the table. She set the pizza cutter down next to my hand.
“I’m starving,” she said.
Tension settled between us that wasn’t there a moment before.