Ouch.
Jesse’s head felt as if it had been stuffed with cement and he couldn’t feel the tips of his fingers. His mouth was dry and something was beeping with annoying regularity off to his left. He forced his eyes open to a bright room.
“Hey there, hero.”
It took him a minute to recognize the voice as Charlotte’s. He rolled his head away from the beeping and saw her eyes in the glare.
“Welcome back.”
He winced and grunted, no words coming beyond the dusty dryness of his mouth.
“Thirsty?”
He felt Charlotte’s fingers feather across his forehead as he nodded.
She held a cup and straw up to let him drink, and he felt the cool water pull him back to life.
“You came through beautifully, Jesse. There’s a plate in your leg now but it’ll be okay.”
Jesse recognized his mother’s voice and turned his head toward the foot of his bed, where his mother and father stood looking like twin parental pillars of worry.
“I always wanted to be in hardware,” he choked out, the voice sounding as if it came down from the ceiling rather than from his own body.
“At the moment, you’re in plastic. You get a fiberglass cast later.” His father’s voice filled the room, but without the edge it usually had. “You’ll be back to your usual antics in a few weeks.”
Not really. Jesse still hadn’t figured out a way to tell his parents how drastically things had changed for him in just a matter of days. As he watched his mom’s eyes dart back and forth between himself and Charlotte, it was clear she had caught on. Dad still looked a bit confused. “Maybe. Right now it hurts.”
“I imagine it does.”
“You always had a flair for the dramatic.” Jesse turned to find Randy sitting on the guest chair. Randy was here. “Or should I say heroic?” He rose and offered Jesse his hand.
“That’s me, your friendly neighborhood hero.”
“That is you,” Randy said, squeezing Jesse’s hand. “You’re pretty amazing. I may have to take back all my wisecracks about the firehouse.” It was as close to a declaration of support as Jesse had ever gotten from Randy. “Let me know how I can help. I’ll find the time.” Jesse blinked hard, almost unsure he’d heard Randy correctly. The world really had been turning inside out lately.
“You will be off your feet for a while,” Charlotte said. “George already has a schedule up at the firehouse for when your parents, Randy and I can’t be there. And your church fan club will keep you in food clear through Thanksgiving if you need it.”
“Why didn’t you call us earlier?” His father’s voice was tight with worry.
Jesse’s first response was a knee-jerk “Why are you so concerned all of a sudden?” as the usual wound of his father’s inattention roared to life. Only something made Jesse stop and look at his father’s eyes rather than just react to his voice. He was genuinely concerned. It wasn’t just the “Why do you do that firefighting thing?” Jesse always read into his father’s inquiries. Today it looked more like “You were in danger.” He wasn’t quite sure what brought on the distinction. Had his father changed? Had even Randy changed? Or was it his ability to see his family that had altered?
An honest answer—instead of his usual wisecrack—came to him surprisingly easily. “I didn’t really have time. And I knew I’d be okay.”
“Oh, you knew, did you?” Mom did not look as though she shared that opinion. “Surgery is not my version of okay, son.”
“I called you for the surgery part, Mom. And look at me, I’m fine.” He wasn’t fine—not yet, really—but he wanted that worried look to leave his mother’s eyes. “Mom, Dad, Randy, this is Charlotte.”
Charlotte laughed softly and his father smiled. “We had a chance to meet while you were getting your new hinges put in.”
“So this is who bought the cottage,” Dad said. His words hinted at more than a real estate transaction, and Jesse found himself wondering just how well his parents now knew his favorite customer. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt in all that the other night.”
“We have lots of work to do—” Jesse felt Charlotte’s hand tighten on his “—but I think it will all work out in the end.” She caught Jesse’s eyes. The fact that she’d used the word we planted a grin on his face that had nothing to do with the postoperative painkillers.
Only he couldn’t really help with the renovation work for now, could he? “Who are we going to get to help you finish the cottage?” He didn’t really like the idea of anyone else working on that place—he liked to think of the project as his and Charlotte’s alone.
“I think we can worry about that tomorrow. Chad Owens helped me call in a cleaning company that specializes in these things, and that will take a few days anyhow. And then there’s all the insurance to be settled.” She ran her thumb over the back of his palm and Jesse felt his eyes fall closed at the sensation. “We have time.”
God is never late, and He’s never early, Jesse thought as the fog began to fill his head again.
“What did you just say?” His father sounded baffled.
“It’s something my grandmother taught me,” he heard Charlotte’s voice explain. “About how everything works out. ‘God is never late, and He’s never early. He’s always right on time—His time.’”
“That’s a lovely thought.” His mother sounded pleased.
She’s a lovely woman. I’m in love with her, Jesse thought to himself as he began to slip back asleep.
“You don’t say?” Randy actually sounded amused. When had Randy learned to read minds?
“And I’m in love with you,” he heard Charlotte whisper in his ear. “But we’ve got time for that, too.”
“I think we’d better leave these two alone for a bit,” came his mother’s voice. “We’ll meet you back here later to bring him home.”
Jesse fought the fog to push his eyelids open. Charlotte had the sweetest look on her face. “I’m loopy,” he admitted, realizing what had just happened. “But I still mean it.” He brought his hand up to touch the delightful softness of her cheek. “I’m head over heels for you. Well, maybe just one heel at the moment.”
She laughed. “One heel is enough. Though, I thought you were sweeping me off my feet, not the other way around.” She parked one elbow on the bed beside him. “Your family is sweet. Your dad tries to hide it, but he’s really worried about you. He cares, Jesse. He just isn’t very good about knowing how to show it.”
“I think they like you.”
Her smile made his head spin. “I hope they do. I think they were onto us before your little pronouncement a moment ago.”
“They’ll have to get used to it sometime, why not now?” Jesse yawned and blinked. He needed her to know before he slipped away again. “I’m absolutely, one hundred and ten percent in love with you.” The words were taking more effort to get out as the fog settled back in. “So you have to stay. You have to.” He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. “I need you. Stay, please?”
The last thing he remembered was the cool softness of her kiss on his forehead. “I know where home is now. I’m not going anywhere.”
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Rancher’s Legacy by Jessica Keller.
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