Kate told her about her own breakfast attempt, which had Susan laughing.
“You must be her daughter,” the nurse said as she sailed into the room with a cup of pills.
“No. Just a friend.”
“If you’d married Jess, you’d have been a daughter,” Susan said.
Kate’s eyes rounded, and she looked away for a moment. She couldn’t deny that she’d thought a time or two about how different her life would be today if she’d said yes to Jess’s proposal. But every time she’d started wondering, she’d immediately buried the idea. If only she could have had it all, but she’d chosen to try to find her past before she considered a future.
Susan put a hand on Kate’s shoulder. “I’m still holding out for that to happen. After all the time that’s passed, here you both are, back in Rebel. That can’t be coincidence.”
“I, um...” Kate searched for a gentle response. “Jess and I are only friends. You know that, right?”
“Maybe so, but when he looks at you... Well, his face says something else.”
“Indigestion?” Kate suggested.
Susan laughed. “That’s what I like about you. You have such a sense of humor. Jess is so serious and arrow straight. You shake things up, Kate. He needs that.”
“I’m not so sure Jess appreciates my sense of humor,” Kate murmured.
“You know, you have your momma’s wit. She never let life get her down, no matter how dark the day.”
Kate perked up and found herself once again thirsty for bits of information about her mother. It was as if with the recent loss of her husband, Susan understood how desperately Kate needed to fill in the puzzle pieces of her heritage. Kate was grateful and silently vowed she’d find a way to thank Jess’s mother for her kindness and generosity.
They chatted for a while, until Susan’s eyes began to drift closed. Kate sat listening to the clock ticking as the IV dripped drop by drop into Susan’s tubing. Yes, she’d be home soon, but hospital admission was a temporary fix at best. Her mother’s best friend needed more than this. Deserved more than this.
She stood and walked into the hallway, silently gathering courage as she approached the nursing station where Susan’s nurse stood typing into a computer.
“Excuse me.”
The nurse turned. “Yes. Can I help you?”
“I hope so. I’d like to find out about kidney donations. Can you point me in the right direction?”
“Sure. There’s a screening process, and if that’s a go, it’s followed by a day of medical tests.” She opened a drawer and handed Kate a brochure. “I suggest you go online and check out the Donor Care Network. Then touch base with your medical provider. They will refer you to specialists who can get things started.”
“Thanks.” She walked back to Susan’s room and sat in the chair once again. “Lord,” she prayed quietly, “show me Your will here.”
“Kate.”
She looked up to find Jess in the doorway. Worry was etched on his handsome face, and her heart clutched at the sight.
With a finger to her lips, Kate nodded toward the hall. She shoved the brochure she’d been reading into her purse and met him outside the room.
“Have you talked with your mom’s nurse?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“Then let’s get some coffee.” She glanced at the signs as they walked down the hall. “This is a small hospital.”
“Twenty-five beds, last time I checked. Mom usually goes to Tulsa. But this is a great place when she can’t get there.”
Kate grabbed powdered donut gems along with a large coffee and followed Jess to a table.
“I’m so sorry you had to spend your time off here,” he said. “This was Nicole’s day to be on call for Mom, and I was out of cell range.”
“You can’t be held responsible for poor cell coverage.”
“I understand in theory, but that doesn’t mean much when I can’t be counted on.”
“Well, as a wise man once said, it’s good to let others help you.”
“Wise man. Right.” He shook his head. “It was really great of you to come, especially since I’m guessing you’ve had your fill of hospitals.”
“That’s the truth. I break out in hives when I see gelatin squares.” She broke open the donuts and bit into one, dusting white powder from her fingers before offering Jess the package. “Want some?”
“No. Those are all saturated fat.”
“They taste wonderful. I burned breakfast, and I’m starving.”
“You burned breakfast?”
“Yes. Set off the fire alarm and everything.”
“You know, you could cook if you wanted to.”
“Maybe. I probably could learn to tap dance too, if I wanted to.”
“Not so sure about that, but I’d like to see you give it a shot.” Jess grinned, and for a moment, she simply stared. It was good to see him smile at her instead of the usual frown of disapproval.
“I guess you’re into cooking, then?” she commented.
“I’d have to eat donut gems if I wasn’t.”
Kate laughed. “Where do you live anyhow?”
“I rent a little house on Third Street. It’s all I need right now. Plenty of room for me and the boys.”
“The boys?” She raised a brow. “You have roommates?”
“Cats.”
Kate blinked. “Cats?”
“Not macho enough for you?”
She grinned and raised her palm. “I didn’t say that.”
“Your eyes did.” He shrugged. “And for the record, the cats are your brother’s doing.”
“What?” Kate nearly snorted at the words. “You too?”
“Yeah. Tucker is pretty persuasive.”
“That’s the truth.” She smiled. “Tell me about your boys.”
“They’re bonded brothers. They keep each other company, and they keep me company too. I was skeptical at first. Also a little annoyed that I fell for his sales pitch. Turns out, they’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. It’s an added perk that Olive likes to come over to play with them. I can’t get more than a peep out of her most of the time.”
“Olive is very shy, isn’t she?”
“She used to be much more outgoing. Her father was her world, and when he left... I think Olive blames herself.”
Kate nearly gasped, staggered by Jess’s words. She’d make a point of finding a way to talk to Olive. Sadly, they had a lot of pain in common.
“Mind if I ask what the story is with Nicole?” Kate finally asked.
“Not much to tell. She married right out of college. My father wanted her to go to med school. She got as far as taking the MCAT exams. Then she was terrified that she would pass. So she eloped before the results came in.”
“Did she pass?”
“Oh, yeah. Of course she did. Got the results thirty-five days later. Two weeks after that, she found out she was pregnant with Olive.”
“So what happened?”
“Not a thing. She worked until Olive was born. Her husband took off when Olive was six. He couldn’t handle being tied down.”
Kate sighed. “That does seem to happen. They should have classes in high school that deal with adulting.”
“Remember in high school when we had to go home with those baby dolls to get a glimpse of being a parent?” he asked.
“Infant simulator.” Kate shook her head. “I’ll never forget that project. It cried half the night I took the doll home. Every time I changed position, that baby wailed. I fed it, changed the diaper, burped it and rocked the thing. It only cried louder. Finally, Mitch felt sorry for me and took it so I could get a few hours of sleep. I ended up with bonus points.”
“You cheated.”
“Cheated is such a stro
ng word. The point is that I got the moral of the story. I don’t have any kids, do I?”
Jess chuckled. “Does that mean you don’t ever want kids?”
“I love kids. I love spoiling them and then returning them to their owners. However, I’m probably not a good candidate for full-time parenting.” Kate glanced at Jess, then looked away. He’d be a great father. Yes, Jess McNally was a rules guy, and he was patient and slow to anger. She’d be a terrible role model for children with her rebel ways. The thought brought a wave of unexpected pain as memories of her parents and the big brothers who raised her filled her mind. She blinked back emotion and crumpled the napkin on her lap.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
“Why does your face look like you want to ask me something?”
“Does your mother know?” The words burst from her lips before she could consider the wisdom of the question.
“Know what?”
“That you... That you proposed.”
“No,” he murmured without looking at her.
Kate nodded, processing the answer. There was no satisfaction in knowing she’d only hurt one McNally. She stood and dusted off her hands. “We better get back.”
“Right.” Jess stood, as well. “Thanks again.”
“Sure. Anytime. I don’t work weekends right now. I guess I will once the cast is off and I transition to the stables full time. So if you need help with your mom, use me.”
“That’s pretty generous of you.”
“Your mom is a wonderful person, and she’s a link to my mother. I feel a connection to her. Whatever I can do to help, I will.”
“Thanks, Kate. You know, I can tell my mother feels the same way about you.”
“That still worry you?” she asked.
Jess cringed. “I deserved that, didn’t I?”
She shrugged. Would he ever be able to trust her?
“I’m really sorry,” Jess said. “My only defense is that she’s the only parent I have left.”
“I get that.” She turned to go. “Maybe now you can understand why it was so important for me to find my father.”
Kate got in her truck, pulled out the brochure from Susan’s nurse and read every page front to back for the third time that day. She dug in her purse for her cell and called Dr. Bowie’s office at the Rebel Clinic.
“Hi. I’d like to schedule a visit with Dr. Bowie. Yes. I know I have an appointment for my X-ray. This is for something different. I want to talk with her about a few things. Sure. I can hold. Thank you.”
Music echoed in Kate’s ear as she waited. She stared at the brochure, turning it over once again. Could this be the reason she was back in Rebel?
Chapter Seven
“Uncle Jess, are we really going to give Miss Kate a cooking lesson?” Olive asked. She glanced at Kate’s house and then looked at him.
“It was your idea, O favorite niece.” He yawned before smiling down at the sweet girl at his side.
“You don’t have any other nieces, Uncle Jess.”
“That too.”
Olive giggled as she followed him up the walk to the door. He rang the bell and stepped back, waiting for Kate to answer, fighting off another yawn.
Jess had lain awake last night, unable to sleep. He kept seeing his mother in that hospital bed, so pale, her arms hooked up to the IVs and her dialysis graft site visible in the hospital gown. Hospitals scared him. He was a guy who liked to be in control, and he had no control over anything once he walked through those glass doors and down those antiseptic-scented halls.
His mother had been hospitalized only a few times since her diagnosis, and each time, he’d felt helpless. While he knew that the cell phone issue yesterday had not been his fault, guilt gnawed at him because he’d let his mother down.
Seeing Kate at his mom’s bedside had been a powerful wake-up call that he needed to accept help when it was offered. It didn’t escape him that he’d preached the same sermon to Kate.
He was more than grateful for Kate’s quick willingness to step in. According to his sister, Kate had done so without even being asked. She’d been a real friend to their family, which made him regret how he’d jumped to conclusions at his mother’s house. Yeah, yesterday had been a turning point. He’d apologized to Kate. Now he wanted to prove he meant it.
“I don’t think she’s home, Uncle Jess.”
Shifting the box in his arms, he knuckled a tune on the door. “Yeah, she is. I called her after church and told her I would drop something off, and she said she’d be here.” Jess nodded to the rust bucket in the drive. “Her truck is here.”
A loud clang sounded from the backyard, followed by a shout of exasperation.
“That sounds like Miss Kate,” Jess said.
They followed the path around the garage to the gate and into the yard, where Kate sat on the thick grass in jeans and an orange-and-black Oklahoma State University T-shirt. She was surrounded by a long cardboard box and various lengths of metal pipes, all spread around her. When she saw his niece, she grinned. “Hi, Olive.”
Olive offered a shy wave of hello.
“Nice yard,” Jess said. His gaze spanned the cozy expanse of green lawn shaded by the lazy branches of a tall magnolia. A breeze tickled the chimes on the back porch, and they sang a soft melody.
“Thanks. Tucker did everything. I’m the groundskeeper du jour.”
“And an excellent one.” He frowned at the disarray around her. “What are you doing?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Not really.”
“I’m putting a hammock together. It’ll be perfect beneath those trees over there, in the shade.” She sighed. “Me, a good book, a tall tea and a hammock.”
“That’s very ambitious. However, I’m not sure you’re going to get this done with a cast on your arm that stretches to your thumb.”
“The lack of two hands is not the issue. It’s the instructions.” She tossed the white booklet onto the ground. “Unfortunately, they’re written in Klingon. I took Spanish in college. Silly me.”
Jess laughed. “I can see how that might be problematic. Perhaps I can be of assistance.”
She perked up at his words. “You know Klingon?”
“Fluent. But first, I need to get the groceries into your house.”
“Groceries?” Her blue eyes widened, and she gave him an adorably confused smile. “You brought me groceries?”
“Olive and I are here to give you a cooking lesson.”
“What?” Kate scrambled to her feet, her gaze shifting to Olive. “A cooking lesson? Really?”
Olive nodded hesitantly. “Because you said you can’t cook.”
“I did admit that, didn’t I?” Kate turned to him again. “You said you were going to stop by and drop something off.”
“I am.” He nodded. “I’m dropping off Olive and myself and a few groceries.”
“Someone might have bent the truth,” Kate murmured in a singsong voice.
“Nope. It’s all about your interpretation.”
“Right.” She gave a slow shake of her head. “What’s in the box?”
He turned to hide the carton from her inspection. “We’ll get to that.”
“Grandma says to tell you thank you for staying with her at the hospital,” Olive said.
Kate brushed the grass off her jeans. “Is she home already?”
“Yeah,” Jess said. “Doing well. She had a touch of the flu, and the associated side effects threw off her electrolytes. We now have a plan in place for sick days.” His mother was his responsibility, and he wouldn’t have a repeat of what had happened yesterday. Once again, he’d let everyone down, and in front of Kate too.
“Wonderful,” Kate said. Again, she looked between them. “I’m sorry to repeat myself, but
you two are really here to give me a cooking lesson?”
“Uh-huh,” Olive said. “Mom and I made copies of our favorite recipes too.”
“Olive doesn’t want you to eat cereal every day, and she suggested we teach you how to fish.”
Kate straightened and put a hand on her hip in mock offense. “I know how to fish. I once caught a forty-pound channel catfish in Lake Tenkiller.”
“Don’t be literal,” Jess said. “Olive has been quite concerned.”
“Oh, Olive. You are so sweet.” Kate smiled at his niece. “What are we making?”
“Grandma’s stew in the slow cooker,” Olive said. “Because you said you like it.” Jess grinned at her decisive words.
“That sure was yummy. But I don’t have a slow cooker.”
Olive’s lips twitched, and her eyes lit up. “Yes, you do. We bought you one.”
Jess held up the box, this time allowing her to see the picture on the side. “Here you go. Top-of-the-line slow cooker.”
“Ooh! Very pretty. I don’t think I have ever seen one of these up close.”
“You will today,” Jess said. “We’ll get your dinner going, and then we can put the hammock together.”
Kate leaned close to him. “For clarification, you spent your hard-earned money on a pot that’s only purpose is making stew?” She paused. “What do I do with it the rest of the time?”
“You can make lots of things in the slow cooker, and you can’t mess it up,” he said.
Kate laughed. “And here I thought you knew me.”
Jess shook his head at her self-deprecating remark. She was poking fun at herself as usual. “You’ll see,” he murmured.
Once the groceries were unpacked, Jess pulled a cookbook out of another bag. “This is what we lay chefs call a cookbook. This one is specifically for slow-cooker meals. Soon you’ll be hosting dinner parties, thanks to Olive and me.”
Kate laughed again, and the sound warmed him. “I love your fearless optimism. It’s an admirable trait.” She thumbed through the pages, pausing to glance at the glossy pictures. “These meals look amazing.” She closed the book. “I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up, though. Or yours.”
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