“Thank heaven.” Lily shivered. “Isn’t it tragic and sad that they grew up so disturbed?”
“It is, but I’d like to change the subject. Did your folks have news on Trixie?”
“Yes. The vet said she got grazed on her upper limb over the fleshy muscle part and will heal quickly, but she might have a scar.”
“Just like you,” he murmured. “I’m sure she’s missing you. But you’ll both be together before long.”
“Poor Dash.”
“We can be thankful he wasn’t injured. One of the deputies rode him back to the ranch.”
“All those men protecting us were so brave, Porter. How do we thank them?”
He winked. “I have some ideas, but they’ll keep for tomorrow.”
“I...can’t wait until...morning...”
* * *
Lily was still sound asleep when Porter awakened at seven. He got off the cot and looked down at his black-haired sleeping beauty. Suppressing the urge to kiss her, he left the room and passed the nursing station. Doris was still on duty.
“I need to freshen up. If Lily wakes up before I’m back, tell her I’m still in the hospital and will join her shortly.”
She nodded. “I’m going off duty now, but I’ll tell Georgia, the day nurse.”
“Thank you.”
He headed downstairs. After visiting the restroom, he bought a quick breakfast in the cafeteria and phoned his mother again.
“Darling—how’s Lily this morning?”
“As far as I could tell, she had a peaceful night. I’m going back to her room in a few minutes, but first I have some more news for you.”
“What? That you’re madly in love? You think I don’t know that? I prayed this day would come.”
His eyes closed tightly. “I didn’t think it would, but now everything has changed and I want to marry her as soon as she’s recovered enough to make it through a wedding. Of course I have to propose first, but I want you to be thinking ahead. Look at Art’s schedule so you can plan to fly out here. Naturally you’ll be staying at the ranch.”
“What time frame are you thinking?”
“Tomorrow,” he teased, except that he wasn’t joking. He could only wish it was tomorrow.
“Porter—”
“I’d say three weeks to a month. We haven’t made plans yet and we have to talk to her folks, too. You’re going to like them a lot. As for Lily, you’re going to be crazy about her.”
“I don’t doubt that,” his mom said. “Art just left for work, but I’ll phone him and tell him the great news. I’ll admit I’m dying to fly out there and see where you live.”
“Better be careful. You might like it so much, you’ll want to move here. What I’d give to have you near us to share in our lives.”
His mother choked up. “I’d do it in a minute, but Art’s business is here.”
“I know, but I can dream a little.”
“Before we hang up, how’s your back?” his mom asked.
He grinned. “To be honest, I’m in great shape and have forgotten all about it, thanks to Lily’s expertise.”
“That’s wonderful. Can I tell you again how thankful I am that you and Lily are alive and have a future to look forward to?”
“Thanks, Mom. Love you.”
He hung up and hurried back to Lily’s room, but he was told to wait in the hall until her dressing had been changed. Ron saw him standing outside her door.
“Hey—you guys are famous!” He shook Porter’s hand. “I’m glad you’re both okay.”
“Me, too.”
“So...are you two...?”
“Yup.”
“The first time I wheeled you down to the clinic, I figured something was going to happen. Sure enough, when I entered the therapy room to pick you up and saw the way the two of you looked at each other, I knew you were both goners. I’ll admit I was jealous.”
Laughter burst from Porter. “Thanks for all your help.”
While they talked, the door opened and the nurse named Georgia came out. “You can go in now, Mr. Ewing. She’s been asking for you.”
Ron winked at him before walking off.
The second he entered the room he noticed two things. The IV was gone, and the head of Lily’s bed had been propped enough that she didn’t have to lie flat. “Porter—”
He rushed over and kissed her, wishing he could crush her in his arms. By the way she was kissing him back, he could tell she felt better. “You look too beautiful for someone who’s been shot in the leg.”
She cupped his face in her hands. “Have I ever told you that every time I see you, my heart turns over on itself and I can hardly breathe?”
Everything she said and did enchanted him. “Are you really feeling as good as you look, sweetheart? What about your leg pain?”
“It’s not that bad.”
“What about that part of your spine.”
“I wasn’t hurt there. Stop worrying. Now that we’re both alive and there’s no more threat to our happiness, I’m literally floating.”
Just then the door opened and the nurse wheeled the bed top over her. “Your breakfast is on its way. Soft foods and drinks today.”
“I’m ready for real food.”
“Tell the doctor when he does his rounds this evening.”
No sooner had she gone out than Lily was brought a tray with Jell-O, toast and juice. “That looks good,” Porter commented.
“We should ask them to bring you a tray.”
He shook his head. “I already ate in the cafeteria while I talked to my mother again.”
Lily drank her juice and started munching on her toast. “I bet she’s dying to see you.”
“She wanted to fly out immediately, but I told her to wait until the wedding.” He stared into her eyes. “I’m asking you now because I can’t wait any longer. Will you marry me, Lily? Be my wife and the mother of our children? Just as soon as possible? There’s nothing standing in our way.”
She didn’t answer him immediately. Instead she put the rest of her toast back on the plate. That’s when he got his first inkling that something was wrong. But how could anything be wrong? “Sweetheart?”
Tears filled her eyes, but they didn’t fall. “You know how much I love you, and there’s nothing more I want than to say yes, but we have to talk seriously before I give you an answer. I mean really seriously.”
In a heartbeat he started to feel ill. “Does this have anything to do with the man you’d planned to marry eight years ago?”
“No, darling. This has to do with me and my body.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When I told you what happened to my spine after the crash, and the possibility of paralysis if I tried to ski again, the doctor also told me something else.”
What she didn’t say hit him like a blow to the gut. “Are you saying you can’t have children?”
“No. The damage didn’t do anything like that. But when I asked him that question, he did say pregnancy might bring on paralysis. He didn’t get into any details, and I was so hysterical at the time over Steve’s deception, I was in no frame of mind to listen to what he had to tell me. Nothing seemed to matter then.”
Porter was trying to take it all in.
“I didn’t really think about marriage and children until I met you and found myself dreaming about a future with you and the family I wanted to have with you.”
He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. “So why don’t we get your doctor in Salt Lake City on the phone and ask him for that detailed explanation you couldn’t bear to talk about eight years ago? As soon as you’re better, we could fly to Utah and have a consultation with him, look at your X-rays.”
She reached out so he’d take her hand. “We’ll do it as soon as I can get around on crutches
because I want to marry you and have a family. But we’d better not set a date yet.”
Porter groaned inwardly. “Tell me the truth. Is that because you’ve decided you won’t marry me if you can’t give me a child without risk? I want you, Lily. If having a baby would put you in danger, we won’t let it happen.”
“Listen to me, Porter. The possibility of not being able to give you a child is unthinkable to me. You deserve to be a father.”
“No one deserves to be anything,” he said in a quiet voice. “We make our own lives. You and I will handle whatever we have to once we talk to your doctor and get his expert advice on everything. But right now, I’m asking you to marry me.”
“Porter—” Her voice shook. “What I’m asking is that we don’t make any decisions until after I’ve seen him. Within a month we’ll have answers.”
Upset because he knew Lily was a self-sacrificing person, he got to his feet and paced the floor, crushed by this new obstacle. All he’d done was think about a future with her from the moment they’d met, not realizing she’d been living with this fear.
“I’m sorry for acting so upset, sweetheart. Of course, we’ll wait until you see the doctor. I’ve never been in love before. Forgive me?”
She started to answer him but her parents came in the room with the nurse, who was carrying more flowers. They hurried over to her while Georgia put the daisies on the counter.
Porter grabbed the edge of the chair to steady himself and get a grip on his emotions.
“You haven’t finished your breakfast, Ms. Owens.”
Lily pasted on a smile for the nurse’s sake. “I’m still working on it.”
“Good. You need the liquid.”
Porter smiled at her parents and moved closer to the bed. “Since your folks are here, I have some errands to run, then I’ll be back and plan to spend the rest of the day and night with you.”
Her eyes filled with anxiety. “I’ll be waiting. Don’t be too long.”
Porter pressed a kiss to her lips, said goodbye to her folks and hurried out of the room. He should have been able to handle it when she’d told him they would have to put their marriage plans on hold until after she’d been examined. How insensitive could he be when she was just recovering from a gunshot wound?
All this time she’d been suffering over the condition of her spine and what effect pregnancy would have on her. He’d had no idea.
Porter wanted to make it up to her for upsetting her. He knew one thing he could do to let her know how much he loved her. After leaving the hospital, he drove downtown to RK Jewelers and asked to be shown some diamonds. The young woman who waited on him couldn’t have been more helpful.
“I want a round, one-carat blue-white diamond with two round half-carat amethysts on either side of it set in white gold.”
She found the desired stones for him to examine and placed them on a piece of black velvet.
“These are exactly what I want. How soon could you have this ring ready for me? I’m in a hurry.”
“What’s her size?” the saleswoman asked.
“Probably the same as yours.”
“Our jeweler could have it ready by five o’clock. Would that do?”
“Perfect. Could you courier the package to this address?” He wrote instructions for it to be taken to the nursing station on the third-floor surgical wing of Whitebark Hospital. “I’ll inform the medical staff to expect a package for me.”
“We’ll be happy to take care of that for you. Whoever receives this knockout ring is a lucky woman.”
“I’m the lucky one, but thank you for your help.”
He handed her his credit card and within five minutes he left the store. Before he returned to the hospital, he drove to headquarters for a talk with Stan about buying Dash.
Tomorrow Porter would drive over to the Owens ranch with his horse trailer and get him moved. After being able to mount him without a stool, Porter knew he was ready to get back to his forest-ranger work and told Stan as much.
No more filling out papers for the department. He needed to be outdoors doing the job he was hired for. But until he and Lily had flown to Salt Lake City for a medical consultation, he wanted an assignment where he could be back in town every evening to be with her.
He stopped at his ranch long enough to shower and change clothes. After eating a couple of sandwiches, he left for the hospital. Now that he’d made his purchase, he’d calmed down enough to do this thing right and show her he loved her beyond all else and would be patient.
Once again patience was the key.
On the way to her room, he met her parents in the hall. “How is she doing this afternoon?” It was ten after four. He’d been gone a little longer than he’d planned, but his errand had been worth it.
“She’s fine, but missing you,” her father said. “We have to get back to the ranch. A client is coming.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, but I had to stop at work to talk with my boss. I’ve made arrangements to pick up Dash tomorrow.”
“He’s a great horse for you.”
“Lily convinced me of that before I ever rode him,” he confided. “Now that I’m back at the hospital, I’ll stay again tonight.”
“Lily will be thrilled.”
“She puts on a good show, but you know your daughter better than anyone. Is she being honest about telling us she’s not in pain?”
Caroline and Ross nodded at the same time. Her mother put a hand on his arm. “Her pain has more to do with you and the dreadful turmoil that ranger put you through.”
“You know something, Caroline? If it hadn’t happened, Lily and I would never have met. I can’t comprehend life without her.”
“Well, the feeling is definitely mutual on her part. We’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
From their demeanor, Porter didn’t think Lily had told them anything about their conversation and his proposal before he’d left her room earlier. It was just as well. He wondered if her parents knew of this other fear that pregnancy might bring on paralysis.
He walked them to the elevator before he headed back to her room and paused at the nursing station.
“A package for me is being couriered here sometime after five. Would you let me know when it has arrived?”
“Of course.”
After reaching her room, he knocked on the door the way a certain orderly used to do.
“Ron? Is that you? Come in.”
“Sorry if you’re disappointed, sweetheart. It’s only me.” More flowers had been delivered, decorating the room.
“Oh,” she cried. “You big tease. I’m so glad you’re back. What took you so long?”
“Things.”
“I was afraid I’d upset you by asking you to wait before we make wedding plans. I’m worried you’ll never be able to forgive me.”
He walked over to the bed and cradled her face in his hands. “I’m the one who should apologize for getting upset. I’m so crazy about you, Lily, I didn’t want to hear about anything that could keep us apart. It was wrong of me, especially when I didn’t know how worried you’ve been all these years.”
“It was my fault. I should have explained everything when I first told you about my skiing accident.”
“I was a stranger to you then. Why would you have?”
“Will you forgive me?”
“Oh, Lily—”
Their mouths met in a frenzy of want. When they both needed to take a breath, he lifted his head. “Why don’t we call your doctor and make an appointment?”
“You mean now?”
“Why not. We may be able to catch him if he’s still at his office. What’s his name?”
“Dr. David Gregson. He works at the university hospital in Salt Lake City.”
Porter pulled up the chair by her bed and sat down to
make the call. He was put through to reception and handed it to Lily. He listened while she explained her reason for phoning.
It was clear that the doctor wasn’t there, disappointing Porter. After a minute she hung up and handed back his phone.
“His receptionist told me he’s out of the country. She scheduled me for an appointment on July seventeenth, when he’s back in his office.”
Three weeks away sounded like an eternity, but he’d learned his lesson earlier today and would wait for as long as it took. “I’m glad it’s made,” he murmured before kissing her again, pressing her back against the pillow. But, in time, no kiss was long enough or deep enough to satisfy either of them.
A rap sounded on the door, and a staff person called to him, causing him to lift his head. “There’s a message for you at the front desk, Mr. Ewing.”
“Thank you.” Overjoyed the package had arrived, he eased away from Lily. “I’ll be right back.”
“I wonder why you weren’t called on your cell phone.”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
He left the room and walked down the hall to the nursing station, where he was handed a padded envelope. Before returning to the room, he opened it and pulled out the little velvet box.
Even he let out a slight gasp at the beauty of the stones when he lifted the lid. Then he shut the box and put it in his shirt pocket. Turning to the person on duty, he asked, “Do you have a wastebasket?”
“Sure.” She took the envelope from him.
With a nod of thanks he hurried back to Lily.
“What was that about?” she asked the second he walked in.
He found a spot on the edge of her bed, then pulled the little black velvet box out of his shirt pocket. “For one thing, I should never have asked you to marry me without giving you this first.”
When she saw it, she put a hand to her mouth. He opened the box for her.
“Oh, Porter...” she breathed. “That’s the most exquisite engagement ring I’ve ever seen in my life.” When she looked at him, her moist eyes outshone the amethysts.
“Let me put it on you to make this official, even if we can’t pick a date yet.”
Home on the Ranch: Wyoming Cowboy Ranger Page 14
