by Allie Bock
“Go away.” He growled as he turned to the wall.
“Well too bad.” I marched across the room to the desk. His discharge instructions were strewn across the desk along with sheets from the in-home nurses and his medications. My eyes scanned the papers as I organized and filed the information away. Boy, he did it good this time. The springs on the bed whined as he moved.
“Go away, Delilah.” His eyes burned into my back. When I turned towards him, he was perched on the edge of his bed. His skin held a sickly pallor. Dark bags circled his eyes and his blond hair stuck out at all angles. The thin t-shirt clung to his bony body. The last time I saw him was a few months ago when he had arrived with a concussion in the emergency room where I had worked. At that time, he filled out his shirt nicely with tight muscles and a flat stomach. Now, I could see his ribs through the thin fabric. The boxers ended in long skinny legs with knobby knees. His bare feet rested on a brindle cowhide. I pushed down the pity that welled in my throat. I knew Kade, and he wouldn’t take pity.
“That is not going to happen.” I counted out his medications. “You look like death. When was the last time you ate?”
“Thanks, but no one asked your opinion.” His hands gripped the edge of the mattress, causing his knuckles to turn white.
“Take these.” I thrust the pills into his face and grabbed the glass of water sitting next to him. I shook my head. “Not to keep up on your pain medications. No wonder why you hurt so bad.” I muttered under my breath. I glared down at him. His icy blue eyes challenged me right back. “I have all day.”
Swearing under his breath, he took the medication and swallowed it dry. “Now go away.”
“Gladly” Flipping my hair over my shoulders as I left the room. “I’ll check on you in a while. Get some sleep.” I closed the door behind me as a pillow hit it.
Chapter 7 September 1st
Kade
Of all people, Delilah Allen had to be in the house. I had been avoiding her for years, ever since that day. I mentally shook myself. Not those thoughts. I ran into her when the circuit was in San Antonio, and I picked a mean bugger of a bull that threw me. Luckily, I only had a concussion and needed a couple of stitches. It had been fun to tease her that weekend.
The past decade had been good to her. Her long legs led up to an athletic body. She must work out all the time. Her black hair was shiny and swung down to her lower back. I forgot how beautiful her hair was. I groaned as I turned back to the wall. I didn’t want her to see me like this. I was a broken-down cowboy with nothing left. My career was over. At thirty-one years old, I was one of the oldest guys on the circuit. Coming back from this injury was not likely, even the doctors thought so. I heard their whispering in the hallways outside of my hospital room. I gave everything for this career, and I have nothing to show for it. The hurt that I caused my family and friends. The family events I’ve missed, I can’t get any of it back, and I didn’t even go out with the world champion title. I have nothing.
I could hear her in the kitchen making a racket with the pots and the pans. Her lovely voice filled the quiet house with a country song as she worked at whatever she was doing in there. When she came into my bedroom, she looked like a palm tree to a man stranded in the desert. She was right I did look like death warmed over. I felt like it too. My leg hurt. It hurt to breathe. I couldn’t pick anything up. I fell behind on taking my pain medication. It was easier to lay in bed than to take care of myself. Was there any point to taking care of myself? What was left of my life?
Kaleb did not have the time to care for me. He was busy running the ranch and every time he talked to me there was a bite to his words. Why did he resent me? Was I a drain on my family? The darkness of the room helped to soothe my racing, colliding thoughts as sleep overtook me. The pain was dulled by the little pills Delilah forced me to take.
A noise in my room woke me from a light sleep. The lights were turned on and blinded me. My eyelids blinked rapidly as I tried to focus on what was going on in my room. Delilah was sitting in a chair with scrambled eggs. My dormant stomach woke with a loud gurgle. She giggled while I glared at her. How dare she walk into my bedroom without knocking to wake me up to make me eat?
“You can pretend you’re not hungry. But obviously, you are.” She smothered the eggs with salsa and mixed them up. A giant fork full went into her mouth. She grinned and patted her flat stomach. “Hmmm, these are so good.” She drew out the good for emphasis.
“Woman, are you going to sit there and eat?” My stomach gurgled again as she nodded. “Either share with me or leave the room.” She glared at me before reaching over to the nightstand and handed me a fork. The eggs were awful; I tried not to grimace while trying to swallow a rubbery fork full, thankfully the salsa added a little spice to them and made them barely edible. But she had remembered how I liked my eggs, and I recalled how bad of a cook she was. Some things never changed. A small spot of softness melted in my heart before the rage covered it. How dare she act like I couldn’t take care of myself? What right did she have to even be here? I jerked the plate from her and scooped some eggs in my mouth before turning back to the wall. I was starving, and I ate the rest of the plate in five mouthfuls. A look fleeted across her face before she snatched the empty plate back. My stomach rolled with the pain I caused her. But we both knew it was going to be for the best. We couldn’t be together and that was that.
“You’re welcome, Kade.” She placed her hands on her hips and tossed her hair back. “Your ma would be ashamed of your manners.”
“My ma ain’t here now, is she?” I shot back.
“I’m just trying to help.”
“Are you? Aren’t you here to gloat? Or stick it to me? Or just torture me with your presence?” I closed my eyes and leaned against the pillows.
She was quiet for a moment, and I almost thought she left the room.
“No, I’m here to get you better. I’m the only one Kaleb thought could deal with your arrogance, pig-headedness, and general lack of manners.” She glared at me. Her large brown eyes darkening with storm clouds. “It isn’t always about you.”
“How can this not be about me?” I shouted at her. “I’m the one in the bed! I don’t need you and never will.” Tears leaked out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks before she left the room. I hurt her again. That was the one thing I was an expert at.
After she left the room, the door to Katie’s room slammed shut. Why would she go there? She hated pink, said it gave her monstrous headaches. I reached for my cell phone and called Kaleb. It rang five times before he picked up. Cows bellering and the tractor running came through the earpiece.
“Please don’t tell me you ran her off, already.” He answered, sounding very annoyed.
“No, at least I don’t think so...What is she doing here?”
“Obviously, she’s there to take care of you.” The wind whistled through the phone. A door slammed and the reception was clear. “She’s doing that?”
“Yes.” I rolled my eyes at him. “She’s being downright annoying. Making me food and forcing pills into me.”
“Good.” He growled and the line went dead.
The screen flashed and then went black. Kaleb knew Delilah was here and he was being as cryptic as ever. Getting a straight answer from him would take a miracle. I leaned back against my pillows and flicked through the channels. Friends were playing. It would work. The characters were laughing and having a good time. Never mind. My mood couldn’t handle the light carefree acting. The TV shut off with a blink.
“Delilah!” I called out. Footsteps jogging down the hall alerted me to her presence. The door creaked open and her head poked inside.
“Do you need something, your royal froginess?” She frowned at me.
“Now that you mention it. I left something in the living room.”
“What is it? I can get it for you.” She started to leave the room.
“No. I want to do it for myself.”
She rolled her eye
s at me and advanced the wheelchair next to the bed. “If you would leave this within arm’s reach, you could get out of bed more often.”
I glared at her.
“Or never mind. Sit there like the King of Sheba waiting on his peons to do things for him.” There was a bite to her words. “You have to use the chair if you’re going to get it yourself,” she muttered.
She kicked the brakes on the wheels. Her soft hands brushed against my skin as she slipped her arms undermine. A prickle of something ran across my skin where she touched me. Her full lips were at my ear as she lifted me. With a groan, my bad leg swung off the bed. It tangled in the sheets. A soft rip sounded as the sheet caught. We tumbled down to the ground, missing the wheelchair. Her soft body was beneath me as I looked into her eyes. For a second, my thoughts were stuck eleven years ago when we were in this same position in the hayloft. Her eyelids closed as her lips parted. Her breath came out in shallow puffs against my skin. I leaned closer to her lips. I was a hair away when her eyes jerked open and widened.
“Kade Tanner Kisment, that was a dirty joke.” She shoved me off and on to the floor. Her hair was wild about her face. A blush covered her cheeks and she tugged at her shirt to straighten it. “I should leave you there for that.” There was a fire in her eyes that I hadn’t seen since high school and with a jolt, I realized I missed it.
I reached out to her. “Come on, Dee. It was an accident. My leg caught in the sheet. I didn’t mean that.” Of course, I hadn’t intended on almost kissing her, but caught up in the moment, I forgot where I was. I needed to keep the present and the past separate if she was going to be here long term. I sat up and tried to hoist myself up on the bed, but with my broken ribs, I didn’t have the upper body strength to get my body where I wanted it. Pausing to catch my breath, my casted leg slid out from under me, and down I went. “Help me...please.”
“I hope that you hurt.” She signed and her face softened a bit. She walked behind me and grasped me up by my armpits. She was strong. Her muscles strained and she grunted as she lifted me into the chair. She bustled around, setting the feet rests, and padding the back of the chair. Her hand gently brushed my shoulder as she pushed the chair out of the bedroom.
“Believe me, I do hurt.”
“So, what do you need?” A small smile pulled at the corners of her lips. She padded my shoulder again. Almost like she cared about me.
Chapter 8 September 1st
Delilah
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 hi
s 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.
