The Art Of Falling

by Julie Jarnagin

  They stopped at the crosswalk. “Did my mom ask you to talk to me about this?”

  “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…” She needed to remember what she was here for. Work. The fundraising numbers the board set for her would be impossible to reach if this event wasn’t perfect. “I only want to talk about the event.”

  He stared at her, studying her. What did he see? She wanted him to see her as brave, but ever since her brother had passed away, she’d built her life around avoiding danger and not taking chances. It was clear she and Wyatt were living two very different lives. He lived on the edge while she stayed safely cocooned in her comfort zone—a place she had no intention of leaving.

  #

  Wyatt scanned the list of salads and entrees he’d never heard of. What kind of restaurant was this? He flipped to the front of the menu. Heather had called it Eve’s, but the logo said Eve’s Health Food and Smoothies.

  Health food? His empty stomach threatened to groan in protest. After tricking him to get him here, the least Heather could have done was choose somewhere with a good steak or hamburger.

  At the table across from them, a lady with dreadlocks drank what looked like grass blended with slime.

  “Do you know what you’re ordering?” Heather asked.

  He didn’t even know what half this food was. “What’s quin-o-a?”

  She smiled. “It’s actually pronounced keen-wah. It’s kind of like couscous, full of protein and fiber.”

  “Couscous?”

  Her brow wrinkled. “You’ve never tried it?”

  He closed the menu and set it beside him on the tiny table. “I have a rule of thumb. If I can’t pronounce it, I don’t order it.”

  A waitress in a tie-dyed tank top stopped to take their order. She pointed her pen at Heather. “Your regular?”

  Heather handed her the menu. “Yes, please.”

  Wyatt was starving, and he wasn’t sure this food would do the trick. “You don’t happen to have a burger, do you?”

  She scribbled on her notepad. “Sure we do. It comes on a gluten free bun with sprouts and hummus. Would you prefer the turkey patty or the veggie patty?”

  “Turkey, please.” Hey, it was meat. He’d take it.

  “And we have a special on wheatgrass shots. Two for one.”

  “No, thank you.” Heather looked at Wyatt. “I don’t think he’s ready for that yet.”

  He held up his glass to the window and squinted. “And I think there’s something green in my water.”

  The waitress laughed. “It’s cucumber and basil.” She walked away without taking it with her.

  Not sure why anyone would want stuff floating in their drink, he shook his head and set the water down. “So you must eat here quite a bit.”

  She shrugged. “It’s close to work, and I like things that are good for me.”

  “Mom should have come along. I was just telling her we need to eat better.” Although by better, he hadn’t necessarily meant unpronounceable or undrinkable.

  Heather nodded. “I think she’d like this place.”

  As long as he was there having lunch with Heather, his mom would love it. He wanted to be up-front with Heather, but he wished he didn’t feel so guilty about it. On the other hand, both Heather and his mom had manipulated him into going to this lunch. “You seem like a really sweet person, and the fact that my mom fell in love with you after one phone conversation says a lot.”

  She put her napkin in her lap. “I’m afraid there’s a ‘but’ coming next.”

  He nodded. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with your event.”

  She leaned forward in her seat. “Of course you can. It will only be one night. It’s for a great cause.”

  Great cause or not, he wasn’t cut out for it. “I don’t spend much time in museums, I don’t know anything about art, and I don’t have much experience asking rich people to open their pocketbooks.”

  “That’s why you’re perfect for this. You’re different from the regular crowd at these things. You can dazzle them with your stories about punctured lungs and broken ribs.”

  “How’d you know about that?” Those were exactly the injuries he’d had after a rough ride two years ago. Maybe Heather was another cyber stalker, like his mother.

  She scrunched her nose, looking a little sheepish. “Your mom told me, but she also said you do some wonderful charity work with kids. That you go to the children’s hospital and the local boys’ home. Part of the money from this fundraiser will pay for our art program for inner-city schools. So it would be another way for you to give back to children.”

  His own childhood with an abusive father had been pretty rough, so anytime he could do something to help kids, he did his best to contribute. “I’d be happy to give you a donation.” He probably wasn’t in the same tax bracket as most of the people who’d be at the fundraiser, but he’d made some decent money bull riding.

  She frowned. “That would be nice, but I’d rather have your name on the invitation.”

  “No one outside the circuit knows who I am.” Wyatt made it a point to stay out of the public eye. He didn’t ride bulls for the recognition or the money. He did it because he loved it, and it made him feel like he could take on anything.

  “You’re being modest. Plenty of people here recognize your name. Please. Do this for me.”

  A pretty girl sitting in front of him, pleading for a favor. He couldn’t lie—it didn’t feel bad. “Right now, I’m busy taking care of my mom. All my focus is there.”

  Heather stilled as if she’d heard the gravity of his tone. “Taking care of her?”

  “Breast cancer. She didn’t tell you?”

  Heather inhaled sharply. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  Of course not. His mom had probably been too proud to say anything. He hoped that she wouldn’t be mad at him for sharing it with Heather.

  When his mom had told Wyatt what the doctor said, she might as well have been telling him she had carpal tunnel. She was nonchalant about the whole thing. Which she probably thought was the kind thing to do, but it only meant he needed to worry enough for the both of them. “That’s why I came to the museum today. Because she asked me to, and I thought it might take her mind off everything that’s in her future right now. The chemo. The radiation.”

  Heather’s big blue eyes welled up with tears—for a woman she’d only met today. His admiration for her instantly grew.

  The smile she’d had since he met her had disappeared. “If I had known, I would’ve…well, I don’t know what I would have done. But I wouldn’t have gone on and on about some event at work like it was the end of the world.”

  This woman was either a saint, or she was still trying to work him. After so many years in his line of work, he’d seen plenty of phonies, but something about Heather seemed different. And his mom had a pretty good meter for that kind of thing. “Don’t worry. This whole plan was probably a good distraction for her.” His mom always appreciated a good party.

  “Is your dad around to help? Do you have family nearby?”

  They hadn’t seen his father in twenty years, and with any luck, they’d never see him again. “She raised me on her own. I live about thirty minutes from her, but I’m away a lot. I have an aunt who lives down the street. Besides her, Mom has a few close friends. That’s about it.”

  “Even if you can’t help me at the fundraiser, I want you to come with your mom,” Heather said. “It’s a $10,000 per table dinner, but you can come for free. You’ll be my guests. I want to do this for Lorraine.”

  He almost spit out his cucumber water. “$10,000 per table?” He’d been to all kinds of fundraisers in his life, but this was outrageous.

  “Lorraine sounded so excited about getting dressed up and coming. I understand if you can’t do it, but your mom deserves to be there.”

  He felt his resolve weakening. “Hypothetically, what would I have to do if I agreed to help with your event?”

  She
sat up taller. “I would make it painless. I promise. Please.”

  Painless? Speaking in public to a bunch of rich people? He doubted that. But if she told him what to say and gave him plenty of time to practice…

  “Do it for your mom,” Heather said. “She would absolutely love it.”

  Oh, Heather was good. “Okay. Fine. I’ll do it.”

  She squeaked. “Thank you so much. I promise you won’t regret this.”

  That was one promise Heather wouldn’t be able to keep, because he already regretted it.

  Chapter Two

  A week later, Heather opened the front gate, surprised by the peeling white paint. The heels she wore to work clicked up the sidewalk. Located on a tree-lined street in a quiet neighborhood, the house was cute and fit Lorraine to a T. The flowerbeds showed signs of having once been lovingly tended. Annuals had been planted in neat rows, and little gnomes and ceramic frogs were scattered among the bushes. Today, grass and weeds were creeping in between the flowers, which only reinforced the knowledge that Lorraine was very sick. Heather hadn’t known the woman long, but she knew she was special and that she’d need all the support she could get right now.

  After Heather’s lunch with Wyatt, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him or his mom. They were doing so much to help with her event, even when something as frightening as a cancer diagnosis was disrupting their own lives. There had to be a way she could help them. Something she could do.

  On the red-painted wooden porch, an empty coffee cup sat beside a single white wicker chair. Heather moved the paper bag to her other arm and knocked on the door. With Lorraine starting her first round of chemo soon, the frozen meals Heather had put together might take one small thing off her plate. She’d been afraid Lorraine might be too proud to accept her offer. Instead, she’d graciously invited her to her home.

  When the door opened, Heather’s stomach fluttered at the sight of Wyatt’s tall frame.

  His mouth fell open a bit, and he blinked a few times, appearing equally surprised to find her there.

  “Uh, hi,” she said, smoothing her hair with her free hand. “I came by to drop something off for your mom. I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

  “Is she expecting…” He stopped and shook his head. “Never mind. Of course she is. Come in. Come in. Mom,” he called out, taking the bag from her hands. “Heather’s here to see you.”

  Heather stepped into the living room, feeling a little off balance standing so near Wyatt. Not wanting him to see the way his presence made her knees wobble, she shifted her focus to the two mismatched love seats that made an L in front of a fireplace, which was flanked by built in bookshelves. Framed photographs and books filled the shelves. Paintings sat on the mantel. Little treasures were tucked everywhere. The home felt warm and welcoming, just like Lorraine. She was a sharp contrast to Heather’s own mother, who lived in a constant state of anxiety.

  Lorraine came out of the kitchen with a big smile. “Heather! Don’t you look lovely in that dress?” She turned to her son. “Doesn’t she look lovely, Wyatt?”

  Wyatt laughed, but then his gaze moved to Heather. “She definitely does.”

  Short on air, she took in a deep breath. “Thank you…both.”

  His brow rose. “You failed to mention Heather was stopping by on the same night you invited me over for dinner. What a coincidence.”

  “Did I forget to tell you that?” she said, keeping her focus on Heather. “Is that the food, dear? Thank you so much for offering to do this.”

  Wyatt peeked into the bag.

  “Why don’t you take that to the kitchen?” Lorraine said, shooing her toward Wyatt. “I’m going to go put on a sweater. It’s freezing in this house. I’ll be back.”

  Heather followed Wyatt to the kitchen, unsure how to play off his mother’s obvious plan to throw them together again.

  Wyatt set the bag on the counter under old white cabinets. “Did you know I’d be here tonight?”

  She held her hands up in front of her. “I swear. I didn’t know anything about this.”

  “That woman is shameless.” He smiled and his dimples deepened. “I’m really sorry. My mom got this crazy idea about us as a couple, and once she gets her mind on something…”

  The idea of them together was crazy. She couldn’t let herself forget that. Heather hadn’t dated anyone since her last breakup. Her friends all told her it was time to get out there again, but she hadn’t felt ready. Maybe never would, especially not with a cowboy who made a living taking big risks. “I hope I didn’t give her the wrong idea.”

  “Please don’t apologize. She means well, but sometimes she doesn’t know or doesn’t care about boundaries. I haven’t been around as much as I should have been the last few years, and now that she has me here, she’s going to take full advantage and try to get me to settle down.”

  Heather had thought she would be closer to being married and having a family by now. Foolishly, she’d believed she and Brent were headed in that direction. When her brother passed away, Brent had stuck around through the funeral. Then he’d run. He’d said he thought some space would be good for her. It turned out he wanted to be with her when things were fun and not when things got hard. His desertion had made the worst time in her life even more painful.

  Wyatt reached into the bag and pulled out a plastic container. “What’s this?”

  “Vegetarian chili.” Relieved to think about something else, she took it from him and opened the freezer. “I made it with cancer-fighting foods. Sweet potatoes for antioxidants. Lots of veggies, legumes, tomatoes.” She dug through the bag. “I also have salmon, noodle soup, black bean enchiladas, chicken and brown rice casserole. I threw in some frozen fruit for smoothies.”

  He looked at the food on the counter and back to her. “You made all this for her?”

  She shrugged, hoping she hadn’t overstepped her bounds and not wanting Wyatt to question her motives. “When you told me about her diagnosis, I wanted to help. It’s not much. She’ll just need to thaw it and warm it up. I was thinking about adding more fresh fruit and vegetables next week.”

  “This is nice of you. Really.”

  She pressed her lips together, holding back what she wanted to say. The fact that she couldn’t stop thinking about Wyatt and his mom sounded a little crazy, even to her. “I wish I could do more.”

  His mom walked in from the living room. “To thank you for bringing all that food for me, I want to feed you tonight. So I ordered pizza!”

  Heather shook her head. “I didn’t intend to stay.” She had a whole laptop of work waiting for her at home. Now that Wyatt had agreed to serve as emcee, she could start on all the details of the event.

  “Nonsense. I’ve already ordered it.” Lorraine returned to the living room. “Have a seat on the sofa,” she said loudly. “I’ll show you some embarrassing photos of Wyatt when he was a baby.”

  Wyatt cocked his head at her. “Do you like pizza?”

  “Who doesn’t like pizza?” And the embarrassing photos of Wyatt sounded pretty tempting too.

  After putting away the food she’d brought, they moved back into the living room, where his mother pulled photo albums off the bookshelf.

  “Mom, we’re not going to look at pictures.”

  Lorraine handed him an armful of leather-bound albums and then pinched his cheek. “But you were such a cute baby.” She turned to Heather. “He had the fattest little face.”

  Heather grinned, enjoying the way the redness crept up his ears. “I’d love to see the pictures. But first I wanted to give you these,” she said, handing his mom a stack of papers she’d carried from the kitchen. “I hope you don’t mind. I printed off some information about supplements and things that might help you as you go through treatment. You might want to take the information to your next appointment to ask your doctor about them.”

  Lorraine’s hands fell to her sides. “You’re so thoughtful. Isn’t she thoughtful, Wyatt?”

&nbs
p; With a sobering sincerity, his gaze met hers. “She certainly is.”

  #

  After a thirty painful minutes of photographs that ranged from his naked hind-end as a baby to the awkward early teen years, the doorbell finally rang.

  “Pizza’s here,” Wyatt called out in relief.

  Heather either really cared about his mom or had an affinity for looking at dozens of boring pictures, because she’d stayed beside his mother the entire time, nodding and laughing.

  After Wyatt paid the delivery guy, his mother closed the album.

  “It’s a beautiful night. Let’s eat out on the back patio. I’ll get us something to drink. You two go sit.”

  Heather stood. “I’ll help.”

  Lorraine pushed her toward where Wyatt stood with pizza box in hand. “No. Go sit. Enjoy. You’re my guest.”

  His mother was now resorting to physical contact to push a woman onto him, but he couldn’t really blame her. Heather was smart and generous and beautiful. Man, was she beautiful with those big blue eyes and long blond hair.

  Neither of them argued with his mother. They both knew better.

  Outside, he pulled out a lawn chair for her. Before she sat, he tilted the chair over and knocked a few leaves out of it. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No sense in getting that nice dress dirty.” He set the pizza on the table and sat across from her. “Good day at work?”

  “A busy day. We’re getting things ready for the fundraiser. It really means a lot to me that you decided to be our emcee.”

  “You made a good case for it.”

  “Our event planner, Paige, had an idea, and the board loved it, but we would need your help.”

  “Uh-oh.”