She could hear her cousins’ hateful, mocking voices. “There goes old maid Red with her gimp leg!”
Though it had been years since she cared what they thought or said about her, she did worry about performing in public if her leg dragged as she walked out on stage.
Before the crash, she’d committed to doing a four-week tour with her harp ensemble group starting mid-July.
Her boss at the radio station had told her they would repeat some of her older shows during her absence.
Along with scheduled performances with the Utah Symphony, the Denver Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, she and the other harpists would be doing a series of summer concerts at The Canyons in Utah, Red Rock in Colorado and the Hollywood Bowl in California.
Though her colleagues would tell her it didn’t matter, she would hate to be singled out as the one in the group of four harpists who was different. No matter what, when you saw someone who limped, you wondered why.
A harpist would arouse even more speculation because of her body’s attitude while playing her instrument. So much for blending in with the others.
But maybe she was getting ahead of herself.
Part of her was ashamed for her thoughts. She knew she should be thankful she still had her leg.
She was thankful.
God knew she was. She’d been talking to him nonstop about it for a long time now.
Next Sunday she would ask Pam to drive her to church over in Hill Grove where she’d been attending for years along with Uncle David and Pam. She felt well enough to start resuming her normal activities.
Many of the people in the congregation, including the pastor and his wife, had brought in food and sent flowers when they’d heard about her accident.
They’d prayed for her. It had touched her heart. She’d sent out thank-you notes, but she was eager to express her gratitude in person.
After expelling a sigh, she turned from the window determined to get back in her old habits. First thing tomorrow she would start practicing for her tour. A half hour twice a day. She would build from there so she’d be ready.
Filled with resolve to stay so busy she wouldn’t have time to think about Rick Hawkins and how he made her feel, she lay down without that accompanying sense of dread for the night ahead.
RICK HAD EATEN a big lunch. While Audra was practicing on her harp, he’d decided to take a stroll around the bungalow to walk it off and do a little reconnaissance work.
Nothing seemed amiss at the moment.
The fact that Audra didn’t have any nightmares again last night was a good omen. Since he’d only needed one pain pill in the last twelve hours, he was feeling more like his old self. The area around his collarbone and shoulder was still tender, but the pain wasn’t nearly as intense as before. After the incident with the boys yesterday, he needed to keep a clear head.
It was a nice day out. Warm. A few high clouds.
When he came to Audra’s bedroom window he could hear her playing and he paused to lounge against the bungalow’s yellow siding and listen. His eyes closed, all the better to enjoy the piece.
Strange to think how during the many years he’d been immersed in the world of racing and everything that had led up to it, she’d spent the same amount of time out here on the ranch perfecting her musical talent. Neither of them had had any knowledge of the other’s existence.
He’d enjoyed relationships with three women whom he’d come close to marrying, most recently, Natalie. But he could never bring himself to propose. Now that he’d met Audra, he knew why….
As different as each woman had been, there was one drawback they’d had in common. They didn’t have lives of their own. They’d lived for Rick to make them happy.
No person could do that for another person. In the end, he’d been forced to walk away.
None of those three women were like Audra, who had every reason to be needy and look to someone else for all the answers. Yet she found joy from within despite personal tragedy and sorrow. In that joy lay her great strength and charm. Her compassion for others.
Deep in contemplation, he hadn’t realized a car had pulled into the driveway until he heard a door slam. His eyes opened in time to see a guy close to his age, maybe a little younger, walk toward her front porch. He was dressed in shirtsleeves and jeans.
Someone else sent by Tom and the gang?
Rick moved fast to intercept him. Closer to the vehicle now, he saw that the sandy-haired stranger was driving a rental car.
“Can I do something for you?”
The other man turned in Rick’s direction, taking in the sling securing his arm. “I hope so. I’m Hal Torney, Ed Torney’s son, the man who bought the Jarrett property.”
In a few steps Rick reached him. “My name’s Rick Hawkins.” They shook hands. “I’m the son of Clint Hawkins, the man who’s married to Pam Jarrett. They own the main ranch house. We heard your dad would be coming sometime this week.”
The guy nodded. He stood about six feet, with a golfer’s build. “Dad asked me to take a look around and make certain everything’s a go for me to fly him in on Wednesday. He’ll be bringing an architect with him. No one answered the door at the main house, so I drove here. I need someone to show me the location of the hangar and runway area.”
Rick’s father and Pam could be anywhere. “Are you a commercial pilot?”
He flashed Rick a friendly smile. “Not yet. I’m logging all the hours I can get and then some. While I’m here, I’d like to check out the plane.”
Before Rick could respond, Audra emerged from the house and stood on the front porch with her crutches.
“Hello,” she said. “I heard voices. Can I help you?”
Rick didn’t like the way the guy’s brown eyes lingered on her face and figure. She was dressed in a simple white skirt and pale orange top. Her feminine appeal stuck out a mile.
“Hi.”
Just the way he said the word caused Rick’s teeth to clench. It sent pain down to his collarbone.
“I’m Hal Torney, the son of the new owner. I was just telling Mr. Hawkins I’m here to take a look at the plane and check things out before I fly Dad in on Wednesday.”
“So you’re the pilot.”
“That’s right.” He grinned.
“I’m Audra Jarrett, David Jarrett’s niece. My cousins and I own this bungalow and the adjacent property.”
“Do you live here all the time?” The other man looked hopeful.
“No,” Rick answered before Audra could. He flashed her a benign smile. “Hal was just telling me they’re bringing an architect with them.”
Audra’s pleasant expression didn’t change, but he knew what she was feeling inside. The Windshield Rancher had arrived, shattering her world.
“I see. If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll get the keys and drive with you out to the south thirty.”
“Great.”
This was a job for Pam, but Rick knew Audra would never disturb her cousin. Pam and Clint weren’t home anyway. Since Rick had no intention of letting her be alone with the guy, he walked over to the rental car and got in the back seat.
“You can’t come,” Audra cried when she approached the car a minute later and saw Rick already there. “It could jar your bones and do damage all over again.”
“I’ll chance it,” he murmured. In truth, he was taped so securely, it would take another fall to injure him again. “If you’re able to ride out there in your cast without a problem, then I’m in no danger either. Hand me your crutches, Audra.”
He’d left her little choice but to comply. He used his right hand to lay them across his lap.
Hal Torney closed her door, then walked around to the driver’s side and got in.
Rick didn’t know where in the hell the south thirty was, but he intended to find out, and now was as good a time as any. Part of his new security job was to learn everything he could pertaining to the Jarrett property.
The next half hour turned
out to be instructional. Audra explained the lay of the land as they drove along. The road they were driving on was the public access road and dividing line between their ranch and the Tilsons’ who owned the Circle T to the left. All the fenced property on the right between the two ranch houses was Jarrett property. It went as deep as the farthest edge of the bluebonnets. The seven hundred and eighty acres of land beyond the carpet of flowers comprised the south thirty. A hangar that looked to be in excellent repair sat on a flat piece of ground at the west boundary, where another Jarrett ranch house had once stood before the tornado had obliterated it.
While Audra undid the lock, Rick walked around the grassy runway near the hangar, contemplating what the devastation would have been like.
Once she showed the other man inside, Rick followed at a distance. There sat David’s four-seater Cessna.
Not too long ago he’d flown Rick’s father to Odessa in this plane so he could make the commercial flight to Denver and beat Nate home from Philadelphia.
What a night that had been. Thanks to David, Clint had been waiting at the airport to talk sense into Nate, who’d just broken his engagement to Laurel. It was a talk that had changed the course of history for Rick’s only brother. He was now a happily married man.
“Everything looks great,” Rick heard the guy say as he jumped down from the plane.
“This was my uncle’s pride and joy.”
“You can tell that by the way he’s kept everything in perfect order. Did you like to fly with him?”
“I loved it.”
The tremor in her voice tore at Rick’s heart.
“When that cast comes off, I’d love to take you up in the Cessna. In the meantime, how would you like to go to dinner with Dad and me in Austin on Wednesday night? We want to be friends with our new neighbors. Later on, you’ll meet the rest of the family.”
“How many of you are there?”
“My parents have five children. I’m the youngest. They’re all married except for me, but everyone will be flying in for visits once the house is built. I’ll be living with them for a time.” His eyes swept over her again. “So, what about dinner?”
Rick’s right hand tightened into a fist. He knew exactly what Hal Torney was after. The man didn’t waste any time.
“That’s very nice of you, Hal. Can I take a rain check? I’m a disc jockey and do a radio broadcast from the ranch at night.”
“You’re kidding!”
“No.”
“That I’ve got to hear.”
“Until my cast comes off, my doctor doesn’t want me driving long distances to do my show.”
“In fact, your doctor wouldn’t have approved of your riding this far and back,” Rick asserted. Audra darted him a surprised glance. “You should be home resting that leg.”
Her chin lifted. “If anyone should be in bed, it’s you.” She turned to the other man. “Rick was barely released from the hospital after suffering a broken collarbone.”
“That’s no fun,” Hal said, but he continued to stare at her. “How did you break your leg?”
“I’m afraid it’ll have to wait for another time,” Rick muttered. “We both need our rest. You understand, don’t you, Hal?”
“Sure.”
Rick forced the other guy, clearly miffed, to walk outside with him while Audra locked up.
On their drive back to the bungalow, he waited for Hal to say something about the bluebonnets. Though the flowers had reached their peak last week, they were still a beautiful sight.
People came to Texas from all over the U.S. to see the bluebonnets in spring, yet the other man made no comment. Rick imagined Audra was waiting for Hal to make a remark about them, too, but he never did.
When he pulled to a stop in the driveway, Audra turned to him with an enigmatic look. “You take the keys, Hal. These are extras, but they belong to your family now.”
Hal could have no understanding of what was going on inside of Audra, but Rick knew. He got out of the car and opened her door before Ed’s son could come around.
“It was nice to meet you, Hal,” Rick said as he handed Audra her crutches. He could tell the man was hoping to be invited inside the house. “Enjoy your flight back to Cleveland.”
“Thanks.” He didn’t sound as friendly as before.
His gaze swerved to Audra. “I’ll see you again soon then.”
Rick had to give him credit for making one last stab at contact with her.
Audra nodded, causing her dark red curls to bounce. The overwhelming urge to fill his fingers with them and draw her into his arms drove Rick to start for the porch first.
Behind him he heard Audra say goodbye to their visitor.
Rick held the front door open for her. The second she’d swung herself past him, she headed straight for her bedroom. He closed the door and followed her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded when he appeared at her door before she could close it.
“I thought you might like a friend to talk to. It isn’t every day you give up the keys to your past life.”
Her lower lip quivered, the only outward sign of the turmoil within.
“I’ve been doing it in my mind for a long time.”
“I know. I heard your song,” he murmured. “But no matter how hard we try to anticipate something terrible, we’re never truly prepared for the dreaded moment until it arrives.”
Without asking her permission, he took the few steps to reach her and gathered her against him with his good arm, crutches and all. His chin sank into her fragrant curls.
He absorbed the tremors from her body, though she never made a sound.
“Now I know another reason why Uncle David went to stay at the club. He couldn’t face going out there a second time.”
“No. He left his brave little Audra to handle it with her usual grace.”
“I don’t have any more brave left in me.”
“Yes, you do,” he whispered in the silk of her hair. “You’re the strongest woman I know.”
RICK MADE the word strong sound beautiful.
She didn’t dare listen to anything else he had to say.
She didn’t dare stay folded in his arm like this. She would start to like it too much.
She already did like it too much.
One day soon he’d be going away. Only a fool would pretend otherwise. Audra had been a fool once before. Never again.
She moved her right crutch to take the necessary steps away from him. “Thanks for the shoulder to cry on.” She smiled up at him. “Now I think it’s time you were back in bed.”
“I admit I’m tired. How about a game of poker before I fall asleep?”
His suggestion was exactly what she needed to shake off certain tormenting thoughts. “Are you a good loser?” she teased.
“No.”
Audra chuckled. “I should have known better than to ask Lucky Hawkins a question like that.”
His white smile caught her by surprise. She felt like the time Prince missed a fence and she flew over his head into a patch of wild strawberries.
“The cards are in the kitchen. I’ll look for them while you get settled in your room. Do you want me to bring you anything else? A—”
“Cola.”
They’d both said the word at the same time and laughed.
“What stakes are we playing for?” he asked a few minutes later. She’d seated herself on the side of his bed to rest her leg.
“You’re the patient. I’ll let you decide.”
“If I win, you have to promise never to go flying with Hal Torney.”
Audra lifted her head. She studied him briefly. “You don’t need to win for me to make a promise like that. Uncle David is the only person I trust to take me up in a small plane.”
“Good.”
They started playing.
“You were kind of hard on Hal.”
“I was?”
“You know you were.” She couldn’t stop herself from
smiling.
“He’s not your type.”
“How do you know that?”
“I can’t see you being attracted to a man whose interest in checking you out along with the property was greater than his concern over your leg.”
Don’t say any more, Rick.
She looked down at the hand she’d been dealt.
“When did your uncle learn to fly?”
“He was a pilot in Korea.”
“Nate’s going to have to meet him. They’ll be swapping stories into the night.”
“That’s what Clint said.”
“My father knows a lot more about you than I do. I think I’m jealous. Why don’t you tell me about the beginnings of Audra Jarrett? I want to know when your uncle discovered he had such a talented niece.”
Rick had asked her that question once before. She supposed she couldn’t avoid answering it a second time.
“Pam’s mother insisted all of her children take piano lessons. I think Pam started when she was about seven years old. She’s the talented pianist in the family.”
“Is my dad aware of that?”
“I’m sure Uncle David made her perform in front of him, but she’d be the last person to show off. After the tornado, he bought her the baby grand. She gave lessons to some of the kids in the area and taught me to play. The boys refused.”
“Did you like it?”
“Um, so-so. When the grade school started a music program for children who were interested, Pam encouraged me to learn to play another instrument, too. She could see I wasn’t that enchanted with piano.”
Rick smiled. “My folks had an upright they kept in a basement room they called the music room. There’s still an old set of drums Nate thought he wanted and then didn’t. I’m afraid neither of us showed promise.”
“A lot of people tell the same story. Anyway, I tried a variety of instruments and ended up enjoying violin the most. In junior high I signed up for orchestra. Uncle David insisted I join the choral group, too. He always liked to sing and thought it important that everyone did. I guess my teacher thought I had a natural singing voice and she told the family I should take private lessons.”
“Did you?”
Rick’s flattering attention was going to get her into trouble.
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