They both chuckled as they patted each other’s back, and Dad offered his congratulations.
Holden stood on heavy legs as he hugged his best friend in turn. “Congratulations, man.”
Jake gave Holden a fistbump. “Thanks. I’m still praying she’ll come around.”
Holden pretended not to hear that as he released his friend and sat back in his chair. He didn’t want to think about Ava. Jake jabbered about his and Megan’s plans, and Holden tapped the fishing pole again. He glanced around them. Most everyone had caught at least one fish, but they hadn’t gotten even a nibble.
While Jake continued to talk, Holden focused on his boots. They were scuffed quite a bit at the toe, and the leather looked pretty worn. Comfortable, true, but maybe it was time for a new pair. He moved his feet. No. He liked these boots. No reason to go searching for a new pair when these fit him just fine.
Ava’s face floated through his mind. That’s the problem, God. When something or someone fits, you just wanna keep ’em. Ava fit me just right, and I gotta figure out a way to get her back.
* * *
“Did you hear Jerry telling me about Holden?”
Ava adjusted the thin white belt around her waist. Though she’d berated herself several times, she’d been disappointed when Holden wasn’t at church for Easter Sunday. Not that she wanted him to notice her. She didn’t. Or at least she didn’t want to want that. Still, she’d hoped to see a glimmer of approval in his eyes.
Deep in her heart, she couldn’t deny the purple dress was for him. She’d added a thin white belt, white stone earrings and bracelet, and sandals with white ribbons that tied around her ankles. Extra effort had been given to her hair and makeup. But he wasn’t there. “What did Jerry say?”
“Apparently, he sprained his ankle badly yesterday, getting on or off the tractor.” Aunt Irene placed the roast on the counter. “Can’t remember which he said.”
Ava took down plates for the family, then set the table. “I hope he’s all right.”
“They thought he broke it. Took him to get X-rays, but it was just a sprain. Supposed to stay off it for two weeks minimum, but I doubt he will.”
Ava set out the plates, silverware and napkins. She stirred the mashed potatoes, then took the rolls out of the pantry. As much time as they spent together, she’d expected Jerry and Aunt Irene to want to share Easter dinner. With both families. But her aunt hadn’t mentioned it, and Ava had been relieved.
Aunt Irene took the rolls from her hands. “I’ll butter them. Why don’t you give your mom and dad a call before the boys and Ellie get here?”
Ava grabbed her smartphone off the counter and walked into the living room. As she scrolled through her contacts, she released a sigh. She’d moved to Surprise seven weeks ago, the last week of February, and she’d talked to her parents only a handful of times. Each time, she’d been the one to call them.
Trying her dad’s number first, since he was most likely to answer, she waited through the rings until his voice mail picked up. After leaving a message, she tried her mom’s number.
“Hello.”
Ava sat up straighter. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, Ava. You sound surprised.”
“I just didn’t expect you to answer.” She bit her lip, realizing, true or not, that the words didn’t sound nice.
“Well, you know how busy your dad and I are.”
Ava nodded. “I do. So, how are you?”
“We’re good. Dad’s sitting beside me. He says hello. We’re heading to lunch. How are you?”
“Good.” Ava searched her thoughts for something to say. She and her parents had never been close, but even casual conversation had become strained after she’d left Surprise eight years ago. “I love my job here. The family I work for have really taken me under their wing.”
“That’s good. And how’s Irene?”
“She’s great. Has a boyfriend.”
“Oh my.” Her voice sounded distant, and Ava knew her mom wasn’t really listening. “Turn here, dear,” she whispered, most likely to Ava’s dad. “Well, we’re almost to the restaurant, Ava. Have a good day.”
“Happy Easter, Mom.”
“Oh, yes, yes. Happy Easter. Dad says to tell you we love you.”
Ava pursed her lips. “Love you, too.”
She pushed the end button, then set the phone on the couch beside her. Staring at a picture on the wall, of a Mexican family gathered together at a table for an afternoon meal, she tried to empty her mind of all thoughts. Not an easy task. Especially at this time of year.
“They’re busy, huh?”
Ava turned and saw Aunt Irene wiping her hands on a white apron with Kiss the Cook embroidered on it. Ava shrugged. “Like always.”
Her aunt walked around the couch, sat beside her and patted her leg. “I don’t know why they don’t take some time to smell the roses.”
Ava grinned. “They’ve always been busy. Go-getters, Dad likes to say. I had everything I wanted, and often the very best, but they weren’t around much.”
“They do love you.”
Ava twisted the bracelet around her wrist. “You know, I think they do, but...”
“They don’t know how.”
She shifted to face her aunt. “But why? You’re one of the most loving mothers I know, and I’ve seen the pictures of you and Dad growing up. Your family was close.”
“Yes, but your mom was passed from one home to the other. She’d been neglected, and I think she just doesn’t know how to show love. Providing for you is her way of telling you.”
Ava closed her eyes. Most of her life she’d avoided getting too close to people. Not that she didn’t enjoy them. She had a care and concern for others that must have come directly from God, but aside from Aunt Irene, Ava feared allowing herself to truly open up and love. Which was why her feelings for Holden had been so terrifying. Why the upcoming week would be so hard.
“Seven years this week, huh?” Aunt Irene whispered.
Tears welled in her eyes as she nodded. Aunt Irene wrapped her hand around Ava’s head and pressed her face into her shoulder. Ava was helpless to stop the tears as they fell.
Her aunt held her and cooed whispers of reassurance, while Ava tried to breathe against the weight that pressed on her chest. From experience, she knew the deep-to-the-core sadness would pass in a week or so. But she could never forget.
Chapter 11
Holden limped into the Miller Physical Therapy Clinic building. Even held the crutches under his armpits for added support. His ankle still smarted, no doubt about that, but normally, he’d just wrap it up good and tight and keep right on working. This wasn’t normal circumstances. The only way he’d be able to see Ava was if she was forced to see him.
After opening the front door, he looked around. Nice lobby. Contemporary brown leather chairs. Bright, desert-themed artwork on the walls. He’d heard good things about the Millers. Knew they ran a Christian office. Noting the picture quoting a Psalm above the receptionist’s desk, he read, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him.”
The young, dark-haired girl looked up at him, then turned back toward the picture. “Oh, yeah. Dad had that made.”
“Quite fitting for a physical therapy office.”
She pointed to the sign-in sheet. “Sure is.”
He signed his name. “So, you’re Rick and Mary Miller’s daughter?”
“Yep.” She handed him a clipboard containing information forms, then turned to the computer. “I’ll just need to see your insurance card, and I’ll get you set up here. Ava will be with you in just a few minutes.”
He gave her the card and took the clipboard. After taking a seat, he frowned at the stack of pages he had to fill out. He was not a fan of going to the doctor, and especia
lly didn’t like divulging every tidbit of personal information they all seemed determined to know. He turned up his lip. Now, why do they want to know if anyone in my family’s had cancer? I’m just here for a sprained ankle.
He sighed and finished the pages. People were there for more reasons than just sprained ankles, he knew. The Millers probably had their reasons for asking. Once finished, he took the clipboard back to the receptionist, then sat back down.
God, give me the right words to say. Nothing heavy. Just help me let her work on my ankle, and not do anything to make her uncomfortable.
Ava stood in the doorway leading back to the rehabilitation rooms. She saw him and her eyes widened in surprise. She reached for the clipboard he’d just given to the dark-haired girl. “He’s my next patient?”
The girl nodded. “Holden Whitaker.”
Ava swallowed as she looked back at him. Her hands shook just a tad as she motioned for him to follow her. He limped back to the room, and she shut the door behind them. He hadn’t thought about being alone with her. How he wished he could just scoop her up in his arms and smother her with kisses.
He settled in one of the chairs, and she sat on a stool. “Aunt Irene mentioned you’d sprained your ankle a few days ago.”
Holden nodded. “Yep. Getting off the tractor. My left leg snagged on the corner of the seat, and before I could catch myself my right foot twisted and my ankle popped.”
She read through his charts. “Looks like your doctor said physical therapy was an option.”
He clasped his hands together. “And I’m opting to take it.”
A knowing grin spread over her lips. “With me?”
“Gotta have the best.”
“And I’m the best?”
“To me, you are.”
Ava glanced back down at the chart, and Holden inwardly berated himself. He needed to keep their time together easy. Wanted her to feel comfortable with him again.
She placed the clipboard on a small table. “Okay. Well, the first thing you’re going to have to do is take off your cowboy boot and sock.”
“Are you kidding?”
Ava chuckled. “How else are we going to strengthen the ankle?”
He reached down and pulled them off. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Ava wrinkled her nose, and Holden felt heat wash down his neck and back. She tapped his leg. “I’m just kidding.”
She unrolled the wrapping, then studied both sides of the bruised ankle. “You sprained it pretty good.”
“Told ya.”
“I’m surprised you’re not just trying to walk it off.”
He pointed to the paper. “You read it. Doc said I might need therapy two or three times a week.”
“I did, and I’m glad you’re doing this right. No need in having trouble with your ankle years down the road because you didn’t allow it to heal properly now.”
“I agree.”
She placed his foot on the floor. “Okay. The first thing I want you to do is trace the alphabet with your toes. This allows the ankle to move in every direction.”
Holden did as she said. By the time he’d gotten halfway through, his ankle throbbed, but he kept going. “You like working here?”
“I love it. The Millers are wonderful people.”
He traced the Z and leaned back in the chair, the soreness more than he’d anticipated. “I’ve heard good things about them.”
She patted his knee. “I want you to do it again.”
Ignoring the discomfort, he obeyed her every command, and talked to her about everything he could think of. He shared news about the ranch and about Betty constantly trying to find ways of escape. He told Ava about catching Dad and Irene doing some kind of moves in the living room. She shared about finding a big, yellow wig in her aunt’s room.
“Do you think they’re going to dress up like Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers?” Holden asked.
Ava giggled. “I think so.”
She wrapped both hands around his foot, and Holden’s heartbeat raced. She moved it forward and back with strength and confidence, then placed it back on the ground and instructed him on another exercise.
“You really do a great job, Ava.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You think so, huh?”
He pointed to his throbbing ankle. “I can feel it.”
Ava laughed, an unrestrained sound that he hadn’t heard in almost eight years. She gave him a few sheets of paper. “These are exercises you need to do at home.”
He folded and stuck them in his back pocket. If those exercises helped heal his ankle he wouldn’t do a single one.
Ava walked out of the room, and he limped behind her. Once back in the lobby, he said, “I’ll see you in a couple days.”
She grinned. “Okay. It was good talking with you, Holden.”
He made his way back to the truck, hopped into the cab, then leaned his head back and closed his eyes. His ankle throbbed, but he didn’t mind a bit. “Thank you, Lord, for a sprained ankle.”
* * *
Ava grabbed her purse out of the cabinet. Aunt Irene had another date with Jerry, so Ava planned to grab a salad and head over to the White Tanks. She hadn’t expected to see Holden, even though they’d had a good session and a nice time talking, too. Now she needed to walk, spend some time with God in nature, and think. Actually, sometimes she wondered if she did a bit too much thinking.
“That Holden guy was cute with a capital C.” Katie bit down on the top of her pen.
Ava dug through her purse in search of her keys. “He’s handsome.”
“I got a feeling you already knew the guy.”
“I did.”
“And unless I’m blind, and I’m not, I think the guy might be a little interested in you.”
Ava looked up and narrowed her gaze.
Katie lifted her hand and squeezed her thumb and finger together. “Just a little bit.”
Ava couldn’t help but smile. “He’s the guy I told you about.”
The teen pressed her palms against the desk and sat forward, eyes wide with interest. “The one you ran away from?”
She nodded.
Katie motioned to the door. “Well, go after him. I’m telling you, the guy’s still got a thing for you.” She leaned back in her chair and lifted her face toward the ceiling. “And he’s so cute.”
“And you’re so dramatic.” Ava tapped the edge of the desk. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Suit yourself, but someone’s gonna snatch up that guy.”
Ava picked up some dinner, then drove to the mountains. The weather was definitely starting to get hot. Ninety degrees, but she didn’t care. She needed to walk, to be alone. After parking the car, she sat at a nearby picnic table and ate her dinner. Once finished, she tied her hair in a ponytail and grabbed a bottle of water out of the backseat.
She walked her favorite trail, drinking in the colorful wildflowers, with the mountains reaching to the heavens in the background. She quickened her pace until her chest burned from the exertion. Still she kept going.
The air was hot, and strands of hair clung to her face as she started to perspire. Her muscles tightened and her heart pounded, and soon her shirt was wet with sweat. Spying a large rock a little ways ahead, she started to run, to sprint until she reached it. Flopping onto the rock, she opened the water bottle and chugged a long drink.
Gasping to catch her breath, she leaned back on the rock and released a low howl. “Whew. That felt good.”
She leaned forward again, placed her elbows on her knees and dipped her chin. She blew down her shirt to cool herself, then took another drink of water.
Katie’s words, someone’s gonna snatch up that guy, raced through her mind. Ava didn’t want that to happen. In on
ly a thirty-minute session, she’d realized just how much she did not want it to. They’d talked about everything and nothing, and the conversation had felt right. She remembered afresh why she’d fallen in love with Holden as a young woman. Not only was he gorgeous, but she genuinely enjoyed his company.
Her mind wandered to eight years ago, and she shook her head and lifted her face to the sky. “No thinking about the past.” With the statement came the urge to scream at the top of her lungs. She opened her arms wide. “No thinking about the past. I can’t change it, anyway.”
She looked down the trail, and her stomach tightened when she saw an older couple walking toward her. When they passed, the woman winked. “You’re absolutely right, honey. Need to just keep looking ahead.”
Ava waved despite the embarrassment that washed through her. Trekking back to the car, she drove home with the windows down, allowing the hot wind to whip through her hair. Throughout the night, any time her mind tried to wander, she envisioned the woman telling her to look ahead.
The next morning she headed into work and stopped at the bouquet of wildflowers sitting on Katie’s desk—lupines and poppies, with a big purple ribbon tied around the vase. Ava’s favorite flowers. Her favorite color. Her heart pounded against her chest. “Corey buy you flowers?”
Katie shook her head. “Nope. They’re for you.”
Ava opened the card and read, “Thanks for being a great physical therapist. Holden.”
“From Mr. Good-looking yesterday?” asked Katie.
She grinned. “Maybe.”
The teen waved a pen back and forth. “I’m telling you, Ava. He’s entirely too cute, and you said he was a Christian to boot.”
She lifted her hand to stop Katie from saying more. “I’m not going to let anything happen to him.”
Katie leaned forward. “Does that mean what I think it means?”
Ava looked at the clock on the desk and tilted her head. “If you think it means it’s time to get to work, then you’re right.”
Katie swatted the air. “Fine. Don’t tell me anything.”
Ava laughed as she put her purse in the cabinet, then looked over her schedule. Today would be a good day.
Arizona Cowboy Page 8
