by Hebby Roman
He started to signal to their waitress as Carrie ended the call and shoved the phone back in her bag, glanced around, and rose.
“I’m sorry...so sorry,” she sputtered. “It was Tim and he says Grayson had to call an ambulance. He told Tim he didn’t feel well and it would be best if he saw a doctor. Tim can’t be left alone.”
Chapter Six
There was silence in the car as Tate drove back, a chill that was not from the weather.
Carrie at once wished Tate could drive faster and at the same time feared the speed at which he drove, as nothing but white seemed to fill the windows. The windscreen wipers were hardly able to clear anything and she wondered if Tate really knew the road well enough to drive in this. Pictures of Tim alone and frightened in the somewhat strange house filled her head one moment, and the next she thought of Grayson, possibly suffering a heart attack or worse. She knew he, too, would worry over Tim.
Had she done the right thing moving here? Was life in Wyoming going to be tougher than she had believed, some seven or eight months of snow and cold to contend with? What had she been thinking in making this hasty decision to move? Maybe Grayson was right in advising her to sell.
* * *
As the headlights of oncoming cars cast a momentary light on Carrie’s face, Tate’s quick glance caught the austere set of her features, the troubled thoughts behind her eyes. He knew she was primarily worried about Tim and Grayson, as was he, but now something else crossed his mind. Realizing his own growing affection for this woman, he didn’t know if he could make her believe he was finished with Steph and, further, that Steph no longer mattered. Suddenly it meant very much to him that she should understand that. He pondered how a person could be in love, think well of another one moment—no, for months, years even—and suddenly the wool was pulled from your eyes and you saw them for what they truly were. That was what had happened with him and Steph: he had awakened to her actual character.
“Do you want more heat?” he asked, his hand off the steering wheel as he reached toward the controls.
Carrie shook her head ‘no’ then followed it with the word.
“I’m sorry this has all happened. I was really looking forward to this evening with you.” Conciliatory, he wondered if she believed him.
“Were you? I’m sorry, too. But my main concern now is Grayson and Tim and none of that is your fault.”
Tate’s head shifted toward her with an abrupt movement and then back to the road. “What was my fault, then?”
He could feel her gaze on his profile. “Nothing. Nothing was your fault. Really. I don’t blame you for your ex coming over.” She hesitated. “By the way, that was the woman who was rude to me in the powder room. I thought at first, when I saw her coming toward us, she was going to shout at me.”
Tate let a guffaw escape.
“What’s so funny?”
“That you thought that Stephie would shout at you.”
“Oh. You mean, she wouldn’t?”
“Oh, no. She definitely would, given half a chance, but she would never make a scene in public. Never.” Someone’s bright headlights blinded him for a second and he grimaced. “To Steph, her public persona is everything. She’d never let it be known what a perfect bitch she can be.”
His sideways peek caught Carrie with her mouth open at what he had called his ex.
“Sorry,” he continued. “Guess I might be the one being nasty now.”
He let a silence ride.
“You go along with someone for years—nearly four in our case—and you’re blinkered, blinded by one thing or another, enjoying yourself. You believe you love them and so let unpleasant incidents go. And then, one day it all comes crashing down and the big reveal takes place. In my case, it was that she didn’t know me at all. Not at all. Plus how selfish she was. She wanted me to move to Denver.”
“You’re joking.”
“Nope.”
He let the quiet that followed that single word stay for a few beats, figured she was pondering all that, the air weighty with her thoughts.
“But she’s still here.”
“Visiting family for the weekend. Flew up.”
Carrie sat, her head angled against the side window. At last she said, “I don’t know you very well—”
“Yet.”
“Hmm. Well, I don’t know you very well at this point in time, but I certainly wouldn’t have said you’d want to be in Denver. You just look too comfortable and …well, happy here.”
“And I am. There are days I’m fed up I have to be in my office so long doing accounts, paying bills, placing orders, chasing stuff. But it all becomes inconsequential when I ride out and I have this country, this life as recompense. You take the good with the bad, I suppose, but this is mainly good. Very good.”
He drove down her ranch lane and could feel her tension as to what she would find—Tim alone. Would he be crying, on a rampage, scared and shaking? And what about Grayson? Was it a heart attack, and how serious, would he need care? As soon as the truck stopped, Carrie bolted out the door, Tate on her heels as she swung her front door open.
* * *
And tripped over a toy truck, landing at the heels of an elderly woman. Well-kempt grey hair, elegant almost, slender and tall, a still-fine bone structure.
“Good gracious, Tate, help the poor girl up.”
“Hey Mom, what are you doing here?”
“Well, babysitting of course.” She bent to help Carrie but Tate was already bringing the younger woman to her feet.
Tate’s mom extended her hand. “Eleanor Schrugge. Grayson phoned me while waiting for the ambulance and I came straight over. I hope that’s okay.”
“Okay? Of course, it’s okay. I can’t thank you enough. How kind!” Carrie dusted herself down and tried to recover without jumping for joy. “It’s really very kind of you to come over here like this. I hope Grayson hadn’t disturbed you or something.”
“You have any trouble driving, Mom? It’s a bit dicey out there.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Give me more credit, Tate. I’ve been driving these roads in winter since before you were born.”
“Yeah, but....”
Carrie glanced from one to the other. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll just look in on my son.” She dashed up the stairs but could hear Eleanor telling Tate what a lovely little boy Tim was, and how well behaved, as well as concerned and a bit tearful for Grayson. She couldn’t hear Tate’s response as she crept into Tim’s bedroom and peered over at him. Sound asleep.
The question now was, how was Grayson?
Still in her coat, she trekked down the stairs and stopped. “I...I don’t suppose one of you could stay here while I go back to the hospital to check on Grayson. Goodness knows what’s happened and I really must—”
“Well, first of all, I’m sure as hell not going to let you drive back into town on your own, Carrie.” This statement got raised brows from Tate’s mother. “Second, I wonder if they’d even let us see him as we’re not any official relation. Aren’t they fussy about that sort of thing?”
Carrie pulled her hat down, the pompom swaying drunkenly in front of her eyes. “I don’t care what they allow. He’s my foreman and my friend and I’m going to see him.”
“Right.” Tate gave his mother a questioning look.
“Well, I’m fine here if you don’t mind me staying?”
“Of course not, Mrs. Schrugge.” She had to think before pronouncing the last name to make sure it came out Shrug and not Scrooge. “I’d really appreciate it. I mean, it’s not too late and I think we’ll be back fairly quickly once we check on Grayson. If you really don’t mind.”
“And, Mom, you’ll stay at the ranch tonight. That’s an order.”
Carrie’s mouth dropped. “Where did you drive from? I thought you had come over from next door.”
“No, just down the road a little farther. I have a small house in the village.�
�
“Okay, look, let’s go if we’re going, Carrie.” Tate clasped her arm and started herding her toward the door.
“Really...I...Tate....”
“You’re not driving if that’s what you’re trying to say. No way. C’mon, let’s go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll be back. And anyway, I’m very concerned for Grayson myself.”
* * *
The glare of the hospital lights made Carrie blink as she pulled off her hat and gloves in the overheated ER waiting room. Tate was arguing with one of the assistants at the front desk, saying Grayson had no relatives and they were the closest people to him. The woman was consulting a superior now.
“You’d think they’d be happy he had someone to cheer him up, see him.” Tate came over and put his hands on her shoulders. “But don’t worry. They say he’s doing well.”
“Well? What does that mean?”
“You know what that means: it wasn’t serious. Or, in any case, he’s alive and on the mend.”
Carrie couldn’t help wondering if that was so. Was he on the mend? Would he be able to continue?
The assistant came over. “Mr. Schrugge? Mr. Grayson has been moved upstairs. He’s had a stent inserted through his wrist and we’re keeping him in for observation overnight. You’ll have to go up to the third floor and ask to see him up there now.”
“Thanks.” Tate peered down at Carrie who took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”
They were quiet in the elevator, watching the number two light up on the board before exiting at three. Carrie left the talking to Tate again; she couldn’t think straight. In the short time she’d known Grayson she had come to feel quite close to him, and now she worried about him continuing to work. It seemed to be his life; he never spoke about retirement, just what would happen if…. It was almost as if he had known this was coming, warning her about learning to run the ranch ‘just in case.’
“Room three-o-five,” Tate said as he took her arm and guided her. “Apparently, he should be awake.”
The door to the room gave a pneumatic whine as Tate pushed it open, but Grayson certainly wasn’t whining. He was surrounded by three giggling nurses with whom he was flirting, a wide smile on his face somewhat belied by tired eyes. It was now nearly ten p.m. Carrie stood, hands on hips, a frown frozen on her face.
“What are you doing?” she spurted out.
“Well, what are you doing, Missy? I’m having myself a real good time.”
“I’m visiting a sick and....”
“If dying was gonna be the next word on those pretty perky lips of yours, you can just go ahead and swallow that word. I’m gettin’ to know these fair young ladies. Tate, you dang fool, you better kiss that woman before she explodes.”
The three nurses made various faces displaying interest to see whether that would happen. The jealousy was rife.
Tate’s guffaw showed a modicum of embarrassment but he only hesitated for one split second before he tugged Carrie into his arms and gave her a quick kiss.
Quick it may have been, but Carrie stood as if she’d been electrocuted. She blinked and swayed slightly.
Grayson peered at her. “I think you should be in this bed, Missy, not me.” He lay back against his pillows. “Oh, heck, that didn’t come out right, now did it?”
Tate cleared his throat and the nurses giggled as they started to exit. One patted Carrie on the shoulder.
“So when you’re not trying to embarrass the two of us, how are you?” Tate moved over to Grayson’s bedside, clasping Carrie’s hand as he went.
“Ah, I’m fine. They put one of them stents in and I’ll be back at work—”
“No, you most certainly will not. Unless it’s to tell me what to tell the men to do. I’m sure you’re not allowed to lift saddles and whatnot.”
“Yeah, that whatnot sure as heck weighs a lot.” Grayson grimaced. “Look here, Tate, I think Missy here is gonna need a helping hand for a while—”
“Don’t think twice about it. I’ll make sure the Lazy M runs smoothly. You just get better, back to your old self.”
“Old self, sure enough.”
Carrie glanced from one to the other. “Boy, I sure am glad I have you two to tell me how to live my life and run my ranch. You have heard women are liberated these days, haven’t you?”
“Now don’t go getting all fired up, little Miss. We’ve only got your best interests at heart, and you know dang well—if you’re being sensible—you can’t run that ranch on your own.”
“I can give orders as well as the next man!”
“Sure you can. If you knew what orders to give!”
Tate stayed out of it. He pushed his hat back on his head and exchanged glances with Grayson, which Carrie caught.
“I’m just going to do the neighborly thing.” His voice was quiet and direct. “Same as you’d do for me, I’m sure, if I needed help.”
“But you have your own ranch to run!”
“I know I do.” He tightened his grip for a moment on her hand. “But my ranch runs just fine and a couple of hours off and on to ride over and check on things with you and Grayson won’t kill it. Just helping out.”
“Uh! I guess we’ll just worry about Grayson first, and the ranch second.”
“Eleanor get over to Tim okay? Boy all right?” Grayson played with his sheet, twisting it in his hands.
Carrie smiled. “He was sound asleep when I arrived.”
“He sure was a pro, Missy. I was reading him a story and suddenly stopped and said, ‘look, don’t be alarmed but I think we better call nine-one-one. I got a little bit of pain I don’t want getting any worse.’” Grayson snorted a laugh. “He said, ‘okay but Mom won’t like being called back from her hot date.’”
Carrie could feel her cheeks burning and settled her hat down on her head.
“‘Hot date’, huh?” Tate bit his lip as his eyes widened at Carrie. “Well, I must do better to live up to that expectation.”
* * *
He drove up her lane and stopped, the windshield wipers playing metronome against the silence of falling snow. Every so often, the wind would flutter trees and they’d shake their branches letting larger flakes fall. Tate leaned against the driver’s window and stared at her. She was huddled against the chill or maybe fear of handling the ranch on her own. He knew he’d be there for her, but the question was whether she’d let him.
“Your mother is waiting. She’s been very kind to be with Tim all this time.”
“Gave her something to do, rather than just playing cards with her friends and sticking her nose in my business. She doesn’t mind.”
“Did she like Stephie?” She at once wished she hadn’t asked, but had a strong desire to know. Eleanor had seemed so in control, so strong.
“Hated her. Told me all along she was the wrong girl for me, had too many expectations of being seen, being taken out to fancy restaurants and so on.”
“She’s not from a ranching family?”
“Stephie? Oh, she is, but never took to it. Did her stint as Rodeo Queen and then decided there was a wider world.”
Carrie seemed to ponder this for a moment. “And so there is. But my wider world includes Wyoming and places other than New York. New York is so insular; people always think the ‘best’ is there—the best doctors, the best lawyers, the best restaurants, and so on. They don’t see anything farther as being of any value.”
“And you do?”
Carrie giggled. “As Grayson might say, ‘heck yes!’”
Tate reached out and turned her face toward him. “You know you’re rather gorgeous when you’re not worrying, tripping, stuttering, stumbling—”
“So that’s what you think of me!”
“I think...I think you’re rather wonderful. You’ve taken your son and moved out here without knowing what exactly you were getting into, and you’ve bravely started a new life for the two of you, and you’re trying to do it all on
your own. It’s really very courageous of you.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, it is. I wouldn’t know the first thing about picking myself up and moving to New York. What I would find there. How I could get on, find a job, and so on.” He thought for a moment. “Or you can make that Denver instead of New York. Jeez, what the heck was she thinking?”
“Steph?”
“Yeah.”
“She was thinking she could make you into something you’re not.”
“Well. That’s over. For good.”
Stillness fell like a blanket over the two while the wipers continued their beat.
“I better go in and relieve your mom. Thanks so much for everything, Tate.”
“Well, thank you is just not going to be enough.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope.”
“I see. What then?”
“You wanted a hot date? Well....”
“Well?”
He moved in slowly until he could feel the warmth of her breath, the heat off her body as he gently moved her pompom to the back and rested his forehead for a moment against her. Then he lifted her chin, their gazes meeting before he moved in closer, slowly, and he waited to see if she wanted to pull back, but she didn’t. Her lips lifted to his as a warmth shot through him, right into his very being, and he captured her mouth and made the kiss deeper. As she leaned back against the window on her side, his hands came up to caress her face and hold her close.
Hold her dear.
Chapter Seven
“Tate’s been working here more than over at his own ranch. I wonder why.” The blast of cold air that came in with Grayson ceased with the snap of the back door. “You two seem to be sorting things out with little input from me.”
“And good afternoon to you, too. Yes, he’s been having lunch here most days while you’re resting and eating with the men. You didn’t know?”
“Well....”
“You did know. You’re just a nosey old woman.”
“Wait just a doggone second now.”
“What are you trying to find out? And sit down before you fall down.”
