by Kim Redford
“I’m thankful for you in my life.” Tears blurred Lauren’s vision as she stood helplessly looking at Hedy, one of the strongest, smartest, and bravest people she’d ever known. Suddenly she was struck by the terrible realization that her aunt was terrified of change. Hedy was afraid of losing what she’d built in life. She’d rather slowly slip into the sunset than risk what could make her whole in body and spirit once more.
“Go now.” Hedy spoke in a clipped tone, as if she was barely holding her emotions together. “We’ll talk more later. You’re the child of my heart, but right now you’ve deeply wounded me. I always thought you respected me and my choices even if I’m confined to a wheelchair. Now I wonder about that fact.”
“I do respect you. Perhaps more than you can ever realize. But I want more for you. I want to help.”
“Go to your daughter. Show her what it’s like to ride like the wind. I’ll never know it again. And that’s okay. I had my day, and it was a good one.”
“But Aunt Hedy—”
“Please, leave me now.” Hedy turned away and zipped toward the back of her store.
Lauren simply stood there, not knowing what to do. She felt tears slip down her cheeks, then wiped them off with the back of her hand. She straightened her shoulders, picked up her handbag, slung the strap over her shoulder, and marched toward the front door. When she reached the Bluebird of Happiness display, she stopped and looked at the cat curled peacefully amongst the beautiful glass birds.
Rosie raised her face, cocked her head, and twitched her ears.
“Take care of Aunt Hedy for me, will you?”
Rosie meowed, stood up, stretched, leaped down, and headed for the back of the store.
“Aunt Hedy,” Lauren called, putting steel in her voice. “We’re not nearly done here. Right now I’m headed to Sure-Shot to pick out a pony—and a therapy horse.”
She waited a moment, but got no reply. “Okay. I’ll see you later.”
When she opened the front door and stepped outside, she caught the scent of pine and cedar drifting on the breeze. She inhaled deeply, as if drawing in the strength of Wildcat Bluff’s founders and the powerful Comanche who’d made this land their home.
She walked over to her SUV and looked back at Adelia’s Delights. Birds of blue glass flickered in the sunlight, reminding her that courage came in many forms, from tiny sparrows defending their babies to eagles soaring above the clouds.
Somehow or other, she wouldn’t give up till she’d found the key to unlocking the courage that Hedy had shown throughout her life.
Chapter 25
Kent sat on a wooden bench in front of the Bluebonnet Café in Sure-Shot. He ate his butter pecan ice cream cone and felt like a kid again. Hannah sat beside him busily licking her strawberry ice cream and humming happily to herself. He enjoyed the companionable silence as he watched a faded red pickup hauling a horse trailer drive past on Main Street.
Hannah was opening up his life in a way he never could have imagined, no matter how many times Sydney had told him Storm was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Now he was beginning to understand the charm of a child adding so much to a person’s life.
“Do we need to tell Mommy we had ice cream for breakfast?” Hannah asked in her sweet, high voice.
“Technically, it’s not breakfast.”
“It’s morning.” She licked her ice cream and left a smudge of pink on the tip of her nose. “I never get ice cream mornings.”
“You do today.” He picked up a napkin from the mound he’d set between them. “Lean over and let me get that ice cream off your nose.”
She crossed her eyes as she tried to see strawberry on the end of her nose, tossing her head one way and then the other.
He couldn’t keep from chuckling because she appeared so adorably comical, but he laughed out loud when she stuck out her tongue to lick at the ice cream.
“Did I get it?”
“Not even close.”
“I hate to waste ice cream.” She looked down at his napkin, then back at his face. “I guess you better clean me up. Pink on my nose is a mommy no-no.”
“Yep, it is.” He quickly rubbed the little smudge clean. Last thing he wanted was for Lauren to think he’d let her daughter get as messy as his truck.
“Cowboy Daddy,” Hannah said in a solemn voice, “you did that good. It didn’t hurt a bit.”
With those few appreciative words and the admiration in her big, brown eyes, Kent felt as if she’d captured his heart. First her mommy. And now her. He hadn’t gotten that barbwire in place nearly fast enough if he still wanted to protect his heart. He wasn’t so sure he did anymore.
As he finished off his ice cream and crunched down on the cone, he realized Hannah wasn’t able to keep up with the melt. Pink was oozing down her hand and dripping onto her arm. She changed hands to lick the liquid off and smeared pink across her cheek while she accidentally tipped the cone and ice cream oozed out, over, and off onto her lap.
“Oh no, big mess!” She looked up at him with panic in her eyes.
He felt the same sense of panic. What was he going to do? She obviously expected him to fix the mess. He grabbed a bunch of napkins, but he didn’t think that was the answer. He needed to turn a hose on her. A trip to the car wash would be about right. But he was sure those weren’t the right choices, not when he’d have to explain his actions to Lauren.
He glanced outward, as if he could pull the right answer out of the sky. And low and behold, that’s about what greeted him. He saw Lauren turn off the street in her SUV and park in front of the café.
“Hey, there!” She stepped out of her vehicle, smiling at them.
“Hi, Mommy,” Hannah said in a small voice, glancing down at her lap and up again.
“You arrived just in the nick of time.” Kent stood and gestured toward Hannah. “We had an accident.”
“Mess!” Hannah smeared ice cream into her long, blond hair as she tried to clean her face.
Lauren chuckled and quickly walked over to them. “I can’t tell you how much you both just lifted my spirits.”
“That was my line,” Kent said. “I’m clueless about how to clean up Hannah.”
“It’s a mommy secret.” Lauren winked.
“Want a lick?” Hannah held out her cone with ice cream oozing down her hand. “Cowboy Daddy says it’s not breakfast.”
“Does he now?” Lauren glanced at Kent, obviously holding back a laugh at the situation.
“Yes, I do.” He smiled, taking in Lauren’s beauty like a brilliant sun rising at daybreak. “Morning ice cream. I’ll treat you, too. What flavor do you want?”
“This morning absolutely screams for ice cream,” Lauren said with a heartfelt sigh.
“Screams for ice cream!” Hannah giggled, shaking in mirth and sending ice cream droplets flying outward.
“I’d better take over here,” Lauren said in a humorous tone. “You get the ice cream while I do the cleanup.”
“You got it.”
“I’ll take a double mocha chocolate.”
“Good choice.” Kent would’ve bought her a whole gallon in appreciation for her timely arrival, but he figured that might only cause more trouble.
“I bet some wet paper towels in the restroom will get the sticky off. A pass of her clothes through the washer later will do the rest.” She took Hannah’s cone out of her small hand. “Done with it?”
Hannah nodded, appearing relieved at Lauren taking over. “Cowboy Daddy got me a double.”
Lauren smiled at Kent. “She’s still on the small side for a double cone.”
“Yeah, I can see that now.”
Lauren tossed the messy cone in a nearby trash before she led Hannah by her sticky hand into the café.
Kent sat down with a sigh of relief. He wasn’t ordering any more ice cre
am till Lauren got back. Who knew how long it took to clean up a little girl. Last thing he needed was another melting mess. If he wasn’t careful, Lauren was going to think he didn’t know how to take care of his life, or at least keep it in order. What with his messy pickup and all. Thankfully, he hadn’t let her see the inside of his house.
He took a deep breath and leaned back against the bench, feeling the sun warm on his face. He was beginning to think raising a child might not be quite as easy as Lauren made it look. One thing was for sure, ice cream cones could be dangerous. He’d better stick with cups from now on out.
When Lauren returned a little later, Hannah looked a bit damp around the edges but perfectly happy.
“Where’s my ice cream cone?” Lauren asked, putting a hand on her hip as if taking a tough stance.
He threw up his hands. “I wasn’t taking any chances on melting ice cream.”
She laughed as she shook her head.
“I’ll get it and be right back.” He almost opened the door, then stopped and looked back. “Cup okay?”
“Don’t you dare! I want a waffle cone.”
“Think you can handle it?” he teased, enjoying the challenge in her eyes.
“Maybe if you help me.”
He rolled his eyes, feeling a surge of heat at the idea of sharing ice cream licks with her. He quickly opened the door. He heard her teasing laughter as he stepped into the Bluebonnet, knowing she was thinking just what he was thinking. At this rate, they both probably needed cold ice cream to cool their hot bodies.
Fortunately, there was no waiting because Elsie, the owner and server, was behind the old-fashioned soda bar. He placed his order, got his double-dip cone, and headed back. When he stepped outside, Lauren was waiting for him, a naughty smile on her lips. Hannah had returned to the bench and was swinging her legs back and forth as if there’d been no mess at all.
He walked over to Lauren and held out the cone, but when she reached for it, he pulled it back and took a big bite.
“Oh, you’re bad,” she said in a breathy voice.
“Want some?” he asked, teasing her.
“I do!” Hannah leaped up and held high her chin.
Lauren burst out laughing and he joined her. He quickly held down the cone and let Hannah take a big lick.
She gave him a grin, then plopped back onto the bench and watched traffic again.
“Are you two going to leave me any ice cream?” Lauren mock complained as she looked at Kent.
He held out the cone to her, wanting to see her eat it even as he knew that was going to make him hotter still.
“Thanks.” She took the cone, suggestively stroking across his hand with her long fingers, then turned the ice cream and licked right over the spot where he’d taken a bite. She looked up at him, eyes dark with mischief and building heat, as she let her pink tongue slid up the side of the ice cream scoop and back into her mouth.
“I think I’d better thank you, too, for that fine visual.”
She threw back her head and laughed at his underlying message. “Any time, cowboy.”
“I’ll take you up on those words later.”
She simply grinned, then set about enjoying her ice cream as she tormented him with one lick after another.
When Kent couldn’t take the torture anymore, he looked away and down the street toward the old Sinclair station. “I talked with Billye Jo about a pony for Hannah.”
“Yay!” Hannah glanced up at him and grinned wide enough to show most of her white teeth.
He smiled down at her, enjoying her happiness. “Billye Jo said she had a paint pony—half-Shetland—that she thought would be perfect.”
“Really?” Lauren finished her ice cream by popping the tip into her mouth and crunching down. “That’s wonderful news. But will this horse suit my daughter?”
“Pony. Pony. Pony.” Hannah jumped to her feet and danced up and down the boardwalk.
“Billye Jo said the pony is a mare of ten hands and doesn’t buck, bite, or kick. She’s been ridden by a six-year-old girl on trail rides and play days until she graduated to a bigger horse.”
“Sounds perfect. When can we see the pony?”
“Billye Jo was coming to the Sure-Shot rodeo arena today, so she said she’d bring the pony with her.”
“That’s great. It’ll save us a drive out to her ranch.”
“That’s what Billye Jo thought, too,” Kent agreed.
“When is she going to get here?”
“Pretty soon. She said to meet her at the Sinclair station.” He glanced down the street, but he didn’t see anybody there yet.
“Okay,” Lauren agreed. “Why don’t we go ahead and wait for her down there.”
“Suits me.”
“Sweetie, come along with me now.” Lauren held out her hand to her daughter.
Hannah stomped her foot. “I want to ride with Cowboy Daddy.”
“You’ve already ridden with him,” Lauren said. “You don’t want to wear out your welcome, do you?”
Hannah shook her head and trudged over to the SUV.
Kent didn’t want the little girl to feel rejected, but he didn’t want to go against her mother’s word either. “Hannah, you can ride with me some other time.”
She glanced up at him, hope shinning in her big eyes. “For sure?”
“Sure enough.” He opened the passenger door of his pickup, pulled out the booster seat, and carried it over to Lauren’s SUV. As soon as he had it correctly installed, he gestured for Hannah.
“Thanks.” Lauren steered her daughter over to her SUV, buckled Hannah inside, and returned to Kent. “You’ve got a good way with children.”
“I do my best.” He smiled, deciding that if he hauled Hannah around much more he ought to get a booster seat to keep in his truck. A little red seat was a lot less than what he used to haul horses and cattle, so it wouldn’t be much trouble. And its occupant would be a lot more fun. “Come on. Let’s get down to the station.”
“I’m right behind you.”
Kent got into his pickup, backed out, made sure Lauren was behind him, and drove the short distance to the station. It didn’t look much different than it had yesterday. Then again, he figured there hadn’t been enough time to make many changes. He hoped the beauty salon worked out for Billye Jo’s daughter. It was a good idea, and they could always use new businesses in Wildcat Bluff County.
He parked in front and stepped outside. Lauren pulled in beside him, so he walked around to her side of the SUV. She lowered her window and looked up at him.
“Any sign of Billye Jo?” she asked.
“Guess she could’ve ridden over since the arena is across the field behind the station. Let me go look.”
She nodded, then raised her window again.
He checked the Sinclair station as he walked around the side of the building to make sure there was no sign of vandalism like they’d seen the day before. Wildcat Bluff Fire-Rescue hadn’t gotten a call about any more fires, but he still felt uneasy that the firebug hadn’t been caught yet. If some kids were simply letting off steam, then the fires might stop as quickly as they’d started and they’d never know who’d caused them. That’d be okay by him, if that’s the way it turned out, just so long as the fires didn’t escalate or do more damage.
As he walked around to the back of the structure, he smelled smoke. He quickly glanced around the area but didn’t see anything suspicious. Maybe somebody was burning trash or had a fireplace going and the wind had whipped the smoke in his direction. But he didn’t think that was likely, not with the trouble Sure-Shot was having with fires. Worst of all, Lauren and Hannah were sitting out front in a vulnerable position.
And then he saw smoke curling out around the edges of the back door. He ran over there. The door had been jimmied open before being shut tight again. An
old building like this one would draw in oxygen like a bellows and feed the flames fast and furious. Far as he could tell, he’d gotten to the scene pretty quick after the fire had started, but a dry building like this would go up fast.
No time to call in help. He was it. One lone firefighter to beat back the flames and try to save Sure-Shot.
But first, he had to make sure Lauren and Hannah got to safety.
Chapter 26
Kent ran around the side of the building, hoping against hope that he’d be in time to control the blaze. He slid to a stop beside Lauren’s SUV, saw her talking with Hannah, and pounded on her window with the flat of his hand to get her attention.
She quickly lowered the window, looking at him in concern.
“We’ve got a fire out back!”
“Oh no! What can I do to help?”
“Take Hannah to safety first.” He glanced back at the structure and smelled smoke even stronger now. “I’ve got fire extinguishers in my truck. Good thing I had time to refill them after we used them at Bert’s barn. Maybe they’ll be enough. For now, get down to the Bluebonnet and tell Elsie to spread the word to the other business owners. If they’ve got extra fire extinguishers, maybe Elsie or somebody could bring them to me real quick.”
“And I’ll alert Wildcat Bluff Fire-Rescue.”
“Good. A rig can’t get here in time for the Sinclair station, but volunteers need to know in case the fire gets out of hand.” He leaned down and pressed a fierce kiss to Lauren’s lips. “Now get the hell out of here.”
She nodded, then backed up and headed toward downtown.
With Lauren and Hannah safely on their way, Kent’s mind returned to the fire. He jogged over to his pickup and jerked open the back door. He quickly pulled on his fire-resistant yellow parka and made sure gloves were in one pocket. He pulled a face mask out of another pocket, jerked the mask over his head, and left it to dangle below his chin. He zipped his parka up to his jaw and pulled up the hood to protect his head.
Now he wore as much protection as he had with him, so he leaned back into his truck, grabbed the two professional fire extinguishers, and slung them over his shoulders by the straps. He selected a military-type spade, snapped up the handle, and tucked it under a canister strap. He didn’t have a hose attached to a water source since the building was still closed, but he might make do with dirt to smother the flames if he ran out of juice.
