Between Two Sisters (contemporary western romance novella)

by Shayna Ryan

  “Can I see her now?”

  “Not yet. I understand that her parents are on the way?” Billy nodded. “She keeps asking for her mother. At this point I’m inclined to limit visitors to her parents only. If she asks for you, we’ll come get you, but otherwise you’ll have to wait until morning.” The doctor gave him an apologetic look before excusing himself to go deal with his other patients.

  Billy wandered back to the waiting room, numb from the shock of it all. He was relieved that Melanie would be okay, and that this didn’t ruin her chances of having children in the future. The news that the baby was gone left him feeling hollowed out and empty inside. The pregnancy may have been unplanned, but it didn’t make it hurt any less that his child was gone before it ever even properly arrived. It was a lot to take in all at once.

  No sooner had he sat down again in the waiting room than the sliding entrance door slid open and the Haffners rushed in. Billy jumped up as they hurried over to him, and his heart raced when he realized Cass was with them.

  Cass. He hadn’t seen her since that unfortunate incident with Melanie’s engagement ring. She had successfully avoided him since then; not that he had gone looking for her. Even now she refused to look him in the eye. Mr. Haffner caught him staring at her and gave him a stern look. His unspoken message was clear: leave her alone.

  “What’s the news?” Mrs. Haffner asked breathlessly. Her eyes were rimmed red from crying the whole way over, and even now her cheeks were wet with tears.

  “She lost the baby, but she’ll be okay. She has to be admitted for a few days.” Billy explained the few details the doctor had conveyed to him as Mrs. Haffner wrung her hands and Mr. Haffner listened with creases of worry on his brow. Cass hung silently behind them, and Billy made sure to not even glance at her again.

  Mrs. Haffner gave him a quick hug before she asked the nurse at the emergency reception desk to take them to see Melanie.

  “Parents only,” the nurse explained, looking at Cass. She gave her mother a quick hug and said something in her ear, but Billy was too far away to overhear it. The Haffners followed the nurse into the heart of the emergency room, and Cass took a seat in the waiting area.

  Billy stood there for a moment, debating what to do. He picked a seat as far away from Cass as he could get and sat down with a magazine to wait. It was hard to even be in the same room with her. The evening had been emotionally charged enough, and now she was there, too.

  Billy spent the next twenty minutes staring at the same page in the magazine, pretending to read while his mind was in another place. He desperately wanted to see Melanie, to support her during her time of loss, but the doctor had made it clear that he wasn’t welcome to visit her yet unless she requested him. He was a bit hurt that she hadn’t asked for him, but he tried to remind himself that she and her mother were very close, and it was only natural that she wanted her mother by her side right now.

  The events of the evening were so overwhelming for him that he didn’t even realize that Cass was approaching him until she was right in front of him. He braced himself against the wrath he was convinced she was about to unleash.

  “Hey,” she said softly. Her tone was quiet and uncertain, and it took him by surprise.

  “Hey.”

  “I was thinking about grabbing a cup of coffee. Do you want one?”

  He shrugged, unsure of how to react to her offer. “I guess that’d be good.”

  Cass turned and began to head towards the doorway that would take her to the main hospital, and the cafeteria. “Aren’t you coming?” she called back over her shoulder.

  Billy got up and followed her hesitantly. They walked in silence through the corridor, and he left plenty of extra space in between them as they made their way to the cafeteria. He didn’t have any idea what to say to her.

  They got their coffees without speaking, and Cass said nothing when Billy pulled out his wallet to pay for the both of them. It wasn’t until they were almost back at the emergency room that Cass attempted to break down the wall of tension between them.

  She stopped suddenly, a few paces from the emergency room doors, and Billy stopped automatically as well.

  “I’m sorry about the baby, Billy. Really, I am.” He could tell her words were genuine, and it touched him. After all he put her through, she was still able to offer him her condolences.

  “Thanks, Cass. It’s weird, you know? I don’t think it’s fully set in for me yet that the baby’s gone.” He examined his coffee with great interest as he spoke, trying to avoid her gaze. He didn’t deserve her kindness. “I’m just glad Mel will be okay.”

  “Me, too.”

  They stayed like that, standing awkwardly in the hallway, unsure of how to react to the other.

  Billy took a deep breath. It was now or never. “I’m so sorry, Cass. For everything. This isn’t what I wanted for any of us.”

  Something within Cass seemed to change, and instead of answering him, she bolted into the emergency room without another word to him. Anger boiled off of her, and Billy chastised himself for bringing it up right now. It wasn’t the time or place for it, but he feared he’d never get another chance to apologize for the pain he caused her. He couldn’t change the past, but he could at least try to let her know how much he regretted it.

  When he entered the waiting room, Cass was in a chair against the far wall. She didn’t even glance up at him. He picked a seat far from her and leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. He fell asleep at some point, because the next thing he knew, Mrs. Haffner was gently shaking him to wake him up.

  “Melanie’s asking for you,” she told him. “We’ll wait out here to give you two some privacy.”

  His eyes snapped open and he rose from his chair, eager to see her. A nurse waited by the door to lead him to Melanie.

  Her color was still awful, but she gave him a weak smile when he entered the room. Various machines monitored her vital signs, and bags of IV fluids were steadily entering her body through the catheter in her hand.

  Billy carefully kissed his cheek before sitting down in the chair beside the bed. “How are you doing?” He felt stupid asking her that, but he didn’t know what else to say.

  “The baby’s gone,” she whispered, with tears in her eyes.

  “I know, and I’m sorry.”

  “It’s over, Billy. This is all just a sign that we’re not meant to happen; not this way. I don’t think-”

  “Don’t talk like that, Mel. It’s been a terrible night, and you’re very upset. It’s not the time to make any rash decisions right now.”

  “It’s not a rash decision,” she argued. “It was a rash decision to decide we had to be together because we had a baby on the way.”

  “Don’t say that,” he admonished her. “You’re weak, and we’ve just gone through some serious trauma. You don’t know what you’re saying!”

  “I know exactly what I’m saying, Billy. This was good, in a way. Marty wasn’t right for me; I know that now.”

  “You considered going back to Marty?”

  “No, I’m done with him. But I’m done with you, too. You’re an honorable man, and I appreciate what you were willing to do for me, and our child, but it’s time to be honest with ourselves. The night we spent together was great, and I’ll always treasure our friendship, but this is not high school anymore. A mutual crush as teenagers and an unplanned pregnancy don’t make us right for each other, Billy. You know it, and I do, too.”

  “Melanie-”

  “I need you to go, in a minute, because this is wearing me out, but there’s one more thing you need to know- Cass is in love with you.”

  -13-

  “Cass hates me,” he scoffed.

  “Right now, yes. But I know my sister, and she’s in love with you. That night you brought her home…well, let’s just say she’s never been so angry with me, ever. That’s not like Cass at all. Men have always come and gone in her life, and she’s never cared before. She’s always flitted fro
m one to the next, and if someone drops her or she drops him, it’s no big deal to her, and she just moves on to the next one. Not with you, Billy. I’m telling you- she’s in love with you. And I know that you love her too. We gave it a good try, but it’s done now. We’re free. I really am sorry about losing the baby, but I think it might have been for the best.”

  Billy could see that she was putting on a brave face for his sake, and he didn’t believe for a moment that she had accepted the loss of their baby yet.

  “Can we talk about this later? You really need your rest.”

  “Okay. Can you send my mom back in?”

  “You got it.” He kissed her once more, and his mind raced. Did she really mean it, that she didn’t want to be with him now that the baby was gone? He had no disillusions that Cass would take him back, and it devastated him to realize that he may have lost not one, but both women he loved. Melanie’s words hurt, but deep down inside, he was relieved that this might all be coming to an end. Perhaps she was right about them.

  Back in the waiting area, he relayed Melanie’s request to Mrs. Haffner, being careful to not even glance in Cass’s direction. Mrs. Haffner hurried off to rejoin Melanie, and Mr. Haffner pulled him aside.

  “Melanie told me.”

  “Told you what?” He was confused; he thought they were all on the same page about the miscarriage already.

  “She told me that you two were through, now that there’s no child on the way.”

  Billy struggled to come up with a reply.

  “I imagine that she’s not in her right mind, after all of this,” Mr. Haffner continued, “but I want to ask you to do the right thing here and respect her wishes. Give her time to sort it all out, but if that’s what she wants, I hope you’ll respect that.”

  “I will.”

  Mr. Haffner sighed and shifted uncomfortably, and Billy sensed there was more he had to say.

  “I like you, Billy, you know that. But if she’s through with you, I’ll have to let you go from the ranch. I can’t keep you on, after all of this with my girls. You have to understand; it’s not personal, but I have to watch out for them.”

  “I understand, Sir.” And he did. If he and Melanie weren’t together, there was no reason for him to stay at the ranch anymore. His presence would cause too much pain for both of the Haffner sisters. “I’d like to come back tomorrow, to see Melanie.”

  “I prefer that you don’t, honestly. She’s asked me to tell you to give her some space.”

  “I see.” It felt like the world was falling away from him. Now even Melanie didn’t want to see him.

  As he drove back to his cabin, the tears finally came. He cried for all he had lost- his unborn child, Melanie, Cass, his job…it felt as if his whole life had unraveled in just a few short weeks. He wasn’t worthy of either Haffner girl; he knew that now. It had been foolish to think he could just waltz back to the ranch, fall in love, and reclaim his youth. The whole Haffner family had paid dearly for his mistakes, as had he. It was time to put it all behind him.

  In the morning he arranged to have some flowers delivered to Melanie. He would respect her need for space, but he also wanted to let her know he was thinking of her. As hard as losing the baby was on him, he imagined it was even worse for her. He needed to let her know that she was on his mind, even after her declaration ending their relationship.

  Mr. Haffner had given him a few days off because of all that had happened the night before. While he was glad for the break from work because he’d be useless given his current mental state, having so many empty hours before him terrified him. He didn’t know what to do with himself, but he knew he couldn’t just sit around the cabin.

  He decided to take Gobie out for a long ride. It would do him some good to get out in the fresh air and sunshine. Some of the other ranch hands were working in the barn when he arrived, but he wasn’t in the mood to chit chat with anyone. They all gave him a wide berth anyway. Since the news about him impregnating Melanie had come out, he had become the ranch pariah with the other staff members. He didn’t have the time or inclination to worry about it for the moment.

  Gobie led the way, and Billy gave him his head so he could go where he wanted to wander. He had no destination in mind, so it was fine with him if his ride selected their path for the afternoon. The horse wound his way around the back of the barn and onto the road to head towards the cattle barn. Billy found the idea of running into more of his co-workers unnerving, so he decided to steer the horse to one of the trails nearby. Gobie obeyed, and Billy felt some of his tension dissipate as they moved away from the barn.

  As the horse ambled into the open field, Billy spied a familiar mare racing across the field towards them- without a rider. His heart leapt into his throat when he realized the mare belonged to Cass. He let the horse flee past him; she was headed to the barn, and someone would grab her there, but where was her rider?

  He urged Gobie to pick up the pace, and he called for Cass as he trotted across the field, scanning the landscape for her.

  “Over here!” He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her call back to him from the far edge of the field. He halted Gobie, hopped off, and led him towards her voice as he walked on foot.

  “Where?” If she could talk, she was probably not seriously injured, but adrenaline still pounded through his veins.

  “Here!” He spotted her through the tall grass. She was sitting on the ground, cradling her wrist, and her cheeks were streaked with tears.

  “Cass, are you okay?” He dropped Gobie’s reins and raced towards her. His steed dropped his head and began to graze, uninterested in his freedom. He wasn’t going anywhere.

  “I’m fine, except for this wrist.” Without thinking about it, Billy dropped onto his knees besides her and gently examined her wrist. It was already swelling up, and an angry purple bruise was blooming in one area. “One minute I was riding along, and everything was fine, and the next my mare bucked, out of the blue. I think something stung her, and she got spooked.”

  Billy released her wrist and gently laid his hand against her wet cheek as he stared into her bright green eyes. He was relieved her injuries didn’t appear to be too serious, and he couldn’t resist trying to comfort her. “We need to get you to the doctor to see if it’s broken. Can you ride?” He debated riding back and grabbing his truck to come pick her up, but it was all the way back the horse barn, and he didn’t want to leave her alone like this.

  Cass nodded hesitantly. “I guess I’ll have to, huh?”

  Billy helped her to her feet, trying to ignore the close contact between them. He had her stay put, and he went and grabbed Gobie, who had wandered a little bit away from them as he grazed.

  “I’m gonna have to lift you up there, Cass,” he warned.

  “All right.” Billy carefully grasped her waist with both hands from behind and lifted her onto Gobie. It was awkward, putting his hand on the love that he had lost in such an intimate way, and the tension between them was palpable.

  He grabbed Gobie’s reins and began to lead him across the field while she rode.

  “Billy?” He stopped and turned to meet her gaze. “You can ride too. I mean, if you want to. I don’t think I should bounce around trotting or anything, but it would be faster if we both rode,” she said shyly. Her voice quivered a bit.

  His mouth became dry as he considered riding with her. It would mean getting close, very close to her, and the mere thought of it made his heart race. He silently chided himself for trying to read further into her offer than was necessary. She was just being sensible; it would be faster if they both rode.

  He didn’t answer her, but instead motioned for her to slide forward in the saddle. Once she had, he swung himself up behind her and she handed him the reins.

  “Hold onto me,” she said breathlessly as she leaned back against him. “I don’t feel so good.” He could see that she had broken into a clammy sweat from the pain in her wrist.

  Billy hesitantly complied a
nd held the reins in one hand. He wrapped his free arm firmly around her stomach and pulled her right up against her. If she fainted, he couldn’t let her fall.

  “Let’s get out of here” he whispered in her ear as her head lolled against his chest, “Hang in there, sweetheart, we’ll get you some help.” She didn’t reply and Billy could tell she was in far more pain than she had initially let on.

  He held Gobie to a brisk but steady walk as they made their way back to the horse barn, to his truck. Neither he nor Cass spoke, and he battled his urge to confess the deep feelings he had for her as they rode. It was unlikely that he’d ever have her in his arms again, but he knew that he knew that it would be wrong to bring it up now. To take advantage of the situation would be selfish, and he stifled the words of love that rose to his lips for her sake.

  He helped her down off the horse and into his truck before calling for one of the other ranch hands to put Gobie away.

  Cass looked horrible. Her complexion was pasty and she was still sweating from the pain. Moving her around as they did to get her out of the fields had clearly made her pain worse.

  “We’ll be there soon, you just hang on now,” he soothed as he started up the truck.

  Neither spoke as they made their way to the hospital. At one point Billy snuck a glance at Cass and saw she had her head tilted back against the seat and her eyes closed. The grimace of pain on her face said it all.

  Once they arrived at the hospital, Billy ran inside and grabbed a wheelchair for her. As he carefully helped her out of the truck and into it, he deliberately tried not to notice their close proximity to each other. It was hard to ignore it.

  Once the nurse at the emergency room reception desk saw how much pain Cass was in, she fast-tracked her to a triage room instead of asking them to sit in the waiting area to be called. Billy stepped out to phone Mr. Haffner and let him know what was going on. He and his wife were already at the hospital visiting Melanie, and they came right down to the emergency room once they were notified.