by Leann Harris
He found himself looking forward to driving out to the restaurant tomorrow night. His mind wandered back to the kiss he shared with Sophie.
The heart he thought had shriveled up and died suddenly made itself known. His high school girlfriend, he later learned, had only wanted his father’s connections to the movers and shakers in Taos, only wanted to advance her career in public relations. And his college girlfriend had abandoned him the moment he was commissioned in the army. He didn’t fit into her plans for advancement.
Walking into the bedroom, he sat on the bed and removed his prosthesis, setting it by the nightstand. His leg had healed nicely. Looking down at what was left of his leg came the nagging fear of what Sophie would think after seeing it. He wouldn’t allow his parents to see the stump. Ethan had seen it, but that was because he helped Zach in the beginning with putting on the prosthesis.
The army shrinks told him how to deal with others’ emotions and reactions, but it was his roommate in the hospital that had helped him the most. Talk to God is what Bill told him to do.
The urge to talk to his friend hit him. He picked up the phone and called Bill.
“Hey, friend, how are you doing?” Bill asked.
Zach told him about his weeks at the ranch.
“I wish I could’ve done that. I think it would’ve made my recovery easier.”
“Check around you, Bill. You might have something there in Lubbock.”
“I will. Is that the reason you called, friend? Wanted me to start equine therapy?”
Bill saw right through him. “No. I have a couple of questions. What was your wife’s reaction to seeing you without your prosthesis?”
Bill laughed. “The only reason I can think you’d be asking me that particular question is you’ve found someone.”
“I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Oh-ho. I’m right. Well, Terri’s reaction was to thank God that I’m alive. She’s grateful I lived. She’s never been repulsed by the sight of my stumps.”
The weight on Zach’s shoulders lifted.
“My mother cried, but I knew she was glad I was alive. After my daughter’s first look at it, she asked, ‘Does it hurt?’ When I told her sometimes, she nodded, accepted and went on. It didn’t faze her.”
“I can believe that. I’ve been working with a little boy who thinks my leg makes me special.”
“Kids are great.”
Too bad all folks didn’t react the way Andy did.
“Since you’re working with equine therapy, have you talked to anyone at Walter Reed? Folks might want to know about where you’re working.”
“No, but that’s a good idea. Thanks.”
“Zach, don’t let that missing leg define your life. If it’s the right lady, it won’t bother her.”
Bill’s words rang through his head as he reached for his crutches. After he finished in the bathroom, he slid into bed.
Sophie knew who he was, and she’d been working with who he is now.
His feelings for Sophie made him want more. He’d see how she’d held up to his parents’ inquisition tomorrow night. If she could handle them, then she probably could handle anything.
Hope filled his heart.
Sophie hurried and dressed. How she slept so late, she didn’t know, but she needed to get to the stable.
“Okay, Lord, I know why,” she said as she grabbed a muffin and banana from the kitchen counter. She hurried out the front door toward the ranch office. Ollie pulled up in his truck. He was running late, too.
“Morning,” Sophie called out.
Ollie grunted a greeting.
He looked pale this morning. His gait wasn’t as steady as it normally was.
She moved to his side. “Are you feeling all right this morning?”
“I’m okay.”
She wanted to argue with him, but if he wanted to show up here, she wouldn’t make a fuss. But something wasn’t right with the man. He’d never been as sick as he had been these past few weeks. “I’m going to run interference for Zach tonight with his parents.”
That got Ollie’s attention. “What?”
“Zach’s mom heard about our exercise yesterday and wants to know more about it. I’m to explain what is going on to them.”
“Good for you. I think you’ve done something special for that boy.”
Sophie wanted to laugh at Ollie’s use of “that boy,” but she guessed from Ollie’s view, Zach was a boy. “It’s as if God sent Zach here to heal and help us establish the program for vets.”
“I think you’re right.”
They walked toward the office. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Sure, bring me a cup.”
They split up and she went to the office and Ollie walked into the stable. She heard the horses greet him.
She quickly made coffee and checked the schedule for today. She ate her muffin and poured herself a cup of coffee, gulping it down before she poured herself a second cup and Ollie his first.
Taking the mugs outside, she found him working in the tack room. She left the mug there and walked down the hall to greet each of the horses. Sam and Prince Charming always loved a greeting and pat in the morning.
She put the halter on Sam and brought her to the mounting steps. Walking to the tack room, she heard someone retching.
Looking into the tack room, she didn’t see Ollie.
Whoever was throwing up continued to be sick. Sophie walked out of the stable and saw Ollie bent over. He stood on the side of the stable.
Racing to his side, Sophie put her hand on Ollie’s back.
He looked at her and she saw the bleakness in his eyes.
“Let me help you to the office.”
He didn’t object, and that frightened Sophie more than anything else.
Once he settled in a chair, Sophie caught another chair and pulled it up to Ollie.
“What’s wrong? And don’t tell me it’s a stomach virus.”
Ollie wouldn’t look her in the eye.
She grabbed his hand and held it. “Ollie, you can tell me anything. You’re as close as my dad to me.”
His eyes met hers. “Don’t say that, because you don’t talk to your father.”
She gasped; his words nearly knocked her out of her chair.
“I’m sorry, Sophie. That wasn’t right of me.”
She wouldn’t duck the truth. “You’re right. I need to call my parents, but that’s not going to tell me what’s wrong with you.”
He scratched the back of his neck. “I’m sick. Got cancer.”
Shock and grief ran through her. “When did you discover it?”
“Right after Margaret had her stroke, I had bad stomach pains for a couple of weeks. I went to the doctor, thinking I might need something for an ulcer. He ran some tests and told me it was cancer. They operated and took out a tumor. Now I’ve got those torture treatments. Makes me sick for days. I can’t even enjoy coffee.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“’Cause you got enough problems without worrying about me. I wasn’t going to put you into that hole. You need to be thinkin’ about those kids and not some old coot.”
Tears gathered in her eyes. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re my friend. More like a family member who’s there to help.” Snatching the tissue from the box on the desk, she wiped her eyes. “You are part of this team, and we share. If nothing else, I can pray.”
Ollie grasped Sophie’s hand. “That’s why I know God sent Zach here. He’s helping keep things together. And you’re helping him.”
His words struck a chord in her heart. “You’re right. I think the Lord knew what we needed.” She bit her bottom lip, praying for the right words to say to her friend. “You work as much as you like, but if you feel after a treatment you can’t, don’t come in. Call. We have several more volunteers coming. They won’t replace you, but Zach seems good at directing them.”
Ollie started to stand, but his legs gave out on him.
>
“Would you like to use the sofa in the guesthouse to lie down and take a nap?”
He shook his head. “Naw. I just need a little time to get my stomach right.”
Glancing at her watch, she knew she needed to get back outside and saddle Sam. “Take your time, Ollie.”
Over the next hour and a half, Sophie didn’t have time to dwell on the news Ollie just gave her. Between the volunteers that needed to be directed and the kids and parents, every moment was filled.
Zach worked along with her, but she caught him stealing glances at her.
Ollie appeared and moved slowly about. He didn’t act as a sidewalker, but helped with the horses.
After she finished working with her third rider, Sophie slipped into the office, telling herself it was for a bottle of water. She opened the mini-fridge and stared at the bottles of water. Tears filled her eyes and she couldn’t see anything in front of her.
Lord, Lord, why?
She didn’t remember closing the fridge door, or when Zach came into the office, but somehow she felt her face pressed against Zach’s chest.
“Shh, Sophie.” He lightly ran his hand over her back.
“Ollie has cancer,” she said between sobs.
“I know.”
It took several moments for Zach’s words to sink in. When they did, she pulled back and looked at him. “You know?”
His fingers wiped away the tears. “He told me.”
She stepped away from him. “And you’ve been keeping that a secret?”
“Ollie asked me to. He’s worried that with Margaret’s illness, it would be too much for you to have to worry about.”
Anger flared to life. “How dare you not tell me something that important.”
“Ollie asked me not to tell you. I gave my word.”
“I don’t care. You should’ve told me,” she spat back.
“My word is my bond. I told Ollie that you needed to know, but he didn’t want to tell you.”
She wanted to yell at him, to tell him he should’ve told her, no matter his promise. Her conscience pricked her, letting her know she was being unreasonable. She wasn’t ready to be reasonable yet. The hurt was too fresh. Instead, she turned around and walked out of the office. The next rider was here.
Zach worked with Red, a six-year-old mare that the younger children rode. He sprayed her down after her session and led her back to her stall.
He worked, trying not to think of how mad Sophie had been. He knew she felt betrayed. He prayed she would realize no one had betrayed her, but Ollie simply wanted to spare her the additional worry about his cancer.
Since Red was finished for the day, she needed to be groomed and fed. After he brushed her and rubbed her down, he walked to the feed room. Sophie stopped him before the door.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you.”
“I understand. I was a convenient target. You couldn’t yell at Ollie.”
She leaned against the wall. “Am I doing the right thing here, Zach? It seems that major obstacles are being thrown in my way. Should I just quit after we finish these sessions?”
He touched her chin. “You think Moses wanted to give up the first time he asked Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go? Or the second time? Or the third time? Things got worse before they got better.
“And what of all those soldiers you want to help heal from their injuries? And are you going to leave Andy high and dry?”
“You know how to play dirty, don’t you?”
He grinned. “That’s not playing dirty. It’s telling you that you have a mission. Don’t give up. I know you’ve worked hard to save soldiers in Iraq, and you told them to fight, not give up, because their survival depended on their will to live. That was the key—the will to live. You’ve got that will, Sophie. And—” his eyes danced with delight “—you’ve got that in spades.”
He saw the resolve enter her beautiful blue eyes. “You’re right. I shouldn’t complain, because neither Margaret nor Ollie is giving up. I don’t have the right to give up, either.”
He gave her a thumbs-up.
“Thank you.” She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
“Miss Sophie, I’m here.” A little girl stood in the broad entranceway to the stable. Her eyes were big and she’d obviously seen the kiss Sophie gave him.
Sophie looked back at him.
Zach wanted to return Sophie’s kiss, but with an audience, he knew he couldn’t. “Your next rider’s waiting for you.”
Sophie gave his hand a final squeeze before walking toward the little girl.
Zach’s heart nearly failed when Sophie asked if she should give up, if she was on the wrong road. He knew things weighed heavily on her but he didn’t realize how much. He knew—and his heart and spirit confirmed it—that she was on the right road.
That “feeling” had happened several times in Iraq, when everything looked right, but something inside him shouted no. Other times, others said they were going the wrong way on a patrol, but he’d kept going and as it turned out, they’d avoided a problem.
The day he’d been caught by the roadside bomb, his spirit had been unsettled. He radioed his base that they were going to retreat and go a different direction to patrol that part of the section of Mosel when the bomb went off. Obviously, the insurgents had been watching them. Listening to his gut had saved most of his men and saved the little boy who’d approached the patrol for the usual chocolate they gave the kids.
It’d been a hard lesson to learn, listening to his gut. But he learned it well. He didn’t want Sophie to regret her decision not to go forward with her dream.
She was on the right road.
Chapter Nine
Sophie clutched her purse in her hands and glanced over at Zach who sat behind the steering wheel of his pickup. “What do you want me to tell your parents?”
“Tell them the truth.” He lifted his right shoulder. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Then why did you need me?”
He stared out at the oncoming traffic. “Sometimes it’s easier for a person who isn’t a relative to tell parents news than it is for the son or daughter.”
She couldn’t argue that. She wished that someone would’ve talked to her parents after her brother’s death.
“I want you to understand that I’ll answer honestly and won’t sugarcoat anything,” she pressed, wanting him to recognize she’d give an honest evaluation.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”
She nodded and looked out the window. Ollie’s news still weighed heavily on her heart. She kept offering up prayers for his recovery.
The sign for the Golden Door came into view. They quickly parked and went inside. Sophie had never been to the upscale steak place in the northwestern part of the city. Once inside, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Soft music floated through the air and the tables were set with crystal water glasses and tablecloths. The detailed wood paneling reminded Sophie of an old English pub.
Zach’s parents waved at them from a corner table. They moved across the wooden floor to the table. Both his mother and father rose and hugged Zach. Lynda McClure was a beautiful woman who stood only a few inches shorter than her husband’s towering form. Lynda’s blue eyes quickly scanned her son. Sophie caught Zach’s father checking out how his son looked. From the slight nod of approval, Ken McClure approved of his son’s progress.
“You look wonderful,” Lynda exclaimed, kissing her son on the cheek.
“The work agrees with you.” Zach’s father patted him on the back.
Lynda moved to Sophie and enveloped her in a big hug. “It’s good to see you,” she whispered. When she pulled back, Sophie could see the gratitude shining in Lynda’s eyes. His father grabbed Sophie’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Hello, young lady.” He stepped back. “You’ve become a beautiful young woman.” Sophie blushed.
As they settled around the table, the waitress came and took their orders.
When she left, Lynda said, “Tell us how Zach’s doing.”
Before Sophie could answer, Beth and Ethan walked into the restaurant. The hostess moved the group to a bigger table and after their orders were taken, Sophie answered Lynda’s question.
Throughout the meal, Ethan and Beth added their comments on how Zach had improved. Both his parents asked thoughtful, probing questions.
Zach’s siblings praised him on his riding and work around the ranch.
“Mom, you should’ve seen him with that plastic light saber,” Beth added after describing what happened on the last riding session. “I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when Sophie walked out of the office with it.” Beth turned to Zach. “The look on your face was priceless.” She patted Zach’s hand. “Once you got over your initial shock, you gave it a try. I was awed. And proud. And you know what, this morning I tried something similar using a broom handle, and I’m telling you, it’s not easy.”
Zach’s dad laughed. “That’s what you were doing this morning on your horse? I choked on my coffee as I was looking out the kitchen window.”
Beth’s cheeks turned beet-red.
“I thought you’d lost your mind and I called your mother, asking her what that was about. Had you lost your job or had some sort of trauma I didn’t know about? She said no. I wasn’t going to ask you what you were doing because I was afraid I might have to contact a head doctor for you.”
His comment brought chuckles from all at the table.
“I knew Zach’s progress had gotten to a place where he needed a challenge.” Sophie took up the conversation, enjoying the back and forth of this wonderful family. “I have to admit it wasn’t my idea. When I called down to Brook Army, the therapist there gave me the idea. The guy I talked to had several more ideas on how to help build up Zach’s strength. But I also think Zach’s working around the ranch helping with the chores has built up his strength.” Sophie smiled at Zach, wanting him to know how much she appreciated his actions.
