Amanda’s Patient Hunks

by Eileen Green

  Little Dubby eyed Amanda warily, which Amanda found amusing, before he hid his face in his mother’s chest as if he was shy. Angela patted his head. “He gets this way when he meets new people. He’ll be bugging the daylights out of you soon enough.”

  Smiling, even though she didn’t want to, Amanda knew she couldn’t dwell on things too much, or she would begin to think the worst and she’d make herself sick. She dug her phone out of her back pocket, found Terence’s picture, and hit the button to call him. A chuckle sounded when she looked at his picture. He was making a funny face at the camera, his humorous side showing.

  * * * *

  The casserole was in the oven. The label on the foil top said it was chicken enchiladas. It was one of several casseroles they still had from his mother’s passing. People had been so generous. However all the food they had brought hadn’t fit in his freezer, and he wasn’t there most of the time anyway. They had Amanda’s freezer in the garage full of them.

  Terence had let himself in. He had to see his mother’s lawyer a few hours ago, so he couldn’t go with Amanda and Jasper to the equine therapy session. Jimmy had gone out to the Circle G because there was a wolf hunt on, and he had wanted to take part in it. Terence had told Amanda he would take care of dinner and have it ready for everyone when they returned.

  The vibration rattled the phone on the counter next to the stove. He had forgotten to turn the volume back on when he had left the lawyer’s office. Picking up the device, he smiled when he saw Amanda’s face fill the screen. Hitting the receive button, he said cheerfully, “Hello, honey. You guys almost home?”

  Home felt so right, but only where Amanda was. Eventually, their home would be out on the Lazy R in the house Jimmy was having built. Amanda didn’t want to give up her home right away, at least not until Genny could find other living arraignments.

  “Terence, I need you.” Amanda’s voice sounded distant and extremely sad.

  “Amanda, what’s wrong?” he asked as he turned off the oven and headed for the front door.

  “It’s Jimmy. He’s had an accident, and he’s all alone. He’s trapped under a horse, and it’s dark now! Jasper had to leave him alone out there to come back for help.” Usually Amanda was cute when she babbled on when she was excited. However, he could hear the sadness and worry in her voice.

  “I’ll be out there as soon as I can, sweetheart. Are you alone?”

  “No. Lyndee and Angela are here with me.” In the background, Terence could hear a tiny voice say, “’immy,” before a child laughed. There was women’s laughter in the background now, but Amanda was still right there on the phone. “Please hurry. I need you.”

  “I’m out the door. I’ll be there as quick as possible.” Terence had told her the truth. He was out the front door and climbing into his SUV.

  He took off through the quiet neighborhood, heading out of town as people were just going home from work to the families that awaited them. Terence had watched the people coming and going from the surrounding area whenever he was at Amanda’s.

  A family was what he wanted in life, but taking care of his parents, he didn’t think his wish was ever going to happen. Family responsibilities weighed heavy on a person. When he found out what Amanda’s home life was like, he knew they were kindred spirits. She understood what he was going through, and she was very patient with him.

  Amanda had also been very helpful. His mother had tried to be helpful once she had been given her death sentence by her doctor. She put all the important papers together that Terence was going to need when her time came. Unfortunately, when she had bad days and Terence wasn’t around, she went through papers and then put them away, in places Terence didn’t know where they had gone.

  Sitting around, going through all the files after his mother had passed away, Terence and Amanda had to refind insurance policies, bills, her will, and banking information. An insurance policy had been stuffed in the bottom drawer of her nightstand, while a safe deposit key and a bank statement had been found in his mother’s knitting bag. Terence had known she had problems with short-term memory loss from the tumor, but he hadn’t known how bad it was.

  Today, Terence went over all the legal papers with his mother’s attorney. Of course, everything went to Terence since he was an only child. All the legal mumbo jumbo had been gone over, papers signed, and they had to discuss his father’s situation also. Since he would never be leaving the facility he was living in, Terence had to figure out what he was going to do with the house.

  Jimmy said the new house would be finished in a couple of months. They had discussed asking Amanda to marry them, and they had to hope she said yes, and then they could all live there. The house was big enough for a family, even a polyamorous one, and Jimmy would be letting his housekeeper Ruth live in the old farmhouse. The ranch hands would still be able to get meals at the big house. It would be Ruth’s to live in as long as she wished, instead of her mobile home, but also the “mess hall” for the workers.

  Terence had already planned to sell his parent’s house when his mother passed away. It was his childhood home, but he didn’t want to live there anymore. Too many reminders. As of tomorrow, the house would be on the market. If it sold before Amanda agreed to be their wife, he didn’t know what he would do. He’d have to get an apartment somewhere even though Jimmy said that Terence could still move in with him.

  The two men had become close in the last month or so. Amanda was what had bound them as good friends. They had a lot in common besides Amanda, but they both wanted to share their lives with her, cementing their bond as friends.

  Now, as he hurried as fast as he could, without getting a ticket, he worried about Amanda, but also about his friend, and hopefully ménage partner. It would break Amanda’s heart if anything happened to Jimmy, and Terence could only hope if the worst happened, that she would still want him.

  Chapter Twelve

  Howls from wolves could be heard in the distance. They had steadily been getting closer now that night had fallen. They were on the hunt for food.

  As soon as the sun sank beyond the horizon, the air turned cold. The jacket that Jimmy wore was all right for daytime, but not sufficient enough for the chill of the night. He’d build a fire. However, the possibility of drawing attention to himself was too much of a risk with only one bullet left in the gun. Plus, as he checked his pockets, he discovered the lighter he usually carried was missing.

  Occasionally, after Jasper had left, Jimmy heard the whining of the wolf the boy had shot, but the animal stopped an hour or so ago. Wolves were beautiful creatures, but they were dangerous, and a wounded animal could bring others in, and a pack of half a dozen or so were deadly.

  Jo, the horse he had lying on his leg, had repeatedly tried to get up. The movements jarred Jimmy’s leg, but she couldn’t manage to gain her feet. Her whinnies had begun to fade, and an occasional whoosh of her breath would sound. Jimmy feared the worse for Jo’s continued existence. If she couldn’t get up, it would mean she might have to be put down, and Jimmy always hated when that happened.

  The stars were so plentiful in the sky above him. Jimmy could see why Montana had been nicknamed Big Sky country, for it seemed the night sky went on forever. When he was in town at Amanda’s, the stars weren’t as bright, faded out by the city lights. He enjoyed being out in the country at night.

  There had been several nights that Amanda had been out at the ranch, and she marveled at how different the sky looked. Jimmy showed her some of the constellations that a kid learned about in school, but most were never able to see them as bright as when out in the country. He remembered how her face had lit up. Jimmy wanted to see that look on her face a lot.

  Thinking of how happy Amanda could be, he thought about her expression when she would hear Jasper talk for the first time since she had taken him in. That would make her so ecstatic, and he wished he could be there to help her celebrate.

  The wolves were closer now. Jimmy fingered the stock of the
shotgun he held, his thoughts turning dark. If it came down to it, he would rather take care of himself than be ripped apart by the wolves. Of course, after he put a bullet in his head, the wolves would tear into him anyway.

  If no one came for him, there was no way out of this decently. Jimmy thought of Amanda. He hoped she would go on with Terence. Jimmy knew she loved his friend, and that was one benefit of a ménage relationship. If something happened to one of the men, there was the other to take care of the woman.

  Lily would be upset if something happened to him. He had helped raise her just like Amanda was doing for Jasper. Lily had some hang-ups that had followed her into adulthood, but she finally found love and was quite happy. Jimmy couldn’t wait for his sister to have a baby. He hadn’t seen a future with kids of his own for so long, but he would welcome being an uncle who spoiled the kids and then sent them home.

  For the past few weeks, he had been thinking about kids. He could picture Amanda with a rounded belly, pregnant with his or Terence’s baby. Now, he had to wonder if that was something he would be able to see.

  Crickets sang their concerto while other creatures moved around in the grass. Every once in a while, he could hear a slithering through the grass, but so far nothing had come close enough to him. This was the time of year that rattlesnakes began to come out of hibernation. However, with the drop in temperature tonight, there shouldn’t be any active right now.

  The cry of a wolf sounded close. With it being as dark as it was out here, Jimmy couldn’t see anything. He could only pray for the best right now.

  A faint sound of music reached his ears. Was he imagining it? No, that sounded like his ringtone for his phone. Damn, I wish it was closer to me!

  The music stopped, but a few minutes later, it started up again. It was the general ringtone, not any of the special ones set up for those closest to him. There was no telling who was calling him.

  Faint streaks of light began to be seen moving back and forth, which at first confused Jimmy. He had to wonder if he was imagining things, but he wasn’t. They got brighter and soon were accompanied with shouts of his name.

  “Yo! Over here!” Jimmy shouted, not sure if it would help. It was dark. The clothes he was wearing were dark. Even Jo was dark. If he had his damned phone, he could use the flashlight app to draw attention to himself.

  More shouting and more calling back. This went on for another minute or so, and before long, the crunching of grass was heard off to Jimmy’s left.

  “Yo! I’m over here!”

  The flashlights were bright as they focused in on him. Several horses whinnied, causing Jo to whinny back, although hers was sad and low. She tried to stand again but just couldn’t get up.

  Jimmy heard someone running, and before he knew it, Jasper had fallen to his knees next to him and threw his arms around Jimmy’s neck. “I was so worried you’d be…”

  Hugging his soon-to-be brother-in-law, Jimmy was proud of him. He had taken a huge step today, one that they could only hope would continue.

  Kevin, one of the Circle G’s ranch hands, along with another hand made their way over to Jimmy. After examining Jo, Kevin shook his head. “Somehow, she managed to twist her knee out of place on her left hind leg.” Jimmy’s leg throbbed just thinking about it.

  Jasper stood. “What can I do to help?” he asked as he looked at the downed horse.

  It was a bit before Kevin spoke. Jimmy knew what the man was thinking. If they couldn’t get her on her feet, the horse would have to be put down. Knowing this happened while he was riding her made Jimmy’s stomach hurt.

  “Come around and start talking to her. We’re going to try to get her on her feet,” Kevin spoke as he took hold of her reins.

  The other ranch hand who had come along was someone new. He looked to be about twenty years old, just wet behind the ears in this job. Kevin looked at him and gave his instructions. “When I try to pull her up, you help Jimmy out, Adam.”

  Kevin tugged on the reins. Jo tried to stand, and Adam tried to pull Jimmy out from under her. They only made a little leeway, and Jimmy’s leg was throbbing with pain. Jasper was whispering to the mare.

  Trying again, Kevin strained as he demanded, “Get up!”

  Adam heaved back, his arms around Jimmy’s chest. Jimmy’s right foot was free now, and he used that as leverage by pressing it against Jo’s rump. His left leg came out farther. She came back down.

  “One. More. Time,” Kevin said between gritted teeth. He pulled hard on the reins as Jimmy pressed on her hindquarter and Adam yanked on Jimmy.

  Jimmy’s leg came free as Jo made it to her feet. Her whinnies sounded painful.

  Jasper was still talking to her while he petted her muzzle.

  It was a good sign that Jo was on her feet, but only once she was examined by a vet would they be able to tell if there was any permanent damage. Jimmy hoped there wasn’t.

  Jimmy tried to walk, but his left leg buckled under him. The pain was excruciating, and Jimmy was certain something was broken. A sweat broke out on his brow as he hopped a bit. This was not something he needed right now.

  Since Jo wasn’t rideable, it was decided that Jimmy would double up with Jasper. It took several tries to get in the saddle since he had to get on from the opposite side and not jar his leg too much.

  The ride back to the barns was long. Jo was moving slowly, her limp taking its toll on her. Several of the other hands came out to find him, meeting up with them along the way.

  Lights from the buildings were a welcoming sight for Jimmy. He had spent so much time in the dark, that he liked to see the light right now. It meant he wasn’t alone any more.

  As they made their way to the circular driveway of the ranch house, the door of the house flew open, and Amanda was running out to meet them. Terence was behind her.

  Gently, Jimmy got down from the horse and caught Amanda as she lunged at him. “Oh my God! I was so worried about you,” she said as she kissed his neck and made her way to his mouth. After giving him a searing kiss, she pulled away slightly and looked down at his leg since he was favoring it. “What’s the matter?”

  “I think it might be broken,” he responded as Terence moved in to give him a shoulder to lean on.

  Amanda felt along his leg, searching for any breaks. When she stood, she said with a small smile, “There’s no compound fracture, at least.”

  Well, that was good news. She continued, “That’s not to say there isn’t a break. Only x-rays will let us know what’s going on.”

  Jimmy couldn’t fault Amanda, but his first thought was, party pooper.

  “Let’s get you to the hospital, buddy,” Terence said as he moved toward his SUV. Jasper was quick to open the passenger side, and the two men helped Jimmy in.

  Since they didn’t know how long it would take to find Jimmy, getting an ambulance to standby was a little silly, especially so far out in the country. It was easier to transport him themselves.

  Amanda had turned back as Lyndee had come out of the house. “Thank you for putting up with me,” she said quickly as she climbed into the back seat. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “Let us know what’s happening,” Lyndee called back.

  The ride was long to Kalispell Regional. The urgent care center in Polson was closer to the Circle G. However, Jimmy wanted to be closer to home and family. He made Terence turn up the heater to high, and Jimmy had the heater in the seat up to full blast. He needed to get warm, but nothing was working. Was it possible he was going into shock?

  Amanda had already called Lily, who was going to meet them there. Danny had been informed also, so he would look after the ranch.

  Jimmy was barely out of the vehicle when Lily ran up to him and threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him off his feet. Behind her were Morgan and Kyle, her husbands as of December, the latter pushing a wheelchair for Jimmy.

  “Are you all right?” Lily asked, worry lacing her voice. “When Amanda called to say you had been in an accident wi
th a horse, I thought the worse!”

  Women! They always seemed to overreact, but their concern was touching.

  “I’m fine, sis. Just some pain from a pain in the ass horse. In fact, it was her ass that landed on my leg.”

  “Oh my gawd!” Lily exclaimed. “You should have said something instead of just standing there!”

  His sister helped him into the wheelchair, and all Jimmy could do was smile at her.

  Amanda had gone into the emergency room to let them know of his arrival and was now walking back out to the small group. Well, small but growing. Several of their ménage friends were arriving to make sure he was all right. That made him feel lucky to have them all in his life.

  * * * *

  Jimmy was in x-ray, so Amanda took the opportunity and asked Jasper to go with her to the cafeteria. At first, he balked about it, startling their new friends, for they hadn’t said anything about him talking. They were all happy for him, but Amanda wanted to talk to him privately.

  The cafeteria part was closed for the night, but the tables were still usable. Coffee was going to have to come out of a machine, as were snacks. Amanda got some coffee for herself and a soda for her brother. A couple of bags of chips and some candy bars now sat between them on the table.

  Jasper had missed dinner and was famished. He had already devoured one of the bags of chips and was starting on another one. Amanda’s stomach was too upset to eat even though she knew she should.

  “How are you holding up?” she inquired.

  Jasper looked at Amanda, his vulnerability evident in his face and body language. He lowered his head. Amanda thought he was pulling back into himself, but she was surprised when he looked back up and stated, “I was terrified, Amanda. I saw that wolf moving toward Jimmy, and I knew I had to do something. I’m surprised I shot the damned thing because I was shaking so hard. Then, when I saw the horse lying on him, I didn’t know what to do. When he told me I was going to have to ride back by myself, I didn’t think I could do it.”