Long Shot

by D. Jackson Leigh

  Tory made a show of flicking through the messages on her pager. “I’m afraid I can’t take you on this one. The client is an elderly lady who suffers from dementia, and strangers sort of spook her. She knows me.”

  “A demented lady called you?”

  “Well, no. Her granddaughter, who looks after her, did. But the first time I went over there, the old lady didn’t know me and got the shotgun after me.”

  “Oh, no!”

  “Yeah. So you’d do better to stay here or let me take you home.”

  “Only if you tell me the story about the shotgun and the demented grandmother.”

  Tory laughed. “That would take most of the afternoon.”

  “Then I’ll accept a promise to tell me the story when we have time.”

  “I promise.”

  Bridgette turned to Jessica. “Thank you for inviting me, but I’d better let Tory drop me off so I can get some work done on my lesson plans. Classes start next week.”

  “You are very welcome,” Jessica replied. “We’ll do it some other time. I really would love for you to sketch Skyler for me.”

  Bridgette winked. “Take a photo. I can make a sketch from that so Skyler wouldn’t have to pose for me.”

  Jessica’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s a great idea.”

  *

  Jessica watched Tory’s truck disappear down the driveway, then walked over to where Skyler was shutting off the water spigot and winding up the hose.

  “She’s taking Bridgette over to Leah’s?” Skyler asked.

  “No, she’s taking her home before she goes over there. She said a stranger on the farm would upset Mrs. Montgomery.”

  “You mean the same little old lady who was having the time of her life at our party filled with fifty strangers?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Bridgette bought that?”

  “I don’t think she made the connection that it was the same grandmother and granddaughter. Actually, I don’t think she was ever introduced to Leah and Mrs. Montgomery before they left the party.”

  Skyler moved to stand behind Jessica and wrapped her long arms around her, resting her chin on Jessica’s shoulder. They watched Long Shot munch hay for a few minutes before Jessica spoke again. “What was the emergency? I hope Nighty hasn’t gotten worse.”

  “Don’t know. Tory didn’t call to find out. She just saw the name and phone number on her pager and lit out like her tail was on fire.”

  “Really? It might not even be an emergency.”

  Skyler gave her an affectionate squeeze. “Yup. That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Leah was deep into her research when a car door slammed.

  Gram hurried to peer out of the living room window. “Willie’s here!” she announced.

  Leah couldn’t stop her smile or the surge in her pulse as she saved her work session and headed for the door. She had been a little worried that Tory wouldn’t respond to her page. Her sister had interrupted them before Tory replied to the offer to still be friends even if they couldn’t be lovers. She had hoped for a phone call, another chance to make things right between them. Tory showing up in person was even better.

  Tory climbed the steps to meet them at the front door. “You rang?”

  Leah was relieved. Tory didn’t seem angry. “Yes, but you didn’t have to come all the way over here. You could have just answered my question over the phone.”

  Tory shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood. How may I be of service?”

  Leah could think of a few hundred ways, none of them involving horses and medicine dosages. God, she had to stop that. But every time she was with Tory, her resolve weakened. Unleashing her libido and getting involved with Tory would just make it harder to leave when the time came. Friends. She had to keep this on a friendship level.

  “Nighty. I don’t think he’s improving. You said we could increase his medicine dosage, so I was calling to ask about that.”

  “Let’s take a look at him, okay?”

  Gram shyly touched Tory’s arm, looking up at her. “Could you stay for dinner? Leah cooked up a pot of that chili they make down in Texas, and I have some pies freshly baked.”

  Tory looked toward Leah. “I’m not sure if I have time.”

  “Please, we’d love to have you stay,” Leah said.

  Tory looked back at Gram. “Then I’d be happy to, under one condition. You have to dig up some pictures of Leah when she was a kid.”

  “I know exactly where they are,” Gram said before hurrying into the house.

  Leah stared after her grandmother. “Of all the things she can’t remember, you’d think she’d at least forget where she put those hideous pictures.”

  Tory laughed. “I bet you were an adorable kid.”

  Leah shook her head. “It depends on whether you find a tomboy with no front teeth and mud up to her eyebrows adorable. You know this means I’ll have to visit your mother for pictures.”

  “My family didn’t take photographs. It’s a religious thing.”

  “Y’all are Catholic, sugar.”

  “My mother’s relatives are gypsies. They believe photographs are bad luck.”

  “You’re such a bad liar.”

  Nighty was lying down when they entered the stall and uncharacteristically didn’t rise to his feet until Tory nudged him up. That wasn’t a good sign.

  “He should have improved more by now,” Tory muttered, bending to pick up each hoof for examination. “There’s still a lot of inflammation here. You are sticking to his diet?”

  Leah stepped into the stall and scratched Nighty’s forehead the way he liked while Tory completed her examination. “I’ve followed your instructions to the letter. I did catch Gram giving him some grain the other day, but I don’t think he got more than a handful or two before I stopped her. And he hasn’t been out on the pasture at all.”

  Tory straightened up and chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. “Maybe she’s sneaking out here more than you realize.” She wrapped a long arm around Leah’s shoulders and squeezed her. “I know she means well, but she’s intent on stuffing me with pies and Nighty with grain. Why don’t we put a lock on the feed bin, too, just to be safe? You can his medicine, too.”

  Leah couldn’t stop herself from melting into Tory’s one-armed embrace. With everything pressing in on her—Gram’s illness, the farm sale, her research and derailed career—it felt good to have someone else come up with a plan, even if it was only for the smallest of her worries.

  “Okay. I bought a lock to replace yours that we put on Nighty’s stall. We can use that, and I’ll buy you another.”

  “I thought I made it clear you didn’t have to replace that lock. It wasn’t expensive.”

  “You don’t get to decide that. I’m buying you a lock.” You don’t get to decide about us, either. I can’t afford to let you unlock my heart.

  Tory shook her head, but smiled. “Hardheaded woman.”

  After installing the new lock and feeding Nighty his medicine, they worked together in the kitchen, laughing and chatting while they finished preparing the meal. Tory mixed up her Mexican cornbread and slid it into the oven while Leah set the table, grated cheese to top the bowls of chili, and made a pitcher of sweet tea.

  When they all sat down and dug into their dinner, Tory hummed in appreciation.

  “This is great, but not all that hot. I thought you Texans prided yourself on making the hottest chili around.”

  Leah cocked her head and raised an eyebrow, but didn’t answer. After a moment, Tory’s eyes began to water and her nose run. She grabbed her tea and gulped it down.

  “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” she wheezed. “You should have warned me about the afterburn.”

  Gram and Leah laughed.

  “It’s the cayenne pepper. Everybody expects to taste the chili pepper, but it’s the cayenne that kicks in late. I learned that from an old Cajun when I interned at the Times-Picayune.”

 
; Tory smiled sheepishly and refilled her tea. “It’s really good, though. I like it hot, but I’d have appreciated a little warning.”

  Leah served up what she hoped was a good imitation of her sweetest smile. “And miss that look on your face? Where’s the fun in that?”

  When the food was put away and the dishwasher churning, they settled on the sofa with Gram in the middle and a photo album on her lap.

  Tory laughed and teased, and Leah scowled and blushed as Gram turned page after page of family photos. She paused at one page and slowly traced her finger over a black-and-white photograph taken more than fifty years earlier.

  “Is that you, Gram? How old were you?” Leah asked.

  Gram smiled wistfully. “I was nineteen. Willie was only a year older.”

  Leah peered at the photo. “Willie was a woman?”

  “Yes. Her real name, Millie, didn’t fit her at all, so I called her my Willie. She called me Lori, even though Mama insisted that everybody call me Lorraine. She was tall and smart and handsome. We spent every moment we could together.”

  Gram, her eyes sad, looked up at Tory. “You’re not my Willie.”

  Leah, too, stared at Tory, whose eyes were fixed on the photograph. It was remarkable how much she favored the woman in the picture. No wonder Gram had confused them.

  Tory’s smile was soft. “No, ma’am. I’m not Willie, but I’m honored that you thought I was.”

  Leah rubbed her grandmother’s back. “You said before that y’all were in love, Gram. What happened?”

  “Things were different back then. I didn’t believe that two women could live together as a couple. Your grandfather was pressing me to marry him, and I didn’t have the courage to choose Willie instead. When I told Willie I was going to accept his proposal, she couldn’t bear to see me with someone else. She joined the army and left. I only heard from her once, a postcard sent years later. She said she was working in a military hospital in Italy. I guess she became a nurse.”

  Leah kissed Gram’s cheek. “I’m so sorry, sugar.”

  Gram patted her on the arm. “Don’t be. Your grandfather was a good man. He loved me and I grew to love him. Not like I loved Willie, but he gave me children to fill up my life.” She wrapped her gnarled fingers around Leah’s hand. “If I hadn’t married, I wouldn’t have you.” Gram reached with the other hand to clasp Tory’s. “But times are different for you girls. Oh, I know some people still don’t understand love between two women or two men, but don’t let other people’s expectations—or even your own—stop you. Have more courage than I did, and fight for love when you find it.”

  Leah glanced up and her heart leapt at the emotion she saw in Tory’s eyes as they bored into hers. She looked away. No, she couldn’t, she wouldn’t. She had a lot of things to fix in her life, and she refused to let her emotions derail her.

  Gram released their hands, and Tory stood quickly to help as she pushed herself unsteadily to her feet. “Time for this old lady to go to bed.”

  “Do you need some help, sugar?”

  “So sweet.” Gram patted Leah’s hand. “No, I think I can manage.” She turned to Tory and touched her face. “So much like Willie. Tall and smart and handsome.”

  Tory blushed but bent down to kiss Gram on the cheek. “Thank you. Good night, Mrs. Montgomery.”

  They watched Gram toddle down the hallway to her bedroom.

  “She seems so lucid at times,” Tory said.

  “Yes, she does. But in the next moment, she can be in an entirely different world. It can give you whiplash.”

  “Have you had any luck yet finding a place for her?”

  “You won’t believe what I’ve found.” Leah spent the next twenty minutes outlining what she’d discovered in her analysis of the information she’d been sent. Tory listened and nodded.

  “This is my ticket to get my career back on track, Tory. This story has award-winner written all over it.”

  “How do you plan to get it published?”

  “I’ll write a summary of my analysis, because I wouldn’t want to give away all my information. Then I’ll use it to leverage a job.”

  Tory nodded. “I had heard a little of this from my great-aunt. She owns an extended-care facility.”

  “In this state? What’s the name of it?” Leah asked cautiously.

  “Greyson Estates.”

  Leah was relieved. “That’s one of the few with a stellar record.”

  “Well, it’s not from lack of trying to find something wrong with it. It took a team of lawyers and several years just to get the permits to build because of the politics involved. Then they constantly sent inspectors until they realized she only wanted to build that one facility and not a chain that would take money out of their pockets.”

  “Why did she want to build only one place if it’s so successful?”

  “She lives there.”

  “She lives there?”

  “Yeah. Long story.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me before? I’d like to check it out for Gram.”

  “Greyson Estates has a long waiting list, but I have a feeling my aunt might make an exception for Gram. It’s about a forty-five-minute drive. I could take you there for a tour. Let me talk to Joyce about my schedule, and I’ll call my aunt to see when she could meet with you. I need to head home now, though.”

  They stood and walked out to the porch. Leah reached for Tory’s hand. “Thanks for all your help.”

  Tory didn’t answer. She just pulled Leah into her arms and hugged her tight. Leah sighed and hugged back. They stood there for several long minutes, reluctant to part. When Leah finally pulled away, she refused to look up at Tory’s face. She knew what she would see. And if she looked upon the passion, the affection she knew would be there, she would be helpless to do anything other than kiss her. Friends. They could only be friends.

  “Good night, Tory,” she said, turning quickly and escaping back into the house.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The small oval intercom device dangling from a towel rack beeped, and the room’s only occupant shuffled over and pressed the device’s button.

  “Yes?”

  “Dr. Greyson, young Dr. Greyson is here. She wanted to be announced so you would have a chance to chase the women out before she came in to visit.”

  Millicent Greyson, most often referred to as MG, chuckled at the sarcastic tone of her irreverent head nurse, Della. “Tell Tory to have a seat in the sunroom. I’m getting dressed and will be out in minute.”

  “Do you need some assistance?” Della asked, her tone abruptly changed to concern.

  “No, thank you. I’m having a pretty good day. I think I can manage.”

  MG leaned heavily on a cane to walk into her bedroom and sit on the bed. She pulled on a loose pair of jeans that closed in the front with Velcro. The special closure was necessary to accommodate hands misshapen by the rheumatoid arthritis that had ravaged her body in recent years. She carefully pulled a soft cotton T-shirt over her head and settled it down her long, thin torso before adding an open green chambray shirt that reflected the color of her eyes. Next came the intercom device that always hung on a heavy silver chain around her neck for easy access. She awkwardly picked up a brush and ran it through her short white hair. MG winked at her reflection in the mirror.

  “Lock up the women, here I come,” she joked to herself.

  *

  Tory stood when her great-aunt rode into the large communal sunroom on an electric scooter chair like those constantly advertised on television. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Yes, yes. Don’t get all excited. That last knee replacement is taking a while to heal, and it’s a long walk to this sunroom. I preferred to ride rather than hobble.”

  “I could have come to the residence.”

  The residence Tory referred to was a luxury apartment that took up an entire wing of the extended-care facility. There were four wings altogether, two each sprouting off to the left and right from
a central building that contained offices, physical therapy facilities, a dining hall, sunroom, and even a small private movie theater. Each of the other three wings offered temporary and long-term-care rooms on a variety of levels to accommodate rehab, elderly, and hospice patients. Between each wing were beautiful gardens dotted with comfortable sitting areas.

  MG waved off her concern. “This is better. I like to get out and see people.”

  They settled into a group of comfortable overstuffed chairs in a somewhat private corner. Her aunt was popular with the residents and staff. If they sat in the middle of the room, they would be instantly joined by whoever wanted to enjoy MG’s sharp wit.

  “What have I done to deserve this visit?”

  “Do I have to have a reason to come visit my favorite great-aunt?”

  MG rolled her eyes. “Relax. I haven’t changed my will. And, yes, you do need a reason during your busy season. By the way, how’d Chincoteague go this year? You and Skyler win anything?”

  “Skyler cut her hand pretty bad and couldn’t go. She’s okay, though.”

  “You didn’t stop off at the track?”

  “Yeah, I did. I won a couple thousand on a long shot.”

  MG’s expression changed to a delighted smile. “You must be finally loosening up. I’ve never known you to stray from your handicapping formula.”

  Tory’s cheeks warmed. “Uh, the horse had the same name as a friend who went with me in Skyler’s place.”

  MG wiggled her eyebrows and hooted. “You’re a chip off the old block. I never could resist a pretty woman either.”

  “What makes you think it was a woman?”

  “You’re blushing and getting that dreamy-eyed look. She must be a looker.”

  “I am not dreamy-eyed.”

  “Uh-huh. If you say so.”

  “That’s kind of what I came to see you about.”

  “You need woman advice?”

  “Since I’m in my mid thirties and still single, I probably do, but that’s not why I’m here, Willie.”

  MG stared, the shock evident on her face. When her eyes became watery, she blinked and turned her head to gaze at the summer flowers through the thick glass wall next to them. Tory waited for MG to compose herself, wondering if she should have let old memories stay buried for her aunt’s sake. But Leah would have eventually come check out Greyson Estates and surely decide it was the best place for her grandmother. Tory needed to forewarn her.