City Girl (18 page)

“Where's Max?” Reagan demanded.

“In the bunkhouse. What is it?”

“Which one's the bunkhouse?”

“There,” the woman pointed. “What's happened?” she called again, this time to Reagan's retreating back.

“Katy's hurt! We need the doctor,” she yelled as she moved to the other building, not waiting to see if the woman heard her or not.

Today they were branding calves. Normally Cash would not have been directly involved, but with Brad gone, he felt he needed to be on the job. That morning he had met with a man who hailed from the east and wished to go into ranching. Cash didn't think he would actually do it—he'd been too horrified by the smell of cattle—but Cash had been more than willing to answer his questions and offer help in any way he could.

The event caused Cash to think about the type of man his father was. Charles Rawlings Sr. had been born and raised in the city, but when an opportunity came to turn his hand to Texas ranching, he had jumped at it and been successful in the bargain. The ranch he handed down to his son was very prosperous.

Working without having to give the branding any thought, Cash let his mind wander to his family. He'd been with all of them just that January, but it seemed so long ago. He'd received a letter from Darvi the week before saying she and Dakota were doing well and settled in a small house in town. Cash was glad that the town was small. He liked thinking about his brothers ensconced in small, close communities like Kinkade.

“He's loose!” one of the men yelled when his rope slipped. Cash jumped to his feet—lariat in hand—to rope a runaway whose mother bellowed to him from outside the makeshift pen.

It was while Cash was finishing rounding up this stray that he looked up and saw Brenda riding toward him at a furious pace, her hair and clothing blowing out behind her. Cash's heart plummeted with fear, knowing she wouldn't be out here for anything short of an emergency.

“It's Katy,” she called as she reined the horse to a hard stop. “She fell hard.”

“Todd,” Cash ordered, his voice belying the feelings inside, “go for Doc Bruce.”

“Max went,” Brenda told him, still breathless.

“Who's with Katy?” Cash asked, even as he moved toward his mount.

“Some woman. I didn't have time to get her name.”

With this cryptic news, Cash's horse left Brenda's in the dust as he rode for all he was worth back to the main house. He went in the back way, and when he couldn't find her inside, he rushed for the front yard.

A mixture of surprise and concern filled him when he saw the bike, Reagan, and his housekeeper, who was still lying in the dirt.

“Katy!” he said, running fast and dropping to her side.

“I've done it this time, Cash,” was all she said, her eyes clouded with pain.

Afraid to move her or even touch her, he naturally turned to Reagan for answers.

“She fell off the bike,” Reagan told him, her face showing her own measure of misery. “She was doing so well...”

“It's all right, Reagan,” he said, hoping it was true. “The doctor is on his way. He'll get her all fixed up.”

Part of which proved to be true. The doctor was on his way, and when he arrived, they moved Katy, a terrible ordeal for the older woman, to a bed in the small downstairs bedroom. But fixing her up was not going to be so easy.

“Her hip is broken,” Dr. Bruce told Cash, Brenda, and Max after they'd waited outside the closed bedroom door for about 20 minutes. Reagan had gone in to help. “She'll be laid up for a good long time.”

“How much pain is she in?”

“Right now it's intense. She needs to lie still and not worry.”

The doctor continued to speak with Brenda and Max, but Cash needed to see Katy. He slipped past the threesome and entered quietly.

The curtains were pulled back, allowing plenty of light to filter in. Cash found Reagan sitting next to the bed gently bathing Katy's face and hands. The fact that his housekeeper allowed this spoke volumes to him concerning her condition.

Cash took the other side of the bed. There was no chair, so with a hand to the oak headboard, he leaned down to speak into her face, asking himself as he did if she'd looked that old at breakfast that morning.

“How is it?”

“I've never broken anything, Cash.”

He nodded. All three of the Rawlings boys had broken and cracked various bones, and although Katy had been as compassionate as they'd ever known her in her ministrations of them, she had not experienced this pain before.

“The doctor says you have to lie still and not worry.”

“How am I supposed to do that? Who's going to take care of you?”

It was her standard line, and Cash smiled at her, glad to hear she had at least one small tease left.

“Maybe it's time I grow up.”

Katy sighed. “I should have insisted that you take me to my house,” she said, referring to the small bungalow that sat next to the foreman's house.

“Then I wouldn't be able to take care of you like I can now,” Cash reasoned.

“You've got a ranch to run.”

“Brad will be back in two days. When he's here, I'm not even needed.”

Had Katy not been in so much pain, she would have given her customary snort. Instead she closed her eyes, thinking she might cry for the first time since Virginia Rawlings moved back to St. Louis.

Seeing her eyes closed, Cash motioned to Reagan. The two left the room together. The doctor slipped back in to check on his patient, and Cash was glad for a few minutes alone with his guest.

“You're not to blame yourself for this,” he said to Reagan's set features.

“She didn't ask me to bring the bike. I just thought it would be fun.”

“So you forced her?”

“No, but—”

“There are no ‘buts.' It was an accident. She'll be fine.”

“She's not a young woman, Cash. Why didn't I see that?”

“She'll be fine. It will take awhile, but she'll be back to her old self again.”

Reagan only half heard him. She was already making plans to fix things, and her mind had shifted away from the man who faced her.

“All right, Cash,” the doctor interrupted him, “come in here, and I'll tell you what she needs.”

Without being asked, Reagan joined them. She listened in silence, but with every word the doctor spoke to the rancher, her resolve strengthened.

Cash did not comment as Dr. Bruce mapped out his expectations, but he could see that it was going to be a lot of work in the weeks and months ahead. The doctor had a powder for the pain, but not enough with him. The men eventually exited the room so Cash could send a man to town to get the medicine.

Reagan went back to the edge of the bed. Katy's eyes were still closed, but her mouth was open and her breathing told Reagan she was lying in very great pain.

Without a word, the small, dark-haired woman exited— not just the room, but the ranch house itself, heading for her bike. She was back on the road just a minute later and headed for town. She had a lot of work to do before nightfall.

“You're not riding back there in the dark!” Sally said for the second time. “And I mean it.”

“But don't you see, if I go now it won't be dark.”

“That's not true, Reagan. The day has gotten away from you. It'll be dark in an hour, and you said you haven't even gone home.”

Reagan sighed.

“I know what this is about,” Sally guessed. “You haven't told Cash Rawlings that you're going to do this, and if he hears a wagon, he'll send you packing before you can even climb out.”

Reagan looked away from her and admitted, “I'm going to do this, Sally, with or without your help.”

“That's just it, Reagan. I am willing to help you.”

She turned back.

“So you understand?”

“Completely. Now, I think you should head home and get your stuff. Talk to Holly or Russell if you can so they won't worry, and then come back here. I can take you almost all the way there, and you can ride yourself the rest of the way.”

“I don't know what I'd do without you, Sally.”

“Well, I know what I'm going to do without you,” she retorted. “I'm going to get up before dawn tomorrow and start baking.”

Reagan gave her a hug. She couldn't help herself.

“Get out of here,” she ordered, and Reagan hurried on her way.

Just 30 minutes later she was back, not having been able to speak with her landlords. Sally promised to tell them about the change. As soon as Reagan was ready, they settled into Sally's buggy and that woman, good friend that she was, took Reagan as far as the gate.

Reagan put her carpet bag handle over the bar on her bike and rode as steadily as she could manage. It was almost fully dark, but she could see what she needed. Heart pounding in her chest, she knocked hard on the door and waited.

“Reagan,” Cash said with surprise. He answered the door, a lantern in his hand. “I wondered where you'd gone.”

“I had to go home to get my things.”

This said, she scooted past him and walked to the living room, looking for all the world as though she was there to stay. A moment later, Cash learned that she was.

“I'm here to take care of Katy and to do her jobs until she mends.”

Cash stared at her, finally taking in the bag.

“You don't have to do that,” he tried.

“But I'm going to. I've quit my job; I have money to live on for a time, and I'm here to do whatever needs to be done.”

“You will not quit your job,” he started to declare, but to his surprise, Reagan turned her back on him and started toward Katy's room. Cash was hard on her heels.

“Reagan,” he began again, but she marched resolutely away.

“Reagan?” This time the name came from Katy as Reagan crossed the threshold of her room. “I was looking for you.”

“Well, you don't have to look anymore. I'm here to take care of everything.”

“You're not,” Katy said, hoping above hope that it was true.

“Yes, I am. I'm going to take care of you and this house until you're up again and as bossy as ever.”

Cash had entered the room right behind Reagan, so it would have been impossible for him to miss the sob that broke in the old woman's throat.

“I didn't know what I was going to do,” she cried softly. “I've got to take care of Cash and this house. It's my job.”

“It's all right,” Reagan said gently, coming to take her hand. “I'm here now, and I'll see to it.”

Cash had never seen this woman cry. He didn't know she was capable of such an act. He stood still while Reagan bent over her, talking in soothing tones and bathing her face again. Even in the lantern light he could see some of the worry lines easing around Katy's brow and temples.

He had no idea how it could possibly work to have Reagan living and working in his home, but sending her away from Katy right now was just not something he was willing to do.

Eleven

R
EAGAN
S
ULLIVAN IS SLEEPING DOWNSTAIRS
with Katy,
Cash told God that night, speaking as though this would be news to Him.
I'm not sure I can do this. I'm not sure I can have her here. There's so much I don't know about her, and she doesn't know anything about us either. I understand that she's here because of what happened, and I can see why she'd blame herself, but in the space of a few hours, she quit her job and moved here!

For a moment Cash only lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. The events of the day had put him in a near state of shock. It broke his heart to see Katy as he never had: broken and flat on her back. And then to have Reagan show up at the door! It was all too fantastic to be real.

Help me, Father. I need to take care of my Katy. Maybe this is what will draw her to You, but before I can help her spiritually, I have to figure out a way to help her physically. Brenda is willing to help, but she has the girls to care for, and if her changing shape is any indication, she has another one on the way. I'm willing to do anything Katy needs, Lord, but I'm not a woman and...