Cowboy for Keeps (10 page)

He started walking, his steps halting.

“When will I stop dragging this foot?”

“We’ll have you with a normal gait soon. But not before the wedding, I’m afraid. You’ll be able to stand and walk, but you won’t be at a hundred percent. Right now, you just concentrate on your steps. How does your back feel?”

He made it slowly, carefully across the room and sank heavily down into the chair beside her.

“How can that exhaust me?” he growled, his brows dipping in consternation. His shoulder rested against hers and it took all her willpower not to lean into him. Especially when he was staring at her, so close she could see the tiny light blue specks that dotted the dark blue of his eyes. Her stomach fluttered again and she breathed steady, trying to make herself get straight.

Her defenses were down today. The emotions that she’d locked inside her heart threatened to overwhelm her suddenly. She’d dreamed of children all night long—children she would never give birth to. She’d awakened near tears and longing for comfort…all she could think about was how it would be to feel Wyatt’s arms around her. It grew harder each day she spent around him. And now this—she didn’t need to go there.

“Talking does help, you know.”

Amanda hadn’t meant to get lost in her thoughts. She shook her head, so tempted to talk to him that she didn’t trust herself. “Not for me. I’m sorry, Wyatt, I need to go.”

She hurried to the door.

“Amanda!” Wyatt’s call followed her but she didn’t look back. No, she was too intent on putting as much space between them as possible.

As she fled the stagecoach house, the need to talk to him was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. As gruff and ill-tempered as Wyatt had been, she knew that he would listen to her with a compassionate ear.

If she threw herself into his arms—which she might have done seconds later if she hadn’t fled the premises—he would hold her and comfort her, because that was the kind of man he was.

Once at the trailer, she slammed the door and locked it. As if that would keep her from turning around and going back!

Closing her eyes, she inhaled slowly, trying to calm her racing heart.

She was mixed up about her entire state of mind. She needed to talk to someone. Her gaze landed on the Bible as if drawn there, like it had been the last time she’d come up with no answers. She felt a need to try reaching out to God once more. She needed to know what her purpose was. Surely He had a plan for her and all the things that she’d been through. There had to be reasons for the way her life was turning out.

What are Your plans for me?
There had to be a reason she was left to feel such emptiness.

Her knees were weak as she stared at the Bible.

She’d been reading it and searching it and nothing had helped yet. It was as if God was trying to get her attention, but she simply couldn’t find what He was trying to get her to see.

What kind of person had she become?

God didn’t want her to feel this way. Her mind knew this. Her heart knew this. But deep inside none of that helped.

So why did she think Wyatt could make anything better?

“Y
ou raised all of this?” Amanda asked Melody a couple of days after her meltdown. Melody had called and asked if she would like to see her vegetable garden and then go with her into town to help plan the wedding with some of the other ladies. Amanda jumped at the chance to get out of the house, though she worried it might trigger another meltdown. But she needed out and away from Wyatt. They were dancing around each other like two eighth graders at their first dance. She continued to want to find comfort in his arms, but she wasn’t kidding herself, either. She knew there was more to it than that.

Melody smiled and pushed her purple glasses firmly into place in front of her shining violet eyes. “I can’t take all the credit. Poor Seth.” She shook her head in sympathy for him. “I worked him to death getting him to help me prepare the soil out here.”

“It’s
huge.
” Amanda laughed in amazement. “This is half a football field! You could feed an army.”

Melody put her hands on her hips and proudly surveyed her living masterpiece. “It’s only about a half acre. I still have tomatoes, though the drought has made it tough this month. August is dry anyway, but without rain it’s a chore. I had corn but now I’m doing peas and beans. Over there I’ve got watermelons and cantaloupe. And all kinds of peppers—I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do with all the salsa I’m going to make.” She handed Amanda a basket. “Come on. Pick all you want. Seth and I have to go out to the other ranch the family owns on Friday and I’m not sure how much of this will still be alive when I get back. But this might be my last time for a little while to go with him since I’ll be starting back to school next week.”

“Do you need me to do something while you’re gone?” Amanda asked, picking a tomato.

“Well, the ranch hands are supposed to water, but I just worry that it won’t be done like I want it done.” They were walking down opposite sides of the row of tomatoes. Melody looked around a huge plant with a sheepish look on her face. “I really don’t mean that to sound rude. It’s just they are cowboys, not farmers. Even if my Seth was in charge of it I would be worried. They’re thinking about cattle.”

Amanda plucked a plump, juicy tomato. The color was deep orange and she knew from the ones she’d eaten at Melody’s it would taste just as great as it looked. “I’ve got time on my hands during the day. I’d love to come and take care of this for you.” Boy, would she.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Amanda said. “I don’t know much about gardens, but I really want to do this. I’m close and there’s no need for you to make your cowboys be farmers.”

“Is Wyatt driving you that crazy?”

“No. Well, a little. But not in a bad way. I mean…” Amanda couldn’t blame this all on Wyatt. “I have some things on my mind. Things that happened before I came here. I really could use something to occupy my mind and hands.”

Melody stopped picking tomatoes and real concern etched her face. “Is it something I can help with?”

“No—”

“Is it another man?”

Amanda shook her head too vehemently.

“It
is,
” Melody gasped, her eyes tender. “You have a boyfriend?”

“No,” Amanda said. “I
had
a fiancé.” There, she’d been honest about it. What did it matter anyway? Really. She needed to move on and she saw in telling Wyatt that it was okay.

“You were getting married. Does Wyatt know this?”

“I told him the other day.”

“I’m glad you were able to confide that in him. I don’t mean to pry, but how are you?”

“I’m
better
than I was. I’ve struggled, but I am thankful that it ended before we said our vows.”

“That is a blessing. You need the man God has waiting for you. I know this has to hurt, but God will send the right man—maybe sooner than you want.” She smiled sheepishly. “Who knows what the future holds? Look at the witness your life is since losing your leg. That is testimony to your strength right there.”

Amanda went back to picking vegetables. “That’s what I want it to be.” They’d reached only halfway down the row but already her basket was overflowing with tomatoes. “I can’t carry anything else in this basket.” She laughed, staring at the abundance of those left. This garden would keep the entire town supplied. Why in the world had Melody planted so many plants? “What’s going to happen to all of these?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ve invited the ladies from No Place Like Home out to pick whatever they want. That’s the women’s shelter that Dottie and Brady Cannon run. Brady is our Sheriff.”

“I didn’t know there was a women’s shelter here.”

“It’s been here for a couple of years. You know the candy store in town? That’s run by the ladies. Dottie teaches them candy making and how to run a business while they are at the shelter. It is really a wonderful ministry.”

“It sounds like it.”

“And Wyatt wouldn’t tell you this, but he does all the legal stuff for the ladies if they need it. And he does it for free.”

“He does?” She hadn’t meant to sound so shocked. And she really wasn’t; she’d already figured out that he was a good man.

Melody eyes twinkled with merriment. “He truly is a nice guy. We weren’t just saying that. He does stuff like that all the time.”

“I’ve figured that out about him. He’s been out of his element.”

“Like we told you the other day, we were all so worried about him after the crash. I don’t know if you’ve caught on to the fact that he thinks he is everyone’s keeper. You see, Seth told me that after their parents died, even though Wyatt was only a senior in high school he took on the role of being the head of the house. He feels responsible for Seth and Cole. Even so, they want him to think about himself now. They’d hoped that he would come back here someday and settle down. He got Cole home, now they’d like him here, too. But that may never happen.”

Amanda listened with interest. They’d walked back to the front of the garden and Melody set her basket down and she did the same. She took a small basket when Melody handed it to her.

“Let’s grab some peppers before the poor bushes fall over under the weight.”

Amanda was thinking about Wyatt as they walked over to the peppers. Her perspective of Wyatt was very muddled. What she’d just learned explained more about his frame of mind. He’d taken on responsibilities of a grown man at an early age. He was probably an overachiever prior to that, but the responsibility of his brothers and the ranch had probably made him more so. No wonder he’d been so hard on himself. He’d not been irresponsible ever, it seemed. Not until he got into that plane and took off in that storm.

She was only twenty-four, but she knew that what she’d gone through at fourteen had aged her beyond her years. Her respect for Wyatt went up knowing this about him. There was absolutely no denying that he was one of the good guys. One of the really good men of Mule Hollow.

“You know, some woman is going to really be blessed when Wyatt falls in love with her,” Melody said. Her pretty eyes blinked innocently from behind her glasses.

Amanda felt uncomfortable suddenly at what Melody was hinting. “So, there isn’t anyone special in his life right now?” Amanda had no business asking, but the question just kind of came out.

Melody shook her head as she twisted a red bell pepper from the bush. “Never has been, according to Seth. Wyatt works. He dates, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not been interested in marriage. That’s one of the things that has been so curious about him being so determined to find Cole and Seth wives. He just felt like that was his responsibility, to get them married and happy. Funny how he associates happiness with marriage. I think deep down inside he wants the same thing for himself. He just hadn’t slowed down from his career long enough to remember that there is life beyond the law practice.”

“That is for certain. The man never stops. He brought the practice home with him.” She and Melody paused on that, perplexed.

Melody shook her head. “Cole and Susan had decided to go ahead with the wedding Saturday after next since Wyatt is on a cane now. They are so happy and anxious to be married. Cole is going to go by today and tell Wyatt. We’re hoping that as soon as they’re married that maybe Wyatt will be next.”

Amanda wasn’t sure what to make of Melody’s wistful smile. “Maybe so,” she said. “I’m sure back in Dallas there are plenty of women who would want that spot in his heart. And fit into his lifestyle.”

“Like I said, we’re praying he’ll fall in love with a Mule Hollow girl.”

“Well, good luck with that.” Amanda hated to discourage Melody, but she didn’t see that happening ever. Wyatt Turner might be a cowboy at heart, but she didn’t see a country girl fitting into his life at all. His heart was in Dallas. Why else would he be consulting on all these cases?

He obviously couldn’t wait to get back to it…and besides, though they didn’t know it, she knew clearly that she wasn’t the right woman for any man.

Wyatt stared at the floor through the face-hole in the massage table and tried hard to keep his mouth shut. It was obvious Amanda had no desire whatsoever to talk about herself. It was driving him crazy. The last few days had been like a bad rodeo. He’d try to talk to her and she’d shut him out. He felt like he’d been bucked off straight out of the chute at every turn.

Not only was he concerned about her, but he was finding himself more and more attracted to her. It was so bad lately that even when he was supposed to be working he was thinking about her.

And he couldn’t stop wondering about that deep sadness he’d kept glimpsing. What made her sad? Had she loved this man so much she couldn’t forget him? Couldn’t move forward? What was it?

Staring at the floor, he fought wanting to press her. If he started questioning her he was afraid it would come out sounding like an interrogation.

Amanda Hathaway was a mystery to him. He didn’t like mysteries until they were solved.

What he knew was that he’d misjudged her in the worst way the day she’d arrived. She’d told him she was good and that she’d have him back to new if he only trusted her. She was holding up her end of the challenge with ease. Even with her disability.

Yes, he was attracted to her, but more important he respected her—and it took a lot to win his respect. And she was completely immune to him in every way.

It was downright depressing.

Oh, she’d had him thinking a few days ago when she’d stumbled over the weight rack that maybe she was attracted to him. When he’d touched her he’d
almost
made a fool of himself and tried to kiss her. No way did he need to start thinking about that again. It was ridiculous. He was a thirty-six-year-old man and she had him feeling like a mixed-up schoolboy.

“You need to relax,” she demanded, pressing hard on the muscles lining his spine. “You’re so knotted up that you’re going to seize up on me.”

“This is as good as it gets,” he growled. If she thought he was going to relax today, she was dreaming.

“In that case, I’m just spinning my wheels.”

He felt her draw back from him and then her footsteps headed away from him. He yanked his head up, staring over his shoulder as she disappeared down the hall. “Hey, you’re not through.”

“I am today,” she called from the kitchen.

Using his good arm he eased up to a sitting position and then got off the table, wincing when he moved too quickly. This was getting old despite the progress he’d made. He didn’t feel a hundred years old anymore, but he was still pushing eighty.

“Why did you walk off like that?” he demanded as he eased into the kitchen. “You are real good at walking away.”

She was chopping up peppers and her back was to him. Her short hair swung about her ears to the very aggressive rhythm of the knife. At his accusation she glared at him.

He’d been surprised to find out that she was a good cook. She’d been thrilled with all the things she’d been getting from Melody’s garden earlier that week and he’d been benefiting from it. Her early morning omelettes made his mouth water. But good cook or professional cook, she was being far too scary with that knife at the moment.

What was she thinking? Her gaze shot back to her task. Angry, he stalked over—as best he could given his gait—and leaned against the counter next to the eggs and mixing bowl she’d set out. His hip ached and his back throbbed, but none of that bothered him more than the fact that she was hiding something important from him and he wanted to know what it was. Maybe it was the lawyer in him that wanted to always dig deep to find the truth, and the why of what made people do things. Until you knew the whole story, you couldn’t find the right solution.

But he knew that wasn’t it where Amanda was concerned. It was the man in him that simply wanted to know what was bothering the woman he was beginning to care about. The knowledge had its problems, but at the moment he wasn’t thinking about them.

“You’re going to cut your fingers off if you keep that up.”

“I can handle this,” she snapped.

That did it. “Not on my watch.” He reached for the knife. “Give me the knife.”

“No.” Icy eyes glared at him, but she stopped chopping. A good thing.

“I said—hand over the knife. I’m not playing with you, Amanda. I’m in the mood for breakfast at Sam’s this morning.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“Doesn’t matter. I am and you’re going to drive me. It’s your
job.
Or did you forget?” He wasn’t playing fair, but he didn’t care.

She stared at him like he had just lost his mind. Maybe he had. All he knew was he was taking her out to breakfast—in a weird roundabout way.

“I’m not going to be good company.”

“Fine. There will be plenty of good company to be had even if you choose to sit in the corner and pout. Now hand over the knife.”

Pout!
Wyatt thought she was pouting. She handed him the knife. She’d been struggling to not fall for Wyatt but it was happening despite everything she was doing.