My True Cowboy

“A lot. He’s not going to be able to do a lot of things by himself, and he’s going to need round-the-clock care, too.” Looking Gwen’s way, he said, “That’s going to mean lots of driving and sitting around. And sitting and watching. Any chance you could help out with that?”

Gwen frowned. “Junior, I like you enough to even sit by your father’s side and get chewed on regularly. But I just don’t think I can.”

“You don’t?” His heart sank.

Tilting her head in Ginny’s direction, she said, “I could help out some, of course, but really I don’t think I’ll have that kind of time. Someone’s got to get this little thing where she needs to go….” Her voice drifted off. Obviously Gwen was uncomfortable telling him no.

But she had a valid point. Ginny needed her regular routine. Disruptions meant outbursts and fights in school and tears at home … and that wasn’t going to be good for anyone.

“You’re right. I know. We’ve got a lot going on….” He turned on the faucet, picked up the hand soap and held it up. “Hands.”

Dutifully, Ginny stuck them out. He squirted. “Rub. Now rinse.”

As she did as he requested, he pulled over a couple of paper towels and dampened them, then did a cursory scrub over her cheeks. That was what life was all about with a six-year-old girl, he supposed.

Drama and dirt.

As soon as she was clean and dry, he sat with her and Gwen at the kitchen table. “I just don’t know how we’re going to give him the care he needs.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I was thinking we’d just care for him here … but now with Trent in the hospital, too, I don’t think that’s going to fly.”

“Maybe a rehabilitation place?” She snapped her fingers. “There’s the Electra Lodge.”

Reluctantly he nodded. “The hospital recommended that, as a matter of fact. I guess Dad could stay there for a month and get the round-the-clock attention he deserves.”

Gwen perked up. “What’s it like? Have you heard?”

“It’s probably pretty nice. We could check it out….” But all Cal could think about was the fact that Susan Young worked there. It would sure be his just deserts if his dad ended up being cared for by Susan. Every visit there was sure to be filled with irritation and arguments.

If they were even that lucky.

“Daddy’s gonna want to be home with me,” Ginny interjected.

“I know he’s going to want to be home with you, sugar. But we don’t have too much of a choice. Dad has health issues,” he said vaguely. “And other issues, too.”

“When he gets better, he’ll be able to ride all the time.”

“I hope so.”

Looking at him directly, Gwen asked, “So do we have a plan?”

“I’m afraid so. I’ll try to contact Jarred and Trent, but unless they want to play nursemaid, it’s the best solution. He’s going to need more care than we can give him. Plus, he’s gonna be as cranky as all get-out, too. You know he’s going to take exception to anything I say. He always does. We don’t have time for that.”

“Good luck with that conversation.”

“Thanks. I’m going to need it.”

Ginny tugged on his shirt. “Cal? Are you mad now?”

“Not at all, sugar.” Forcing a grin, he bent down to her. “What do you say we go check on the horses? Maybe they’d like a little snack.”

As he’d expected, she hopped from her stool and grinned. “I bet Casper wants an apple.”

“I’m sure that horse does. Pick one out and I’ll cut it up, sugar.”

“DO YOU THINK WE’LL EVER get a better TV?” Hank asked as Susan tried once again to get the salt-and-pepper mess off the nineteen-inch screen in their tiny living room.

“I do,” she replied. She was absolutely positive they would get a better television. One day.

Hank narrowed his eyes. “Soon?”

“No.”

Hank sighed. “Jeremy has a television in his room that’s bigger than this. You wouldn’t believe how good it looks.”

“Oh, I would. This TV isn’t too big at all. But we’ve got other things to pay for, Hank. It can’t be helped.”

“Maybe we could do without some things. Then we’d have more money for the good stuff.”

“What are you thinking we could do without?” She, for one, didn’t have a plan. Already her car was limping along and her clothes were mainly purchased from resale shops.

“I don’t know. Broccoli?”

“Broccoli’s not making as much of a dent in our budget as you might think, buddy.”

He slumped. “I guess you’re right.” He looked down at his shoes. “Guess I can’t buy new sneakers, huh?”

Little by little, her heart broke. She hated not being able to get him the things he wanted. “Maybe we can get new shoes after I get paid.”

He flashed a smile. “’Kay.” Walking away, he opened up the fridge. “So, can I have an apple?”

Once upon a time, the answer to that question would have been automatic. But now she hesitated. There were sugar levels and dietary concerns she couldn’t afford to ignore. “What else have you eaten today?”

After he told her, she mentally reviewed the dietary guidelines that the nurses had given her. “I suppose so. But let me know if you start to feel funny.”

Hank rolled his eyes as he bit into an apple, then scooted toward the tiny TV and watched his regular series of shows on the Cartoon Network.

Usually, this would be the time that Susan would lean back and stretch and relax. But all she could do was watch Hank watch TV and worry.

She’d gotten the lab results. They were going to need to up Hank’s insulin dose. And though the nurse probably didn’t mean to sound like it, Susan had the uncomfortable feeling that the nurse thought she wasn’t monitoring his levels closely enough.

After scheduling yet another appointment with the pediatrician, Susan had hung up … and had wondered how in the world she would manage to get off even more time from work. Kay was going to be put out, that was for sure.

And how was she going to be able to start monitoring things better with Hank? When they weren’t going to all these doctor’s appointments, she’d be spending even less time with him, not more.

“I’m going to sit on the patio,” she told Hank, then walked out to her nine-by-nine concrete slab and took a seat.

The moment she closed her eyes, the furnace that was Texas in September engulfed her. On cue, she started to sweat. Any sane person would go on into the air-conditioning. But maybe that was the problem. She wasn’t sane. Not by a long shot.

Why else would she have left Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, and all her family … for Electra, Texas?

Maybe she should go back to Cincinnati. Living in the city would be difficult and more expensive, but she could probably find a good job. And then Hank would have everything he needed in case something went wrong….

“You in for the night, Susan?” Betsy, her neighbor, peeked out in between the row of holly bushes that separated their patios.

“I am. What about you?”

The closest friend she had in Electra smiled a gap-toothed grin. “Not on your life! It’s only seven o’clock.”

Once upon a time, Susan had thought that way, too. Now, though, seven meant she could finally sit down and relax. “Hey, want to come over for a minute?”

“Of course. Let me get a pair of Buds and I’ll be right there.”

Minutes later, Betsy arrived, her hands full of Bud Lights and a spunky sashay in her walk. “Hot enough for you?” she asked as she flopped down on Susan’s extra lawn chair. As she did so, the hem of her cotton sundress fluttered around her thighs.

“More than enough. I don’t know when I’m ever going to get used to it being ninety in September.”

“Give it a few dozen years. Then it will seem as normal as dust storms in July.”

“In the meantime, I’ll just pray for good air-conditioning.” As they shared a chuckle, Susan sipped her beer, then looked her girlfriend over. Betsy was an office manager for a cellular-phone company and one of five siblings who all lived around the area. She always had something going on, either with work or with her family. “So, how are you? How was your day?”

“Irritating. Too many people were wanting things I can’t give them.” Running a hand through her short, spiky hair, she sighed. “But that’s okay. It’s Labor Day weekend and I’ve managed to get two out of the next three days off. Hey, want to come to a party with me tonight?”

“Thanks, but I can’t. I’ve got Hank.”

“We need to find you a sitter, Susan. You can’t spend every Friday night home.”

Until the doctors got Hank’s body under control, Susan didn’t want to risk Hank being in a sitter’s care more than she had to. And right now, he was already going to have to be with a sitter for most of Monday.

And, well, being home on a Friday night wasn’t that much of a tragedy for her. She liked the peace and quiet.

For the most part. “Where’s the party?” she asked, mainly to get Betsy’s focus off her.

“At Buffalo Bob’s. Do you know it?”

“Nope. But it’s got a catchy name.”

“It’s a play on Buffalo Bill, you know,” Betsy said earnestly. “Anyway, Bob’s is a honky-tonk down the way.” Betsy’s eyes lit up as if it was her birthday. “Every Labor Day, they put on a big ol’ party. A real celebration. I’m telling you what, it’s a good time. Susan, there’s even gonna be fireworks!”

“Sounds like fun.”

“It’s a hoot, that’s what it is. Lots of people will be there. You’re missing out.”

“I know.” It did sound fun. She used to look forward to Friday nights like no other. There was something to be said for kicking up her heels and letting off steam, and she’d done her fair share of that.

Well, she had until she’d become a mother. Now, sipping a glass of wine with her feet up and a good book sounded like heaven. With maybe a man rubbing her shoulders, too. Maybe even rubbing other places, too, she mused, her mouth going dry.

Gosh, how long had it been since she’d been on the receiving end of a man’s tender touch?

Still chatting about the bar, Betsy threw back the rest of her beer, then added, “Susan, it’s gonna be such a party. I heard even Cal Riddell might show up.”

Susan almost choked on her beer. “You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.” Betsy set down her Bud. “Wait a minute. You’re acting like you know something I don’t. Do you actually know Cal Riddell?”

“Yes.” Though she sure wished she didn’t.

Betsy’s golden eyes lit up. “Oh, honey. That’s awesome! Isn’t he gorgeous?”

He … was. But that didn’t really matter.

“Are you friends with him?”

“Not so much.”

Lowering her voice, Betsy leaned forward. “To tell you the truth, I tried to be more than friends with his brother a few months ago, but he blew me off.”

“Brother?”

“Trent. He’s a legit rodeo star.”

“Wow. I didn’t know that.”

“So, don’t you think that Cal Riddell is something else?”

It was a struggle to not offer her opinion. “He was something, all right.”

“My goodness, but he’s a fine looking man. Six foot three, black hair, blue-gray eyes …” Betsy fanned the air for emphasis. “And the way he talks. I swear, his voice is so deep. And that slow drawl, it’s enough to curl your toes.”

Susan had noticed that drawl.

“And, well, he’s rich as sin, too.”

Though she was telling herself she couldn’t care less about that man, Susan couldn’t help but catch hold of Betsy’s latest tidbit. “He’s rich?”

“Hell, yes! And we’re not talking rich like he-can-take-a-vacation-whenever-he-wants rich. We’re talking rich enough to-buy-himself-a-plane-and-pilot rich.” After a pause, Betsy said softly, “He’s rich enough to support a wife in the way she’d like to be accustomed to.”

Though she was vaguely disturbed by Betsy’s words, Susan elected to ignore them. “Hmm,” she said simply. “I really had no idea.”

“You still don’t. Sue, he’s Cal Riddell, as in the Riddell Ranch.”

Betsy said that as if he was a celebrity or something. Well, she, for one, had never heard of the Riddells or their infamous ranch.

Come to think of it, she wouldn’t shed a tear if she never heard of the place again. Choosing her words carefully, Susan said, “Actually … I wasn’t all that impressed with him.”

“Get out.”

“I’m serious. We shared a table in the cafeteria at the hospital when Hank was getting tests done. The whole time, rich Cal Riddell couldn’t have been ruder.”

“That’s not like him. Usually, he hardly ever talks. It’s part of his charm, you know.”

Susan wished he’d been a little more quietly charming. Though … “He was a little nicer when our paths crossed at the hospital today.”

“See?”

“He was nice until he insulted me.”

“Uh-oh.”

Though Susan realized she was ranting, she just kept on going. “Uh-oh is right. He’s the biggest jerk alive. I hope I never see him again.”

“You ought to get those eyes of yours cleaned. He’s a catch and a half.”

“Not for me. I certainly don’t want to catch him. I just want to stay out of his way.”

“I bet you’ll feel differently about him once y’all dance. I’d feel all kinds of things for him if I pressed up against him real close.”

Susan couldn’t imagine the man she’d met unbend enough to dance at all. She couldn’t even imagine trying to have a conversation with him in a bar! Nor did she ever want to try.

So, if she couldn’t imagine any of that … why could she definitely imagine what it would feel like to be pressed up close to him?

She cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, I won’t be dancing with anyone tonight. But you be sure and tell me how the party is.”

Betsy looked her over and frowned. “Susan, you need to put yourself out there if you want to meet anyone.”

“I know. And I have been meeting people. I’ve met a lot of people at work, you know.”

“Doctors and old people don’t count.”

Before Susan could dispute that, Betsy picked up her empty bottle and stood. “Well, I need to go shower and get cute.” Shaking her spiky red hair, she grinned. “This magic don’t happen on its own, you know.”

“Have fun, Betsy.”

With a little wave, her friend turned and disappeared through the hedge.

And left Susan thinking about a long Friday night with nothing to do but sit and stew. And to wonder what it would be like to actually have money to spend on clubs and parties.

And to wonder how her life might have been different if Hank’s dad had decided to stay.

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