AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes,” he said.
“You believe me?”
“Yes, I’ll give you the money.”
She visibly sagged with relief.
“And the boarders,” he added. “On one condition.”
Her slender figure stiffened, a wary look entering her eyes.
“You agree to keep an open mind about me,” he said. “And my business proposition that you train my thoroughbred for the Derby.”
Shaking her head, she moved to speak.
“You’re not obligated to accept my job offer, Jo. I’m just asking you to think it over. To consider my offer with no expectation on my part that you’ll agree. To simply accept my help and consider my business offer of training as you would that of a well-meaning neighbor . . . or friend. One who will be at your beck and call so long as you need me.”
Laughter burst from her lips, the act lighting up her pretty features with a pleasing glow. “You? At my beck and call?”
He grinned. “Exactly that.”
The humorous light in her expression turned skeptical. “Have you ever been at someone’s beck and call before?”
“No.” He moved closer and reached out, his attention drifting to her motionless hand at her side, the flesh of his palm almost tingling with the anticipation of pressing against hers again, of feeling that pleasant thrill of attraction from her touch. “But I look forward to the experience of helping you in any way you see fit.”
“You’re asking me to keep an open mind.” She eyed his outstretched hand. “That’s all?”
“Yes,” he said softly. “In the hope that it will lead you to decide to train again.”
“Will you throw in another bottle of your bourbon for Frankie along with the loan?”
His grin widened. “Of course.”
Her hand lifted, paused briefly in midair, then slid against his and squeezed. “Deal.”
* * *
At the end of the week, on Friday afternoon, Jo stood in the parking lot of Lone Oaks Hospital, sorely tempted to issue her first call for help to Brooks . . . but determined to resist doing so.
“Look, Granddad.” She blew an errant strand of hair out of her face and (heaven forgive her) relished the angry scowl on Earl’s face as he sat in his wheelchair beside her. He hated being called Granddad—he’d actually forbidden the term decades ago when her mother had abandoned her on his stoop—demanding she refer to him as Earl, instead. “I know in spite of having had a stroke and despite the advice the doctor and nurse just gave us during discharge, you still insist upon proving them all wrong. But I’m telling you, there’s no way you’re going to make it into the cab of your truck without help.”
“Amen.” Frankie, standing on the other side of Earl’s wheelchair, nodded her head in agreement.
“L . . . lee me . . . lo,” Earl grumbled from his slumped position in the wheelchair.
“No, I won’t leave you alone,” Jo said. “Because doing so means leaving you sitting here in that wheelchair in this parking lot for the foreseeable future. You refused to let the nurse or orderlies help you, so here we are. All you have left is me and Frankie.”
She glanced at Earl’s truck, parked beside them, in dismay. Oh, Lord. She should’ve foreseen this problem. Should’ve known Earl would balk at her and Frankie—two (gasp!) women—lifting him into the cab of his own truck. But she hadn’t. And here they were.
“I knew you’d give us a little trouble,” Jo said, looking down at Earl, “but I had no idea you’d put up this much of a fight.”
He’d attempted to stand four times on his own already and had barely lifted himself two inches off the seat of the wheelchair before slumping back into it with a pained grunt and thud.
Sighing, she knelt in front of his wheelchair and covered his balled fist gently with her hand. “I know you don’t want help. I know that if I let you, you’d spend the entire day and night trying to drag yourself out of this wheelchair and into that truck on your own, but your body just can’t do it right now.” She lifted her hand and cupped his cheek in her palm. “Your muscles are tired. They’ve been through a trauma, and they’re wore slap out. Not forever. Just for right now. One day soon, after a few months of therapy, you’ll be kicking our butts around Lone Oaks Crossing, but for now, I need you to let us help you, okay? You got to let us put you in that truck.”
His scowl eased as he stared down at her.
“Please?” Frankie lowered her face next to his, squeezed his shoulder, and smiled, her tone tender. “I put clean sheets and new pillows on your bed, set up the gas grill yesterday afternoon, and picked up some fresh salmon this morning before we came to get you. Everything’s ready and waitin’ for you to lie down on your own bed, enjoy a good long nap, then eat a fresh, home-cooked meal. But we got to get you home first.” She kissed his forehead and whispered, “Please, Earl? We’ve missed you so. And we want you home.”
