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“I hope you’ll make the right decision, Aaron.” Callie’s tone sounded oddly formal.
“Thanks. And thanks for the tea, Callie.” Without another word, he was off the porch and starting the Kubota.
“Well, how about that?” Callie said as they watched him drive away. “Nothing stays the same anymore, does it? First Lexie, and now Aaron. And the boys will be gone when school starts. We’re running out of people.”
Tess sank back into the chair. “We can always hire new help. But I need Lexie. I worry that she’ll go off somewhere with Shane and leave me to run this ranch without her.”
“I have an idea,” Callie said. “If you want to keep Lexie on the ranch, there’s one way to do that—hire Shane and let him live with us.”
“But—” Tess’s first reaction was to protest. “He won’t be able to walk, let alone ride. What can he do?”
“Think about it. How much time do you spend in that office? Shane knows the ranching business, he knows everything about bulls, and he’s smart. You saw that when he was here. He could take over the day-to-day management and free you and Lexie to work the bulls or take them to events.”
“But would he do it? Wouldn’t he see it as charity?”
“Not if we really needed him—and we do. Besides, I just thought of something else. Before your dad got sick, he was talking about holding classes for young bull riders. Shane could teach—and he has the name recognition to draw students. The kids could live in the bunkhouse for a few weeks at a time and be around the bulls. They’d love it.”
Tess had to admit the idea was appealing—and it would provide a solid reason to hire Shane. Another benefit—he could furnish insight into dealing with Brock. But would he agree to do it?
“We probably shouldn’t rush things,” Callie said. “Shane’s still in the hospital. We don’t know how long his recovery will take or what kind of condition he’ll be in afterward—physically or mentally.”
“Lexie will have to be the judge of that,” Tess said. “And the timing will be up to her. I’ll e-mail her tonight and let her know what we’re thinking. She can decide when to tell Shane.” Tess stood, picked up the iced tea pitcher, and opened the screen door to go inside. “Thanks for the ideas, Callie. I’m feeling a little better about the situation now.”
Callie didn’t reply. When Tess looked back at her, she was gazing up the road in the direction Aaron had taken.
* * *
Shane was having a restless night. Not that he was in much pain—that was the one advantage of having no nerve connections from his lower back on down. What was keeping him awake tonight was the uncertainty of what lay ahead.
He’d lost track of his time in the hospital, but it couldn’t have been more than a few days. At least the doctors were pleased with his progress. Today they’d informed him that he’d soon be going to the rehab facility he’d requested—the one in Tucson where Corey had been sent. The place had an excellent reputation for working with spinal injuries like his.
“With your upper-body strength, you should do well,” his doctor had told him. “You’ll be transferring and getting around in your wheelchair in no time.”
Sure. Hell. What about learning to piss by myself and putting on my own pants? What about driving a car, riding a horse, and making a living? What about loving my woman?
The thought of what it would take to become independent was like facing a mountain he had to climb with his bare hands.
He was scared—scared to death. But he wasn’t about to share his fears with Lexie. It was for her sake that he’d put on a brave face and tried to behave as if everything would be all right—even though nothing could be farther from the truth. He would never walk again, probably never get married or have a family. And he would never ride another bull.
Turning his head, he could see her sleeping in the recliner next to his bed. She’d spent all her nights here and much of her days, always cheerful, always positive, never allowing him to slip into the morass of self-pity.
In the faint light,
she looked exhausted. When he went to rehab she would be forced to go home. That was where she needed to be. She needed to rest and get back to her life—a life without him.
Her eyelids fluttered open. She gave him a tired smile. “Hi,” she said. “Do you need anything?”
“No, just can’t sleep. I can’t stop thinking about what comes next, after rehab.”
“It’ll work out,” she said. “It might take time, but you’ll do fine. You’ll see.”
“I wish I could be that sure.” He’d meant the comment to be sarcastic, but it hadn’t come out that way. He couldn’t use sarcasm, not with her. “Brock’s invited me to come back and live on the ranch. I’d have the best of everything—no money worries, my own personal trainer, probably my own vehicle with hand controls. You name it.”
A stricken look flashed across her face. “Is that what you want?”
“I’ve given it some thought. It would be the easy choice. But with Brock, I wouldn’t amount to much more than a house pet. What I really want is to be useful, to make my own living and my own choices. I want to be my own man, Lexie. Is that such an impossible wish?”
“No.” She sat up straight. “Not at all. You’ve already got another offer—from my sister.”
