AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Eight
“What a fun afternoon,” Kaylee told Luke later that night as they pulled up in front of the hospital. “Those ladies with the books were a crack-up. You’re going to have to help me eat all this stuff.”
He didn’t respond. She looked over, and his face had gone pale as he stared through the windshield.
Kaylee’s tone softened as she reached out to touch Luke’s arm. “Hey, are you okay?”
He inhaled a deep breath. “I haven’t been here since the accident. This is where my wife…”
A stab of pain shot through Kaylee’s chest. “Oh no. I’m so sorry.”
“I wasn’t thinking when I said we’d drop the keys off.” His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.
“I can take the keys in,” she offered. “You said you needed to fill up anyway. Why don’t you go get gas while I run in and drop them off?”
He slowly shook his head. “No, I should be able to do this.”
“But you don’t have to.” She knew what it was like to not be ready to face something. She held out her hand for the keys. “Really. I’m glad to run them in.”
He pulled the keys from his pocket and set them in her hand, closing his fingers around hers for just a moment. “You’re right. It makes more sense for me to go fill up the truck. Two birds with one stone and all.”
She squeezed his hand then took the keys. Pushing open the truck door, she nodded to the park across the street from the hospital. “I’ll be right back out. And I’ll meet you in the park. Over there by the playground.” She didn’t want him to have to drive into the hospital parking lot again.
“Sure, okay. By the playground.” He was staring at the center of the steering wheel.
She pushed the door closed, and he shot out of the parking lot, his tires practically spinning as he tore off. Kaylee pressed her hand to her chest, aching for his pain, then she turned and hurried into the hospital.
The door to Bud’s room was open. Pearl had called the store earlier to check on them and given them the number, and Kaylee knocked softly on the jamb.
Pearl was in the chair next to the bed, and she looked up from the book she was reading. “Come on in, honey. I want to introduce you to the only old coot ornery enough to put up with me all these years.”
Kaylee laughed as she entered the room.
The man in the bed was around the same age as Pearl, but he had a lot less of the soft silver hair than she did. His leg was wrapped in gauze and propped up on the bed. He had a lean, wiry frame and a friendly face as he smiled at Kaylee. “Don’t let her fool you. She’s just as ornery.” He held up a bandaged hand. “I’d shake your hand but this one is temporarily indisposed.”
“Oh no,” Kaylee said. “Pearl told us about your leg, but I didn’t know you hurt your hand too.”
He shrugged. “It’s nothing. Just scraped it up when I fell.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Better since Pearl showed up.” He shot a quick smile at his bride. “We can’t thank you enough for helping out at the store today. Hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”
“Not at all. It was fun.” She passed the keys to Pearl. “And Luke made sure to tell everyone why we were there. He said the ‘guilt factor’ would get them to buy more, and he must have been right. According to him, we had a banner day.” It hadn’t hurt that she had bought the pair of cowboy boots, a better fitting pair of jeans, a dress, a jean jacket, and several cute western shirts—all of which Emma had helped her pick out.
Pearl hung her head. “I heard you had a few visitors today. Sorry about that. I didn’t realize they’d all run over there with books for you to sign.”
Bud grinned. “In this town, there’s three ways to get information out—telephone, television, and tell-a-Rita.”
Kaylee laughed. Three other women had stopped into the store with books for her to sign. “It was fine. I had fun meeting them. And I ended up getting a loaf of banana bread, a chocolate cake, and some prize-winning jam out of the deal. So I’d say I came out ahead.”
“I like this one.” Bud nodded to his wife. “And don’t let her fool you. She’s one of your biggest fans. She was just too star-struck to tell you when she met you earlier today.”
“Star-struck?” Heat warmed her cheeks. “Oh gosh. Not for me.”
“Of course for you,” Bud confirmed. “She’s read every single one of your books. I’ve even read a few.”
“You?”
