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“Don’t fuss, India. I’m fine.” Dottie shrugged off the support and ambled slowly toward her room.
India stood in the foyer, watching until her charge disappeared from sight. How was this going to work? She couldn’t be a caregiver if Dottie didn’t want to have help.
Farris came around the corner from the direction of his room. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Your mother suddenly got tired and didn’t want to work on the pictures anymore. But she wouldn’t let me help her to her room.”
Farris sighed. “That sounds about right. She can only exert herself to a certain point. Then she fades fast.”
India shifted from one foot to the other, trying not to notice the way Farris’s white button-down shirt left his throat bare. His hair was damp as if he had recently taken a shower. India remembered that bathroom well, even though it had been five years since she had seen it. An enormous shower enclosure. Dual rain heads. A heated floor. Built-in seats of smooth local granite. A detachable sprayer that could be used for all kinds of games.
Her breathing quickened, remembering in vivid detail the naughty sex play she and Farris had enjoyed. Today, he was wearing jeans, but the shirt could have paired nicely with a dark suit. Again, she was struck by the dichotomies in his personality.
Who was Farris Quinn? The cutthroat financier? Or the rugged cowboy?
She looked at him, trying to concentrate on her responsibilities. “Shouldn’t I take Dottie back to New York and care for her there? If you’re traveling, I don’t know that I’ll be comfortable looking after her here. We’re so far from town. And does she even have a doctor at the Jackson hospital?”
Farris leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. She saw worry in his gaze...and a certain fatalism. “What you say makes sense. But Dottie is worried about contagion. She says there are too many people in the city, too many germs. She feels safer here. The doctor actually told her not to get sick. Even a cold can tax her body.”
“I see.”
“Don’t worry about her, India. My mother has made peace with whatever happens. And, honestly, she’s not in imminent danger.”
“But her condition could change rapidly, right? I did some reading last night, trying to understand everything that’s going on.”
“It could. She could have a heart attack. Or a stroke. The more likely scenario is that she will gradually go downhill. I don’t want you to feel responsible.”
“How can I not?”
Farris straightened. “How about we go for a ride?”
Her heart bumped. “Isn’t it cold?”
He shrugged and grinned. “Twenty-nine degrees. And the sun is shining. You can’t stay cooped up in this house all day.”
“But what about Dottie?”
“I’ll text her, so I won’t disturb her nap. She’ll see it when she wakes up.”
“Okay. I guess that would be fun.”
“Meet me at the barn in fifteen minutes.”
In the lovely blue guest suite, India rummaged in her suitcase for the appropriate clothing. An old, faded pair of jeans would do. And a warm red turtleneck sweater. Thick socks and ankle-high leather boots, and she was ready.
She glanced around the room. Already, she was fond of her new accommodations. It seemed odd that Dottie hadn’t claimed this room-with-a-view. The house encompassed a single level with one wing like the base of a lazy backward L. The kitchen and great room/den occupied the central part of the structure. The master suite and the blue room were to the left. Dottie’s quarters, a workout room and a second guest room were located in the section that angled back and to the right. If Farris was ever in residence on his own, there were large doors that made it possible to close off the section where Dottie now resided.
In the context of India’s brief marriage, she had thought about children often. This amazing house would be a lovely spot to raise a family...for at least six months out of the year. And then New York for the rest. The best of both worlds.
For a brief moment, she couldn’t help thinking about what she had lost. Not only her husband, but all the might-have-beens, as well.
Then she lifted her chin, though there was no one around to see the defiant gesture. She refused to dwell on the past. Her plans and dreams for the future were intact. Against all odds, she had created a good life for herself. A life that didn’t include Farris, but a future that would almost assuredly bring her the family she so craved.
She would break the cycle of her aloneness. In fact, she’d already done that with her many wonderful friendships. It was time to find the man who would be the perfect husband and father.
After running a brush through her hair, she grabbed up her heavy coat. When she stepped outside, the cold slapped her, but not unpleasantly. More of a brisk wake-up call. The sunshine softened the brunt of the icy air.
She slipped on her gloves and pulled up her hood. Farris was in the barn, as promised. The smells of hay and leather and animals were pleasant. “I have to warn you,” she said. “I haven’t been on a horse in a very long time. I was thinking you should give me your dullest, slowest ride.”
