birthstone ring.
“Well, no,” Neva said, lifting her hand and fingering the ring. “I got cold feet. It was one thing to be bold with him and another to risk my lifetime—I don’t believe in divorce, and frankly, I know Buck is sort of weak in that area. He doesn’t like unpleasantness or conflict at all and is apt to run off. You know how men can be.”
“Yes,” Rainey said, averting her eyes downward.
Neva said, “Right after Daddy was so rude to him—trying to drive him off—Buck did run off for a couple of days, sayin’ that he wasn’t the man for me. But he came back, and when he was still with me a month later and still askin’, I said yes, if he wanted children. He doesn’t really care about having kids, but he said it would be okay, if I did. He likes nothin’ better than pleasin’ me…or anyone, really.” She smiled tenderly, then jutted her chin. “But I won’t tell Daddy, because he told me not to bother comin’ around. He insulted Buck, and he insulted me, and it is up to him to apologize.”
“Oh, Neva, I can see your point, but you and your daddy are just goin’ round in circles with that kind of thinkin’. He misses you, and he needs you. He is a mess, not eatin’ right and growin’ mold in his refrigerator. What if he dropped dead tomorrow, like Mama?” She thought Uncle Doyle might do that from food poisoning in his own kitchen.
“There is so much that went with Mama,” she said, her voice cracking. “Things that should have been said but had been put off. And now it is too late.”
Neva stared at her.
“Don’t waste time with pride, Neva.”
Then, at the moment that she was thinking, There; I got that out , congratulating herself for not missing the opportunity, so enthused at her accomplishment that she was trying to come up with more that would seal the healingbetween father and daughter, there came horrified shouts from the arena, the type of shouts that caused the blood to run cold.
She and Neva about ripped their necks off turning.
A horse had lost its footing rounding a barrel. For a horrified instant, it seemed the world held its breath as the horse desperately tried to find ground. Then the horse went over on its side, and the small rider shrieked.
“Oh, Lord…that’s little Pammy,” Neva said and spurred her horse toward the arena.
As she jumped off Lulu and dropped the reins to the ground, Rainey saw Harry sprinting for the fence. It seemed as if she blinked, and he was through the cable fence and running across the arena toward the girl with all his might. The girl’s horse, having scrambled to his feet, just about ran Harry down, but at the last minute, not breaking stride, Harry veered out of the way.
He was pushing a man out of the way by the time Rainey and the others got to the girl.
“I’m a doctor,” she heard him say and watched him go down on his knees beside the child.
The little girl was crying, “My leg…my leg,” and beside her a wild-eyed woman was saying, “My baby! Oh, baby!”
Harry took the girl’s hand, made her lie back and leaned over her, seeming to capture her eyes in a hypnotic manner. “We’re gonna take care of you, honey. I’m a doctor. It’s hurt, but it isn’t anything we can’t take care of.”
She was about twelve and small for her age, Rainey saw. Tears streaked her face, but her eyes locked onto Harry’s, and her cries stopped.
He jerked off his shirt and spread it over her and called for someone to get something more to cover her. Rainey ran andgot her mother’s pillow and sweater, and thought to grab the last of the napkins in case they could be needed.
Returning with her things, she pressed them on Harry and knelt beside him to help. She saw then the full extent of the child’s broken leg. A bloody stain was spreading on the girl’s pant leg. She looked at Harry’s face and could read nothing. Someone, probably J.T., called attention to the blood and said he had a knife for cutting away
“Well, no,” Neva said, lifting her hand and fingering the ring. “I got cold feet. It was one thing to be bold with him and another to risk my lifetime—I don’t believe in divorce, and frankly, I know Buck is sort of weak in that area. He doesn’t like unpleasantness or conflict at all and is apt to run off. You know how men can be.”
“Yes,” Rainey said, averting her eyes downward.
Neva said, “Right after Daddy was so rude to him—trying to drive him off—Buck did run off for a couple of days, sayin’ that he wasn’t the man for me. But he came back, and when he was still with me a month later and still askin’, I said yes, if he wanted children. He doesn’t really care about having kids, but he said it would be okay, if I did. He likes nothin’ better than pleasin’ me…or anyone, really.” She smiled tenderly, then jutted her chin. “But I won’t tell Daddy, because he told me not to bother comin’ around. He insulted Buck, and he insulted me, and it is up to him to apologize.”
“Oh, Neva, I can see your point, but you and your daddy are just goin’ round in circles with that kind of thinkin’. He misses you, and he needs you. He is a mess, not eatin’ right and growin’ mold in his refrigerator. What if he dropped dead tomorrow, like Mama?” She thought Uncle Doyle might do that from food poisoning in his own kitchen.
“There is so much that went with Mama,” she said, her voice cracking. “Things that should have been said but had been put off. And now it is too late.”
Neva stared at her.
“Don’t waste time with pride, Neva.”
Then, at the moment that she was thinking, There; I got that out , congratulating herself for not missing the opportunity, so enthused at her accomplishment that she was trying to come up with more that would seal the healingbetween father and daughter, there came horrified shouts from the arena, the type of shouts that caused the blood to run cold.
She and Neva about ripped their necks off turning.
A horse had lost its footing rounding a barrel. For a horrified instant, it seemed the world held its breath as the horse desperately tried to find ground. Then the horse went over on its side, and the small rider shrieked.
“Oh, Lord…that’s little Pammy,” Neva said and spurred her horse toward the arena.
As she jumped off Lulu and dropped the reins to the ground, Rainey saw Harry sprinting for the fence. It seemed as if she blinked, and he was through the cable fence and running across the arena toward the girl with all his might. The girl’s horse, having scrambled to his feet, just about ran Harry down, but at the last minute, not breaking stride, Harry veered out of the way.
He was pushing a man out of the way by the time Rainey and the others got to the girl.
“I’m a doctor,” she heard him say and watched him go down on his knees beside the child.
The little girl was crying, “My leg…my leg,” and beside her a wild-eyed woman was saying, “My baby! Oh, baby!”
Harry took the girl’s hand, made her lie back and leaned over her, seeming to capture her eyes in a hypnotic manner. “We’re gonna take care of you, honey. I’m a doctor. It’s hurt, but it isn’t anything we can’t take care of.”
She was about twelve and small for her age, Rainey saw. Tears streaked her face, but her eyes locked onto Harry’s, and her cries stopped.
He jerked off his shirt and spread it over her and called for someone to get something more to cover her. Rainey ran andgot her mother’s pillow and sweater, and thought to grab the last of the napkins in case they could be needed.
Returning with her things, she pressed them on Harry and knelt beside him to help. She saw then the full extent of the child’s broken leg. A bloody stain was spreading on the girl’s pant leg. She looked at Harry’s face and could read nothing. Someone, probably J.T., called attention to the blood and said he had a knife for cutting away
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