at the end of the corridor, she turned on her brother. “When I asked you to take him under your wing,” she snapped, “this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
Rob gave her a ferocious scowl. “Go ahead! Rub it in! Don’t you think I feel bad enough already?”
“Don’t bother to look at me like that. I’m not the least bit intimidated. You’re nothing but an Oreo cookie. Hard on the outside, and all mushy on the inside.”
Casey threaded an arm through Rob’s. “Most of the time,” she said, “he’s mushy on the outside, too. This was my fault, Rose. I had no business letting the boys play in the barn.”
From the corner where he’d remained silent until now, Mikey said miserably, “It’s my fault. We should’ve been more careful. Will Luke be okay?”
Rose met Jesse’s troubled eyes. She got up and crossed the room to where her new stepson sat with those impossibly long adolescent legs stretched out in front of him. Scooching down in front of him, she took his hand and said, “He’ll be just fine. It’s not your fault. Accidents happen.”
Mikey looked relieved, and her heart went out to him. From the little that Jesse had said about his ex-wife, it sounded as though the boy didn’t see his mother very often. Rose knew better than to attempt to take his mother’s place, but she hoped that she and Mikey would be able to build some kind of relationship.
After an interminable wait, Luke’s break was declared a simple fracture. The resident on duty set it and applied a plaster cast, wrote out a prescription for pain meds, loaned Luke a pair of crutches, and sent them on their way.
Mikey rode in the cab of the truck with Rose and Jesse, but in order to make room for the cast and the crutches, Luke sprawled across the back seat of Rob’s Explorer. The incident had taken a little over four hours, and Rose was so exhausted that her stomach was roiling with nausea. It would certainly impress her groom if she lost her dinner in his lap on their wedding night.
Jesse’s house was a welcoming beam of light and warmth. “Thank God,” she said as they pulled into the driveway. “I was ready to stretch out in one of the treatment rooms and go to sleep.”
Mikey hopped out to help Luke from the Explorer, and Jesse took Rose by the arm and steadied her as they navigated the walkway of crushed white limestone. “It’s one in the morning,” he said as he unlocked the door. “Why don’t you go upstairs to bed?”
“I have to make sure Luke’s settled first.”
“I’ll take care of Luke. We have to get to know each other sooner or later. Now’s as good a time as any.”
She leaned against the door frame so she wouldn’t fall in a heap at his feet. “Jesse,” she said, “I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” he said.
“For everything,” she said, stretching out both hands to encompass all the ills of the planet. “This evening has been a disaster. Our wedding night. I know it’s not what you expected.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. “This is only one night. We’re going to be married for a long time.”
She supposed this wasn’t the time to tell him that she didn’t share his confidence regarding the longevity of their union. “Thanks,” she said softly, as the rest of the crew slowly and laboriously approached the door.
“Go,” he said, giving her a gentle nudge. “I’ll say good-night for you.”
Immeasurably relieved, she fell into bed, too exhausted to remove the clothes she’d worn to the hospital. The murmur of voices floated up the stairwell, the voices indistinguishable but the soft buzz soothing. Her last thought, before she drifted off into a dead slumber, was that she would have to work harder at being detached. In spite of her best efforts, she was beginning to soften towards Jesse Lindstrom.
chapter seven
The first thing Monday morning, she loaded a funereal and
Rob gave her a ferocious scowl. “Go ahead! Rub it in! Don’t you think I feel bad enough already?”
“Don’t bother to look at me like that. I’m not the least bit intimidated. You’re nothing but an Oreo cookie. Hard on the outside, and all mushy on the inside.”
Casey threaded an arm through Rob’s. “Most of the time,” she said, “he’s mushy on the outside, too. This was my fault, Rose. I had no business letting the boys play in the barn.”
From the corner where he’d remained silent until now, Mikey said miserably, “It’s my fault. We should’ve been more careful. Will Luke be okay?”
Rose met Jesse’s troubled eyes. She got up and crossed the room to where her new stepson sat with those impossibly long adolescent legs stretched out in front of him. Scooching down in front of him, she took his hand and said, “He’ll be just fine. It’s not your fault. Accidents happen.”
Mikey looked relieved, and her heart went out to him. From the little that Jesse had said about his ex-wife, it sounded as though the boy didn’t see his mother very often. Rose knew better than to attempt to take his mother’s place, but she hoped that she and Mikey would be able to build some kind of relationship.
After an interminable wait, Luke’s break was declared a simple fracture. The resident on duty set it and applied a plaster cast, wrote out a prescription for pain meds, loaned Luke a pair of crutches, and sent them on their way.
Mikey rode in the cab of the truck with Rose and Jesse, but in order to make room for the cast and the crutches, Luke sprawled across the back seat of Rob’s Explorer. The incident had taken a little over four hours, and Rose was so exhausted that her stomach was roiling with nausea. It would certainly impress her groom if she lost her dinner in his lap on their wedding night.
Jesse’s house was a welcoming beam of light and warmth. “Thank God,” she said as they pulled into the driveway. “I was ready to stretch out in one of the treatment rooms and go to sleep.”
Mikey hopped out to help Luke from the Explorer, and Jesse took Rose by the arm and steadied her as they navigated the walkway of crushed white limestone. “It’s one in the morning,” he said as he unlocked the door. “Why don’t you go upstairs to bed?”
“I have to make sure Luke’s settled first.”
“I’ll take care of Luke. We have to get to know each other sooner or later. Now’s as good a time as any.”
She leaned against the door frame so she wouldn’t fall in a heap at his feet. “Jesse,” she said, “I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” he said.
“For everything,” she said, stretching out both hands to encompass all the ills of the planet. “This evening has been a disaster. Our wedding night. I know it’s not what you expected.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. “This is only one night. We’re going to be married for a long time.”
She supposed this wasn’t the time to tell him that she didn’t share his confidence regarding the longevity of their union. “Thanks,” she said softly, as the rest of the crew slowly and laboriously approached the door.
“Go,” he said, giving her a gentle nudge. “I’ll say good-night for you.”
Immeasurably relieved, she fell into bed, too exhausted to remove the clothes she’d worn to the hospital. The murmur of voices floated up the stairwell, the voices indistinguishable but the soft buzz soothing. Her last thought, before she drifted off into a dead slumber, was that she would have to work harder at being detached. In spite of her best efforts, she was beginning to soften towards Jesse Lindstrom.
chapter seven
The first thing Monday morning, she loaded a funereal and
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