1 Witchy Business (23 page)

“Hey, watch those hands. That’s
my
move!” he replied.

She laughed. “Oh, wait. Let me get this straight. I can’t just walk up to you and pat your butt?”

“Not in the kitchen. We
eat
in here.”

She giggled. “Yes, let’s only make love in all the other rooms of the house, including the walk-in closet. But keep the kitchen sacred.”

“That’s where the pies are born.” He smiled and said, “I’m trying to remember if our married sex was ever this delicious.”

“Of course it was. But now, the steamy scandal of the current situation keeps us both revved up. What will people in town say when they see us together at the supermarket, picking out a frozen turkey and making eyes at each other over packages of Pepperidge Farms cornbread stuffing?”

“What people say to your face and what they think are entirely different. Don’t sweat it, darlin’. You don’t adjust your attitude. Let them adjust theirs.”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

He nodded. “I’ll feed and water the dogs and the horse if you make me some toast out of your homemade bread to go with that coffee that’s perkin’ on the stove.”

“Okay.”

“Three slices, please. Butter and honey on the side.”

“You got it, handsome.”

2.

“I’m glad you came by on a whim, Tara. I have good news for you.”

Tara sat up straight on the examining table at Doc Nelson’s clinic. The protective boot was off and they looked at her X-rays on the computer monitor.

“Is it better?”

“Much improved.” He pointed to different parts of the X-ray as he spoke. “The screws in your ankle from the surgery seem to be solid in the bone with no shifting and the reattached deltoid ligament and anchor is doing well. There’s no sign of infection in screws or plates and you seem to have good mobility, which will get better now that you don’t have to wear the boot and can walk without it.”

“Yay,” she said.

“No running or jumping. Walk normally, but not marathons or speed walking. If you get swelling, hit the anti-inflammatory prescription and elevate. You know the drill.”

She nodded. “Got it. When will it be perfect?”

“A broken ankle and torn ligaments is a long healing process. However, after all these months, you are now headed toward the rehab part of this program.”

“Finally! No more big blue plastic foot protector!” she said.

“You’re pretty happy about that.”

“I’m happy that it doesn’t hurt that much anymore. Not like it did. The pain is like a 2 on the 1 to 10 scale.”

“Good to know.” He slowly rotated her foot. She winced a bit and pressed her lips together.

“Still a bit tender, I see. I will caution you that you have to be careful. Keep the boot in a closet in case you need it again.”

She pressed her lips together. “Okay. Am I cleared for riding now?”

“A horse?”

“Of course, a
horse
.”

Doc Nelson smiled. “Listen, Tara. I know you are going to ride whether I tell you it is okay or not because that’s just you. I am not even talking about falling under a horse again, which could cripple you. I’m talking about a simple twisted ankle undoing all of this suffering and the hard work of recovery. You don’t want to find yourself back at square one, trust me on this.”

She grimaced and nodded for him to go on.

“If you twist your foot in the stirrup and stand up in the saddle, you risk displacing the screws or the plates might shift. I doubt it, but that is a lot of action in a small area of the foot. If you mess up the healed parts, you face more surgery, but with worse results next time. I’m serious.”

She sighed heavily, her eyes filled with worry. “What about bareback riding?”

“Better, but still not risk-free. I know you will ride again, regardless of what I say, but bareback riding at a walk is best, if you really must do it at all.”

After a moment of silence, she said, “I hear ya. Loud and clear.”

Doc Nelson paused. “You’re free from the support boot now, unless you re-injure yourself or it’s too painful to do without it.”

“Thanks. We do live way out there, so what do I do for physical therapy?”

“It’s time to get your mobility back.
Carefully
. Because we don’t have a P.T. who is willing to travel to your remote ranch, and it is impractical for you to drive to town every day for a month, you must now do the work of home exercises, exactly to the instructions that you will receive. I’ll email you a video. Will that work?”

“Great! Thank you, Doc Nelson.”

“You’re welcome. Listen, I don’t know if you are aware of this, but your health insurance company canceled you. Did you know about that?”

She put a hand to her throat in surprise. “What?! No, I didn’t know. Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I’m sorry. You might talk to them and get them to reinstate you and re-file some of the rejected claims. This is a free visit because it is post-op care, but there might be some follow-up required if you have pain.”

“How can they do that?”

“Various reasons, but the most common one is your monthly premium was late.”

“It
was
late, because I was in the hospital and so, I sent it to them a week late. I had to go have Zane fetch my checkbook from the trailer where I used to live and I didn’t know exactly where it was.”

“You’ll have to call them.”

“Thank you. I will.”

After he left the examining room, Tara’s tears finally slid out and her eyes met Zane’s. “I can’t imagine not riding a horse for the rest of my life. How am I going to cope with being afoot?”

Zane hugged her. “I don’t know. I’m sorry, Tara.”

They held each other tightly as she cried. “This is almost as horrible as Lucky dying.”

“No, it’s not. Far from it.”

She shot him a hurt look. “Okay, it’s not, but I am very upset at this news.”

“Sorry. Look, I won’t try to influence you either way. You want to ride and take the risk, do it.”

“I think I’m too scared right now,” she choked out. “I have to think about it all.”

“If you change your mind, we’d find you an older horse that only walks. You can ride bareback, or maybe just one stirrup on your good foot, but that puts you off balance.”

“I don’t know what to do…I have to think about it and just weigh the risks. Let’s go, Zane. We still have things to do in town and the snowfall is getting heavier.”

He nodded and helped her down off the examining table.

She forgot to take her protective leg boot, but without a word, Zane grabbed it for her and followed her.

She limped slightly and going was slow without the protective boot that had supported her healing ankle for months. When she got to the exterior door, she said, “Oh, no! Guess what I didn’t bring with me?”

Zane laughed. “A shoe?”

“Stop laughing!”

 “I’m gonna carry you to the truck,” Zane said, trying to hold back his laughter and failing.

“I can walk,” she said.

“Through the snow without a shoe? Come here, darlin’.”

“Bless you, Zane.”

He handed her the big blue boot to hold. She put the other arm around his neck and hid her face in the crook of his neck as he carried her to the truck.

“You’re my girl.” He kissed her softly.

“Thank you.” She took a deep breath. “This sucks so much. I am almost all better and now…now I find out that I probably have a big steaming pile of medical bills waiting for me in the post office box and then there is the terrible news that I shouldn’t ride. Not that I have a horse. And Blue is way too big for me.”

“We can get you a new horse to match your petite size.”

“He won’t be as good as Lucky.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Turn the tables. Is there any horse on Earth as good as Blue?”

“I see your point.” He paused. “I’m sorry you lost Lucky.”

“Thank you. I think that’s going to hurt forever.”

He opened the door and gently put her in it, then walked around to the driver’s side. He got in and started the truck.

“Don’t cry, sugar. I have an idea.”

She dried her tears with a tissue.

“What’s your idea?”

“I’m not telling, not yet. Just…
trust me
.”

Do you want to know what happens next?

Buy
Tara Takes Christmas
on Amazon Kindle.

Go to Eve Paludan’s Author and Books Page on Amazon

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