A Haunted Twist of Fate (27 page)

Feeling her face flush, Shay smiled shyly. “Mrs.
Morgan…”

“No need to try and fool me. It’s obvious you care
for him. You have the same expression on your face when you look at Colt that
my mama told me I had on mine when Chet first started courting me.”

“That was about fifty years ago,” Chet said, leaning
in front of Hannah. “It was love at first sight. For me, anyway.”

“You’re eavesdropping,” Hannah chided,
light-heartedly.

“Can’t help it. I’m sitting right here.”

“Don’t you want to read about
People’s
sexiest man on earth?” she teased.

His face grew red.  He mumbled, “Aren’t there any
farm magazines in here?”

“So, what is it?” Hannah urged, turning back to
Shay. “Is it Colt’s handsome good looks? Or that sweet smile of his? Maybe it’s
his sparkling eyes and witty sense of humor. Do tell.”

Shay didn’t get a chance to answer because the
automatic doors opened and Brady burst in, gazing around. Chet whistled and
raised his hand in the air to get his attention.

“What’s going on?” Brady asked, squatting in front
of his parents. When he noticed Shay, they exchanged hellos.

Hannah gave him the same information she’d given
Shay. Brady breathed a sigh of relief.

“You want to wait with us until he comes out of surgery?”
Hannah asked.

“Nah. It sounds like he’s gonna make it. I’ve got to
get back to work. Tell him I came by though.”

“Will do,” Chet said. “You can talk to him later.”

“Okay. Shay, can I speak to you a minute before I
go?” Brady asked.

“Sure.” She excused herself, and they stepped a few
feet away so they could talk in private.

Brady lowered his voice. “I’m glad to find you here.
Dawn told me she went to see you yesterday. I want to thank you for talking
with her. She felt a lot better after your visit.”

“It was my pleasure. She’s a nice young woman. I
hope we’ll get to spend more time together.”

“I expect you will.” He winked. “I think my big
brother’s smitten.”

Shay felt her face grow warm again. Did all the
Morgans have the habit of saying whatever came into their mind?

“Hey, I’ve gotta go. I’m on the time clock. But it
was good to see you again. Let’s go out sometime when Colt’s up to it. The four
of us can double date. Grab a pizza or something.”

She didn’t know whether she’d ever have another date
with Colt at all, let alone double with his brother. She simply nodded. He said
goodbye and then kissed his mother’s cheek and shook his father’s hand before
departing, which Shay found sweet. It was another sign that this family was
close and loving.

“Mr. and Mrs. Morgan!” A nurse called out their
names. She held a clipboard in her hand.

“Right here,” Hannah called, while pulling Chet up
by the arm.

“You can come back now.”

Hannah gathered up her purse. “Come on. Let’s go see
our boy. You come too, Shay.”

Forty-Three

Colt sat up in a hospital bed with his arm in a cast
and his head bandaged. Tears burnt Shay’s eyes again when she saw him, but she
had to hold herself together in front of his parents. When his gaze landed on
her, she could tell he was surprised to see her.

“Shay. What are you doing here?”

“Your mother called, and I rushed right over.”



“I thought you might want her here,” Hannah said.

Colt held out his right hand, and Shay stepped
forward and grasped it. He squeezed tight. “I’m glad you came.”

“How are you feeling, son?” Chet asked.

“A little loopy.”

“We’ve given him pain medicine,” the nurse said. “The
doctor has already talked to him, and I’ve gone over his discharge
instructions. I’ve got the release papers here. One signature, Mr. Morgan, and
you’ll be free to go.”

Colt signed his name. “Good thing my left arm is the
busted one. Don’t think I could learn to be ambidextrous at this age.”

The nurse indicated it was time for him to get into
the wheelchair.

“I don’t need that,” he said.

“Hospital rules, Mr. Morgan. Have a seat and I’ll
give you a lift to the front door.”

“This is silly. I can walk,” Colt repeated. When he
hopped off the bed, he lost his balance and tipped to the side. His father
caught him and helped him into the wheelchair.

“See, smarty pants,” Hannah said. “Listen to the
nurse or you’ll bust your other arm.”

Once they reached the parking lot, Hannah said, “Do
you want to go home with us, Colt? With that concussion, someone should watch
you tonight. Your daddy needs to be at the ranch, but I can stay with you.”

“I’ll take care of him,” Shay piped up. Three pairs
of eyes gazed at her. Colt grinned.

“All right,” Hannah smiled. “Thank you, Shay. That’s
much appreciated.”

“Do you mind staying at my house,” Colt asked Shay.

“No. I expect you’ll be more comfortable there.”

“Daddy,” Colt said, “my truck is still out at the
Hull farm. Could you and Mama pick it up and drive it to my place?”

“Sure, son. Be glad to.”

Colt reached into his back pocket and tossed Chet
the keys.

“Let me help you into Shay’s car,” Chet said, “and
then we’ll be off.”

Once he was ensconced in her vehicle, the four of
them said their goodbyes, with Chet and Hannah saying they’d be over with the
truck soon.

* * * * *

Later in the day, Shay had a pot of beef stew
simmering on the stove and biscuits in the oven, ready for Colt as soon as he
woke up from a nap, which she suspected would be any time. The pain medication
had made him drowsy. He’d been sleeping most of the day. In that time, his
folks had brought his truck home, and his secretary had called to say she’d
rescheduled his appointments.

Since his house was already as neat as a pin, there
hadn’t been any tidying up for Shay to do. She’d gone into the bedroom and
checked on him several times, covered him with a blanket when she saw him
shiver in his sleep, and then watched some television to kill time. She’d also
phoned Lee Stansbury’s office again. No one had answered, so she’d left another
message.

Mostly, Shay had reflected on the way she’d reacted
and felt when Hannah had called to tell her Colt had been in the accident. Her
heart had dropped to the pit of her stomach. While driving to the hospital,
she’d imagined never seeing him again. That thought had reduced her to a
shivering mess. When she saw him in the room bandaged and with his arm in a
cast, she’d wanted to hug and kiss him and never stop. And she’d jumped at the
chance to come back here and take care of him. Thank God Hannah had called. Shay
felt like she had a second chance with Colt.

She was sitting at the kitchen island daydreaming
with eyes closed and her chin in her hands when he sauntered in, sniffing the
air. “Smells great. What’d you fix? I’m starving.”

Jumping up from the stool, Shay smiled and pulled
out a stool for him. “Beef stew. Did you sleep well?”

“I never take naps during the day, but those pills
knocked me right out, I guess.”

“I’m sure you needed the rest.” She ladled stew into
two bowls and removed the biscuits from the warming oven.

“You made biscuits, too?” He licked his lips.

“Don’t get overly excited,” she warned. “They’re not
homemade like your mom makes. I found a box of quick bread mix in your pantry.”

“Works for me.” He grinned and grabbed a biscuit off
the baking sheet and bit it in half.

Shay laughed. “Let me butter a couple for you. Do
you want honey on them?”

“All right. I’m so hungry I could eat a bear. I
didn’t want to waste any time with butter and honey.” He swallowed a spoon of
stew. “Hmmm. That hits the spot. Thank you, Shay.”

“You’re welcome.”

In short time, he’d finished the early supper and
she cleared the dishes and joined him on the sofa in the living room. “How’s
your head?” she asked, settling next to him.

“Not bad. My arm’s throbbing some.”

“Want me to get you more pain pills?”

“Not yet. I don’t like taking medication unless I
absolutely have to.”

“I understand, but this is probably one of those times.”
She started to rise from the sofa to get the pills, but he pulled her back down
with his good hand.

“Sit here with me. I’ll take more before bed
tonight.”

“Okay.”

They were quiet for a few moments. She felt
comfortable with the silence that united, rather than separated, them. With her
heart racing, Shay finally said, “Colt, when your mom called me today I was so
scared. I thought—”

“What?” His intense gaze pierced her. “What did you
think? Tell me.”

“I didn’t know what had happened to you, but I
thought I’d lost you. I imagined the worst. The idea of being without you…well…”
She lowered her gaze to her lap. “When I was driving to the hospital, I asked
God not to take you so we’d get another chance. You could be the man I’ve been
waiting for. I wanted the opportunity to tell you that.” Relief at finally
opening up and speaking the truth flooded her body as if a damn had broken.

Colt tipped her chin up and traced his finger over
her lips. “What about your past?”

“What are you referring to?”

“The two men you were engaged to. Will you tell me
what happened?”

She explained how they had both used her to get to
her father’s money. Fortunately, she’d seen through each man’s façade before it
had been too late, but the incidents had still left her heart with a gaping
hole. And the death of her parents had opened the wound even further.

“What will it take for you to trust again?” Colt
asked, stroking her face.

“Patience. Kindness. Time.”

“I can give you all that, and more.”

Her stomach flipped as his gaze delved into hers.
Her resistance was growing weak, but there were still important questions left
unanswered. “You told me you don’t want anything permanent. Is that because
you’d feel disloyal to your wife?”

“I worked through that feeling years ago.”

She angled her head, not comprehending. “Do you
think you’ll never be able to love another woman the way you loved her?”

“No. I have a lot of love to give to the right
woman.”

“Then help me to understand, Colt, because someday I
want to be married and have a family. To me, that means a committed
relationship. It’s senseless to waste your time or mine if that’s not something
you want.” When he didn’t answer, she pressed. “Do you want children?”

“I don’t know.”

Her heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach.

“I always wanted kids, but I’m forty years old now. Even
if I could magically have a kid right now, I’d be close to sixty when he
graduated high school. Everyone would think I was his grandpa, not his dad.”

She wanted to reinforce that he was healthy and in
great shape. There was no reason why he couldn’t be a vibrant father at his age
and for many years to come. But what was the use? She’d received the answer she
sought, and the rip in her heart grew larger.

Forty-Four

The sun streamed into the windows the next morning
to awaken Colt and set his bedroom afire with light. Though he felt stiff from
apparently lying in one position all night, the pain pills had done their job
again. He’d slept like a baby. He smelled eggs frying and heard bacon sizzling.

“Good morning,” Shay said, appearing and leaning
against the bedroom door jam. “Are you hungry? I have breakfast waiting.”

Her smile was friendly, but not as warm as usual. After
their conversation yesterday, she’d grown more distant as the evening went on. By
bedtime, she hadn’t been rude, but she hadn’t been speaking much either. She’d
acted like a nurse-for-hire, attending to his needs, instead of a girlfriend or
love interest.

He knew he’d disappointed her when they’d talked
about children, but he’d had to be honest with her and himself. That was a subject
neither could dance around. He was glad it had come out. The fact was, he
did
want to be a father—cherished the idea, in fact—but he would never want his
kids to be embarrassed by an old dad.

Even though the evening hadn’t turned out the way
Colt had liked, he was just glad Shay was talking to him this morning. Maybe he
could set things right with her again.

“Thanks,” he said, getting a hand from her out of
bed.

After a breakfast including small talk about nothing
important, Shay prepared a sponge bath for him, but declined to bathe him
herself. Then they confronted the problem of dressing him with the arm cast.