Cowboy All Night (Thunder Mountain Brotherhood, Book 5) (15 page)

He nodded. “I’ve had people tell me that you get dismissed when you’re in a wheelchair. Maybe it’s because you’re the same height as a kid.”

Herb made a sound of impatience. “People shouldn’t dismiss a kid, either.”

“They shouldn’t,” Brant said. “But they do.” He put his big hand on her knee and squeezed gently. “Are you freaked out by being in this chair?

“Not freaked out. But...” She met his gaze. “I’m learning some things.”

“That’s always a plus.” He squeezed her knee again. “Ready for me to push you down to the stall?”

“Shouldn’t I roll myself?”

“This is just an experiment to see how Linus reacts to a person he knows while she’s sitting in a wheelchair. You’d only have to push yourself if you needed to build up your muscles.”

She had a sudden image of Josh’s biceps. The rest of him was getting soft, but his arms were worthy of a bodybuilder. He had handle grips on his wheels and he used them to spin himself across the room.

Glancing down at the wheels on this one, she saw the same grips. “I want to roll myself.”

“Okay.” Brant stood and moved away from the chair. “Off you go.”

She wasn’t very efficient at it. Now she appreciated how effortlessly Josh zipped around his little apartment without crashing into the furniture. “Sorry I’m a slowpoke.” She glanced up at Brant, who seemed ten feet tall from this angle. “Would you rather just push me?”

“I’m not in any hurry.” He looked over at Herb walking on the other side of her. “You got any pressing engagements, Dad?”

“Not at the moment. Rosie and I are heading to the grocery store in a little while, but right now I’m free. And by the way, Aria, she really appreciated your help with the menu.”

“Glad I could do it.”

“I think knowing that these kids’ parents are paying for their meals puts a different spin on things for Rosie. Back when she was feeding the boys, she relied on simple recipes and made sure to cook plenty of everything.”

“Like tuna casserole,” Brant said. “One of my absolute favorites.”

Herb laughed. “They were all your favorites, son. You just plain love food. Rosie got the biggest charge out of your enthusiasm at the table.”

Aria started to say that Brant was still enthusiastic at the table but decided that was a comment best not made.

“I do enjoy my food.”

She looked up and caught his cute little smile. Maybe he was thinking about cherry pie. So was she, but she also realized how much she wanted to cook for him. Given her passion for feeding people and his for being fed, they should really carve out some time to make that happen.

While Herb and Brant reminisced about Rosie’s old standbys and who had been partial to which one, Aria began planning what she could fix for him if she ever got the chance. It might work out that she could do that some evening, even if the students were here. Potential menus scrolled through her mind.

She was so involved in dreaming about food that she was surprised to discover they’d arrived at Linus and Lucy’s stall. Without thinking, she started to get out of the wheelchair.

Brant put a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be better if you stay there.”

“Oh, right. I forgot for a minute.” She wondered how many times Josh had forgotten, tried to get up and then realized he couldn’t do it. The next time she saw him she’d be much more understanding about the difficult adjustments he’d had to make.

“The straw is going to keep the wheelchair from rolling easily,” Brant said, “so why don’t I push you in?”

“Good idea. That way you can decide how fast or slow to do it. I don’t want to go lurching in there and scare them because I’m clumsy.” She felt in her pockets. “Shoot, I forgot carrots.”

“I’ll go get some,” Herb said. “Carrots for Lucy would be helpful in this situation in case she starts thinking she has to protect her foal from the scary wheelchair.”

“We’ll wait for you,” Brant said.

“Be right back.” Herb started down the aisle at a fast clip.

Brant crouched in front of her again. “How’re you doing with this contraption now?”

“Better. But I don’t have to stay in it, which makes a huge difference. And what really bothers me is that Josh doesn’t, either. Some people have no choice and they have to adapt, but he could go back to PT, work harder, get out of this thing and walk again.”

“Steady.” He rubbed his hand back and forth over her thigh. “You’re shaking.”

She hadn’t realized it. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and blew it out. “Sorry.” She opened her eyes again. “Me getting upset won’t help Linus adjust to the wheelchair.”

“No.”

She looked into his eyes and soaked up the kindness and understanding she found there. “I wish I had your patience.”

“He’s not my brother.”

“He needs to get out of that wheelchair. I can’t help thinking that the longer he’s in it, the harder getting out will be for him.”

“Maybe he’s just not motivated yet.”

“That’s where Linus was supposed to come in.”

Brant smiled. “Give that little foal a chance. He’s only two days old.”

“You’re right.” She smiled back. “But Josh needs to visit Linus before Herb and Rosie start making the place wheelchair accessible. If I bring him after, he’ll be mortified. He won’t even let me get the special plate for my van.”

“But with the setup as it is, he’ll be pretty much confined to the barn.”

“I know. If I could coax him out of that thing, even if he has a walker, he could maneuver around the area and watch Linus romp in the pasture.”

“Considering what you’ve told me about Josh, I can’t imagine him going for the walker.”

“Yeah, he announced months ago that was a nonstarter. I’ve brought it up a few times since then and he gives me the stink-eye.” She sighed. “But he simply can’t stay in that chair. It’s unacceptable.”

“For you or for him?”

She understood the subtext. Long ago she’d admitted to herself that extricating Josh from the wheelchair was partly for her sake. As long as he was in that chair, her world would feel out of balance.

She was okay with knowing her motivation had selfish overtones. Achieving her goal would be a win-win situation. “For both of us.”

15

B
RANT
DIDN
’
T
THINK
pushing Josh to visit the ranch was a good plan, but he admired the heck out of Aria’s dedication to her brother’s welfare. Even though Josh had rejected her efforts, she wasn’t about to give up on him. Still, a more measured approach might get better results.

As he debated whether to say anything more, Herb came back with Rosie. Turned out she wanted to watch, too. Everyone chatted while Aria stuffed the carrot pieces in her pockets.

Brant chatted, but his mind wasn’t on the conversation. Instead he thought about the steely determination in Aria’s expression when she’d said, “It’s unacceptable.” If she took that attitude with Josh, chances were good he’d dig in his heels. Her motives were pure, but her methods could cause everything to blow up.

Last night he’d slipped in a comment about backing off to see if Josh came to her. She’d sounded interested in that option. Herb had said essentially the same thing this morning and she’d seemed receptive.

But that was before she’d spent time in the wheelchair. Hindsight was twenty-twenty. He should have put himself in the chair because he wouldn’t have had an emotional reaction to it. He’d also assumed she would have been curious enough to try out her brother’s months ago, but she hadn’t.

He’d been going on his own experience. In his junior year a basketball teammate had been temporarily confined to a wheelchair following a skiing accident that broke both his ankles. But Steve had attended every practice, so afterward they’d transferred him to the bleachers and taken turns rolling around the gym in his chair for the hell of it. Next season Steve had been back on the floor.

Putting Aria in the wheelchair today had seemed like a no-brainer. Linus was her colt so he’d thought she’d want to be the person who taught him that the strange object wasn’t scary. In making that decision, he’d apparently increased her feeling of desperation right when she needed to simmer down.

Maybe it would be okay. He hoped so. But the first step was to find out if the metal apparatus would freak out the mare and colt. Grasping the handles of the chair, he pushed it slowly through the open stall door as he watched the horses’ reaction.

Lucy and Linus eyed the chair and backed away, but Aria began talking to them in a soothing voice. “It’s just a silly old wheelchair. Nothing to be worried about.”

Brant wasn’t too concerned about the wariness shown by both horses. Lucy was smart to be alert to any potential dangers now that she had a foal to protect. Linus picked up on her caution and peeked out from behind her.

“I brought carrots, Lucy.” Aria placed one on her palm and held it toward the palomino mare. “I know how much you like carrots, girlfriend.”

Lucy gazed at it and snorted.

“You have to come over here if you want some. And bring that little guy with you, okay? He can’t have carrots yet, but I’d love to give him a scratch.” Aria continued to talk softly to both the mare and foal.

Lucy held out a little longer, but eventually she walked over, stretched out her neck and took the carrot.

“Next time you’ll have to come closer.” Aria rested her arm on the wheelchair. “It’s okay, Linus. I know you’re curious. Look, your mom’s fine with this shiny thing. You should investigate it.”

Brant stood very still as both mare and foal came up to be scratched and petted. Then Linus surprised the hell out of him by walking past the wheelchair toward him to get some attention. Crouching, he rubbed and stroked the colt’s soft coat. “You’re brave, Linus,” he murmured. “I kinda figured you would be, kiddo.”

“I’m out of carrots,” Aria said. “What next?”

“Let’s hang here a little longer. Then I’ll pull you back out. That might startle them, but I hope not.” He continued to caress the foal. Linus didn’t seem to mind the wheelchair at all.

Lucy was more concerned about it. Now that the carrots were gone, she’d edged away. Soon Linus noticed and followed her to the other side of the stall.

“That’s good enough for now.” Brant stood. “I’ll wheel you out slowly, but they still might react now that it’s moving.”

They didn’t, though. He was gratified to see that they stayed where they were and merely watched as he wheeled the chair back out the stall door. “Excellent.”

Herb latched the door. “I think they’ll be fine.”

“Me, too,” Rosie said. “How long did you rent that for, Aria?”

“A week.” She reached down, flipped up the footrests and got out as if eager to escape the chair. “I wasn’t sure how long it’d take.”

“I wonder if we should see how the other horses do with it if we plan on making the academy wheelchair accessible.” Rosie glanced at Brant. “What do you think?”

“Good idea. We could start by taking it out to the pasture right now. The surface won’t be great, but we’d have more room to maneuver it and see how they react to that.”

“Now would be a good time since we’ve been dry for a few days.” Herb glanced at his watch. He had a phone, but he never used it to check the time. “I wish we could stick around to see how that goes, but we should take off if we expect to be back for lunch. That shopping list’s longer than my arm.”

“We have a lot of mouths to feed.” Rosie squeezed Aria’s shoulder. “Thanks again for helping plan the menus yesterday. And I won’t forget the pearl onions and mushrooms for Tuesday night’s cooking lesson.”

“I’m not about to let her forget those,” Herb said. “In fact, I’ve decided I should learn to make this meal right along with the rest of you. Cooking together sounds like fun.”

Rosie grinned. “He’s saying that because he wants to keep an eye on me when I flame the brandy.”

“That, too.” Herb wrapped his arm around her waist. “Come on, lady. Let me take you out for a big morning on the town.”

“Ooo, ooo! Can’t wait!” She winked at Brant and Aria before leaving the barn with Herb.

Aria gazed after them. “Is it my imagination, or are they flirting a lot more?”

“They’re definitely flirting more than they were before the coq au vin
.
It’s great to see.” He never intended to get married, but lately he’d become more aware of how happy his foster parents were after all these years. Unless he changed his trajectory, he’d never know what that was like.

On the other hand, they weren’t as free as he was. Yep, he was totally free to move on to the next town, the next job. Whoopee.

“Were you going to include Lucy and Linus in the pasture experiment?”

“I’m sorry. What?” He snapped back to the present.

“I wondered if we’re taking Lucy and Linus out and when you want the wheelchair to come into play.”

“I’ll take the wheelchair first and try it out in the far pasture with the other horses. If that goes well, I’ll move it to the smaller one and text you.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t know what these things cost, but I’d hate to have one of them decide to kick the hell out of it. They probably won’t, but you can’t always predict horse behavior, so I want to take it slow.” He folded the wheelchair and started to pick it up.

Then he put it back down and propped it against the stall. Closing the gap between them, he gathered her close. “Whatever you decide to do about Josh, I’ll help you as best I can.”

She cupped his face in both hands. “You think I should back off, don’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am, I do.”

“I disagree. Every day that goes by will only make it harder for him. He’s getting used to that chair and I can’t let that happen. Besides, he needs to become acquainted with Linus before the kids arrive and certainly before Rosie and Herb start pouring asphalt paths and building ramps.”

“They won’t be doing that for a while. I’m guessing they’ll wait until the Fourth of July break at the earliest.”

“Maybe, but Herb would like Josh’s advice on the project. It would help Thunder Mountain and Josh at the same time. He’s an analytical thinker, a strategist. He’d be the perfect consultant, and he could also see that his experiences will benefit others.”

She made good points, logical points. But his gut told him she was headed for disaster. “As I’ve said before, he’s your brother, not mine. You have to do what you think best.”

“But I also understand why you’d want me to hold off. That’s your way, to be patient and let things happen in their own time. That’s not my way. In this particular case, I think it’s a mistake to procrastinate.”

“I wouldn’t call it procrastinating. It’s more like giving him breathing room.”

“He’s had
months
of breathing room. He needs a kick in the butt. I’ll leave earlier today so I can have a long talk with him before I head off to work.”

He looked into her eyes. The glint of determination that was so much a part of her personality and so opposite his was shining brightly. “I hope it goes well.”

“It will. I’ll make sure of it.” She stood on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss. “See you in fifteen minutes.”

“I’ll text you.” He resisted the urge to pull her close for a real kiss and settled for a hug instead. Then he walked quickly out of the barn before that hug had a chance to work on him. Her warm, soft body called to him more urgently than any woman he’d taken to bed, but he had to stop thinking about sex ASAP.

A couple of deep breaths helped. Concentrating on the job helped even more. The sight of Cade’s truck stirring up dust as it came down the ranch road distracted him further.

Cade and Lexi might figure something was going on, but they didn’t know for sure. Better to keep it like that, at least for now. As he continued on toward the pasture, he heard Cade’s truck rumbling behind him and turned around.

Cade pulled alongside and leaned out his window. “It’s not often I see a cowboy hauling a wheelchair out to the pasture. Is Aria’s brother here?”

“Nope.” Brant shifted the wheelchair to his other arm.

“Is that his chair?”

“Nope.”

“Then what the hell are you up to, bro?”

“Thought I’d hook your horse up to it and see if he’d pull me around the pasture. You okay with that?”

“Heck, yeah. I’d pay money to see it. But since I know you’re blowing smoke, what’s the real story?”

Brant described the wheelchair training for the horses and the resulting plan Herb had come up with to make the academy wheelchair accessible.

Cade let out a low whistle. “That borders on brilliant. Good for Herb.”

“It’s a fantastic idea.” Lexi ducked down so she could make eye contact through the driver’s-side window. “I’m amazed nobody thought of it before. We’re a public facility and we should be able to accommodate wheelchairs.”

Cade glanced around. “How big a project are we talking about?”

“Might not be as much as it seems at first—asphalt paths, ramps, stuff like that. Nothing Damon and Phil couldn’t do over Fourth of July.”

“Wait a minute,” Lexi said. “I hope nobody’s asking them to cancel their honeymoon.”

“Oh, right.” Brant kept forgetting about the wedding at the end of the month. A wedding he’d be attending. Considering Aria’s close connection to the family, she’d probably be there, too. He needed to think some more about that.

“Besides, Fourth of July is a little late to help Josh,” Cade said. “I’ve wondered how he’d get around once he showed up.”

“Yeah, well, Aria thinks he’d freak if he came out and the place had been freshly renovated for wheelchair users, so she’s hoping the changes will be made later on. I guess he’s touchy about his disability.”

“Then he should go back to PT!” Lexi glanced toward the barn. “And I should lower my voice. But he needs to. Rosie told me he’d quit going. That’s crazy.”

“I know, but it’s his life. Listen, I’d better get going. I told Aria I’d text her once I’d introduced the wheelchair to the other horses. Then she’ll bring Lucy and Linus out for their turn.”

Cade put the truck in gear. “I want to see how it goes, too. Why don’t you haul that chair into the back and we’ll drive you over there?”

“Okay. Thanks.” He lifted the chair into the truck bed and climbed in after it.

Cade parked beside the main gate and all four horses in the far pasture lifted their heads and flicked their ears forward. “I’ll bet they’re hoping for a new salt lick,” he said as he got out of the truck. “The last one’s about gone and Dad’s planning to pick one up when he and Mom go into town today.” As he said that, the horses moved toward the interior gate that separated the far pasture from the smaller one designated for Linus and Lucy.

Lexi hopped down from the passenger seat. “I’ll back them up so you two have plenty of leeway.” After opening the first gate, she walked the short distance to the second one and unlatched it. “Sorry, guys and gal.” She slapped a few rumps to get them to back off. “This isn’t what you think.”

Brant lifted the wheelchair down to Cade. “Maybe it’s good they all came over. Let’s see what they do if I roll this through the gate while they’re still milling around.”

“I predict they’ll do exactly nothing.” Cade carried the wheelchair over to the second gate before unfolding it. “They might not have seen one before, but they might think it’s some fancy version of a wheelbarrow.”

“That would be great if we get no reaction whatsoever.” Brant pushed the chair inside the gate as Lexi held it open. The four horses moved out of his way, but not a one bolted or acted scared. Hematite, Cade’s black gelding, pranced a little—not a surprise, since he was the most high-spirited of them all.

“They’re a lot calmer than Lucy was.” He continued to push the chair here and there. He circled Isabeau, Rosie’s horse. She watched him but didn’t move away.

“Hematite’s the only one who acts the least bit skittish,” Cade said. “Then again, he had a lousy childhood.”

“I’d say we’re good here.” Brant pulled his phone from his jeans’ pocket. “I’ll tell Aria she can bring Lucy and Linus now.” He tapped out a message and hit Send.

“So what about Josh?” Lexi stepped inside the gate and latched it. “Is he coming to see Linus or not?”

“Good question.” Brant put the phone away and continued to weave among the grazing horses. Even Hematite had settled down. “Aria wants him to come out before the students get here, but so far he’s resisting the whole concept.”