Orchard Valley Brides (8 page)

“What are you doing now?” he asked when she stepped behind the wheelchair and began to push him down the hallway. “Hey, where are we going? Not so fast,” he muttered. “I'm getting dizzy… Besides, I want a chance to take in the view. All I've seen for weeks are the four same walls.”

“Just be patient,” Norah said, enjoying herself. Finding his bed empty had sent her into a tailspin. But once she'd seen him and decided what she should do, she'd felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She was almost giddy with it.

“Are you kidnapping me?” he joked, when she backed him into the elevator. “Sounds a bit kinky, but I could go for that.”

“Hush now,” she said, smiling at a visiting priest who shared the elevator with them.

“I always knew you were crazy about me,” Rowdy continued. “But I never realized how much.”

“Rowdy!” She rolled her eyes, then looked in the priest's direction. “You'll have to excuse him, Father. He's just spent the past few weeks tied to a bed.”

“So I see.” The priest glanced at Rowdy's right leg.

“There were…other complications,” Norah said with an exaggerated sigh.

“Poor fellow. I'll be saying a prayer for you, young man.”

“Thank you, Father,” Rowdy said so seriously that it was all Norah could do not to break into giggles.

The morning was gorgeous. The sun was shining, and the scent of blooming flowers drifted past on a warm breeze. Robins, goldfinches and bluebirds flitted about, chirping exuberantly.

Following a paved pathway, Norah pushed the wheelchair toward a small knoll of rosebushes that overlooked the town. Orchard Valley lay spread out like an intricate quilt below them. Norah stepped forward to watch Rowdy's face when he saw her home.

For a long moment he said nothing. “It's a peaceful sort of place, isn't it?”

“Yes,” she said quietly. “People still care about one another here.” She sat on a stone bench and breathed in the fresh morning air.

“Is this the reason you won't come with me?” Rowdy asked, gazing out over the town. “Because you don't want to leave Orchard Valley?”

“No,” she answered honestly. “You're the reason.”

“Me?” He wore a puzzled, hurt look. “It's the necklace, isn't it? You assume that because I gave you a gift I was asking you to be more than my nurse.”

“No,” she told him. “That didn't even cross my mind.
It's so many other things.” She leaned back, resting her hands on the sun-warmed bench. “I've never been more impressed by anyone than by you, Rowdy Cassidy. Your business judgment, your decisiveness, your sheer nerve. Your kindness, too. Just when I'm convinced you're the most egotistical man I've ever met, you do something wonderful that completely baffles me.”

“Like what?”

“Like offering my sister the job she wanted.”

“I'd behaved badly with Valerie. We both knew it, and it was up to me to make amends. I suppose you think I'm carrying a torch for her.” He paused as if he were trying to decipher her expression. “But I swear that isn't true. If you must know, I felt cheated when Valerie returned to Houston engaged. I'd missed her all those weeks, and I was looking forward to having her back. Next thing I know, she announces she's going to marry some doctor.” He shook his head. “I'll tell you, it felt like a slap in the face when I heard about Colby.”

A weight seemed to lift from Norah's shoulders. Impulsively, she leaned forward just enough to brush her lips against his cheek.

Perplexed, Rowdy raised his hand to his jaw. “What was that for?”

“A reward for getting Colby's name right.” She smiled in relief. Rowdy's resentment toward Valerie's husband was gone and, however reluctantly, he'd accepted both the situation and the man. She also had a glimmer of insight into his feelings: his pride had taken a severe battering. Rowdy was used to being in control, and suddenly—with Valerie—he wasn't. “Sorry,” she said, “I didn't mean to interrupt you.”

“Don't be so hasty.” He folded his arms, relaxing in the warm sun. “What will you do if I say Colby's name three times in rapid succession?”

Norah smiled. “I don't know. I might go completely wild.”

Rowdy laughed outright, then grew serious. “Hey, I'm going to miss you.”

Norah lowered her eyes as dread filled her. “I'm going to miss you, too,” she whispered.

He reached for her hands, covering them with his own. “Come with me, Norah,” he said. “I'll work out something with the hospital. I'll buy the whole building if I have to, but I want you by my side.”

The temptation to be with him was so strong that Norah briefly closed her eyes against the almost physical pull she experienced. “I…can't.”

“Why?” he demanded, clearly exasperated. “I don't understand it. You want to come, I know you do, and I want you with me. Is that so hard to understand?”

Norah pressed her hands against the sides of his face. He was so dear to her. When she said goodbye to him, she was sure a small part of her would die.

“Answer me,” he pleaded.

Norah felt the emotion building in her, felt tears crowd into her eyes. “You need to realize something about me, Rowdy. Right now, you know me as a competent nurse, as Valerie's little sister, but you don't really
know
me. I have lots of friends and I like to go out, but basically I'm a homebody. Oh, I enjoy traveling now and again, but home is where my heart is. I love to bake and knit. Every year I plant a huge vegetable garden.”

His expression revealed how mystified he was.

“I'm nothing like Valerie. She's so talented in ways I'm not.”

“Do you think I've got the two of you confused?”

“No,” she said softly. “I just don't want you to think of me as her replacement.”

His eyes widened and he slowly shook his head. “No. I swear to you that isn't the case.”

“You don't need a nurse. You'll do fine if you use a bit of common sense. Once the cast is off, you'll require physical therapy for a while, but I won't be able to help you with that, anyway. I'm not trained for it.”

“I like being with you,” he said defensively. “Is that so wrong?”

“No.”

“Then what
exactly
is the problem?”

“You don't know the kind of person I am….”

“That's what I'd like to find out,” he argued, “if you'd give me half a chance and quit being so stubborn.”

“I'm traditional and old-fashioned,” she said, ignoring his outburst, “and…you're not. I'm the kind of woman who enjoys sitting by the fireplace and knitting at night. I'm not an adventurer, a risk-taker, like Valerie. I love my own familiar little world. And…and someday I want to marry and raise a family.”

“I wanted to hire you as a nurse,” Rowdy growled. “Next thing I know, you're talking about marriage and babies. You're right—it was a terrible idea. Forget I ever suggested it.”

Norah hadn't explained herself well. He assumed she was looking for a marriage proposal, and she wasn't. Refusing his job offer was simply a form of self-protec
tion. Because it would be so easy to lose her heart to Rowdy Cassidy and she couldn't allow that to happen.

By his own admission, he wasn't the marrying kind, despite what he'd felt for Valerie. Nothing in Rowdy's life, not a wife, not children, would ever be more important to him than CHIPS.

 

Rowdy was due to be discharged from the hospital the following day. Norah had been on duty since seven; at nine, the flowers started to arrive. Huge bouquets of roses and orchids, one for every staff member on the second floor. Rowdy had ordered them to show his appreciation for the excellent care he'd received. The gesture touched Norah, reminding her how thoughtful and generous he could be.

She'd braced herself for this day. Within a few hours, the infamous Rowdy Cassidy would be released from the hospital. He'd be out of Orchard Valley and out of her life.

Arrangements had been made for a limousine to pick him up at the hospital's side entrance, to avoid the ever-curious press.

Karen Johnson had asked Norah if she wanted to be the one to wheel him out, and she'd agreed. From the hospital the limousine would drive Rowdy into Portland, where he was scheduled to hold a short news conference before boarding a Learjet for Texas.

His stay at Orchard Valley Hospital was almost over. CHIPS and the world he knew best were waiting for him. Instinctively, Norah understood that once he left Orchard Valley he'd never return.

An hour later she was wheeling an empty chair down the corridor to his room when she saw her father. She was so surprised she went completely still.

“Dad, what are you doing here?”

“Can't a man come visiting without being drilled with questions?”

“Of course, but I didn't know any of your friends were here.”

“They aren't. I've come to talk to that rascal Cassidy.”

“Rowdy?”

“Got any other rascal cowboys I don't know about?”

“No…it's just that he's about to be discharged.” She couldn't imagine what her father planned to say. In fact, the whole family seemed to be taking a new interest in Rowdy. Karen had said that Colby had stopped in to see him the day before. Apparently the two men had hit it off and could be heard laughing. Rowdy hadn't mentioned the meeting to Norah, but then there hadn't been much of a chance to talk to him, either.

“Rowdy's driver will wait,” her father said confidently. “I promise I won't keep him long.”

“But, Dad…”

“Give us ten minutes, will you? And make sure we're not disturbed.”

Norah's heart started to race. “You'd better tell me what you intend to say to him.”

Her father stopped abruptly and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I'm not going to say anything about my dream, if that's what's worrying you. It's likely to scare him so bad we'll never see hide nor hair of him again.”

“Dad!”

“No, it wouldn't be a good idea, Norah. The minute he heard about those six youngsters, he'd be out of here so fast it'd make your head spin.”

Rowdy, nothing.
Her
head was spinning. “Then why do you want to see him?”

“That, my darling Norah, is between me and the cowboy.”

Norah possessed her mother's calm nature. She wasn't easily flustered, but her father had managed to do it in a matter of seconds. She paced outside Rowdy's door, wishing desperately that the walls weren't so thick and she could listen in on their conversation.

In less than the predicted ten minutes, which felt more like a lifetime, her father reappeared, grinning from ear to ear. Norah stopped cold when he sauntered out of the room.

“He's a decent fellow, isn't he?”

Norah was too numb to do anything more than nod.

With a roguish wink, her father walked away.

It took her a moment to compose herself. When she hurried into Rowdy's room, he was sitting on the bed, fully dressed, a brand-new Stetson beside him.

“Your father was just here.”

“I know,” she said, doing her best to act casual. “Did he have anything important to say?”

Rowdy didn't answer immediately. “Yeah, he did,” he finally said. But he didn't elaborate, and Norah was left with a long list of unanswered questions.

Robbins came in to tell him the limousine was ready. Norah brought the wheelchair and adjusted Rowdy's leg in the most comfortable position. She took her time, until she realized she was only delaying the inevitable. Sooner or later she'd have to wheel him outside.

Ms. Emerich was already sitting inside the limousine. The driver was waiting to assist Rowdy, and Robbins,
too, seemed eager to do what he could. But Rowdy dismissed their offers. “In a minute,” he told them.

With the help of his crutches he maneuvered his way out of the wheelchair and stood upright. It was the first time Norah had seen him standing and she was astonished by what a large man he was. She came barely to his shoulders.

“Well, angel face,” he said softly, his eyes holding hers, “this is goodbye.”

She nodded, but found she couldn't speak for the lump in her throat.

“I wish I could say it's been fun.”

Norah laughed; she couldn't help it. “You'll be your normal self again before you know it.”

“I expect I will,” he agreed. He reached out and touched her face. “Take care, you hear?” Then he turned away and moved toward the car.

R
owdy Cassidy drove away without so much as a backward glance. The least he could have done was kiss her goodbye, Norah thought. The least he could've done was give her one last memory….

Norah straightened, more determined than ever to put the man out of her mind. And her heart.

She'd start immediately, she decided, marching back to the hospital with every intention of calling Ray Folsom, who worked in the X-ray department. He'd asked her out to dinner a week or so earlier, but she'd been busy with Rowdy and had declined. Norah stopped at the reception desk in X-ray, planning to leave a message for Ray. The woman on duty glanced up expectantly when Norah approached.

“Anything I can do for you?” she asked.

Sighing, Norah placed both hands on the counter and opened her mouth to speak. Then she shook her head. She wasn't ready to date anyone.

Unless, of course, it was Rowdy Cassidy.

A week passed, and Norah swore it was the longest of her life. Fortunately, the preparations for Steffie's wedding helped fill the void left by Rowdy's absence. There was some task to occupy almost every evening and for that, at least, Norah was grateful.

She noticed how closely her family watched her, and she did her best to seem cheerful and unconcerned. It went without saying that Rowdy wouldn't call. He'd laid his best offer on the table and she'd turned him down. It was over; he'd made that clear.

“Have you heard from Rowdy?” Valerie asked while the three of them sat around the kitchen table assembling wedding favors. They filled plastic champagne glasses with foil-covered Belgian chocolates and wrapped each one in pastel-colored netting, then tied a silk apple blossom to the stem with pink ribbon.

“No,” Norah said, resenting the question. She struggled to keep the disappointment out of her voice. “And I don't expect to.” It was on the tip of her tongue to ask her sister the same question, but she didn't. She assumed Valerie hadn't made a decision about the job yet.

“Knowing Rowdy, he's probably waiting for you to get in touch with him,” Valerie said.

“Me?” Norah asked, surprised by the suggestion. “What for?”

“To tell him you've changed your mind and want to come and work for him. It's the same game he played with me.”

Norah bristled. Her sister was baiting her, questioning her resolve, and that angered Norah. “He knows better,” she said stiffly, “and so do you!”

Valerie grinned, apparently pleased. “He's got a well-
deserved reputation for his ability to play a waiting game.”

“There's no point in trying that with me.” Norah twisted the netting around the plastic glass with unnecessary vigor and handed it to Steffie, who attached the ribbon.

“Men don't seem to learn stuff like that as quickly as women,” Steffie mused. “Rowdy Cassidy has a few things to figure out.”

Norah didn't respond to her comment, and the discussion soon returned to more general topics.

The idea of calling Rowdy had never occurred to Norah. But suddenly it made sense that, as his nurse, she should inquire about his progress. Valerie had put the idea in her mind, and now Norah began to consider it.

“I wonder how Rowdy's doing,” she said conversationally to her father that same evening. She would have thought he'd be the first to suggest she ask Rowdy about his recovery, but he hadn't.

“We would've heard something if he wasn't doing well, don't you think?” he answered grumpily. “The way those newspeople reported every detail of his life, you can bet it'd be on national television if he suffered the least little setback.”

So much for that. “Ray Folsom called this morning. I—I'm going to dinner with him tomorrow evening,” she told her father. Dredging up some enthusiasm for the date was going to require an effort. But after a week of moping around the house, pretending she didn't miss Rowdy, Norah was determined to enjoy herself.

Ray had seemed surprised when Norah accepted the invitation. Despite her previous refusal, she'd decided, not entirely on impulse, to go out with him. He was
exactly what she needed, she told herself. Even Valerie approved when she learned that Norah was going out.

“It'll do you good,” Valerie assured her.

But when the time came for Ray to pick her up, Norah was no longer so sure. He brought her flowers and she found his thoughtfulness endearing but wished he hadn't. She instantly felt guilty; although she'd agreed to dinner with him, her mind was on Rowdy Cassidy, and that seemed unfair to Ray, who was gentle and considerate.

“Oh, Ray,” she said, holding the small bouquet of pink carnations to her nose to breathe in their light scent. “How lovely.”

He gave her a pleased smile. “I've been hoping we could get together, Norah.”

She smiled back, biting her lip. Again she wondered if she'd made the right decision.

The phone rang while she was looking for a vase. Steffie answered it on the second ring and poked her head into the kitchen where Norah was chatting with Ray and arranging the flowers.

“It's for you. Do you want me to take a message?”

“Ah…” She glanced at Ray, who was leaning against the counter.

“Go ahead,” Ray said, checking his watch. “We've got plenty of time.”

Norah picked up the kitchen extension. “Hello,” she said distractedly.

“Hello yourself, angel face.”

Norah nearly slumped to her knees, she was so shocked. “Rowdy.” She was grateful her back was to Ray. She knew the color had drained from her face, and she felt weak and shaky.

“Have you missed me?”

“I—I've been busy.”

“Me, too, but that hasn't kept me from thinking about you.”

Norah didn't dare admit he'd been on her mind from the moment he was discharged from the hospital. Not with Ray standing right there. It wasn't in her to be so heartless.

“Listen, angel face,” Rowdy continued when she said nothing. “I'm in Portland.”

“You are?” Her heart pounded with glad excitement. He was less than sixty miles away.

“I'm working out some of the details on the expansion project with Robbins—I should be done in an hour or two. I was thinking I'd send a car for you now and by the time you arrive I'll be finished and we could have dinner.”

“Oh, Rowdy.”

“It'll be good to see you again. I've missed you, and I'm hoping you feel the same way.”

Norah felt like crying; Rowdy's timing couldn't have been worse. “I can't,” she told him. “I'm sorry, but I can't.”

“Why not?” he demanded impatiently. “Are you working?”

“I've already got other plans.”

“Break them,” he said with his usual confidence. “I probably won't be in the area again soon.”

“I can't do that.”

“Why not?”

“I'm going to dinner with a friend and we're leaving any minute.”

A pause followed her announcement. “Male or female?”

“Male.”

Norah could almost feel his anger. Rowdy seemed to believe she should drop everything the moment he called her. He obviously assumed she'd spent the past week longing for him. True, she had, but she was determined to put those feelings behind her and get on with her life. The man was impossible, she fumed. He must have known he was going to be in the area; it would've been a simple matter to arrange their meeting in advance. Instead he'd waited until the very last minute. As far as Norah was concerned, if he was angry at having his plans thwarted, he had no one to blame but himself.

She might have told him that if Ray hadn't been there.

“I see,” Rowdy said after a long silence. “Enjoy yourself, then.”

“I'm sure I will.”

“Goodbye, Norah.” Before she could say another word, the line was disconnected.

She closed her eyes, needing to compose herself. When she turned around, she discovered Ray involved in conversation with Steffie. Her sister's eyes sought hers. “That was Rowdy,” she said, hoping Steffie realized she would've appreciated some warning before she'd picked up the phone.

“I wasn't sure,” Steffie admitted wryly, “but I thought it might have been. Next time I'll know.”

“Are you ready?” Ray asked. He seemed unaware that anything was troubling her.

Norah nodded.

She enjoyed her dinner with Ray more than she'd expected to. He was genuinely charming and Norah couldn't help responding to his carefree mood.

“You're in love with that cowboy, aren't you?” Ray
asked suddenly as he drove her home. When she didn't respond immediately, he added, “I understand, Norah.”

“I…don't know what I feel anymore,” she told him in a troubled voice.

“Love's like that sometimes,” Ray said quietly. “I like you, Norah, and I was hoping there'd be a chance for us. But—” he shrugged and reached for her hand “—everything will work out in the end,” he said, squeezing her fingers. “It generally does. If you need proof of that, just look at what's happened to your sisters over the past few months.”

Norah smiled shakily. Ray was a wonderful man, considerate and gracious, and he'd make some woman very happy one day. But not her.

Still holding her hand, he walked her to the porch. He kissed her cheek, then whispered, “I wish it was me you were so crazy about.”

“I've been rotten company, haven't I?” Norah asked guiltily.

He shook his head. “Not at all. I just hope that cowpoke realizes how lucky he is.”

Norah sincerely doubted it. “Thank you for dinner, Ray. I had a wonderful time.”

He kissed her once more on the cheek. “Good luck with your cowboy.”

She opened the door and stood there while Ray walked down the porch steps and got into his car. She waved goodbye, staring down the driveway until he was out of sight before she stepped into the house.

Steffie was waiting in the entry. “Thank goodness you're back!” she burst out urgently.

“Is it Dad? Did he—”

“Rowdy Cassidy's here,” her sister broke in, nodding toward the den.

“Here? Now?”

“Dad's kept him occupied,” Steffie informed her, “but he's been here the better part of an hour and getting more restless by the minute.”

Norah's heart was hammering wildly. She forced herself to calm down before walking into the den, even managing a smile.

Her eyes immediately went to Rowdy, who stood, leaning heavily on his crutches, gazing out the window that overlooked the front porch. It was obvious that he'd witnessed Ray's kiss. It was equally obvious that he wasn't pleased. He looked tall and lean and so handsome that it was all Norah could do to stop herself from rushing into his arms.

“Rowdy,” she said huskily. “This is…an unexpected surprise.”

Her father got to his feet and winked at her. “I'll bring both of you a cup of coffee,” he told them and conveniently exited the room, leaving Norah alone with Rowdy.

Using his crutches, Rowdy levered himself around to face her, his right leg thrust out in front of him. “I trust you had an enjoyable dinner,” he said stiffly.

“Very,” she returned, clasping her hands together.

“I'm glad to hear it.” Although he sounded anything but glad. He was frowning as he studied her, and Norah felt uncomfortable under his close scrutiny.

“Please sit down,” she said, gesturing toward the chair. “I didn't know you planned to stop by.”

“Would it have mattered?”

Norah winced at the undisguised anger in his voice. “I hope Dad's been keeping you entertained,” she said, avoiding his question.

“He has.” Rowdy sank into her father's chair and Norah sat across from him, on the ottoman.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked.

He nodded slowly. “You offered to give me the name of a reputable agency,” he said gruffly. “I'm still in the market for a private nurse. I assumed I could do without one. You seemed so sure I'd be fine on my own.” The last words came as an accusation.

“And you're not?”

“No,” he told her angrily. “I'm having one hell of a time adjusting to these crutches.”

“It'll get easier with practice. A nurse can't do that for you, Rowdy. You'll have to learn to walk with them yourself.”

He muttered something she couldn't distinguish, which was just as well, judging by the disgruntled look on his face.

“I'll get the name and number of the agency for you,” she told him.

“Fine.”

She left the room and discovered Steffie and her father standing just outside the door. They looked startled, then glanced at her guiltily. Norah glared at them both, knowing they'd blatantly listened in on her conversation with Rowdy.

Steffie cast her an apologetic smile, then hurried up the stairs; her father chuckled with wry amusement and wandered toward the kitchen, mumbling about coffee.

Rowdy was massaging his right thigh when Norah returned with a slip of paper. “Your leg still aches?” she asked.

“It really hurts,” he said in a blatant effort to gain her sympathy.

“Are you taking the medication as prescribed?” She handed him the paper.

“I forget,” he answered brusquely. “That's another reason I need a good nurse.”

“Nurse or nursemaid?” she inquired sweetly.

“Nurse.”

Norah knew exactly what Rowdy Cassidy was doing, and she wanted it understood right now that she refused to be manipulated. If he wanted something, he'd have to ask for it in plain English.

“You honestly think this agency will have what I need?” he asked, eyeing her closely.

“I'm sure of it.”

“I prefer someone young,” he said, then added, “and blonde, if possible. Oh, and pretty.”

Norah nearly laughed out loud. Since she hadn't immediately volunteered for the position, he was hoping to make her jealous. “You might be wiser to request someone competent, Rowdy.”