Randall Honor (9 page)

She heard the pain and anxiety in her uncle’s voice and she tried to reassure him. “He’s going to be okay. He’s—run-down. He may have a light case of pneumonia.”

“Pneumonia? And he’s riding? He may fall off. You can’t—”

“Uncle Pete, he’s safe, I promise. Just come get him.”

“I’ll be there. And—thank you, sweetheart.”

She disconnected. “I don’t think Uncle Pete is going to be mad. I was worried he would be.”

“Why would he? You saved your cousin’s life. He told me, when we stopped, he only found the cabin because of the light in the window. He’d been lost since the day before.”

She sighed. “Good. Now let’s go home.”

They exchanged a smile, a gentle smile that held no anger or distance. Then she urged Snowflake down the side of the mountain.

They saw several SUVs leave the ranch area and start crossing pastures, but it took a while for them to get down. The family was waiting for them as they rode down the crackback trails. Tori thought about how wonderful it was to know that all she had to do was call and her family would help her.

When she pulled Snowflake to a halt, she stayed in the saddle while Rich and his dad rushed to the litter. Jake and Brett began untying the litter. She saw Jon slide out of his saddle and then hang on to it, trying not to fall in front of everyone.

“Someone help Jon. He hasn’t ridden that much and he’s been terrific.”

He glared at her, but she knew he needed the help. Samantha, Rich’s wife, and Jake ran to his side. Janie was holding Russ’s hand.

Samantha said, “I know how that feels. I thought I knew how to ride until I went out with these crazy people.” She grinned. “I think they were all born on the back of a horse.”

“Yeah,” was all Jon could manage.

After they got the litter untied, and Jon and Russ
in one of the SUVs, Brett turned to her. “Aren’t you getting down, baby girl?”

Her father hadn’t called her that in a long time. She smiled at him. “I’ve got to take the horses in and reward them for a job well done,” she said wearily.

Rich turned from the SUV where he was watching Russ. “I think I can do that job, Tori. You’ve already done the important one. We’re grateful,” he added in a gruff voice.

Tori knew he was trying to control his emotion.

“I’d enjoy the company,” she returned with a smile.

Brett ordered, “Get in the other SUV, Tori. We’re taking you back to the house to pamper you. Red and Mildred are cooking a feast for you.”

She slowly slid out of the saddle. Her father was there to wrap his arms around her. Then Pete hugged her and thanked her again.

“I should’ve gone, but I promised him,” he said shakily.

“I know, Uncle Pete, but I didn’t,” Tori whispered. “And we’re all fine. That’s what counts.”

“Yeah,” he muttered, then swung her into his arms and carried her to the front seat of the second vehicle.

Anna, after giving her daughter a hug, climbed into the vehicle with Jon and Russ, in case Jon needed help at the clinic. Jake and Rich mounted Snowflake and Devil and started the ride back to the barns. Uncle Chad and Aunt Megan, along with her dad and Samantha, were escorting Tori back home. Brett started the vehicle.

“You did good, Tori,” Chad said quietly from the back seat. “We were all worried you wouldn’t be able to remember where the cabin was.”

“I was worried, too.”

“Tori, honey, why didn’t you get one of your cousins to go with you?” Megan asked, her voice gentle with no reproach.

“Because I knew Uncle Pete had made them all promise. I didn’t want to force one of them to break his word to him. But I hadn’t promised. I was going alone, but Jon figured out what I was doing and insisted on coming with me.”

“Thank God,” Chad muttered.

“I could’ve managed, Uncle Chad,” she insisted, hurt by his words.

“I know you could have. But four hands are better than two. Making the litter and getting Russ on it would’ve been hard alone.”

“Especially since you’re such a little thing,” her father added.

“Russ has lost a lot of weight,” Tori muttered, frowning. “I don’t think he took good care of himself the ten days he was gone. He—he hasn’t really talked much. He told Jon that he’d lost his way the day before yesterday and had to spend the night in the forest. Then when we got there the next evening, I lit the kerosene lanterns and put one in the cabin window. That’s how he got back to the cabin.”

Megan gasped and reached over the seat to pat Tori’s back. Chad shook his head. “Well, you were
there for him, and Janie and Pete will never forget that.”

Tori rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “I didn’t want to lose him. We’ve already lost Abby. It would be too much.”

“Yes,” Megan agreed softly. “Too much.”

J
ON GOT HIS PATIENT
cleaned up and in bed. He then started an intravenous line with nutrients and antibiotics.

“Look, I’m going to run home and shower and put on clean clothes. Maybe shave myself,” he added with a wry grin as he scraped his cheek. “Then I’ll be back to check on him again.”

“Can you come to the house this evening for dinner?” Janie asked.

“Frankly, Mrs. Randall—”

“Janie, please.”

He nodded with a smile. “If I sit down, I’m going to fall asleep. I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to take a rain check. Besides, I want to keep an eye on Russ.”

“But I’ll stay and watch him,” Anna said.

“Nope. The other nurse will stay until I get back. You need to take care of Tori. She was incredible. But it was a strain. She needs some nurturing. And I prescribe bed rest for her tomorrow. No working.”

Anna beamed. “Yes, Doctor. We’re going to keep her at the ranch tonight.”

“Good. She’s lost weight, too, since Abby’s death.
I know it’s been hard on all of you, but I want everyone eating three square meals a day, okay?”

“Yes, Doctor,” Janie hurriedly agreed. “When will Russ get to come home?”

Jon shrugged his shoulders and then wished he hadn’t. “I don’t know. We’ll see how he responds.”

After kissing their son goodbye, Pete and Janie, accompanied by Anna, headed for the door. But Anna stopped beside Jon and gave him a hug. “Thank you for bringing Tori back safely.”

“Believe me, Anna, it was the other way around.” In fact, when he thought about what had happened, he felt horribly guilty. Tori seemed to hate him, but he hadn’t forced her in any way. In fact, part of the pleasure had been her responsiveness. He needed to talk to her, to find out what was wrong.

And if she wouldn’t talk to him, then he’d have to talk to Brett.

Jon stood propped against the wall across from the open door to Russ Randall’s room, staring at his patient.

The nurses had reported that Russ was refusing to eat and had taken out the intravenous feed several times. So Jon was watching, trying to decide what to do. He’d only had him in the clinic for less than twenty-four hours, but he should be showing more improvement.

Twenty-four hours. Jon’s body still ached from his trip up and down the mountain, in spite of long hot showers. He was glad he had gone, of course, for Russ’s sake, though so far the man had shown no appreciation.

He was glad he had gone because of Tori, too. But he hadn’t talked to Brett yet. First he wanted to talk to Tori. He’d missed her. She’d stayed at the ranch the night before and he’d felt lonely, knowing she wasn’t next door.

That was silly. He couldn’t get attached to her that
quickly. He paused. Their lovemaking had been so extraordinarily incredible, maybe he could.

Not that she’d let him touch her now.

He was startled to see her come around the corner and head in his direction.

“You’re back,” he called softly.

She stopped two feet from him. “How’s Russ?”

“The same.”

Her gaze sharpened. “He’s been on antibiotics for twenty-four hours, hasn’t he? Longer actually. You started the medication Saturday night and it’s Monday afternoon. Why isn’t he showing any improvement?”

Jon had told Russ’s parents that morning to be patient, but he was rethinking his advice. “I can medicate Russ, honey, but I can’t give him the will to live.”

“Don’t call me honey! What do you mean?”

“Russ is refusing to eat and he keeps removing the drip when no one’s around.”

She turned to study her cousin. “It’s in now.”

“Yeah. The nurse just put it back in ten minutes ago.”

“When’s his next meal?”

“In about fifteen minutes. It’s almost six.”

“What are you doing working so late?”

“I’m trying to figure out what to do with your cousin. After busting my butt to help you find him, I’m not too happy about his attitude.” This morning his parents had patted him, consoled him, in fact, downright babied Russ. It hadn’t done any good.

Tori drew a deep breath. “Excuse me.”

Jon didn’t move. He wanted to see the effect of Tori’s visit on her cousin.

She strode up to the bed. “Russ Randall, what do you think you’re doing?”

His hand had been creeping to the drip again. He jerked at the first sound of her voice. “Tori?”

“Yes, it’s Tori. Why aren’t you getting better?”

He shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.

Tori crossed her arms under her breasts, which disturbed Jon’s focus. He remembered the silky softness, the—Tori reminded him of what was going on.

“I hear you’re being a rotten patient.”

Russ closed his eyes.

“Don’t pretend you’re sleeping, Russ. I never thought you were a coward.” Her cheeks were red with temper.

“Hey!” Russ complained faintly.

“Hey, what? I thought you were a Randall. Randalls fight for what they get. How do you think the Randalls own so much land? Our great-grandfather fought for his land. Every generation has continued to fight. But you’re giving up?”

“You don’t understand! I don’t want to live without Abby!”

“And you don’t care about any of us? About your parents, your brothers Rich and Casey? What about me?” She leaned forward, resting her hands on either side of his pillow. “I went against Uncle Pete to find you. I need you, Russ. I’m in trouble and I need you! Are you just going to abandon me because it’s too hard to live?”

“What’s—wrong?”

Jon took a step toward the room. That was the first time he’d heard even an ounce of interest in Russ’s voice.

Tori stood up and turned her back on Russ. “I can’t tell you now. You obviously don’t care.”

“Tori—tell Rich. He’ll help you.”

“No. I can’t. I can’t believe you’re quitting on me. Is this what Abby would want? If it had been you who had died, would you want her to quit? Would you want her to dump the gift of life and quit trying?”

“She—she was everything to me. It hurts—too much.”

Tori turned around, tears streaming down her face. “Do you think I don’t know that? I loved her, too. So did your parents. Will we hurt less when we have to bury you, too, because you were too selfish to try to live?”

“Tori—tell me your problem,” he ordered, but his voice was weak.

“No. I guess it doesn’t matter. It’s certainly less important than your life.” She turned and ran out of the room.

Jon moved quickly to the other side of the door. When she came around the corner, he slipped his hands beneath her arms and lifted her in the air.

“Way to go, tiger,” he enthused softly.

“P-put me down,” she whispered fiercely.

He slowly lowered her, beaming at her. “I think you may have awakened Russ to reality. Just what he needed.”

She looked at him, then burst into tears and fell onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him. “Shh, baby, it’s going to be all right. You fought again and I think you won.”

“What’s wrong?” Janie demanded behind Jon. She came around him and put an arm around Tori, too. “Is it Russ?”

Tori turned into her aunt’s arms. Pete joined them. “What’s wrong with Tori? How’s Russ?”

Jon motioned them back down the hall, away from Russ’s room. “We’ve had a rough day. Russ has been trying to avoid getting well.”

“Why?”

Jon shrugged his shoulders. “He said it was too painful to live.”

Janie moaned and covered her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.

“What are we going to do?” Pete asked.

Jon grinned. “I think Tori has already done it. She told him he was a coward and selfish. She pointed out that Abby wouldn’t have wanted him to behave this way.”

Pete and Janie stared at Tori, stunned by what Jon had said.

She stiffened her shoulders. “I know that was cruel, but I thought if I shocked him, maybe he’d think about what he was doing.”

“And?” Pete asked.

Before Jon could say anything, a nurse hurried past them.

“Sandy? Where are you going?” Jon asked.

“Mr. Randall rang his bell, Doctor.”

Jon nodded for her to continue on. “Let’s see what Russ wants. I think that will tell us what we can do.”

The nurse came back out again. When Jon raised an eyebrow, she whispered, “He wanted to know when he could get dinner. He’s hungry.”

“Oh, glory be,” Janie said softly, tears falling down her cheeks.

Pete hugged her to him, and, over her head, he said, “Tori, thank you again.”

“Don’t thank me, Uncle Pete. I just reminded him of what y’all have taught us—to fight. I was slow to learn that lesson, but it’s an important one.”

“Well, you’ve sure got it down pat now,” Jon said, grinning.

She backed away from all three of them. “I’d better go. I don’t think he’s going to want to see me for a while.”

Though Janie and Pete protested, she was determined.

Jon called to her. “Will you be home this evening?”

“Yes, but I’m going to sleep early,” she warned him.

That wasn’t going to stop him, but he didn’t let her know that.

“Can we go in and see Russ now?” Janie asked, her focus on her son.

“Sure.” Jon let them go first, but he followed them in. He wanted to be sure Russ had decided to live.
They stayed for almost an hour. Janie hand-fed Russ his dinner. Jon left them alone for a while but continued to check on them.

After they had gone, he stepped into Russ’s room. “Glad to see you’re eating, Russ. At this rate, you’ll recover faster than my muscles will from that ride.”

“Mom and Dad said you came with Tori. I—I don’t remember much.” He closed his eyes.

“And I’ll never forget it. Can I do anything for you before I go home for the night?” he asked as he took Russ’s wrist and checked his pulse.

“No. I think I’ll go to sleep soon.”

“Good. The nurse will be here and she can call me if you need me.”

“Thanks.”

He left the room and walked to the nurse’s desk. “I want you to check on Russ at least every two hours. If we’re lucky, he’ll sleep through the night, but he’s been difficult today. So make sure he’s on track. Call me for any reason. Okay?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

He stopped by the café and got some food to go. He would get some for Tori, but he knew he had no chance of convincing her to join him.

After he ate, he strolled out his door and knocked on Tori’s.

“Who is it?” she called, but he knew she knew it was him.

“Jon.”

“Sorry, I’m already dressed for bed.”

Several answers occurred to him. Like he’d seen
her naked, so what difference did it make. Or—never mind. He wasn’t going to say that. “I want to tell you about Russ.”

After a long pause, she said, “So, tell me.”

“Through the door? I don’t think so. If you don’t care about—”

The door swung open and a highly irritated Tori glared at him.

“Interesting nightgown,” he muttered. She was still fully dressed in blue jeans and a short-sleeved sweater.

Her cheeks flushed, making her look adorable, but that wasn’t the mood she was in. “All right. Tell me about Russ.”

“We do have some other things to discuss, too. I’ll come in.” Without waiting for an invitation, he pushed past her into the living room.

“Jon Wilson! You get out of my home!”

He sat down on the sofa and patted the spot beside him in invitation.

She clenched her teeth and fisted her hands.

“You’d better close the door before the bugs come in.”

She practically slammed it off the hinges.

“Careful, you’ll wake the neighborhood.”

“There is no neighborhood except you, and I don’t care if I disturb your sleep.”

“Good thing,” he muttered. Then he spoke louder. “Russ is doing fine. Pete and Janie stayed about an hour with him. He ate almost all his meal, and he agreed to have visitors.”

Tori sank into a nearby chair as if her legs had given out. “Really? He’s better?”

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

She closed her eyes, her arms wrapped around herself, and tears escaped to roll down her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“How are you feeling?” he asked softly.

Her eyes popped open and she wiped her cheeks dry. “Fine.”

“Recovered from the ride?

“Yes. How about you?”

He grinned. “I still ache whenever I move.”

She said nothing in return.

He asked, “When is your next period due?”

She glared at him and rose to her feet. Walking over to the door, she opened it and stood there. “Please leave.”

“Tori, all I’m suggesting is providing you with a pregnancy test. We have some at the office.”

“No, thank you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t need one. Please leave.”

“You can’t be sure, certainly not this early.”

She stopped being nice. “Get out! If you don’t, I’ll call the sheriff and have you thrown out.”

“Okay, I’m going. But if you start feeling—”

She slammed the door after him before he could finish.

Okay. He’d go talk to Brett. She wouldn’t talk to him, but he felt sure her father would. Brett would want him to be responsible.

T
ORI THREW HERSELF
across her bed and cried. That miserable man! Why couldn’t he leave her alone? She was glad to hear Russ had pulled himself together, but she didn’t want to talk to Jon about their “incident” on the mountain.

That’s all it was to him. She knew that. And she tried to tell herself that was all it was to her. But she hadn’t convinced herself yet. When she slept last night, she’d dreamed of Jon and what they’d shared. She was afraid to go to sleep tonight. Especially after he came over.

And he was staying for four years.

How could she stand it? What was it about him that attracted her? He was handsome, of course, but there were other handsome men. He was strong, his muscled arms and chest showed that. He was patient, intelligent, gentle—ooh! She hated him!

A
FTER A RESTLESS NIGHT
, she got up the next morning at her regular time, to get ready to work. The phone rang, and she stared at it. Early-morning calls made her nervous.

“Hello?” she said cautiously.

“Darling, it’s your mother.”

“Hi, Mom. Is everything all right?”

“Of course, dear. But we need you to come to dinner tonight. We’re having Jon for dinner to thank both of you, and, of course, you need to be here, too.”

“Oh, no, I—”

“Of course you’ll come. Besides, we need to decide what to do about July Fourth. It’s only a week
away, so if we’re going to entertain as we usually do, we’ll need to get organized.”

“Mom, I have a lot of work to do. Maybe another night.”

“No, it has to be tonight. Jon said you’d ride together. No sense in both of you driving out.”

“But, Mom—”

“Please don’t argue, dear. I have a lot to do today.”

“Yes, Mom.” Tori gave up. When the family called, she couldn’t say no. But maybe she could convince Jon that he wanted to drive himself. Yes, that’s what she’d do. She’d tell him she didn’t need the ride when she went to the clinic. She was going to drop by to see Russ anyway. Hopefully, he was still talking to her.

And she could talk to Jon in front of several others and be safe. She hoped.

Half an hour before she was supposed to open the office, she walked to the clinic.

“Good morning, Faye,” she said, smiling at the receptionist. “I didn’t know what time the clinic opened and I wanted to see my cousin. Can I go through here?”

“Of course,” Faye told her.

Tori started through the door, and Faye said, “Aren’t you going to ask about the doctor?”

“Ask what about the doctor?” she asked sharply.

“To see him. I’m sure he’ll want to see you.”

“No. I’m not.”

“Shy, are you? I heard about him hugging you.” Faye broke out a large grin. “Lucky you!”

“That was an accident!” Tori protested. “It meant nothing. We don’t—I think he’s seeing someone else.”

“Really?” Faye said, leaning toward her, eagerness in her look. “I hadn’t heard. Who is it?”