Love Inspired January 2016, Box Set 1 of 2 Page 11

  Chloe waved the horses away, yelling at them. Thankfully they trotted to the other side of the corral, and Chloe hurried to Grady’s side.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, grabbing him by the shoulders, her panicked gaze flicking over him.

  “I’m okay,” he grunted, fitting his crutch, now coated with snow and dirt, under his arm, staggering. “I’m fine.”

  But she could see by the way he pressed his lips together and his narrowed eyes that he wasn’t. She helped steady him, grabbing on to his coat with her frozen hands.

  They stood, their eyes locked, their breaths mingling. Chloe felt her heart quicken as Grady reached up and touched her face with one gloved hand.

  “Chloe,” he said, that one word encapsulating everything building between them.

  Then another gust of wind pelted her with snow, bringing back reality with an icy slap.

  “Stay here. I’ll get Babe,” she said.

  Grady protested but she ignored him. She grabbed the halter rope from the ground, hunched her shoulders against the bone-chilling cold and with cautious steps walked toward Babe. Chloe knew enough about horses that the mare would be harder to catch the second time around, but Chloe was cold and miserable herself, her emotions riding a mixture of anger and fear at Grady’s near miss and in no mood to be trifled with.

  “Come here, you nutty creature,” she said, her low-pitched, singsong voice masking her anger. “Time to find out who is boss.”

  Babe watched her approach as if debating what to do. Chloe took advantage of the horse’s hesitation, moved directly toward her and with quick, sure movements got the rope around the horse’s neck. She gripped it tightly with one hand while she flexed the frozen fingers of her other hand and slipped the halter on. Her gloves made handling the buckle awkward so she tugged them off with her teeth. The cold buckle stuck to her fingers, but she disregarded the pain as she forced the unyielding strap through.

  Done. She grabbed her gloves and brought the horse back, hoping she would be able to untie Shiloh with her numb hands.

  “I’ll take her,” Grady said, but Chloe ignored him, pulled on the bowline knot she had tied on Shiloh’s halter rope. Thankfully the icy rope pulled free and without a backward glance at Grady, she brought both horses to the gate. She unlatched it and got the horses through. A quick look showed that Grady was close behind her, latching the gate.

  The barn door slid open on its rollers and she quickly led the horses inside, shivering with reaction at the cold penetrating every square inch of her.

  The barn was warm in comparison to the storm raging outside. Sweetpea put her head over the gate, whinnying as if welcoming the newcomers. Chloe put Shiloh in the first open stall she found, shut the door with one hip and then put Babe in the one next to her. By the time Grady was back in the barn, she had the halters off and was shutting the door on Babe’s pen again.

  She stood, halters hanging on the ground, her hands like two blocks of ice, glaring at Grady as he turned to her.

  “You scared the living daylights out of me,” she said, her voice controlled, masking a fury that gripped her in an icy fist.

  “Sorry. It was an accident.” He yanked off his hat, slapping it on his thigh to dislodge the snow.

  “Caused by your stupid pride and your disability.”

  Grady’s head whipped up at that and his eyes narrowed. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that this is enough,” she said, shaking the halters at him. “You have held out long enough. Yeah, I get that you’re tough and independent and too manly to accept help, but you could have been killed out there. If you were by yourself, you might have.”

  “I’ve faced death before,” he returned, his voice growing harsh, cold. “I’m not afraid to die.”

  “Very brave and very noble. But you’ve got people depending on you, so you don’t have that choice anymore. Ben needs you, Cody needs you and your grandmother needs you. Those kids that your brother has started that program for need you.” She stopped before she could add “I need you.” It was there, hovering, like a live thing but she knew she could never voice that thought. She had no right to need him.

  She pulled in a breath, calming her anger, her hands now resting on her hips in a gesture of defiance and challenge. “Tomorrow you and I are starting your physical therapy. You have no place to go and neither do I until the roads are cleared, so get ready ’cause it’s happening.”

  Then, to her surprise, he sank down on a bale by the door and shook his head. “You’re right. I need to do this.”

  She was momentarily taken aback. She had already been marshaling her arguments, ready to beat down any protests he might make, but clearly they weren’t necessary.

  “Okay. Tomorrow morning in the exercise room downstairs. Right after Cody’s breakfast.” She’d had the room ready since she had come. Now she could finally use it.

  “Sure. I know I’ve been fighting it, but...whatever.” He shoved his hand through his hair in a gesture of defeat.

  “I’ll need you to work hard. Whatever isn’t enough get you through this.”

  He looked up at her, then gave her a crooked smile that didn’t help her own equilibrium. “I’m sure you’ll put me through my paces. I saw you with Babe. I don’t think I’d want to cross you.”

  “Darn tooting,” she said.

  “You were amazing out there,” he said, his smile softening. “I’m suitably impressed. You have a way with horses.”

  “I grew up on a ranch, too,” she said, feeling a bit too breathless as an unwelcome perplexity gripped her. She felt as if the world turned in quiet, increasingly smaller circles, with them at the center. Nothing else existed in this moment. She cleared her throat, trying to chase away her confusion. “I was always more of a tomboy than my stepsister.”

  “Vanessa has nothing on you, Chloe Miner. And don’t let yourself fall into that way of thinking. You’re twenty times the woman she is and many others besides.”

  Chloe swallowed, his praise creating a flush that chased away the chill that had stung her cheeks only moments ago.

  “Let’s get these horses some feed and then we can go,” she muttered, feeling as if the breath had been sucked out of her chest.

  Stay focused, she reminded herself. You’ll be spending a lot of time with him. Keep yourself aloof.

  But as they dumped hay in the stalls, she ignored the sensible voice and chanced a sidelong glance only to see him looking at her. And for a moment, neither looked away.

  * * *

  “This silly exercise can’t be doing anything,” Grady grumbled as he pushed his thigh over what Chloe called a foam roller. “This isn’t even my injured leg and it hurts.”

  Chloe had set up some mats downstairs by the exercise equipment Ben had set up at one time. “To make myself buff for the ladies,” he had told Grady when he had asked him about it.

  Now it sat there, unusable by both Ben and Grady.

  “Pain is just weakness leaving the body,” Chloe joked, kneeling beside him, supervising. “But as for not doing anything, this silly exercise helps loosen the muscles of your outer thigh. Because you tend to favor your injured leg, your other muscles overcompensate and slowly go out of whack.”

  Grady stifled a groan as needles of pain stabbed his thigh. “Whack. Is that a technical term?” he ground out.

  “It’s Greek for messed up.”

  Grady couldn’t help a responding laugh, which was stifled by another jolt of pain. He had done some physical therapy when he was flown back to the States, but he had cut the program short when he’d found out about his brother. So he had left, promising to follow up.

  He certainly hadn’t thought the follow-up would involve working with Chloe.

  Outside the storm still blew, creating havoc for anyone wanting to dri
ve. Thankfully the mares were safely in the barn. The rest could fend for themselves.

  Cody was sleeping and his grandmother, who had been quite tired the past couple of days, said she would take care of him.

  At this moment it was just him and Chloe. If it wasn’t for the fact that she had her professional face on, he wondered if something else wouldn’t be happening.

  “Do you think my grandmother is okay? Should we phone someone?” he asked, grunting as he did a few more passes over the roller, trying to distract himself from Chloe’s presence. “Do you think we should call a doctor?”

  “I think she’s just tired,” Chloe said. “I’m no doctor, but from what I can see she’s healthy, eating well. Just feeling a bit peaked. It’s just as well we’re stranded for a few days. It will give her some chance to catch her breath and get some rest.”

  “You’re a woman of many talents, you know,” he said, flashing her a smile.

  To his surprise she blushed. He knew he hadn’t imagined the uptick in his own heart rate at the sight. Precisely the thing he had been concerned about when he’d discovered Chloe would be working with him, was happening. His feelings for her were growing with every moment they spent together.

  He returned his attention to his exercises, promising himself he would stay focused, and for the next few minutes as Chloe shifted the angle he was working, it was all he could do to work through the pain.

  Finally he was done, and as he eased himself off the roller, he lay on his back looking up at the ceiling of the basement rec room, surprised at the sweat beading on his forehead. Though the exercises Chloe had set up for him seemed basic and unchallenging he found himself breathing hard now, heart pounding.

  “Congratulations,” Chloe said, handing him a towel and holding out a bottle of water as he sat up. “You’ve just completed your first round of physical therapy with me.”

  “First of how many?” Grady asked, taking a long drink of water.

  “That will depend on your progress and how long your grandmother wants me around.”

  Grady set the bottle aside and wiped his face, trying not to think about the upcoming sessions. He’d had a hard time being objective around Chloe when every time she had to show him how to position himself he’d been far too aware of her touch. Of the fresh scent of her hair.

  She held out her hand to help him up, but he ignored it, struggling to his feet and walking over to the weight bench. Hard not to feel less of a man when you could barely stand on your own.

  At one time he’d been the guy other men looked up to. He’d been the guy other guys wanted to be like. A Green Beret.

  Now he was reduced to rolling his thigh on a foam roller, the most basic of exercises reducing his muscles to a quivering mass. At one time in his life he could run fifteen miles with a fully loaded backpack. Now a few leg lifts and stretches took everything out of him. He couldn’t imagine trying to get on the back of a horse.

  The thought gutted him and he pushed it aside. Another time. Another place. Right now he had other priorities.

  “It gets better, you know,” Chloe said as he regained his balance and sat down on his brother’s weight bench. He needed to rest his tired muscles a moment. “And if it’s any consolation, you aren’t in as bad a shape as I thought.”

  “A minor consolation.” He took another drink and slung the towel around his neck, watching Chloe gather up the equipment. “I know it’s late, but thanks again for helping me with the horses yesterday. I couldn’t have brought them in without you.”

  “I was glad to help,” she said, her smile creating a current of awareness that he had a harder time ignoring each moment they spent together.

  “I was glad to have your help, though it kills me to admit it.”

  “Why?”

  He released a short laugh. “No man likes to admit he needs help.”

  “Especially not a Green Beret?” she teased as she set the roller aside. “Don’t tell me that you did all your missions on your own. Solo. By yourself.”

  “No. Of course not.”

  “You were part of a team and each member had their own strengths. You depended on each other.”

  “Yeah. We were a team.”

  “I think that’s what life is all about,” she said, folding the towel he had just used and laying it in the laundry basket. “Helping each other. Leaning on each other.”

  He said nothing at that, trying to put what she said into his own life.

  “I can tell you don’t believe me,” she continued.

  He sighed, then turned to her, feeling that since she had seen many of his weaknesses the past few days, what did he have to lose by showing a few more?

  “It’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s just that it’s hard for me to see myself as less than who I used to be.”

  “Why less?”

  “I’m not the same man. I used to be able to do so much more. I feel as if I lost part of myself. Part of who I was proud of.”

  “Well, you know the old saying, ‘Pride goeth before a fall.’ And I’m sure you’ve had enough of those, as well.”

  In spite of himself, he laughed at her gentle teasing. “And will probably have more, so I guess I better get used to swallowing. My pride, that is.”

  Chloe laughed at that, as well.

  “I have to ask, do you think I’ll be able to ride a horse again?”

  “Of course you will,” she said. “Once you get your muscles working the way they’re supposed to and you’ve got some more strength in your leg. No reason at all. In fact, riding will be good therapy for you. Your muscles are always working.”

  “So you rode a lot?”

  “I loved riding.”

  “How many horses did your father have?” he asked.

  “Only four. Mostly for pleasure riding. Dad used an ATV to round up the cows. Not much of a cowboy purist.”

  “Plus his land is flatter, which made it easier to get around with one of those,” he said. “So what is happening to your father’s ranch?”

  “It’s sold now. Clark and Jane Cutter bought it.”

  “That’s too bad. He didn’t want to will it to you?”

  “There was nothing left to will. Dad owed too many people too much money. Left a few hanging.”

  The short tone in her voice made him realize a few more things were going on that she seemed reluctant to share.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He watched her, suddenly remembering the exchange between her and the farrier.

  “Saul knew your father, didn’t he?”

  Chloe nodded, folding up the last of the towels she had used. “He was an old friend of the family.”

  “What did he mean when he said that he was sorry? About the funeral?”

  Chloe’s hands slowed, her brow furrowed, and Grady guessed he had strayed into territory she didn’t want to follow.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, tossing the empty bottle of water into a bin. “I shouldn’t be so nosy.”

  “No. It’s fine,” she said, her voice quiet. “Saul and my father had a huge fight just before my father died. Knowing Saul, I’m fairly sure it was about my father’s drinking.”

  Grady heard the shame in her voice and wanted to console her somehow. “That must have been hard for you. Not to have him come to the funeral.”

  “I don’t blame Saul on the one hand. They had drifted apart long before that. Saul had warned my father not to marry Etta, but he did anyway. That was the beginning of the end of their friendship.”

  “Etta being Vanessa’s mother.”

  Chloe turned away from him, nodding.

  “That marriage must have been hard for you, too?”

  “My father was so lonely after my mother died, and when he met Etta I think he figured she w
ould fix that.” Chloe picked up the empty water bottle he had set aside and put that in the basket as well, not looking at him, her expression pensive.

  “So what happened between them that made her leave?”

  “A few years after they got married, my grandfather passed away. And we got to find out how badly Gramps had managed the finances. My father didn’t inherit as much as Etta seemed to think he would. Then my father had his accident with his ATV. She couldn’t live poor and with a disabled man, so she left.”

  “So how long were Etta and Vanessa at the ranch?”

  “About three years. Most of high school. I was excited when Vanessa first moved in,” she continued. “I was looking forward to finally having a sister, but...”

  She stopped herself there and Grady guessed what her next comment would be. “She wasn’t the easiest person.”

  “I had so hoped to be close to her,” Chloe said, grabbing a spray bottle and cleaning cloth. “But that never happened. I liked riding and being outside and she preferred makeup and magazines and boys. We were so completely different.” She sprayed the mat he had just used and glanced up at him. “I guess you can’t identify. You and your brother always seemed so close. I guess it was because you are twins.”

  “We used to be close,” Grady said, rubbing his hand over his still-sore thigh. “Used to do everything together. But after high school, after Dad had his accident and my mother left, we drifted apart.” He released a harsh laugh. “You’d think we would have become closer after that, but we didn’t. I signed up for the army after my mother left. My way of coping...of making sense of life. Ben chose his own path.”

  “I’m sure losing your mother was a difficult time for you both.”

  “And you know what that’s like, don’t you?”

  “You feel adrift.”

  Chloe sounded wistful and he felt sympathy flood his soul as their gazes met in an instant of shared grief. “But you found your way, didn’t you? You became a physical therapist. You got married.”

  “I did,” she said, turning away, wiping the mat and pushing herself to her feet.