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“We’ll talk more later.” Amelia walked toward the entrance, but Lucy stopped by the table where Carson stood. Chloe guessed she would be asking him if he had heard about more thefts or people receiving anonymous gifts.
“You know we have little Cody at our house,” Mamie said as she sat down in the chair Lucy had vacated. “My niece Eva used to be his nanny, but she’s married now. I have a cook but Martha Rose went to go help her mother who broke her leg, which means I can’t spend as much time with Cody as I’d like. And Grady was supposed to be doing physical therapy with you and he isn’t.”
She stopped there and Chloe waited, not sure where Mamie was going with all of this.
Mamie gave her a tight smile. “I’m sorry, but I overheard Dr. Schuster talking to you about your job, or lack of one...”
“How did you know about that?”
Mamie paused, her hands folded, fingers tapping against each other as she gave Chloe an apologetic look. “I didn’t mean to listen in. I was in the room behind you when I heard him say that.”
Chloe’s cheeks warmed. A witness to her firing. But Mamie seemed genuinely sorry and Chloe guessed it wasn’t her fault. Dr. Schuster should have been more discreet.
“Again, I’m sorry,” Mamie continued. “But what I was wondering, given that we have Cody to take care of and Grady who won’t go to therapy, would you be willing to work for me? I thought if you were actually at the house, Grady would be more amenable to participate in his recovery. And, truthfully, I need someone to help us with the little boy.”
“I thought Vanessa was staying with you?” Chloe asked.
Mamie shot a look around the café, as if checking to see if anyone was listening, then leaned closer, concern etched on her features. “I know she’s your stepsister, but truthfully, she doesn’t seem to want to spend the time with Cody that he needs. It would help us out a lot if you would be willing to work for me.”
Chloe wasn’t sure she wanted to stay in the same house as Vanessa. It was too easy to recall the stinging comments her stepsister had steadily lobbed her way when they’d lived together and how Vanessa had often put her down in front of her friends.
But the cold facts of her life made her shelve her pride. Truth was she needed a job.
“So how long would you need me for?”
“Not sure.” Mamie sighed. “As long as Ben is in a coma and Grady is handicapped by his injury...” Her voice trailed off and as she pressed her lips together Chloe felt a flash of sympathy for the poor woman. It must have been so difficult to see her grandsons both dealing with difficulties as well as deal with the extra strain of taking care of an unexpected great-grandbaby.
And then there was Vanessa.
“All right. I’ll do it. When do you want me to start?”
“Whenever you’re done at the hospital.”
“Yesterday was my last day.”
“Can you come now?”
The weariness in her voice, plus the light touch of Mamie’s hand on Chloe’s, made her stifle her objections and give in. “I’ll come today.”
“Excellent. Thank you so much.” Mamie sank back in her chair, the relief on her face palpable. “I’ll go directly to the ranch and get your room ready.”
“My room?”
Mamie looked taken aback. “Yes. I thought you knew. I’m sorry if I didn’t make that clear. I was hoping you would be staying at the ranch overnight. To help with Cody.”
Chloe sucked in a breath at the thought of having to face Grady, Vanessa and Cody all together day and night. It was a small comfort to know that Grady was not Cody’s father, but that still left Vanessa and her flirtatious ways.
But a job was a job, she reminded herself. Something she needed until she could figure out her next move.
“Okay. I’ll pack my things and meet you at the ranch.”
“Why don’t I go with you and we can drive back with each other? You remember where the ranch is, right?”
Too clearly, Chloe thought, remembering a trip she had made with Vanessa to the Stillwater ranch. The day she’d first seen her stepsister kissing the boy she had cared for so deeply.
* * *
“Hush now, Cody. Please go to sleep.” Grady stood by the crib rubbing one large hand over the baby’s back in a vain effort to get him to settle down. Vanessa was still gone and his grandmother had left on some mysterious trip to town.
Cody had been crying for an hour now. Grady felt more out of his league than he had that time he and his fellow soldiers had been pinned down by crossfire. At least then he had training to fall back on.
He had no training to deal with a kid who wouldn’t settle down.
He should call Eva. Or her husband. They would know. He was just about to do that when he heard voices. And with relief he grabbed his crutch and stumped over to the door to listen. Was Vanessa back?
He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and a figure rounded the corner. She was slim with long wavy brown hair spilling over one shoulder of a plaid shirt tucked into snug blue jeans. Beautiful and sweet looking.
Grady blinked. Chloe? What was she doing here?
His grandmother materialized behind her, a grin taking over her face. “Isn’t this wonderful?” Mamie said. “Chloe has agreed to come help us out.”
“And from the sounds of things, I better get to work,” she said, giving him a vague smile. “Is he hungry?”
“No. He just had a bottle.”
Chloe gave him a tight nod and hurried past him into Cody’s room.
Grady looked from her to his grandmother, who stood in front of him looking mighty pleased with herself.
“What is going on?” he whispered, moving her away from the door so Chloe wouldn’t overhear them.
The cries from the nursery stilled and he heard Chloe’s gentle murmur as she settled the baby.
“We said we needed to do something about Cody. Chloe lost her job at the hospital. And you need therapy and you won’t go. Martha Rose is gone. So I thought this was a perfect solution for all of us. Chloe can help us with Cody and she can work with you, leaving me free to help with the cooking and where I’m needed. Win, win.”
Grady could only stare at his grandmother, trying to absorb what she had just told him.
“Chloe? Do physical therapy with me? Here?”
“One question at a time,” his grandmother said, wagging her finger at him, a definitely mischievous smile on her face. “Chloe. Yes. And yes, I do want her to do physical therapy here. You know that is what you need to do. I can see by the grimace on your face and by the way you walk. It’s only getting worse and, I fear, will continue to get worse. You have to take care of yourself.”
Grady clenched his jaw, knowing his grandmother was right but not sure he wanted Chloe seeing his helplessness.
“You are the only man I have around,” his grandmother said, playing a last, devastating card. “I need you to help me as much as possible.”
Surely there had to be another way?
“I agree that we need help with Cody,” he conceded. “As for the rest, well, we’ll see.”
And that was all he was giving her.
“That’s fine,” his grandmother said with a bright smile. “One step at a time.”
He watched her leave, eyes narrowed, feeling as though he had just agreed to something he would regret.
He returned to the nursery to check on Cody.
Chloe stood in profile to him, rocking the baby, such a maternal smile on her face that Grady’s knees grew weak. This was what a mother looked like, he thought, taking in the sight of this beautiful woman holding this baby so tenderly.
“I think he’s asleep,” Chloe whispered, her attention still focused on Cody. As she gently laid him down, Cody started, his hands shooting into the air, then as Chloe stroked his face he settled again, his breathing growing deep and even. It was amazing, he thought, envious of her ability to soothe the child, yet so grateful she could.
She gave his face another stroke of her hand and stepped away.
“We can go now,” she said, keeping her voice down.
She left ahead of Grady and he gently closed the door behind him. Together they walked down the hallway.
“Thanks so much for your help,” Grady said, following her to the top of the stairs. “I didn’t know what to do anymore. You seem to be a natural mother.”
She stopped there, her hand gripping the railing, her knuckles white, a look of fear on her face.
Had he said something wrong? Hurt her in some way?
She turned, folded her arms over her stomach. “Before we see your grandmother, I need to know how comfortable you are with working with me. I don’t think my coming to help you was your idea.”
Grady held her steady gaze, appreciating her straightforward honesty, such a refreshing change from her manipulative stepsister.
And that’s not the only thing you appreciate about her, a perfidious voice teased.
He shook it off, his injury a grim reminder of why she was here and what he had to offer someone like her.
“It wasn’t my idea. For now, let’s just leave it at you taking care of Cody.”
“But I saw your file. You need to keep working on your mobility.”
“I will. I just don’t have time yet. I’ve got the ranch and the program Ben set up to oversee. If Ben hadn’t been so foolhardy...” He stopped himself there. Chloe may be employed here, but she didn’t need to know all the ins and outs of their lives. “Anyhow, let’s go have some coffee with my grandma, because I’m sure she’s getting some ready.”
“I have your assessment. Dr. Schuster gave that to me so we could start from there.”
“You don’t give up, do you?”
“One of the characteristics of being a physical therapist. A quiet stubbornness.”
He laughed at that, glancing sidelong at her. But he didn’t look away and neither did Chloe. Their eyes held and a peculiar feeling of awareness rose up. An echo of older emotions she had once created.
She swallowed and he saw her take a quick breath.
Did she feel it, too?
Then he took a step closer and his foot caught on the carpet of the hallway. He faltered, thankfully just for a moment, as reality shot down any foolish thoughts he might have entertained.
She turned away, went down the stairs, quickly outpacing him.
And as he made his slow, painful way behind her he was reminded once again the foolishness of allowing himself to feel anything for any woman.
The only trouble was Chloe wasn’t just any woman. At one time he had cared for her. But she’d given him no indication that she returned his feelings. And then Vanessa had come along. After that, the war.
Now his life was a tangle of obligations and unmet expectations. He knew he had to be realistic. He couldn’t offer her anything. Not anymore.
* * *
“So you took the job?” Lucy was asking.
Holding her cell phone close to her ear, Chloe sat back on the bed of the room Mamie Stillwater had shown her to. It was off the nursery and a full floor away from the room Grady stayed in, which was a good thing.
Her room was lovely, though. Painted a soft aqua, trimmed with white casings, the room was large, cozy and welcoming. A chair and small reading table were tucked into a corner beside an expansive bay window that overlooked the ranch. The bed filled another corner, and a small walk-in closet and en suite gave her all the privacy she needed. It was lavish and luxurious compared to the cramped furnished apartment she had been renting.
“I didn’t have much choice,” Chloe said.
“Won’t hurt to see Grady every day,” Lucy teased.
“It’s strictly professional,” Chloe said, trying not to let the image of Vanessa fawning over Grady get to her. “Besides, I don’t know how much one-on-one time I’ll be spending with him. He seems intent on avoiding therapy.”
“If he’s as stubborn as his brother, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
Lucy sighed lightly and Chloe sensed her friend’s extra stress. “You sound tired. Have there been more thefts?”
“Another one at the Cutler ranch last night,” Lucy said. “Some ATVs and a horse. I’m getting worried that this is more organized than people think.”
Chloe twisted a thread from the cuff of her worn blue jeans around her finger. “Do you have any leads?”
“None. Though something has been puzzling me greatly. The Stillwater ranch is the only large ranch that doesn’t seem to have had any thefts at all. A few of the smaller ones have been avoided as well, but I’m still trying to see if there’s a connection. A pattern that I can’t find. I was hoping you could help me out.”
“How?”
“Just keep your eyes and ears open. Maybe get closer to Mamie. I don’t know.”
“And report anything I might hear back to you.”
“Please.”
“Okay. I’ll see what I can find out.” She stifled the feeling of guilt that accompanied her statement. She was thankful for the job and she didn’t want to take advantage of that.
Yet Lucy was her friend. And she would be helping her and the community out.
“I should go. Mamie said that dinner was in a few minutes.”
“Hey, thanks for doing this for me,” Lucy said. “I appreciate any help I can get.”
