A Conard County Homecoming

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A chorus of exclamations greeted that news. In a moment everyone was talking at once. This brought them a long way toward their goal and doubled what they had expected to make from the bake sale at the church.

The check was made out to Ashley, probably because Zane didn’t know the name for the fund-raising group, but as she held it, her resistance to Zane and his attitude melted away. It was a generous act, very generous, and a trusting one. He clearly had no doubt she would put the money where it was intended to go.

Wow.

But Nell still sat in front of her, looking up as if her mission wasn’t complete. Ashley jumped up, saying, “Stay, Nell,” and went inside. She tucked the check in her wallet, then pulled open the drawer where she kept writing materials for rare occasions when a handwritten note was needed.

On a notecard that said Thank You on the front, she wrote, “We are all so very grateful for your generosity, Zane. This will go a huge way to getting Mikey his chair. We can’t thank you enough.”

She signed her name and the name of the group, then stuffed it in an envelope with his name on the front.

Outside, Nell still waited patiently. Ashley lifted the flap of the saddlebag and tucked the note into it. She gave Nell a scratch behind her ears, then said, “Take it to Zane, Nell.”

Tail wagging, the dog was off like a flash.

All heads turned to follow the dog as she dashed across the yard, leaped onto the ramp and disappeared inside.

“Wow,” said Julie.

“Wow,” agreed Connie.

“We’ve got to get Mikey a dog like that,” Marisa said.

“Next step,” said Connie. “I think trained service dogs are nearly as expensive as the wheelchair.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ashley said. “I was talking to Dory and Cadell last week. He’s working on training a dog already, and Dory said she’d meet any expenses on that.”

Marisa nodded. “And she made a large contribution to the wheelchair fund. She’s serious about helping.”

Marisa stood up. “This has been fun, gals, but Ryker is probably desperate for some relief. Jonni’s going through a difficult stage. I think no is the only word she doesn’t understand.”

“And I need to get my daily walk in,” said Julie.

Soon everyone had said their goodbyes and left, and the porch was empty of everyone except Ashley. The afternoon was beginning to cool a bit, and she thought idly about getting her jacket or just going inside. She had time before the bake sale tonight.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the fresh air, full now of the scents of autumn. Then something bumped her knee.

Her eyes flew open, and she saw Nell sitting in front of her. No saddlebag this time.

“What are you doing here?” she asked the dog.

Her answer was a doggie grin and a tail wag.

Then she heard Zane call, “Dang it, Nell, what are you doing?”

She looked over to the house next door and saw Zane sitting on his porch. “You didn’t send her?”

“I absolutely did not, and she’s never supposed to leave me unless I tell her to go. Now look at her.”

“Are you blaming me?” Because that’s what it sounded like.

“Hell, no. But that dog thinks for herself, and I can’t imagine what she’s thinking now. Nell, come.”

Nell started to rise then sat down again.

“Nell,” Ashley tried, “you need to go to Zane.”

Nell looked over at Zane.

“Go on,” Ashley urged.

“Nell, come,” Zane repeated.

With something that sounded very much like a sigh, Nell rose and trotted back over to Zane.

“That was weird,” he said. “She’s never done that before.”

“Well, I swear I’m not encouraging it. I didn’t even give her a treat of any kind.”

“I’m sure you did nothing wrong,” he answered. “She just took a notion. If this happens again, she may need a training refresher.”

“Maybe curiosity overcame her. Or maybe since you sent her once, she thought it would be okay to come again.”

“I wonder.” Then he astonished her with a laugh. “She’s far from an automaton. That’s why I said she thinks for herself. And she’s bright. Maybe she’s getting bored over here. As soon as I get my trike together, I’ll get her some more exercise.”

“Trike?”

“An extra wheel attached so the front of my wheelchair so if I hit an obstacle while moving fast my chair can’t tip and throw me into a face-plant.”

She nodded, picturing it. “Need any help putting it together?”

A long silence greeted her offer. She had just about decided to go inside when he answered. “If you can spare an hour or so sometime, it would be helpful.”

Ah, a crack in the armor. Well, every step was a good one. And after that donation he’d made, she’d have gladly done a whole lot to help him out. “Tomorrow afternoon?” she asked. “About two, maybe?”

“That would be great.” Then he turned and disappeared inside with his dog.

Well, well, well, she thought, deciding to head indoors as the chill began to get to her. Time to get ready for the bake sale tonight, anyway. She had a shift from seven to nine. Anything left over would be sold tomorrow after services, but she hadn’t signed up for that. There were plenty of willing hands when it came to Mikey.

And very few when it came to Zane, but he wanted that way. At least he could accept help when it was offered. She supposed that was a big step for a professed hermit.

* * *

The next day when she came home from church, Ashley was practically walking on air. Not only had the bake sale gone well, but upon seeing how close they were getting to the goal for the wheelchair, quite a few checkbooks had come out to add larger amounts.

Then, this morning, the pastor had announced that they’d received the grant they’d applied for. They could now order Mikey’s wheelchair, “with racing stripes if he wants them,” the pastor had joked, causing the entire congregation to rise and applaud.

The standard coffee and doughnuts afterward had been a happier-than-usual affair, with a lot of smiles and laughter. Everyone was feeling pretty good, and the pastor was going to make the trip out to the Landau ranch to tell Mikey and his parents the good news.

For her part, Ashley was looking forward to sharing the news with Zane. His check had been a huge help in putting them over the top, as had the grant. Now they had a little elbow room to get the child exactly what he needed.

She was still surprised that Zane had sent so much money, though. After announcing he was a practicing curmudgeon, apparently Mikey’s plight had touched him.

She knew so little about being paralyzed. She supposed she ought to frankly ask Zane what other things they might be able to help Mikey with. So much that the family had had come from disability aid, the bare minimum, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine the lacks the family might still be experiencing. Right now either parent could lift Mikey into bed or onto a couch to sit, but what would happen as he grew? How many other needs must be met?

Zane would probably have a good idea, if he was willing to share.

* * *

Zane cussed himself for being a stubborn mule. At some point, he was going to have to admit that he couldn’t always be completely independent, and he was looking at a case of it right now.

The toolbox had a handle. He’d been able to lean over the side of his chair, heft it and carry it into the kitchen. The box of parts for his extra wheel was a different matter. It sat on the floor in the small extra downstairs room defying him, and he had no way to reach it or move it.

Nell watched him, tilting her head quizzically from side to side, unable to do a damn thing about it. He was glad he’d swallowed his pride enough to ask for Ashley’s help, even though it galled him, because otherwise...well, he’d have had to hire someone, he guessed. Not impossible, but he didn’t know where to begin in this town, and anyway, he didn’t feel comfortable about it. Maybe it was some leftover machismo, but for some reason he didn’t want to hire someone to put his wheel on. He wanted to do as much of it himself as he could.

Stubborn cuss, that was him. Unfortunately, stubbornness could lead to stupidity, and he was coming dangerously close. Instead of just hiring help, now he was imposing on a neighbor. Didn’t that make a lot of sense, he asked himself with a snort of disgust.

Nell apparently heard Ashley’s arrival before he did. She dashed away to the front door and waited for the knock or the bell. Trusting Nell’s instincts, Zane wasn’t far behind.

He opened the door to see that beautiful strawberry blonde dressed for work in jeans and a flannel shirt. She’d even caught her hair into a ponytail, which was cute. And she was smiling.

“Ready to start?” she asked.

He hesitated even as he began to roll back from the door to give her entry. “I should have just hired someone. I can’t keep imposing on you.”

“I didn’t have to say yes, and I don’t feel imposed upon.” She looked down at Nell. “Okay to pet her?”

“You might as well. She seems determined to become part of your life, too.”

Ashley laughed, then squatted, giving Nell a good rub and scratch around her neck. Then she rose and stepped past, allowing the dog to close the door. “So what do we need to do?”

“Assemble the parts to attach the wheel to this chair. Once it’s all together, I can put it on or take it off with some locks. Naturally, because it wouldn’t work indoors, but...” He shrugged. “Thing is, I like to get a good speed going when I’m out with Nell. She wants to run, and the workout feels good to me, too. So...this is all about stability.”

As he spoke, he was wheeling his way back to the spare room. Nell’s steps followed him.

“Will Mikey need something like this?”

“I doubt a motorized chair will allow him to go fast enough to worry about it. How’s the fund-raising, by the way?”

“Fantastic,” she answered enthusiastically. “Between your check—which was awfully generous—the bake sale last night and a small grant we finally received, Mikey’s new wheelchair will be ordered soon.”

He summoned a smile. “I’m glad to hear that.”

She touched the box on the floor with her toe. “Parts in here?”

“All of them.”

She nodded, as if grasping why he couldn’t get to it himself. “Do you want to assemble it here?”

“In the kitchen. I’m going to need a place to sit while we do it, because I need to get out of this chair.”

“Got it.” She squatted and began to pull packing tape away. “Anyhow, if you have any suggestions for things Mikey might need, let me know. We’ve got a small list of things, but who knows what we overlooked.”

“He lives on a ranch?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, if he wants to get outside, he’s going to need good, wide wheels. Like these,” he said, patting his own. “Like you’d find on a mountain bike.”

She peered up at him. “I’m quite certain none of us thought of that. Any other ideas, let me know. As the pastor said this morning, we now have enough to give him racing stripes if he wants them.”

Once again Zane felt an unusual smile on his face. “Flames. I suggest flames.”

Ashley laughed. “Yeah, he’d probably love that.”