Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Cheyenne
I closed the door to Rhett’s room and leaned against it, gathering myself. This was harder than I had expected it to be. Seeing Rhett back here, in my home—in my old bed —brought back memories I wasn’t ready to face.
Years had passed, yet it all came back like it was yesterday.
I shook off the past and went to the kitchen, dishing up a small helping of elk stew for him. It was one of the few things I cooked and was his favorite—or had been when we were young—and I’d made a quick batch in my pressure cooker while he slept, hoping he’d wake up and be ready to eat. He needed to take it slow, but if this went well, he could have a larger portion later.
It was two weeks at most, I reminded myself as I headed back toward his room with the food. Probably not even that. Naomi would figure out a situation that worked for him at the ranch and we could go back to normal. I’d be back to working the trails and probably wouldn’t see him much. And by the time the two weeks were over, Walker would be that much closer to his own recovery and Rhett likely wouldn’t hang around much longer.
But that thought brought sadness instead of relief.
All of this had brought up the past, but maybe that was a gift. I could face what I’d buried, let it go, and then we could put this behind us for good.
Although, I was worried Thomas wouldn’t let us put it behind us at all. I had to wonder if he’d meant to kill Rhett—and if he’d try again. I hoped his anger would blow over, that the damage he’d done would be enough.
But with Thomas, you never knew.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself before knocking lightly on Rhett’s door.
“Come in,” he called.
I pushed the door open with my hip and carried the tray of food to his bed, propping it up over him.
“This looks great.” He gestured at the food. “I love stew.”
“I remember.” Awkward silence hung between us for a beat before I quickly filled it. “I’ll come check on you again in about an hour, but you can call me if you need anything. I’ll be down the hall.” I turned to leave, wanting to escape the room.
“Cheyenne, wait.”
I looked back at him.
He blinked twice, like he hadn’t expected me to stop. He opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to change his mind. “Thanks. Again,” he muttered, dropping his eyes to his stew.
I fled the room, grateful to get some space.
An hour later, I woke from where I’d fallen asleep on the couch to the sound of Rhett stumbling down the narrow hallway. I startled before throwing off the woven blanket covering me and jumping up to go to him. His gait was unsteady, and he was leaning heavily against the wall.
“You shouldn’t be up,” I scolded, slipping under his shoulder to steady him and provide support. “What do you need? I’ll get it for you.”
“Gotta pee,” he said tightly.
“Oh. Alright, well, let’s get you in there.”
He shot me a look. “No offense, but that’s not something that requires your assistance.”
“I’m trying to keep you from falling,” I replied, annoyed.
“Chey.” He put a hand on my cheek, caressing it with his thumb. “I was a little dizzy from standing up. That’s all. I’m fine now. I don’t need your help walking.”
A thousand retorts were at the edge of my tongue. But standing closer than we’d been in over a decade, with his hand on my face and my arm around his waist… I couldn’t seem to speak at all.
His dark eyes were clear, focused, and he gazed down at me like he was trying to read my mind. I became suddenly aware of how my breathing had grown shallow, how my heart was racing. So I dropped my arm and gave him a quick nod, moving backward, out of his reach.
“Excellent. You seem okay now. But call me if you need me.”
His eyes never left mine until I turned completely and walked down the hallway, leaving him alone.
When he came back out of the bathroom, he didn’t turn and head to his room like I expected. Instead, he came to the living room and sank heavily down into the first seat he came to, the old burgundy recliner I hadn’t had the heart to get rid of.
“You’re supposed to be resting,” I reminded him, knowing that it would be the first of about a thousand times over the next two weeks.
“Got a few more questions,” he said, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
“Okay.”
“These aren’t the clothes I was wearing in the hospital.”
“No,” I said, unable to stop the little grin that formed.
He lifted his head, those eyes piercing mine again. “Please don’t tell me you’ve had to change my clothes and … and who knows what else.”
I shook my head, resisting the urge to tease him and make him as uncomfortable as I felt. “Your mom brought clean clothes to the hospital. I’m guessing she or a nurse helped you get changed when you were discharged. You must not remember it.”
He shook his head. “It’s crazy how much I seem to have lost. What day is it?”
I had to think about that one for a second, as the past few days had become blurry in my mind, too. “Tuesday.”
His eyes widened. “Three whole days gone. How long have I been here, with you?”
I felt a stab of sympathy for him. It must be awful to have lost whole days of your life, unable to even remember what happened during them.
“Just today. They released you this morning. Your mom and Travis drove you here from the hospital. You were pretty groggy—a combination of the injury and the pain meds they gave you. Speaking of which, you’re able to have more now if you want them. It’s been long enough.”
“Absolutely not,” he said, his mouth set in a firm line. “I don’t want to drift away again. Not going to have you waiting on me hand and foot.”
“I need to wait on you whether you like it or not. I don’t think you’re understanding the doctor’s orders. You’re supposed to be on complete bed rest.”
“I’ll rest. But no meds. I don’t want to lose any more time.”
I bit my lip, knowing if I were in his shoes I’d feel the same way. I should encourage him to take them, but I wouldn’t force him. The meds would help keep him sedated, but they had their downsides.
“How bad is the pain?”
“Not bad,” he said—clearly lying. He was still too pale, and he winced every time he spoke.
“The time will pass quicker for you if you take them. It will make it easier to get the rest you need.”
“I don’t want them.”
“I have over-the-counter meds,” I said softly. “They won’t make you sleepy, but they’ll help with the headache at least. You don’t have to suffer. There are alternatives to narcotics.”
He hesitated, then nodded.
I got up, fished out the bottle of ibuprofen from the back of my cabinets, and gave him a couple with a large glass of water.
“Thanks.” His voice was gruff.
“Of course.”
He opened his mouth to speak, looking like he might finally say what he’d wanted to say earlier, but was interrupted by a knock on my door.
He frowned. “You expecting someone?”
“No, but it’s probably one of your family members coming to check on you. They’ve all been worried, and I told them to stop by any time.” I went to the door and opened it, expecting to see Naomi, Beth, or Claire. Instead, Pete stood on my doorstep with a bouquet of daisies in hand.
“Oh,” I said, my face flushing. I could not believe this was happening. “I’m so sorry. You probably heard about Rhett’s accident. With everything that happened, I completely forgot about our date.”
His gaze went past me to where Rhett was sitting in the chair. His eyes widened and he stepped back, his face turning red. “Oh.”
“I’m really sorry, Pete. Rhett got released from the hospital this morning, and the doctor said he needs someone keeping an eye on him for a couple of days.” I babbled on about how he had a grade-four concussion and amnesia and tried to explain why I was the most logical person to care for him , knowing that nothing I could say would fix the situation.
Pete was embarrassed and I didn’t blame him. I felt terrible—and also relieved to get out of a date I didn’t care about. Seeing Rhett nearly die had reminded me of how strong my feelings for him had been, and I knew that was something I would never feel for Pete. The very idea of going out with him to try to move past Rhett seemed ridiculous now.
Rhett and I were still over. But my soul was connected to him in a way I knew I’d never have with anyone else.
“I understand,” Pete said awkwardly. He held out the flowers. “These were for you. You should keep them.”
I took the sweet bouquet, feeling overwhelming guilt. “Thanks for understanding.”
He gave Rhett a little wave. “Get well soon,” he said without a trace of emotion in his voice. He turned to leave without looking back.
I closed the door, bracing myself before facing Rhett. Not that it was any of Rhett’s business who I dated. Still, the situation was awkward at best.
But when I turned around, Rhett had a grin on his face. “I’m surprised you said yes.”
“What?”
“The other night at the bar, Pete asked me if it was okay to ask you out. One of the few things I remember from before I got conked on the head. He’s not your type though. I’m surprised you agreed.”
Indignation flared. “Why would he ask your permission? You don’t own me. And how would you know what my type is? You’ve been gone a long time, Rhett. Maybe I’ve changed.”
At that, his face turned serious. “You’re right. I’ve been gone a long time. And I’ve only been around you briefly since I’ve been back. But that’s enough for me to know you haven’t changed. Not in the ways that count. Sure, you’ve grown up. You’re not a kid anymore. But that heart? That fire inside you? It’s the same. And it would never work with Pete.”
“Why not?” I demanded despite knowing he was right.
“Because Pete is like a cheap beer. Dependable. Always there when you need him, and always the same. But you? You’re top-shelf whiskey. Hard, strong, but also velvety smooth and so precious you don’t want to waste a damn drop. And that’s a different thing altogether.”
I stared at him. “That’s not a kind thing to say about Pete.”
He shrugged. “It’s true. And there’s a lot of people who like cheap beer. But not you.”
“No,” I murmured, though I hated to agree with him. “Not me. So what are you?”
He grinned again, then winced from the pain. “I guess we’ll have to see. Now, since you’re stuck with me tonight, do you have a TV in here? Or can I talk you into a game of poker?” A wicked challenge glinted in his eyes, and I felt my face turn crimson.
We’d played strip poker once as teens, just the two of us. It had ended with me buck naked underneath the stars in the horse pasture.
Not that I’d minded. Rhett had made it well worth it.
But that was a lifetime ago, and I gave him a stern look. “You’re supposed to rest. No TV. And no more talking. It’s time I helped you back into bed.”
I expected a fight, but his eyes revealed his exhaustion.
“Fine,” he said, defeated. “I’ll go rest. I’m sorry. I don’t want to make this any harder on you than it has to be.”
“Thank you,” I said, surprised by his change of attitude.
He didn’t even fight me when I helped walk him to his room.
But when I got him settled in bed and turned to leave, he grabbed my wrist. “Chey, stay. Please.”
I wanted to say no. Wanted to leave him the way he’d left me. But the look in his eyes tugged at my heart and I couldn’t.
“Why?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.
He attempted a grin, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “What if I said I was feeling dizzy and needed you to keep an eye on me?”
“I’d say you’re full of it.”
“Fine. I miss you, Chey. I know you said we could only be civil, but I’m here. And I don’t think you would have invited me to recover here if I was just a random colleague.”
He sighed and rubbed my wrist with his thumb. The feeling of his calloused hand on my skin began to wake feelings I hadn’t felt in a very long time, and I knew I should pull away. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“Then you don’t know me as well as you think you do,” I finally said. “I’m a search-and-rescue volunteer. I literally put my life on the line for complete strangers.”
He nodded. “I know. Claire’s told me some about the work you do. But how many of those strangers have you invited to your home afterward?”
I wanted to give him a number, but it would be a lie. Because he was right. My home was my sanctuary, and very few people were invited to cross that threshold.
“Alright,” I admitted, pulling my hand away and crossing my arms. “You have a point.”
“So does that mean we can be friends?”
Friends. The thought was still as painful as it had been before. But how could I possibly say no? I’d saved his life and brought him into my home.
“Fine,” I said, forcing a smile. “Friends.”