Chapter Five #3
Rather than spend time trying to find the trail Debra had said she had taken, they set out back the way they had come.
Several volunteers moved ahead of them, clearing as many obstacles as they could.
But it was a slow, bumpy ride. Debra periodically whined that they needed to be more careful.
“You’re safe, don’t worry,” Ryan said, but Debra clearly wasn’t persuaded.
The ambulance was waiting up at the road.
The volunteers deposited the litter next to it and the EMTs moved in.
“I’m fine now, really.” Debra sat up as soon as the straps holding her in were removed and stripped off the helmet.
She smoothed out her hair and pushed away the blood pressure cuff one EMT was trying to apply. “I don’t need that. Really. I’m fine.”
“You should have your ankle x-rayed,” Danny said. “You might have torn some tendons.”
“If it’s not better in a day or two, I promise I’ll see a doctor,” Debra said. “Right now, I just want to go home. Somebody help me up.”
One of the EMTs offered a hand. Wincing, Debra pulled herself to her feet and balanced precariously. “You can’t drive,” the EMT said.
“It’s my left foot that’s hurt.” She looked around. “My car is right there.” She pointed toward a black Volkswagen Beetle, parked across the road in the shade of a pinon. She hefted the backpack to one shoulder, then hobbled over to the car. No one tried to stop her.
Danny turned to Dalton. “Friend of yours?” he asked.
He shook his head. “I’ve run into her a couple of times in town, but I don’t really know her.”
Carter moved in closer. “She’s into you,” he said. “You going to go out with her?”
Dalton scowled at his twin. “No.”
“Who is Roxanne?” Bethany asked.
Everyone was staring, waiting for an answer. Dalton wasn’t going to get away with not giving one. “Roxanne is a friend. She’s new in town, too.”
“I remember now!” Eldon said.
Everyone focused on him. “The woman who was run off the road.” He looked around them. “Not far from here. Brunette? Drove a RAV4?”
Several of the volunteers nodded. They had either assisted on the callout or had heard about it. “So the two of you hit it off?” Bethany asked.
“Yeah,” Dalton said.
“But you’re not dating,” Carter added.
“No.”
No one said anything. Dalton turned and began disassembling the litter. Eldon moved in to help him. The EMTs returned to the ambulance and everyone else went back to loading gear and preparing to leave.
They were back in Carter’s Jeep before anyone spoke. “So I take it you asked this Roxanne woman out and she turned you down. Is that right?” Carter asked.
“No.” Dalton grimaced. “Not exactly. I told you it’s complicated. And none of your business.”
“But you really like her, right?” Bethany said.
He didn’t say anything.
“You do,” Bethany said. “I can tell.”
He turned to glare at his sister. “How can you tell?”
“Because you’re acting the same way you did when Amanda Dietrich went to the prom with Derek Robinson. You wanted to ask her out but didn’t work up the nerve soon enough and she ended up going with him instead.”
“That was in tenth grade!” Dalton protested.
Bethany shrugged. “You’re still just as mopey.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” he said.
“If you like her, just be her friend,” Carter said. “Give things time to develop.”
“We are friends,” he said. “She knows she can call me anytime.”
Carter groaned.
“What? Why are you groaning?” Dalton asked.
“You are so clueless. You don’t want to depend on her to call you. You call her.”
“I don’t want to come off as a stalker.”
“You won’t come off as a creep if you have a good reason to call,” Bethany said.
“I can handle my relationships on my own,” Dalton said. “I don’t need you two managing my life.”
“You’re not doing such a great job so far,” Carter said. “What kind of work does Roxanne do?”
“She’s a programmer.”
“That’s perfect!” Bethany’s voice rose almost to a squeal. “The two of you can geek out together.”
“I’ve got it,” Carter said. “Call her up and tell her you need help figuring out a problem with the new software you’re developing.”
“I don’t have a problem with my new software,” Dalton protested.
“Caleb said the calendar doesn’t sync up like it’s supposed to all the time,” Carter said.
“I’m going to fix that.”
“Ask Roxanne to help you,” Bethany said. “It’s a way for the two of you to spend time together, but not a date.”
“I don’t need to trick a woman into spending time with me,” he said.
“You wouldn’t be tricking her,” Bethany said. “Isn’t it a good idea to have another set of eyes look at your project? She’ll help make it even better.”
“I’m going to handle this my way,” he said. “You two need to stay out of it.”
Bethany sighed and sat back. “We’re just trying to help.”
“Sometimes you’re too cautious for your own good,” Carter said.
“I said I’ll handle it.” He spoke through clenched teeth. The trouble with families was that sometimes they cared too much. But his love life—or lack of it—was something he needed to figure out for himself.