Chapter Three
Rubbing the top of his head, Aiden sat still a second longer than necessary, one hand still on his head, the other braced against the cabinet like it might move if he let go. “Sorry, ma’am. I, uh,” he shook his head, immediately regretting the movement, “never mind. Just…sorry.”
“Are you okay?” The look of concern on Alice Sweet’s face almost made Aiden forget his embarrassment and smile. Almost.
“Just a little bump.” Two things ran through his mind; from the growing bump under his fingertips, he was clearly going to have one hell of a goose-egg, and he needed to get to the hardware store to finish the job before his injuries reminded him why he had no business crawling under a sink.
“Let me help you.” The woman he’d mistaken for Kade’s mom inched closer, bending as though she were going to reach under his arms and yank him upright like a clown doll.
“I’ve got it.”
“Not so sure about that,” was all the pretty blonde said.
Refusing to show weakness, he tightened his grip on the top of the cabinet door and heaved himself upright.
Only a few stars danced overhead and both hips screeched like banshees.
Other than that, all was well with the world.
“I’ll need a ride to the hardware store. As I told Miss…” his voice trailed off.
“Colleen,” the pretty lady with a plumber for a grandfather eyed him carefully. “Your new physical therapist.”
Great way to get started on the proverbial wrong foot. “As I told Colleen, this fix is temporary. I need a few more things, starting with PEX pipe.”
“Pex?” Alice asked.
“It’s what is used today instead of copper. Little chance of pinhead leaks or cracks. Mostly because it’s more flexible. It will expand and shrink back during a nasty freeze.”
“Well,” Alice sighed, “I like the sound of that. It was no fun having things burst that last miserable freeze we had.”
“I’d guess you already have some in the house if you had to replace a water heater and dishwasher. Red for hot water, blue for cold, white for high pressure. Or it can be used instead of the blue.”
“Oh,” Alice smiled, “yes. I remember commenting on how pretty my new pipes would be.”
That made Aiden smile. Only a woman like Alice Sweet could find pipes pretty.
“Maybe you should go lie down for a bit before…”
Colleen’s words were cut off by the shake of Aiden’s head. “I’d like to get this over with. I’d hate for the tape to give way and flood the kitchen.” He’d also hate to wait till the next day when the results of today’s efforts might take him down for the count.
Like a nervous teen, Alice pressed her lips tightly together before nibbling on her lower lip. He knew the moment she made her decision. Her face relaxed and she heaved a deep sigh. “You’re a big boy. If you insist, who am I to stop you. And thank you.”
“I’ll drive you,” Colleen quickly volunteered. “The ranch trucks will be a pill to climb up and into.”
On that he could agree. “Just give me a minute and I’ll be ready to go.” A minute and a handful of ibuprofen and he’d be as ready as he’d ever be.
“How is your new practice coming along?” Alice spoke to Colleen, but Aiden could tell she was gauging his movements while making polite conversation.
“If Mom and Dad hadn’t offered to let me convert the garage, it would still be only a dream. The actual conversion is taking longer than I had thought so I can’t accommodate a real practice yet, but I can do a simple patient or two.”
“And we are more than happy to work with you for the equine part if someone besides Aiden needs it.”
The smile that bloomed on the blonde’s face lit the room. “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Resisting the urge to swallow a bunch of pills, he settled for four and walked as slowly as he could get away with and not have either woman notice how he hurt. Though he had a sneaking suspicion they already knew.
Outside, Colleen’s car was mercifully low to the ground, sensible, and once he sank down, seriously comfortable. Soft leather seats, and… “Do you have seat warmers?”
She nodded. “Just turned it on. Designed for northern winters, they also do wonders for tired backs. And hips.”
So she knew. “I should probably introduce myself properly. Aiden Boglioli, Kade’s friend and, for the foreseeable future, ranch guest.”
“Nice to meet you. Colleen Gleeson. As I mentioned before, I’ll be your physical therapist. Though you’ve already had plenty of that at the army hospital, for the foreseeable future, we’ll be using equine therapy with you.”
What a way to make a first impression on the person who could make or break his future. If he wouldn’t look absolutely ridiculous, he’d smack his aching head with the heel of his hand. “You do equine therapy?”
“That’s the plan—with some help from Miss Alice and Boots.”
“Boots?”
“Sweetest horse on the ranch, and, I suspect, therapy material.”
“Suspect?”
“I’ve never worked with her before for therapy, but riding out here as teens, I still remember what a sweet horse she is.”
Part of him wanted to insist he’d be fine with a little more rest, another part of him might actually be looking forward to having one on one time with this pretty—no—beautiful woman who could help people heal or fix their sink.
Not that she’d fixed the sink, but somehow, he had a feeling she could if she wanted to.
The drive into Honeysuckle seemed to take forever.
At one point Colleen mentioned under an hour, but something about the straight and flat road seemed to drag on.
Staring at Colleen while taking inventory of her thick long hair with just enough curl on the ends to make a man want to run his fingers through it, eyes the color of the Texas sky, and long slim fingers that made him wonder what else could those pretty hands do, might get him into trouble sooner than later.
Instead he turned to stare at the horizon, an expanse of sky that had nothing interrupting it from one edge to the other, and the occasional cow dotting the landscape.
Watching it through the passenger window, he couldn’t decide how he felt about that much open space.
“You get used to it.” Colleen kept her gaze on the road.
“Used to what?”
“I suppose, Texas. West Texas. A lot of dirt, and a lot of sky, and a lot of cattle.”
If he thought things were rather barren by the base, it didn’t hold a candle to West Texas ranch country. “How’d you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“You have that look. I see it in city folks all the time. Like they can’t decide if all this land is beautiful or terrifying.”
Not much later, Honeysuckle came into view. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear that bump on the head had transported him to an episode of the old Andy Griffith show and Mayberry, North Carolina.
Unexpectedly, Colleen giggled. “Like I said, you’ll get used to it. Then, you’ll either love it or hate it.”
“And you? Is it love or hate?”
Her head turned a moment to face him, a smile tugging at her lips. “I’m here. What do you think that means?”
That he was an idiot for asking.
Even though she’d already been home for a few days, driving down Main Street felt familiar yet new.
Corn Hole Heaven hadn’t changed. Of course, it had been the same for years.
Heaven Scent, the shop owned by Jillian Sweet, always had such fun things in the window.
She’d have to make time to visit. Maybe pick up a nice gift for her mother’s upcoming birthday.
“You’re smiling.” Aiden tipped his head watching her.
“It’s good to be home.”
“You’ve been away?”
She nodded. “Every small town kid wants to move to the city. I went to Texas A&M for college and then followed through with my career path, but now, it was time to come home. So,” she shrugged, “here I am.”
They’d barely pulled into a parking spot in front of the hardware store when Mildred McEntire came hurrying up to her, kitten heeled mules clacking against the sidewalk like a metronome. “Colleen! I heard you were back.” The woman pulled her into a hug so tight she realigned Colleen’s spine.
“Hello, Mildred.” Still smiling, Colleen turned to gesture toward Aiden. “Have you met the Sweet’s new guest?”
Walking more slowly than he should have, Aiden circled the hood to where the two women stood. “Aiden Boglioli.”
A deep frown settled between Mildred’s brow. “Boglioli? You’re not from around here, are you?”
“No ma’am. I’m from New York. The Bronx.”
“Pretty far from home.” The woman wearing dangling earrings that reminded Colleen of an antique disco ball continued to look at Aiden as though he’d said Mars not the Bronx.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“He serves with Kade,” Colleen volunteered.
The bling queen’s countenance changed instantly. “Well, thank you for your service, young man. I’m sure you’re going to love it here in Honeysuckle.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled back at her.
“Well,” Mildred took a step back, “I’m late to meet Iris for coffee. You should pop into the café. Iris would love to see you.”
“We’ll see.” Colleen did her best to look sincere.
The last thing she needed for this budding therapist patient relationship was for the one woman in town who could spread gossip faster than the six o’clock news to spread rumors about Colleen and her new young man.
Especially since he was anything but hers.
Waiting for Mildred to be out of ear shot, Aiden turned to her. “Does she always dress like that?”
“Like what?”
“The rhinestone cowgirl.”
Colleen blinked and looked in Mildred’s direction. So used to seeing the bling queen shining like a clear diamond, Colleen hadn’t noticed what Mildred wore. A smile took over her face. “Yeah, she does.”
“Really?”
The way his face crumpled with confusion made Colleen smile. “Really. If the annual corn hole tournament is on a sunny day, she can blind half the town with a simple turn.”
Aiden let out a tight burst of laughter. “That sounds dangerous.”
“It is.” Colleen moved forward. “Last year she took out a judge and a scoreboard.”
“You’re kidding.” At her side, his gait controlled and his face set like stone, she didn’t need to be a physical therapist to know the man was doing his best to ignore any pain or discomfort.
“Well, the scoreboard was already off kilter, but the poor judge, blinded by the bling.”
This time his laughter was stronger and deeper. “Sounds like the name of an oldie’s tune.”
It took her a minute to make the connection with an actual oldies song. “Anyhow, the judge stepped back and tripped over Abigail Fine’s poof pup.”
“I’m sorry,” he did his best to keep up with her pace, “poof pup?”
“One of those pocket breeds that’s all fluff and wiggle with the perpetual pink ribbon on her head.”
“Ah. Poof. Got it.”
“Then he landed on one of the boards and hit his head. Mild concussion.”
“Ouch.”
“That about sums it up.” She swung the door to the shop open, only mildly surprised when Aiden hurried around her to hold it open instead. “Thank you.”
He nodded his response with a bright smile. Inside, it took them all of ten, maybe fifteen minutes to gather the supplies he needed and were out the door taking in Main Street again. “Looks like the town is waking up.”
In just the few short minutes they were inside, Aiden was right, more people were mulling about, shopkeepers had opened the doors, vehicles were ambling down the street and no surprise, the corn hole courts at the park were beginning to fill up.
His gaze fixed on the park, one corner of Aiden’s mouth lifted in a brighter smile. “Reminds me of my grandfather and his friends playing bocce.”
“Now it’s my turn to be confused. Bocce?”
“Think of it as old man’s bowling on dirt.”
All sorts of odd images filled her head. “You’ll have to come try it out—after you’ve healed a bit more.”
“Mm,” was the only sound he made, still his gaze remained fixed on the people at the park.
“Want to get a closer look?”
Without a word, he nodded.
For a few seconds she debated if they should walk or ride and remembering the tight expression on his face, ride won. “Hop in and we’ll drive over.”
The way his lips pressed together she thought he was getting ready to argue, but then he blinked and seemed to nod to himself as if recognizing that walking that far, and back, wasn’t the best idea he’d had.
Another few moments and they were parked by the corn hole courts.
Off to one side, little kids were playing in the sand or on the swings while their moms sat to one side watching, smiling, enjoying a moment that would end too soon.
What really caught Aiden’s attention were the older gentlemen in the midst of a fierce competition.
“You couldn’t find your way out of a house with a flashlight,” one of the men hollered to the other who she was pretty sure snarled back seconds before letting the bean bag fly and in a single swoop—like a three pointer on the basketball court—dropped into the determined hole.
The quiet grin on Aiden’s face as he watched the group of men tease, toss, and revel in their triumphs, had Colleen thinking that any second he was going to ask to join in on the fun.
There was a twinkle in his eyes that had not been there before.
Instead, he took a step back, tapped his toe behind him performing a somewhat wobbly military turn, and sighed.
“Alice is waiting. We’d better get back before she thinks I drove all the way to New York for the supplies. ”
If she’d figured out anything watching this man, she was convinced, working with Aiden Boglioli was going to be most…interesting.