It was a short conversation: “When? How bad? Are you there now? I’ll talk to Raney and call you back.” He tossed her cell on the bed and pulled on a T-shirt. “Timmy’s had an accident. They’re at University Medical in Lubbock.”
Raney clapped a hand to her throat. “How bad?”
“A bump on the head. Maybe some cracked ribs and a broken arm. They’re waiting on X-rays now. Damn!” He sat on the bed again and began pulling on the socks he’d taken off thirty minutes earlier.
Raney sat beside him, her hand on his back. “What happened?”
“He fell off a ladder while he was cleaning the church gutters. I can’t believe they let him do that. He has terrible balance.” He pulled on one boot, reached for the other. “I was afraid something like this would happen when he told us he was washing windows. But I didn’t think they’d put him on a fucking ladder!”
“What are you going to do?”
“Go to Lubbock.”
“That’s a five-hour drive. You won’t get there before midnight. Then you have to be back here first thing to be ready for the semis.”
“Timmy needs me. Alejandro can ride Rosco.”
But they both knew that wouldn’t work, even though a change of riders was allowed. Alejandro was good, but not as good as Dalton. “How about I go to Lubbock,” Raney offered. “I can check on Timmy, talk to the doctor, then report back to you.” Raney hated to push him, but they’d worked too hard to get here, and they’d never have a chance like this again. “It sounds like Timmy is mostly banged up, not seriously hurt. Your parents will understand, Dalton. They know how much you have riding on this.”
“Damn! Fuck! Shit!”
She saw defeat in the slump of his shoulders. “Stay here and do what you came to do. Let me take care of this. Please, Dalton.”
Five minutes later, she was heading out the door with her duffel while Dalton explained to his mother that Raney was on her way and he’d be there as soon as he could.
* * *
At that time of the evening, the drive only took four and a half hours. Visiting hours were long over, but the Cardwells had left word at the nurses’ station to send her on to Timmy’s room as soon as she arrived.
Timmy was asleep. So was Mr. Cardwell, stretched out on the padded bench beneath the window, snoring softly. Mrs. Cardwell was awake, but looked exhausted. When Raney tiptoed in, Clovis gave a worn smile, rose, and waved her back into the hall. “We can talk in the waiting room. How was the drive?”
“Fine. How are you?” Raney asked her. “Have you had any rest, or gotten anything to eat?”
“Coffee, mostly. But I have a muffin in my purse if you’re hungry.”
Raney shook her head and waited for the older woman to settle in a chair before sitting down beside her. “How badly is Timmy hurt?”
“He’ll live, but I doubt he’ll ever climb a ladder again.” In a thin, weary voice, she listed her younger son’s injuries. A slight concussion, a cracked radius in his left arm, three bruised ribs, and a few cuts and scrapes. “Because of the ribs, he’ll be sore for a while, but his arm should heal fast. He only has a splint, rather than a full cast. They’ll probably send him home in a couple of days unless the concussion acts up. How’s Dalton doing in the horse show?”
“Very well.” Raney explained about the semifinal ride tomorrow and the finals the day after. “We won’t know if he made the finals until tomorrow evening when they post the rankings, but he has a good chance. He and Rosco are doing an amazing job. They’re both getting a lot of attention.” Raney hesitated, then added, “Dalton was all set to have someone else ride for him tomorrow so he could come to Lubbock. I talked him out of it. He’s building a great career as a trainer, Mrs. Cardwell, and these next two days could make or break him. I hope I didn’t overstep, coming in his place.”
Mrs. Cardwell reached over and laid a wrinkled, blue-veined hand over Raney’s. “You didn’t. I’m glad you came in his stead. Dalton has given up too much for his family, as it is. He deserves his chance after what he’s been through.”
Raney felt a swell of gratitude. “I’ll tell him you said that.”
Blinking hard, the older woman took her hand away and smoothed the faded cotton of her shirtwaist dress with arthritic fingers, obviously embarrassed by her spontaneous show of emotion. Raney wondered how such a reserved woman could raise a son as openhearted as Dalton. But then, Dalton had his hidden places, too.
“I hope you won’t try to drive back tonight, Raney,” Mrs. Cardwell said.
“I had planned on staying until Timmy is discharged, in case you need help getting him home.”
“What about Dalton’s ride tomorrow? Don’t you want to be there for that?”
“The semifinals? I doubt I’d make it back in time even if I left first thing tomorrow. But if he gets into the finals, I’d definitely like to make that.”
Mrs. Cardwell studied her for several moments, a thoughtful look in eyes that might once have been as bright a green as her oldest son’s. “He’s in love with you, you know,” she said. “You mind me asking if you have feelings for him, too?”
“I do, ma’am. I think he’s a remarkable man.”
“Probably more so than you know.”
Raney thought that was an odd thing to say, but simply smiled in response. This conversation was becoming uncomfortable enough as it was.
“Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?” Mrs. Cardwell asked.
“I thought I would go by the hotel where we stayed when my sister was here having her baby. Will you share it with me? Or could I get a room for you and Mr. Cardwell?”
“No need. It’s my turn on the couch, and Dad has spent many a
