“Chaotic? That sounds about right today.”
“Well there’s five dogs, one very curious and bright boy who will ask a million questions, and my wife, the mayor, who will try to convince you that Covenant Falls is heaven on earth.”
“And is it?”
“Depends on your viewpoint,” Manning said. “I’m sort of leaning in that direction after a rocky start.”
Stephanie appeared then with a dog, a golden retriever, at her side. She also carried his duffel and his other shoe.
“Sherry?” Clint asked, and the dog’s entire rear wriggled with delight at the sound of her name.
Stephanie’s eyes widened. Perhaps she was surprised he had remembered her dog’s name. In truth, he recalled every word of conversation since she had met him at the bus stop. He stuck out his hand and Sherry sniffed it, then held out a paw.
Clint took the paw and shook it. He’d always liked dogs, but at private schools it was a definite no-no, and in the service, he’d never felt it fair to have one.
Stephanie tilted her head as Sherry stayed close to him. Had she expected the dog to dislike him? He’d obviously made a poor impression on her, and that puzzled him.
“I brought your duffel,” she said. “Josh had planned to meet you and show you the cabin, and so I thought...he could drive you there.”
So, she was dumping him. “I appreciate the ride. It certainly ranks among the most interesting I’ve ever had.”
She gave him one of those rare smiles, but it disappeared almost immediately. “Interesting, huh? I’ll call you the next time I have to roll a cow.”
“Do that,” he challenged.
She turned him to Josh. “I leave him in your hands.”
The doctor returned, holding a pair of crutches and two pill bottles and a business card. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Stephanie said. “Send me the bill. Hardy said he would pay it.”
She started for the door, Sherry at her side, then glanced over her shoulder, smiling. “Thanks for being a good sport. I really am sorry.” Before he could answer, she was out the door.
Josh frowned, then picked up both the duffel and shoe. “Can you manage with the crutches?”
“Sure.”
“What about that dinner?”
Suddenly, Clint was exhausted. His body ached. His mind was fuzzy. He hadn’t slept much in the past two days, and he knew lack of sleep often brought on the headaches. “Can I take a rain check?”
“Sure. I’ll drive you to the cabin. My wife insisted on stocking it with food, including some chili that just needs heating. There’s also a roasted chicken, cold cuts and some sliced veggies. Eve was appalled at my eating habits when I first moved there.”
“Sounds good. Better than good. Please thank her for me.”
“I added a six pack of beer. Are you okay to drink it or...?”
“If I’m not taking medicine for headaches, I’m fine. And I don’t take it unless I feel one coming on. One or two beers is okay.”
Josh nodded. “My Jeep is just outside.”
The ride to the cabin was short. Clint watched carefully as the Jeep continued down what appeared to be the main street.
“That’s Maude’s on the corner,” Josh said. “Best steaks in town. Hell, best steaks in this half of Colorado, and Maude will adopt you if you give her a chance. The city hall is on the left. The police department is there, as well. This street runs into a park that backs the lake. There’s also a combination recreation center and library in the park. The cabin is on the far side of the lake. There’s some good fishing there.” He paused, then added. “You can walk to all of it when your foot is better. In the meantime, I’m a call away.”
Clint wasn’t sure how to respond. He hated being dependent, but right now any place was better than the military hospital where he’d felt a fraud.
Most patients had been wounded in battle; he was there because of a stupid whim. “I want to pay rent for however long I stay,” he said.
Josh was silent as he turned down a road that bordered the lake, then pulled into a driveway shaded by pines. He parked, and Clint struggled to his feet with the crutches and hobbled toward his temporary residence. He had envisioned something small and rough, but this cabin was far more than that. Larger. More...picturesque. A wide screened porch stretched across the front.
A throbbing began in his head. All he wanted was to get inside and lie down. He followed Josh inside the screened-in porch and his new landlord unlocked the door.
He made his way inside. Whoa. Unlike the simple cabin he’d envisioned, he walked into a spacious room anchored by a huge rock fireplace. A large leather sofa and two matching chairs were placed around it, and a small dining room table with four chairs was located next to a set of windows.
“There’s two bedrooms and a bathroom down the hall,” Josh said. “The kitchen is on the left.” He led the way down the hall to a bedroom and placed the duffel on a double bed that was already made.
He looked at Clint with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I will be,” Clint said, the throbbing increasing.
“Do you have a cell phone?”
“Yes.”
“Mind giving me the number?”
Clint did and Josh handed him a card. “Here’s mine. Call me if you need anything.”
The headache was on its way to pounding. He needed a pill. And fast.
“Any rules?” he asked.
“Nope. I have a suggestion, though. Your doctor in Texas said you have blackouts. Since you’re alone here, why don’t you give me a call every morning, any time. I know when I moved here, I didn’t want anything to do with anyone. Only wanted to crawl under a rock. So you just tell me to back off anytime you feel crowded. Okay?”
Clint nodded. “Why don’t you just rent this place?”
“It’s not mine,” he said. “Maybe on paper it is, but it was willed to me by a friend who died in Afghanistan. This is what he would have wanted, a refuge for vets. It was that for me. And that’s probably the last time I’ll talk about it.”
“I want to pay something.”
“I won’t take money, but you can build a dock down on the lake. I planned to do it but ran out of time.”
The headache was getting worse. “I can do that.”
Josh gave him a searching look. “Can I do anything before I leave?”
“No, thanks.”
“Call me or Doc Bradley if you need anything. Don’t forget about the food in the fridge.” After Josh left, Clint used the crutches to get to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and swallowed a pill. He hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, but he didn’t think he could eat anything now. Using only one crutch so he could carry the glass of water, he made his way to the bedroom and sat down on the bed. He fought the headache by reviewing the day. The ups and downs. The downs were definitely the bus ride and being kicked by a cow. The up was Stephanie, although she obviously didn’t consider him an “up.”
Was that part of the attraction? He was rarely rebuffed by women, and he definitely had been this afternoon. She had bristled almost immediately at the bus stop. Her gentleness with the