Page 17 of Her Summer Hope
“John went to the cooking school.”
Kyle stared at him. “And?”
“Evans got there first. John sent me home to tell you.”
“Wyatt stole our cook?!” Kyle shouted.
“Sorry.”
She wouldn’t want to have anything to do with them tomorrow after Evans ghosted her. Kyle knew he would too. Evans never let anyone get too close, too serious. Never.
Murdock walked back inside and Kyle noticed Aiden in the window, staring at his rifle. Kyle followed, walking carefully up to the man.
“I heard shots.”
Kyle frowned.
“I still have one good ear,” Aiden said testily.
Kyle sighed. “Sorry about that. I thought the barrier and the walls would stop most of it from traveling. We have a range over the ridge. We like to stay sharp.”
Aiden nodded. He didn’t need to ask what for.
“You can go if you want after you get used to your legs again. No sense in keeping them on the sidewalk when we’ve got this place to play in,” he said nodding toward the mountains with a small smile.
“Will I still be here then?” he asked bitterly.
Kyle frowned and knelt down next to him, resting an elbow on the armrest of the wheelchair. “They didn’t tell you?”
Aiden looked at him fully. “Tell me what?”
“You can stay as long as you want. No strings.”
Aiden scoffed and Kyle felt his pain. “You mean you won’t shuffle me off when I get too difficult, or when the pain is too bad for me to get out of bed, or when I just fucking don’t want to see anyone?!” he yelled, voice rising with his temper.
Kyle waited after he stopped, chest aching with the fact that this man had been passed off when his case became too emotionally or physically difficult to cope with.
He looked him in the eye. “Not even then.”
He put a hand on his shoulder a moment, then left him there to think while staring out at the mountains in the distance. Sometimes nature could heal just as well—if not better—than any therapist.
Kyle knew that first hand.
Chapter Five
Madison
It happened when she was four miles from home, on her way to work one week after the job advertisement incident at Helen’s.
The car developed a horrible knocking sound, smoke started pouring from the exhaust, the check engine light went on, the temperature gauge went up, then a loud pop and she was leaving trails of oil on the road while the car coasted.
She ran out of speed going up the slight hill toward town and had to manhandle the vehicle to the side of the road. She put it in park and turned the key off. She was wary of the slope and decided to use the emergency brake to keep it from rolling back down.
The way things were going this morning, that would happen to her, and then she’d cause some kind of accident which she would be responsible for paying for.
She sat there in shock for a moment while the adrenaline rushed through her bloodstream.
Cars passed, slowing down and rubber-necking, but none stopped to help. They would eventually, but for now, everyone was probably just trying to make it to work on time.