Page 94 of A Nice Day for a Cowboy Wedding

“I’m sorry I messed it all up.”

Shane stepped forward, bending over the bed. He placed his hand over Micah’s forehead since it seemed the best place to touch him without hurting him. “You didn’t mess anything up. Not a thing.”

“You’re not mad?”

“I was a little mad at Boone for taking you when I said no.”

“I begged him.”

Shane nodded. “The fact of the matter is, sometimes we make bad choices.” He thought about what Boone had said about being afraid of good. Maybe he could understand that. Afraid you’d get used to it, lose it, break it, and it’d never last. Maybe Shane was starting to begin to understand the fear that you couldn’t fix anything.

He brushed his palm across Micah’s forehead. “You can’t make a bad choice that would change how I feel about you. No matter what. We may not be related, but that doesn’t mean we’re not connected. Nothing you could do to change that now. Hell, break a bone on Tyler property, you’re practically a Tyler.”

Micah’s eyes filled with tears, but the kid clearly fought them tooth and nail. “So, I can still ride horses and everything?”

“You’ll have to get healed up, and probably do some major sucking up to your mom, but accidents happen.” Which he said more for Micah’s sake than because he believed it.

“You’re not . . . with her,” Micah said, sneaking a glance at his aunt who’d moved to a seat in the corner when he’d walked in. She quickly averted her eyes.

“You worry about getting yourself home and healed up,” Shane offered, taking a step away from the bed. “You let me handle the rest, okay?”

Micah frowned, but he nodded.

But Shane could tell by his expression that Micah didn’t trust him to handle anything, just like everyone else.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Cora knew she had to go back to Micah’s room. She stared at her splotchy face in the bathroom mirror and knew even makeup couldn’t fix this.

How on earth were parents brave for their kids? How did other people deal with this fear and guilt and worry all wrapped up in tears and failure? How did they look at their only child’s face and seepainand not just break apart?

“Well, you’re going to have to figure it out,” she whispered to herself, fighting a fresh wave of tears by gripping the sink as hard as she could.

She had gotten this far because she’dhadto, and that didn’t stop here or now. It didn’t stop, ever.

She felt strengthened by that. Determined.

Then she stepped out of the bathroom and saw Shane, Boone, and Molly walking away from Micah’s room toward the waiting room. They all stared at her, then shared glances with each other. Nonverbally they seemed to agree Molly and Boone would keep walking.

But Shane stopped.

“Can we walk for a few minutes?”

She wanted to say no, but that was the coward’s way out. In the past few hours she’d come to grips with the very real fact that Shane and happiness and all those things she’d thought she had this morning weren’t for her.

Besides, what would she even do with them? With him? Get married? Have a family? Live on the ranch?

Her knees nearly buckled at the horrible wave ofwantthat swept through her. God, she wanted that life. That future.

But Micah’s accident was her sign. Just like all those years ago when Stephen’s turning his anger onto Micah had been her sign to leave. She believed in signs. She believed in Gracely’s legend. She believed in herself.

If that one rang a little false, well, that was something to dissect at her next appointment with Dr. Grove. Not here with Shane.

She nodded and turned down a hallway that led outside. She wouldn’t do this with the hospital staff or waiting room as an audience, but she needed to do it.

“I imagine they’ll be keeping him overnight?” Shane asked, pushing the door open and waiting for her to step outside before he did.

Cora nodded stiffly. Some part of her wanted to reach out. Touch his face. Lean into what she knew would be willingly comforting arms.

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