Page 19 of Cole's Joy
“Lois called me around four this morning. They got a call to say that Lorissa was in an accident and was taken to Colorado Springs. That’s all I know. Oh, I do know that she was coming home from Jared Coleman’s ranch, but I don’t know where it happened, how it happened, or how badly hurt she is. Duane and Laurie are driving with Lois and Tom to the hospital.”
“Who’s Laurie?” Ducky asked.
“Lois’s daughter, Lorissa’s mother, Duane’s girlfriend. She’s been back east a lot dealing with her ex-husband and his trial. From what I gathered, her ex-husband, and ex-mother-in-law conspired to try to kill her, but at the last moment, the ex-husband hit her with a baseball bat in the knee, she fell down the stairs, and he thought she was dead. He left for the airport after that, and mother and son has been in the wind for over a year. They are now back on US soil, but under arrest.”
“Holy shit,” Ducky said. “That’s why she wears that brace?”
“Yes, she’s had four surgeries, and both her doctor and physical therapist say there is nothing more they can do for her. Her doctor was the one to recommend she look into the services that The Broken Wheel offers. When she was here, she talked with Erin, and that’s when Erin learned of Lorissa’s talents, as well as Lois’s. That’s why they moved here.”
“Okay, wow, that makes sense now,” Ducky said, and they both watched as Clem rose to start cooking their breakfast. They had a deal that Clem would cook breakfast if the others would cook lunch and dinner. Basically, its saved them all because Clem only knew how to cook breakfast food or a good steak.
“I told Lois that I would let everyone know once I had all the details, and maybe we could make some meals for Lorissa to put into her freezer. But I won’t say anything until I can answer everyone’s questions.”
“I like that idea,” Clem said. “I was planning on making my homemade chicken pot pie, it wouldn’t take much to make a smaller one. It’s just her, right?”
“Apparently she’s been dating Tom Stolls for the last couple of weeks.”
“Wow, I didn’t see that coming.”
“I know.” They all shared a laugh and dug into their breakfast when it was cooked.
Late in the afternoon, Cole parked his truck beside Lois’ car and exited. Instead of going directly to the house, he went to where he thought he saw movement and heard something. As he rounded the bend, he paused to see Lois working in one of thegreenhouses. He made sure to make enough noise so he didn’t startle her.
“Cole.” Lois sighed his name, removed her gloves, and approached him.
Cole sucked in his breath at the anguish he saw on her face, and did the only thing he could think of doing. He firmed his stance, and opened his arms wide. He gave a little ‘oomph’ when she slammed into him. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her and keep her safe. He remained silent and held her until she could get her thoughts together. Without saying a word, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the handkerchief he always carried, pressing it into her hand. He smiled to himself when she gave a little sigh, wiped her tears, then looked up at him.
“Thank you, I needed that.”
With his arms still wrapped around her, he leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome. I’m here for you, Lois. Whatever you need. I want to thank you for calling me about Lorissa. Can you tell me what happened and how she is?”
“Yes,” Lois sighed and tried to step back. She smiled at him when he was reluctant to let him go, then took his hand in hers to lead him toward her house. At his look, she only shook her head. “I have coffee, lemonade, or iced tea.”
“The tea sounds good.” He agreed and entwined their fingers as they went to her house. Once inside, they dropped hands, and Lois hustled to the kitchen. She got out two glasses, filled them with ice, then poured the tea. In seconds they were settled at the kitchen table. She looked at Cole sadly. “At first, when I heard what had happened, I was scared.”
“I can only imagine.” He reached out to take her hand in his and began to rub his finger over the back of her hand. When she tried to pull away, he frowned. “What’s wrong.”
“My hands aren’t as smooth as they once was.”
“So, your hands show me that you have strength, that you’re not afraid of hard work, and you have life experience. Lois, we are both in our mid-sixties. I like you, and I want to see if we have anything between us. I’m not putting any pressure on you. I know you have both a grown ass daughter and granddaughter. If you want me to back off, tell me now and I’ll just be your friend.” He sat there and waited for her response. He hadn’t realized he’d held his breath until she started to talk.
“No, I like you too, Cole. It’s been so long you’ll have to be patient with me.”
“I will, I promise.” He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. When he put it down, he looked at her sternly. “Now, can you tell me what happened?”
“Like I said, when Laurie woke me, I was scared. Nobody wants a call like that so early in the morning. We were all fearing the worst. When we arrived the first relief we had was that she was alive.”
“Thank god.”
“Yes, everything after that was a cake walk. I don’t mean to be unfeeling, but I couldn’t think of anything until I knew whether she was alive or not. We had to wait, but were told that she was alive, and awake. She’s due home this afternoon.”
“Really? She wasn’t injured?”
“She was, and she’ll be laid up for a week or two, but if I know my Lor, she won’t let it hold her down.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“How well do you know Tom Stolls?”
