Page 51 of Trails of Temptation

I nodded, running my tongue along the inside of my lower lip. I appreciated this man’s blank expression and blunt words more than the sad, sympathetic smile from the nurse.

“Is she in pain?”

“Not now, but she’s heavily medicated. She’ll need to continue to be medicated like this to not feel pain, I’m afraid.”

“What you’re saying then is that there is very little quality of life even if she pulls through?”

“Yes, I am.” He handed me a clipboard. “When she came to this hospital’s oncology unit, she sighed a DNR, a do not resuscitate order. She also named you as her emergency contact and power of attorney, so if she’s unable to make medical decisions, like now, you could do so for her.”

I couldn’t hide the grimace that slid across my face as I took the clipboard from him and looked down at the paperwork.

“She survived a very lengthy and aggressive surgery after the heart attack but she’s not in the clear at all, Mr. Neimons. She might not wake up from this and you’ll need to decide how we proceed.”

I looked up at the doctor, shaking my head. “I can’t think about this right now.”

“Right now, she’s stable,” he assured me, nodding his head. “I’ll come check in in a few hours but let me know if you need anything or have further questions.”

He gave me a tight-lipped smile as he turned and walked away, disappearing into another room. I stood in the hallway for a moment holding the clipboard in a death grip.

Suddenly, the issue with Pete felt like the easiest thing in the world.

ChapterTwenty-Five

Keely

Iwatched out the kitchen window at Grant and Moira’s house as rain misted over the back lawn. Randy and his crew were just saddling up to move the cattle to a new section of the pasture. I squinted into the rain, my hands soapy and slick with water as I washed the dishes from breakfast.

I didn’t see George with them. He hadn’t been at breakfast, either, but I’d expected that. He was hurt, and I was sure he’d be feeling every scrape and every bruise even more today.

But now it was almost ten o’clock, and Grant was starting to get a little nervous.

“I should go check on him,” I began as Grant walked into the kitchen. He shook his head as he pulled on a jacket and fixed his cowboy hat on top of his head.

“I gotta head out anyway. You stay dry.”

“I made him a plate,” I said hurriedly, reaching into the fridge and handing him a to-go box filled with eggs, bacon, and pancakes. “Could you bring it to him? And let me know how he is?” My chest tightened as Grant looked me over for a moment.

“Yeah, I will. But stay here today, all right? I’ll send George over here if he’s feeling up to it.”

“Pete won’t—he won’t come here to hurt anybody,” I tried to say, but the words felt like a lie. Grant picked up on this and gave me a tight smile as he tucked the container of food under his jacket.

“He did, Keely. It’s not your fault for what happened.”

“It feels a lot like my fault,” I replied, finding it momentarily hard to swallow.

“This will all sort itself out,” he said with sudden warmth. He opened one of the upper cabinets and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. He shook it, giving me another tight smile. “Just in case he needs it.”

“I bet he will,” I breathed, shaking my head as Grant left the kitchen and walked away.

I quickly finished up the dishes and went to check on Day, who was busy watching cartoons. Moira was still upstairs but we had to hit the road for her doctor’s appointment soon.

“Dad said I could stay here,” Day reminded me as he lounged on the couch with Jennie, the two of them snuggled under a blanket.

“That’s fine,” I breathed, checking my watch as Moira started carefully down the stairs. “There’s some snacks in the fridge, okay?”

Day laughed at whatever was on the TV instead of responding.

“Ready?” Moira said, a little out of breath.

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