Boughs of Holly Read online

  “We did, years and years ago, until my great-grandpa figured out it was basically an invasive weed and yanked it all out. Pops and I still find it sprouting up from time to time.” Seth placed his hand on his grandfather’s chest, just to reassure himself it still rose and fell like it should. “My great-grandmother originally named the ranch Holly Hills, but they changed the name once they took out the holly.”

  “Oh, I’d forgotten about that. If you find any stray holly between now and Christmas, let me know. I’d love some for decorating.”

  “Will do, Sarah, and thanks,” Seth said, grateful for her ability to keep him from diving into dark thoughts that were better left alone.

  The sound of the ambulance siren grew louder as it approached. Seth glanced over at his two hired hands. “Would you meet the ambulance and direct them over here?”

  The cowboys took off running, Andy’s long legs far outpacing those of the much shorter Brian. In another minute, the ambulance pulled to a stop beneath the hayshed. Before Seth knew what was happening, his grandfather was on a stretcher in the ambulance, on his way to the hospital located forty-miles down the mountain. Who knew how long it would take in the snow, with the road icy from yesterday’s non-stop mist and fog.

  “Want to ride with us or drive yourself?”

  “I’ll drive,” Seth said as the ambulance driver climbed behind the wheel. “I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

  The man nodded and guided the ambulance back the way it had come.

  Seth had just started his pickup when Andy and Brian walked up, both winded from their run to meet the ambulance. He rolled down the window and leaned out. “I need you guys to keep an eye on things today. I’m going to the hospital and will call when I know anything. Make sure you keep an eye on Ivy. I think she’s about ready to calve.”

  “Will do, Seth, and we’ll keep on prayin’ for Sam, too.” Brian waved as Seth pulled away. He stopped at the house just long enough to yank off his insulated coveralls and pull on a coat. In a rush, he raced out the door, then hurried back to grab his wallet and a hat. He sped down the driveway, ignoring the way the frozen ruts jostled him around in the pickup like a ball in an arcade game.

  When he hit the end of the driveway, he barely slowed down as he made the ninety-degree turn onto the highway. He roared through town, ignoring the glares from the senior citizens who stood on the corner by the town square watching city workers string lights around the trees.

  “Please be okay, Pops. Please?” Seth pleaded all the way down the mountain to the hospital. He’d caught up to the ambulance a mile out of Faraday and stayed behind it the rest of the way to the hospital.

  At the emergency room, Seth was left answering questions and filling out forms as his grandfather was wheeled into a room.

  “How’s my grandfather?” he asked at the front desk when he finished the paperwork, wanting to know what was going on. The last two times he’d asked, he’d been told to have a seat and wait.

  Tired of waiting and not receiving answers to his questions, he impatiently bounced his right foot as the nurse he’d spoken with before talked to someone on the phone. When she hung up, he asked the question again. “How is my grandfather? When can I see him?”

  “I’ve already told you, Mr. Stafford, he’s…”

  Seth leaned a little closer and decided intimidation had failed him, so he’d try a different tactic. He summoned a smile that had done wonders on girls when he was in high school and the dates he’d gone on when he had time. The woman blinked at him and he watched her stiff posture soften.

  “Nurse…” he glanced at her nametag, “Julie. That’s sure a pretty name. Suits you well,” he said, leaning an elbow on the counter and continuing to smile at her. “I know you all are busy, but it’d sure set my mind at ease if I could find out how my grandfather is doing. Do you think you could make that happen for me?”

  “I… uh…” The nurse stammered, as though she struggled to remember her own name let alone her position at the hospital.

  Before Seth had to pour on more charm to get his way, a doctor approached him. “You’re here with Mr. Stafford?” the doctor asked.

  “That’s right. I’m his grandson,” Seth said, shaking the doctor’s hand. “How is he? Will he be okay?”

  “Your grandfather has a concussion and a displaced hip. The concussion will right itself in a few days. The blessing in all this is the hip isn’t broken and neither is anything else. How far up was he when he fell?”

  “About fifteen feet.” Seth had visions of his grandfather suffering from internal injuries, multiple broken bones, and any number of horrible scenarios. A concussion and displaced hip seemed almost like a scraped knee in comparison.

  “Your grandfather is a very lucky man.” The doctor smiled and motioned for Seth to take a seat on two empty chairs near the nurse’s desk.

  “So what happens next?” Seth asked, knowing he couldn’t just load up his grandfather and take him home, even if that’s what he wanted to do.

  “With a displaced hip, we have to do a procedure called a reduction. It basically moves the top of the thighbone back into place in the socket. I was hoping to do it without surgery, but we’re going to have to put him under to reset the bone in the socket. Your grandfather is looking at two to three months of recovery time.

  “What does that mean? What will that look like for him?” Seth asked, already worried about keeping his grandfather from overdoing it before he should.

  “He’ll need to stay immobile for several weeks to give his hip time to heal.” The doctor made a fist and covered it with his hand. “This is how a normal thighbone rests in the socket. When your grandfather fell, it pushed that bone up and out of the socket.” He moved his fist upward. “The reduction will put it back into place, but the injury must have adequate time to heal unless your grandpa wants to face future surgeries and ongoing issues with pain.”

  “I’ll tie him to the bed if I have to.”

  The doctor grinned. “I hope that won’t be necessary. What I’d like to see is your grandfather stay here in the hospital over the weekend, until his concussion is better. The best option is to move him to a care facility for a week so he can get solid time to heal while being closely supervised. If I’m guessing correctly, Mr. Stafford is not used to sitting still.”

  At Seth’s nod, he continued. “Your grandfather appears to be in great health and physical condition for someone his age, but he really will need to follow orders closely. Giving him a week of forced inactivity at a care facility may help him adjust mentally to his new routine before I send him home.” The doctor gave Seth a studying glance. “Do you have a wife or someone who can help take care of Sam?”

  Seth shook his head. “Not unless our two hired hands count.”

  “No, they do not.” The doctor scribbled notes on the chart he held. “I’ll recommend home health care for six to eight weeks. They can make sure your grandfather receives the care he needs, help with therapy exercises, and they won’t let him get away with doing something he shouldn’t.” The doctor stood. “I’ll let you know as soon as we’re out of surgery. You’ll be able to see your grandfather then.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Seth said, tamping down his fear of losing his grandfather. “Tell him he better come out of this just fine or I’ll never let him hear the end of it.”

  “I’ll tell him.” The doctor nodded once to Seth and disappeared down the hall.

  Seth returned to the seat he vacated, prepared for a long wait. Thirty minutes later he looked up as Rhett strode inside, shaking snowflakes from his hair and brushing it off the shoulders of his coat.

  “Did your grandpa purposely pick a day with a horrible storm to make us drive down the mountain?” Rhett teased, taking a seat beside him.

  “What are you doing here?” Seth asked, pleased to see his friend.

  Rhett thumped him on the back. “The town grapevine didn’t take long to spread the word. I came as soon as I could get away f
rom the garage. I had to employ a few covert moves to keep from bringing a bunch of octogenarian sidekicks, although I guess Mr. Davis is in his nineties. If the roads weren’t so bad, carloads of them would be pulling up outside right now.”

  Seth smiled, knowing how their small community operated. Whether you wanted them or not, people were there to support, cheer, encourage, scold, prod, and applaud, depending on what the occasion warranted. “I was waiting to call you until Pops gets out of surgery. There’s not much news right now, except he has a concussion and a displaced hip.”

  “I’m supposed to call Drew and Drake when I find out anything and they’ll let the blabbermouths know so they can tell everyone what’s going on,” Rhett said.

  A chuckle rolled out of Seth. “I’m glad you came, man. Thanks for being here.”

  “Of course. You’re closer than a brother to me and Pops is like my grandpa, too.” Rhett pulled off his coat then went to get them both cups of hot coffee from the cafeteria.

  A few hours later, the doctor appeared in the waiting area, smiling at Seth. “Your grandfather did great through the surgery and the reduction went smoothly. He’s in recovery right now, but I’ll have someone get you when he’s in his room. He said to tell you that you better start searching for a cute nurse for him if he’s got to be stuck with one for a month or two. He put in an order for long legs and, well, you get the idea.”

  Seth chuckled. “That sounds exactly like something he’d say.”

  “It sure does,” Rhett agreed.

  Seth shook hands with the doctor. “Thank you, sir.”

  “My pleasure. It shouldn’t be long before he’s ready for visitors.”

  Another thirty minutes passed before a nurse came to get Seth. When he motioned for Rhett to join them, the nurse scowled at Rhett. “Who’s this?” she asked.

  “My brother,” Seth answered and tugged on Rhett’s arm to come with him. In his mind and heart, it wasn’t a lie because Rhett was his brother, even if they weren’t born of the same blood.

  Rhett grinned and kept step with Seth as they followed the nurse. She showed them into a room where Sam rested in bed. His color looked much better than it had when they’d brought him in.

  “Hey, Pops,” Seth said in a quiet tone, walking around the bed to stand on one side while Rhett moved close on the other.

  Sam opened his eyes and glanced up at Seth. “Hi, son.” His head slowly turned and took in Rhett. His grin broadened as he looked back to Seth. “You brought your brother.”

  “Yes, sir,” Seth said, lifting Sam’s hand in his, wondering when it had gotten so… old. Pops looked every one of his seventy-three years in that hospital bed and it left Seth a bit unsettled. When he thought of his grandpa, he always pictured him as he looked the winter Seth moved in with him: strong, capable, full of life. Pops was still those things, but time and grief had etched deep wrinkles over his face, turned his hair silver, and dimmed the brilliant sparkle in his eyes, the same shade of blue as Seth’s.

  “I’m glad you both are here,” Sam said, reaching out and taking Rhett’s hand so the three of them stood joined together.

  “Where else would we be?” Rhett asked, giving Sam a rascally grin. “It’s not like we have hot dates waiting for us or anything, although this has put a damper on our Friday night get together.”

  “That’s right. You two and the Miller boys were supposed to be meeting at the ranch tonight, weren’t you?” Sam glanced up at Seth. “I’m sorry to spoil your plans.”

  “Don’t give it a thought, Pops. Drake and Drew will find something else to do,” Rhett said, offering Sam a reassuring smile.

  The old man nodded slightly then rolled his head Seth’s direction. “Next time, you can take care of yanking the tarp off the hay without my help. You’re a big boy now.”

  “Yes, I am,” Seth smirked at his grandfather, glad to see his humor restored. “I’ll take care of the tarps if you promise to hurry and get better so you can come home.”

  Sam gave Seth a long look. “You’ll come pick me up tomorrow, won’t you?”

  Seth shook his head. “No, Pops. The doctor said you have to stay here all weekend.”

  His grandfather didn’t look any too pleased at this bit of news. “So he’ll release me on Monday?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Sam frowned. “Just spit it out, son.”

  From his grandfather’s tone and the way he fought to keep his eyes open, Seth figured he’d better state the facts then let his grandpa go to sleep. “You’ll go to a care facility for a week so they can get you started on the road to recovery, then you’ll get to come home. We’ll have to find you a home health nurse to keep an eye on you for the next few months. The doctor mentioned your preferences for a nurse.”

  “She better be as sweet as your grandma and every bit as pretty if I have to put up with her for weeks on end,” Sam mumbled as his eyes closed and he drifted to sleep.

  Rhett joined Seth in gently tucking Sam’s hands beneath his covers before they silently left the room.

  “He’ll be okay, man,” Rhett said, placing a hand on Seth’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

  Suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, the most prevalent being gratitude that his grandfather would recover and come back to the ranch, Seth merely nodded his head. The two of them ate dinner at the hospital’s cafeteria, checked on Sam, then started toward the exit near the parking lot.

  The sliding doors opened and a woman plowed right into Seth, as though she hadn’t noticed him at all.

  He caught her arms in his hands to keep her from falling after she smacked into his chest. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  The woman pushed back the hood of her coat, revealing a head full of riotous red curls before she lifted wide gray eyes to his.

  “You!” Seth snarled, dropping his hands and stepping around her. “Is this a thing you do? Run into people?”

  At her confused expression, he rolled his eyes and moved a step closer to Rhett. “At least you didn’t douse me with coffee this time.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice low, yet strained. “My apologies.”

  Before Seth could lambast her carelessness, she rushed off down the hall.

  “What in the heck was that about?” Rhett asked as they walked out to the parking lot.

  “That woman is the one I told you about, the one who stole my parking space, dumped coffee on me, knocked my best hat into a puddle, and almost made me wreck. She should…” Seth stopped speaking long enough to gape at the tiny mint-green car double parked right behind him, blocking him in his parking space. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I’ll go see if I can find someone to page whoever owns the car,” Rhett said, turning back toward the hospital.

  Seth grabbed his arm to stop him. “No need. I know who it belongs to.”

  “You’re kidding? Your menace to society owns the toy car?” Rhett tried to hide his grin and chuckle behind a cough, but Seth knew him well enough to know he was doing his best not to laugh.

  “It’s not funny, man. Not at all. You saw her,” Seth glowered at Rhett. “She’s like an accident on wheels.”

  “A pretty accident on wheels,” Rhett said, settling his hand on Seth’s shoulder. “Come on. I’ll drive you home. We’ll come back tomorrow morning to check on Pops.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind giving me a ride?”

  “Do you even have to ask?” Rhett unlocked his pickup and they left.

  Seth and Rhett returned to visit Sam the next morning, then Seth drove himself on Sunday. Monday afternoon, his grandfather was moved to a care facility that wasn’t too far from the hospital. Seth visited him that evening and cringed as his grandfather ranted to go home with him. When Seth refused to take him, Sam threatened to disinherit him.

  Seth didn’t return to see Sam on Tuesday, but the nineteen messages his grandfather left on his cell phone made it clear what he thought about being “left to die in this horrible home for the
infirm and insane.”

  He visited his grandfather early Wednesday and found Sam in a slightly better mood, although he begged Seth to take him home.

  “Pops, you know you can’t leave until the doctor gives his okay.” It nearly broke his heart to leave his grandfather that day, since the man looked completely dejected when he walked out the door an hour later.

  Seth encouraged the hired hands to leave early that afternoon and gave them Thanksgiving Day off. Although it meant more chores for him, he didn’t mind. Especially when a wonderful meal awaited him in town. Drew and Drake’s parents, who owned the café in Faraday, had already extended an invitation for him to join them for dinner. He gladly drove into town to the café for their family meal.

  He did his best to hide his surprise when Drew arrived carrying a pretty black-haired woman with a heavy brace on her leg. He’d been so caught up with his grandfather’s injury, he’d forgotten Rhett mentioned Drew had shown interest in a new woman who’d moved to town at the end of the summer. Drew had come to the rescue when Joy slipped on her icy back steps and hurt her knee.

  Far from being an expert on relationships and women, even he could see the sparks flickering between the two of them as they sat together during the meal. He glanced over at Rhett and tipped his head toward the couple. Rhett waggled his eyebrows and nodded, letting him know he saw it, too.

  Seth was thrilled one member of their tight-knit group of friends appeared to have found someone, at least for the time being. If the way Rhett’s neck turned red every time anyone asked about his new neighbor was any indication, Seth figured he was well on his way to a romance, too.

  Drake wasn’t his usual jovial self through the meal, making Seth wonder what was going on with him. Maybe he was as at odds with the world as Seth felt at that moment.

  As soon as the meal was over and the dishes cleared away, Seth helped set the café tables back in their proper places then left to visit his grandfather.