Free Whenever You Come Around by Robin Lee Hatcher Page B

thought we’d use the scooter,” he said.
    “No.” She shook her head. “The crutch is better. Better without wheels as you go down, I think. I’ll steady you from the other side.” She glanced at the patio. “Let me bring one of those chairs closer first.” With a little push, she forced him to take hold of the crutch before she went down the steps. She dragged a hard plastic chair across the patio and left it near the bottom of the steps, then returned to his side. “Ready?”
    “More than ready.” He draped his right arm over her shoulders while she put her left arm around his lower back.
    It turned out to be easier than either of them expected. Much easier than the day his brother had brought him homefrom the clinic, but he’d been doped up at the time. Today he was completely clear headed.
    Between the crutch and Charity’s steady presence, Buck reached his destination without any threat of a fall. Still, he was glad to sit in the chair. Charity took the crutch and laid it behind him. Cocoa came around and sat at his left side—which he suspected annoyed Charity a little, the way her dog had taken to him. He did his best to conceal his amusement.
    “Buck? Could I ask a favor?”
    He squinted up at her, the sun bright in his eyes. She moved a little to her right to shade him.
    “Thanks,” he said. “What’s the favor?”
    “I was wondering if I might ride one of your horses. I haven’t had an opportunity to ride in ages.”
    So that was the reason for the jeans and boots. “Mind?” He cocked an eyebrow. “You’d be doing me another big favor. You can ride anytime you want. Every day if you want. Any horse you choose. The more, the better. They’ll get fat and lazy if they stand around much longer.”
    She smiled, and it was as if the sunshine she was trying to block came right through her to blind him with its brilliance. His breath caught in his chest, and he looked away from her. “Anything you might need’s in the tack shed there. Key’s inside the back door, hanging on a nail.”
    “Thanks. I appreciate it. I’m hoping if I spend some time in the saddle it will get my creativity flowing again.”
    “Having trouble with the book?”
    “Sort of.” She sighed. “It’s so different from the books I wrote before. Changing my style has shaken my confidence.But I talked to my editor this morning, and she had a few suggestions.”
    “Good ones, I trust.”
    She looked at him for a long while before answering. There was something about her gaze, the slight tip of her head to one side, that made him feel . . . peculiar. Then she offered him another smile. “Yes. I think they are good ideas.” The odd feeling went away.
    “I admire what you do. I never was much good with words. Never been the creative type.”
    “That’s not true, Buck. I saw one of your saddles awhile back. It was beautiful.”
    “Making saddles keeps the winters from feeling too long.” He shrugged away the compliment, pretending it didn’t please him, though it did. “What you do is different. Takes brains to be a writer.”
    “You were a good student back in high school. Didn’t you get a scholarship to college?”
    “For sports. Not for academics. I about killed myself for every A that I got in high school.” He shrugged. “Didn’t make any difference since I never went on to college.”
    “Why didn’t you go? I thought you would.”
    “Just didn’t work out.” He motioned with his head toward the pasture. “You’d better have that ride.”
    After a brief silence, Charity said, “Okay. I won’t be long.”
    “Take as long as you want. I’ll be fine. It’s not too hot. Feels good to be outside.”
    With a nod, she stepped around him. After retrieving the key from inside the back door, she walked toward the tackshed. Cocoa sat up, glanced from her mistress to Buck, then lay down again.
    C HARITY ’ S HORSEBACK RIDE THAT MORNING DID more for improving her outlook than she’d expected. She