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“Yeah. Go away.” For a minute he thought she was going to cry. But Damaris was much tougher than that.
“All right. I’ll go see Grandma K and explain what happened, but you’d better call her when you feel up to it.”
Don’t go, he wanted to say. But he wouldn’t beg her. They were done. Over. The only reason she’d come was guilt. And he damn sure didn’t need Damaris’s guilt or pity. He turned his head away.
She touched his uninjured arm. “I’m glad your injuries weren’t more serious.”
He didn’t answer. A moment later he heard her bootheels walking away.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Damaris stopped by Grandma K’s on her way home. The older lady took a long time to answer the door, but Damaris knew that sometimes she moved more slowly than others.
“Why, Damaris, what are you doing here? Did you and Nate make up?”
She looked so hopeful Damaris hated to disappoint her. “I’m afraid not. But I am here about Nate.”
Grandma gave her a sharp look and led her to the den, waving a hand for her to sit. She sat in her favorite chair and folded her hands in her lap, but Damaris noticed she gripped them together tightly. “What happened?”
“He’s okay. He’s banged up—” what a way to describe his injuries “—but he’ll be fine. He was in a car accident.”
“How bad was it?”
“The car is in a lot worse shape than he is.” Which was certainly true.
“But he’s going to be all right?” Grandma K asked her voice quavering in a way that made her sound every one of her ninety-two years.
Damaris put a hand over hers and patted. “Yes, I promise he is. I’m sure he’ll call you soon.”
“Where is he?”
“He might be home by now,” she hedged. “I promise he’ll call.” She intended to make sure of that. Damaris was able to leave finally by promising to take her to see her grandson tomorrow. It was the last thing she wanted to do but who knew how long it would be before Nate could get over to see her?
Figuring Nate wouldn’t want to talk to her she called Travis as soon as she got in her truck. His voicemail picked up, but he answered before she could leave a message. “Did you see her? How is she?”
“Yes. I told her Nate was banged up, but he’d be okay. He needs to call her, though. Today. She wants me to take her to see him tomorrow, so if he doesn’t want that, he’ll have to convince her otherwise.”
“I’ll tell him. Uh, Damaris, thanks.”
He sounded a lot less angry with her than he had before. “I love Grandma K too,” she told him and hung up. Then she drove to the ranch, parked at her cottage, sat on her couch, and cried. At this point not even her horses could make her feel better. She called herself every name she could think of, then made herself quit crying and figure out what to do next.
Because, by God, she wasn’t giving up on Nate. Damaris Walker did not give up. Ever. Not when there was something—or someone—she really wanted. Why did it take losing Nate for her to realize how much she loved him?
Someone pounded on her door. “Open up! I know you’re in there,” Jaclyn shouted.
Damaris wiped her eyes and answered the door. If she hadn’t her sister-in-law was fully capable of staying out there until the cows came home.
“Hey,” Jaclyn said. “I heard about Nate. Is he going to be okay? Why aren’t you with him?”
“Yes, he’s going to be okay. As to why I’m not with him, we broke up, remember?”
Jaclyn held a wine bottle in one hand and a bag of microwave popcorn in the other. She elbowed Damaris aside, saying, “We need two glasses and a bowl for the popcorn. Then you’re going to tell me what the hell is going on with you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jaclyn stared at her, then laughed. “Bullshit. This is me, Damaris. You know, your friend who’s known you since we were eighteen? Now tell me the truth. What’s going on?”
Damaris went to the kitchen and grabbed two wineglasses while her friend stuck the popcorn in the microwave and opened the wine while it popped. She hadn’t planned to tell Jaclyn the truth about her and Nate, but this was Jaclyn, the only person besides Nate who knew what had happened in her past. And since Nate had told all to Grandma K there was no need to keep quiet anymore.
