Heart of Clay (31 page)

Almost magically, a plate full of delicious
treats rested on his lap and a glass of icy cold sweet tea appeared
on the table next to his chair.

Mindful of Clay tiring quickly, the guests
didn’t stay long. Laken and Jenna helped Callan clean up the mess
before herding their husbands and Laken’s kids outside and into
their cars. Like a whirlwind that had blown by, Clay and Callan
were soon alone in the quiet house.

Cully slept in his bed by the patio door.
Audrey and Emma, along with Laken’s kids, had worn him out playing
in the backyard.

“He’s sure grown a lot.” Clay stared at the
puppy that was all feet, ears, and tail instead of the cute little
ball of fur he’d last seen. He studied the part of the backyard he
could see through the family room window. Everything looked fresh,
green, and well tended. “You’ve worked really hard on the yard this
summer. It looks great.”

“I can’t take much credit,” Callan said,
looking outside at the neatly trimmed shrubs and immaculate
flowerbeds. “Your mom, Aunt Maggie, and Jake spent a lot of time
helping in the yard in the evenings when I was home and some
evenings when I wasn’t. I think they wanted to take good care of it
for you.”

“Maybe we should retain their help for next
year. I’ve never seen the lawn look so good. I honestly wouldn’t
mind turning over my duties as official mower of the grass.” Clay
grinned at Callan. They both knew how much he hated mowing the
lawn.

Callan laughed. It was so good to be home,
to have Clay home. There were times she wondered if this day would
ever come. Now that it had, she didn’t quite know what to do. It
was obvious Clay bordered on exhaustion, but he seemed to want to
stay awake.

Under the assumption that he’d like some
time to himself to relax, she handed him the remote and gave him a
warm smile. Before she left the room, he stopped her. “Where are
you going?”

“I thought you might like a little time to
yourself,” she said, standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “I’ll
unpack your bag and do a few little things around the house before
we turn in. You can yell if you need anything.” Callan walked back
to his chair, kissed his cheek, then went off in the direction of
the laundry room.

Clay enjoyed the quiet, enjoyed being in his
comfortable recliner, and even enjoyed listening to Cully make
funny little puppy sounds in his sleep.

After tuning in to one of his favorite
hunting shows, Clay settled back and relaxed. He caught himself
nodding off in the chair and decided it was time to go to bed. He
called for Callan and listened to her footsteps approach from the
bedroom.

“Are you ready for bed?” she asked, holding
his crutches and helping him up out of the chair.

“Yep. I can’t keep my eyes open.” Clay
carefully maneuvered his way to the bedroom. Nearly too tired to
make it the short distance to bed on his crutches, he would sure be
glad when the cumbersome cast came off.

He noticed Callan had moved out the dresser
and chair that used to sit on his side of the bed, making ample
room for him and his crutches. Just a small nightstand next to the
bed remained.

When he looked into the bathroom, he could
see all sorts of hospital-like equipment. It had all followed him
home. He hoped to get back to normal as soon as possible now that
he was home. Instead, their bedroom and bathroom looked more like a
suite in the hospital.

At least it smelled nice. Like Callan.

She pulled the comforter off the bed and
stored it in the closet then turned down the sheet over a light
blanket. After fluffing his pillow, she added a pile of pillows for
him to cushion his injured leg.

“Well, that was a workout, wasn’t it?”
Callan teased when Clay made it to the bathroom.

He slid inside the bathroom and closed the
door. Freedom! He was upright and by himself. While he brushed his
teeth, he took time to study himself in the mirror, inspecting his
scars. The one on his cheek stood out more than the one on his
chin. The scar on his head still glared like a spotlight, but as
the hair grew in it would be less noticeable.

Convinced his hair wasn’t ever going to look
right in that area, he contemplated different ways to comb it. He’d
heard stories about people who had their hair shaved off and it
came back in straight when it was curly. If his hair came in
straight in that spot, it would really look strange.

Determined to worry about it another day, he
had bigger problems than his hairstyle right now. One of the
biggest was healing as fast as possible and getting his life back
to normal.

When he limped out of the bathroom, Callan
sat on the edge of the bed in a plain pink cotton gown. She was so
beautiful. He’d missed seeing her like that so much, missed being
with her. There were many days he wondered if he’d ever again see
the inside of their home, much less be alone with her.

Hurriedly standing, she helped Clay settle
into the bed. She made sure his leg was as comfortable as they
could make it on the pile of pillows, pulled up the sheet, and
kissed his forehead. Aggravated, he felt like a child she’d just
tucked in for the night.

Callan smiled at him and brushed her fingers
across his jaw. “So, Clay, I didn’t know if it would be easier on
you to have the bed to yourself or if you’d feel better if I was in
here to help you get up if you need it. Your choice.”

Gently taking her hand in his, he rubbed his
thumb along her palm and gave her a pleading look. “Stay here,
please.”

She stared at him, not convinced it was a
good idea.

Aware of her uncertainty, he grinned. “I’ll
behave. I’m too tired to move anyway.”

Relieved, she squeezed his hand, kissed his
cheek, and turned off the light. He felt her weight settle on the
other side of the bed, miles away from where he rested in his
pillow nest. She stretched out her hand and settled it on his
arm.

He released a contented sigh. It was so good
to be home.

Clay and Callan quickly settled into a new
routine. She stayed home with him in the mornings, took him to
doctor and therapy appointments, ran errands, and did whatever
needed to be accomplished around the house. Afternoons, his mom
generally came to visit while Callan went into the convention
center to work.

If Callan had an event to attend or a client
meeting, one of their family members would spend the evening with
Clay. He would have preferred being alone, but everyone wanted to
help. He swallowed down his annoyance at being treated like an
invalid and smiled graciously as they kept him company.

The day finally arrived when Callan drove
Clay back to the hospital to have his cast removed and see what the
specialist, Dr. Greene, thought. David was also present when the
cast finally fell away.

Prepared for the worst, Callan tried hard
not to flinch when she saw Clay’s leg. The flesh looked shrunken
and pale, especially in comparison to his other leg. Angry, red
scars ran up his shin and across his thigh. The entire leg appeared
frail and weak. Wondering if it would ever look like the other leg,
Callan didn’t care. Clay was going to be fine. He could walk, and
that was the only thing that mattered right now.

After a glance at his leg, Clay couldn’t
stand to take another look. He wasn’t happy Callan stood beside
him, intently studying it. She used to think his legs were… what
was her word? Magnificent. Now, he could only imagine what she
would think of this one.

Would it bear his weight? Would it work like
it should? Would it look like a shriveled stick for the rest of his
life?

David and Dr. Greene looked at each other
and smiled. The leg had healed better than they expected. Dr.
Greene arranged for Clay to undergo therapy with a physical
therapist in Tenacity so they wouldn’t have to continue making long
trips into the city.

Not wanting to waste any time, his first
appointment was the following day.

After his first therapy session, Clay had no
doubt that he would be maimed for life. He wasn’t convinced he
could go through with the therapy. Beyond the pain he’d endured,
they’d saddled him with a drill sergeant for a therapist.

The fifty-something slip of a woman, Miz
Larsen, as she informed him she liked to be addressed, was an evil,
driven maniac.

Clay refused to allow Callan to witness his
misery, so she sat waiting for him in the reception area before
driving him home.

As they left the parking lot, Callan chatted
excitedly, much to Clay’s dismay. “Wasn’t that Ms. Larsen nice? She
seems very competent. You were fortunate to get her as your
therapist. I’ve heard she’s the best in town. Isn’t that
wonderful?”

“Great. Just great.” Clay hoped Callan
noticed his sarcastic tone. He’d already decided he’d refer to the
therapist as The Warden and prayed his time spent under her
supervision would be brief.

As the weeks flew by, Clay’s leg grew
stronger and he, albeit grudgingly, agreed that The Warden was a
wonder. The day he traded his crutches for a cane, he insisted
Callan get rid of the crutches and any other medical equipment in
their home.

On the first day of fall semester, Clay
limped into his classroom and stood in the doorway as the students
jumped to their feet and applauded. He felt so blessed to be back
doing something he loved so much.

The day he had his last therapy appointment,
Callan and Clay hosted a big barbecue in their backyard with all
their close friends and family to celebrate his release from The
Warden.

As he watched Audrey and Emma chase Cully
while Callan laughed at something Josh said, he leaned back in his
lawn chair, feeling content and peaceful.

Life was finally back to normal.

On the drive home from an event on a
beautiful fall evening, Callan let her mind wander to the day Clay
proposed. The newspaper she worked for at the time sponsored a fall
festival downtown and all the employees were roped into helping in
one form or another.

In charge of a scarecrow-decorating contest
held in an empty storefront, she struggled to handle the
overwhelming number of entries in a variety of age categories. She
hoped Clay would help her, but he let her know he had things to
take care of at the ranch and wouldn’t be at the festival.
Feverishly working to bring order to the chaos, she glanced out the
store window and noticed Clay wandering up and down the street,
looking for her.

Surprised to see him, Callan waited until
the contest was over and winners announced to hurry outside. She
headed in the direction she’d last seen Clay and spotted him
walking her direction on the other side of the street. Quickly
crossing an intersection, she waited for him.

When he saw her, his face lit up with a big
smile while his bright blue eyes glowed with warmth.

“Hey,” he said, giving her cheek a quick
peck. “How’s it going?”

“Great.” Callan reached out and took his
hand in hers. It felt stiff against her fingers. A glimpse at Clay
confirmed he appeared tense, nervous. “I thought you were busy
today?”

“Oh, I was, but I’m not now.” Clay looked
everywhere but at Callan’s face. “You want to walk around?”

“Sure.” Callan glanced at Clay, curious
about his strange behavior. When he insisted she give him a piece
of gum, she thought it odd. She’d left her gum, along with her
purse, in the trunk of her car, not wanting to drag everything
around with her while she was busy with the festival.

“Can we please go to your car, Callan? I
really need a piece of gum.”

“Can’t we just buy a pack?” She pointed
toward the drug store down the street.

Clay grabbed her hand and tugged her toward
the large parking lot behind the main group of downtown buildings.
“I just want one piece. Please?”

Callan dug her keys from her pocket as they
walked to her car, unlocked the trunk, and fished out a piece of
gum. When she handed it to Clay, she noticed he’d parked beside
her. He intently studied the ground between their two vehicles.

Quickly stuffing the gum into his mouth,
Clay took a deep breath and stuck his hand into his shirt pocket.
He dug out a small velvet jeweler’s box and handed it to
Callan.

“What’s this?” Callan asked, glancing from
the box in her hand to Clay in confusion. “Another present?”

He’d showered her with more gifts than
anyone should be allowed to have for her birthday the previous
week. Clay hit all the major gift-giving categories from flowers,
candy, and an adorable stuffed bear to a beautiful gold
heart-shaped locket. She couldn’t imagine he’d give her another
gift already.

He shook his head, unable to form words as
his neck and ears glowed bright red.

She opened the lid on the box and found a
simple gold band set with a single beautiful diamond. She looked
from the ring to Clay and back to the ring.