I will, bless him! Mom settled into a chair with a smile on her face, but it could not surpass the worry in her eyes. They both knew they had a long wait ahead.
Sierra couldnt explain why she felt something was missingwhy someone was missing. She resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder, knowing full well that Tucker was long gone, and that was the way it should be.
How are you doing, son?
Tucker adjusted the phone on his shoulder and considered his dads question as he dropped the last of his clothes into his suitcase. His hotel windows offered a snowy, winter-wonderland view of downtown Denver, but the scenery wasnt what he saw. It was Sierra sitting alone in the waiting room with her knitting in her lap and anguish on her beautiful face. He hadnt liked walking away, but he didnt belong there. Her family had that right. If hed stayed it would have only gotten complicated.
Im packing right now. Catching a plane in a few hours. He added his shaving kit to the mess, closed the lid and strong-armed the zipper closed.
Great news. Ill pick you up at the airport. Get more time with my son that way. Dad sounded warm as always but there was something else layered in his words. Something that tugged at Tucker, bringing up all kinds of issues he didnt want to face. He found life was easier staying on the surface. Or it had been until the accident. Hed been bucked off a bareback bronc the same way he had hundreds of times, but this landing had been different. Hed flown directly into the horses path and the animal hadnt been able to avoid him.
Pain. That was the first thing he remembered before his heart had stopped beating. Hed been officially dead for two minutes and thirty-odd seconds until paramedics had gotten his ticker going again. Those two minutes had changed everything.
Including him.
Id like that, Dad. When he had woken up in ICU, his father had been at his side. He knew hed put his dad through a lot of fear and worry, and he was sorry for it. Hed been able to spend ample time at home on the family ranch recuperating, and hed gotten used to seeing his father every day. He missed him now. Ill text you my flight information.
Great. Any word on how the little Baker boy is doing? Caring about others, that was Frank Granger. Sincerity rang deep in his baritone as his light tone fell away, leaving only solemness. He was first on my mornings list of prayers.
Mine, too. He swallowed hard, ignoring the tug of worry deep in his gut. The image of the little kid, with one arm around Slayer and his eyes wide with excitement listening to rodeo stories, stuck with him. Lord, please watch over that boy.