To Heal a Heart by Jana Richards

Author:Jana Richards [Richards, Jana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Disabled hero; family conflict; rescue horses; damaged heroine; Veteran hero; troubled past; small town; wounded warriors; PTSD; North Dakota; Ranch
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Published: 2020-04-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Garrett drove his truck back to the motel after his meeting with Hank but didn’t go inside his room. Instead he paced outside. He was itchy with restlessness, too keyed up to sit around. Before his amputation, he would have gone for a run whenever restless energy hit him like this. Now, he had to content himself with a leisurely walk.

A fucking walk.

Frustration made him want to put his fist through the window of his motel room. Taking a deep breath, he made himself walk away. He headed to a park he’d seen a couple of blocks from the motel.

He should consider himself lucky, he supposed. His injury could have been far worse. He could have lost both his legs the way Hank had, or suffered traumatic brain injury. He’d seen men with brain injuries at the hospital in Fargo, men no longer the people they’d once been. If that had happened to him, he’d rather be dead.

No, he didn’t feel lucky at all. But he couldn’t go on living this half-life. He hated the anger and self-loathing inside him. It had to stop. But how?

He walked the square block perimeter of the park three times before moving to the center of the park to sit on a bench. Absently, he rubbed his right knee. What was Blair doing now? He checked his watch and saw that it was eight-thirty p.m. Only thirty more minutes till he could speak to her. His breathing calmed at the thought.

In the distance, Garrett watched a half dozen kids enjoying themselves on a play structure. Their excited laughter made him smile. He’d always thought that someday he’d have kids. At least two, a boy and a girl. He thought of Chris’s little girls and what they’d been through with their dad. Unless he learned to live with his disability, Garrett couldn’t inflict himself on a child.

Did Blair want children?

He blew out a breath. He was getting way ahead of himself.

The parents seated on the benches next to the play structure got to their feet and called to their kids. Reluctantly, they climbed off the structure, took their parents’ hands, and waved goodbye to their friends. Soon the park was empty and quiet. Garrett retrieved his phone from his pocket and saw that it was nine p.m. Relief filled him now that he could finally call Blair.

She answered on the first ring, as if she’d been waiting for him. “Hi.”

“Hi. How was your day?”

“Pretty good. I assisted on two feline neutering surgeries, tattooed and microchipped a Standard Poodle, and cleaned three sets of canine teeth.”

Hearing her made him smile. “Busy day.”

“It was. How about you?”

“I hung out with Chris most of the day. Alison was at work, so I didn’t want him to be alone. She came tonight with their kids. It’s the first time they’ve seen their dad since she kicked him out a few weeks ago.”

“How did they react to him?”

“They were cautious initially, especially the younger one. I didn’t stay to see if she warmed up any.

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