FortunesHonor.PDF by Ing

Author:Ing [Ing]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

Clay was utterly dry. His skin was dry, his eyes were dry, his tongue was dry. He finally broke down just before dawn and cried—sobbed. He hadn’t cried like that when Daddy died. In fact, the last time he cried like that was when he was five, and his best dog, Sammy, had to be put down, and Daddy had explained Sammy was old and sick. Daddy’s explanation didn’t make it easier when he was five, and knowing Mama was old and sick didn’t make it easier now.

But by the time he was showered and dressed, he was dry.

His head ached, and his chest ached, and his bed smelled like Paige. He would have to change the sheets before he went to bed again, because he couldn’t stand another night of smelling 79

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her, of thinking about her. Of dwelling on the fact that he had fallen in love with his brother’s fiancée and the only person who could have helped him make sense of this was gone.

It didn’t matter. Because in a few days, they would all be gone.

Jan arrived first. She went directly to the kitchen, and Clay watched her for several seconds, perplexed, before asking.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m cooking, Clay. You’re going to have to feed a lot of people. Send Paige down here when she wakes up. I’m going to need some help.”

“Oh, thanks,” Clay murmured, resolving to give Cody as much time off as he could possibly afford in repayment for the kindness.

Ryan arrived next. He had a thousand questions. Clay answered what he could, but mostly, all he said was, “I don’t know. I wasn’t there.” Then Ryan started in on accusations and recriminations. Why hadn’t Clay taken her to the hospital?

Why did Clay insist she didn’t need supervision? Why hadn’t Clay at least hired a nurse if he didn’t want to take her to an assisted living facility? If she was getting worse, why hadn’t Clay called?

Had she been getting worse? Clay thought she was improving. She loved having Paige around. She loved Paige.

She had gone out for a picnic, and played Scrabble, and she had laughed. Clay hadn’t seen any signs to worry about. He had only seen hints at hope. When Ryan announced he wanted to look through Mama’s room, Clay let him pass without 80

FORTUNE’S HONOR

protest.

Clay fled to the barn as the morning crawled by and the house filled with the aroma of food. He needed to plan a funeral. He couldn’t count on anybody else to see to the details. It was all his responsibility, but he just wanted to spend the morning with the horses. He didn’t want to see anybody—Paige. He didn’t want to risk seeing Paige, because he wasn’t sure how to deal with her. Or how she would deal with him. And everything made sense in the stables.

The horses needed to be groomed. He brushed them down thoroughly, and then rubbed their coats with old towels until they all shined in the sun.

He’d thought he was utterly dry.

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