“Where is he coming from?”
“He left Pennsylvania yesterday. I don’t know how much I should tell you, but he’s former military. He was in a work-related accident years ago. Shattered hip, shoulder, knee, and ankle. Several operations, and pins and plates put in. Before you ask, I don’t know his medical status now. I do know that he was finally discharged after his last operation, and the person he was in the accident with talked to Erin about inviting him here to work. You haven’t met her yet, but Marcia Ramos was with this guy when they realized their parachutes had been messed with and wouldn’t open. They were able to get them halfway open and crashed into the side of a mountain and not slamming into the ground, like the guy that messed with them did.”
“I take it he died on impact?”
“Yes, and Marcia and this guy, Anthony Jacobs, were severely hurt.”
“What type of injuries did this Marcia have?”
“Broke all the bones in her body one or two times except for her skull or spine. This happened four or five years ago. Marcia’s been here, I believe, almost two years, and Jacobs is now able to join us.”
“Wow.” Staci shook her head and stared out of the windshield. “No prosthetics needed?”
“No, but I do know that Caleb is working with Marcia because of stiffness in the cold weather.”
“I can only imagine. Thanks, Duane. For the tour, the insights and for dropping me off here. I only have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“How would I get to the cabins from here?”
“Through the path on the left of this building. You can walk or drive.” He looked around and pointed to Caleb’s truck, and the golf cart. “The truck is Caleb’s, the golf cart is what Katherine uses. You’ll have to ask her about her story. I probably already said too much about Jacobs. Have a good day. As interesting as the stories are, they really aren’t mine to tell. I would only give speculations and not facts, so I don’t like to discuss what I don’t know personally.”
“Thanks again, Duane.” She hopped out of the truck and went into the building, and grinned when she saw Katherine sitting behind the desk.
“You’re just in time for lunch,” Katherine said asshe stood and invited Staci down the hall, and they stopped at Caleb’s office and told him it was lunch time. They sat and ate, and Staci was questioned about what she thought about the ranch.
“Mind blowing. There’s a guy coming later this week, then there’s going to be a welcoming BBQ, I’ll meet everyone there. Duane and I didn’t really get out of the truck. He parked and discussed the different areas. I did see something cute though.”
“Let me guess,” Katherine said with a laugh. “A guy was playing ball with a horse?”
“Yes.”
“The horse’s name is Katie, not Katherine. The guy is Erin’s boyfriend, Reid Garret. He has a prosthetic leg.”
“Wow, I’ll have to talk with him sometime. I never noticed it as he played with the horse.”
“Yeah, he wants to know if you can do anything with what he already has.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Not all the time, but sometimes, his stump is rubbed raw by the end of the day.”
“Got it, now, show me around.” She grinned and got the tour of the entire building and was told where she would work, and what areas were hers. She rubbed her hands together and when she was left alone, she walked the area and set it up in her mind and on paper before she would bring her stuff over the next day to do it physically.
CHAPTER 4
Tony pulledinto the driveway beneath the sign that announced he had reached Erin’s Way and slowed down further when he reached the ninety-degree angle. When he found a parking lot, he parked, shut off the truck, and sat there for a few minutes. He saw the snow on the ground, but realized he hadn’t driven through any on his way, so he lucked out there. Slowly, because he was stiff and sore, he climbed out of the cab of the rental truck. It took several minutes for his legs to get solid beneath him, and when he turned, he started at a man and woman standing there.
“Help you?” the woman asked.
“I’m here to see Erin Riceman.”
“I’m her, who are you?”
He smiled because he liked how blunt she was. “Anthony Jacobs.”
“Oh, hey, we’ve been expecting you. This is Reid Garret, my boyfriend.” The men shook hands, and Tony didn’t react when Erin used her left hand to shake his. They looked up when three other men joined them from a barn behind them, and introductions were made.
