“I know,” said Leland. “You’re doing the ranch a favor, and we appreciate it.”
“Well, the work he did was top notch, even if he didn’t get very far.” Jasper rubbed his chin with his thumb and nodded slowly. “I’d have him back for more, if he’s willing.”
Jasper was so sparing with praise that Leland only sent the best of the best to work with him, though ranch hands never lasted more than a day or so. That he was willing to have Jamie help him out again was a green stamp of approval nobody ever got.
“I’ll let him know, and thank you,” Leland said. “Now I need to get him something from the dining hall and make sure he eats it.”
Jasper nodded his goodbye and headed back to his forge, carefully shifting the scythe so the blade angled away from his body. Then Clay came up, leading Beltaine, the sweet, dark mare Leland had been riding down to the parking lot to meet and greet with arriving guests.
“Can you hold on to her while I grab Jamie something to eat?”
“Sure,” said Clay, though Leland could see the questions in his eyes.
“He passed out in the field.” Leland shook his head. “You and I both told him about the rules about water.”
“Yeah, boss, I did,” said Clay. “He wasn’t at dinner last night on account of he said he was so tired.”
“I noticed.” Rubbing his thumb along his jaw, Leland looked down the road to where it wound into the trees. “I’ll take care of this and meet you back here in ten minutes. Can you walk her so she doesn’t get restless?”
“Yes, boss,” said Clay with a mock salute.
Going into the dining hall, Leland went past the buffet area where staff was setting up for lunch and made his way back to the kitchen. There, he coaxed Levi into making up a hearty BLT, and giving him a slice of his famous strawberry-rhubarb pie and a glass of milk. Then he went over to the first aid box on the wall and grabbed a few packets of ibuprofen, and grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler. Placing all this on a tray, Leland went out the back door, past the dumpster area, and hurried up the path to the staff quarters and up the stairs to Jamie’s room at the end of the hall.
Before he knocked, he paused for a good long minute. What was he doing? Sure, he should take care of an employee, and sure he should give Jamie the afternoon off after experiencing heat exhaustion. But nowhere in any rule book did it say he had to bring him his lunch on a tray. At most, he might have asked one of the kitchen staff to do this, but there he was, waiting on a new employee like he’d not told Jamie to leave the property only the day before.
He balanced the tray on his forearm as he knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Opening the door, he saw Jamie was on the bed, right where he’d been left. Leland opened the door wider. Jamie was curled on his side, bare feet tangled in the sheets, head tucked against his chest, his dark hair spilling across the white pillowcase.
He’d not taken a shower, let alone moved from where he’d been. No, he’d made himself a nest of the bedclothes, as though that was all he deserved. And in a way that told Leland that Jamie quite expected to tend to his own needs once he woke up. Like he expected nobody would ever care. Like he was all on his own.
Which couldn’t be further from the truth. Unexpected feelings tumbled through Leland’s chest as he made his way quietly to the dresser where he placed the tray. Then he bent over the bed and very gently cupped his hand around Jamie’s shoulder.
Jamie looked up at Leland, blinking, shoulders curled like he was one second away from ducking a blow or shying from very bad news. The idea of it struck through Leland’s heart like he’d been stabbed by a spear.
“Jamie,” he said, making his voice soft. “Can you sit up? I’ve brought something for you to eat. Then I want you to take a shower and get some rest. Can you do that?”
There was a shine of surprise in those green eyes. But Jamie nodded as Leland helped him sit up, and arranged pillows behind his back, all the while looking at Leland as though he was some kind of magic trick. Which he wasn’t. This was just how people treated each other, and Jamie needed to learn that. Nowhere in Jamie’s world, it seemed, had anybody taught him to stop and take care of himself. That was Leland’s job, now, for a while at least.
Going to the dresser, Leland brought over the tray and placed it on Jamie’s lap, taking the glass of milk and the bottle of water to put them on the little nightstand next to the bed.
“Can you eat that?” Leland asked him, stepping back. “Is there anything you need?”
“Maybe some aspirin,” Jamie said, his voice low.
“I’ve got some ibuprofen right here,” said Leland. “Take two of them first, then eat. Then shower. Then rest.”
Pulling up a chair next to the bed, Leland opened the packet of ibuprofen, and handed Jamie the bottle of water so he could wash them down. As Jamie took the pills, he looked at Leland out of the corner of his eyes, as though startled to have him so close.
“Those should kick in fast,” said Leland. “If your ribs aren’t feeling better by tomorrow, I’ll take you to the clinic in town to get x-rays done.”
“I don’t have health insurance,” Jamie said, and Leland could see he thought it was yet another black mark on his record.
“The ranch’ll cover it,” Leland said, leaning forward. He had advanced first aid training and knew ribs could heal on their own, if the patient rested. “If you’re feeling better, you can get up for dinner.”
“But what about my job?” With his hands on the tray, one on each side, Jamie looked up. He’d not started eating, but seemed to be waiting for some kind of permission.
“You get the afternoon off.” Leland shook his head, wanting to reassure him. “That’s what happens when you’re hurt. You rest up. Then on Monday, if you’re feeling better, light work for a few days. Ease into it. Okay?”
“Okay,” Jamie said, his mouth pulled down in the corners, like he was unhappy about it all. “If you’re sure I won’t lose my job.”
