Page 14 of Wilde Hearts

The door opened, and Ensley walked in with a pitcher of ice water. She walked to the other side of the bed, poured a glass, then put a straw in it before handing it to my father.

“Here you go,” she said, with a sweet smile for my father. “I also let the nurse know that you were awake, since you missed lunch.”

“What I could really go for is a chocolate shake.”

I smiled as Ensley laughed softly.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said. Then she cleared her throat, reached for her bag, and put it over her shoulder. “I’ll leave the two of you to visit.”

“Thanks, Ensley,” I said, as I smiled at her. She didn’t return the gesture. Her eyes looked cold and distant. She didn’t say another word as she quickly walked out of the room.

I looked down before catching my father’s gaze.

“I fear she isn’t going to forgive you so easily, son. Can’t blame her.”

All I could do was nod. I hadn’t been planning on running into Ensley this soon, and I certainly wasn’t prepared for the rush of feelings that came back to me at the sight of her. Hell, they’d never left. I’d simply buried them deep inside of me, along with all the rest of my guilt.

“So, you said it was a mild heart attack. How long will you have to be in the hospital?”

After taking a drink of the water, he said, “I had a procedure called an angiogram to treat the blocked arteries yesterday afternoon. So as long as everything goes well, and I rest like I’m supposed to, they’ll let me go home in a few days. They said I’ll be pretty fatigued at first, so rest is the number one thing, then I’ll begin the recovery process. Slowly work myself back to regular routines and such.”

“How many clients do you still have?” I asked.

“Around twenty. I’ve given Ensley a lot of my clients, but the ones who aren’t interested in a woman doing the job still call me.”

I rolled my eyes. “I would have thought they’d have gotten over that.”

My father chuckled. “Some men just can’t see a woman farrier. She’s done well for herself, though, and has often helped out over the years…when I’ve been sick, or when your mother and I go out of town. When we went to visit you last summer, she took on my clients.”

“Did she know you were coming to see me?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why I’d even asked.

“No. Ensley put her foot down about a year after you left. She didn’t ask about you, and she requested that we not talk about you in front of her.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry I put you and Mom through that.”

“And Ensley.”

Another wave of guilt hit me. “Yes. And Ensley.”

The door opened to the room, and I heard a gasp. Turning, I saw my mother. I got up from the chair next to my father’s bed and hugged her.

“Colt! You got here so quickly!”

“Perks of having a boss who’s also a pilot. Sorry I couldn’t be here last night.”

My mother gave me a once-over. “You look like you’re taking care of yourself, sweetheart. Eating good?”

I chuckled. “Yes, Mom, I’m eating fine.”

Her hands moved over my arms. “Got some muscles, so that means you’ve been doing manual labor? I thought you were the boss now.”

After spending five years traveling around the world, I settled on a ranch outside of Banff, Canada, where I started as the farrier, worked my way up the ranks, and was now in charge of all the ranch hands in my position as foreman. I loved it. But in the back of my mind, I always knew I’d eventually come back home.

“The ranch I was working on kept me busy. Men respect you more when you’re out there doing the work alongside them.”

My father smiled. “I taught you well.”

Mom got me up to speed with my father’s treatment and when he would most likely be discharged. She still looked worried, and I wanted to ease that worry a bit. When my father fell asleep again, we headed to the hospital café and grabbed a quick bite.