against the pain. He closed his eyes, he counted to ten, willing his muscles to relax. Tensing up made the spasm worse—not a good thing.
Sucking in a heavy breath, he tried to relax and let the pain pass. What if I can’t make it back to the way I was? The question sliced through him like a knife to a wound.
It had been three endless weeks since he’d crash-landed his twin engine plane in a pasture during a storm. It had happened not long after he’d left Mule Hollow and was headed back to Dallas. He’d taken time he didn’t have to fly home to congratulate Cole on his wedding engagement. Since he was responsible for matching up Cole and Susan, he’d wanted to make the quick day trip and share in the joy of the moment. If he’d listened to his gut—which was usually right—and stayed the night, taken time to really enjoy the moment with them, he’d have been all right. But enjoying the moment wasn’t something he did. Instead he’d rushed off in the middle of dangerous winds and a severe thunderstorm. He’d been arrogant enough to believe he could handle the storm. What an inane bit of stupidity.
When had he decided he could control everything?
He hadn’t closed the door after watching Amanda drive away and now he stared across the land that had been in his family for over a hundred and fifty years. It was in this place his roots ran deep and was from his ancestors’ example that he’d become the man he was.
Being used to control was a good thing, he reminded himself. It had driven him to where he was in his career as an attorney. It would get him through this. Taking another deep breath, he began to relax as his mind cleared and the pain began to recede.
Good blood ran through his veins. Hardworking, upstanding—well, upstanding except for his good ole great-great-great-great-great-grandpa Oakley—him being upstanding was questionable. By and large the Turner men and women were tough. Generations past had stared across this land that stagecoaches had crossed on their way to this old stagecoach stop. Like this house, his ancestors had stood the test of time and so would he.
His brothers had been right in bringing him home.
This place had always been good for his soul.
Two months. He would get better and he’d get to work. He would not let himself get waylaid by debilitating, unproductive thoughts again. He hadn’t been feeling like doing anything except sitting in this chair and feeling sorry for himself. It wasn’t something he understood or wanted, but that was what had been happening. He wasn’t sleeping and his attitude stank. But lately he hadn’t been able to do anything about it. Cole and Seth had known and they’d taken action when he wouldn’t. Their action had helped him—jolted him enough to fight…and fight was what he needed.
Action: that was what he needed.
He needed a therapist capable of helping him achieve his goal. The soft, sweet-faced Amanda Hathaway hadn’t been up for the challenge.
Still, even he couldn’t help admiring the way she’d walked away with her head held high.
Chapter Three
As dismal as Amanda felt, the sight of Mule Hollow perked her up the instant it peeked over the horizon. Why, it was darling! So cute with its bright stores, welcoming flowerpots along plank sidewalks and window boxes. Driving down Main Street, she began to smile. It was a wonderful feeling.
There was a pink two-story hair salon called Heavenly Inspirations, a bright yellow feed store with peacock-blue trim, a real estate office painted A&M maroon—which she was a big fan of—and beside it was Sam’s Diner painted a bright grass-green.
Amanda pulled into the parking space and got out. More stores just as brightly painted stood all along Main Street. The dress store and candy store across the street were memorable as well as the community center a few doors down the wooden sidewalk. She watched a cowboy clomp into the feed store down the way and felt very nostalgic. She half expected to see a horse tied to a hitching post. This was smiletown if ever there was one. Just lovely.
There was a really huge older home that anchored the town at one end. It had a green roof with turrets on each corner and a sign that read Adela’s Apartments. Amanda studied the structure with interest. What would it be like to just walk in there and rent an apartment? Start over?
Crazy. She was thinking crazy and she knew it. It had been one thing to pretend she was running away from her life when she was coming here for a job, but this—this was simply a daydream, and it was too much. She was not the kind of person who ran away. At least not for good. She would get her head on straight. She would.
Yet it was as if Wyatt Turner’s stormy scowl had burned its way into her head.
She wondered if he’d slammed the door after she left. Something about the man intrigued her, despite his easy dismissal of her. Maybe it was simply that she hated to see anyone in pain. Maybe it wasn’t the man himself that kept her attention but the fact that she knew she could help him.
She could help him if he’d only give her the chance.
The man had to want her help. There was no getting around that. She couldn’t force anyone to accept her. Especially a man like him! She bit her lip and stared at the rooster weather vane sitting on the top of one of Adela’s turrets. No seesawing or riding the fence for him. Jonathan came to mind and she cringed. Jonathan had probably known his mind long before he’d finally spoken it. Maybe if he’d have cut her loose early like Wyatt had she wouldn’t be hurting so much right now.
At least Wyatt had been honest with how he felt. For that she admired him—even if he did need her.
A squeaking door sounded behind her. “Norma Sue, are you or are you not going to come out tonight and see my moon lily?” a woman said.
“I told you I would, but you were too busy running your mouth in there to hear me.”
Amanda turned. Two women were coming out of the diner. They looked up from their conversation and stopped short when they spotted her.
“Hello there,” the one who’d just been accused of running her mouth said. She had bright red hair and was wearing a daffodil-yellow capri set.
“Hello,” Amanda said.
“Honey, you look a bit dazed. Are you all right?” the woman called Norma Sue asked. She was a robust, strong-looking woman with wiry gray curls and a big wide smile that spread all the way across her face.
“Being dazed is understandable when folks first look at all these wild colors. It tends to make people’s heads spin.”
“Now, Norma Sue, we don’t know that this is her first time to see Mule Hollow—”
“Esther Mae.” Norma Sue stared in disbelief at her friend. “Have you ever seen her before?”
“Well, no—” The redhead looked at Amanda sheepishly.
“Then there you go. She’s as new to Mule Hollow as that calf I had born this morning.” She directed her hazel eyes back at Amanda. “Tell her this is your first time to our little metropolis, isn’t it?”
Amanda smiled, liking these two on the spot. “First time.”
“See, I knew it was!”
“I’m Amanda
