Rocky Mountain Angels (10 page)

Mari had just pulled a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer when her doorbell rang. Hobbling to the door, wincing all the way, she wondered if it would be Eli reminding her of their zoo date or Ben wanting to take her to check out the campus as he had mentioned earlier in the week. She opened the door to find neither. It was Joe.

Oh.
She stood there, feeling flustered, in her over-sized tie-dye t-shirt over  jeans, holding the door with one hand and the peas in the other. “Joe, I... I don’t think I ever really thanked you for putting in the disposal last night.”

“You’re welcome, but that’s not why I’m here.”

“No, of course not.” She moved aside to let him step in, and he closed the door.

“When I saw you earlier, you looked like you were limping... Did you hurt yourself?”

Mari switched hands holding the freezing cold veggies. “Yes, I tripped on... something hard.”

Joe looked at the bag of peas. “Am I interrupting your... breakfast?”

Mari switched hands again, feeling the blood start to leave her fingers. “No,” she laughed. “I was going to put this on my toes. They’re pretty sore.” She took a step back and stumbled when pain shot through her foot.

Joe reached out a hand to steady her. “Here, let me help you sit down.” He looked around until his eyes lit on the wicker settee. “Is that the best you’ve got for comfort?”

“I’m afraid so. Eli called it a torture device.”

Joe’s brows rose. “I’m going to have to have a talk with that guy.”

He started to help her in that direction, but Mari stopped him. “He’s right. It isn’t at all comfortable. Before you rang the bell, I was heading for my... bed.”

“Oh, sure,” Joe fumbled, helping her turn around. “Right in here, then?”

He walked her to the edge, and she sat then scooted back, pulling her legs up. Joe jumped to the task of adjusting pillows behind her. Tawny jumped up and meowed her seeming displeasure with it all.

“Do you have any pillows to elevate your foot?”

Mari nodded, petting Tawny, and pointed to the closet. “Top shelf.” Mari would never have guessed this kind of compassion lurked inside Dazzling Joe.
He’s just supposed to be my angel with tools.

Joe returned and slid the pillow under the foot Mari lifted up as Tawny settled in beside her. Then he took the bag of peas and draped it carefully over her toes. “Can you feel it through your sock? You might want to put on something lighter weight. These look like wool.”

Mari couldn’t really feel the cold, and her toes were throbbing so badly now, tears were threatening. “You’re probably right.” She started to lean forward, but Joe put a hand on her shoulder.

“Let me help you.” He carefully lifted her foot with one hand and began to gently peel off her sock with the other.

“Are you sure you’re in construction,” she joked even while grimacing. “I think you must moonlight as a doctor.”

“Are you kidding? When have you gotten this much attention from a doctor?” He flashed her a smile, and Mari’s breath caught in her throat.

Joe interpreted it as pain, and his smile was instantly gone. “Sorry.” He turned his attention back to his task. When he finally had the sock worked off of her toes, he gave a startled, “Oh,” at the sight of her swollen purple digits. He set her foot back on the pillow and met her gaze, concerned. “Mari, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve broken something here. What did you say you tripped on?”

Mari swallowed and couldn’t bring herself to answer. She saw Joe working it out.

“My tool box. I left it right in the way.”

Mari couldn’t lie to him, but she didn’t want him to feel responsible either. “It was my own fault. I should have been looking where I was going.”

He squatted down by her bed looking so contrite that Mari actually reached out to touch his shoulder. “Joe, don’t blame yourself, please.” At the sensation she felt from the contact, she quickly pulled her hand back. “Just put the peas on my foot before the whole bag thaws out. I’m sure it will be fine. I’ve just got some bad bruises.”

He rose, flipping the edge of the canopy with his head as he straightened up to full height. He looked around the floor. “Do you have a slipper—something easier to put on than that sock?”

“Yes, but—”

He grabbed one of her “pigs” off the floor. “I’m taking you to the doctor.”

***

Joe was carrying Mari to his truck, but he was also kicking himself all the way.
How in blue blazes did I just walk out and leave that box sitting there?
He slid her onto the front seat. “I better run in and tell the boys where I’m going.” He paused in thought. “No, I don’t think I will.” He shut the door on Mari’s puzzled expression.

Getting in on the driver’s side, he explained. “If those two had any idea, they’d be out here fighting over who gets to drive you. I don’t know what kind of spell you put on those knuckleheads, but they are both head over heels.”

Mari blushed and looked away as Joe backed out of the driveway. After a minute or two, she pulled off her gloves and held her hands up to the heater vents.

“You’ll have to give it a minute. This old truck doesn’t heat up very fast.”

Mari nodded and started to put her gloves back on. Joe was surprised at how white her fingers were. “Good grief, woman, does that happen to you every time you go out? No wonder you always dress like it’s the Antarctic.” He turned the heat to high, but he knew it was useless until the engine warmed up. “Here, give me your hand.”

“I’m fine, really. I’m sure your truck will be warm soon.”

“Mari, give me your hand.”

She hesitantly stretched out her hand to his.

“Actually for this to work, we need to have skin to skin contact. Take off your glove.” He pulled his off, but she hesitated. “My hand is warm; I can warm you up.”

She pulled her glove off, and he wrapped his hand around her fingers. Her hand was so small compared to his—so soft against his callouses. His next words came out rather breathy. “My hand’s big—I bet I can warm up both.”

He released her for a moment while she took off her other glove; then she laid both hands one on top of the other in his open palm with her thumbs around his, and he wrapped his fingers over hers. Joe fell silent. He told himself he needed to concentrate on driving in rush hour traffic, but whatever part of his brain did the driving took care of that, while the rest could only think of the feel of her hands in his.

After a few minutes, she pulled away. “I bet the heat is on now.”

Joe fumbled with the fan dial. “Maybe so.” Hot air was pouring out, and Mari stuck her fingers practically right into the vents. They didn’t look as bad as they had, but the tips were still white. Joe shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like that, and I hate to say it, but Eli’s right. Zoos are year round work. Unless you find a zoo in Arizona or man the gift shop, I don’t think becoming a zoo keeper is the best plan.”

Mari sighed, pulling her now rosy pink fingers out for inspection. “I know, but now I have no idea what to do.” She slipped her gloves back on.

Joe slowed for a red light and turned to look at her. “Maybe it’s time to pause, reflect, just be for awhile. Let God speak to you.”

Mari smiled. “That’s an awful lot of advice for someone you barely know.”

Joe focused back on the street as traffic began to move again, a smile teasing the corner of his mouth. “Don’t I know it.”

After a few more turns, he pulled into a parking lot. “Joe, I probably should have mentioned this sooner, but I have a really high deductible on my insurance, and I don’t have the money for this.”

He put the truck in park and opened his door. “Don’t worry about it. This is on me.”

He carried her to the medical building and couldn’t help smiling when he caught a glimpse of her crazy pig slipper reflected in the window. The next moment he felt a tightness in his chest, and he had no idea why.

***

After an hour waiting for an x-ray, Joe was seriously ready to challenge the name “Prompt Care” on the sign outside, but he had to admit that Mari had made the time more enjoyable. He knew she was in pain, so he kept her talking, and after about thirty minutes, he had made her lie down on the bench they shared and put her feet in his lap.

He’d learned that she had spent most of her life in Oklahoma, although some of her studies had taken her out of the state. Her father had been a banker and her mother sold real estate until they both retired a few years ago. She related a number of funny anecdotes about living in a big family full of boys that Joe could relate to, but her female perspective gave everything a new slant—especially since she was the last of the bunch. Being the baby of the family and the only girl, her dad doted on her, which explained his almost inexhaustible patience with her career stops and starts.

It had taken some prodding, but he finally got out of her just how many degrees she had: a B.A. in literature and masters degrees in design, psychology, and most recently, teaching.

“So how do you not have a job? That’s a heck of a lot of experience.”

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.”

He smiled. “Is that one of your spontaneous quotes?”

She shifted on the bench, trying to fluff up the scarf she was using as a pillow. “Oscar Wilde.”

Joe nodded, but his mind was on another track. “So you’ve been going to college for... how long?”

“Over a decade.”

Joe blinked. He would have never guessed that she was so close to his age. Her big eyes, button nose, and curls made her seem much younger. He was suddenly aware that he had one hand on her knee and the other was holding her ankle. He casually released his hold on her and awkwardly looked for a place to set his hands. Settling his forearm on the bench’s arm and sliding the other along the back, he tried to pull his brain back into the conversation.

“So why aren’t you teaching?”

“I would be teaching if no children were involved.”

Joe laughed out loud. “Well, I see how that could be a problem. What about older kids—high school?”

Mari sighed. “They’re even worse—all attitude, and the language—my heavens, sailors have nothing over today’s youth for absolutely atrocious language. I cringed all through my student teaching.”

“With the degrees you’ve got, you could teach on the college level.”

“That’s what my dad says.”

Joe grinned. “Sounds like a smart guy.”

Mari closed her eyes with a painful look on her face. He was about to ask if her foot was hurting worse, when she burst out with, “To tell you the truth, I don’t know why I haven’t looked for college teaching jobs. Something about it just feels wrong.”

“But zoo studies felt right?”

“Not exactly right, but it didn’t feel wrong.” She sighed. “I wish—”

A female voice sounded behind them. “Mari Baker?”

Joe grabbed her hand and helped her pivot her legs to the floor. “That’s us.” She made to stand, but Joe scooped her up before she had a chance. “Hey, I’m not about to abandon you at the finish line.” He gave her a smile as she slid her arm around his neck, and she smiled back. Joe followed the nurse wearing teddy bear scrubs and deposited her in a wheelchair that she pulled out from behind the nurses station.

Heading back to the waiting room, he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that he was nowhere near the finish line with Mari Baker.

Chapter 8

It was nearly 11:00 before Joe carried Mari back inside her house. She had tried to tell him that the boot the doctor had given her was for walking, but he just smiled as he slipped his arms under her on the truck seat and insisted he had already missed a morning of work and hadn’t any more time to walk beside her at a snail’s pace. It was hard for Mari to object; his arms around her had almost been worth breaking her big toe.

As he once again settled her on her bed and fluffed the pillows behind her, she reminded herself over and over that he had a fiancée, and she was kissing Eli just yesterday, and by the time he left with a promise to send “one of the boys” over with lunch, she had shifted him in her brain to someone akin to her oldest brother Jerry, who had carried her back to the house on many occasions after a fall on her skates, doctoring her scrapes and cuts.
That’s what I am to Joe; the little sister he never had.

And while Mari already had five brothers, she knew she could always use more.

***

Ben and Eli appeared within the hour with hot soup, breadsticks, and a six-pack of soda. They even brought a tray with fold out legs for eating in bed. Ben had the casual look of winter break in jeans and a sweatshirt, but Eli was far from it in black dress slacks topped with a lavender shirt and an artsy purple tie.

“So, you must be working out of the house today,” Mari observed, looking Eli up and down.
So handsome.

“The meeting that was canceled yesterday has been rescheduled,” Eli explained as he handed her a napkin and utensils. “We need to get the Marshalls’ approval on my designs before we can get started on their ritzy apartment complex.”

“Do you guys only build big things like synagogues and apartment buildings? You don’t do houses?” Mari sipped her soup.

Ben jumped in before Eli could answer. “There’s better money in the big stuff.”

Eli looked perturbed as he sat carefully on the edge of the bed. “Unfortunately that’s the case, but from a design standpoint, it isn’t nearly as much fun.”

Ben sat on her other side. “All the houses look the same these days anyway. The developers don’t want different or interesting; they just want fast and easy.”

Eli looked across Mari to Ben. “Yes, but what if we got into the developing side of it? We could build really beautiful and unique homes with yards bigger than a postage stamp—whole neighborhoods that would add to the beauty of the city rather than degrade it. I think there would be a market for that. People are tired of cookie cutter living.”

Mari smiled. “My house is me and I am it. My house is where I like to be, and it looks like all my dreams.”

Both men looked at her quizzically.

She looked from one to the other. “You know, Mr. Plumbean in The Big Orange Splot.”