Straight from the Hip Page 3

  Under other circumstances, and assuming she could see, he might be someone she found attractive. Not that it mattered anymore. Did the blind girl ever get the guy? Did it matter? She was hungry and tired and her skin burned from the sun. She just wanted to go home.

  Except she didn’t technically have a home anymore. Her quarters on the oil rig had disappeared in the explosion. When she was off work, she stayed with her sister Skye at Glory’s Gate, but Skye wasn’t there anymore. She’d moved in with her fiancé. And Izzy wasn’t comfortable living in the family house with just her dad, mostly because she didn’t think she actually belonged there.

  Thoughts for another day, she told herself.

  A large shape came into blurry view. She squinted, but that didn’t help.

  “We’re back?” she asked.

  “Yes. I’ll help you down.”

  “I’m good.”

  She held out the water until he took it, then pressed her hands between her thighs, on the back of the horse, swung her right leg around and lowered herself to the ground. She hit a couple of inches after she’d expected to but didn’t stumble.

  Nick dismounted and handed the horse to someone. She tried to see who it was, but couldn’t.

  “This way,” he said.

  Dinner, she thought longingly. She would kill for a meal. Or even act nice. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so hungry.

  But the building they approached didn’t look like the house. She couldn’t see the details but the shape was all wrong. He opened a door, then waited, maybe for her to go first. There was no way she was stepping into that pit of darkness.

  Seconds later he reached past her and flipped on lights. She saw a big bright room, but no details. Cautiously, she walked inside.

  The ceiling was a long distance up—she couldn’t say how far. The floor was hardwood. She saw shapes she didn’t recognize. The place was familiar, although she couldn’t say why.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  “The gym. I heard you’re into rock climbing. I thought we’d take a few minutes before dinner so you can practice.”

  She spun toward his voice. “Are you insane?”

  “There have been rumors, but technically, no.”

  “What’s wrong with you? I’m thirsty, sunburned, tired and hungry. I’m not climbing a wall just to amuse you.”

  “Sure you are. Besides, isn’t there a part of you that wonders if you still can?”

  She could accept a lot, but not that he was having fun at her expense. The bastard. She’d been right—Nick was a bully.

  “I’m blind!” she screamed. “I can’t see.”

  “You don’t climb with your eyes. You climb with your hands and your feet. Come on, Izzy. Once to the top. Think of how it will feel.”

  Terrifying, she thought, angry and scared and hating life. It would feel terrifying. To be all the way up there, in darkness, or near darkness.

  “I can’t.”

  He jingled something that sounded like a harness.

  “You can and you’ll feel better if you do. You’ll feel like there’s hope.”

  “Are you talking? I can’t really hear you. There’s a lot of static.”

  “Ignore me if you want, but I’m right. Come on. One quick climb to the top, then we’ll have dinner.”

  She was so weary. Exhaustion hung on her, pulling her toward the ground. She just wanted to curl up and whimper.

  “Can I kick you in the balls if I make it?” she asked.

  “No, but you can have dinner.”

  Her sisters had done this to her, she thought bitterly. Turned her over to this stranger who got his rocks off by bullying those around him. Resentment built up inside her. It burned hot and bright, until she could only think of pounding him into the ground. Of frightening him and making him whimper.

  But that wasn’t going to happen. Not anytime soon. She was trapped and there seemed to be only one way out.

  She grabbed the harness. The shape was familiar in her hands and she slid into it easily.

  “The shoes are over here.”

  She pulled off her sandals, not caring that her feet were probably filthy, and slipped on the climbing shoes, then allowed him to guide her to the wall. He offered her chalk for her hands.

  She rubbed her fingers together. The room was cool and quiet. She could hear herself breathing and nothing else. Her skin burned from the sun, her body ached and she was so hungry she felt hollow. But none of that mattered. Not knowing where the need came from, she suddenly knew she had to climb the wall.

  She closed her eyes, because then not seeing felt like a choice. She put her hand on the smooth surface in front of her, then felt around until she found handholds. When she’d gripped them, she moved her right foot forward and up. Nick moved behind her and clipped the safety line to her harness.

  She ignored him. There was only the wall in front of her and finding the next place to hang on.

  Slowly, she climbed. She found her rhythm in the movements. He was right—she didn’t need to see to do this and each step gave her more confidence.

  About twenty minutes into the climb, she moved her foot higher, found the foothold and shifted her weight. Her foot slipped. Suddenly she was hanging in midair, with no idea of where she was or what came next. Panic surged, but she ignored it. She hung on with her hands, scrambling with her feet until she found another hold. Cautiously, she centered herself on it, easing her weight off her hands and onto her legs again.

  Her heart pounded in her chest. Sweat soaked her. She kept her eyes closed. When she’d caught her breath, she began moving up again.

  Nick watched Izzy’s careful progress. He’d wondered if she would refuse to climb, but she hadn’t. Now she worked her way steadily to the top of the wall, her body moving easily as she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

  His gaze slipped over her bare arms. Something inside him tightened when he caught sight of the curve of her breast. She was wild enough to be appealing but not so crazy that she made him wary. In other circumstances, before everything had changed, he would be interested. As it was—he could look but not touch.

  She took the last few feet easily and slapped the top of the wall.

  “I made it,” she yelled.

  He reached for the safety rope and lowered her to the ground.

  “Next time you can take it at more than a crawl,” he told her.

  She touched the floor and unhooked herself, then grinned at him. “Next time we’ll race and I’ll so kick your ass.”

  “In your dreams.”

  She laughed. “No, Nick. In yours.”

  BY THE TIME they returned to the main house, Izzy was hungry enough to eat a water buffalo. Or at least pretty much anything that was served for dinner. At this point, she would even consider one of her sister Lexi’s über-healthy sticks and greens sandwiches on the pressed cardboard she called bread. But when they walked into the kitchen, the smells that surrounded her were rich and thick and filled with promise.

  “Over here,” Nick said, guiding her to the sink in the mudroom.

  She found the taps, then the soap. After washing her hands, she splashed water on her face and dried herself with a towel. She turned toward the sound of footsteps.

  “You’re back,” Aaron said happily. “I was worried. I know, I know. I shouldn’t. It gives me wrinkles. So we’re having pot roast for dinner. And, honey, the things Norma can do with a pot roast will make you want to weep.”

  Aaron linked arms with her and led her into the kitchen. “Norma, this is Izzy. Izzy, Norma, who keeps us all fed and happy.”

  “Hi,” Izzy said, feeling a little awkward as she stared at a blurry shape that was probably Norma. Should she hold out her hand? Wave?

  “You’re skinny,” Norma said by way of greeting. “You sit at my table, you eat food.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Izzy murmured. “I’m actually a big eater.”

  “Uh-huh. We’ll see about that
. Now you go sit. I don’t have time for chitchat. Shoo.”

  Aaron guided her toward the table. She reached out her hands until she felt the chair. She could make out the shape of the table and knew there were things on top of it, but couldn’t say exactly what everything was. Aaron took the chair on her right and when a man moved across from her, she assumed it was Nick.

  Cozy, she thought, feeling awkward. She wasn’t used to eating in front of strangers. She wished she could take a tray to her room, but had a feeling she knew what would happen if she asked.

  Norma put serving bowls on the table. “Eat up,” she said sternly. “I don’t want to hear anything but lips smacking.”

  “We’re not allowed to talk?” Izzy asked in a whisper.

  “We can talk,” Aaron told her. “She just sounds tough. Want me to serve you?”

  “Okay.”

  “There’s pot roast and potatoes and carrots. Plus biscuits. Norma, you’re killing me with your biscuits. They’re delicious.”

  “I make them because you like them.” Her voice came from behind them, in the kitchen.

  He dished out food as he spoke, filling her plate. “Wineglass is on your right. Tonight it’s a saucy little Washington Syrah from Walla Walla. I’m in charge of the wine selection. It’s a hobby of mine.”

  Izzy glanced across the table. She could see Nick’s outline, but had no idea what he was doing. Eating? Staring? Reading the paper? He was silent, which unnerved her.

  “Do you need me to tell you where the food is on your plate?” Aaron asked.

  “No, thanks. I’m not that handicapped.”

  “You’re not handicapped, you’re handicapable.”

  His perky statement made her laugh. “Okay. If you say so.”

  “I do.”

  Izzy picked up her fork. Her mouth was watering before she took her first bite. She nearly swooned when she tasted Norma’s perfect pot roast. Her stomach growled again, this time in appreciation.

  “You’ll meet Rita tomorrow,” Aaron said. “She’s in charge of the horses. She and her husband live a few miles away. They’ve been married forever.” He sighed. “It’s just so romantic. I want to find someone. Nick, you never introduce me to any of your friends. Why is that?”

  “They’re not your type.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  There was something in his tone that made her look up. But no matter how hard she stared, she couldn’t bring him into focus. Or the room. Or her plate. Her appetite disappeared, leaving her feeling sick to her stomach.

  “Izzy?” Aaron sounded concerned.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered.

  “Eat a biscuit. It’ll make you feel better.”

  She knew he was only trying to help, but right now nothing was going to make her feel better. Nick was silent. The unfair advantage of everyone else being able to see made her want to lash out.

  “You’re quiet,” she snapped. “Are you judging me or being critical?”

  “I wasn’t thinking about you at all.”

  She stiffened.

  “Is that typical for you?” he asked. “Do you expect everything to be about you? You’re only happy when you’re the center of attention? No wonder you were comfortable sitting around, being taken care of. Least effort, most outcome. Being blind is probably the best thing that ever happened to you.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  HUMILIATION IMMOBILIZED Izzy. She wanted to bolt from the room, but couldn’t figure out which way to go. The last thing she wanted was to trip or run into something.

  The unfairness of Nick’s words twisted inside her. If she could have been sure of her aim, she would have thrown her plate at him.

  “I didn’t ask for this,” she said quietly. “Not the explosion or the consequences. But then it’s easy to be critical of me—after all, there’s nothing wrong with you, is there?”

  Instead of another sarcastic reply, she heard the distinct sound of a slap.

  “Hey,” Nick grumbled.

  “Norma hit him on the back of the head,” Aaron whispered.

  “Go, Norma,” Izzy murmured.

  “Don’t be rude,” the other woman said.

  “Don’t push me,” Nick told her.

  “Like I’m afraid of you.”

  Izzy heard footsteps retreating to the kitchen.

  Aaron cleared his throat. “Nick isn’t actually a horrible person.”

  “Really?” Izzy asked. “Could have fooled me.”

  “I don’t need you defending me,” Nick said at the same time.

  “Yes, you do,” Aaron snapped. “Look, Izzy, he needs to test your boundaries. Find out what kind of person you are. He sincerely wants to help.”

  She looked at the blur across the table. “What does he do for the people he doesn’t want to help? Throw them off the side of a building?”

  There was only silence.

  “Izzy,” Aaron said, sounding frustrated, “being sympathetic doesn’t always work. But this is done with love.”

  “Really?” she asked, both annoyed and embarrassed. “This is love?”

  “Absolutely,” Aaron told her.

  “Do you always talk for him?”

  “Someone has to and I’m good at it.”

  Nick continued to keep quiet, which was seriously irritating. Didn’t he get that she was at a disadvantage here? But he wouldn’t care about that. Somehow he would make this all her fault.

  She picked at her dinner, not eating very much and not caring that Norma would take her to task for it. But when the meal was over, the other woman didn’t say anything as she cleared plates.

  The second Aaron pushed back her chair, she was on her feet.

  “I’ll walk you to your room,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’ll do it,” Nick said.

  “You don’t have to,” she told him.

  “I know.”

  Aaron faded away. One second he was standing next to her, the next, he was gone. Izzy sucked in a breath. Just a few more minutes, she told herself. Then she would be in her room and by herself.

  The blur that was Nick started walking. Izzy went after him, remembering about the step just in time to avoid tripping again. Halfway through the big living room, he stopped and turned. She assumed it was to face her.

  “I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said.

  She pressed her lips together and didn’t respond.

  “Everything is different now,” he continued. “Whatever you were before, whoever you were, it’s all gone. This is your reality. If you won’t have the surgery, then you’ll have to learn to be blind.”

  “Neither is your problem.”

  “It became mine the second your sisters called me. You’re here, Izzy, and you’re not going anywhere. You can get through easy or you can get through hard, but you will get through.”

  Annoyance turned to anger. Who the hell did he think he was? “Gee, coach, when we win the big game will we all go out for ice cream sundaes?”

  “Nice attitude.”

  “You like it? There’s plenty more.” She could feel him staring at her.

  “What you don’t seem to understand is that your way of getting by, of getting things done, is over. You’re going to have to learn to be a different person. Tougher. Stronger. Whatever you were before doesn’t exist. Maybe you liked yourself, maybe you didn’t, it’s irrelevant now.”

  “The psychology is interesting,” she snapped, “considering the fact that you’ve known me all of fifteen seconds. Where do you get off with all this? You’re just some guy who enjoys picking on those who are weaker. That must make you really proud.”

  “That’s your first mistake,” he said quietly. “Assuming you’re weaker. As long as you’re weak, you can never win.”

  “Oh, right. So that’s the big plan? Break me so you can build me up again? That is not going to happen. You’re not going to win and you’re not going to make me gratef
ul for the process.”

  “Then we have a problem.”

  “I’m glad you’re finally figuring that out.” She pushed past him and started toward what she hoped were the stairs.

  “You have it all,” he called after her. “You’re young, healthy. You have financial resources and a family who loves you. But that’s not enough.”

  She paused and turned toward him. “I know. I want to see, too. How ridiculous is that?”

  “All that stands between you and what you want is surgery.”

  Surgery that could leave her permanently blind, she thought bitterly. But no one wanted to talk about that. No one wanted to deal with the risks. Because for them, there weren’t any.

  “Have the surgery, Izzy,” she said in a sharp voice. “Just do it, Izzy. Why not? There’s no downside for you or anyone but me, right? When you have something to lose, we’ll talk. Until then, go to hell. I’m not playing your game. I’m not even interested in your game. I’m going upstairs to my room, that I will find on my own. You’re not going to win this one, and the sooner you accept that, the easier it will be for everyone.”

  She turned back to the stairs and grabbed the railing. After fumbling for the first step, she got her foot on it and climbed until she reached the landing. She had no idea if Nick was watching her or if he’d already left the room, nor did she care. She was pissed and tired and sore and still thirsty. Her shoulders, arms and back burned from her time in the sun. Worse, she was completely alone. The two people she’d loved and trusted more than anyone had abandoned her and she would never forgive either of them.

  She squinted, trying to bring the long hallway into focus. When that didn’t work, she had a second of sweat-induced panic. How was she supposed to find her room? Then she remembered Nick telling her it was the first door on the left.

  She took a step in that direction and held out her arm to help her judge the distance to the partially open door. She pushed it open as she went inside.

  The sun had long since set, leaving the room in darkness. She ran her hands along the wall until she found a switch and flipped it. Lamps on either side of the bed came on.

  The furniture was little more than blurry shapes. She identified them through their obvious placement in the room. The bed was easy—as was the dresser. She guessed the rectangular shape on the foot of the bed was her suitcase, packed by Lexi or Skye. No TV, which was fine. She couldn’t really see it anyway and listening wasn’t all that fun.