The Rancher's Family Thanksgiving

The Clarks—who’d obviously been expecting Susie’s visit—exchanged looks, then excused themselves politely.

“I’m not talking to anyone right now,” Emmaline muttered with a pointed look at Susie the moment her parents were out of earshot. “So you may as well leave.”

Susie perched on the window ledge. Despite her earlier trepidation about coming to the hospital, she looked quite calm. “Don’t blame you. I never wanted to talk to anyone when I lost my hair, either.”

Emmaline slowly turned her head toward Susie’s empathetic tone and studied her for a moment. “You don’t look sick.”

“I’m not. At least I don’t think I am,” Susie amended quickly. “Once you’ve had cancer, you never know.”

Emmaline turned her attention to Tyler. “Are you a survivor, too?”

He shook his head, unable to imagine what it must feel like to endure what Susie and Emmaline had.

“I brought Tyler along because he always knew what to say when I was sick.” Susie patted the place next to her and Tyler sat down.

“Illness doesn’t scare him,” Susie continued.

Not now, anyway, Tyler thought. There had been a time…

“Yeah, well, maybe he could give my friends lessons,” Emmaline said angrily. She tore off her awful wig and tossed it at the foot of the bed. It flopped to the floor. She didn’t look as if she much cared what happened to it.

“I take it they’ve deserted you?”

“In spades. Most of them only live about an hour from here, but even before we moved, all but one or two had stopped coming by.” Emmaline’s lower lip trembled. Moisture glittered in her eyes. “They couldn’t even be bothered to call or text message.”

“The tendency when people are sick is to leave them alone so they can rest and get well,” Tyler interjected gently. “Have you tried to contact them?”

Emmaline pouted. “Well…no.”

“Maybe you should,” Tyler said.

And maybe, Susie appeared to think, shooting Tyler a warning look only he could see, Emmaline shouldn’t….

Tyler shrugged and continued anyway, “They could just be waiting to hear you’re up for a visit or two or three.”

“I don’t know.” Emmaline studied the white blanket on her bed.

“I had the same experience with my friends not coming around when I was undergoing chemotherapy,” Susie said.

Emmaline lifted her head and asked Susie, “How old were you when you were diagnosed?”

“Sixteen.”

Sweat beaded on the top of Emmaline’s bald head. “I’m fourteen. I’ve been sick for two years.”

“It sucks,” Susie stated with heartfelt passion.

“Tell me about it.” Emmaline hit the remote, and the TV clicked off. She focused all her attention on Susie. “When did you get well?”

“I had my last chemo when I was eighteen.”

Her long sigh broke the silence in the room. “I hope I don’t have to wait that long,” Emmaline lamented.

Tyler did, too. “So what year are you in school?” he asked.

Emmaline smiled, just a little bit. “I’m a freshman, although I’ve yet to attend a single day of high school here. So far, all my lessons are being done at home.”

A fact that only added to her loneliness, Tyler guessed. “When are you going to get to go to class again?”

Emmaline shrugged. “Maybe around the first of December if I make it through the next few weeks of chemo. Not that I know anyone here. We just moved to Laramie a couple of weeks ago.”

Susie smiled sympathetically. “I’m guessing you’re not liking it much so far?” she said softly.

Emmaline scowled. “The town is a lot smaller than what I’m used to. And our house doesn’t have any trees or shrubs or flowers or anything, not like our last one did.”

“That can be fixed,” Susie said.

Emmaline ground the heel of her foot against the mattress. “My parents both work. They don’t have the time to work on the yard. Probably not the money, either, since we have to pay for everything the medical insurance doesn’t cover.”

“So why don’t you take charge of that?” Susie asked.

Emmaline looked at Susie as if she was nuts.

Tyler understood why. It did seem a ludicrous suggestion.

“What do you expect me to do from a hospital bed?” Emmaline demanded, upset.

Susie spread her hands wide. “Why, make a bargain with me, of course.”

“PRETTY CLEVER OF YOU, getting the kid to agree to help you plan landscaping for the Clarks’ yard,” Tyler said, half an hour later. He shortened his strides to match Susie’s as they walked through the half-empty hospital parking lot. It was nine o’clock, and visiting hours were ending. People were leaving in droves. “Even smarter, getting her parents to agree to let Emmaline help implement the changes, as she is physically able, and work off the cost of the plants at your landscape center.”

Susie accepted Tyler’s praise with a small shrug. “She can work on the design from her hospital bed. The part-time job in my center will help her meet people in the community and give her something to look forward to. And let’s face it,” Susie continued wistfully as the two of them stopped between their pickup trucks, parked side by side. The bright lights overhead caught the highlights in Susie’s hair and made it shimmer. “There’s nothing quite as healing as being one with nature.”

Tyler knew how much Susie loved being outdoors. “Except an understanding look or touch,” Tyler said.

Susie nodded in agreement. A distant look came into her eyes.

“Something on your mind?” Tyler asked.

Susie ducked her head, raked her teeth across her lower lip. “It’s nothing.”

“Tell me.”

Susie studied the painted yellow lines on the pavement, as stubborn and self-reliant as ever.

“We’re not leaving here until you do,” Tyler warned, knowing even if she didn’t that she was beginning to need him in her life once again.

Susie dragged the round toe of her leather engineer’s boot across the blacktop. “If you must know…” she conceded finally, on a reluctant sigh.