The Doctor Wore Boots

A blue sky, fading slowly into dusk, looked almost low enough to touch. Dex couldn’t recall ever feeling this close to the heavens before. He scrubbed a hand over his face. The disorientation was clearly turning to delusions. This was bad. Very bad.

She turned right again, this time onto a long winding dirt road. The sun barely hovered above the mountaintops in the distance. Acres and acres of fenced pasture yawned on either side of the rough road. Cattle grazed serenely on the lush carpet of green grass.

Around the next bend in the road, a sight that Dex would not soon forget appeared before him. A two-story sprawling ranch house stood against the breathtaking backdrop of majestic mountain ranges. A barn right off the pages of a New England calendar lay in the distance, as did other not-readily-identifiable structures. A corral he recognized from its circular design encompassed a large area near the barn. His gaze shifted back to the house. It was the house that held the place of honor among nature’s and man’s embellishments. With the authenticity of a perfect reproduction from the set of an old black-and-white Western movie, the house looked homey, inviting.

“Home sweet home,” he murmured as his heart rate increased, sending adrenaline surging through his veins.

“Yessiree Bob,” Leanne agreed.

She smiled, a gesture that sent a spear of heat straight through him. Were all the women out here so innocent-looking and apparently sweet?

“Come on, they’ll be waiting.”

She got out, skirted the hood and reached in back for his bag before he had the presence of mind to react.

Dex wrenched the door open and all but fell out of the truck. “I’ll get that,” he insisted, grappling for his equilibrium and at the same time reaching for the heavy duffel. She was certainly stronger than she looked.

“Gran fixed your favorite for supper,” she told him with another of those wide, sincere smiles.

He nodded, but hoped to God he could bow out of dinner, er, supper. He wasn’t ready to play Ty Cooper to a larger audience just yet. And he didn’t have a clue what Ty’s favorite meal was supposed to be. Surely the Coopers would understand that he was exhausted after his trip and required an early retirement this evening.

Dex followed Leanne up the steps to the wooden porch that spanned the front of the house. A low growl froze him in his tracks. His eyes widened when his gaze sought and found the source of the sound. A dog. A large, rather fierce-looking animal that appeared poised to lunge at him. Dex had no experience with dogs to call upon. Grandmother Montgomery had allergies. Pets had never been allowed in the Montgomery residence.

“Lady,” Leanne scolded. “Why would you growl at Ty? Just because he took a trip without you?” she said in that child-like tone adults took when speaking affectionately to children or animals. “He’s only been gone a week. Now you be a good girl. You know better than to misbehave.” She scratched the big animal, which Dex now recognized as a golden retriever, behind the ears.

“You should recognize me, Lady,” he put in when Leanne looked up at him as if she expected some sort of reaction. He certainly wasn’t about to reach down and touch the animal.

Leanne gave Lady’s head one final pat. The dog lumbered away, then dropped onto the porch as if too tired or disgusted to pursue the situation further.

“Looks like you’re not the only one feeling out of sorts this evening.”

Dex feigned a laugh. “Jet lag,” he repeated.

Leanne stared at him for one long moment. “Yeah. Maybe I don’t want to go to Chicago if flying is that tough on you.” She opened the front door and entered the house as if she lived there.

No locked door. No knock first. Dex would have been appalled at the Coopers’ lack of security measures had his heart not been pounding like a drum in his chest. He had to find a way out of this. He would never fool these people.

“We’re here!” Leanne shouted as she wandered down the hall.

“Welcome home!”

Dex jerked to an abrupt stop in the middle of the hall. The duffel thunked to the hardwood floor. What looked like a dozen people, of varying sizes and ages, all beaming smiles, and heading for him, crowded into the entry hall. A big banner reading Welcome Home! draped from one wall to the other. One would think that Ty had been gone for months.

An older woman, her gray hair in a tight bun, her hazel eyes shining with emotion, threw her arms around him first. “It’s good to have you back home, son.”

His Grandmother Cooper.

Dex opened his mouth to speak but no words formed. He felt suddenly overwhelmed with unfamiliar emotions as those slim, frail arms tightened around him.

A strong hand clapped him on the back even before the older woman released him. “Take that hat off, young man.”

Dex turned to greet the man who’d spoken. Tall, slim, thinning gray hair, brown eyes. Dex dragged the hat from his head and dropped it on a nearby table. “Pa,” he offered, the single-syllable word steeped in too many emotions to sort. This was his mother’s father.

The older man slung an arm around his shoulder and started down the hall, Dex in tow. “Come on, boy, supper’s waiting.” He paused and beamed a proud smile in Dex’s direction. “We’re glad you’re home, son.”

Everyone started talking at once then. Dex lost track of the number of times his journey was halted so that he could be hugged and welcomed home. His Grandmother Cooper insisted that Leanne stay for supper. For some reason he couldn’t begin to understand, he was glad she agreed to stay. He’d analyze that bit of irony later.

Right now it took all his powers of concentration to watch his step. Especially since three small children all but clung to his legs as he followed the crowd into the dining room. He felt certain his back would be bruised considering all the hearty poundings he’d taken from the male Coopers. For these people, outward displays of affection were apparently a way of life.

The dining table was long, like the one in his home back in Atlanta, only this one was a rustic country style, the tabletop scarred from years of everyday use. The heavy stoneware dishes bore the same worn appearance and spoke of both hard times and good times, neither of which were forgotten or taken for granted.

The elder Coopers occupied the head positions at the table. Leanne sat across from Dex next to Angelica, the five-year-old daughter of Ty’s adopted brother Chad. Chad and his wife also sat on that side. Next to Dex was Chad’s older brother Court, his wife, and their four-year-old twin boys. At least he hoped he had the right name with the right brother.

Ty had explained that Court and Chad were the sons of Grandmother Cooper’s younger sister who had died years ago, leaving the boys alone in the world since their father had already passed away. The Coopers had gladly taken in the boys, adopting them and rearing them as Ty’s brothers. Dex suddenly wanted to know what that sort of love was like. That kind of family bond. Though he knew his grandparents in Atlanta loved him, it wasn’t the same.

“So, did you have a pleasant trip?” Grandmother Cooper asked as she offered a platter of steaks to Dex.

Dex stared at the enormous platter as he accepted it. Big, thick, juicy cuts of beef. He selected the smallest portion then passed the platter to Court. “It was…” How the hell was it? he wondered. “…as well as can be expected, I suppose,” he said noncommittally.

Grandfather Cooper snorted. “I told you not to get your hopes up, son. You’re just like your mother, always dreaming big dreams. But sometimes you just have to be satisfied with the way things are.”

Dex stared at the older man. Just like his mother. His mother’d had big dreams? What kind of dreams? He suddenly wanted to know.

“Enough of that,” Grandmother Cooper scolded when Dex was relatively sure his grandfather would have gone on. “Ty’s just gotten home. He can tell us about the business part of his trip tomorrow.”

She smiled at Dex and he had the abrupt, overwhelming feeling that it was exactly like seeing his mother smile. Before he could dwell further on the gesture a bowl of green beans was thrust under his chin. Dex peered down at the clearly overcooked vegetable. The whole meal was a ticket to an early grave. Green beans, cooked with what appeared to be a hunk of meat consisting totally of fat, steak, potatoes brimming with golden butter, and a slab of cornbread that looked as though it could keep them all fed for a week. The kind of meal the Montgomerys avoided at all costs.

Not a single lettuce leaf was in sight.

Dex surveyed the large group gathered around the table. Hadn’t any of them heard about eating healthy? Without warning, something hit him square in the chest. A green bean lay on the table, a greasy spot just above the fourth button soiled the tan-colored shirt he wore.

Across the wide expanse of worn, but well-polished oak Angelica smiled innocently at him. Dex peered at her in confusion for a moment, then at the bean once more. Had she thrown it at him? He lifted his gaze back to her just in time to see her use her spoon to launch another one in his direction. This one hit high on his right shoulder.

Dex frowned, uncertain of what course of action he should take, if any. He hadn’t spent any time around children. He only knew that they were messy and cried a lot. This one appeared intent on the former. He scanned the other adult faces. All were engrossed in eating or some discussion about the ranch he probably wouldn’t have understood even if he’d been listening.

Just when Angelica, an evil grin plastered across her pretty little face, prepared to fire at him once more, her father’s hand closed over hers. “Stop that, young lady,” he said firmly.

Relieved, Dex relaxed. “She’s a pretty good shot, Court,” he offered conversationally.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at him. What had he done? The sound of blood roaring through his ears made the silence deafening. Had he made a mistake already?

And then he knew.

“Chad,” Dex amended, then shook his head. He’d called the man by the wrong name. Dex shrugged. “Jet lag,” he offered in explanation.

All nodded, some even laughed and seemed to be satisfied with that excuse. All but Leanne, who studied him inquisitively. Flashing her a strained smile, Dex focused on the food on his plate. He’d have to be more careful. His head was throbbing, his heart pounding. But he was here now. He might as well give this trading places thing a shot. There was no reason he couldn’t do it. He glanced at the child sitting across the table. She gave him one of those I’m-not-through-with-you-yet looks. Then again, maybe he couldn’t do it.

Had he lost his mind entirely? Dex slowly studied the people seated around the table. Uncertainty undermined his newly found determination. How in the world was he supposed to fool all of them? When his gaze settled on his Grandmother Cooper again she chose that precise moment to turn toward him. Another of those heartwarming smiles spread across her lovely face. This was why he was here. This was his opportunity to learn what kind of person his mother had been. To see pictures…to learn about her past.