Romance: Altered Engagement (Wild Hearts, Contemporary Romance Book 1) Read online

  “Yeah, I like to help spread the word about your little place,” he said. “If I let enough people know about it, you'll start to think I'm really valuable to you, and maybe then I'll get to eat here for free.”

  Katie almost laughed, but she saw that he was grinning. The waitress, however, seemed to have taken him seriously.

  “Oh, Dr. Christopher, you must not know my boss,” she said. “He won't let anyone eat free, not even the ones who work here!”

  Rob laughed. “I know, Miranda,” he said, “I was only kidding. I just love the food here, so when I invite people to lunch, this is where I bring them.”

  The girl grinned. “I know, I just like to gripe about my boss! So, what can I get for all of you?”

  The all ordered the sweet tea, and Kylie and Katie both went for the roast beef sandwich, while Judy opted for the chicken-fried chicken. That resulted in a complicated discussion of just what constituted “fried chicken” versus “chicken-fried chicken.”

  “Isn't it just friend chicken?” Anna asked.

  “Oh, no,” Judy said. “Haven't you ever seen chicken-fried steak?”

  “Well—yeah,” Anna said, “but doesn't that just mean steak that's fried like chicken? With breading on it?”

  “Yes, sort of,” Judy answered, “but it's more than just that. See, if you take a piece of chicken, like a leg or breast, and you roll it in breading and put it in a deep fryer, that's fried chicken. But chicken-fried chicken is a piece of boneless chicken breast that's been pounded out with a tenderizing mallet until it's about as big as a dinner plate, and then dipped in egg and coated with flour with seasonings in it, and fried in a skillet or on a griddle. So it's fried as if it was a steak, rather than a piece of chicken. Got it?”

  Anna stared at her. “Nope,” she said, “but that's okay, we'll just pretend I understand and let it go at that.”

  Everyone laughed, and the food arrived just a few minutes later. Rob said they always had some of each of their specialties made up in advance, so that no one had to wait long for their order.

  “Then doesn't that make this a fast food joint?” Anna asked. “That's what fast food places do, they make up a bunch in advance and then make more when it gets ordered.”

  “True,” Rob said. “The difference is that here, we don't have to get all the extra chemicals and triglycerides that those fast food places are famous for, so we're a lot better off. Besides, did you ever get steak fries like these at a fast food place?”

  Everyone agreed that the fries were delicious, and the sandwiches as well. The talk turned away from culinary matters and onto things that were less complicated.

  “So,” Anna said, looking at Kylie. “You think my brother's hot?”

  Kylie choked on the bite she'd just taken from her sandwich, and ended up spitting it out onto her plate. “Um—well—I, uh...” she stammered out. “I mean, I guess he's kind of—attractive, maybe?”

  Rob was sitting there with his eyes closed and his head swinging from side to side. “Anna,” he said softly, “stop it now, or I'm sending you home to mom!”

  “Stop what?” she asked, with an innocent look on her face. “I'm just making conversation, I'm not doing anything wrong.”

  “Then make a different conversation, and stop trying to embarrass people, including me.”

  Anna looked at him for a moment, and then turned to the rest of them. “Anybody here seen the latest Disney movie?”

  That topic seemed safer, and got a lively conversation going about which of all the famous Disney animated movies was best. Judy said none of them could ever top Cinderella, Katie voted for The Little Mermaid, but Kylie sat there for a moment before she chose Frozen.

  “Why that one?” Anna asked, and Kylie smiled.

  “Because there's nothing like an act of true love,” she said. “At the end of the story, the only thing that could save Anna was an act of true love, and isn't that the only thing that can really save any of us?”

  Anna's eyes went wide. “Oh, of course!” she said, and Rob looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “So, that's what you're looking for then, right? You're still looking for your own true love?”

  Kylie grinned. “Oh, I guess I am,” she said, playing along with the girl. “But it's so hard to find, at least in this day and age, you know? There just aren't any real men left, I guess.” She sighed theatrically, and Katie and Judy both rolled their eyes.

  Rob stuffed the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth, and when it was gone, he said, “Okay, as the only man at this table, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take exception to the comment that there are no real men left. I realize that I'm part of a dying breed, but I am definitely and completely a real man, and let’s not have any doubts about that!”

  Kylie smiled. “So, you're a real man? I’m just curious, Dr. Christopher, but have you seen Frozen?”

  Rob nodded. “Yep, the brat here made me watch it with her.” He pointed at Anna.

  “Okay,” Kylie said, “and would you say that Kristoff was a real man?”

  Rob narrowed his eyes, sensing a trap, but went on anyway. “Well, he showed his courage when he was willing to face Elsa with Anna, and he proved his true feelings by going back for her when he knew she was in danger—so, yeah, I guess I'd say he was a real man.”

  “Then I'm curious, but do you also believe that all men eat their boogers?”

  Rob's eyes went wide. “Well, now, I—wait, what?”

  Anna laughed. “In the movie, Kristoff says all men eat their boogers. Disney even put a disclaimer at the end saying that the company does not agree with his beliefs on that subject! She got you, Bro!”

  The silence was so hard it could have been cut with a knife, and then Rob burst out laughing. “That has got to be the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever asked me,” he said. “Are you actually serious? They really added a disclaimer to that?”

  “Yep,” Anna said. “Google it, it's hilarious!”

  Rob sat there for another moment, and then shook his head. “Ladies,” he said, “it's been fun, but I've got to get back to my office. Katie, I'll see you tomorrow, ten AM, right?”

  She nodded. “I'll be there,” she said, “and probably with these two still attached to me.”

  “No,” Judy said, “I've got to get back to my own shop. Kylie can bring you, right, Kylie?”

  “Sure,” Kylie said with a grin, and Anna grinned back at her. “No problem at all, what are sisters for?”

  Rob and Anna rose and left the table while Katie, Judy and Kylie were finishing their tea. They all met again in the foyer, and Rob held the door open for them, then followed them out. He waved one last time as he got into his car and drove back to his office.

  “Nice guy,” Judy said, as Katie swung herself into the car again.

  “Yeah,” Katie said. “Kylie seemed rather taken by him.”

  “Lot of good that'll do me,” Kylie said. “You might not have noticed, being all modest and everything, but that man only had eyes for you, in there. If you weren't already taken, he'd have asked for a date before the food got there.”

  Katie laughed. “Oh, baloney!” she said. “That man could probably have any girl he wants. I'm pretty sure he'd be more interested in a single little hottie like you than waste his time flirting with me.”

  “Honey, the only reason that man wasn't flirting with you is because you made such a fuss about being engaged. If you gave him a split second's impression that you might be available, he'd be all over you!”

  “Well, I'm not, and that's that, and I don't even want to think about it, so let's drop the subject, okay? Mom, tell her to shut up!”

  “Both of you, knock it off,” Judy said. “It's been a lovely day, and let's not ruin it by fighting!”

  Kylie started the car and put it into reverse, backed out of the parking spot, and then turned it toward the highway that would lead them back home to Ralston. The drive would only last about fifteen minutes, and then they'd be home. Ka
tie was nervous about their arrival, because she knew that the word would have gotten around town about her injuries and paralysis; neighbors and friends would be coming around later to see how she was doing, to offer their support and encouragement, and she wasn't sure how she was going to handle it.

  The scenery slid by, and before she knew it they were back in town and turning onto their street. The car rolled smoothly through the neighborhood, and pulled in at the house the two girls had grown up in.

  The bottom of the ramp was visible at the back of the driveway, so Kylie pulled all the way back to it. She and her mom helped Katie get out of the car and into the wheelchair, and then Kylie pushed her sister around and up the ramp onto the back deck.

  Allen was there waiting, and opened the sliding door so Katie could roll on inside, leaning down to give her a hug. “Hey, Babygirl,” he said. “Good to have you back home!”

  “Thanks, Daddy,” Katie replied, and then she stopped in the kitchen and just looked around the house. “It seems pretty different, from down here. I'm not used to thinking like a short person, yet.”

  “Yeah, well, I wouldn't think you'll need to get used to it. You'll be out of that chair in no time, if I know you.”

  She smiled up at him, and then rolled into the hallway. “You put me in the guest room?”

  “Yep, for right now. Easier and cheaper than installing an elevator, anyway.”

  “Ha!” Katie laughed. “I'll bet!” She rolled down the hall and into the room, with all of them following her. When she got there and saw a bit of cloth sticking out of the dresser drawer, she looked up at her father. “Tell me you didn't let Jay bring any of my clothes down, please?”

  Allen smiled. “Nope. I brought everything down, myself.”

  Katie groaned. “Great,” she muttered, “my dad dug in my underwear drawer and brought down my unmentionables!”

  “Oh, no,” Allen said, “I did things the easy way. I just carried down one drawer at a time and dumped it all into another one. I didn't dig through anything!”

  Katie grinned. That was a little better, though it meant she'd need to straighten out all of her clothes. “Thanks, Daddy. I really mean it, thanks.”

  Judy said, “Hey, it's been a rough few days. I know I need a shower, and I'm sure Katie will want to get settled in. Let's all give her some time, and then we can go watch some TV in a bit, okay?”

  Katie smiled. “Thanks, Mom,” she said. “I am kinda tired. I think I'll climb on the bed and take a nap, okay?”

  She rolled over to the bed, but there was nothing to grab onto to help her get into it. She looked at it for a moment, then turned to Allen, and everyone saw the tears in her eyes. “Daddy? Could you help me get into bed?”

  He leaned down and picked her up out of the chair, then held her while Judy pulled back the covers. He laid her gently on her back on the bed and kissed her forehead, the way he'd done when she was a little girl, and she turned her head away so that none of them would see her crying.

  “I can rig up a way to help you get into bed yourself, this afternoon. I'll work on it while you rest, and put it in when you get up.”

  “Thanks, Daddy,” she said, but her voice was muffled by the hand she had put over her face. Allen started to say something more, but Judy took hold of his arm and began pulling, so he let her lead him out of the room.

  Kylie sat down on the edge of the bed. “Hey,” she said softly. “Listen—I'm not even going to try to pretend that I know how you feel, because obviously, I don't. So, just know that I'm here. If you want to talk, or just vent, I'm here.”

  Katie sobbed quietly for a moment, and then turned her face to Kylie. “I know, and I appreciate it. I just don't know how to talk about this; to be honest, I don't even know how to think about it. My god, Kylie, what if I never walk again? What if I'm stuck in this chair forever? I mean, can a crippled woman have kids? Can she be a homemaker, can she cook for her family, can she even make love to her husband?”

  “Of course she can!” Kylie said. “Katie Lou, there are thousands of people in wheelchairs who live normal lives. They get married, they have kids—they make love! You said you can still feel when you need to go to the bathroom, right? What about other feelings down there, are they still there, too?”

  Katie glared at her sister. “Well, it's not like I've tried to find out, you know,” she said, but then her face and voice softened. “Well, maybe—when I think about Darren, I mean, I get a little—excitement, you know what I mean.”

  Kylie grinned. “Yeah, I know. Bet you felt a little when Dr. Christopher was looking at you today, laying down there on the floor, too, right?”

  Katie looked shocked and offended. “No! Good grief, has everyone forgotten that I'm getting married, soon? I'm not looking at other men, Kylie!”

  “Okay, okay, I was just asking, don't get all riled up. But even if it only happens with Darren, at least you know that part is still working, at least potentially, right? If it turns out you're stuck like this, well, then you can work it out with him to find out how well it's gonna work.”

  Katie rolled her eyes. “Oh my gosh, Kylie, is that all you can think about? Let's talk about something else! How was it in Florida?”

  It was Kylie's turn to roll her eyes. “Okay, imagine this,” she said. “You've finally decided you're ready to make things seriously official with your guy, right, so when he asks you to go to Florida to a summer party with him, you agree. You've got the hottest negligee you can find packed in your suitcase, you're ready to show him just what a freak you can be, and the night you arrive there and get settled into your rooms, he comes to you and says he's glad you came along, because he's decided it's time to tell the girl he loves how he feels, and he needs his best friend to be close while he does it!”

  Katie's face went white. “Oh, no,” she said. “Don't tell me—you were the best friend? Not the girl he loves?”

  “Bingo!” Kylie said. “Give that girl a stuffed animal, she just won the prize! George is now happily sweet on my pal Deanna, and I'm trying very hard to forget all those wild and exciting fantasies I'd been having for the past week before we went down there.”

  Katie nodded. “That explains a lot, then,” she said. “No wonder you've got the hots for Dr. Christopher, you're on the rebound from George! Maybe he'll get the hint and ask you out. I'll see if I can steer him that way, if you want.”

  Kylie grinned. “Nah, don't worry about it. If he notices me, great, he's cute, but if not, it's no biggie. I'm not sure I'm ready to get involved with another guy right now, anyway. Might be more hassle than he’s worth, right?”

  Katie Lou grinned at her. “Aren't men always more hassle than they're worth?”

  “Yeah,” Kylie said, “until you let them get you all alone, and then...”

  “Kylie! That really is all you can think about, isn't it?”

  7

  Darren called as Katie was lying there, after Kylie had gone to unpack her things in her own room, upstairs.

  “Hey,” he said when she answered. “How did the physical therapy session go?”

  “Well, we found that I'm getting little bits of feeling back, in my thigh, at least. The doctors all say that's encouraging, and means there's a good chance I'll get better sooner.”

  Darren was quiet for a moment. “What about—I mean, are you able to move anything, your legs, I mean?”

  Katie closed her eyes. “Not yet,” she said, “but it's only been a couple days, Darren. We've got to give it time.”

  “I know,” he said, and she realized that he sounded tired. “It's just that the wedding is only two weeks off, just about, and we've got all the preparations made, and if you can't make it...”

  “Wait a minute, of course I can make it!” Katie said. “Darren, are you saying you want to put it off if I can't walk by then? What has my walking got to do with whether or not you love me, or I love you? Yes, I believe I'm going to walk again, but I can't guarantee it'll happen this soon; if it doesn
't, are you going to go on to St. Louis without me?”

  There was silence on the line for a moment, and then Darren sighed. “I have to report to work up there in just a little over a month, Katie Lou. They won't understand if I can't make it because I'm dealing with this problem.”

  Katie stared at the ceiling above her bed, as she lay there with the phone to her ear. “Are you saying that if I can't walk, that's a problem you'd have to deal with? That it might be an inconvenience to your career plans? Is that what you're trying to say?”

  “No, Katie Lou, of course not, but—well, I have to start work. If I'm here, waiting for you to hopefully get better, then that would be like saying I didn't want the job, or all it offers for the future.”

  “But why would you have to be here, dealing with it, as you put it? Why couldn't we go right ahead with the plans we've made, and get married, and go on our honeymoon, and move into our new house together? What has my being in a wheelchair got to do with making all of that so much more difficult?”

  “Katie, you don't understand,” Darren said. “Matthews and Johnson had plans for me, big plans, and they need me to be able to focus on the work I have to do to help make those plans become reality. If I'm trying to cope with your handicap, then I won't be able to stay focused on the...”

  “So what you're saying is that I've become a liability? If I can't walk and take care of myself, then I'll only be in your way, is that it? Because if that's what you're trying to say, Darren, then I don't understand why you've been telling me you love me for the past year. Can you explain this so I can understand it?”

  “Now, Katie, that's not what I'm saying,” Darren said. “I'm only trying to say that I need to get as focused as possible on being the man they want me to be, and any distraction, any distraction at all, can blow our whole future! You don't want that, do you? Baby, please, just try to understand that I have to think about the future, and what's best for...”

  “You're thinking about what's best for your career, Darren,” Katie said. “Oh my God, you're only thinking about your career, and not about us. Am I just a distraction, now? An inconvenience? Are you worried that someone will think ill of you if you're saddled with a cripple?”