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“I’ll ask Ruthie to send down some dinner for you. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Can you stay and talk a minute?”

“Sure.” She sat in the chair by the couch.

“I’m not really sure how to ask this tactfully, so I’m just going to come out and say it. What made you trust Chase not to cheat on you? I mean, you knew he was a player before he met you, but even that picture that appeared on the internet of him kissing that woman didn’t make you distrust him.”

Ella didn’t appear surprised or offended by the question. “I could tell by his body language that he wasn’t into the kiss. He looked like he wanted to get away. But honestly, that was never our problem. I had trouble with his profession—the rodeo and all that it meant. Chase was always clear that he loved the rodeo. He never implied he would give it up.”

“Until he did,” Damaris said.

Ella laughed. “Yes, but not right away. He had to come around to it. And I couldn’t ask him. It had to be his decision. He’s happy now breeding bucking horses, thank God. Does that help?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure anything will.”

“You need to decide if you’re willing to take the risk and allow yourself to love again or if you’re too afraid to chance it.”

“That makes me sound like a wimp.”

Ella simply smiled.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Nate had graduated to a soft cast and a sling, which he didn’t use, a week before. His physical therapy was going well. It was possible he’d be flying again before too long. In the meantime, he was helping out at the airport and working on his car. Levi had been right that Iris wasn’t in as bad a shape as he’d feared. Still bad, but not insurmountable problems.

Insurmountable problems, like he had in his relationship with Damaris. He trudged up the stairs to his apartment and realized Damaris was sitting beside his door. With a pair of crutches beside her. For a minute he thought he’d hallucinated her, but he wouldn’t have hallucinated crutches. She looked up at him when he reached her.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi. What happened to your foot?”

She frowned. “I sprained my ankle.”

“You walked up all these stairs with a sprained ankle? Why?”

“I didn’t walk. I hopped and used my crutches. I wanted to see you. Can we talk? Inside?”

“Okay. Can I help you up?”

“Please.” She held out her hands and he took them, unsurprised when she managed to get up without hurting her ankle. Damaris was very coordinated, which made him wonder how she’d sprained her ankle.

She followed him in and sat on his couch, setting her crutches beside her.

“Want a drink? Water or beer is all I’ve got.”

“No, I’m good.”

“What did you want to talk about?” He tried his best to squash the hope that had overwhelmed him when he first saw her. Best not to get his hopes up before he even knew why she was there.

“You and me.”

“I thought there was no you and me. Last I heard you didn’t even want to be friends.”

“I was wrong.”

“About?”

“Everything.”