Page 33 of Caleb’s Cause (Broken Wheel Ranch #12)
“Yes, she said to come over when we’re ready.
” He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, picked up his papers, and nodded when he was ready to go.
Instead of taking the golf cart, they opted to take his truck.
They grimaced during the roughest parts, and when they came out from behind the barn onto smoother paths, they both sighed in relief.
At Erin’s Way, they emerged from the truck, and heard someone call their names, they looked up and saw that Erin was at the reception barn and several of the people from Broken and Erin’s Way were bringing the chairs and tables from the barn. They approached and Erin nodded to them.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing, it can wait,” Caleb said.
“Bullshit, you wouldn’t have called me if it wasn’t important. I had hoped that by now, I don’t take bullshit from anyone, and I don’t suffer fools lightly. What do you have on your mind?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Come inside here, there’s snacks, and you can uncomplicate it.
” She grinned as she turned away, and Caleb felt like he was being led to the principal’s office.
He looked at Katherine, and nodded when he received her encouraging nod.
Inside, he waited until his eyes adjusted, and didn’t know whether to be glad or mad when Erin called everyone’s attention that Caleb had something to say.
Taking the bull by the horn, he nodded, and looked directly at his uncle when he talked. “When we got the call you were MIA, Dad and I were shocked. Mom not so much.” They shared a smile when Ryan snorted. “Anyway, you know I was in school, right?”
“Yes.”
“I am a licensed physical therapist, as well as a doctor of chiropractic medicine.”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“What you might not be aware of is that before you came home, I had joined a group of people that were trying to get our feet in the door for making custom-made prosthetics. I don’t know if Jake Cogburn said anything, but when I arrived here a few months ago, I stopped by the B&B and gave him his new leg.
My one friend in the group and I were the only two that worked on it.
” He looked around and saw he had everyone’s attention, then turned back to his uncle.
“When you came to the house, you were bad.”
“I remember,” Ryan said, and looked at his friends. “I had only been out of the hospital for three weeks before driving from the base to Seattle. It was hell.”
“And Mom was no help when she started hitting you for being alive.” He looked at the others and saw Ryan’s nod.
“Mom thought because she was Uncle Ry’s only blood relative, then she would get his death benefits regardless if he was alive or dead.
She said she was entitled to them. When Uncle Ry walked through out door, she attacked him.
If Dad and I hadn’t pulled her off him, he might have gone back into the hospital.
Except that Dad had taken preemptive measures and the police were waiting in the street.
Mom was arrested, and while in jail, she was served divorce papers.
Turns out she’s doing at least eighteen years now for some other shit she’s done.
The last time I saw her was when she was sentenced.
I wanted to make sure she would not be in our lives again.
” He drew in a deep breath and nodded when Katherine stepped up and rubbed his back.
“Anyway, when Uncle Ry left our house to come here, I made a vow to myself, when I got back to school, I hunted Staci down, and told her that I had a cause in my life. I came here as part of it. Please, don’t think I’m a bleeding heart, but almost every one of you served your country, and when you got out, you were shit on.
I want to help you if I can. Not only can I help with physical therapy, and chiropractic services, I know how to make prosthetics.
I want to do what I was hired to do, but I also want Staci to come and help me make prosthetics for you guys.
” He drew in a deep breath and turned to Erin.
“I know Staci and I can make a hand for you that you’ll be able to bend your fingers.
I wouldn’t say you would be able to pick up a coin, but you’ll be able to pick up a pen.
” He turned and told everyone what he could do for them, then turned to his uncle.
“I also know that between Staci and I, I could make you an eye that would match your good one. Until we get in there and see the damage, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to see out of it, but you wouldn’t have to wear a patch any longer.”
No one said a word after his speech, and he sat down, grateful for Katherine’s silent strength beside him.
“Would I be able to do this?” Erin asked as she held up her left hand and made a fist, then opened it. “With the new hand?”
“Yes.”
“Would I be able to have an arm where the elbow moves and isn’t stiff like a mannequin?” Opal asked.
“Yes.”
“Could you make my current prosthetic not rub my stump raw?” Reid asked.
“Yes.”
“What’s Staci’s name? How will she be able to afford all this?”
“Her name is Dr. Staci Hardt, she’s a doctor of bio engineering. Meaning she can do the mechanics of making the prosthetics. She broke off from the group I was in three weeks ago, after they kicked her out.”
“Why?” Pru asked. “Why was she kicked out?”
“Because the other members were men, and after I left to come here, they didn’t think a female was smart enough to do what they could.”
“Bastards,” most of the women said then.
“Yes, but I’ve been on the phone with her last night and this morning. She hired a lawyer, and though she didn’t fight the termination, she made sure that her ideas, her prototypes, and her notes came with away with her.”
“Smart move,” Erin said with a nod. “Did she get them?”
“Yes, and they also signed some paperwork that they couldn’t use what she had designed, and all her stuff had to be wiped from their computers.” He looked at Katherine with a grin. “Sorry, I didn’t tell you that part.”
“No problem, that’s why you were confident about them not coming after her if she got a grant?”
“Yes.” Caleb looked at the other and nodded.
“Staci told me that she’s applying for grants to make the prosthetics, she’s trying to help former military people.
If she gets these, then she told me she didn’t know how to approach people with her abilities.
Staci is shy at times, especially when meeting new people.
It took us six months before we ever got past the hi stage.
” He held up his hand. “I never dated her, she’s like a little sister to me, and she scares me. ”
“How?”
“She’s smart. I entered college at the age of seventeen, did two majors, and graduated at twenty-four.
Staci was twenty-one when she graduated with her doctorate in bio engineering.
When I met her, I was still in college, and she had been out for a few years.
We are the same age, but as I said, I see nothing romantic in her.
She’s like a sister that I needed to protect.
Oh, and if I hadn’t mentioned it before, those men that kicked her out of the group and tried to steal her work were in their forties. ”
“Do you have room in your building for her to work?” Erin asked.
“Yes.”
“Get all her contact information to Duane.” She looked at the other man. “You’ll reach out to her?”
“Yes, and I’ll give her information to Jake.”
“Okay, and have Jake give it to Hank. Not that I don’t trust you or Jake, but it will be better if we can have all our ducks in a row.” She turned back to Caleb. “It won’t be done in a day.”
“I understand, and I told Staci that too. Thank you.”
“Not a problem.” She started to turn away, then blurted out. “Hey, I have a thought.”
“Oh, shit,” Clark said, but looked at his sister with a grin to soften his statement. “What?”
“What if we keep this barn like this, but instead of renting the table and chairs from the fire department, why don’t we go to flea markets or garage sales for tables and chairs.
Instead of meeting at Duane’s office, this seems to be a big enough space for everyone, there’s even heat and air.
We can probably have holiday parties in here too. What do you think?”
“Who’s going to go to the garage sales?” Clark asked with his arms crossed around his chest.
“Me,” Laurie spoke up then. “Erin hired me to purchase things that need to be purchased, and when I’m out doing that, I can stop in at any sale I see.”
“Okay, I’m not saying this to be a bastard, but I don’t have time on my plate.
Broken Two is almost done, by next weekend, it should be completely graded and open for business.
We’ll just have to have the final walk through from the inspectors.
They’ll be here at 11 a.m. Friday. Then I’ll be over at the new ranch. Do we have a name for that yet?”
“Not yet.” They all nodded and spent the rest of the afternoon taking care of the tables and chairs they had rented from the local fire department, and everyone went to their own homes to enjoy a rare day off, except for the ones that went back later to feed the horses at Broken.