Page 5 of Sweet Beginnings (Honeysuckle, Texas #1)

Deep in the numbers for her latest foster project, the unexpected ringing of the old kitchen landline startled Sarah out of her thoughts. Springing up, she trotted to the other room, too late to answer. Halfway back to the sofa, the phone rang again.

This time she darted back more quickly. “Hello.”

“Uh…” A quiet moment passed. “I’m sorry. I thought I was dialing the doc’s number.”

“You are, but he’s not here at the moment.”

“Sarah Sue?”

“Yes.”

“It’s Preston. Preston Sweet.”

“Oh, hi.” She hadn’t recognized the voice at first, but now she did. All the Sweets had a deep soothing timbre that made a person want to sit back and listen to them read a phone book.

“There’s been a little accident.”

From his tone she couldn’t tell how serious.

“Little?”

“Mom fell off a horse.” She could hear Carson mutter from somewhere nearby.

“I did not fall!” his mother hollered from within earshot of the phone.

Sarah chuckled softly. If not for the reassuring sound of Alice Sweet’s irritated voice, the words Mom fell off a horse would have sent chills down her spine. “I see your mom hasn’t changed much since I left town. Plenty of sass.”

“No,” he chuckled too, “afraid not.”

“I was thrown,” his mom continued. “And by one of the best.”

“Thrown?” She didn’t need to be a doctor for a list of potential internal injuries to run through her mind, along with memories of every time her father had grumbled over a simple injury going south from unexpected complications. “How bad is she hurt?”

“Not really sure. She’s conscious—and sassy—so I’m assuming that’s a good sign, but I’m an accountant, what do I know about broken people.”

His choice of words wasn’t at all reassuring. She wanted to know how broken was broken.

“She won’t come to your father. We’re heading back to the house now and need your dad to please come check her out. There was no answer at his office. Is he home yet?”

“Afraid not. The Mahoney baby thought today would be a good day to arrive.” At least she hoped it was going to be today. And soon, if not already. She reached into her pocket. “Hold on, I’ll text him and see how much longer this baby is going to take to make an appearance.”

“Thanks. Normally, I wouldn’t want to interrupt a man delivering a baby, but I think having someone who knows more than spreadsheets and profit statements to look for broken bones, things none of us know to look for, and stitch her up would be a good idea.”

“Stitch her up? Where’d she fall?”

“On the fence line.”

He didn’t have to say anything else. Her family weren’t cattle ranchers, but she’d grown up next door to them and knew exactly what falling on a fence meant—barbed wire. She really, really hoped that Mrs. Mahoney’s baby was in a hurry to arrive.

“Easy, Carson,” Preston snapped. Sarah had never heard him speak so sharply. “Sorry. The Jeep hit an uneven patch of dirt and Mom winced.”

She could hear Carson barking back, I’m going as easy as I can and still get us home in one piece before the next millennium.

Growing up, she’d spent as much time at the Sweet house as she had her own, especially after her mom passed.

She knew the whole family well enough to recognize things had to be worse than Preston was letting on if both brothers were losing their cool.

Normally she would have texted her dad as she’d said, but this was important.

If he was too busy to answer, he would let it go to voice mail.

One ring and her father picked up. “Doc here.”

She sure hoped that meant he was finishing up. “Dad, how’s it going?”

“Seems we’ve got more time than we thought.”

Not what she’d wanted to hear. Talking as fast as she could, she shared what little info she had and then picked the handset up off the counter. “I’m sorry. Mrs. Mahoney is still only six centimeters. It’s likely going to be a while.”

Preston didn’t have to say anything for her to know that wasn’t what they wanted her to report any more than she’d wanted to hear it. “Got it,” he muttered.

“Can I do anything to help?” Heaven knew what she could do. The last few years of her life had been spent with mostly four-legged friends.

“I hoped you’d say that. We’ll be at the house in about five minutes.”

“On my way.” She wasn’t her father, but she could at least grab some extra first aid products just in case.

Hurrying around her dad’s office, she tossed everything and anything that made sense into a bag and bolted out the front door.

The entire distance from her door to the Sweets she said her prayers.

If Ms. Alice was in as bad shape as it sounded from Preston, there was one thing Sarah could be sure of: she knew just enough about medicine to know that most likely under these circumstances, she wouldn’t know nearly enough.

From the second they pulled up in front of the house, everything seemed to happen in high speed.

Jillian stood at the front door, her expression grim and anxious.

Carson and Preston shot orders back and forth on the most efficient way to get their mom upstairs, and every time their mother winced in pain, Brady looked at the two brothers and growled softly under his breath.

Neither feared he would hurt them, but the pup was making it very clear he wanted them to be more careful with his mistress.

They’d barely gotten their mother out of the Jeep when Sarah Sue’s car could be heard crunching the driveway gravel beneath its tires.

Parked and out the door like a shot, she hurried to the porch and followed everyone inside. “I came right over. How ya doin’, Ms. Alice?”

“I’ve had… better days.” Preston’s mom tried to smile, but it wasn’t quite working. She hadn’t said much in the short ride back to the house; only not till this moment did he consider her silence wasn’t a mere lack of something to say but a sign she’d grown weaker.

From the sideways glance Sarah tossed in his direction, clearly she was thinking the same thing.

“Where we going?” Sarah looked to Jillian at the head of the line.

“Her room,” three voices echoed.

They’d inched their way to the upstairs room and paused at the foot of the bed.

“How are we going to do this?” Carson asked.

“We have to clean the wounds on her back.” Jillian stood at the head of the bed.

While all the others mutely stared at their sister, as if unsure what to do next, Sarah focused on their mom. “Maybe set her down on her right side, then Jillian and I can clean the wounds. By then she might be more comfortable on her tummy.”

All heads bobbed, but Preston was worried about the blood-soaked bandage on his mom’s arm. “I’m not a doctor but I’m afraid that arm is going to need stitches.”

Sarah nodded. “Might, but based on when Ms. Alice thinks she fell, we’ve got maybe twenty more hours.”

“What do you mean?” At her mom’s side, Jillian stood with her nose crinkled.

“After twenty-four hours it’s too late to stitch up a wound. So, let’s get her out of these clothes. We’ll need a good pair of scissors.”

“These are my favorite jeans!” his mom exclaimed with more energy than she’d showed all evening.

“Trust me,” Sarah smiled, “cutting them off will be much easier on you.”

“That’s what you think,” the head of the Sweet family muttered and rolled ever so slightly on her side until she looked to be as comfortable as she was going to get.

Scissors in hand, Sarah looked up at Carson and Preston. “You two just going to stand there?”

“Oh.” Preston took a step in retreat. “I guess we’ll wait outside.”

Carson nodded and followed his brother into the hall.

Preston leaned his head back against the wall. “Any of us have spent enough time on this ranch to know how to do basic doctoring.”

“Yeah.” Carson nodded. “But none of those animals were our mother.”

“Exactly.”

“What are y’all doing lined up like first graders waiting for the restroom?” Rachel came strutting down the hall.

“Jill and Sarah are stripping Mom to treat the wounds.”

Rachel nodded. Her hand on the doorknob, she turned the handle and pushed her way inside.

From where they stood they could hear their mother hollering through the once again closed door, “What is this, a sideshow?”

“You know she’s going to be just fine,” Carson said over Preston’s shoulder.

“I know.” He nodded. “But she scared the hell out of me.”

A set of soft footfalls made their way up the hall.

Preston lifted his gaze to meet the approaching ranch hand.

An unfamiliar face. It had been ages since he’d spent enough time on the ranch to know all the hands by name.

Of course he knew Ray. They all did. Ray had been foreman under his father and knew every inch of the operation as well as their dad.

Preston couldn’t begin to imagine how they would have made it through the most difficult days after Charlie Sweet’s unexpected death if not for Ray.

He’d seamlessly stepped into the role their dad had filled, saving the ranch and the family.

Hat in hand, the stranger’s eyes scanned each of them. Only the tick in his jaw showed his unease with finding Alice Sweet’s sons standing in the hall.

“Mom had a little accident.” Carson answered the unasked question.

“Accident?” The man pressed his lips tightly together.

Preston pushed away from the wall. “She was tossed from her horse. Landed on the fence. Nothing seems to be broken, but she’s pretty cut up.”

Fingering the hat in his hand, the man’s lips pulled tightly together as his gaze shifted to the closed door. “Doc with her?”

Preston shook his head. “Sarah Sue, the doc’s daughter, is tending to her.”

“I see.” His gaze shifted briefly to the door then back. “I’d best be getting back to the bunkhouse. I’ll check in on Ms. Sweet in the morning. Please tell her I went out to the farthest pasture as she asked. Fixed some fence line while I was there, but there’s more to do. A lot more.”

“Where’s Ray?” Preston asked.

“And the others?” Carson added.

The man slapped his hat against his leg and for a split second Preston thought he might spit before speaking. “Ms. Sweet had better explain that.”

The door behind him finally swung open and all of Preston’s questions for this man slipped away. The time waiting in the hall had seemed like forever. He blew out a relieved sigh, no longer concerned with the footsteps of the departing ranch hand.

Rachel stood in the doorway. “Mom’s all cleaned up and resting, but she still wants to talk to everyone. Sarah says we’d better hurry. She only gave Mom some ibuprofen for the discomfort, but she thinks Mom’s going to give out sooner than later.”

For everyone’s sake, Preston hoped all his mother wanted was to once again thank them for finding her, because whatever the reason she’d called them all together, he wasn’t up for any more surprises tonight.