Matthew stared after him while he rode away across country on his horse, wondering why the man had left so quickly when he had come into the house. He felt Kara’s eyes on him and he turned to face her. She looked like she wanted to say something and then changed her mind. Shaking her head to herself, she turned her wheelchair and went to her room.
Matthew was not sure what to do until he walked past her room and stopped when he saw her do the exercises the physiotherapist had explained to him and stepped inside to help with the massaging he had been shown. Kara glanced up in shock as he came up to the bed and sat down to wait for her to finish the training.
Kara felt a blush rise when she felt his eyes on her. And even more so, when he started doing the massages on her legs, starting at the calves and slowly working his way up to her thighs. Where had he learned the correct massages? She had not known who would help
It was after this month that she awoke early one morning. It was still dark outside, but she could not sleep anymore, so she did some of the exercises and then got bored with them. The house was still quiet and she did not want to wake Matthew by rolling her wheelchair out of her room since he was a light sleeper from what she had noted in the month she had been in his house, but she did not want to stay in bed anymore. She despised the wheelchair and she glanced at the sturdy post of the bed.With a faint smile and endless determination, she pulled herself upright and threw her legs over the edge. Bracing herself with the post, she put some weight on her legs and when she felt no pain or trembling, she pushed herself to stand. When she was standing up straight she gave a victorious smile. Soon she would walk again; she felt stronger in her legs and that made her want to push herself a little more.Then she pushed her one leg forward
Matthew reached over without letting her go and tore off some toilet paper and handed it to her. Her tears were breaking his heart. He had seen how hard she had worked, even if she had thought he did not and he was relieved to know that she was finally releasing the emotions and tensions she had held onto so strongly the last few months. He had worried that the emotions she held in would cause her even more harm than what she had already gone through, but now he knew she had allowed herself to work through her emotions.When she was finally cried out she was still holding onto his shoulders, even though her breathing had grown regular. She had cried herself to sleep in his arms. Quietly he lifted her and walked back down the hallway. Without thinking he walked back to her room and lay down so he could let her rest next to him. Her grip eased somewhat when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him.Matthew
Matthew awoke with confusion. He was not in his bed. Then he remembered what had happened early that morning. Kara was not in bed anymore and the cold bedding where she had lain proved that she had not been for a while. He was surprised that he’d slept through her sneaking out, but he had been exhausted and overworked with the start of the growing season’s preparations.When he lifted his head to glance around the room, he caught a whiff of something familiar. Then he smiled with pleasure. Was that blueberry pancakes? He stood up and pushed his fingers through his hair and went to the bathroom to wash his face, before he went to investigate.He came into the kitchen to find Kara sitting on the counter with the bowl of dough in her lap while she flipped the pancake over in the pan. There was flour in her hair and her face was pale with the same, a smudge of dough over her cheek. Her feet and toes were mov
Kara felt her heart pound with fear when they approached the horse that was standing ready for them. Her hands were trembling as she looked at the animal that suddenly terrified her. She gasped when Matthew lifted her out of the chair and into the saddle, where he and Bill held her firmly, while they tightened straps around her legs, checking to be sure they were not too tight.She gasped in fear when the horse stamped its foot to ward of a fly, getting flashbacks from that night. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” She whispered with a trembling voice and the two men felt their hearts go out to her.They knew what fear could do to a person. And her injuries had kept them from helping her to conquer her fears after the accident. They also knew that they had to get her back in the saddle or she would let fear reign her life and she had loved riding before the accident.“I’m here.” Mat
By the time he glanced up again, he noticed that the shadows had lengthened and he realized in shock that it was much later than he had thought. Quietly, he took two of the pancakes they had had for breakfast from his saddlebag and put away his sketchpad, before he gently woke her and handed one of the pancakes to her.She was still groggy from sleep and he smiled with amusement when she obeyed him without question. But he also felt guilty for allowing her to tire herself out so much. Matthew handed her clothes to her and left her to put the saddlebag on the horse’s back and to lead it into the shadows of the trees. By the time he returned leading the horse, she had dressed and started to roll up the blanket.Tying the blanket in its place, he watched Kara out of the corner of his eye and noticed that she still looked rather tired. He had not intended to stay out so long or allow her to push herself so hard, but she had been so excit
It had been about a week since he first took her to their spot. And things seemed to ease around them, but this morning he seemed introspective and she wondered what was on his mind.She could never have guessed what he said near the end of their meal. “We’re leaving early tomorrow morning, do you need help packing?” He asked her without any preamble.There were so many questions running through her mind that she was finding it hard to word out one, so all she managed was: “what?”He seemed to realize that he hadn’t given her much information and she was at least grateful that she was not the only one struggling to arrange her thoughts properly. But in his case, it was probably to do with the running of his ranch. She couldn’t arrange too much on hers from where she was sitting, for now, she could only write down her plans for when she was finally able to run it properly again. So her
Mathew could see the tension in Kara’s face and actions the moment she rolled out of her room the next morning. He knew she was uncomfortable with showing herself in public in the chair. But he needed her to understand that she was not less herself for what she went through.He wished he could show her what she looked like through his eyes. He was in awe of her strength and perseverance. She was an amazing woman and he wished he had the courage to really show her how he felt, but he couldn’t face it when he remembered how it had ended the last time he had tried to come close to her.So he was quiet, just like she was, on the drive to the airport. He knew she expected to be tortured through the long and tiring process of a normal flight, but he had been keeping a pretty big secret from her and mostly everyone in the area.He was about to let her in on his secret and he was nervous to see her reaction. In the time sh
Kara had spent the whole day after he had told her about the trip worrying about having to face people the way she was. She had hoped that she would be able to be back on her feet before she had to face anyone she didn’t know again.She felt a little like a failure for not being able to walk already. She’d always been able to do anything she put her mind to, but her legs just wouldn’t work with her. It was depressing to have to face people with her obvious failure stark in front of them.The drive to the airport was quiet, Mathew seemed deep in thought and she was grateful for it. She was still working through how she felt with him just expecting her to show up in public in the state she was in.Of course, she wasn’t angry at him. Her therapists had insisted that she go out in public, but she had been hesitant. She was wearing her bad decisions and failure on her sleeve with her still in the chair. 
One year later The ranch was made up beautifully and it had a festive air dancing on the slight breeze. Kara stood facing Mat barefoot in a light white wedding dress while he spoke his vows to her in front of their closest friends and family. They had decided on an intimate wedding on the small beach near the waterfall. It seemed fitting to close the circle of their first meeting by getting married in the same place. “The moment I saw you here that first time, I knew you would be my water nymph. And though it took me some blackmail, a load of confusion and a fair bit of help…” His words were followed by chuckles of amusement since Brad had shared their story with everyone before the wedding, minus her swimming naked, of course. “I am glad we finally found our way back here in a full circle. The way my life would always circle back to you, my water nymph. You are the greatest discovery in my life and I will do anything and everything to make sure we stay on our full circle; a
Suddenly the door swung open and they both turned to find Brad sauntering into the house. “Oh finally!” He grinned. “Stay out of this!” They both growled at the same time. With a smile, Brad stepped back with his hands raised in a show of submission and leaned against the railing of the porch, neither of them even questioning how he had managed to get there without them hearing him coming up the road. Kara turned back to Matthew, who was still glaring at Brad. “What do you mean kissing men around every corner?” She demanded angrily. Matthew looked meaningfully at Brad and then looked back at her. “That’s Brad. You know we’re friends.” “Well, if I remember correctly, you were kissing him that night and you get angry at me for sitting innocently at a table with a woman.” “It was a kiss on the cheek!” “And the rest?” He demanded. They both glared at Brad when he started laughing with great amusement. “Oh come on, Matthew, it’s not like you caught us making out on your couc
“Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do? I’m moving out and that’s it. It’s clear you don’t want me here, probably feel bad bringing another woman here with me hanging around in your living room.” Kara knew instantly that she had said too much. If she kept this conversation going, she would end up crying and then he would know that she had foolishly fallen in love with him. He looked confused. “Why would I bring another woman home?” “For the same reason you thought Brad came here, I guess.” She growled before she jerked at her arm again and turned to go when she was free. “What other woman would I bring home?” He asked in confusion. He was sure she meant someone specific, but he could think of no one that would cause her to think so. Kara glared at him over her shoulder and went to her room, closing the door behind her. He had the nerve to pretend like he did not know! She had seen him with that woman before her accident, did he have so many women waiting for his
Brad showed up not long after her and he grinned with a mixture of pride and delight when he saw that the clothes fit perfectly. Taking her hand, he turned her around in a circle while he looked her up and down. “You look good in my choice.” He teased. Kara smiled at his compliment. “Thank you, but I have to ask. How did you know the right size?” She asked with interest. He blushed slightly as he smiled. “I guessed.” He chuckled uncomfortably. “When I had the clothes, the woman at the underwear shop sorted those sizes out. Apparently a lot of embarrassed men go through their doors.” He laughed and Kara joined him. She loved his honesty and his sense of humor. “Thank you, Brad, I honestly didn’t know what I would wear for tonight.” She confessed. He grinned with pleasure before James’s wife, Mary, asked him to help with the lights. Finally when everything was ready, the guests started showing up and Kara had her hands full, greeting and thanking them all for their hel
Tonight was her barn dance and Kara came home early to take a shower and get dressed so she could sort out the final touches before everyone showed up. She still had not seen Matthew and she felt lonely. She had started considering moving into a stall more and more this past week. Perhaps she was in his way and it would be better for both of them if she moved out as soon as possible. She had just come out of her room to go to the bathroom when she heard a car in the driveway. With a slight frown she walked to the front door and found Brad trotting to the front door with a large colored gift box in his hands. Kara opened the door before he could knock. “Hey, I thought you were getting ready for the barn dance?” She smiled at him. “Soon.” He answered cryptically before he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the couch. “What’s going on?” She asked with curiosity when he sat her down on a chair across from the couch and sat down himself on the couch. “Well, I bought you a gif
Kara was exhausted when she got home, it was late. She had not seen Matthew that day either, he had been gone when she woke up, so she started to move her horses back to her ranch. Maybe she had overstayed her welcome. She would see about getting a stable ready for herself if it finally came to that, but for now she wanted to stay as close to him as she could, even if it meant just knowing that he slept in the same house. The clouds had packed together and Kara was hoping it was the spring rains, so she could finally start moving the cattle and pigs over as well. The barn was nearly finished and so was the mill. The pigsties still had some work before she could move the pigs in. She went to the kitchen and ate her dried out dinner alone. Matthew’s was still in the oven and she wondered if he was still working. Surely there was no more work to do at ten at night, not even on her ranch, and his had come off much less damaged than hers. She heard a car coming down the road and
Matthew rode away from the river; he had no will to face his fond memories of Kara when he had just caught her in Brad’s arms. Did she really feel nothing for him? Or did he read her that wrong? Was she really the type of woman that would allow anyone to hold her like that? He had thought they had shared something special, but perhaps he had been wrong. Perhaps that had been the reason she had run from him that night at the river. He had wanted to show her the pictures this morning. He had received them in the mail and he was sure she would like them and maybe it would open a door for him. But now he did not think it was the right thing to show her. She seemed happy with Brad and her greeting yesterday evening had been less than caring. Had Brad spent the whole night here? Had he slept there? The thought took his breath away as if he had just been hit in the stomach. His stomach burned with the fire of his jealousy. He had been wrong; he could not handle friendship with
Kara was ready by seven Saturday night. She was grateful for all the help she had received thus far on the ranch and the number of helpers had gradually started to dwindle as the shell of the pigsty and barn had been put up. She had got the idea to have a barn dance, once it was finished to thank everyone, she had already selected a steer and a boar to be slaughtered for the occasion and James had been happy to pass the word around. The party had been planned for next week Saturday and everyone had offered to bring something when they phoned her up. Matthew had also seemed impressed and had offered to bring the music and a vegetable dish. Kara was amazed at how easily she fell deeper in love with him. The Sunday they had spent at the river had her more in love with him. And his talent had impressed her. He had shown her the sketch when he was finished and she was sure it would be as good a painting as the first one he had made of her, thankfully with less bare skin being shown
He turned off the stove and took the serving plate with his coffee and headed to the dining room. Like every morning, when he found that she had set her place in the spot he had started setting her place from the beginning, he felt his heart skip a beat, hoping it was a sign that she at least cared a little. They ate in companionable silence after they had held hands while he said Grace, each busy with their own thoughts and then cleaned up together. Matthew was still trying to find a way to find out if Kara felt anything more than friendship for him. But he was afraid of the answer at the same time, was he prepared to only be friends with her for the rest of his life? What if she married; would he be able to handle the thought of another man having what he wanted? If he judged by how he felt when Brad was there, he had to probably consider breaking off the friendship if they ever became more than just friends as he knew he would not be able to handle her falling in love with a