quagmire. This did nothing to improve Amanda’s mood at all. Hoping for a distraction, she finally waddled her way to the main house.
“Hey, Mandy,” her father glanced up from a farm journal he was reading.
“Hi,” she lowered herself into a chair.
“You’re looking pretty uncomfortable,” her father noted.
“A little,” she acknowledged.
“Your mother said the last few weeks are the hardest.”
“I think I have to agree,” Amanda propped her feet on an ottoman.
“I hear you and Kevin Johnson have been seeing each other; he seems like a nice man,” her father offered. Amanda had met Kevin for a few meals; she had no idea people were saying they were dating.
“Kevin is my friend; only my friend and that is all he will ever be. I love Cade, Daddy; I know you don’t want to hear that but it’s true!” Amanda vented. “Just what do you have against Cade? You believe in him enough to help him get to go to college; why are you so against us dating?”
“I want better for you, Mandy.”
“Cade is a good man!” Amanda came to her feet, her ire rising.
“Who slept with his employer’s daughter behind his back!” her father returned.
“I am an adult and we were going to talk to you!”
“Mandy, I did not send you to college so you could marry a ranch hand.”
“He wants to be a rancher,” Amanda reminded her father.
“A rancher either; Amanda. I don’t want you to have to struggle the way your mother and I did. Good years are great but a run of bad ones can really make life miserable.”
“So it was good enough you and mom but not good enough for me?” Amanda demanded.
“It wasn’t good enough for your mom; I wasn’t good enough for your mom! Maybe if she hadn’t worked herself ragged trying to help around here she would still be alive!” Sterling stood, his face anguished.
Amanda felt her heart break for her dad. “Daddy, you are not to blame for Mom’s death.”
Amanda watched her father sway. “Daddy, are you okay?”
Sterling staggered toward the hall door before catching himself on the frame.
“Daddy,” Amanda rushed to his side as he started to crumple. “Trent! Naomi!” Amanda screamed as she tried to keep her father from slamming into the floor.
“Dad!” Trent rushed from the kitchen and grabbed their father and eased him into the floor. Naomi grabbed the phone to call nine-one-one. Amanda, tears streaming down her face, let Trent lean over their father. It felt like forever before she heard the sirens in the distance. The paramedics bustled into the room and took over, Trent standing and stepping aside. Shaking the young man into action, Naomi handed Trent the truck keys. By the time Sterling was loaded into the ambulance, Trent had the truck ready to follow them into town.
It was a tense wait as the three of them paced the waiting room. Jenny came around from her office to join them, her eyes moist with tears.
“Any word?” she asked.
“No,” Amanda shook her head.
“How’d it happen?” Jenny asked of Amanda.
“We were arguing,” Amanda admitted on tears.
“Oh, Mandy, honey; you know you didn’t cause this,” Jenny wrapped Amanda in her arms.
“I was ill and moody and I blew up over something he said.”
“Mandy, it could have happened in the barn when he was working; it’s one of those things.”
“Excuse me, are you here with Sterling Jennings?” a young doctor asked as he entered the room. They all stood and hurried to hear what he had to say. “He’s had a stroke,” the doctor informed them. “We won’t know the full extent for a while yet, but we do know it seems to have largely affected the left side of his body. Based on what we’re finding we’re starting him on a new medicine now.”
Amanda, wishing she could make the doctor’s words go away, wrapped her arms around herself. It was late that night by the time Sterling had been placed in a permanent room and they were allowed to see him. He was awake but very lethargic.
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Amanda leaned over to kiss his leathery cheek. It hurt to see her big strong daddy lying helpless in the bed. Her father tried speaking, his words so slurred Amanda had no clue what he was trying to communicate. “Rest, Daddy,” Amanda admonished him. She moved from his bedside and claimed a seat before watching her brother and aunt hover over her father. After Sterling had drifted off to sleep, the three of them moved outside to make some