in charge. Maybe having Hottie McHotHot involved made a difference to her; if not, then something was seriously wrong with the girl’s hormones, which she didn’t think was the case.
The good news was Carol didn’t feel bad, all things considered, as long as she didn’t move. Her ribs were still sore, and if it hadn’t been for them she’d likely have already been up trying out those crutches, at least when Sela was nowhere around. But they were, and she hadn’t. Unless Hottie carried her to the living room, she was pretty much stuck. Though . . . honestly, having him carry her back and forth wasn’t a hardship. She was old, not dead.
Sela hadn’t come for breakfast this morning; she usually did, but not always. Carol smiled at the thought. She wasn’t blind; she’d seen the way the big guy had been looking at her niece—and he’d brought bacon. These days, that was practically a marriage proposal, and she couldn’t be happier for Sela, who had never said anything but anyone with half a brain could tell that the divorce from Adam had devastated her to the point she simply hadn’t tried again. Having someone like Ben Jernigan so focused on her could only be a good thing. Ben left Adam in the dust.
Carol sighed. She was happy to leave the community leadership to Sela, but her own home needed tending. There were preparations to be made for the coming winter. Food would be a consideration until things returned to normal, if they ever did. She’d been thinking about setting up a cold frame in the backyard. Maybe she could grow lettuce and broccoli there, long before spring arrived. She wanted to help with gathering herbs and learn what each plant was and what it was good for—besides a salad of wild plants. There was wood to . . . well, she wasn’t going to chop wood, but she could stack the logs where she wanted them, nearby but not too near because she didn’t want the bugs in the wood getting into the house. The simple fact was, she couldn’t afford to lie here and let the people she was supposed to be taking care of take care of her instead. It was just wrong.
She had painted herself into a corner, and had no one but herself to blame.
She’d played up the pain and confusion when Sela was around, and would for a while longer. Why abandon a dumb-ass strategy now? At least it was somewhat working; as she’d expected, Sela was handling her new responsibilities well, so well that even the Cove Mountain Hottie was now involved.
She should probably start calling Buns of Steel by his name, because she thought he might soon become, not just a customer, not just a neighbor who was helping out during a crisis, but family. Imagine that! She might be counting her chickens before they hatched, but she didn’t think so.
Carol had no idea what Ben Jernigan was thinking, but she’d bet her ass he was focused in and moving fast to secure what he wanted. He was no fool; he knew the treasure he’d be getting in Sela.
The evidence of his interest was obvious. Not only was he now involved with the community patrol, there were the solar lights, then he’d shown up here last night and eaten supper with them. And he’d brought bacon! That must be love.
They were both definitely interested, but would either of them actually do anything about it? What could she do to help things along?
Nothing. This was no time to play matchmaker, not that she knew how or likely even needed to. Nature would take its course. It always did.
She heard the front door open and close, and immediately dropped her head back and half closed her eyes. Best to look as feeble as possible, in case that was Sela, who stopped by several times a day, as if she didn’t have anything better to do. But a moment later Carol heard Barb’s voice, followed by one she didn’t recognize.
Bored, after days in bed, Carol was tempted to make the effort to stand and take a quick peek around the corner. She could get out of the bed, and had done so several times to make short trips to the portable toilet just a few feet away. There were crutches in reach, in case she needed them—which she did, since she wasn’t supposed to put any weight on her bad leg. She didn’t make