The Paralyzed Dream (COMPLETED)

Chapter Six

     Luella called Lacey into the kitchen a few hours later. Lacey slipped herself into her wheelchair, then rolled herself into the kitchen. "Yes, mom?" Lacey responded.
     "Would you like to help me out with supper? I'm makin' that chicken stuff y'all love."
      "Sure. Just tell me what to do."
     "Here." Luella turned from her cutting board to face Lacey. She handed Lacey a large bowl of green beans fresh picked from the garden. "You can start by snapping these beans."
     Lacey took the big bowl of beans and placed her wheelchair next to her mom. She began snapping then ends off the green beans, one of her favorite things to do in the kitchen.
     "So...uh, you and Slade..." Luella looked away from her cutting board to give Lacey a look.
     "What about me and Slade?" Lacey asked, meeting her mom's gaze.
     "Well, y'all were looking pretty comfortable on the couch together..."
     Lacey groaned, but inwardly smiled at the memory. "We were just watching a movie."
     "Looked like more than a movie to me."
     "Relax mom, we are just friends." Lacey said, throwing some snapped green beans into the saucepan.
     "I'm just sayin' that I saw what was about to happen. He was about to kiss you, wasn't he?" Luella tried to sound innocent, but it wasn't working.
     Luella had always been Lacey's confidant and friend, but for some reason, Lacey couldn't bring herself to tell her mom that she had feelings for Slade...or thought she did...or does...
     "Like I said, we were watchin' a movie." Lacey reiterated.
     "What was this movie about? Or do you not remember?" Luella winked at Lacey.
     "I remember, mom." Lacey roller her eyes at her mom. "It was a comedy movie. It was really funny. Slade picked it out." Lacey replied in short sentences.
     "That's good. And just so we're clear," Luella bent backwards to make sure there was no one in the hallway, then bent down to Lacey. She whispered, "I think that y'all would make an adorable couple."
     "Mom! I told you. We are just friends." Lacey quickly defended, a smile quickly rising to her lips.
     "Friends don't kiss, Lacey." Luella said, standing back upright. She resumed cutting up an onion.
     "We didn't kiss, mama." Lacey said, a slightly sad tone in her voice.
     "But you almost did..." Luella prodded, raising her eyebrows at Lacey. She paused. "But that doesn't matter." Luella waved her hand in the air as if to shoo away the thought. "Tell me about what y'all did after therapy."
      "Well, Slade took me out to lunch at Amarillo's, then we came home. I showed him where the truck keys were in the tool room, then we came inside and got ice cream and watched the movie." Lacey summed up her amazing day with Slade.
     Luella laid her knife down to look at Lacey. "Slade was able to get you out to the barn?!" Luella said in surprise.
     "Yeah. But it was just to the tool room. And I didn't look at any of the horses or anything. He just-"
     "Oh, but honey, you went outside. That's the exciting thing. I'm so happy for you!" Luella bent down to hug Lacey.
     "Hey, you ladies need any help in here?" A deep voice behind Lacey and Luella asked. The ladies turned and saw Slade standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
     "Yes. Go get cleaned up and put on clean clothes. Then come back, and we may have a job for you." Luella said to Slade with a smile on her face. Slade was covered in mud and grease. He held his black cowboy hat in his hand, but the mud on it made it look like it was black with brown splotches. There was a streak of mud or grease or something on Slade's cheek and it took everything in Lacey to not roll over there and clean whatever it was off of his cheek for him. Lacey was excited to hear the story that was bound to follow Slade and Ryder's adventure. Maybe she'd make him tell her tomorrow on their date. Lacey quickly stopped herself. It wasn't a date. Neither was today.
     Right after Slade walked out of the kitchen, a quick blur running down the hallway next to the kitchen made Lacey turn her thoughts away from Slade and to the person running around the house. Lacey saw a trail of mud following the little feet.
     "Ryder Zane Ferry, you turn right back around here and take your muddy boots outside!" Lacey very rarely hears her mom use that motherly tone, but she's heard it used a lot more recently...all because of some kind of mayhem that Ryder managed to get himself in to.
Slow clicks against the hardwood floors from Ryder's boots told Lacey and Luella that Ryder realized he was busted. Sure enough, a small, muddy frame showed up in the doorway of the kitchen. "I'm sorry, ma, I was tryin' to get upstairs before you saw me. I know I tracked mud all over the house. I promise I'll clean it all up."
     "It's okay, Ryder. Just go take your boots off now and leave them on the front porch." Luella stood in the kitchen with a hand on her hip. The other rested on the cutting board with a knife in it. Lacey inwardly chuckled at her mom. Occasionally she might sound angry, but in reality, she could never hurt a fly. "And take your shirt off too and leave it outside. We will hose it off later. When you go upstairs, get clean clothes and change in the bathroom. I want you sparkling clean when you come down for supper, you understand?"
     "Yes, mama." Ryder sniffed the air. "Are you makin' that chicken stuff?" Ryder's face lit up.
Luella's body language relaxed more; her hand was no longer on her hip, and a smile replaced the motherly scowl on her face. "Yes I am, but I can't cook when I have to deal with boys wearin' their muddy boots in the house."
     "Sorry mama." Ryder said in that innocent voice.
     "It's alright, Ryder, just go take your boots off outside." Luella watched Ryder go outside; only then did she turn back to her cooking.
     Lacey inhaled as she turned back to cooking the green beans. Supper did smell delicious. Grabbing a spoon from the crock on the counter beside the stove, Lacey stirred the fresh beans boiling on the stove.
     As supper cooked, Lacey and her mom made small talk. They talked about physical therapy, Paige and Brooke, Slade, and other little things. Several minutes later, a clean Slade showed up in the kitchen again. Ryder was standing right beside him, all cleaned up as well.
     Slade and Lacey made eye contact, and Slade walked further into the kitchen. "What can I help with in here?" The question was directed to both Lacey and Luella, but Slade was looking just at Lacey.
     "Well, Slade, we have everything pretty much handled as far as the cooking goes, but if you want, you can grab a towel and clean off the table, and then gets plates, silverware, and glasses for everyone." Luella said, busily sautéing the onions in the skillet.
     "Yes ma'am." Slade replied and walked past Lacey and Luella.
     The smell of Slade's deodorant filled Lacey's nostrils as Slade waked past; although the scent was faint, it smelled delicious. Lacey realized that it was the same deodorant that he was wearing this morning when he picked her up, carefully setting her in his truck after physical therapy. Lacey had naturally fallen against him at that time and she caught a whiff of the same scent. 
     Slade brushed past Lacey again with the place settings in hand and Ryder tagging along behind him with the wet rag.
     Again, Lacey could smell his deodorant. Everything in her wished it was just a few hours ago when they were alone on the couch so that she could be close to Slade again and breath in the scent of his deliciously smelling self. She caught herself smiling as she remembered their 'almost kiss' and how Slade promised it would happen...later. Lacey quickly looked to Slade to see if he caught her smiling, but his back was to her as he set the table.
     Once Willie, Ryder, Slade, and Zane were all seated at the table, Lacey and Luella brought out supper. After all the food was set out, Lacey looked to the chair next to Slade, in hopes of sitting next to him, but Ryder was already sitting there, glued to Slade's side. Lacey took the spot directly across from Slade, next to Willie. "Let's say grace. Bow your heads with me." Zane said. The family all held hands and prayed over their food, then dug in.
     As always, Luella's chicken supper was absolutely delicious. There was no chicken left over whatsoever from the large meal. Once everyone was finished, Lacey began clearing the plates and other dishes. Slade saw her and immediately jumped up to help, grabbing primarily the leftover side dishes. Luella walked back into the dining room for her second load of dishes, but Slade stopped her. "Let Lacey and I do this, ma'am." Slade told her, taking the plates from her hands. "You go sit down and relax." Slade smiled at Luella. 
     "Thank you, Slade. That's very kind of you." Luella smiled and brushed some hair off of her forehead, then headed out of the dining room behind her husband.
     Ryder and Willie also brought dishes into the kitchen, and after the load was dropped off, Willie left, heading outside, but Ryder insisted on staying...right next to Slade.
     Slade saw him and looked at Lacey, then back down to Ryder. "Why don't you go outside and practice with your new rope? I'll be out in a bit to watch ya." Slade smiled down at him.
     Ryder shrugged. "Alright." He said and turned to go outside.
     "Alright. Remember what I told you about hand position." Slade said, making Ryder turn back around.
     "You sound like Lacey." Ryder rolled his eyes.
     "Oh I do, do I?" Slade asked. Ryder nodded. "Well, then that makes two of us sayin' the same thang. You better get out there and practice then." Slade said to Ryder. Lacey noticed that Slade was standing closer to her then he was just a little bit ago.
     "Okay. Only if you promise to watch me later." Ryder said from the doorway.
     "I promise." Slade said, raising his right hand as if making an oath.
     An excited Ryder turned to Lacey, "Will you come watch me too, Lacey? You were always my teacher."
     Lacey ignored Slade's glance. She knew if she looked at him, his silver-blue eyes would convince her to go outside. "I'm pretty plum tuckered, Ryder. Tomorrow, maybe. Okay?"
     Ryder's shoulders seemed to slump. "Okay." He replied, with his head down; Defeated, Ryder turned and walked outside.
     Slade and Lacey turned back to their task in the kitchen. For the first time since supper, Lacey made eye contact with Slade. It was his smile that gave it away. He was trying to get people out of the kitchen so that he could be alone with Lacey. Inwardly, she was wondering if he wanted this time alone so that he could fulfill his promise from earlier, when they almost kissed, or maybe to ask her out on an official date, or...
     "Alright, let's get workin' on these dishes." Slade said, turning back to the sink. Or he wanted to be alone with her to...do the dishes?
     Slade rolled the sleeves up on his shirt and plunged his hands into the soapy water. Lacey busied herself at the kitchen island, putting the leftovers in to smaller containers.
     "So, you rope?" Slade asked, breaking the silence.
     "Used to." Lacey said plainly.
     "You don't anymore?" Slade asked, looking over his shoulder at Lacey.
     She met his gaze. "No."
     Slade seemed to be thinking about what to say next. "Why'd you stop?" He asked, prying, but asking honestly. He stopped washing dishes to give Lacey his attention.
     "Just because." Lacey said. Truth is, she loved to rope. Even more then barrel racing, and that's saying a lot. She did team roping several times in rodeo, and was really good at it, but then her partner and horse got hurt in a car wreck while driving to a team roping jackpot, and was unable to compete for quite a while. Lacey's partner's horse ended up breaking his leg; thankfully, with surgery, the horse recovered, but his rodeoing days were over. Phoebe, Lacey's partner, recovered quickly from the car wreck, but by the time she healed, and got her other roping horse in shape, it was too late. Lacey had her barrel racing accident. Phoebe was one of Lacey's best friends before her accident, but they quickly lost contact, which was mainly Lacey's fault because she shut everyone out after the accident. To this day, Lacey wishes they had kept in touch. In a depressed state, Lacey deleted almost everyone's number off of her phone right after Jeremy broke up with her; Phoebe's number amongst one of the unfortunate. Brooke was one of the only people who's contact with Lacey never faltered after her accident. She was a true friend to Lacey, and her only true friend at this point. Every time Lacey goes up to her room, she sees several lariats hanging on the wall, with her roping bag in the corner below them, and she wishes she never stopped. She often misses roping; it was one of her favorite things to do on the ranch, especially during a cattle drive or during branding season, but roping is kinda hard to do from a wheelchair and in a house, since it requires riding a horse, something Lacey's knows she'll never be able to do again.
    Slade gave her a look that said he knew there was more to the story, but he just shrugged it off, and turned back to the dishes. After Lacey got all of the leftovers into smaller containers, and put them into the fridge, she rolled over to help Slade with the dishes. He handed them to her, and she put them into the dishwasher. They made a great team and were done in just a matter of minutes.
     Lacey's family was no where to be seen from the kitchen. She almost wondered if her mom was peeking behind the doorway, spying on Slade and Lacey as they worked in the kitchen.
After the dishes were done and the table cleared off and wiped down, Slade turned to Lacey. "I better fulfill my promise to Ryder. I'm fixin' to head out to watch him rope. I'd enjoy the company; do you want to come out with me? You don't have to stay out for long, if'n you don't want to."
     Lacey thought it over. "I'll come out. But not for long." Lacey said; she decided that she was going outside just so she could spend time with Slade, nothing else, especially not because she was missing the fresh air or anything...
     A huge smile crept on Slade's face. "Okay. Great." He responded and motioned for Lacey to follow him outside.
     Lacey was good for a while. She did okay going outside and into the yard, but once they got closer to the barn, that's when the panic began to set in.
     Ryder was outside in the grassy area to the left of the barn. He had his plastic steer head roping dummy attached to a straw bale.
     Lacey couldn't count the countless times that she had roped from that exact spot. It's the same spot that she learned to rope and that she taught Ryder to rope at. The ground around the dummy was even worn down, almost to a dirt patch from the umpteenth times it had been roped from.
     Although inwardly Lacey was having a panic attack, outwardly she kept her cool as her and Slade made their way to Ryder.
     Ryder was a very good roper for a six year old. He had his groundwork down pat, and he could rope off a horse just as good. There were times, before her accident, when Lacey would be roping with Ryder and he would rope flawlessly when she drove the four wheeler with the fake plastic steer attached to the back of it. Lacey noticed though, that as soon as she would release a live steer or calf into the arena, Ryder would get really excited and that's when he starts to make mistakes. Some things were smaller, such as allowing too much slack, or keeping the reins on his horse too tight. Other mistakes were bigger, however. Multiple times, Ryder got so excited that he would forget to dally after he caught.
     "I really like this new rope. Dad said that it's a harder rope so it'll take longer to break in, so I'm goin' to practice with it as much as I can for the next year. Mama said that if I keep growin' as quick and as much as I have been, I'll be usin' a 35 foot rope by the end of the year!" Ryder wasn't really talking to anyone in particular; he was kind of just talking to hear himself talk.
     "Yeah. I think I agree with your mom. You've grown a lot even in the short time that I've worked here." Slade said to Ryder.
     Ryder stopped roping for a second and looked up at Slade and then looked to Lacey as if he just realized that they were watching him. "I'm glad that y'all came out. Slade, you got Lacey to come out too! I've been wantin' her to come out, but she keeps sayin' that she's too tired or somethin'. I told her the other day that Smokey really misses her, but I don't know if she believes me." Ryder said innocently and prepared his rope for another throw.
     Lacey's smile faded. Slade looked over at her. He could read the obvious hurt and heartache that she was suffering from. Judging by the look on her face, Slade could tell that Lacey was remembering her accident with Smokey. Knowing nothing he could say would help her, Slade stood closer to Lacey and bent down, resting a hand on her shoulder.
     Lacey looked up at Slade. Everything in her wanted to turn her wheelchair around and go back inside the house, but Lacey wasn't a quitter. She needed to stop being so selfish; she had declined every single one of Ryder's requests to go outside, it was about time she finally followed through on her "I'll come out later" promise. 

     Instead of bolting for the house, like she normally would've, Lacey met Slade's concerned eyes. When she felt his thumb rubbing comforting circles on her shoulder, Lacey placed her hand on top of his, a silent gesture of gratitude and appreciation.
     "Can I saddle up my horse so I can practice off of him?" Ryder asked excitedly. 
     Without hesitating, or looking at Lacey, Slade replied, "You've roped for a long while already tonight, why don't we give your rope a break?"
     "Only if you promise to let me ride tomorrow."
     Slade chuckled, his arm still placed on Lacey's shoulder. "No promises, bud. I'm takin' your sister out."
     "Ew, like on a date?" Ryder made a face.
     Slade chuckled awkwardly. He hesitated. Lacey looked up at him, secretly hoping he'd say yes. "Get your rope coiled up. We have work to do."
     Lacey dropped her hand from Slade's. So, tomorrow wasn't a date? She tried not to let her shoulders slump in disappointment, but by the look on Slade's face, her disappointment was evident. His hand dropped from her shoulder.
     Slade and Lacey locked eyes. It was almost like Slade was trying to tell her something, but what, Lacey couldn't be sure. Drawing her eyes away, Lacey cleared her throat, "Yeah, I have stuff I have to do too, so I'm gonna head inside." She said and put her hands on the wheels of her wheelchair. A firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. Lacey didn't look up at Slade.
     "Ryder, I'm gonna go get your sister situated inside, you get two horses brushed down and I'll take you out on a ride and we can do some ropin'. Sound good?"
     Ryder's face lit up. "Really?!"
    "Yeah, bud. I'll be out in a bit, okay?"
     Ryder was already running to the barn, lariat in tow. Slade grabbed the handles of Lacey's wheelchair and pushed her to the ramp without a word from Lacey.
     Once inside, Slade mentioned Ryder and how good of a roper he was. "You taught him well, Lace." Slade said, wheeling Lacey into the living room.
     "Thanks, but he is a born natural." Lacey said, rejecting the compliment.
     "Every professional had a teacher someone along the way, even the ones who were 'naturals'." Slade responded, winking at Lacey.
     "Yeah." Lacey said, unsure what else to say. "You're really good with kids, Slade. Thank you for your help with him. He really looks up to you, ya know?"
     Slade shifted. There was that glazed look in his eyes that told Lacey he was thinking about his past again. "I've had a lot of experience with young kids. I have a few younger siblings."
     "Oh you do? That explains why you're so good with kids. Are you the oldest of your siblings then?" Lacey asked. She realized that there was so much about Slade that she didn't know. How could she like a man that she barely knew? But somehow, she did...
     "Yeah." Slade said plainly. He shifted uncomfortably. Lacey got the hint...Slade didn't want to talk about his past.
     "So, uh, I'm really lookin' forward to tomorrow." Lacey said, changing the subject. She secretly hoped that bringing it up would clarify if Slade thought it was a date.
     "Me too." Slade said, smiling. "I'm gonna go take Ryder on a trail ride. You want to join us?"
     "I don't ride anymore." Lacey said sadly, refusing to look up at Slade.
     "Why not?" Slade asked, not trying to prod, or push, but simply to find out more about this girl he was starting to really like.
     "Just don't. Haven't since my accident." Lacey talking about her accident was about like Slade talking about his past. They both had something that they hated talking about. Either Slade knows about Lacey's accident and wants to help her, or he doesn't know but thinks he's helping.
     "Okay. It's your choice, then." Slade smiled. He looked over at the clock on the end table, then told Lacey, "I really should get back to work, but I had a lot of fun with you today. We really should do it more often. And, I'm lookin' forward to tomorrow."
     "Me too." Lacey replied, meeting Slade's gaze.
     "Good. It's a date. See ya then." Slade replied, smiling. Without so much as a blink, Slade left the living room and headed outside.
     Lacey tried to process, but not over analyze what Slade just said. He had said the three words she had been dying to hear ever since he started working at the ranch. Those three words were: "It's a date."
     Lacey smiled as she read her book in the living room. Her smile wasn't from her book, however. No, her smile was because of what tomorrow could bring. A date with Slade. She felt like a girl living a fairytale.