Chapter Nineteen

By the middle of the second week after Sissy’s fall, Ben could tell with only a glance when she was in pain and choosing to tough it out. He wanted to insist that she take a dose of medication, but he remembered how dearly she treasured her independence and realized he had to respect that. If she chose to be clearheaded rather than comfortable, that was her decision to make.

Ben didn’t rest well on Sissy’s sofa. If his head was settled on a cushion, his feet were dangling over the other end. If his feet were comfortable, his head and shoulders weren’t, and his neck developed a crick. As for turning over, it required caution or he would end up on the floor. He still didn’t trust himself to sleep with Sissy. He tossed and turned a lot, and he was afraid of hurting her.

One night when he’d been shifting around more than usual to get comfortable, he heard Sissy call him. When he went to see what she needed, she invited him to sleep beside her. “My leg is protected now. I don’t think you’ll injure me by turning over or thumping me with your knee.”

Saint Ben flew out the window so fast that Ben didn’t feel his exit. He and Sissy had been intimate, so it felt completely right to strip down to his boxers, slip between the covers, and hold her in his arms. She’d changed sides of the bed, even at night, so she was able to turn toward him and welcome him into her arms.

“You don’t have to wear boxers,” she told him as he settled cautiously on the mattress.

Ben kept them on anyway. “Think of them as behavioral modification tools.”

She giggled.

The moonlight cast her upturned face into a silver-limned silhouette. He couldn’t resist tracing the bridge of her nose. He liked the way it turned up slightly at the tip. “Have I told you today how much I love you?”

“Lots of times while you worked your butt off in my café. And when you forget to tell me, I remind myself of how worried you were when I got the cast put on. Your mom is a narc. She said you texted her twelve times while I was having it done.”

“Of course I was worried. I even got mashed potatoes all over my phone.”

“I just wish the doctor had said I can have actual sex. I’m twenty-six years old, I’ve found a man I love and trust, and I’m eager to experience the real deal.”

Ben shifted closer to hold her against him. “It’ll happen soon. Just be patient.”

“Waiting sucks.”

“So does a phone call from Barney at four thirty. He’s coming again to help me out.” Ben wanted to be buried deep inside of her as much as she wanted him to be there. She ran her hand over his chest and explored his belly. He nearly groaned. “Stop that,” he warned with a smile in his voice. “I’ll lie awake all night wanting you and end up back on the sofa in order to get some rest.”

She drew back her hand. “Don’t leave. I like having you beside me.”

Ben lay awake long after Sissy fell asleep. He yearned to make actual love to her. But when he remembered how aloof she’d been in the beginning, he couldn’t help but think how lucky he was to have even this amount of intimacy with her.

That thought remained with him as he followed her into dreamland.

*   *   *

When Sissy returned to Crystal Falls for her next X-ray, Ben closed up the restaurant for thirty minutes to walk to Flagg’s Market on East Main and buy two bottles of mulberry wine. He planned to celebrate with Sissy that night and then seduce her. Tonight, he kept thinking. Tonight I can finally make love to her.

When Kate brought Sissy home from the appointment, he instantly knew by the glum expression on Sissy’s face that she’d gotten bad news. He thought the worst and left Blackie and Ma Thomas waiting for their food while he helped Sissy upstairs, got her situated on the sofa, and then asked what the doctor had said. Sissy glanced at Kate, who was hanging her winter coat in the bedroom closet.

“I can’t. Not for another whole week.”

Ben, who’d been expecting to hear that her bone had gone out of alignment, nearly sank to the floor in relief. “So you’re okay? Nothing’s wrong? The doctor’s sure about that?”

Sissy looked up at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Did you hear me?” She shot a warning glance at Kate’s back and whispered, “I was so upset that I actually told him we were working our way around his mandate. He just laughed and said, ‘Keep at it.’”

Ben sank onto the coffee table. Aware that his mother was nearby, he whispered, “I know it’s hard. But the time will seem to fly by.”

“No, it won’t,” she insisted. “I sit up here all day. You’re busy. You have other things to occupy your mind. All I have is movies on television, and mostly they’re love stories. Then, as we fall asleep at night, we fool around, but we never actually do it.”

“Well, kiddos!” Kate chirped as she emerged from the bedroom. “It’s lasagna night. I’d better get home and start playing with pasta.”

Ben went to hug his mother. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”

Kate drew away and flapped her hand. “Don’t be silly. We went out to lunch. Sissy says the food here is better, and she’s right, but whenever I get to eat out, it’s a treat.” Kate went over to the sofa to pat Sissy’s shoulder. “We had dessert as we drove home. Now she has me hooked on Snickers bars. I’ve never eaten two giant-size ones in my life.”

Ben shot a wondering look at Sissy. She puffed out her cheeks with air and did her best to look fat. He tried to smother a laugh and snorted. Then he remembered that he had customers waiting downstairs. He needed to follow his mother out. Once on the landing, he cracked the door open to wink at Sissy. “That’s adultery, you know. Twice. And all in one afternoon.”

Sissy’s gloomy expression transformed into a smile. “They were so good! After seeing that stupid doctor, I felt better after I ate them.”

Ben was glad to see her laughing. But suddenly she stopped. “First it’s a week. Then it’s one more. What if you get tired of waiting?”

“Hell, no. I haven’t gotten tired of waiting yet, have I? Watch another romantic movie, sweetheart, and remember during all the love scenes that I am going to outclass every Snickers bar you’ve ever eaten when I come back upstairs tonight.”

*   *   *

Ben found Ma and Blackie indulging in their afternoon sweets. Ma grinned, wiped chocolate from her lip, and said, “I served us. Couldn’t see any point in just sitting here when I knew how.” She waved a hand at him. “And no need to worry about the inconvenience for me. I took an extra-large piece of cake and Blackie got two muffins.”

“That sounds like a fair trade to me.” Ben scanned the café, relieved to see no other customers. He had dinner prep done. He was learning the ropes. He could relax and visit with Sissy’s customers for a moment. He rested his folded arms on the serving side of the counter, which put a crick in his back. “Sissy is bored out of her skull up there.”

Ben didn’t know where that had come from, but judging by the worried expressions on Ma and Blackie’s faces, he wasn’t wrong to feel concerned.

“Oh, poor thing,” Ma said. “Of course she’s bored. She’s always been so busy. Now all she can do is sit with her leg up.”

Blackie went harrumph and said, “Just bring her downstairs.”

“I can’t bring her downstairs,” Ben said. “She has to keep her leg elevated.”

Blackie polished off his first muffin and took a gulp of coffee. “You ever heard of a lawn lounge? It comes with cushions, sort of like a mattress.”

“I know,” Ben said, not getting Blackie’s point. “My mom has a really nice one.”

“Then, for God’s sake, borrow it. Set it up for Sissy down here. Bring down pillows to elevate her leg. You can find a place for it.”

Ma clapped her hands. “Oh, Blackie, that’s brilliant.”

Ben nodded. “She could be part of everything. Visit with people. Tell me every time I screw up. Throw me some Hail Mary passes when I get in trouble. She’ll love it.”

*   *   *

Sissy didn’t understand why Ben awakened her at four thirty in the morning, told her to get dressed, and was now encouraging her to go downstairs on crutches for no good reason. “Has something gone wrong in the kitchen?”

“No, it’s something good, not bad.”

“At first I thought it would be easier going down. But it isn’t. I’d blame it on being top-heavy, but I don’t have any boobs.”

Ben backed down the stairs in front of her, ready to grab her if she got overbalanced. “Your breasts are the perfect size for your build. And you do have some. Trust me, I notice things like that. Just get your butt downstairs.”

“But why?”

“There’s a surprise for you.”

“Well, it had better be good,” she grumped. “Sleeping in until almost noon makes the day seem shorter. You never get upstairs until at least ten.”

Ben bit back a laugh. “As soon as you’re well, I’ll return to my ranch, and then I can bitch at you for keeping odd hours.”

Ben had already turned on the lights. When she got to the main floor, he expected her to notice the lounge, perfectly positioned for her to see the customers while they dined and also look into the kitchen. Instead she froze and said, “Oh, my gosh, who decorated for Halloween? Is it almost the end of the month?”

“My mom and sisters did it.”

Black and orange garlands graced the walls, sporting witches and pumpkins. The tables and counter had been festooned with plastic pumpkins nestled in fall foliage, with battery-operated tea lights flickering inside the jack-o’-lantern globes.

“Oh, Ben. Thank you for bringing me down. I never had time to do much decorating. I did brighten things up for Christmas, mostly by stringing lights. This is just darling.”

Seeing the decorations through Sissy’s eyes, Ben had to admit they looked awesome. “They’re pretty good. But if you hired help, you’d have more time, and seasonal decorating wouldn’t be so overwhelming.”

She relaxed her weight on the underarm cushions of her crutches. He knew how tender her armpits probably were. Swinging one’s weight on the equivalent of two sticks bruised the flesh after a couple of days, but Sissy hadn’t complained. “Well, it’s just delightful,” she told him.

“That isn’t what I brought you down to see. Look to your left.”

Sissy inched her crutches around and saw the lounge chair. “What’s that for?”

“You. It’s time for you to be part of the action down here again. I’ll bring your pillows. Instead of watching television, you can visit with your customers and give me helpful tips when I get overwhelmed.”

“Oh, Ben.” Her face glowed with happiness. “You are so sweet.”

“Actually, it was Blackie’s idea. I just ran with it.”

“You’re both sweet. But you’re the sweetest. Today will be so much fun.”

Ben bent to kiss her—a quick kiss, because he had to get into the kitchen and prepare for the breakfast rush. “I tried to put this in the kitchen. God knows I could use you in there. But no matter how I positioned it, there wasn’t room.”

Sissy reclined on the lounge. Ben ran up to grab the pillows and a blanket. Then he handed over her cell phone, freshly charged. “I have lists made out for each supplier. Your first job of the day will be to call in your orders.”

“A job? I get to do a job!” She sounded as excited as she might have if he’d just told her he was flying her to Paris for a weekend getaway. “It’ll be good to feel useful again. And reconnected with the world. Halloween totally sneaked up on me.”

“Until business hours you can talk to me and keep me company while I work.”

She grinned up at him. “Get plenty of eggs out. They’re easier to work with at room temperature.”

*   *   *

The days sped by once Sissy began spending them downstairs. All her customers stopped to chat, and now Sissy had time to engage with them. They raved about the farm-fresh eggs. She heard about Ben’s first days in the kitchen, how Ma had taught him to run a cash register and make change, and how many of the customers had pitched in to help. But what really blew Sissy’s mind was that Christopher abandoned the booth he always occupied to move a table next to her lounge so he could visit with her while he ate.

As Halloween drew near, Sissy’s excitement about the upcoming holiday mounted. It fell on a Monday, and she had an appointment with her surgeon that afternoon. That Friday, right before the holiday, Sissy, ensconced on her lounge, waited until no customers were in the café to remind Ben of her appointment. He grinned and winked at her. “Do I know a lady with her mind in the gutter?”

“No, I can’t be accused of that. In all those movies I watched, the real deal gets blipped out.”

Ben threw back his head and guffawed. When his mirth subsided, he said, “Maybe I should rent you some porn.”

“Yuck. It’ll be much more fun to let you surprise me.”

He glanced toward the front door to make sure nobody was about to come in and leaned down to kiss her so hungrily that the toes of her left foot curled in delight. “Brace yourself. Our countdown has begun, and I may be full of surprises.”

“Tell me,” she whispered.

“Oh, no. I do my best telling with my actions.”

“I can’t wait.”

*   *   *

When Halloween finally arrived, Sissy returned from her appointment in Crystal Falls so filled with excitement that she could barely contain herself. When she entered the café on crutches, Ben, working in the kitchen, looked out at her through the pass-through window. She loosened her hold on one crutch to jab her thumb in the air. His sun-burnished face creased in a broad grin. Then, apparently oblivious to the fact that the café was packed with customers wanting early dinners, he strode from the kitchen, grabbed Sissy up in a crushing bear hug, and twirled around with her in his arms. Her walking aids fell willy-nilly to the floor. And then, right there in front of God and everybody, he kissed her.

Shouts and whistles filled the dining area. Some customers even clapped. Christopher Doyle shouted, “You owe me fifty bucks, Charlie Bogart! I told you they were sparking! What man in his right mind would do all this for a woman he didn’t love?”

Drake Mullin, the new pharmacist who, with Kate’s help, was finally operating in the black, laughed and said, “I knew he loved her when he brought her home from the hospital.”

As Ben released Sissy and steadied her, Sissy felt her cheeks go fiery with embarrassment. Everyone knew. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that until Ben straightened and got her crutches back under her arms. When she looked up at him and saw the love for her in his expression, she decided that she was the happiest woman on earth, and she didn’t care who knew it.

Ben turned to face all the customers in the dining area. “Sissy got great news from her doctor. Her leg is healing well. It’s a milestone for her, so I’m closing at eight tonight so we can celebrate!”

“Not to rain on your parade, Ben,” Charlie yelled back, “but you can’t close early! Every trick-or-treater in town will soap your windows.”

Blackie slid off his barstool. “All that means is that we should start celebrating now! The first round of drinks is on me!”

Ben laughed, helped Sissy out of her coat and onto the lounge, and then hurried behind the counter to make drinks.

Sissy settled back on the cushions, anticipating the night to come. Through the front windows of the café, she saw that it was spitting snow outside. When darkness fell, small witches and goblins would enter the café. Ben had placed a large plastic tub of wrapped candies at the end of the bar. She noticed that several of the diners had cameras and wondered why they didn’t take photos of the kids with their phones. She guessed that some older folks didn’t think about their communication devices serving dual purposes.

Ben served her butternut squash soup and homemade bread with a crunchy crust for dinner. She enjoyed every bite. After he took her tray, he got her up on her crutches and moved the lounge closer to the front door so she could enjoy all the kids. She took out her phone, put it into camera mode, and chatted with customers while she waited for the first child to arrive.

*   *   *

Ben hadn’t expected his whole family to show up for trick-or-treat night. Normally they stayed home to hand out candy. But tonight they’d left tubs of treats on their porches with a note that read, NO MORE THAN TWO PIECES. The thought made Ben smile. Not every kid in Mystic Creek could be trusted to abide by the honor system. His parents and siblings might go home to find their windows soaped and their bushes draped in toilet paper.

Even so, he was glad to have everyone dear to him at this impromptu Halloween party. The mood was festive. The customers seemed to love the special Halloween menu, especially the caramel apple pudding he’d made for dessert. Keeping an eye on Sissy as he worked in the kitchen to fill orders, Ben realized that she truly enjoyed seeing all the kids in their costumes. That made him wonder if Sissy had ever gone trick-or-treating, and his heart ached, because he felt certain she hadn’t. She was the woman who’d never believed in Santa Claus.

Finally, nine o’clock came, and Ben was able to close up the restaurant. His family, all worried about Halloween tricksters, hadn’t volunteered to help tonight. When everyone had left, he followed Sissy upstairs to make sure she had no mishaps during the ascent. Then he began after-dinner cleanup and breakfast prep.

Damn. He felt as nervous as a teenage boy as he grabbed a flashlight and made his nightly trek outside to lock up Sissy’s chicken coop. Minutes later as he mounted the stairs to her flat, he had two bottles of mulberry wine in the crook of his arm, a ring in his pocket, and sweaty palms. As much as he yearned to make love to her, a part of him was afraid that he’d somehow muck up his well-rehearsed plans. Ridiculous. He wasn’t an inexperienced kid. He’d been with Sissy in every intimate way they’d been allowed. The only difference tonight would be that they’d go all the way.

When he entered the flat, he found Sissy watching a flick on television. He caught only a glimpse of the screen before she blacked it out, but he felt certain she’d been deep into a love scene. He smiled, remembering the night they’d broken into the vet clinic and how she’d tried to prepare herself mentally to commit a crime. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d just caught her doing another mental prep.

She had her leg resting on pillows atop the coffee table where he usually sat while she reclined on the sofa. He put the wine in the kitchen, relieved that reds needn’t be thoroughly chilled. He dried his palms on his jeans and strode toward the couch to sit beside her.

He came to an abrupt halt when he circled the end table and saw more of her than the blue cast and the back of her head. She wore one of those sexy, black slip things that reached only to the tops of her thighs. Ben couldn’t remember what they were called, but he did know she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever clapped eyes on, cast and all.

“Are you still hungry? I didn’t give you all that much for dinner.” The moment he spoke, he wanted to kick himself. She was wearing a touch of makeup and very little else. Even from four feet away, he caught the flirtatious scent of her perfume. “I, um—dear God, Sissy, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

She splayed the fingers of a slender hand over her breasts, which had been enticingly displayed by a V of black lace. “I— No, I’m not hungry. Are you okay? If you don’t like this, I can find a gown or—something. Would nothing at all be better?”

“Not like it?” Ben’s brains felt as scrambled as eggs whipped with a wire whisk. “You look fabulous. Beautiful. You just caught me by surprise. I didn’t expect you to dress special.” He glanced down at himself and felt like a street person who’d crashed a formal party. The toe of one boot sported a glob of what looked like dried butternut soup. And he didn’t smell like flowers, more like garlic and onions. “I think I need to grab a shower—and shave.”

Her blue eyes clung to his. “I’ve blown it. Haven’t I?”

Ben shook his head. “The only thing you’ve blown is my mind. You’re so beautiful I couldn’t spit if you yelled, ‘Fire.’” Now that was romantic. He raked his hand through his hair and wished he was wearing his hat. Only, a cook didn’t wear a Stetson. A chef’s hat, maybe. “I brought up wine. Mulberry.”

She tipped her head to search his expression. “Ben, are you nervous?”

“Hell, yes.”

Her mouth curved in a smile. “Oh, I’m so glad. Me, too. A glass of wine sounds perfect. Don’t leave me to go shower. If I sit here all alone one second longer, wondering how badly the first time will hurt, I’m going to chicken out.”

Ben glanced at the wine he’d left on the table. “Can I leave you long enough to open a bottle and fill two goblets?”

She nodded. Ben hurried into the kitchen. He fished in a drawer for the opener. Then he bungled his first try to penetrate the cork with the screw. When he poured the wine, pieces of the stopper floated in the liquid. He thought, What the hell? and fished it all out with his finger.

When he returned to the living room, he handed Sissy one goblet and circled the coffee table to sit beside her. As he lowered himself onto the couch cushion, he slopped wine on his jeans.

“Son of a bitch.”

Sissy giggled as he wiped at the denim with his hand. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be in a dither.”

Ben took a deep breath. “Yeah, I know. It’s just—well, this is the most important night of my life. I want it to be perfect, and now I’m screwing it up.”

She lifted her glass. “Drink. Maybe after a glass or two, we’ll both calm down. And you haven’t screwed it up.” She took a dainty sip, savoring the taste. “In fact, you’re doing everything so right. I wanted to be sophisticated and casual about this, so I ordered this camisole online especially for tonight.” Her cheeks went pink, making her look even more beautiful. “Only, I don’t know how to be casual and sophisticated.” She lifted her glass again. “Wine for courage first. And then I want you.”

Ben thought she already had more courage in her little finger than most people did. “Wine for courage,” he agreed. “I can go for that.” He took a large swallow. “I hope you aren’t feeling pressured into this just because the doctor gave you the go-ahead today.”

She shook her head. “You’ve never made me feel pressured. Well, maybe at the beginning I felt a little hemmed in, but it was nothing you did. I was carrying a lot of baggage.” She set her wine on the end table and shifted to get more comfortable. The lacy hem of the camisole inched up. As usual, she wasn’t wearing panties because they wouldn’t fit over her Dumbo cast. Ben wanted her so badly that he nearly strangled on a swallow of mulberry. “I am feeling a little worried about tonight, though.” Her cheeks went rosy again. “I have no protection on hand and couldn’t get any because it was too icy outside for me to try going up the street on crutches. I absolutely could not work up the guts to ask your mother to go into the pharmacy to buy me condoms. Driving was out. In Aunt Mabel’s SUV, there’s a center console, making it impossible to get my right leg out of the way.”

Ben could only smile. “I’ve been thinking about making love to you for days. I knew today might be it, so I came prepared.”

She glanced at the living room window, blackened by night. “The only thing to make tonight more perfect would be if we had a mulberry moon.”

Ben would have treasured an opportunity to make love to her in a silvery wash of moonlight coming through the window. “Aw, but we have a new moon tonight. In a way, that’s even better. A new moon and new beginnings. And any moon can be a mulberry moon if a couple is drinking mulberry wine.”

She took another sip. “You may be right. I’m feeling less nervous now.”

“Me, too. I do have one stipulation before I make love to you, though.”

“A stipulation?” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with questions.

“I need to know, before we take our relationship to that level, that you’ll be my forever lady.”

She gazed up at him for what seemed to him a very long while. Then she shook her head no. “I can’t promise that,” she said. “Sooner or later, my parents will track me down, wanting to borrow money, if for no other reason. You don’t comprehend just how horrible my father is, or how stupid my mother is for staying with him. If you still want this to be a forever thing after you meet them, I may consider saying yes.”

“I don’t care about your parents,” he told her. “Bottom line, you may be linked to them by blood, but in every other way, you’re your own person and separate from them. I meant what I just said. I can’t do the casual sex thing with you. Been there, done that, and I’m finished with it. You’re special to me. Everything about you is special. I love you. I’ve been searching for you all my adult life. If you refuse to make a commitment to me, I know I’ll never find anyone quite like you again. You’re it for me, the one and only woman I’ll ever love.”

“But—”

“No buts,” he said, cutting her off. “You’re precious to me. I want tonight to be the beginning of something beautiful and wonderful between us.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes, and without her saying a word, he believed he’d won the argument. He set his wine goblet on the table, eased off the sofa, and went down on one knee beside her. He withdrew a small velvet box from his pants pocket. Holding it on his palm, he said, “This is one of the reasons I was so nervous earlier.” He opened the box. The diamond ring glistened in the overhead light. “Will you marry me, Sissy?”

She looked at it, even stretched a finger toward it, and he knew she was tempted. But then she pulled her hand back and her expression changed.

“But, Ben, aside from the fact that my parents are crazy, I know absolutely nothing about my relatives. I’ve never met my grandparents. I must have aunts and uncles and cousins somewhere, but I know nothing about them. What if they’re all nuts?”

Ben studied her face, memorizing every sweet line and angle of her features. “You aren’t. That’s all I care about. You, Sissy. Only about you.”

“What if I’m the only sane one of the bunch?” she asked, her voice trembling. “What if we have a child and it’s mentally off like my father?”

“We won’t.” Ben had never felt more certain of anything. “Children’s characters are formed mostly by their parents. Studies have proven that. We’ll raise our kids in a sane and loving environment, and they’ll be products of what they’re taught from the moment they’re born.”

“I wasn’t raised in a sane environment.”

“No. But you rose above it. As soon as you could, you left all the insanity behind you and began creating a normal life. You defied all the statistics. You’re atypical, which is a remarkable thing. You’re nothing like your parents. You’re an individual and beautifully unique. And out of all the women I’ve ever met, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved. Are you going to break my heart and say no?”

“I—don’t know.” Tears slipped over her lower lashes to create silvery trails on her cheeks. They yanked his heart out. He knew she wanted to say yes. He also knew this was a time to shut up and let her make her own decision without any more pressure. She looked again at the ring box, bit her lower up, and swung her gaze up to meet his. For nearly a minute neither of them moved.

Then a tentative smile lifted the corners of her mouth, and her eyes began to sparkle with something far deeper than tears. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, yes, yes. Of course I’ll marry you. For me, you’re a dream come true.”

Ben tugged the ring out of the box, grasped her left hand, and slipped the gold band onto her finger. Sissy stared down at it. “It’s so beautiful, the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. How did you know my size?”

“It’s not as beautiful as you are.” Ben took her right hand in his and pulled the mood ring off her finger. “I slipped this off while you were sleeping one morning, drove to Creative Jewelry Designs, and got it sized. I slipped it on your finger again when I got back. You can keep the mood ring if you like, but you don’t need to wear it anymore as a reminder of all the things you never want in your life again. You’re not like your mother, and as long as I have breath left in my body, your father will never lay a hand on you again.” He tucked the mood ring into the velvet box and closed the lid. “Tonight we’re both saying good-bye to the past and hello to new beginnings.”