Back Where You Belong by Vonnie Davis Page B

behind me and crawled in the back of the ambulance.”
    The woman’s forlorn expression tore at Lacy’s heart.
    “No problem. My treat. Do you take cream or sugar?”
    A fresh dose of tears filled the woman’s eyes and she nodded. “Both, please.” She sniffed and gave a weak smile. “My name is Shirley. Yours?”
    “Lacy, ma’am.”
    Minutes later, after she gave Olivia her soda and a candy bar, she handed the older lady a cup of tea and a pack of shortbread cookies. She had no clue how long the woman had been there. Perhaps she was hungry.
    “Oh, dearheart. How kind of you, but as I said, I have no money.”
    “Don’t worry about it. Someday you can extend a hand of friendship to a stranger. That’s the only payment I ask.” Lacy sat next to the silver-haired woman and sipped on the cup of coffee she’d gotten for herself. “How long have you been here?”
    “Over three hours. They took Ben for some tests, and I’ve been waiting.”
    The two exchanged tales as to why they were there. Strangers sharing their fears. Lacy marveled over the ease at which she and Shirley could talk about the men in their lives.
    A cool, age-spotted hand covered hers. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you? Your bull rider?”
    Her gaze flitted to Olivia who seemed engrossed in the magazine she was evidently reading from cover to cover. “Yes, I guess I am. Do you think I’m terrible for the way I lusted after him as a teenager?” At this particular moment, she could identify the ache in her heart. She missed her grandma and the long talks they’d had. Reaching out to this lady was almost like having her here to confide in again.
    Eyes clouded with cataracts regarded her. “Did you ever act on your attraction to him?”
    “No. I was so shy back then. The only thing I could talk to him about was horses. Besides, he was married.” She drank the last of her coffee. “I do know right from wrong, even if my teenage heart didn’t.”
    “What about Tyler? Did he know you were infatuated with him?”
    Her hand flew to her cheek. “Oh, I’d have died from embarrassment if he had. He was always a perfect gentleman with me. Kind. Gentle. Full of helpful tips to improve my handling of Zeus, my horse.”
    “Now he’s single and you’re grown up.” Shirley sighed. “Kismet. Just like Ben coming back to me after Viet Nam, even though we’d broken up before he shipped out.”
    A few minutes later, a nurse came for Shirley to escort her to her husband’s room. The older lady placed a hand on Lacy’s cheek. “Thank you for your kindness toward me. I’ll pray for your bull rider and for a Christmas wedding.” She winked and bustled off behind the nurse.
    Wedding? Where had that come from? Certainly not from her. She glanced over at Olivia, hoping she hadn’t heard. Although the teen’s gaze was still on the magazine, she was smiling. Oh, crap. Just like Grandma always said “little pitchers have big ears.”
    Lacy moved to her chair beside Olivia. “How much of that conversation did you hear?”
    A giggle erupted. “All of it.” She turned starry eyes on her, and pushed her glasses up on her nose. “It was the most romantic story I’ve ever heard. You’ve loved him since you were my age.” The girl was animated with the youthful gush of fabled romance. “I want my dad to get remarried. I want a real family with little brothers and sisters.”
    Oh, my God! “Whoa! Your dad and I haven’t even had our first date yet. We’re merely friends. Don’t go getting wild ideas.” She shouldn’t have poured her heart out to Shirley, especially within hearing distance of Tyler’s daughter. Would she ever learn to keep her big mouth shut?
    “But you love him,” Olivia gushed. “You’ve always loved him. I bet daddy’s always loved you, too.”
    “Honey, when I was a teenager, your dad was a married man.” She reached out to touch Olivia’s arm. “With a baby. You, my beauty. Any attraction to me would have