Clouds and Rain

“At least wear my oilskin then? It‟s a lot warmer than your coat, and since it‟s raining again….” Gable didn‟t finish his sentence.
    “Okay,” Flynn conceded.
    Gable smiled. Getting Flynn out of the house did have its benefits. He was trying to build up his strength a bit before calling Craig, because he knew the physiotherapist would give him one hell of a lecture about waiting so long to call. He finally felt ready to move on, but he knew he couldn‟t do it alone. He just didn‟t want Flynn to get his hopes up too much. At least not yet.
    “I‟ll do the dishes,” Gable offered after Flynn finished most of his plate.
    “You sure?” Flynn asked skeptically.
    “Sure,” Gable shrugged, trying to sound matter-of-fact. “You know I‟m getting around quite well on these crutches now. If I can walk to the barn, I can putter around the kitchen.” 138

    Clouds and Rain

    Flynn still looked like he wasn‟t entirely convinced, but he got up anyway, putting on Gable‟s oilskin duster before venturing outside.
    Gable got up as soon as Flynn closed the door behind him and watched him until he disappeared into the barn. Then he positioned himself between the kitchen table and the sink and started on the dishes.
    It took him longer than it used to before the operation, since Flynn had moved certain items, like the dishwashing liquid and the fresh towels, but still, Gable didn‟t take too long. After one more quick look outside to assure himself Flynn was nowhere near the house, Gable got down on the daybed and started doing crunches and sit-ups.
    He‟d started doing them a few days ago and it was getting easier every day. Gable also did push-ups to strengthen his back and his arms and was slowly finding his balance doing them again, with only one foot to support himself. He was sure Craig would be able to give him pointers when he called him later.
    The first day he‟d started exercising, Bridget had stared at him as if she were mystified by his strange actions, but by now she only looked up when he got started and then put her head down on her front paws again.
    Now he‟d finally made the decision to get on with life, it couldn‟t happen fast enough for Gable. He wanted to work outside again, ride a horse and spend time in the pastures riding with the herd. He also wanted to help Flynn train the horses. He knew it would take time for him to regain all his abilities, to be able to mount a skittish, nervous young horse and simply by his own physical self-control and inner calmness, make that horse tolerate him on his back. Until he could do that again, he wanted to be out there with Flynn, helping him with everything else that needed to be done. Gable hoped Flynn would allow him to give him pointers. He was older, after all, and he‟d been training horses since he was old enough to ride, which, in sheer years, was much longer than Flynn.
    Gable‟s sudden impatience hadn‟t been rewarded, though. When he called Craig, the therapist had laughed at him and joked it was about time he came to his senses, insisting that Gable had to come into town for his temporary prosthesis to be fitted before he could begin his 139

    Zahra Owens

    rehabilitation. There was no way Craig could do it at the ranch. The problem was that Gable didn‟t want to tell Flynn yet.
    Gable was going to have to find a way to get Flynn away from the ranch so he could ask Calley to drive him into town. He didn‟t like having to ask someone to help him, but for now, he‟d have to swallow his pride.

    GABLE had already made preparations for dinner when Flynn finally arrived back at the ranch house. Gable saw him jogging over from the barn, water streaming down from his hat and off the bottom of his coat, and went to meet him at the entrance to the mudroom. When Gable opened the door, he saw Flynn shiver.
    “Come inside. The fire‟s on, but you better jump in a hot shower or you‟ll get even sicker than you already are,” Gable cautioned him.
    Flynn sneezed before he could answer, so Gable shook his head and left him to take off his wet things and come inside.
    “Smells good in here,” Flynn remarked after joining Gable in the kitchen.
    “I can peel potatoes and boil them. Same with the veggies. I can broil a steak, but you‟ll need to add the fancy trimmings, I‟m afraid,” Gable said, smiling. He quickly accepted Flynn‟s kiss. “Now go upstairs and warm up because you‟re cold to the bone.” When Flynn returned ten