“Did someone hurt you?” Cody handed Stevie a bowl of chili and a package of crackers on a lap tray, and then brought food to the coffee table. He sat down on the floor and took the first bite.
“It wasn’t any big deal.” The blush deepened even more. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Was it Ricky?” Stevie asked.
Mia nodded. “He pushed me one night when I told him we had to keep back part of the money I made that week for groceries. He wanted to use my whole paycheck to place a bet on a game. I fell and hit my head on the edge of his gaming system.”
“Did you tell Addy and Jesse about this?” Cody laid his spoon to the side and his hands knotted into fists. Anger rose up from depths that he didn’t even know he had. Losing Dineo and Bodi had made him both angry and sad, but the thought of Ricky hurting Mia went above and beyond that.
“No, I didn’t,” she said and shook her head. “How could I? Mama and Daddy both thought that I was still living in the dorm and going to class, not working for minimum wage in a café. But I did go to the health clinic and they diagnosed me with a concussion. I had a headache for a few days, but I didn’t miss any work. In those days, I didn’t even blame Ricky. I figured I deserved it because I didn’t let him make that bet.” Mia clamped her mouth shut tightly and then said through clenched teeth, “He didn’t ever let me forget it either. Even though his team didn’t win, and he would have lost the money anyway, he said I was bad luck because we had to use his betting money for doctor bills and medicine for me. I was pretty stupid, wasn’t I?” She glanced up at Stevie. “And I didn’t mean to bring all this up.”
“You didn’t,” Stevie said. “We kind of pried it out of you.”
“But I do feel better for talking about it,” Mia admitted.
“He was a real loser,” Cody growled. “Why did you put up with that kind of abuse?”
“Ricky is what happens to us girls who feel too ugly for boys to notice,” Mia declared, “but it won’t happen again. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Now, eat up because I brought chocolate pie too.”
“I have to know one thing,” Stevie said, “Why would you ever feel ugly? You look like a runway model.”
“Ricky used to say that, but hearing it and believing it is two different things,” Mia said.
Cody was glad that Stevie could talk to Mia, because at that moment all he wanted to do was find that kid and give him a concussion. No wonder she hadn’t dated anyone since she’d come home.
“I understand.” Stevie nodded and went back to eating.
“Knowing I’m not the only one who has felt that way helps more than you’ll ever know,” Mia said. “Mama says to tell you that Cody is supposed to bring you to the house tomorrow morning.”
“I would love to spend the day with y’all, but I don’t really need babysitting,” Stevie said.
“Then consider it as you keeping us sane rather than us watching over you. We’re all getting stir-crazy. I actually wished someone would need Uncle Cody and Mama to go do some doctor stuff so she could get out for a little while,” Mia said.
“In that case, thank you,” Stevie said, “and thank you for this supper too. After four days of scrounging for what we could make in Max’s barn, I won’t take food for granted again.”
“You are so welcome.” Mia’s face lit up in a smile.
History can’t be changed, Cody thought. But if it could and Stevie and I had gotten together when we were young, would we have a daughter just younger than Mia?
Mia left after a few more minutes, and Tex followed her. When Cody was sure that she was gone for good, he looked across the coffee table at Stevie. “You said you understood. Did someone like Ricky hurt you?”
“Not physically, but I grew up thinking that because I’m tall and have freckles and red hair, that I was ugly. My first boyfriend in college told me I was beautiful, and I was putty in his hands for about six months,” she answered.
“And after six months?” Cody asked.
“I found out that he was cheating on me with a petite blond cheerleader, or maybe he was cheating on her with me. That’s the more likely story. He took her on real dates, not just rides in his car for ice cream and a booty call in the back seat,” Stevie said.
“I’m sorry. Seems like you and Mia didn’t have much luck with past boyfriends.” Cody felt horrible for both of them even if he couldn’t do anything about the past.
“Thanks for that. It took me a while to figure out that all guys aren’t trustworthy. Enough about all that. Didn’t Mia say she brought chocolate pie?” Stevie started to get up.
“Oh, no!” Cody said. “You sit still. I’ll get the pie.”
* * *
Stevie awoke the next morning, and for a split second, she wondered where she was. Nothing looked familiar, and then in a flash, the fog cleared, and she remembered everything.
“Good morning!” Cody brought her a cup of coffee. “How are you feeling today. Headache? Memory problems?”
“I feel great,” she answered. “Why did you let me sleep so long? The sun is already up. Shouldn’t you and Jesse be taking care of chores, or do you have doctor appointments today?”
“Jesse is picking me up in about ten minutes,” Cody answered. “After being wakened every hour all night, I thought you could use two full hours of sleep. If you have a concussion, it’s a minor one. Mia says to call her when you get dressed, but not to bother with breakfast. They’ve got waffles up at the ranch house.”
“Did you already eat something?” Stevie threw off the blanket, sat up and glanced across the living room at the bunk beds. “Your bed hasn’t been slept in.”
“I sacked out on the floor beside the sofa in case you needed me in a hurry,” he said. “It was better than the floor in the tack room. I had several blankets under me, a real pillow, and the room is warm.”
“Thank you for doing that for me.” Stevie remembered being downright grouchy a few times when he woke her from a deep sleep to ask her a stupid question like what her mother’s name was, or what the name of the ranch was where she was staying.
“No problem,” Cody said, “you would do the same for me.”
Would you? the voice in her head asked. After all these years of being angry with him, would you take care of him if the roles were reversed?
“Have a good day.” Cody put on his coat and settled his cowboy hat on his head. “Weatherman says this is supposed to start melting today, so maybe by the weekend we can get into town.”
She cut her eyes over at him. “You ready to get rid of me and have your bunkhouse to yourself again?”
“Been kind of nice having someone around, so that would be no,” Cody answered as he shoved his hands into his gloves. “And there’s Jesse. See you at noon.”
“Be safe,” she said. “There’s potholes out there.”
“I will,” he threw over his shoulder as he left.
Stevie stood up slowly, but there was no dizziness. In her opinion, she didn’t have a concussion at all, but all those symptoms she had experienced were from having the wind knocked out of her, and from lying so long in the extreme cold. She went to the bedroom and changed into jeans and a sweatshirt, then sat down on the edge of the bed to put on her boots. She had sat right there in that same spot when Cody dressed her in the flannel pajamas. She closed her eyes and got the same sensation of his hands on her bare skin as she’d had the evening before. The time had come for her to figure things out where he was concerned, but she didn’t even know where to begin.