Chapter 10

"After next week I will be able to do a little bit of loving on you girls, I hope," I told her.

When Sammy came in the next morning, I asked, "What about your job, Doll?"

"I am working about 6 hours a day in the hotel room. They have cable modem, so I just hook up and work," she said.

"I want you to rest as much as you can while you are here with me then. Besides, I like to have you near me where I can feel you and smell your beautiful hair," I said with a kiss.

"I can tell you are getting better, you are making me crave you inside me," she said.

"I don't know why I bothered to stay alive before I met you three, because you are the only reasons I live now," I said to her.

She kissed me all over my face and went and got a warm wash cloth and cleaned me up. "Thank you, Sammy," I told her.

"I love you," she said back.

My days and nights ran together for the next week, until I got out of the traction device. They immobilized my leg and let me move around in the bed. The therapist came in the next morning and began helping me move my joints around. The pain was almost unbearable. I screamed and cried, but I was trying to cooperate as much as I could. Sammy took Dawn and Mary back to the hotel. Andie stayed and cried like a baby.

When we were through, Andie got a warm cloth and cleaned me up. I was pouring sweat from the pain and exertion. "Oh, Sugar, I almost can't stand to be with you during the therapy," Andie told me.

"Please stay if you can," I said. "I need you."

Andie called the others and told them I was finished. Sammy, Dawn and Mary arrived in about 30 minutes. "Darling, Mary and I could not stand to see you hurting like that. I asked Sammy to take us out, : Dawn said.

"Thank you Sammy, and thank you Dawn for taking care of our daughter so well." I told them.

I toughed out the therapy and was steadily improving. Andie had to go back the next week and take care of the stock. We all called her every night and visited and told her how much we missed her. She told us everything that was going on at the ranch and in town. She had found someone to buy hay from for the winter feeding time. She had also made contacts with the feedlot where we had sold last year; they were very interested in buying our calves again this year.

"See Andie, your good work with the herd is paying dividends now. Our stock grows off good and the feedlots appreciate it. How many does it look like we will have this year?" I asked.

"We have had two very good years in a row. It looks like we will have about 370 calves, and about 20 barren cows to sell this year," Andie animatedly told us.

"What about replacements?" I asked.

"We will replace next year, and buy a couple of bulls also," she explained.