Diana Palmer Christmas Collection: The Rancher / Christmas Cowboy / A Man of Means / True Blue / Carrera's Bride / Will of Steel / Winter Roses

“That’s not true,” she began.

“I’ll be back in a bit.” He left her brooding.

“You have to try to make Cort stop blaming himself,” Maddie told Odalie the next day after she’d had breakfast and Cort had gone to the ranch for a shower and change of clothes. Odalie would go when he returned, they’d decided.

“That’s going to be a tall order,” the other woman said with a gentle smile.

“If there was a fault, it was Pumpkin’s and mine,” Maddie said doggedly. “He ran out into the road and I chased after him without paying any attention to traffic.”

Odalie sat down in the seat beside the bed, her face covered in guilt. “I have a confession,” she said heavily. “You’re going to hate me when you hear it.”

“I couldn’t hate you after all you’ve done,” came the soft reply. “It isn’t possible.”

Odalie flushed. “Thanks,” she said in a subdued tone. She drew in a deep breath. “I drove by your place deliberately. Cort had been talking about you when I got home. I was jealous. I wanted you to see me with him.” She averted her eyes. “I swear to God, if I’d had any idea what misery and grief I was going to cause, I’d never have gotten in the car at all!”

“Oh, goodness,” Maddie said unsteadily. But she was much more unsettled by Odalie’s jealousy than she was of her actions. It meant that Odalie cared for Cort. And everybody knew how he felt about her; he’d never made any secret of it.

But Maddie had been hurt, and Cort felt responsible. So he was paying attention to Maddie instead of Odalie out of guilt.

Everything became clear. Maddie felt her heart break. But it wasn’t Odalie’s fault. She couldn’t force Cort not to care about her.

Odalie’s clear blue eyes lifted and looked into Maddie’s gray ones. “You care for him, don’t you?” she asked heavily. “I’m so sorry!”

Maddie reached out a hand and touched hers. “One thing I’ve learned in my life is that you can’t make people love you,” she said softly. She drew in a long breath and stared at the ceiling. “Life just doesn’t work that way.”

“So it seems…” Odalie said, and her voice trailed away. “But you see the accident really was my fault.”

Maddie shook her head. She wasn’t vindictive. She smiled. “It was Pumpkin’s.”

Odalie felt tears streaming down her cheeks. “All this time, all I could think about is the things I did to you when we were in school. I’m so ashamed, Maddie.”

Maddie was stunned.

“I put on a great act for the adults. I was shy and sweet and everybody’s idea of the perfect child. But when they weren’t looking, I was horrible. My parents didn’t know how horrible until your father came to the house with an attorney, and laid it out for them.” She grimaced. “I didn’t know what happened to you. There was gossip, but it was hushed up. And gossip is usually exaggerated, you know.” She picked at her fingernail, her head lowered. “I pretended that I didn’t care. But I did.” She looked up. “It wasn’t until the accident that I really faced up to the person I’d become.” She shook her own head. “I didn’t like what I saw.”

Maddie didn’t speak. She just listened.

Odalie smiled sadly. “You know, I’ve spent my life listening to people rave about how pretty I was, how talented I was. But until now, nobody ever liked me because I was kind to someone.” She flushed red. “You needed me. That’s new, having somebody need me.” She grinned. “I really like it.”

Maddie burst out laughing.

Odalie laughed, too, wiping at tears. “Anyway, I apologize wholeheartedly for all the misery I’ve caused you, and I’m going to work really hard at being the person I hope I can be.”

“I don’t know what I would have done without you,” Maddie said with genuine feeling. “Nobody could have been kinder.”

“Some of that was guilt. But I really like you,” she said, and laughed again sheepishly. “I never knew what beautiful little creatures you could create from clay and paint.”

“My hobby.” She laughed.

“It’s going to be a life-changing hobby. You wait.”

Maddie only smiled. She didn’t really believe that. But she wanted to.

Cort came back later and Odalie went home to freshen up.

Cort dropped into the chair beside Maddie’s bed with a sigh. “I saw your doctor outside, doing rounds. He thinks you’re progressing nicely.”

She smiled. “Yes, he told me so. He said I might be able to go home in a few days. I’ll still have to have physical therapy, though.”

“Odalie and I will take turns bringing you here for it,” he said, answering one of her fears that her car wouldn’t stand up to the demands of daily trips, much less her gas budget.

“But, Cort,” she protested automatically.

He held up a hand. “It won’t do any good,” he assured her.

She sighed. “Okay. Thanks, then.” She studied his worn face. “Odalie’s been amazing, hasn’t she?”

He laughed. “Oh, I could think of better words. She really shocked me. I wouldn’t have believed her capable of it.”

“I know.”

“I’m very proud of her,” he said, smiling wistfully. He was thinking what a blessing it was that Odalie hadn’t shown that side of herself to him when he thought he was in love with her. Because with hindsight, he realized that it was only an infatuation. He’d had a crush on Odalie that he’d mistaken for true love.

Maddie couldn’t hear his thoughts. She saw that wistful smile and thought he was seeing Odalie as he’d always hoped she could be, and that he was more in love with her than ever before.

“So am I,” she replied.

He noted the odd look in her eyes and started to question it when his mother came in with Heather Everett. Both women had been visiting every day. This time they had something with them. It was a beautiful arrangement of orchids.

“We worked on it together,” Heather said, smiling. She was Odalie, aged, still beautiful with blue eyes and platinum blond hair. A knockout, like dark-eyed, dark-haired Shelby Brannt, even with a sprinkle of gray hairs.

“Yes, and we’re not florists, but we wanted to do something personal,” Shelby added.

Heather put it on the far table, by the window, where it caught the light and looked exotic and lush.

“It’s so beautiful! Thank you both,” Maddie enthused.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Shelby asked, hovering.

“The pain is easing, and I have feeling in my legs,” she said, the excitement in her gray eyes. “The doctor thinks I’ll walk again.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Shelby said heavily. “We’ve been so worried.”

“All of us,” Heather agreed. She smiled. “It’s worse for us, because Odalie was driving.”

“Odalie has been my rock in a storm,” Maddie said gently. “She hasn’t left me, except to freshen up, since they brought me in here. I honestly don’t know how I would have made it without her. Or without Cort,” she added, smiling at him. “They’ve stopped me from brooding, cheered me up, cheered me on…they’ve been wonderful.”

Shelby hugged her tall son. “Well, of course, I think so.” She laughed. “Still, it’s been hard on all three families,” she added quietly. “It could have been even more of a tragedy if—”