Read Worth the Trouble for Free Online

jury was still out on what kind of life that would be now.
    One thing was for sure, Terri had nailed it when she said Ethan had never been a quitter .  Right now though that is exactly what he was doing, quitting on life.  Being scared and insecure, feeling worthless, was not something he was familiar with.
    When he heard the butter knife scraping at the doorknob, against all odds, he smiled.  Ethan moved his fingers up to his mouth and felt the curve, amazed that it was actually there.  He thought he'd never be able to smile again.  The door swung open and his smile widened, but he was face down so it was hidden in the cradle of his arms. 
    With a feminine snort, the little general ordered, "Get your sorry ass out of bed and help me pack." His dresser drawer open, then she threatened,  "Or I'm gonna find the ugliest clothes you have to shove in the suitcase, and underwear you wore when you were ten.  It'll cut your circulation off and your balls will fall off."
    All she'd find in those drawers was stuff from when he was ten. 
    Most of his current stuff was in boxes in a storage unit.  The guys from the firehouse had helped his mama pack up his apartment and move his stuff to storage.  He hadn't needed anything here except a couple of pairs of shorts and underwear, a few t-shirts and pajama pants. 
    He hadn't dressed since he had been out of the hospital two months ago.  The thick scraggly growth of beard he'd grown since the accident brushed the back of his hand, reminding him he hadn't shaved either. 
    He looked like a mountain man.   Smelled like one too, he thought with a crinkle of his nose when the rank air in the cradle of his arms wafted to his nose. 
    Of course he had cleaned up, but not frequently.  His mom's shower was too small for him to get inside and sit on the shower chair she'd bought.  Besides, he was pissed that he had to use one.  He hadn't shaved because in his wheelchair he couldn't see himself in the mirror, and didn't want to make matters worse by accidentally cutting his throat. 
    That might have solved his problems though.
    "My stuff isn't in those drawers, it's in storage," he told her gruffly.
    "Where is it then?  Joel brought his truck, we'll just go and load it up," she informed him and slammed the drawer.
    "Ask mama, she set it up.   Call daddy he'll probably get some of the guys to help you load it," Ethan told her knowing once Terri Cassidy set her mind to something she wasn't going to be deterred. 
    He was going to Amarillo and the Little General was going to push him to get better, whether he wanted that or not.

 
    CHAPTER T WO
     
    Rocky led Reed out of his stall and over to the wash bay.  Yesterday, she had ridden him out by the creek, and he was muddy.  Her baby loved to have baths, and she loved spending time with him to give him one, but lately she hadn't had much time to do that.
    She had been too busy keeping up with chores, and teaching greenhorns to ride.  The ranch was so booked up, it was a rare thing for her to have a minute to herself.  This was one of those rare times, the other guys had the guests out on the range doing a mock cattle drive for a couple of days.  She was going to take full advantage of it to get caught up on things.
    Clipping the chains to the cheeks of Reed's halter, Rocky stepped away to get the hose to wet him down, and accidentally bumped into someone.
    Looking over her shoulder, she saw it was Terri.  "Oh, hey, you busted me, I was just having a little Reed therapy," she told her friend with a laugh.
    "I need some Diamond therapy, but I can't ride anymore for a while."
    "Really?" Rocky asked turning on the nozzle.  Water sprayed her in the face and she laughed then wiped it off with her sleeve.  "I need to get a new nozzle, or I'm going to have a shower, while I bathe Reed."
    "I'll put it on our next shopping list," Terri told her, then repeated, "I can't ride Diamond for about nine months ," as if she were hinting at some