The Test of Love. Irene Brand

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СКАЧАТЬ found it expedient to dispense with unpleasant encounters as quickly as possible, she started the tour there.

      The gym provided the best exercise machines available. She and Joseph paused at the door of the fitness room to observe, and avoid the walkers who circled the indoor walking track, either cooling down after workouts, or getting their adrenaline pumping before strenuous exercise.

      One elderly woman waved to Connie and rushed on. Amusement spread across Joseph’s face as he observed the lady circling the track in a slow trot.

      “Isn’t she a little old for this activity?” he asked.

      “Not at all. Della Sinnet is in her eighties, but she’s a regular fixture around here,” Connie said. “Her home is in Colorado Springs, but she spends her winters in a warmer climate. She comes to NLC for several weeks each spring, and she challenges all of us with her vitality.”

      “So you have patients of all ages,” Joseph said as he observed the activities—people on treadmills, stationary bikes, stair-steppers, rowers and skate machines. In spite of the busyness, the atmosphere appeared calm, for quiet, classical, inspirational music wafted through the rooms. Videos provided soothing scenes of sunsets, towering trees, placid lakes, tranquil oceans and animals playing with their little ones. The room conveyed a pleasant feeling of exercising in the great outdoors.

      Joseph followed Connie into the free-weight room where men and women worked on the equipment, seemingly without effort. “It’ll be a long time before I’m ready for this equipment,” he muttered.

      “Not as long as you might think,” Connie said. She beckoned to a young man, who was coaching a woman on the horizontal calf raise machine. He ignored Connie for several minutes as he continued his instructions, then he sauntered toward them. Ray Blazer was a good advertisement for his profession. He had the build of a wrestler, and he kept in shape by exercising two hours each day on the free-weight machines.

      “Mr. Caldwell, this is Ray Blazer, manager of the gym and an expert on physical fitness. He’ll explain the various equipment to you. I’ll be on a treadmill while Ray gives you a tour of our exercise facilities.”

      A patient stepped off a treadmill and moved to a modified leg stretch machine, so Connie got on the machine and adjusted it to her pace. She faced the weight room, so she’d know when Joseph was ready to leave. Ray moved from one machine to another explaining their various functions to Joseph.

      Although Ray was an expert in his field, Connie wished he’d leave NLC. She’d been engaged to Ray until two months ago, and her disappointment in him still burned in her heart. When Ray came to the Center a year ago, it seemed the perfect situation—she could combine her work and romance. She’d thought she loved Ray, but when he disregarded her moral principles, which he’d known about before their engagement, she broke the engagement. But though she tried to avoid being alone with him, she couldn’t drop him from her staff, and it presented a problem.

      When Joseph limped in her direction, Connie stepped off the treadmill. “I must sit down,” he muttered. “This leg gives me fits when I’m on it too long.”

      “That’s understandable,” Connie said. “Let’s sit on the bench in front of the building, so we can enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.” He held the door open for her, then he eased onto the bench with a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

      Joseph breathed heavily, and pain etched deep lines on his face. Sitting beside him, their shoulders touching, Connie had the urge to run her fingers through his finely textured hair, and to wipe away the pain reflected on his face—an emotion that surprised her so much, she leaped to her feet and leaned against the building. When Joseph opened his eyes, he said, “I might as well go home, accept the fact that I’m handicapped, and learn to live with it. I’ll never be able to manage those exercise machines.”

      “It’s normal for you to feel like that. I pointed out Della Sinnet to you. She came to us using a walker soon after NLC opened. She’d had two hip replacements. None of us were optimistic about helping her, and there were days when she cried in frustration. After only a few minutes on the treadmill her body hurt so much she had to stop. But Della believed that ‘with God, all things are possible,’ and she kept at it. Slowly, we began to see progress, and the day that Della climbed Faith Mountain, we had a party.”

      “Faith Mountain? I’ve never heard of it.”

      Connie laughed. “Not many people have. It’s a hill on our property, several hundred feet higher in altitude than we are here, but it’s a steep climb to the top. When one of our patients is able to scale that hill, we know they’ve just about recovered.”

      “If an eighty-year-old can make it, perhaps I can, too. I’m ready to continue the tour,” Joseph said, struggling to his feet.

      They checked out the pool area and the aerobic room, where exercises were in progress, before they reached the cafeteria.

      “It’s a little early, but let’s have lunch anyway. You’re our guest today, Joseph. Incidentally, we use first names at NLC.”

      “All health foods, I suppose,” Joseph said, a twinkle in his gray eyes, as they entered a brightly decorated room that could seat fifty diners.

      “All our meals are designed with health in mind, but we believe moderation is the key to good living, so the cooks provide occasional treats,” Connie said as she directed Joseph to a small table beside a window. “There’s a buffet in the evening, but we order from a menu for breakfast and lunch.”

      When they were seated, she took two menus from the rack and handed one to him. “Our sandwiches are served on whole wheat or rye bread, and everything is low-cal as much as possible. If you want a hot meal, I’d recommend the pasta dishes.”

      “Please order for me. I haven’t paid much attention to my diet for several months. I don’t care what I eat.”

      “Very well. We’ll have the pasta and chicken, a vegetable salad with tarragon vinegar and a bowl of mixed fruit. Spring water for our beverage.”

      A waitress soon placed their meals before them, and Joseph attacked his food as if he hadn’t eaten for a month, surprised that his appetite had returned. He couldn’t remember when he’d been hungry. Appraising Connie obliquely, he wondered how much her presence contributed to his enjoyment of the meal.

      Questioning what had happened to her appetite, Connie picked at her pasta. Habitually, she never left a morsel of food on her plate, but Joseph’s keen, appraising glances unnerved her. Remembering that electric moment in the office, she wondered if he sensed the attraction between them also. Finally, she pushed the pasta and salad aside and nibbled on the mixed fruit.

      When the silence became unbearable, she directed the conversation to Joseph’s ranch, and they talked amicably while they ate.

      “I went to college, intending to study ophthalmology, but, after a year, I knew I couldn’t spend my life tied to an office. Ranching was what I loved, so I changed my major to agriculture, which pleased my father. He was nearing retirement age, and he wanted me to take over the ranch.”

      As Joseph described the changes he’d made at the ranch since his father’s retirement, he seemed to forget his physical and emotional problems. They’d just finished eating when the kitchen door opened and a plump, graying woman in her fifties approached their table.

      Remembering what Kim had told her, Connie hoped this encounter wouldn’t embarrass Joseph, СКАЧАТЬ