Between a Rock and a Cowboy (Rocky Road Ranch Book 1)

Chapter 1

Tanner Dunn strodeinto the kitchen and headed for the refrigerator. Morning chores were completed and two men were headed for the western border of the ranch. He hated sending two men when they barely had enough as it was, but after his father’s stroke out there alone, he wouldn’t risk sending only one to ride the fences. Opening the fridge, he grabbed a water bottle.

Brody walked in and sat on a stool at the massive kitchen island. “I’ll take one, too.”

Tossing his youngest brother the bottle, he closed the fridge. “Is Dad settled in?”

“I guess. It’s hard to tell.” Brody unscrewed the cap and tossed it into the trash across the kitchen. “That’s not Dad in there.”

His gut tensed. He’d expected that reaction. “Yes, it is. He just has to get better.”

“If he can get better.”

Tanner swallowed down half the bottle to avoid responding. It was the same thought he’d had when he first saw Dad in the hospital. Seeing his robust, energy-filled father lying in a hospital bed unable to talk or even feed himself had been a shock. At least he was still alive. “He’ll get the best care. Dad’s a fighter.”

“Have you heard from the Town Council? Maybe if Dad knew the dude ranch thing had been approved, it would give him something to fight for.”

Personally, he’d been hoping the town wouldn’t change the zoning that would allow them to become a dude ranch. The last thing he wanted was for Rocky Road Ranch to have a bunch of city people roaming around who didn’t know a horse’s head from its ass. But he also hadn’t figured out what else they could do to save the place. As the oldest, his dad’s stroke had added more responsibilities to his shoulders than he’d realized. Unwilling to allow his father to remain in the glorified nursing home called a rehabilitation center, he’d added the care of his dad to the list. He wanted Dad where he could monitor the care he received.

Silently, he swore. If it weren’t for Bill Hayden, they wouldn’t be close to losing the ranch and his dad probably wouldn’t have had a stroke. The Haydens were a greedy bunch, who just couldn’t keep their noses out of other people’s business.

“Hey, someone just pulled up in a freaking sedan.” Brody grinned. “Maybe it’s someone from the Town Council. I can’t think of anyone else stupid enough to drive out here without a truck. They’re going to need a major alignment after this.”

His chest tightened, his lungs getting very little air. If it was someone from the town, their whole future was about to change, one way or the other. Leaving the water bottle on the counter, he grabbed his hat off the entry table, strode to the front door of their sprawling single-story adobe home and opened it.

A woman with straight, almost white-blonde hair stepped from the vehicle in a red fitted power suit and black high heels. She bent over, reaching into the car, showing off her very nice ass before she pulled a black leather satchel from the vehicle, threw it over her shoulder, and turned toward him.

It wasn’t until he saw her face that his blood boiled. “What the hell are you doing here?” He strode toward her, the large front door slamming behind him.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m your father’s physical therapist and speech pathologist.”

Over his dead body. He shook his head even as his long stride ate up the distance between them, his boots crunching the desert dirt with each purposeful step. Mandy Hayden didn’t look much different than she had in high school. She might have a few more curves and her pert nose had turned sharper, but her blue eyes were still piercing. The only difference was the suit.

Their families had been at odds since he was eight. The whole town knew it. Even the schools never put a Dunn and a Hayden in the same classroom. He came to a stop three yards from her. “The paperwork they sent home with Dad says he’ll have an Amanda Davis treating him, not you. Get off this property. Now.”

She gave an exaggerated sigh. “I was married, so Amanda Hayden Davis. I haven’t changed my name back yet, not that it’s your concern.”

He snorted. “Guess your husband didn’t like having to kowtow to your father. Smart man to get out while he could.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Must be, since you’re such an expert on my father.”

He glared at her beneath the shade of his black cowboy hat.

She glared right back. “I’m here to do an assessment of Jeremiah Dunn’s physical and speech deficiencies to determine a plan of treatment.”

He lifted his arm and pointed beyond her. “Listen, Handy Mandy, I don’t give a rat’s ass why you say you’re here because you’re going to hop back in that pretty little sedan of yours and hightail it out of here.”

“Handy Mandy? Really? I haven’t heard that nickname in over fifteen years. You’re still living in the past, Dunn. Guess I’ll have to be the mature one here, not that it’s that difficult.”

He brought his hand down and clenched it. He wasn’t going to let her goad him into acting the simpleton. “I said get off my property.”

“So in other words, you don’t care if your father ever walks, or talks, or feeds himself again.” She spread one arm out to encompass the property. “I imagine that works well for you, though, since that means this little place is all yours.”

Her insinuation that he wanted the place to himself was so far off the mark he would have laughed, but she’d voiced his greatest fear, that Dad would never improve, which felt like being kicked behind the knees. He jerked his chin up. “I’ll get someone else.”

“There is no one else. There’s a shortage of therapists in the county, and only three who can do what I do.” She cocked her head. “Don’t you watch the news?”

“No.” He pulled a bandana from his back pocket and lifted his hat to wipe sweat from his brow. It was already over a hundred with no cloud in sight and his anger wasn’t helping.

She shuddered as if it were below zero out. “Believe me, I’m no happier about this than you are.”

He stuffed the bandana back in his pocket, shaking his head. “We can wait for someone else to be available.”

She dropped her arms and put one hand on her hip. “Three months?”

“What?”

“I said three months. That’s how long you’d have to wait before your father could get a therapist.” She threw her free hand up. “Of course, by then his muscles would have settled into comfortable disfunction. He’d probably need therapy for the rest of his life at that point.”

Once again, his stomach tensed as his fear intensified. “You don’t know that.”

She raised her brows. “Actually, I do. I read his file. Jeremiah Dunn suffered a massive stroke, and to make matters worse, he was out on his horse when it happened. Not only did he fall, but he wasn’t found for three hours. That made it impossible to give him TPA. You may not like it. I may not like it. But I’m your father’s best chance at being able to function again.”

Function? The word sounded ominous. What about getting his father back to the way he was, riding the property, instructing the ranch hands, yelling at him to stop leaving water bottles all over the house?

At that moment, the front door opened behind him and the crunch of his brother’s boots followed.

Brody reached him, a stupid smile on his face. “Appears we have company.”

Mandy Hayden returned the smile. “I’m Amanda Davis, your father’s physical therapist and speech pathologist.”

Brody stepped forward. “I’m Brody. It’s nice to―”

“She’s a Hayden.” Tanner spat on the ground. Just saying her name put a bad taste in his mouth.

Brody halted and looked back at him. “What?”

“This is Handy Mandy.”

Brody looked at him then back at her. “Oh. Last time I saw you was in high school. You were in a wheelchair. You’ve changed.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, it has been over ten years since I was in high school.”

“Yeah, she got married to a Mr. Davis.” He didn’t keep the sneer out of his voice. How anyone would want to marry into the Hayden family was beyond him. Then again, her dad was a state rep, so maybe her ex married her for politics, one of those assholes who only wanted money and power. It took one to know one. Probably never worked an honest day in his life.

“Davis, Davis.” Brody’s brow furrowed. “Do you mean that lawyer who represented the developer who wanted to turn half the New River conservation land into vacation rentals?”

A red blush to match her suit crept from the v of her blouse, up her neck, to infuse her entire face. “Yes, he’s the one.”

Now that was interesting. Was she embarrassed because she’d married Davis or because he lost the case?

“What an asshole.”

At Brody’s exclamation, she nodded. “Just one of the many reasons why I divorced him.”

Enough of the chitchat. “Ms. Davis was just leaving.”

“No, Ms. Davis was just coming.” She held her hands up as if he held her at gunpoint. “Unless of course you don’t want your father to improve.”

She needed to stop saying that. “If there’s no one else, we can always bring him for his therapy.” He clapped a hand on brother’s shoulder. “Brody’s always in a hurry to get off the ranch.”

His brother pulled away.

“Every day?” She was back to crossing her arms. “He’ll have to be taken into Scottsdale or Phoenix, your choice, at least six times a week.”

There was no way they could spare someone that many days, but he had her now. “I thought you said you were here to make an assessment and develop a plan. If you haven’t done either, you don’t know what he needs. He may only need therapy a few times a week.”

She gave him a smug smile. “You forget, I’m a specialist, and one of the few who can provide two therapies for a patient. I read Jeremiah’s file. He’s going to need daily therapy and a lot of it. I need to assess him to determine what we need to work on first and what needs the most attention, as well as how long he’ll need before there is nothing more to do. So are you going to let me do my job or keep your father incapacitated?”

“Tanner.” Brody’s whispered word held a wealth of meaning.

He hated what he had to do with his entire being, but his father had to get better. “Fine.”

She grinned and started forward.

He held up his hand. “But under two conditions.”

She stopped, her eyes narrowing again. “What conditions?”

“First, if my father recognizes you, you leave. I don’t want him having another stroke because a Hayden is in his house.”

She looked away, obviously pondering his words. Finally, she nodded. “I agree. I’m here to help my patient. If my presence causes harm, then it defeats the purpose. What’s your other condition?”

“I approve all therapy.”

She laughed. “You’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” He would not be gainsaid on this. He wanted to know everything she did and everywhere she went while on their property. For all he knew, she’d volunteered for this job to feed information to her father so he could put the final nail in the coffin of what was once a thriving cattle operation.

“Not to be insulting, though that is a perk, but you don’t have a clue what therapy is right for your father. So what good would that do?”

He stared straight into her eyes. “I know my father better than anyone.”

Her eyes rounded at that and she opened her mouth to argue.

“He’s right.” Brody nodded. “And I can tell you, he’s not going to budge on that.”

She took a deep breath as if she were counting to ten and slowly let it out. Then she deliberately walked toward him, her hips swaying in her ridiculous high heels until she stood two feet from him. “Fine.”

With that, she stepped around him and headed toward the house. He and Brody turned to watch.

“Well, are you going to watch her, or just let her spy on everything in the house?” Brody raised his brow in question.

Tanner slapped him on the back. “Glad to see you understand the problem. Now go show her where Dad is. If there is any sign of recognition, you haul her out of there faster than her tiny high heels can carry her.”

“No kidding. She’s a rancher’s daughter. She should know better than to show up here in those.”

They walked toward the house where Amanda Hayden stood waiting. Tanner lowered his voice. “She’s also a lawyer’s wife. Or ex-wife. I’m sure old habits die hard.”

His brother opened the door and Handy Mandy stepped inside, Brody following.

He raised his voice to a more normal volume. “I want a full report when she leaves.”

“You got it.” His brother doffed his hat and strode forward quickly.

Tanner stepped into the cool entry and dropped his hat on the side table as well.

As his brother entered the kitchen, he could hear her voice. Just what he needed, something else to add to his list of responsibilities. Maybe a call into the agency could get him someone else. No reason to take her word for it.

Turning on his heel, he strode down the hall to his father’s office to find the hospital paperwork. If he was lucky, today would be the first and last day Amanda Hayden was ever on Rocky Road Ranch.

Amanda stepped into the Dunn’s kitchen from seeing her patient, her heels clicking on the travertine floor. Moving a half-empty water bottle aside on the kitchen island, she dropped her satchel on the butcherblock surface. There were four stools at the counter. She angled her butt onto one and pulled her form-fitted skirt down as far as it would go, which was not far in her position.

At least she was alone with no one watching her every move. Brody Dunn must feel comfortable letting her in the kitchen alone. Guess he didn’t worry about her stealing the silver. She smirked, scanning the large predominantly stone and wood kitchen. That was if they even had silver. Everything about the house made it clear only men lived in it. No doubt, silver would bend too easily in their bulky hands.

Pulling her ultra-thin laptop from her bag, she added a few more notes to her therapy planner. Jeremiah Dunn was not in good shape, but she’d seen worse, and if he was as stubborn as his oldest son, he’d be improving daily. She’d only had to walk into the converted den to see that Tanner wanted his father to get better.

Actually, a better description for what the room used to be would be man cave. The extra-large TV mounted on the wall and the small bar in the corner, now devoid of any alcohol, bottles, or glasses, attested to what it used to be. Now, the entire room was outfitted with therapy equipment. It was a home therapist’s dream, even if some of it would be of no help to her patient. Someone had done some research. It also confirmed her father’s observation that the Dunns were all about themselves. That may well be, but in this case, it made her job easier.

She was satisfied with the space, which in itself was a rarity. She could be very picky when it came to helping her patients. With Jeremiah, there had been no recognition in his eyes when he’d finally looked at her. That could be because of the stroke or it could simply be because he hadn’t seen her since she was little.

She grew up knowing who all the Dunns were. Her dad had made sure of that, but she was probably of no consequence to the patriarch of the Dunn family. While that rubbed her the wrong way, it was very helpful in her new role as his therapist. He did seem to recognize Brody and even Isaac, the certified nurse’s aide, which was a plus in his favor. She typed in that note.

Brody was still in with his father, and she had no idea where the third brother was. She was just happy that Tanner wasn’t about so she could do her job. She didn’t know much about his younger brothers, since they had been behind her in school, but Tanner had been in her grade. Her brothers could probably shed some light on the younger Dunns since they had been closer to their age, not that it really mattered. As long as they stayed out of her way, she could care less where they were or what they did.

“Fuck!”

The exclamation startled her, and she pivoted around toward the large archway at the end of the open concept kitchen-family room. Footsteps sounded from the opposite side of the house. Soon they reached the end of the hall that led to the communal space and Tanner halted. “Looks like I’m stuck with you.”

By the sight of his lowered brows and tense jaw, she could see he was pissed to discover that what she’d told him was true. She was his father’s only hope. That had to rankle. She shook her head. “Didn’t believe me, did you?”

He continued into the room, walked behind the island, and grabbed up the water bottle. “Why should I? Your family isn’t exactly known for telling the truth. Haven’t met a single politician…or lawyer who did.” He unscrewed the cap and took a swallow, a challenge clear in his green eyes.

Irritation burned through her, but she refused to stoop to his level. She was the professional here. He was a cowboy, like her brothers and half the town. “Well, from what I was told, you asked for the best, so now you’re stuck with me.”

He choked on the water and started coughing.

Medical alarms went off in her head, but if he was coughing, he was breathing. She forced herself to stay still.

Eventually, he finished his coughing fit and took another sip of water before wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his light-blue and white checkered shirt. “Believe me, I never would have expected a Hayden to be the best at anything.”

They could throw barbs at each other all day. It wouldn’t change a thing. “That’s your shortsightedness. But look at the bright side.”

He raised one eyebrow. “There’s a bright side to my father having a massive stroke, falling off his horse, lying there for hours, and then getting you for a therapist?”

“Yes, there is. The bright side is I’m the best, and I will get your father as close to normal as his body will allow him to be. So you can first, realize how important he is to you, and second, be grateful you have him back at all.”

A pained look crossed his face before he turned his gaze to replacing the cap on the water bottle. “Yeah.”

Confused, and not a little curious, she forced herself to ignore him. Saving her final notes, she closed her laptop and stuffed it in her satchel. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Isaac said he’ll be getting your father up at seven, so I’ll arrive around nine to give them time for washing, dressing, and feeding.”

“You make him sound like he’s a chore.”

She stilled at the growled words. Digging deep down, she tried to sympathize, and with anyone else she would have, but she was only human. “Until I can find out how far your father can come, he is a chore.” She slipped off the stool and pulled her bag off the counter before looking him in the eye. “And you’d best remember that. He can do nothing for himself right now. He’s completely dependent on you and the experts you hire. So if you want to see him improve, you help us, or we’ll just be wasting our time and your money.”

Not waiting to see what he thought about that, she turned on her heel and strode for the door. Just as she opened it, she heard him mumble in the kitchen.

“You’re the chore.”

Grinning, she closed the door behind her and continued to her car. “Well, that went better than expected.” Getting in her now boiling hot vehicle, she tossed her satchel on the passenger seat, turned the ignition, and blasted the air conditioner. Hot air hit her face and she turned her head. Opening the glove box, she pulled out a dish towel and laid it over the steering wheel before putting the vehicle into drive.

Drive, though, was rather optimistic for what she did as the car crawled along the ridiculously rocky road that was the ranch’s driveway. There were machines that could fix it, but she could imagine Jeremiah Dunn refusing to spend money on the mile-long drive just so it could live up to its name. Men could be such stubborn, mule-headed, stupid creatures sometimes that she wondered how civilization had evolved as far as it had.

It didn’t take much observation to see that Tanner Dunn had not fallen far from his father’s family tree branch. If Tanner was that bad, how bad would Jeremiah be? Her one hope was that the stroke had changed Jeremiah’s personality enough to make it possible for her to get through to him.

As far as the tall, dark-haired, and much broader Tanner than the boy she remembered from school was concerned, he was on his own. She had no intention of dealing with him any more than she had to. His welcome was exactly what she’d expected. He’d always held a confidence and physicality that the girls in high school swooned over. Arrogant was the label she’d given him, but she’d forgotten his penetrating green gaze, having only looked him in the eyes a couple times way back when. But he’d been a mere teenager then.

Now he was a grown man and an impressive one at that. Not only had he filled out, but his jaw had become more defined, and she’d bet a month’s salary he sported six-pack abs. His personality, despite her jabs, had matured as well. He had a dynamic and forcefulness about him as if what he said was law. She’d bet none of his men ever attempted lying to him about why they got to work late, if they dared to come in late at all.

She couldn’t let her guard down. Going soft on him, like she usually did with the family members of her clients, could be dangerous. Keeping him off balance was the only way she could get her work done. He probably still thought he was above her simply because he was a man. She grinned. She’d have to substitute some of the layman’s terms for the medical ones in the rehabilitation plan before giving him a copy. Let him know he was out of his depth when it came to―

Her phone rang, and she pressed the car Bluetooth speaker. “Hello.”

“Hey, Amanda, how’d it go? Did he have you arrested? Escorted off the property? Keep you away at gun point?”

Only LaReina, her supervisor and mentor, would joke about her visit. Since the woman was from Phoenix, she was clueless about small-town living. “No, but he did tell me to get the hell off his property.”

“Really?” The pause only lasted seconds. “But you got him to accept you, right? Did you use your usual charm?”

She laughed. “Hardly. I told you. This feud goes way back. I stood my ground and told him what his options were. He didn’t like any of them. I was his last choice because I was his only choice.”

“I knew you could do it. Though, I admit I was worried when I heard he’d called the office.”

Good, she was glad LaReina had some doubts. She certainly hadn’t been confident arriving at Rocky Road. “Did you sign the paperwork for my sabbatical?” That had been their deal. She’d thought being both a physical therapist and a speech pathologist would give her flexibility with her schedule. It had done the opposite, making her in demand more than almost anyone else, which meant very little time off, what she valued more than gold. Something else LaReina didn’t truly understand.

“Not yet. I had to be sure you were actually going to be able to get onto that ranch and do the job.”

“I can do the job. Sign the paperwork and send me an electronic copy.”

“You do realize I’m your supervisor, right?”

“I do.” She stuck her tongue out at her dashboard where LaReina’s voice came through. “And you understand that I’m just as happy to walk to get that time off.”

A heavy sigh came through the speaker. “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry. I’ll sign it.”

“Good.” Suddenly the whole car tilted and shook. “Crap.”

“What is it? Everything okay? Where are you, anyway?”

She stopped the car. Driving and talking on such a treacherous drive just didn’t work. “I’m leaving Rocky Road Ranch and I just bottomed out. I have to go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow and give you a full report after you get the assessment and plan.”

“Sounds good. Talk to you ma?ana.” With that, LaReina ended the call.

Focusing on the road, she eased the car up out of the rut she’d driven into. She would need an alignment after this. Dressing to impress hadn’t even worked. She should have brought one of her father’s trucks and come in a comfortable pair of jeans and boots. As it was, she’d have to go through a car wash on the way back to her dad’s place. She wasn’t taking any chances her father would figure out who her client was. If he discovered it was Jermiah who needed physical and speech therapy from her, it could violate HIPAA regulations and get her fired, never mind piss her father off royally.

She really needed to find a place of her own. She’d only meant to move back to the family homestead for a few weeks after the divorce, but then there was the sale of the house she’d owned with Claude, and the final settlement details, and now she’d been at home two months. She toyed with renting a place, but she’d rather spend the money on experiences. The bigger problem was, she didn’t want to waste her limited free time looking for somewhere to live.

Finally, she passed under the sign designating the ranch as Rocky Road, though it also served as a warning to unsuspecting visitors. Pulling onto a dirt road that would lead to a real road and Main Street, she relaxed. The graded road required far less attention.

This weekend was out for house hunting since she was flying to Vegas with friends. Next weekend was barrel race exhibition practice for Pioneer Days on the one day she’d have off.

She simply didn’t have time. Delegate. Delegate. Delegate. Her ex-husband’s voice echoed in her head like a grackle excited over a potato chip. He’d never understood why she couldn’t hand off her work to someone else. That was because she actually did her own work. But in this case, he might just have a point. She’d check into real-estate agents in town. There was bound to be someone from high school who had gone into that field. Happy with her plan, she pulled onto the paved Black Spur Road and was soon headed for town.

Four Peaks used to be small, but it had grown along with every other space in Arizona. It now had a few chain stores and even three grocers, but compared to living in Phoenix, it still felt small to her. After a quick car wash and a stop in the local coffee shop for a skinny mocha latte, she headed to Cholla Valley. She should have the whole ranch house to herself. Her father was in Phoenix and her brothers should be out with the cattle.

In no time, she was parking her sedan next to the two pickup trucks parked out front. She unfolded herself from the car and grabbed her satchel. She should probably think about buying a truck, but that depended on where she decided to live. Now that she was free of Claude Davis, she had so many more options, none of which needed to impress clients. Slamming the driver’s side door unintentionally, she walked down the path of pavers set among the green grass that made a front yard. It was a bit out of place in the desert landscape, but it had been a requirement of her mother’s, who now lived in Washington, DC with her third husband.

Stepping onto the covered porch of the four-thousand-foot hacienda, she reached for the door, but it opened before she could touch it.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were there.” The pale, petite, black-haired woman appeared confused.

Great, just what she needed, another girlfriend of one of her brothers. “Who are you?”

“I’m Twilight.” The woman scowled. “Who are you? Are you here for Luke?”

Amanda barely kept from rolling her eyes. “No, he’s my brother.”

Twilight scrunched up her face as she tried to figure out what that meant. Suddenly, her brown eyes widened. “Oh, you’re his sister. He didn’t tell me he had a sister.”

That was surprising since her brothers liked to complain about her quite a lot, especially since she’d moved back home. “How long have you known my brother?”

“We met last night.” Twilight wiggled her dark eyebrows. “He’s quite a dancer.”

Lovely, a one-night stand…hopefully. “Were you leaving?”

Twilight’s eyes widened again. “Oh yes. I have to get home and showered. My boyfriend is taking me to a concert tonight. It’s my birthday.”

She certainly hoped Luke knew what he was doing with Miss Twilight, but she doubted it. He seemed to go out of his way to get into tough situations. “Well, I’ll let you go. Happy birthday.”

As the woman stood in the doorway smiling, it appeared she hadn’t figured out that she needed to exit.

Done with the conversation, Amanda stepped forward and opened the door wider. “Bye.”

Twilight finally moved. “Bye. Have a nice day.”

Closing the door behind her, she dropped her satchel on the side table next to it and kicked off her heels, the cool air reviving her. “Now that’s better.”

The door opened behind her and hit her on the butt, causing her to stumble.

Twilight walked in. “Forgot my keys.” She shrugged before walking through the entry and back into the house.

Part of her wanted to introduce Twilight to Claude. She was exactly what the man had always wanted. Someone cute and brainless. In a way, he was much like her mother. He married to help his career, and when he got everything he could from their marriage, he moved on. He hadn’t counted on her having the best divorce lawyer in Maricopa County. It was one time when she’d been happy for her father’s connections.

She grabbed up her shoes and bag then walked in the opposite direction of Miss Twilight. Having set up her home office in the old guest room next to her room, she dropped her satchel on the couch then stepped into her room and started to strip. Thankful to get out of the form-fitted clothes, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a sleeveless button-down shirt and moved back into her office.

Now to fill out her plan for Jeremiah. As she pulled her laptop out and set it on the desk, she mentally went through names of good occupational therapists that might like some extra cash. Sitting down, she set about rereading the original plan from the hospital and adding her own pieces to the puzzle. She stilled at the sound of the front door closing before she remembered it must be Twilight leaving. Even so, she closed her laptop and listened.

The familiar sound of cowboy boots on the tiled floors made it clear it wasn’t Twilight. She must not have heard the woman leave. Quickly, she left the room and closed the door. Walking into the living room, she found her father reading a message on his phone in front of the wall-to-wall river-rock fireplace. He was dressed in his usual khakis and sport shirt. He always said it made him appear more approachable to his constituents. Despite having a good cook, he was still lean around the middle, but more white was sprinkling his light-brown hair in addition to the distinguished patches at his temples. “You’re home?”

He turned at her voice. “Yes. I only had one meeting today. I was surprised to see your car parked out front. Your patient must live close.”

She flopped onto the Italian leather loveseat. “Dad, no fishing.”

He held his hands out. “What? Can’t a father be concerned about his daughter’s commute?”

She would have taken him seriously, but his gray eyes were definitely smiling. “You know I can’t tell you who my client is. That’s against regulations.” And all hell would break lose if he found out.

He snapped his phone back into the holder at his waist. “You have to admit, you weren’t gone half a day.”

She folded her legs under her. Could he really be interested in what she did? “That’s because today was just introductions and a quick assessment. I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon putting together two plans, one for physical therapy and one for speech. Then I’m sure there will be calls with the doctor to get everything approved. I’ll start…” She didn’t bother to continue. She could see her father had already lost interest, his gaze having wandered toward the full wall of folding glass doors that looked out onto their pool. “Later, I’ll probably look into places to live.”

That caught his interest. He snapped his attention back to her. “Why do you have to do that when you have a perfectly good place right here?”

She rolled her eyes. “Because I’m twenty-nine and need my own space.”

“I can have your brother move to the west wing and then you’d have almost half the house to yourself.” He walked over to the side of the loveseat where she sat. “You know I like having my girl home.”

She swallowed hard at his phrasing. That’s what he’d said to her when she’d come home from the hospital and couldn’t do a damn thing for herself. She reached up and took his hand. “I know, Dad. I promise not to look too hard.” She squeezed and winked.

He squeezed her hand back before letting go. “You always were my favorite child.”

She was quite sure he said that to all his kids when he was alone with them, but even so, it did make her feel good. “And you’re my favorite parent.”

He puffed with pride at that. “Of course.” He chuckled. “I need to get in a swim before my next meeting. It’s online, so I’ll be in my office and out of your hair.”

She uncrossed her legs and stood. “No problem. I’ll be in my office, too.”

He started walking toward his room in the east wing then stopped. “By the way, there’s that odd-flavored ice cream you like in the freezer. I got it just for you.”

She was quite sure their cook picked it up, but the fact he’d thought of her warmed her heart. “Thanks. I’ll have some after dinner for sure.”

He smiled then continued toward his room.

She strolled back to her office. In some ways, it was good to be home again. Sitting at her desk, she opened her computer. As the warm fuzzies she’d gotten from talking with her dad wore off, reality set in.

Just to be safe, she’d change her password. The last thing she wanted was for any of her family to know she was working in enemy territory because that’s exactly how they would look at it. It was how she looked at it. But unlike her three younger brothers, she was a professional.

So why did she have a sinking feeling in her stomach that this wasn’t going to end well? She shook herself. That was silly. She’d do her job and leave. No one would be the wiser.