Chapter Two
AFTER TWO HOURS of giving out presents, telling silly jokes to see kids smile, and receiving more hugs and heart-warming giggles than any guy deserves, Doc walked into the last pediatric patients’ room on the oncology floor with two presents left to give.
He nodded in greeting to two sets of parents standing dutifully by their little girls’ beds and said, “Ho, ho, ho, and a merry summer holiday to you.”
The girls giggled. They couldn’t be more than five or six years old. The dark-skinned girl turned wide, excited eyes up to him. “You don’t look like Santa.” Her voice was soft, like Sully’s, and she wore a pink cap with purple polka dots on it.
“I don’t ?” Doc made a dramatic show of looking himself over, patting his stomach, and touching his scruffy chin. He gasped. “Someone stole my belly and my beard!”
The girls laughed.
“You’re funny,” the paler girl said from the other bed as she pushed her orange-framed glasses, which matched her orange cap, to the bridge of her nose.
“Thank you, but I was being serious. I had a big ol’ belly and beard when I woke up this morning.” More giggles rang out, and he turned to the first girl. “What’s your name?”
“Kyra.” She beamed.
“Kyra, did you see who stole my belly and beard?”
She giggled up a storm and pointed at the other girl. “Susie took them!”
Kyra’s mother shook her head, smiling.
Susie howled with laughter as Doc marched over to her. Feigning his most serious expression, he said, “I’m going to need my beard and belly back.”
“I don’t have them!” she said between laughs.
“You don’t?” He scratched his head and wrinkled his brow, looking around the room. Spotting a teddy bear, he went over to it and said, “Did you take my beard and belly?” He put the bear’s mouth to his ear, pretending to listen. “Uh-huh. I see. Thank you.” He put the bear down and dramatically wiped his brow. “Whew. That’s a relief.”
“What did he say?” Kyra asked.
“He said I don’t need the belly or the beard to give you gifts!”
The girls exchanged giddy glances.
“Let’s see what we have in here.” He reached into the sack and pulled out the last two gift-wrapped boxes.
“I hope it’s not socks,” Susie said.
“ Susie ,” her father gently chided.
“That’s all right. I don’t much like socks, either,” Doc said.
“I like fuzzy socks,” Kyra exclaimed.
Doc shook the gifts, knowing they weren’t socks, and said, “I wonder what they are.” He handed each girl a box, and they tore them open, gasping with delight as they pulled out their stuffed toys.
“A Squishmallow unicorn!” Susie exclaimed, hugging hers.
“I got a Squishmallow kitty!” Kyra waved at Susie.
“Thank you!” the girls said in unison, and then they chattered with each other about their gifts.
Doc soaked in their joy. “Happy holidays, sweet girls.”
“Happy holidays!” they said, and started playing with their toys together, a sight that warmed his heart.
“Thank you,” the parents said in unison.
Doc gave another nod, wishing he had something comforting to give them, too, but he knew seeing their daughters’ smiles could only be outdone by handing them a cure. If only he could do that. When he walked out of their room, he threw a silent prayer up to the powers that be for the girls and their families, just as he’d been doing all day.
“There you are!” Birdie hurried purposefully toward him looking like some kind of vampish elf in an off-the-shoulder red minidress with white and green hearts trailing above a white fur-trimmed hem, elbow-length, red-green-and-white-striped fingerless gloves, and red platform boots. Striped suspenders were attached to a thick green belt circling her tiny waist, and a headband with two stuffed candy canes sticking up like ears trapped her wild dark hair.
“I just finished.” Doc took off his Santa hat. “I’m heading out.”
“Not that way, you’re not.” She grabbed his arm, dragging him in the opposite direction.
“The elevator is the other way.”
“We’re taking a different one. Unless you want to see Mandy, who’s chatting up another nurse by those elevators.”
“Shit.” Mandy was a nurse he’d gone out with for much longer than he’d intended, and even though he’d been honest from the start about not looking for more than occasional company, she’d had a hard time letting go. “Thanks for helping me dodge that bullet.”
They turned down one hall, then another, and came to a set of elevators. Birdie pushed the button. “If you’re going to keep doing this extended-stay-motel dating thing, I suggest you do it outside of Hope Valley.”
He ground his back teeth against the phrase his brothers had coined about his dating life, because his relationships never lasted longer than two or three months. They weren’t wrong, but hearing his little sister say it annoyed the crap out of him.
“Where did you hear that extended-stay shit?”
She rolled her eyes. “First of all, everyone is aware of your MO, and God only knows why women still find you mysterious and sexy.” She opened her mouth and pretended to put her finger in it and gag.
He scowled.
“Second of all, I heard it from Dare .”
“Dare needs to learn to keep his mouth shut, and the women I date know damn well I’m not going to catch feelings for them.”
“ That’s the problem. They think they can change you. Girls. ” The word dripped with sarcasm.
“You’re a female, Birdie.”
“Not a silly one who would waste her time trying to change some stupid man. If a guy says he’s not going to catch feelings, I drop him like a hot potato. Unless I’m in it for a night of fun , of course. Then…”
He crossed his arms, glowering, drumming his fingers against his muscle to keep from giving her hell.
“Don’t look at me like that, doing your finger thing.” She pushed the button again, and the elevator doors opened. As they stepped inside, she said, “Listen, you and I can join forces and be each other’s wingmen. Let’s hit the Roadhouse tonight. Two lone wolves on the prowl.”
Had she lost her fucking mind? “Lone means one, not two, and you damn well better not be on the prowl .”
She lifted her chin, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Guess I’ll be prowling alone.”
“Over my dead body.”
“ Well , I did just listen to a true crime podcast and learn how to poison someone using eye drops.”
“You’re a scary little bird.”
She grinned. “I told you I could take care of myself.”
As they stepped out of the elevator, she said, “The exit is to the right.”
He turned to follow her as a woman came around the corner. She looked up, and his chest seized at the hauntingly beautiful blue eyes staring back at him. They both froze.
“ Doc , what’re you doing?” Birdie complained.
Birdie’s voice was white noise to the hurt and anger brewing inside him as he gritted out, “ Juliette .”
“Seeley?” tumbled from her lips full of confusion, and the to-go cup she was holding crashed to the floor, sending liquid splashing all over their legs as a teenage boy came around the corner.
“ Mom ,” the kid exclaimed. “What happened?” When Juliette didn’t respond, he grabbed her arm. “Mom!”
She blinked repeatedly and choked out, “Nothing, honey. It’s okay. I’ll get it.” But she stood stock-still.
“ Juliette? That’s Juliette? Ohmygod!” Birdie said with shock, then lowered her voice. “Doc, it’s Juliette!”
“I’m aware,” he bit out, and ground his back teeth against the barbed wire twisting around his heart. She’d been gone for years. What the fuck was she doing there?
“It’s…been a long time,” Juliette said a little shakily.
Glowering, Doc said, “Not nearly long enough,” and headed for the exit.
JULIETTE COULDN’T brEATHE. Heartache and anger clawed at her as raw and painful as they had more than a decade ago. Birdie was looking at her like she didn’t know what to do, and Lucas— Oh God, Lucas —looked horrified and angry. She’d known when she’d inherited her maternal grandmother’s property and moved to Weston, Colorado, there was a chance she’d run into Seeley, but living in a different town had kept her safe the last few months. They were only in Hope Valley for one of Lucas’s bull-riding competitions. When he’d been thrown off a bull, she’d taken him to the closest hospital to be evaluated for a concussion. Seeley hadn’t even crossed her mind.
Now it took all of her focus to drag air into her lungs.
“Okay, um . Nice to see you. Or not . I don’t know,” Birdie said apologetically. “Have a better day.” She hurried after her brother.
“ Mom , what’s going on?” Lucas snapped. “Who are those people?”
She met her son’s worried gaze and felt her heart shredding all over again. His eyes were as blue as hers, but the shape and keenness were all Seeley’s, just like his sharp nose, thick brown hair that refused to be tamed, and the stubbornness that had taken root during puberty. At fifteen, Lucas was practically bursting with it.
She forced her voice to work. “I knew them a long time ago.”
“I should’ve said something to that guy. I shouldn’t have let him get away with talking to you like that. He was a dick.”
His words pierced her heart. “He’s…” She stopped herself from refuting him, because Seeley had acted like a dick. Long ago and just then. Her anger rose to the surface.
Who the hell does Seeley think he is acting so scorned?
She kept that anger to herself because the mother in her felt a responsibility not to demean her son’s biological father, and despite everything, the stupid teenage girl in her had never lost her love for the nineteen-year-old boy who had stolen her heart in less than a week—and had crushed it a few months later.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” she finally managed. “He and I have some history together. It’s complicated.” She bent down to pick up the coffee cup she’d dropped, trying to regain her composure. “Can you please grab some paper towels from the men’s room so I can clean up this mess?”
As he disappeared into the men’s room, she exhaled, took a deep breath, and blew it out slowly, trying to get her bearings, but her mind refused to comply. It sent her reeling back to the heartbreaking summer when she’d fallen desperately in love with Seeley Whiskey and her father had torn them apart. She’d been sure Seeley would find a way for them to be together. How many times had he said she was his ride or die ? His forever girl ? She’d believed him and had clung to that promise right up until she’d gotten his letter saying he’d moved on and she should, too.
She’d never been able to reconcile the intensely loyal teenager she’d fallen in love with, with the cold one who had turned his back on them. But she couldn’t let herself fall into that abyss right now. Lucas needed her to be strong, and after what she’d seen of Seeley, she needed to keep Lucas safe from the truth so he didn’t get hurt. He’d already lost the only father he’d ever known. The last thing he needed was to feel unwanted by his biological father.
Lucas came out of the men’s room, his eyes still shadowed with worry, and handed her a handful of paper towels.
“Thanks, honey.” Her son had his moments when he drove her batty, but he really was the greatest kid. It had been the two of them against the world since he was four years old. Lucas was kind, thoughtful, and emotionally strong. Sometimes she worried he was too strong and would get himself in trouble, like the way he wanted to confront Seeley.
“That guy had on a biker vest,” he said as she cleaned up the spilled coffee. “Were you some kind of biker chick before you and Dad got together?”
Her chest constricted. She’d been so busy trying to remember how to breathe, she hadn’t even registered what Seeley was wearing. “No. But Seeley had a motorcycle.” She’d never forget how it felt to ride on the back of that bike, wrapped around Seeley’s warm, strong body, the engine vibrating beneath her. She’d felt free and so damn in love, the entire world seemed brighter. Her throat thickened with the memory. She choked it down and pushed to her feet, looking for a trash can.
“Here. Give them to me.” Lucas took the wet paper towels and went into the men’s room.
When he returned, they headed for the exit. “How’s your noggin?”
Lucas was into barrel racing, bull riding, calf roping, and half a dozen other things. She’d fought him on bull riding at first, but he’d been adamant, and she couldn’t help but think some passions were innate, since Seeley had been the reigning champ of those sports when she’d known him.
“I’m fine . When you said there’s history between you two, did you mean you were hooking up or had a relationship?”
“ Lucas ,” she warned.
“What? I’m not judging you. Just tell me what you meant.”
“I meant I’m not having this conversation with my fifteen-year-old son.”
“Why? I know all about hooking up.”
She gave him a stern look. “You’d better not know about hooking up.”
“Whatever.” He flashed a crooked grin.
She fished in her bag for her sunglasses and keys as they stepped outside.
“Holy shit.”
“Language, Luca—” She looked up, taking in a crowd of bikers wearing black leather cuts with Dark Knights patches on them, throwing her right back in time again, to the months she’d lived and interned on the ranch, working side by side with Seeley during the day, eating meals with his family and the rest of the people who lived and worked there, hanging out around bonfires, going to events the Dark Knights hosted, and secretly falling into Seeley’s arms every chance she got.
“That guy must be part of this gang. Do you think he’s dangerous?”
Only to my heart .
She hated the truth in that thought, but here she stood, scanning the crowd for Seeley.
He was nowhere in sight, but her gaze trailed over his brothers, Cowboy and Dare, who had always been funny and warm and protective of her, like Seeley. Cowboy was massive now, and he had a beard, and Dare was covered in tattoos, but they were still unmistakable, as was his sister Sasha. She was beautiful, and she was holding a little boy. Juliette’s chest tightened. That’s how she’d once imagined her own future, holding Seeley’s child, surrounded by people who loved them and cared about helping others more than wealth or politics or their public images.
There was movement in the crowd, and Juliette spotted Seeley’s parents. Her breath caught. They’d barely changed. Tiny was a rough-looking mountainous man, covered in tattoos with an untamed beard and long hair, both of which had turned gray. Wynnie was a little thicker around the middle than she used to be, but weren’t they all? She still wore her blond hair in a short shag, and as she leaned in to kiss Tiny, it was apparent their love hadn’t dwindled.
Longing sank into Juliette’s bones. Tiny and Wynnie used to say that anyone who stayed at the ranch became family, and that’s how they had always treated her that summer. She hadn’t only fallen for Seeley. She’d fallen for all of them.
Wynnie must have sensed her staring, because she looked over, sending Juliette’s heart racing. After the way her father had treated the Whiskeys and the horrible threats he’d made, she didn’t know what Seeley’s family thought of her. Wynnie’s brows knitted, and she took a step in their direction.
Juliette couldn’t deal with another confrontation. Especially in front of Lucas. She put on her sunglasses and turned away. Drawing upon all the courage and calmness she could muster, she draped an arm around Lucas, placing her hand on his shoulder, because at five seven to his five ten, putting her arm over his shoulder was no longer an option, and started walking toward their car.
“No, I don’t think he’s dangerous,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as rattled as she felt. The weight of Wynnie’s stare drilled into her like a laser. “It’s been quite a day. Know what we need?”
“A few shots of tequila?” he suggested hopefully.
“After the day we’ve had, that’s tempting.”
“ That’s what I’m talking about.” He rubbed his hands together. “My first tequila shots.”
She gave him a wry smile. “I said tempting . It’s not going to happen.”
“Come on , Mom. I’ve had a tough day, too,” he urged with the cheeky grin he used whenever he tried to rile her up. “I lost my competition, and hit my head, and I had to witness that douchebag being mean to you.”
“Can you please stop calling him names?” She unlocked the doors to her truck.
“But he was a douche.”
She sighed. “Lucas, please ? Let’s just go get burgers and fries and forget this ever happened. I’ll even let you drive.” He’d gotten his learner’s permit a few weeks ago.
“Fine, but if I ever see him again, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”
“You’ll have to get in line behind me.”