Chapter 32
Rocker bade them goodnight in the driveway as Ty let Ice out of the truck. They entered the house, and she went to the pantry for Ice’s food. When he finished eating, she took him outside.
She removed his harness and threw the ball in the fenced-in area. “You’re such a good boy, Ice. You already have my heart,” she said, petting him. Ice gave her a sloppy kiss in response.
They entered the house, and Ice went immediately to his water bowl.
“It appears you two enjoyed yourselves,” Ty said, joining them in the kitchen.
Scarlett picked up Ice’s bowl and refilled it. She spilled some water over the side as she set it down. “Shit,” she swore under her breath.
“You’ll find paper towels at your head level to your right,” Ty directed. She cleaned up the mess and threw the paper towels in the garbage.
“You did a great job today, Sparky,” he said, pulling her into his arms.
“Thank you. I’m sorry about losing my shit with you earlier. I suddenly felt enraged by your suggestion. I didn’t want to fail or feel embarrassed,” She murmured into his chest, loving his touch.
“May I make another suggestion? I still have a reward for you,” Ty said, his voice dropping low.
“Oh, I think I’ll like this reward,” she breathed.
She felt the deep chuckle in his chest. “Yes, I can make it part of your reward, but I have something else in mind for tonight.”
Her lip came out in a pout, making him chuckle more. Taking her hand, he led her to his bedroom. Ice followed them and curled up on his bed as Ty took her to her side and tucked her in, sitting up. He walked around to his side and got in.
“What are we doing? Sitting in bed instead of lying in it?” she asked sarcastically.
“Hold on a minute, Miss Impatient,” he teased. “Hold out your hands.”
“Oh, I like this game,” she grinned.
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” he said, placing something in her grasp. “Open it.”
Scarlett tore the paper and felt the cover and pages of a book. “You bought me a book?” she asked slowly, almost ready to cry.
He took her fingers and pressed them against the cover. She felt the braille writing, and her mouth fell open in surprise. “You bought my favorite author in braille?” she asked.
“The night you and Sledge came into the restaurant, I approached your table and you mentioned you didn’t get to read this one. I ordered it when I returned home. I hoped it might be a good reason for me to visit you on the mountain.”
“Ty Bradshaw, you sly dog,” she teased. “Why didn’t you say you wanted to meet me?”
“Because Sledge kept giving me the stink eye. I wanted to give it to you when your bodyguards weren’t present,” he explained.
“I can’t believe you did this,” she exclaimed.
“We can still go back to your original idea, but I thought you might like to spend the rest of the evening reading. It’s how I wind down at the end of the night,” he told her.
“Oh, no. You and Hank couldn’t drag me away from this.” Scarlett clutched it to her chest. “It’ll take me a while. I know Braille, but not fluently. This will be a challenge,” she said, her eyes lighting up. Reaching for his face, she leaned in, kissing him. “Thank you.”
“We have another option. I asked the library to deliver some audiobooks. You might want to try them. When I’m mucking out stalls and want some downtime, I occasionally listen to them. It might be nice to sit by the lake and listen to a book while we picnic,” he suggested.
“I love the idea. By the way, your mom said she might spend the night on Tuesday. If I’m staying in your guest room, and Rocker’s in the guest house outside, where will she sleep?” Scarlett asked.
“Mom always takes the first room on the left. In case you didn’t realize it, she loves playing matchmaker. She won’t find anything amiss when you come out of my room on Wednesday morning. In fact, she’ll probably rejoice,” Ty said, laughing. “She really wants grandchildren.”
“Oh, wow. Here I thought she considered me special. She wanted me for my breeding skills. She did warn me she ran a ranch. It’s probably second nature to her.” Scarlett shook her head.
“She loves you. I haven’t brought a woman home in a long time.
The fact you’re staying here instead of the guest house told her all she wanted to know,” Ty said.
“Trust me, she’s thrilled. It won’t surprise me if she called Maddie, Carol, and Edie as she left my driveway to set up their poker game.
It’ll give her an excuse to see how things are going. ”
“How do you think it’s going?” she asked, biting her lip.
“I’m falling hard for you and trying to keep from seeming like a crazy man,” he said softly, cupping her face. “How about you?”
“I’m falling for you, too. I’m considering Leo’s interview offer, but not because of you,” she blurted.
Ty leaned in, gently kissing her.
“Hmmm, you almost made me forget about my book,” she whispered against his lips.
“Who did you visit in the hospital room?” Ty asked.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t sleep, and I overheard the nurses talking about the room beside me.
Hannah has spent months there. She doesn’t speak, and from what I understand, she doesn’t eat.
They worried about having to give her a G-tube.
My heart went out to her. Nobody visited her while I stayed there, but I went to training, PT, and Claire.
I might’ve missed them. I can’t imagine how she must feel if she’s all alone. ”
“She’s not anymore. You visited her,” Ty said proudly. “It’s a very thoughtful gesture. Did you ask Kassie or Doc about visiting?”
“Ummm, no. I snuck in the first time. Since I got to the cabin, I didn’t get a chance to go back. I wanted her to know she’s not alone,” Scarlett said, opening the book’s cover.
“I understand you don’t want her alone. Ask Kassie about visiting her. There may be some rules against going into an unresponsive patient’s room,” Ty advised.
“They won’t give up on her, will they? I heard of some veterans placed in nursing homes. She seems young. I don’t think she’d like it there,” Scarlett said, running her fingers across the page.
“If she doesn’t talk, how do you know?” he asked, curious about her observations.
“Because I’d give up if I didn’t have anyone rooting for me,” she confided. “Read your book. I want to start mine,” she said, smiling.
“You got it,” Ty said, kissing her and flipping his to the last page he read.
Scarlett concentrated as her fingers ran over the words.
The warm feeling floated through her again, making her feel safe and cared for.
If she wasn’t careful, she could get used to this.
Who was she kidding? She already fell head over heels in love with Ty Bradshaw, and she didn’t need a romance book to show her the signs.