Chapter 2
2
Her best friend Greer had the most gorgeous brothers on the planet. Ayla had thought so the last time she had seen them—at her first ever slumber party at his sister’s house recently. She, her sister, his three sisters, and some other friends had curled up in his ridiculously large living room at the family ranch and just hung out, talking and laughing. Ayla had never done that before.
This man and his two brothers that had still lived on that ranch had disappeared into their family room down the hall—it was a really large ranch house; big enough for three families in her opinion—and she hadn’t seen him again until breakfast the next morning. She thought.
She might have. He and his twin were identical. But one was a full-time rancher and one wasn’t. She didn’t know how to tell them apart other than that.
He hovered as they crossed the parking lot. Some people could go a bit overboard with her mobility issues. Especially at first. He’d learn, though.
Well, if she kept running into him he would, anyway.
Then she was in his truck—and trying not to freak out. She’d never been alone in a man’s truck in her entire life, that she could remember. Definitely not in the dark like this. She hadn’t realized she was that big of a wimp until now, either.
Ayla gave her wimpy side a stern talking to as she adjusted the bag that held her swim gear at her feet.
This was a preacher . And her best friend’s older brother. Not exactly a serial killer.
She didn’t think. She didn’t know.
She’d heard they could blend in just like everyone else.
Serial killers. Not preachers.
She made a mental note to google whether there had ever been any preacher serial killers, or… serial killer preachers.
She’d probably do that eventually.
It was one of those random thoughts that popped in when she was trying not to freak out from worrying about Aubrey.
He’d lifted her into the big truck without even hesitating. He had just lifted her. That surprised her. She’d expected he’d at least be a bit awkward about it. Then again, she suspected a Hiller brother was very rarely awkward about anything.
They just didn’t seem the types .
She studied him in the dim light when he climbed in. He was definitely a gorgeous man. She bet the women of his congregation just looked at him and sighed every single Sunday. And he definitely didn’t have a clue. They probably baked him homemade pies and made sweet potato casseroles in vintage Pyrex dishes and brought them to him, while wearing real aprons. Made him cookies and sent them home with him in vintage Tupperware, too.
She could just picture it now. He’d be adorably appreciative, too.
He really was a beautiful man.
He had medium brown hair, lighter than his sister Greer’s. Greer’s was much darker. But Genny’s hair was the same color as Gunn’s. They all had the same eyes, too. He looked more like Genny than Greer, though. Just a lot bigger.
There was a lot of man muscle on the good Reverend Hiller.
Nothing pale and pasty about him. He should probably be on the cover of a romance novel or something—shirt on. He was a minister, after all.
No spicies for him.
Maybe.
Of course, he was only a part-time minister, Greer had told her before. The rest of the time he helped his twin and their older brother Gene raise beef cows or something. Ayla really didn’t know much about ranching. Definitely nothing about men.
“This is really awkward,” she said, to break the silence as he pulled out of the library parking lot and they drove past the diner. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a man’s truck in my life.”
“Not even on a date?”
“A date? What’s that?” she asked, tongue-in-cheek. Something about the dark completely erased whatever filters she’d had. Not that she’d had many to begin with. And she was nervous. Ayla got a bit silly when she was nervous sometimes. “I’ve never really dated. Aubrey wouldn’t let me, after a not great experience once.”
Her sister was really good at the stand-in-mom thing. She’d been mothering Ayla her entire life, after all.
“I see.” He was silent for a moment. “I never dated much, when I was younger. I went straight from college to the seminary. I did date in college, though. I had a few serious girlfriends.”
“Wow. You were young.”
“I knew what I wanted to do with my life.”
“It must be nice to have known so early. I’m still working my way through my plan.”
“Which is?”
“I plan to become a social worker. But I want to work at the hospital or something like that. For the people who are hurting there. Not like Greer.”
“Greer is all about the kids. She always has been.”
“She’s awesome.” And she was. Greer was the closest friend Ayla had ever had. She appreciated that so much. “We met at the college campus in Finley Creek. We had to collaborate on a project in our child abuse class. Then we realized Genny and Aubrey were already pals. And we made them take us out for Chinese once after Aubrey was there to pick me up from class one day, and Genny was there to get Greer. We’ve kind of stuck together ever since.”
“When do you graduate?”
Greer had graduated back in December. She had been working part-time for the county before that. Now she worked full time there.
“Next year. I’m six months older than Greer. And sometimes I have to take fewer classes, so we can pay for them and work them around my physical therapy schedules. Although I did get grants. My sister is really good at ferreting grants out.” Ayla spent her time in class, swimming as much as she could, volunteering at the library, and being with her sister as much as humanly possible considering how busy Aubrey was. She was such a wild girl sometimes. She studied her driver, even in the darkness. “So tell me… why the ministry?”
“Helping people. My parents lost a child between Genny and Greer. A boy, born too early. His name was Grayson. He lived for a week in the hospital. I was eight or so. And I remember the pastor of our church helping my family through it. I decided in college that that was what I wanted to do; my way of helping people.”
“Isn’t it funny how our greatest tragedies can lead us to where we are now?” Ayla asked, as a twinge of pain shot through her back. She’d stood too long today. She hated using the wheelchair, and didn’t even bring it out of the house with her. But sometimes… she overdid it. And the Wonkus McBubbles story she’d read to the kids today had been one that involved the whole body. Still, she’d heal soon enough, and the kids had smiled and laughed. That was more important.
“I just think that is… God’s way… of preparing us for later.”
“Maybe there is something to that. It’s why I want to help people at the hospital. I didn’t want med school.”
“Why not?”
“Too much blood. I get really squeamish. But I want to help people. People like me.” She waited, for the curiosity. People always assumed it was something she’d been born with. Cerebral palsy was their first assumption. Car accident was their second, when she told them she hadn’t been born with it.
No one ever guessed she’d been thrown down a flight of stairs by an enraged foster parent at eleven years old. She’d rather just keep that part to herself.
“I can understand that. I want to help people, too.”
“I guess we have that in common.”
Nothing. Not even a question. Well. How interesting.
He just made small talk until they pulled into the hospital parking lot. He pulled in next to the main entrance. “I’ll come around and get you out.”
“Thanks.” She knew better than to attempt to climb out of an unfamiliar vehicle with her back twinging like it was. That way would lead to certain disaster. He made good on his words. He got out her crutches and leaned them against the hood of his truck. Then he was opening her door. And reaching for her.
She let him. Did she have much choice? “Wow. You are strong. I don’t think you’d ever drop me.”
“I’ll do my very best not to.”
This was honestly the closest she thought she had ever been to a seriously hot man like him.
Ayla liked it.
She had the absolute worst timing though. “I really want to see my sister.”
Because one thing was for sure—Aubrey wouldn’t have sent a man to get Ayla unless she absolutely had had no choice. Her sister just wouldn’t do that.
Not Aubrey.
Aubrey just wouldn’t.
Ayla might not have any real experience with men, but there had been a few boys in her life before. Until she’d almost gotten into some serious trouble with one who didn’t understand the word no, and had told her he’d just dated her out of pity, anyway. Aubrey had rescued her in time, after that, and they’d decided dating might be too complicated at the time. But it was a lesson Ayla hadn’t ever forgotten.
She’d decided to take a page out of her sister’s book after that and just concentrate on her education and career. Time for men would come later.
Although… if the right one were to come along now… she hoped she wouldn’t be too much of a wimp to miss it. Or too clueless to see it in the first place. That was a distinct possibility. Ayla knew herself very well, after all.
All thoughts of the seriously gorgeous man next to her vanished when she made it inside the hospital and was reminded of why they were there in the first place. Genny Hiller was her friend, too. And she was Aubrey’s closest friend in the world, like Greer and Hala were Ayla’s. Ayla was worried and she was scared.
Greer and her family were in the surgical waiting room when she and Gunn made it upstairs at the charge nurse’s instructions. Genny was in surgery. Guthrie was watching from the surgical department, she’d heard. With Dr. Fields.
Ayla privately thought Dr. Fields had it bad for Genny, but she wasn’t going to mention that to anyone, in case they were keeping it a secret or something.
Greer was crying, that half mix between anger and fear. Ayla plopped down in the chair next to her and hugged her. Greer was the tough one of their little trio—their friend Hala was the goof ball, while Ayla considered herself the wimp—but Greer was actually very sensitive inside. Well, they all were, really. Like did recognize like, after all.
“Any word?”
Greer just shook her head and hopped up to pace around. “No.”
They just waited. Someone came in, from the open door to the hallway. Ayla’s breath caught, seeing her own big sister there. “Aubrey!”
Her sister had a nasty scrape on her cheek, a bandaged arm, and she would definitely have a black eye in the morning.
Ayla struggled to her feet. Her sister met her halfway. And hugged her. “I’m okay, Ay, I promise. I’m okay.”
She stepped back, then turned to the crowd. Aubrey went to Greer’s mom and knelt down in front of her. “Mrs. Hiller… ”
Greer’s mother covered Aubrey’s hands with her own. “How is my daughter?”
“She’s going to be fine. Guthrie and Chad are watching over her like hawks with a baby chick right now. She did lose some blood, but the injuries were minor. The only reason they put her under was to keep her still while they stitched the wounds. But everything is going well. In a week to ten days, she’ll be back to one hundred percent. I promise. Genny is going to be just fine.”
Did anyone else hear how Aubrey’s voice hitched there at the end?
Ayla did.
Tears hit her own eyes with Genny’s mom burst into sobs. Aubrey stepped back quickly. Greer and Giavonna took her spot.
Then Aubrey was bombarded by the Hiller brothers in full force. With questions and demands.
Yikes. They were really scary men, all of them.
Well… not him, though.
Ayla thought that Hiller brother was very different from the rest.