Chapter Three
DIANA STOOD BACK WHILE his brothers gave him careful hugs, but soon he pivoted toward her. “Are you all right? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
“No. I didn’t get hurt.” If she didn’t count the hurt a year ago. “Thanks to you. You saved my life.”
The tips of his ears pinked against his brown cowboy hat. “I did no such thing. I was just in the right place at the right time, and I thank God for that.”
She blinked. He thanked God for getting his shoulder bruised or maybe broken? “I’m sorry you got hurt.” Her neck stiff, she resisted the urge to hang her head. “All because of me.”
“I’m not sorry. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t enjoy that heavy thing hitting my shoulder.” Now his neck pinked, as well. “But I’d rather it be me getting hit than you.”
Was he serious?
A man in cowboy boots, a Wrangler shirt, and a white cowboy hat carefully slapped Laredo’s uninjured shoulder. “Look at the bright side, bro. Though you’re rather hardheaded, it would’ve been much worse if that capstone hit your head or neck.”
“Diana, that’s my husband, Darius.” Saylor beamed at her spouse. “I believe my optimistic nature is rubbing off on him.”
Based on the tender gazes between Saylor and Darius, their marriage must be a happy one. Diana’s heart constricted again, this time from regret. Once upon a time, she’d had her own marital bliss, or... something like it. But not for long. And the way she’d chosen to cope with her loss would haunt her for the rest of her life. Her gut burned again.
Then more men in cowboy attire joined them, and Laredo introduced them as his brothers. They seemed a close family, as close-knit as her grandmother’s Christmas sweaters, something Diana had never experienced. Still, her parents were much better than Pat’s. Diana’s parents, doing important jobs, hired a nanny to help raise her. No need for that bitter taste in her mouth or the urge to flush it with sweet, lovely liquid.
Then another man hurried up. He stood out as different from the rest of them, maybe due to the Asian slant to his brown eyes, but more likely due to his contrasting attire. Wearing wide, loose black pants and a Christmas sweater instead of jeans and a Wrangler shirt, and a red bandanna instead of a cowboy hat, he’d look more at home—well, she wasn’t sure where exactly he would fit in. With that roguish glint in his eyes and the mischievous tilt to his smile, maybe he’d be best on a movie set.
Oddly, Marina introduced him as her husband and Laredo’s brother, Kai. With Marina so strict, intense, and businesslike as opposed to the apparently easygoing Kai, they might prove opposites did attract.
“Granted, you’ll have to wear your sling for days. And you shouldn’t use your right hand much in the interim from what I heard the doctor say. Including driving...” Darius glanced around. “Okay, as my wife would say, I should stop talking now.”
“Gee, thanks a lot.” Laredo frowned and started toward the exit. “I look forward to being helpless for the foreseeable future.”
“Maybe my optimism didn’t rub off on you as much as I thought, darling.” Saylor tugged at her hubby’s shirtsleeve as they all followed Laredo.
Though she didn’t belong to this family, Diana tagged along, and based on Laredo’s grateful smile, he wanted her to.
“Don’t worry, bro. We all will pitch in. Then you’ll be as good as new in no time.” Darius hurried to correct his mistake.
Saylor’s smile was warm and encouraging. “That’s right. We’re family.”
“Wait a moment.” Marina lifted her hand as they reached the sliding doors. “Considering recent events, let’s make sure no unpleasant surprises await us outside.”
Diana winced. Marina probably meant Diana, not “us,” and it was a painful reminder that she wasn’t safe.
“Right.” Laredo moved closer as if shielding her.
Wow. Even injured, he thought of her safety first. Never mind that he’d just met her and she’d already greatly inconvenienced his life.
“All clear,” Marina said in an authoritative voice.
They filed out to the parking lot. The air was fresh and much cooler than in the building.
Diana wasn’t part of the Lawrence family. But she owed it to Laredo to stick around longer, right? Besides, she had an ulterior motive to spend some time at the ranch.
She stepped closer and gazed up at him as they walked to their respective cars. Looking into his baby blues stirred her, but she had to remain professional. “I’ll be glad to help. I can drive you around and assist with everyday duties. And I’m a nurse, so I can change the bandage, watch for signs of infection, check vital signs, and so on.”
“We’ll be glad to do that, too,” Darius said.
Saylor elbowed him. “It’s better to leave it to a professional, don’t you think?”
“I’ll be happy to pay you, Diana.” Laredo’s pace slowed.
Diana matched hers to his. “Nonsense. I owe it to you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.” His voice thickened.
“We... we’ll figure out something.” It was best not to argue with patients if the matter could be dropped. Because that was what Laredo would have to be to her from now on. A patient.
She extended her hand for the keys when they stopped near a truck. Interestingly enough, as if helping Laredo protect her, the rest of the family walked with them here instead of to their cars like she’d assumed they would. “Would it be okay if I drove you to the ranch?”
“I can drive Laredo.” Then Kai rubbed his side, as well. “Ouch. Or not.” He muttered something about a professional, but his voice trailed off as if he realized that it didn’t apply here.
The sisters exchanged wry glances but didn’t say anything. What was that all about? Could they be matchmaking, or was Diana imagining things?
“We’ll meet you at the ranch,” a chorus of voices said. Then the footsteps scuffled, and motors grumbled as they drove off.
She looked at Laredo expectantly. Some men—probably a lot of them—liked being in the driver’s seat in many senses and hated being helpless. She’d met enough male patients who were beyond irritated by their conditions. Some had taken it out on her. She hadn’t taken it personally. It was part of the job. Her gut clenched. Not a part she liked, but it came with the territory. Just like how, in marriage, one had to take the good and the bad as her father had always said, and remember only the good.
Remember only the good parts.
“Thank you. Here you go.” Laredo clicked on the car fob, then placed the keys into her palm.
His fingers brushed against her skin, and her temperature kicked up, despite the cool December air. She didn’t want to feel a simple, accidental touch this much, and yet she did.
A patient. That was all he could be to her. Nothing else and nothing more. Something tugged at her heart, but she didn’t dare identify it.
She finally found her voice. “Thanks.”
Had he noticed her reaction to his fingers brushing over her palm? Hopefully not. Heat rose inside her. Laredo opened the door for her with his left hand while she stood in a stupor.
She cringed. “Thanks, but you don’t have to do that. I’m the one who’s supposed to help you while you’re recovering. Do you need help getting inside?”
He shook his head enthusiastically. “No. I’ve got it.”
Stubborn like all men, though maybe she shouldn’t be stereotyping. Besides, unlike Pat, Diana hadn’t dated much, so she had no clue how all men were. Had Pat met someone here, fallen in love, and followed that guy? What had happened to make her friend ghost her?
Diana slipped inside Laredo’s scratched-up truck.
It smelled of leather and hay with a faint scent of baked goods. Unlike the vehicles she was used to, this one had seen better times, and its seats and steering wheel were worn out.
She adjusted the seat, then the mirror, and started the engine. Strangely enough, she felt more comfortable here than in the more luxurious cars she’d ridden in since her childhood. It was as if Laredo’s truck, just like Laredo himself, accepted her with no questions asked while she constantly had to prove herself to her family and still not be good enough. The only thing she’d seemed to have done right for her parents had been giving them their doctor son-in-law. Even then, it hadn’t lasted, and there’d been an unspoken assumption that somehow must’ve been Diana’s fault, too.
“Please guide me on how to get there.” She drove from the parking lot. Most of his family had already left while she’d lingered.
“Sure. I’ll be glad to. Turn to the left here. Have you ever been on a ranch?”
“No.” She was out of her element again. “The closest I’ve been to a cow was, um, in steak. Or on the roadside. I mean, the whole live cow was on the roadside, not a steak.”
He chuckled. “I understood.”
If he had such a nice throaty chuckle, what would his full-on laughter sound like? She wanted to hear him laugh for more reasons than one, and it was scary.
“Turn to the right here,” he directed.
She did so. Maybe it would do her good to step out of her comfort zone. To have a change of scenery. Like her friend had tried to make her do. But Diana wasn’t born to party or travel the world. She was born and raised to meet certain expectations. Those expectations didn’t include befriending a free spirit. Or living on a ranch, for that matter.
A nervous chuckle escaped while a bit of a rebel moved in. “I look forward to my time at the ranch.” She wasn’t just polite. She meant it.
She’d been at the ocean as a child during their rare family vacations. She’d found it mysterious and fascinating, and hopefully, she’d find it soothing now.
Kind of like this cowboy by her side. Her aching heart found him fascinating, and his company was soothing and comfortable, even for an introvert like her. She stole a glance at him.
He grinned back. “I’m glad. I do hope you’ll enjoy it. I can show you around.” Then his voice dipped. “I shouldn’t use my right hand, but my legs work fine.”
“I’d love that. I mean, if you could show me around the ranch. Not that you shouldn’t use your right hand.” Why did the hollowness in her chest feel strangely different? And was... was she eager to spend more time in his company? Uh-oh, that wasn’t good.
Soon she could see the “whole live cows” on the field by both sides of the road. It didn’t feel like just a change of scenery. It was as if a different part of her life had just begun.
The question was: Had someone intended to cut that life short?