“I’m healed, Momma. Trust me. My heart is not broken; I’m not crying myself to sleep at night. As a matter of fact, I plan on opening a bottle of your best wine after Liliana goes to sleep tonight and celebrating.”
A wide smile crossed Momma’s face. “I like the sound of that! Should I invite some people over?”
I lifted a brow. “You already have, haven’t you?”
“A small group of friends. Nothing big.”
Daddy laughed, and I tried not to smile but lost the battle. God, it was good to be home.
Truitt
THE DOOR TO my brother’s house opened and he looked at me with an expression that should have dropped me to my knees.
“Why in the hell are you at my house at…what time is it?”
“Seven,” I replied, pushing past him and walking into his house. “I brought you an egg, bacon, and potato breakfast taco.”
“No cheese?” he asked, walking behind me.
“I thought you gave up cheese,” I said as I glanced back at him over my shoulder. He looked like he hadn’t slept all night. I knew that look. I’d seen it on him a dozen or more times. I stopped and turned to face him. “Dear God, tell me you didn’t.”
He shrugged. “I did. I figured you’d be hooking up with Doc Turner. Your dick must be sore if you didn’t hit that last night.”
Scoffing, I pushed the bag of tacos into his chest. “You’re a manwhore.”
“I can’t help it if you’ve had a dry spell, or that your cock isn’t working. There are other ways to play you know.”
“The nurse?” I asked.
He smiled. “She’s taking a shower.”
“Jesus, Roger. How many nurses have you banged in the last five years?”
My brother walked into his kitchen, opened the bag, and dumped the tacos out on the island.
“Let’s see,” he said while he looked up and thought about it. “I’m going to say six? You get hurt, I get screwed. It’s a win-win.”
The next thing I knew, Lucy, the nurse from yesterday, walked into the kitchen with nothing on but underwear and one of Roger’s tank tops. She stopped when she saw me, and her face turned fifty shades of red.
“Want a taco?” Roger asked, handing her a foil-wrapped taco.
“No, I should probably be heading on out.”
“You sure?”
I looked at Roger, stunned. He always pushed the women he hooked up with out the door, but for some reason, he wanted this one to stay.
“Yes, thanks for the fun night,” Lucy said in a soft voice as she smiled at Roger.
“No, thank you. I learned a new position last night.”
Lucy blushed and then made her way out of the kitchen.
Roger looked at me and smiled.
“You liked this one?” I asked with one raised brow.
He shrugged. “She was…different. Fun.”
I laughed. “Listen, I’ve got a consult today. It’s actually here in Boerne.”
Roger lifted his brow. “Really? Who?”
“The Nights. Their daughter, Saryn, got divorced and is moving back with her three-year-old daughter. They want a playhouse to rival no other. Evie’s words.”
Laughing, Roger rubbed the back of his neck. “Evie Night. You know the reason she’s most likely hiring you?”
I nodded.
“What is Saryn, two or three years behind you and Ryan?”
Ryan was Saryn’s older brother and one of my good friends from high school. We were still friends.
“She’s a year younger.”
“She moved to Dallas after she married Tim Ackerman,” Roger said, looking at me with an expression I hadn’t ever seen before. Almost as if he was waiting for my reaction.
I snarled my lip. “Who in their right mind would marry that prick?”
“Who knows. She was pretty, if I remember.”
My mind drifted back to high school. To Saryn, her light brown hair in a ponytail, those coffee-colored eyes sparkling as she rode her horse around the arena. Ryan never had to ask me twice if I wanted to go with him and watch his sister barrel race. Any excuse to see Saryn. I’d never told Ryan how much I liked his sister. Growing up, she was always just Ryan’s little sister. Until high school, when Saryn became the beautiful young woman who looked at me with eyes that hinted at something I could never figure out.
“Yeah, she was pretty.”
Roger gave me a quick glance, then looked away.
I drew in a deep breath, then let it out. “Well, anyway, I’m heading out to the Night’s ranch later this afternoon. I’m going to text Ryan, see if he’s around.”
“Tell him I said hey if you do see him. And be prepared, Evie Night likes things big and showy.”
“Big and showy is all I know.”
Lucy walked into the kitchen, now dressed in her own clothes, grabbed a wrapped taco, and waved to both of us. “See ya around, Roger?”
Roger gave her a grin that didn’t really reach his eyes, causing Lucy’s smile to fade slightly. “Yeah, see ya around.”
And like that, she walked out without so much as looking back.
Roger and I stared at the empty doorway until we heard the door shut.
I couldn’t help but notice my brother looked a bit disappointed.
After pulling down the long gravel driveway, I saw the Night house in front of me. The large, two-story ranch had a wraparound porch with rocking chairs and other comfortable seating areas. I’d spent many a night on that porch.
I pulled up and parked to the side and got out of the truck. Glancing around, I took in the beautiful sight before me. There was nothing like the Texas Hill Country, and the Nights owned one of the prettiest ranches in the county. Not that I would ever let my father hear me say that.
Large, live oak trees towered over the driveway and house. The front pasture was short and fenced off, to keep their cattle away from the house. Two horses grazed lazily as one of them lifted its head to give me a quizzical look. When she saw I wasn’t coming with food, she went back to eating the pasture grass. I couldn’t help but smile. Horses always reminded me of Saryn.
I shook the thought away and headed toward the house.
“Truitt Carter! My goodness, look at you!”
I turned to see Evie Night walking toward me. The older woman had to be in her upper fifties, but she was still drop-dead gorgeous. Once upon a time, she’d been the rodeo queen who snagged the heart of the local football hero. Will Night had given up his chance to play pro ball in order to go to college, get the mandated degree for ranchers—whatever the hell that was—and come home to take over the family ranch.
“Mrs. Night, it’s good to see you again.”
She waved off my words. “Truitt, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Evie. Look at you. Good Lord, if they don’t breed them good here in Boerne. Son, how are you still not married?”
I laughed. “Probably the same reason Ryan isn’t.”
Evie raised a brow. “You just haven’t met the woman who wants to make you settle down. Now Ryan, I feel there’s no hope for that son of mine.”
I tipped my cowboy hat at her. “I won’t argue with you on that last point.”
Will walked toward us, a wide grin on his face.
“Truitt, how are your momma and daddy doing?”
“Mr. Night, they’re doing well. Thank you for asking.”
“Call me Will, son.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
It was the same conversation each time I saw Evie and Will. Being raised in the south, it was hard to break the habit of addressing older folks with respect.
Will clapped me on the back. “You’ve made a name for yourself, son. Ryan tells us you’re starting to build playhouses for folks in other states. I’m sure your daddy is proud.”
My hand went to my neck where, out of habit, I rubbed at the ache that always seemed to appear anytime someone said those words to me.
Will pulled his brows in, then
nodded in understanding. “It’s hard when you’re raised as a rancher and your kin don’t want to follow in those footsteps. He’ll move on someday, you’ll see.”
“Roger and I keep our hands in the family business, just not to the extent our father wants. He thinks I need to be working next to him, not building playhouses.”
Evie waved her hands about her. “Psh, you’re known all over Texas for those playhouses. I don’t see your daddy’s picture in People magazine after building that playhouse for…what was the actress’s name in Austin?”
I laughed. “It was a country singer, Lisa Walker.”
She nodded and said, “That’s right. Anyway, let’s walk around the house to the backyard and I’ll show you where I was thinking I want the playhouse.”
Will fell in step next to me and started firing off questions as the three of us walked to the back of their house.
“Who designs the houses?” he asked.
“I draw them up, then I have an architect do the plans, then an engineer signs off so that the customer knows they’re structurally secure and safe.”
“I have no doubt you do sturdy work,” Will stated.
“Thank you, sir.”
“How long does it take to build one?” Evie asked.
“Depends on what the customer wants. The more intricate the design, the longer it will be. An average playhouse takes about two months, but I’ve had one take a year to make, only because the customer changed their mind as often as the wind.”
They both laughed.
“The materials?” Will asked.
“Mostly cedar. We use foam, hard siding, stone. It’s really anything you want.”
Evie stopped and faced us. “And each one is custom?”
I nodded. “Yes. No two are the same.”
She smiled. “Perfect. Our daughter, Saryn, I’m sure you remember her from high school...?”
My chest squeezed slightly at the mention of Saryn’s name. After twelve years, I couldn’t believe she still had an affect on me. “Of course.”
Evie grinned. “Well, she has just moved back home with our granddaughter, Liliana. She’s three and I want her to be able to play in the playhouse now, but also grow into it and use it as she gets older. And of course, expand for other grandkids.”
“That can easily be done. Most of it will be how it’s decorated inside. As Liliana grows older, you simply change the design. Some people keep the outside simple, others go all out. The choice is yours.”
“Who does the decorating?” Evie asked, giving me a skeptical look.
I lifted my hands and laughed. “Not me, I can promise you that. My cousin Lee, she’s an interior designer. She handles all of that for me.”
“I like the idea of making it grow with Liliana. As far as the slides and swings go, can you make them separate from the house?” Will asked.
With a smile, I looked at them both. “It’s been my experience that even adults like to slide down the slides and swing on the swings. If it were me, I’d have at least one slide attached to the house. Maybe something coming from a window or tower, something along those lines.”
Evie grinned. “I like the way you think, Truitt. I have a picture that I’d like it to be modeled after.”
I nodded. “I can draw up a few different ideas for you after I see the picture. Once we get it narrowed down, then we can figure out what types of things you want to include in the playhouse.”
“This is going to cost me a fortune,” Will mumbled.
I laughed then placed my hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I’m not going to lie to you, sir, but it probably will.”
He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh as Evie clapped her hands and turned to look out over the massive backyard. “Anything for these women in my life, right?”
“Now that that’s settled, let’s start planning!”
I cleared my throat. “What about Saryn? Is this going to be a surprise for her and Liliana? Does she want any input in it?”
Evie looked directly at me, and the way she smiled made me think she was up to something other than just planning a playhouse.
“Oh, for right now it will be a surprise, but I’m sure she’ll want input. She’s a nurse and is going to be starting a new job, so for right now, I’ll take the lead. We are paying for it, after all.”
Another tip of my cowboy hat and I replied, “Sounds good. Why don’t we head on back to the house and you tell me what you’re envisioning so I can start on some plans for you.”
Evie gave me a wide, satisfied grin.
“Son, I have a feeling this isn’t going to turn out like either one of us plan,” Will said, slapping me on the back and heading toward the house.
Saryn
“YOU HAVE GOT to be kidding me.”
I stared down at the flat tire on my car and cursed inwardly. After I pulled out my phone and saw I had no signal, I debated what to do. It had been years since I changed a tire. At sixteen, my father and I were driving down the road and he yelled out, BANG! Then told me I had a flat tire and had to get out and change it. Of course, it wasn’t flat, but I still had to learn how to do it…just in case. It had been a nightmare then, and I knew this was going to be a repeat.
With a sigh, I pulled out my phone again and checked for a signal, just in case.
“Shit!” I was going to have to break down and send my brother a text. “I’ll never hear the end of this.”
Me: Ryan, I’m on highway 23 with a flat. If you get this text, please can you come change it for me?
The moment I hit send, I heard a truck coming down the road. I stood back and debated whether I wanted them to stop or keep driving. This wasn’t Dallas, but I knew dangerous people were also out in the country.
The Ford F-250 was headed in the opposite direction. He passed me, made a U-turn and then pulled up behind me and stopped. The driver’s side door opened, and my breath caught in my throat. My stomach did a somersault at the sight of the man I had once had a thing for.
Holy hell.
Truitt Carter shut his truck door and made his way over to me. I hadn’t seen him in a number of years, except for a few photos on Ryan’s Facebook page. Truitt was still…good looking. No, that wasn’t the word to describe him.
He smiled and tipped his cowboy hat as he said, “Howdy, looks like you need some help.”
My heart felt like it jumped in my chest at the sound of that voice.
Oh, Saryn. You are in so much trouble.
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. When he stopped in front of me, I had to blink a few times. His eyes were the bluest I’d ever seen. Bluer than the sky after a spring rain, and the black ring around them made the blue stand out even more.
He tilted his head and smiled even bigger. “Did you need me to change that flat tire for you?”
I shook my head and broke the strange trance the man had put me in. He hadn’t said my name, which led me to believe he didn’t even know who I was. The memory of that day came back in a rush and inflated the anger once again.
Lifting my chin, I took in a deep breath. “I’m fine. I’ve got this, but thank you.”
He glanced down at the tire, then back at me. I was suddenly aware of how I looked. I was dressed in white pants and a light pink top. I’d had an interview earlier, and was lucky enough to be offered a nursing position at the Methodist Hospital in town, working in the emergency room. The idea of working in the ER again wasn’t a thrill, but until they had an opening in the labor and delivery or NICU, it was back to the grind in the ER.
“You’ve got this?” Truitt asked, a bit of snark in his voice. I looked at him a bit more carefully. Did he really not remember me?
“Yes, I’ve got this,” I said, my own voice sounding not nearly as confident as I’d hoped.
Truitt slipped his hands into his pockets and looked at me. His piercing blue eyes made me feel hot. There was something about the way he stared that made me question every decision I’d
ever made since that day he showed up on my front porch. I swallowed hard and forced a smile.
With a slight chuckle, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay, then why are you just standing here? Shouldn’t you be changing the tire?”
My mouth dropped slightly open before I clenched my jaw together. “I was about to, thank you very much. Then you showed up and threw my plan of action all off.”
He simply stood there, looking at the flat tire and then at me. “Your plan of action?”
I nodded and we stared at each other once again. Was it just me, or was there a crackle of energy between us? I cleared my throat. “Are you actually going to wait for me to change the tire?”
He shrugged, and the way the right side of his mouth curved slightly made my insides do something they hadn’t done in a very long time.
Okay, clearly it had been awhile since my poor, neglected body had felt any sort of attraction. I couldn’t honestly blame her for reacting. Truitt was good looking. He was built, with a broad chest that filled out his button-down long sleeve shirt perfectly. His jeans showcased his thick muscular thighs in all the right ways, and to top it off, he had on a black cowboy hat that made those baby blues seem like they were bolts of light sent straight from heaven. The boy I remembered from high school was ten times better looking now and his body…Lord, his body.
No. No. Don’t look down his body, Saryn. Don’t do it!
My eyes ignored my brain.
“Are you done?” he said, making me lift my eyes back to his.
“I’m sorry?” I asked.
“You just eye-fucked the hell out of me, Saryn.”
I took a step back and laughed in surprise. Okay, he does remember me, and he caught me checking him out. “I’m sorry, I did what?”
He shrugged again, this time his smile appearing full on, revealing a dimple in his right cheek. Lord. Have. Mercy. I wasn’t ready for the dimple.
No. No. No. Life was not going to be so cruel to me. I looked away. How in the hell did my body simply pick up where it left off at seventeen? I turned back and looked at him again.
Still smiling. Dimple still there.
“Please don’t stand there and smile.”
Lucky in Love Page 3