Marrying Dr. Maverick

by Karen Rose Smith

  Yes, they would. It would be a bargain...a good deal. They’d each be getting something they needed. She’d definitely be moving her life forward.

  “But didn’t your dad say he wanted you to build a house on that land?”

  “We’ll have to take this piece by piece. I think he’ll just be so overjoyed I’m getting married, that the house won’t matter.”

  “But what happens at the end of the year? With your dad, I mean?”

  “By then his health will be stabilized. He’ll be on the road to healthier living. I’ll be taking care of most of the work at the practice, maybe even bringing in a partner. We’ll just tell him it didn’t work out. We jumped in too soon. But that’s not to think about now. Now, we just need to convince him we fell in love and this is exactly what we want.”

  “Will you keep the new office?”

  “Yes, I think I would. Dad would feel as if he still had a say over what was going on at his place. Little by little, I’d handle the whole load.”

  “You’d be giving up a year of your life for your father. Is that what you really want to do?”

  “Didn’t we both say family is what matters most? A year of my life is nothing. I don’t know how much longer I’ll have him. I have to do this, Jazzy. Will you help me? Will you make it work?”

  She thought about a wedding, a bridal gown, vows. She thought about the ranch and the horses that needed to be rescued and a life in Rust Creek Falls. She thought about being far enough away from her own family to have a life of her own without their meddling. This really could work.

  And her and Brooks? Well, she’d just have to keep her growing feelings under wraps and pretend this was business all the way. But in the meantime, she’d enjoy every minute she was with him. How much of a hardship could that be?

  “There is another big advantage in this for me,” she confessed with a smile.

  “What’s that?”

  “My family will be getting what they want. They want to see me married and settled down, too. Maybe they’ll stop worrying about me, at least long enough that I can put my own life in the direction I plan without their interference.”

  He was still holding her hand and now he squeezed it gently. “So you’ll do this? You’ll marry me?”

  Her heart felt fuller than it ever had before. “Yes, I’ll marry you. What do we do first?”

  * * *

  Brooks stood beside Jazzy as they looked up at the pine-filled mountains, snow-capped peaks, the quiet serenity of the property his grandmother had left him. Was he absolutely crazy?

  After his father’s adamant refusal to do what was best for him, Brooks had known he had to do something drastic, really drastic. He’d asked himself what would settle his dad’s mind most; what would provide the opportunity for him to change his health in the right direction? Brooks had realized only one thing would do that—his own marriage.

  Of course he wouldn’t ask just any woman to marry him. That would be truly stupid. But he knew Jazzy’s background. He knew what she thought about her family. He knew she worked hard. He knew she had a goal, but wasn’t sure how to get there. A marriage on paper for a year would suit both their purposes.

  “What do you think?” he asked her.

  They stood by his truck pulled helter-skelter over a rutted lane. This property, like his dad’s clinic and ranch, was located on the higher end of town. There had been some erosion from the waters, but overall, it had survived quite nicely.

  “How big is it?” Jazzy asked in a small voice, and he wondered if she was anxious or nervous about his proposal and her acceptance. Of course she was. They were stepping into untested waters.

  “Ten acres.”

  “The property looks like it’s never been touched by a man’s hand.”

  “It hasn’t. My grandmother’s ranch, next door so to speak, was sold when she died. She’d subdivided this parcel for me, and I never knew that.”

  “Are you sure about this, Brooks? You really want to let this property go?”

  “It’s a pretty piece of land, Jazzy, and, yes, it was my grandmother’s. But it’s not as if I’d be selling it for a housing development. You want to do something worthwhile with it, and you deserve compensation for giving me a year of your life.”

  She gazed out over the hills and pine forests, rather than at him. “When do you want to get married?”

  Was that a little tremble he heard in her voice? Was she as terrifically unsure about this idea as he was? Maybe so, but Brooks only knew how to do one thing—forge ahead.

  “As soon as possible. In fact, the sooner, the better. As soon as we put Dad’s mind to rest, the quicker he’ll take it easy. I’m hoping we can get this planned and accomplished in a week to ten days.”

  “That’s fast.”

  “Having third and fourth thoughts? You can back out.”

  Now she did turn toward him. What he saw in her big, blue eyes made his chest tighten and his throat practically close. She was vulnerable, maybe more vulnerable than he was. Maybe planning this wedding put an impediment in her road instead of clearing it. From what he’d heard, little girls had dreams of Prince Charming and happily-ever-after. He certainly wasn’t offering her that. The good thing was, however, she’d be free and clear of him in a year. Then she could resume her search for Mr. Right and think about having babies.

  The idea of Jazzy and babies didn’t help that tight feeling in his chest. “This wouldn’t be a real marriage, Jazzy. You’d have nothing to fear from me. We’ll be...housemates.”

  That caused a crease in her brow. “Housemates,” she repeated. Then after a huge breath, she asked, “Where would we get married?”

  “Dad won’t believe this is the real thing unless we get married in a church.”

  “I’ll have to shop for a wedding dress.”

  “And we’ll have to order a cake. I’m hoping we can use the church’s social hall for a small reception.”

  “You’ve already planned all this out in your mind.”

  “Yes, I have, but all the details can be up to you. After all, it’s your wedding.”

  “And yours,” she said softly. “There is something I’d like to know before we move on with our plans.”

  “What?”

  “Can you tell me why your fiancée broke her engagement to you?”

  The wind sifted in the branches of the pine boughs and Brooks felt snow in the air. Not a big one yet. Maybe flurries tonight. He knew he was distracting himself with the idea of the weather because Jazzy’s question turned the knife that sometimes still seemed to be stuck in his heart.

  “Brooks?” Jazzy asked, looking up at him, expecting the truth and nothing but. Jazzy wasn’t anything like Lynnette. Nothing at all. That was a terrifically good thing.

  “There were several reasons. You want me to run down the list?”

  “Brooks—”

  He shook his head. “Even after all this time, it’s still hard for me to talk about.”

  “Do you ever talk about it with anyone?”

  His answer was quick and succinct. “No.”

  Instead of prompting, poking, or encouraging, Jazzy just stood there and waited, looking at him with those big blue eyes, her blond hair blowing in the breeze.

  “We were at Colorado State together and engaged for a year. She was three years younger than I was and I didn’t see that as a problem at first.”

  “At first?”

  “She still liked to go out with her friends. Since I was buried in studies or practical vet experience most of the time, she went. I really didn’t think anything of it. My parents had had a good marriage and I just expected the same thing to happen to me.”

  Jazzy’s expression asked the question, Why didn’t it? She didn’t have to say the words. A nip in the
air made his cheeks burn, or maybe it was just thinking about the whole thing all over again.

  “She’d come home with me on holidays and vacations. When we were home, I helped Dad and she knew I expected to join his practice after I graduated.”

  “So you thought everything was on the table?”

  “Yes, I did.” He realized Jazzy was getting an inkling of what was coming next. “A few months before my graduation, Lynnette started asking questions like—Did I really want to practice in Rust Creek Falls? Did I really want to live there all my life? I told her that was my plan. I’d never been anything but honest about it. I think the real turning point was a job offer I had from a practice in Billings, and one in Denver. When I turned them both down, she began acting differently. Or maybe that had started even before that. I don’t know.”

  He saw Jazzy take a little breath as if she guessed what he was going to say.

  “A month before I was scheduled to graduate, she told me she’d fallen in love with someone else, someone else who wanted the same kind of life she did. She didn’t want to be married to someone who might work eighteen-hour days, whose phone could beep anytime with an emergency, whose small-town life was just too limited for what she had planned.”

  “Oh, Brooks.”

  This was why he didn’t talk about what happened. This was expressly why he hadn’t told Jazzy. He didn’t want her pity. He turned away from her to look in another direction, to escape the awkwardness, to bandage up his pride all over again. He was looking up into the sky for that snow when he felt a small hand on his arm. It was more than a tap, almost like a gentle clasp. Her touch was thawing icy walls that surrounded his heart, had surrounded it for a long time.

  “Brooks?” There was compassion in her voice and he had to face it. That was the right thing to do. He turned back to her.

  “Thank you,” she said simply. “For telling me. I understand a little better why—” She shook her head. “Never mind. It helps me understand you.”

  “So you think you have to understand me to marry me?” he joked, trying to shake off the ghost of the past, trying to look forward.

  “That would help, especially in front of your dad. If we’re going to pretend we’re madly in love and this was a whirlwind courtship, understanding each other goes a long way, don’t you think?”

  Madly in love...whirlwind courtship...pretending.

  Just what were they getting themselves into?

  * * *

  “You’re what?” Barrett asked, looking stupefied an hour later.

  “We’re getting married,” Brooks said, with more determination than enthusiasm, Jazzy thought.

  “Of course we’ll wait until you’re feeling better,” Jazzy explained.

  Barrett looked from one of them to the other, his eyes narrowing. “And just when did this romance start?”

  “Jazzy’s been here since July,” Brooks answered offhandedly. Then he took her hand, moved his thumb over the top, and smiled at his dad, though Jazzy thought the smile was a little forced. She was aware of his big hand engulfing hers, of how close they were standing, of how her life was going to be connected to his.

  Studying them again, their joined hands, the way they were leaning toward each other, she wondered exactly what he saw. After all, she and Brooks had developed a bond. They wanted the best for his father. They had their own goals. They believed this was a good way to achieve them. Besides all that, they genuinely liked each other. If she could just keep that liking under wraps, if she could just pretend Brooks was a good friend, not a man she was extremely attracted to, everything would be fine.

  The flabbergasted expression left Barrett’s face, but he still seemed wary. “You two have been spending a lot of time together, haven’t you?”

  “For more than a week, we’ve been together most hours in the day,” Brooks supplied easily.

  “Yes, I know. Setting up a rival practice.”

  “Dad, it doesn’t have to be a rival practice.”

  Barrett took another look at their clasped hands. “We’ll talk about that after this marriage takes place. Why is it you don’t want a long engagement?”

  “You and Mom didn’t have a long engagement, did you?” Brooks countered.

  Barrett looked surprised that Brooks remembered that.

  “Mom used to tell me stories about when the two of you met.” Brooks added, “Come to think of it, you had a whirlwind courtship yourself, didn’t you?”

  “So your mother told you about those days?”

  “She did. She was visiting friends in Rust Creek Falls and went to a barn dance. You were there. She told me as soon as you do-si-doed with her, she knew you were the one.”

  A shadow seemed to cross Barrett’s face and Jazzy wondered if he was in pain. But the monitors were all steady. He was silent for a few moments and then said, “Those years were the happiest of my life. She was right. We both knew that night. So maybe...so maybe this sudden engagement of yours is in the genes. Maybe waiting is stupid when life is short.”

  “But you’re going to have a long life, as soon as you change some of your ways,” Brooks suggested.

  “No one knows how long they have,” Barrett said thoughtfully. “I’m going home tomorrow if some blasted machine doesn’t beep the wrong thing.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready to go home?” Jazzy asked.

  “You know hospitals and insurance these days. I’m sure the doc wouldn’t let me go home if he didn’t think I could.”

  “You’re not going home alone. I’ll stay with you,” Brooks concluded.

  “There’s no need for that.”

  “Dad, I insist. Even if it’s just for a few days...to make sure you’re back on your feet. Our practice isn’t that busy yet and I can help out with yours. You’ve got to start taking care of yourself, and this is one best way of doing it.”

  Barrett assessed the two of them for a long time, then finally he addressed Jazzy. “I heard some of the volunteers are staying at Strickland’s. Is that where you are?”

  “Yes, sir, it is.”

  “Then let me propose a bargain. I’ll let Brooks come and stay with me if you come and stay, too. I want to get to know my daughter-in-law-to-be.”

  Jazzy fought going into a panic. Staying with Barrett wasn’t all that far-fetched. The problem was, she and Brooks would be under his eagle eye. They’d have to watch themselves every minute they were together. They’d have to watch every word they said, and really, truly act like a couple who’d fallen in love. She wouldn’t look at Brooks because that could be a dead giveaway that there was a problem.

  Instead, she focused on his dad. “That is an option, Mr. Smith. I’d like to get to know you better, too. But I do think Brooks and I should discuss it before we decide.”

  Barrett didn’t look at all upset with her suggestion. In fact, he waved his hand at the two of them to go outside the door. “So discuss! Then come back in here and tell me what you decided.” He studied Brooks. “I think you chose a gal with a practical head on her shoulders. Go on now. Talk this out.”

  In the hall, Brooks pushed his hair back over his forehead and his eyebrows rose. “I can’t expect you to stay at Dad’s with me.”

  She was quiet a moment but then she decided, “Maybe it’s for the best. We have a wedding to plan, and your dad needs somebody to keep on eye on him while you’re at work. I can do that.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to back out of this whole venture? Dealing with two Smiths in close quarters might be too much to ask.”

  She thought about the horse-rescue ranch she wanted to manage. She thought about Brooks’s dad and his health. She thought about staying at his dad’s ranch with Brooks. Did she really want to do this?

  Her answer came easily and freely. “We’ll plan a small, quiet wed
ding, and we’ll take care of your dad. It will be a piece of cake.”

  * * *

  A piece of cake, Brooks thought wryly the next day as he handed his father his remote and made sure he was settled in his recliner. “Is there anything you need? A glass of water? Something to eat? Jazzy and I went shopping last night in Kalispell and the refrigerator is stocked with good stuff.”

  “Rabbit food, probably,” Barrett grumbled. “You know I don’t like rabbit food.”

  “I have a copy of the diet the doctor recommended.”

  “Fine. I’ll eat what you want when you’re here. But as soon as you two leave—”

  Brooks stepped in front of his father’s chair and stared him down. “I lost Mom. I don’t want to lose you. So try to cooperate a little, all right?”

  Barrett was about to answer when Jazzy came into the room with a tray. On it, Brooks saw a turkey sandwich, a salad and a dish of fruit. He didn’t know what his dad was going to say about that.

  Jazzy glanced around the living room. “This is nice. Homey. This is where you raised Brooks?”

  If his father had been about to argue with Brooks, he seemed to have changed his mind. “Yeah, it is. He was born here, in the downstairs bedroom, in the four-poster bed.” Barrett waved his hand toward the hall in the back of the house.

  “Really? A home birth? Was that planned or an accident?”

  “It was in the middle of a snowstorm is what it was,” Barrett elaborated. “My mom happened to be here so I didn’t have to handle it myself. He came out squalling.”

  Jazzy set the tray on the table next to his father. “I hope you like this. The turkey is supposed to be the deli’s oven-baked kind. The salad is something I cooked up. It’s my own dressing. And the fruit—I hope you like apples and strawberries.”

  To Brooks’s surprise, his father looked up at Jazzy and smiled. “It looks great and I think my stomach just growled. Good timing.”

  Brooks felt like shaking his head and rolling his eyes but he knew better.

  “I’m going to make soup tonight if you’re okay with that. My mom’s vegetable soup can make anybody feel better about anything.”