Twice in one day? Sheesh! Doesn’t anyone have a life around here anymore? “Upstairs!” I call, huffing.
When she reaches the top of the stairs, I ask. “What are you doing here? I just saw you this morning.”
“Well, that’s a fine welcome. What crawled up your butt?”
“Nothing.”
She looks me up and down. “What are you all dressed up for?”
“Grayson and I are having dinner out tonight. I want to surprise him and catch him right when he’s finished work.”
“Tonight an anniversary or something?” she probes. Lisa is the mother of all busybodies, and I’m so used to it, that I don’t take the bait. I’ve held out this long without telling anyone, and I’m not giving up now. Grayson and I haven’t been together for long, so an anniversary would be a stretch.
“Something like that.” I half lie.
I try to divert her attention, so she’ll change the subject. “Kurt outside?”
She shrugs. “Yes.” A bark. “Where else would he be?”
Kurt is Grayson’s brother. He came here to take Grayson’s place as Lead Hand at the ranch, when Grayson took Clint up on his offer to work at the medical clinic with him. It’s a long story. Kurt just also happens to be the one man whom Lisa regards as Kryptonite. See, she’s a world-class flirt, and comes on usually very strong, but when Kurt came around, well, you get the picture. Lisa can’t even be in the same room as him, without hanging her head towards the floor. My guess is that she likes him. For real, likes him. A lot. Because the other men, including my Grayson, before he and I were an item, of course, anyway, she’s all over them. Lisa and Clint went out together years ago, but Lisa isn’t the marrying type, whereas Clint is, so let’s just say that they clashed.
Lisa hits on Will, my other brother, too, but he’s more of a flirt than she is, and, let’s just say that I think they’ve gotten together at least once. So they’ve got it out of their systems. “Well, I don’t know. I figured you’d at least talk to him for a minute. The guy thinks you can’t stand him. It isn’t a nice feeling.”
“Well, if he feels that way, why doesn’t he ask me?”
“Because you run like a scared rabbit every time he’s around you.” I guffaw. “What is up with that, anyway?” A topic I’ve wanted to brooch for a while, and now is the perfect time. Lisa will forget all about wanting to dig deeper into my day.
“Because he’s….” I sigh. “Not my type.” She lies.
I give a long sigh. “Try again, not buying that. Kurt is totally your type and you and I both know that.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s handsome, single, smart…and he’s male.” I state. “And let’s be real, here, number four would have sufficed for you.”
She gives me a look. “Shut up. I don’t hit on Grayson, do I?”
Sputtering a laugh, I say. “You did! Before he and I got together, you were all over him!”
“Yeah, I drove you to him. If it weren’t for me pushing, you two would have never gotten together.”
“Well, thank you.” I say too sweetly. “I do think that I should take some credit for that.” I pinch my earlobe with my index finger and thumb, hooking my earring in, and then I do the other side.
“Fine. Are you okay? You know, from this morning?” she asks, changing the subject. “That is really why I came over. To check on you.”
I give her a warm grin. “I’m fine. Really. Grayson stayed with me while we ate lunch with the boys. I got some work done after lunch, and now I’m getting ready to go meet Grayson for dinner. So, would you scoot? I’m running out of time.”
***
Clint
One of the front receptionists taps on my door. “Doctor Kelsey?”
“Yes, come in.” I call.
“I’ve got all the files ready for the morning. Doctor Thomas just saw our last patient. Would it be okay with you if I left for the day?”
Checking my watch, I realize that I’m running out of time. I hadn’t realized what time it was until now. “Sure. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Have a good night.”
“You too.”
When she leaves, I stare at the wall that I share with Grayson, or Doctor Thomas, my sister’s boyfriend, and I wonder how in the hell I’m going to pull this off. Grayson is a straight-shooter, and I know that he’s going to get right ticked off when I won’t tell him what’s going on, but insist that I drive him to the location that Laura requested that I drive him to. Just as I’m reluctantly trying to devise a plan, my door knocks again. “Clint?” It’s Grayson.
“Yeah, come in.”
“I think everyone’s gone for the day. It’s safe to leave the door open now.” He says.
“Yeah, I just dismissed Stacey for the day.”
“What a crazy day, huh.” Grayson shakes his head. He already took his smock off, so he’s just standing in his jeans, boots and t-shirt. His back rests along the wall, and he’s got one ankle over the other one.
“Yeah. Never a dull moment at the ranch. But I suppose that you’re used to that by now.”
“Pretty much.” Grayson agrees.
I can tell that he’s got something on his mind, because he’s not scurrying out of here to get to Laura as quickly as possible. He takes a lot of work home with him, so I never worry that he’s going to get behind. Me, I like to finish all my paperwork and preparation while I’m here at the office. Maybe that’ll change one day when I have a significant other and/or a family, but until then, I stay put until the job is done.
“You got stuff to take home with you tonight?” I ask conversationally.
“Yeah,” he scratches his head. “Just a couple of charts. I’m going to go over the lecture notes from last year’s convention, just so I’m on the ball when that rolls around again. Been a while since I dug into that material.”
“That’s a good idea. There’s not a lot to cover.”
“I usually go through that stuff when Laura’s in the bath. Takes her an hour, so that’s plenty of time most night.” he chuckles.
I cut to the chase. “Got something on your mind, Grayson?”
He licks his lips. “As a matter-of-fact.”
I gesture for him to take a seat. He removes himself from the wall and sits down, interlacing his fingers in his lap. “Like myself, I know that you, Will and Laura don’t have a father anymore, and in my eyes it ain’t right to ask…without asking first, see…”
I know exactly where this conversation is headed. “You want to propose to my sister.”
“Sure do.”
“You got a ring?”
“Yeah. Picked it up yesterday.”
“It’s not gaudy, is it?” I whine. “Dang, some of the ones I’ve seen out there look like something only Elizabeth Taylor would wear.”
He chuckles. “Wha, hell, Clint…I didn’t know you had an opinion on such things.” He pulls something out of his back pocket. “Here, judge for yourself.”
I look at it. It’s definitely something that Laura will love. “Antique?” I ask, but I know the answer.
“That’s Laura’s taste.” Grayson answers. And it’s the absolute truth. Laura’s house is filled with antiques. She knows nothing else. The ring is yellow gold, with heart filigree in white gold, leading to the center stone, a round cut diamond, and two smaller, round cut diamonds on either side. Under the round cut diamonds the posts are heart filigree as well. The ring has been polished, freshly dipped, and a new, thick band has replaced the original. The ring looks like it will outlive her, even though it’s probably as old as our grandmother was.
“She’ll love it.”
“Do I have your blessing?”
“I wouldn’t give it to anyone else.” I say fairly. “When are you pulling it off?”
“I had plans to do it tonight, but, after the Matty Herald incident this morning, I thought that it might be poor timing.”
He’s grinning, but there’s a ‘v’ between his brows. “She’s not letting up on that, is she.” He chuckles. “She wants to take me out to dinner. We’ve never done that. I put up such a fuss, she let it go.”
“Well, now she’s got me taking you to an undisclosed location, as a surprise.” I lift a finger. “Now, I ain’t telling you anymore. You’re well aware of how Laura gets when you don’t follow the rules.”
“Do I ever.” Grayson agrees, nodding. “She ain’t…pulling one of them ‘I’ll propose to him’ deals, is she? I know we spoke about marriage a while back, so maybe she’s thinking the same thing I am.”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
***
Grayson
We’re in Clint’s truck, on our way to wherever Laura said for Clint to drop me off at. My palms are sweating. Don’t remember the last time that those sweat, but I imagine I’m nervous about proposing to the woman I love more than anything or anyone else on earth. Laura is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I want her to know that. She’s the only woman I see myself with for the rest of my life. Never thought I would ever see myself in this position again, after losing Kelly, but here I am.
When I’m with Laura, I see life through a different set of eyes. Better ones. Way better ones to be frank. The thought of going back to who I was before I met her gives me goosebumps, and not the good kind, either. The way I see it, if we’re married, if she’s my wife, it’s set. This is forever. The thought of marriage doesn’t make me nervous. It’s how Laura will react to the proposal. It’s not been that long since we fell in love. But I figure, neither one of us are young or stupid. She and I are both reaching forty. We’re not naïve.
We’re just in love. Both of us have been married. Both of us have been widowed. We have more in common that that, of course, but sometimes it helps that we’ve been along the same path, and understand the experience that we shared, not together, but you know what I mean. Anyway, I’m sure that she’ll say yes, but there’s always that little voice inside your head that’s talking back to you, almost taunting you. If it weren’t for the small amount of time that we’ve been together, I wouldn’t have a doubt in my mind, and sure, I thought about waiting, but why? My love for her isn’t going to change. Fact, I love her more each day, so what’s stopping us? I hate referring to Laura as my ‘girlfriend’, or ‘the lady I live with’, or just ‘Laura’, as I’ve been using lately, since I’m sick of using the other references.
I want to call her my wife. End of story. And I don’t know what frustrations she’s encountered when she talks about me, but I’m sure that she feels the same. It’s no secret in this town that Laura and I are together. So why shouldn’t she be my wife? Seems simple enough.
“We’re almost there, man.” Clint says. “It’s not too late to turn back.”
I look at him and his face is impassive. He’s not kidding. “I appreciate that. But there is no doubt in my mind that Laura’s the one for me.”
“Good.” He pats my leg. “You passed the test.”
I shake my head, but I’m smiling. “You’re something else.”
“I gave Quentin the same line before he walked out onto the altar.” Clint states. Quentin was Laura’s first husband. Died tragically ten years ago. “You know how that story ended.”
“That I know. I won’t forget it, either.” I grunt as we pull up to a restaurant that I don’t recognize. Clint puts the truck in park and I look at him. “You think she’s ready for this?”
“What, on account of Quentin?”
“Yeah.” I nod.
He stares at the gearshift. “Until you came along, I didn’t think she’d ever be ready. Quentin’s all Laura ever knew. He was her everything. Never saw my sister so lonely or sad since he died.” He looks at me. “Now, you, and your romancing her, and all that gooey crap you spoil her with…damn. Makes me sick, I tell ya.” He shakes his head.
I laugh. “Alright. Enough said.” I look around. “There’s her car over there. She must be inside waiting.”
“Well, don’t keep her waiting too long.” Clint advises.
“That’s the same line that got me here.” I chuckle, good-naturedly.
“Alright. Good luck, man.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll pick you up for work in the morning.”
“Cool. Thanks.” I say, exiting the car.
I check my pocket before leaving. It’s there.
I check my heart, too…it’s there now more than ever.
Chapter 3
Kurt
Weasel, Laura’s newest stallion, is a little standoffish with me sometimes. But today, well, today he’s different. Lloyd is patting down Trixie, and Simon is just coming in from a ride with Johnnie and his boys and the rest of the horses. Weasel is nudging me with his snout, something he’s never done, and doesn’t do to many. I pat his snout, and he whinnies happily. “You like that, little fella? Yeah, that’s a good boy.” As I’m talking to the horse, I can see Lisa, Laura’s best friend, walking out the front door.
The girl is odd. Good looking as hell, sharp as a tack, but odd. Now, I know I’m not great with the ladies. Can’t say that I’ve been on a date for a while. Back in El Paso, I was seeing a girl a little, but it didn’t last. It was more of a fling. Casual relationships are fine with me. I’m no Casa Nova or anything, but certainly if a girl is just into having a little something casual, I’m okay with that. Had one semi-serious relationship a couple of years ago, but I wasn’t ready to move in with her, she was ready to take the leap, and it just fizzled from there.
Lisa, she can’t even look my way. Drives me nuts. The story is that this girl is all over men all the time. Clint was once terrified of her because of how forward she is. But when I’m around, she looks the other way. I can’t stand it when there’s tension between me and someone else. You either like me or you don’t, but at least let’s get it out in the open why you don’t like me. As long as that’s settled, I’m good with that. Don’t like me, it’s cool. But at least let me know why you don’t like me.
Anyway, Lisa hears Weasel whinny as she walks out of the house. When she looks over at me, she turns her back to me. I’ve had enough of this. “Hey!” I shout so she can hear me.
She doesn’t turn around.
“Hey! Lisa!” I shout louder, walking towards her.
This time she turns around, but she only glances at me for a second. Her sunglasses are on her crown. She pulls them down and puts them on her face, so I can’t see her eyes. “Come here for a second.” I say to her as I approach.
She says nothing, but she looks at me expectantly. “What is the deal with you.” I say, my voice flat. “You’re pleasant with everyone, including Lloyd, who can be a bit of an asshole on a good day, but you don’t speak to me at all.” My arms are outstretched. “Did I do something to offend you? I mean…what?”
With a slight hesitation, the girl finally speaks. “Can we talk somewhere? In private?”
Glancing around, I know that Wendy and Grace are inside the house, so is Laura, and the boys are all outside, busy with the horses. Simon’s gone into the barn. The only place private right now is in my quarters. I don’t share living space with the others, since I’m the Lead Hand. “Sure. We can head on into my place for a minute if you like.”
“Fine.” She says tersely.
She follows me into the staff quarters, and I open the door that leads to my space. After I close the door, I turn the light on, and she looks around. It’s small, but big enough for one or two people. I have my own tiny living room and kitchenette. My bedroom has a single bed and a small dresser, plus a tiny closet with one of those slick organizers in it. Lisa is a photographer and an interior designer, this I know, from conversations with Laura and Grayson.
“You could use a different colo
r on your walls in here.” She comments. “Add a few accents with pillows and things. It’s cute but it could be way cuter.”
“I’m not in here much, other than to sleep and shower.” I say. “My days off I’m usually hanging out with Grayson and the boys. Not much need for décor if I’m hardly here.”
She looks in my bedroom. “The bed comfortable?”
“Better than the one I had back at home.”
“Room’s big enough, you could put a double bed in there.”
“I don’t need one.” I say. “It’s just me.”
Lisa’s got the curliest hair I’ve ever seen on a woman. Dark, too. Her eyes are bluer than mine and her skin is as pale as ivory. She looks like goddamn Courteney Cox and I hate to admit it, but it drives me crazy. Her body is smoking hot, too, but I’d never tell her that. I keep my eyes trained on the book sitting on my coffee table as she peruses the bedroom. “The closet organizer was my idea. But I can see that you don’t have much in there.”
“My clothes are in the drawer. Winter clothes are still in El Paso. Not sure how long I’m staying here.”
With that comment, her eyes dart to mine. “You’re not leaving, are you.” She says like more of a statement. And I detect a hint of longing in her voice. Like she doesn’t want me to leave.
I shake my head no. “Not anytime soon, no. But I’m not sure what Laura’s plans are with me.”
“Far as I know, she wants you to stay for good. As long as Grayson’s happy at the clinic, she wants you to stay.”
I swallow. Her eyes are on mine and it’s a little disarming, so I look at the floor. “Well, other than asking me how I’m liking it here, she hasn’t said anything like that to me.”
“Well, I’m her best friend. She tells me everything.”
“I get that. And do you tell her everything, too?”
She nods. “It’s a two-way street.”
It’s so quiet in here, you could hear a pin drop. When she swallows or breathes, I can hear it, like she’s right next to me. Even though she’s on the other side of the room, I can feel a strange charge in the air. I’m not sure if she feels it, too, but I find myself searching for something more to say to her. “I saw that…picture that you took of the ranch…over Laura’s bed. Grayson needed help fixing the bathtub a few weeks ago, and I saw it. Laura says that you took the picture.”
No More Lies Page 2