“Of course. Is there anything else I can do?”
She turned a sobbing Noah into her chest and shook her head. “No. We’ve done everything we can.”
Mamie Bridges died at seven a.m., nineteen hours after marrying her granddaughter to the grandson of her brother’s rival. She died a happy woman.
Late Friday afternoon, Caroline climbed into the private plane Travis had leased to take them back to Dallas. She dropped onto one of the leather seats and snapped the low-riding seatbelt around her. Resting her head against the seatback, she thought about the last two days. Everything passed in a blur. Buying an appropriate outfit on Thursday for visitation and another for the graveside services on Friday. Maintaining a strong, supportive public face for Noah while losing hours of sleep at night grieving for her grandmother. She’d thought she’d been ready for Mamie’s death. How wrong she’d been. She felt like there was a hole through her chest that could never be filled.
While her grandmother had requested a simple graveside service, a short family visitation had been held on Thursday night. Noah hadn’t wanted to attend and the general consensus was he shouldn’t have to. He and Travis had opted to go see some cutting horses Travis was interested in acquiring for his ranch. Once again, Travis had come through when Caroline had needed him. He might think he’d taken advantage of her trading his time for Singing Springs Ranch, but in the end, she knew she’d gotten much more than they’d agreed on.
On the way to the visitation, Caroline had asked that Patrick and Leslie not mention Travis or the wedding, explaining that tonight should be about Mamie and her life, not about Caroline. They’d readily agreed so Caroline was able to simply focus her attention on the visitors without having to answer any embarrassing questions about a rushed wedding.
Friday morning broke out as a bright and sunny day. Rain would have better fit Caroline’s mood. A dreary, cold rain. Exactly as she felt inside.
Noah had been inconsolable during the service, sitting alongside her sobbing. She’d tried to be strong for him, be supportive during his time of need, but she had nothing left in emotional reserves.
Travis had moved behind them, stood between their chairs, a hand placed at the junction of her shoulder and neck and a hand on Noah’s shoulder. The gentle touch, the warmth of his palm on her neck, his scent were all seared into her memory. She’d wanted to turn into him, bury her face in his chest, let him carry her burden. But in the end, it’d been Noah who’d turned to Travis for support, and Travis had provided the shoulder her brother needed. And for that, she would always be in his debt.
“You okay?”
Caroline opened her eyes and looked into Travis’s beautiful, crystal-blue eyes. Care and concern reflected in his grave expression. A slight frown wrinkled his brow as he leaned across the narrow aisle toward her. She wanted to rub her thumb along that crease, ease the worry from his face. Stroke her hand along his cheek, feel the scrub of the evening stubble in her palm. Instead, her hands remained clasped in her lap.
Travis was a temporary shelter in the hailstorm that was her life. She hadn’t asked him to be more, and he hadn’t offered more. If she allowed herself to fall in love with him—more than she already feared she was—leaving him in a few short months would be like a third death in too short a time frame.
“Thank you,” she said on an exhale. “Those are such simple words that cannot begin to convey how I really feel. But they’re all I’ve got. Thank you. I hope this week didn’t stir up bad memories.”
He gave her a gentle smile. “I’m glad I could be there for you and, no, no bad memories. Susan has been gone a long time.”
“Do you still miss her? Love her?”
He shrugged. “I’ll always love her. She was my first love. And, yes, I miss her. It’s not as bad as it once was. Time does have a way of healing wounds, even deep ones.”
She blew out a long breath. “The week certainly didn’t turn out like I’d planned.” She shook her head. “I knew Mamie’s health had taken a turn for the worse, but I never expected her death to come so quickly.” Unable to stop her eyes from filling with tears, large droplets rolled down her cheeks. She wiped at them with the back of her hand until Travis handed her the new handkerchief from his pocket. “Thanks,” she said as she dabbed her eyes.
“Your grandmother died a very happy woman. You know that, right?” His smile got a little wider. “This crazy-assed plan worked just like you wanted. She saw you get married. She was happy. You gave her just what she wanted.”
“Thanks to you,” she said.
He shrugged. “Getting Singing Springs in exchange seems excessive. I would like to pay you what the ranch is worth.”
She shook her head. “Absolutely not. We had a deal. Besides, don’t you realize that I’m the one who got the bargain here? No, Singing Springs is yours.” She sniffed then smiled. “I realize I only knew Uncle Angus for a short time, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t know that the ranch would somehow end up in your hands, and it has. Fair and square and to the letter of his request.”
“So what are your plans now?”
“Go home. Get some rest and get back to the grindstone on Monday. I need to give Lydia some time off. She was so good to cover for me all week.”
“And then?”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Where to next?”
“Oh. Cut Bank, Montana. I’m supposed to be there by January fifteenth. I finish up with Whispering Springs Medical Clinic on January second, so that gives me a couple of weeks to move and get set up.”
Suddenly, Montana in January didn’t sound as appealing as it once had.
“That’s kind of a narrow moving window, isn’t it?”
“Not for me. I’m used to it. Been doing this long enough I’ve got moving down to a routine. Besides, I don’t have that much stuff to move. Everything pretty much fits into my Honda or it doesn’t go.”
Like those African masks. No way would those fit into her car. Travis had shown an interest. Maybe she’d give them to him.
“Where all have you been?”
Caroline held up her charm bracelet, the action sending each charm swinging. “Every state on here is where I’ve been.”
His eyes widened his surprise. “Wow. That’s a lot of different places.” He began fingering each state charm. “You never go to any state twice?”
“Sure I do.” She appreciated his attempt to move the conversation away from this past week.
“But there aren’t duplicate states.”
“No. If I go back to a state, I usually get a charm that represents the state other than the state shape.” She twisted the gold bracelet around. “For example, here is Georgia.” She held out the charm in the shape of Georgia with her fingernail. “I’ve had contracts in Gainesville and Marietta.” She dropped the Georgia charm and fingered a charm in the shape of a peach. “So I got a peach charm the next time.”
“And if you go back to Georgia again?”
She laughed. “I probably won’t, but if I do, maybe something from the movie Gone with the Wind. Anything that might symbolize Georgia. But I try to take contracts in different locations.”
“Why?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why do you keep moving around? Why not your own practice, or why haven’t you joined a practice?”
She shrugged. “I guess I just like to see new places.”
“No Texas charm?”
“Not yet. I need to put that on my to-do list.”
A tidal wave of exhaustion swept over her. “I’m so tired,” she said with a sigh.
She reclined the back of her chair and shut her eyes. Right now, she didn’t want to think about moving, or new places or new people. Not for the first time, she wondered if staying so long in Whispering Springs had been a good idea. She had grown some roots over the past eighteen months. Granted, they were shallow baby roots, but she felt the tug to stay fixed in the same spot.
And she could not let
that happen.
As she drew in a breath, the tantalizing scent of Travis Montgomery filled her senses. While he’d always had the power to make her knees weak, now that she’d spent so much time with him in a close environment, she knew his handsome face and muscular body only scratched the surface of his appeal. Inside, he had a caring heart. Her last thought as she dropped off to sleep was he had too much love inside to not share it with someone. Somewhere, there was a lucky woman just waiting for him to find her.
She jarred awake as the plane’s tires touched the tarmac at Dallas’s Love Field. She stretched her arms over her head then rotated her head from side-to-side to stretch her neck muscles.
“Feel better?”
She gave him a wan smile. “I needed that. How long was I out?”
“I have no idea. I decided to read a book after you nodded off. I made it one page before I dropped off too.”
She nodded. “I doubt either of us got much sleep the last couple of nights.”
“Speaking of which, as tired as you are, why don’t I drive you home? I can send a couple of my men up tomorrow to pick up your car and get it back to you.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll be fine.”
“I know you’ll be fine but—”
“No,” she interrupted. “Thank you, but really, there’s no need for that.”
“Caroline,” he started, but she put her finger over his lips to stop him from saying more. She’d been dependent on him for the last few days, and while it’d been wonderful to let someone else shoulder her load, she had to get back to carrying her own baggage, no matter the weight.
“No,” she repeated.
“Fine, but I’m going to at least follow you home so I know you made it.”
She knew a hard-headed cowboy like Travis would keep pressing the issue, so she didn’t fight it. Having spent most of a week with him, she’d discovered his propensity to protect. It’d been a long time since someone had put her first, and she found herself enjoying his attention…maybe a little too much. She had to let him go back to his life and get back to hers, but after he made sure she got home safely. Taking comfort in his concern for her, she nodded. “Okay.”
Surprisingly, their two vehicles—his, a truck, and hers, an aged, small Honda—were parked very near each other in the long-term lot. They exchanged waves and climbed into their individual cars. Caroline shoved her ignition key in and turned. Nothing happened. She tried again, but there was no response from her engine. Something was dead.
Great. Just great. A perfect ending to a crappy week. She rested her forehead on the steering wheel as a tsunami-size wave of grief swamped her. Mamie was gone. A quiet wail escaped. Tears streamed down her cheeks. How would she ever make it without Mamie?
The rap on her window jarred her. The responding adrenaline rush shot her heart rate into double time. Hastily, she wiped her face and turned toward the window.
“Problem?” Travis asked.
“Car won’t start.”
He opened her door. “Let me take a look.” He popped the car’s hood and moved to the front of the 1995 Honda CRV.
Through the crack formed by the open hood, she could see him checking hoses and electrical connections. She should get out to show interest or support, but she felt like a stick of butter left in a hot car. She just couldn’t force her body to move.
“Don’t see anything disconnected,” Travis said, leaning around the hood. “Try it again.”
She did and got the same dead results.
He shrugged. “Sorry, darlin’. I’ll drive you home. We can send a mechanic up tomorrow and check it out. How old is this thing?”
“I got it used in 2001.”
He walked to the back hatch and opened it. After pulling her overnight bag out, he slammed it shut. “Might be time for a new one.”
“I hope not.”
“Come on. Let’s get you home. You’re as pale as the concrete under your tires.”
She forced herself out of the car, which took every ounce of energy she had. Travis had already stowed her bag in the rear seat of his truck by the time she exited. He walked back and put his arm around her. She sighed and her shoulders sagged. She wrapped her arm around his waist for support. God, it felt good.
“When you get home, call Lydia. You have no business being on call this weekend. You’re about to drop at my feet.”
She looked up at him. “Maybe it’s your devastating personality that’s making me want to fall at your feet.”
He laughed and pulled her tight against him. “You, Dr. Caroline Graham, are just full of surprises.” He gave her a quick kiss.
They took the few steps to his truck together and he opened the passenger door. She climbed up and in.
As he slid into the driver’s seat, he said, “I’m serious about Lydia. Either you call her or I will.”
She arched an eyebrow. “And how would you know about my condition?”
He pulled out of the parking lot before answering. “I ran into you at the airport as I was returning from looking at some horses I am considering buying. Your car was dead and I gave you a ride home.”
She shrugged. “Whatever. I’ll call her.”
“Do it now.”
His overbearing tone stomped on her last nerve.
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She could have sworn the corner of his mouth twitched as though he was suppressing a smile. She snatched her purse from the back seat.
“I’m not calling Lydia because you told me to. I’m calling her so she has advance notice that I’m not quite ready to jump back in.”
He nodded. “Got it,” he said, followed by the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Her conversation with Lydia was short. As soon as Lydia answered and Caroline began to explain she needed a little more time off, the pain from her loss came crashing back and she began to sob. Lydia insisted Caroline take as much time as she needed. As she pushed the button to end her call, a white handkerchief waved in front of her blurry vision.
“Thank you.” She wiped her tears and blew her nose. “I’m thinking you’ll want this laundered before I return it.”
Travis turned his gaze on her and smiled. “See? I knew you were smart.”
She stuffed the used cloth into her purse next to the one she’d used on the airplane and turned in the seat until she faced him. “Part of me is so sorry for dragging you into all the drama of Mamie’s death. But a huge part of me is so thankful that you were there.” She touched his arm. The muscles under her fingers tightened. “I’m not sure Noah would have made it without you. You made a big impression on him.” She pulled her hand back to cover her mouth during a wide yawn. “I’m sorry.”
“We’ve got over an hour before we get to your house. Why don’t you get some sleep during the drive?”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
She leaned against the truck’s door and tried to get comfortable by shifting and readjusting her position. Finally, Travis reached over and pulled her toward him.
“Scoot over here and lean on me. I’m probably softer than that door.”
She did as he suggested, but boy was he wrong about being softer than the door. His shoulders and upper arms were thick slabs of chiseled muscles. Her last thought as she drifted off was whether the rest of him would be as chiseled.
Travis had been sure sitting by Caroline in church had been his worst mistake. He’d been wrong. Telling her to lean on him was. As he’d suggested, she’d rested her head on his shoulder, her left arm resting on his thigh. With each breath, warm air moved across his neck, heating more than just the flesh there. A vanilla scent wafted from her hair, and more than once he found himself taking a quick sniff. Her left hand rested just above his knee, close enough to his groin to have blood rushing to the area. His jean’s crotch grew tighter with each mile. At one point, she sobbed in her sleep. He stroked her hair unti
l she quieted.
Oh, Caroline. You are a complication I wasn’t looking for in my life.
Chapter Eight
Her hand slid farther up his thigh, her fingers dangling right in front of his crotch. If she wiggled her fingers, she’d be stroking his cock, which seemed to like the idea as it stood up and paid attention. She sighed and nuzzled her nose against his neck. What blood had been servicing his brain dove south to his groin. As much as he hated to, he reached down and moved her hand to his knee. He suspected she would be mortified to wake up clutching his privates…not that he would mind a stroke or two from those long, slender fingers of hers.
“Caroline. We’re home. You’ve got to wake up.”
Her head snapped off his shoulder, just barely missing his chin.
“Oh my gosh. I must have fallen asleep.” She yawned and rubbed the back of her neck. “Thanks for the ride home.”
“I’ll send someone out in the morning to take a look at your car.”
“Appreciate it.” She dug in her purse and came out with a black garage opener. The double garage door began rolling up. “Pull in, okay?”
As soon as he turned off the truck, he slid from the seat and opened the back door to retrieve her bag. He’d expected to find her standing at her door ready to enter the house, so he was surprised when he turned and didn’t see her.
“Caroline?”
He heard a sniff.
“Coming.” The passenger door creaked open. Caroline’s swollen eyes were visible even in the truck’s dim overhead lighting. The keys in her hands jingled as she made her way across her garage. She unlocked the back door and turned off the alarm.
“Where do you want this?” he asked, indicating her bags with a tilt of his head.
“I’ll take them.” She reached for the bags.
“No, that’s okay. Just tell me and I’ll carry them back.”
“Don’t worry about it. Most of it has to go to the laundry anyway. Just leave everything here on the table.”
He set the bags down.
“Travis?”
“Hmm?”
“Can you stay?”
Texas Tango: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 2 Page 10