Deciding they needed to move the conversation into more neutral territory, she changed the subject. “Is this your pickup?”
Gabe squinted toward the house, as if willing his father to appear. “Belongs to my brother Cade.”
Susannah had heard about the pro baseball player’s injury in late April. And knew Cade had come back home to recuperate in the privacy Laramie County afforded. “How’s he doing?” she asked sincerely.
“He’s stubborn. Like you.”
Trying to ignore the brisk masculine fragrance that emanated from him, Susannah asked, “Doesn’t he need his truck?”
“I don’t know why he would.” Gabe shook his head. “He’s got another one here. A sports car. And four more in his garage at his home in Dallas.”
Susannah did a double take as the front door on her house opened and Gabe’s father strode back out. “Cade’s got six cars?”
“It’s a thing with athletes. They collect them like women.”
Robert reached the truck and handed the purse through the window. “Do you want us to order some pizza for you, while we’re at it?”
Gabe nodded appreciatively. “Thanks, Dad. I’m sure we’ll be hungry when we get back.” Robert took their preferences, which surprisingly enough happened to be the same: sausage and pepperoni and mushroom. They thanked him, and he headed back up the walk.
Strong hands commanding the wheel, Gabe pulled away from the curb and drove toward the hospital.
Aware this felt oddly like a date, instead of an emergency situation, she tried to focus on the graveness of the situation at hand instead of how very attracted she was to him. “Do you think it’s broken?”
Gabe kept his attention on the cars in the intersection. “Only an X-ray will tell.”
She sighed.
He reached over to pat her arm, and another sizzle of sensation coursed through her.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said with a reassuring smile.
At that moment, in pain and barely able to get around, even with help, Susannah didn’t see how. “Says the person without five three-and-a-half-year-olds to care for.”
He gave her a look that reminded her he had tried to warn her before she fell. A warning she had promptly—and idiotically—ignored.
A fact that made her even crankier. “And don’t even think about saying I told you so,” she grumbled.
He slanted her a look of choirboy innocence that she was tempted to believe despite herself. Which only made him look even more infuriatingly gallant in her eyes. “I wasn’t going to,” he said. “But now that you’ve brought up your need for rescuing in this particular situation, it just so happens that I am going to be around for the rest of the summer. So...”
Painfully aware it would be all too easy to end up kissing him again, she said, “I’ve got Mike and Millie across the street.”
His golden-brown brow lifted. “Except on Wednesdays and Thursdays.”
So he recalled everything Bing had said. And hence knew her neighbors across the street would not be back in town or able to help her and the kids until late the following day.
Ignoring the faint flutter of her heart, Susannah continued, “And all the other moms in the Laramie County Multiples Club...”
Eyes twinkling, he flashed her an audacious grin. “And like it or not, at least for now, you’ve also got me.”
* * *
Susannah had no comeback for that. Luckily, they were turning into the ER entrance. Gabe parked under the portico and went inside. Then he returned a few minutes later pushing a wheelchair.
It was clear Susannah was going to need help getting out of the cab, but there was a limit as to what kind of aid she would allow. As he leaned in, inundating her with his clean masculine scent, she unclasped her safety belt and said, “Don’t you dare pick me up!”
He chuckled.
Keeping her guard up, she grabbed her bag and held it against her. “Just help me move into the chair.”
“Sure thing, princess.”
Wary of letting him into her life in any way, she lifted a chin and speared him with a testy glare. “I’m not a princess.” And she did not want to flirt with him. No matter how attractive and chivalrous he was, or how lonely or bereft she had been when it came to man-woman relationships.
One palm beneath her forearm, his other arm wrapped snugly around her waist, he eased her out of the car and helped her onto the wheelchair. As she settled, he knelt before her, looking tenderly into her eyes, to make sure she was all right. “Your children think you are.” His tone was both conciliatory and deadpan. He gave her a flirty grin. “And I can’t say they aren’t right.”
Damn, he knew how to seduce a woman. Provided that was his goal. She still hadn’t figured out why he felt her situation was any of his concern. Especially after all the time that had elapsed since they had last seen each other.
All she knew for sure was that it felt like she was missing something about the situation.
Something that could be a game changer.
* * *
The triage nurse was waiting inside to talk to Susannah. She took the basic information, copied the identification and insurance cards, and then wheeled her back into one of the private exam rooms. “The doctor will be in to see you in a minute,” she said after helping Susannah into a hospital bed.
“You want me to stay with you or bide my time in the waiting room?” Gabe asked, lounging against the wall, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans.
Suddenly, for reasons she did not want to examine too closely, she did not want to be completely on her own. At least not until she knew what the situation with her ankle was. “Ah.” Susannah shrugged haphazardly, wishing he didn’t tower over her quite so alluringly or radiate such masculine energy. “Might as well stay here,” she said finally. “Someone else might need the chairs out there.”
His soft laughter was infectious. It was all she could do not to feel pleased she’d been able to make him laugh or smile back in return.
Without warning, his expression grew thoughtful. “When was the last time you were here?”
Recalling, her heart panged in her chest. “Not since the quintuplets were one and they all got bronchitis at once.”
He moved closer to the hospital bed. “Whoa.” His voice dropped another notch as his gaze met and held hers. “Sounds harrowing.”
“It was. But my neighbors, Millie and Mike Smith, came, and so did a couple other mothers from the Multiples Club, and we got through it. The quints were all able to go home that same night, and a week or so later, thanks to the antibiotics and nebulizer treatments, they were all back to being healthy as could be.”
Gabe looked at her with new respect.
A knock sounded.
Gavin Monroe, a cardiothoracic expert and ER doc, breezed in. Like Gabe, Gavin was also charming, good-looking and in his early forties. “Hey. Heard you were in town.” Gavin slapped Gabe on the back.
“Good to see you, too.” Gabe hugged his old friend from med school warmly.
Gavin looked from one to the other. “So, what’s up with this? You two finally dating?”
Finally? As if such a thing were preordained, Susannah thought, on a huff. To her relief, Gabe seemed equally stymied by the assumption. “Why would you think that?” she asked.
Gavin moved to the end of the bed. “Because he brought you in and he’s hovering around like a boyfriend.”
Susannah worked to hold back a flush, wincing, as Gavin examined her swollen ankle from the front, side and back. “It’s probably guilt,” she quipped. “He’s the reason I tripped.”
“Ah. Got it.” Gavin stopped palpating her ankle long enough to wink. “The old knock-’em-down-and-then-rescue-them trick.”
Gabe, who had been keeping a close eye on the proceedings, scoffed. “That only works in
bad rom-coms.”
Gavin gently checked the range of motion, then pressed the puffy skin in and watched it slowly bounce back. He looked up at Gabe. “You’ve tried it, then?”
Everybody laughed. The exam was finished. Susannah realized she had been successfully distracted by their banter. Gavin stepped up to the computer and quickly typed in an order. “You’re going to need an X-ray.”
Susannah nodded. “Okay.”
To Gabe, the doc said, “When the tech comes to get her, come find me. I’ll show you around. Update you on all the improvements the hospital has made since we did our residency here.”
* * *
To Susannah’s relief, the X-ray was conducted quickly. So quickly, Gabe was nowhere to be found when her stretcher was wheeled back into the exam room. The nurse brought her a ginger ale and some graham crackers while she waited to hear the results. Not long after that, she heard male voices approaching her room. “Think about it,” Gavin told Gabe. “With Dr. Caldwell retired, we really are short staffed.”
Gavin stuck his head in and smiled at Susannah.
“I’m going to see if your report is back yet.”
The ER doc exited, and Gabe strolled into her room. He looked slightly peeved. “What’s going on?” Susannah asked curiously.
He took up a place against the wall. Ankles crossed, arms folded in front of him. “They want me to take a job here as an infectious disease specialist.”
Why should that thrill her? “And you said no,” she guessed, trying not to feel disappointed he wouldn’t be sticking around.
He cocked his head. “I have a job with Physicians Without Borders.”
“When do you go back?”
His poker face became even more unreadable. “Not until September.”
Susannah paused. “That’s a surprisingly long time.”
He shrugged, not looking particularly happy about it.
Gavin Monroe walked back in. “Hey! Good news! There was no break, no torn ligaments. It’s just a sprain. You’re going to need to keep it wrapped and iced and elevated for a few days, but with proper attention, you should be back to hobbling around in no time.”
Susannah sat up. “Hobbling?”
“Well, I wouldn’t suggest running for a while. Not if you want to keep from reinjuring it.” He paused to type something in the computer again, then turned back to her. “Ever used crutches?”
Susannah shook her head. The nurse came in to give her a quick tutorial and go over her discharge instructions. Then an orderly brought a wheelchair while Gabe went to get the pickup truck.
It felt a little like a date, as he cruised up and came to a stop, then jumped out to circle around and personally make sure she got in okay. Even though the orderly could have done just that.
Which made Susannah wonder, what would it be like if they did date?
Taking in the damp summer air whipping around them, she pushed the thought away and asked, “Is it supposed to rain tonight?”
Gabe shut the door, then came back around to climb behind the wheel again. “Ah, yeah! That’s all they could talk about on the weather this morning.” He slanted her a curious glance. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear.”
Susannah sighed and waited for the ibuprofen they’d given her in the ER to kick in. “I try not to borrow trouble.” She shifted restlessly.
He slid a glance toward her leg. “And rainy days mean?”
“Way too much pent-up energy for the quints.”
“Speaking of which...think they’re asleep?”
Susannah’s ankle throbbed. “I hope so.”
Upon arriving home, Gabe parked as close behind her car as he could, to give her the shortest path from the driveway to the front porch. Daisy had been taught not to bark when guests arrived, but Susannah could see her golden retriever silhouetted against the blinds, watching out for their return. Outside, thanks to the heavy cloud cover, the sky was a velvety black, without even the moon visible.
Gabe opened the passenger door for her, then gave her a gentle hand down. Waited while she stood up straight, with her crutches placed slightly forward and out to the side. The corners of his lips curving up, he watched her struggle to establish balance, move both crutches awkwardly forward, step forward with her injured leg and push down forcefully and equally on the handgrips. Trembling slightly with the effort it was taking, she stepped through the crutches with her good leg, then established balance once again. To her frustration, the one step alone took a great deal of effort and a good twenty seconds.
Gabe looked at the distance still to go, and shook his head in silent admonition. “I should probably just carry you to the front door, then come back to get the crutches.”
Knowing she needed his help, whether she wanted it or not, she frowned. “Don’t be ridiculous. What would your parents think?” she groused.
When they’d left for the ER, she hadn’t had any way to get around—except for Gabe’s arms. Now, she had a professionally wrapped ankle and crutches.
“That I was being chivalrous?” he returned, his expression as matter-of-fact as his low tone.
She lifted a brow in return, her heart tightening a little in her chest as she took another careful step forward. She could do this. She really could. It was just going to take practice. Feigning more confidence than she felt, she shot back lazily, “Or that you probably don’t need to come to the rescue of every damsel in distress.”
He gave her a long, steady look laced with compassion and moved next to her, seemingly ready to step in the instant she needed him. “What makes you think it’s every damsel?”
His lazy quip brought heat to her cheeks.
“It could just be you.”
“Your reputation in Laramie County says otherwise, Doc.”
“Checking up on me?”
Boy, he was maddening.
Worse, she didn’t know why she was letting him get under her skin. She’d dealt with bossy, overbearing people all her life.
“Plus, it’s not like you grew up in Laramie County alongside me, you know.”
That was true. She and Belinda had grown up in north Texas, in Wichita Falls. “I saw you plenty when you were in med school at UTSA. Belinda and I were undergrads there. Remember?” Susannah said, as she worked her way slowly and cautiously up the sidewalk. Despite her desire to make her journey look a lot easier than it felt, she was beginning to perspire. Huffing slightly, she continued, “You had no shortage of young women following you around the campus.”
This time, he grinned. “Exactly. Following me. Not the other way around, and that’s because I was a doctor. Or going to be. Every woman wants to marry a doctor.”
Susannah inhaled deeply. Breathed out slowly. She gave him a warning glance. “Not me.”
“Mmm-hmm. You’re young yet—you could wise up.”
The crazy thing was, if he had plans to stick around, she just might dare to give him a chance. But he wasn’t going to do that, so... “Dream on, Doc.”
Gabe sobered. “Please let me help you up the steps.”
She could see it was killing him not to be able to rush to her aid. What he didn’t know was that it would devastate her to accept it. She had already depended upon him way too much as it was.
“I got it.” Determined to succeed on her own, the way she had for years now, Susannah turned around, sat down and levered her way up via the seat of her shorts, one step at a time. Finally, she reached the top step.
Which presented a problem, since she wasn’t sure if she could actually get back up to a standing position on her own. Without toppling over, that was.
Gabe asked, “How about a hand up?”
Probably wouldn’t hurt. Grudgingly, she relented. “If you insist.”
She slid her hand into his. He clasped it warmly, and with the addition of an arm about her wai
st, brought her to her feet, just as the front door opened. Carol and Robert stepped outside. “Thought I heard something,” his dad said.
Carol noted the absence of a cast. “So...no break?”
Susannah smiled. “Just a sprain. I’ll be good as new in a few days.”
“How will you manage in the meantime?” Carol asked in maternal concern.
“I’ll call my mothers’ club in the morning. How were the kids? I assume they are asleep?”
Robert nodded. “They went down about fifteen minutes later than what you texted us was normal for them.”
“They were a little excited.” Carol grinned. “But after a half an hour of bedtime stories, they were all yawning. And willing to close their eyes and snuggle with their stuffed animals, and once that was done, well...we haven’t heard a peep since.”
Relieved to be home again, Susannah eased into the closest chair and propped her leg up on the coffee table. Carol brought the baby monitors, with video screens, so she could see into both the boys’ and girls’ rooms. All five were curled up, snoozing away. Beginning to see where Gabe got his chivalrous streak, Susannah looked over at Gabe’s mother and father gratefully. “I can’t thank you enough.”
Carol gently touched her shoulder. “Oh, honey, this is what Laramie is about. Neighbor helping neighbor.”
“You probably should go on home,” Gabe advised his parents. “You both look...”
“Our age?” his mom quipped, evidencing the famous Lockhart sense of humor.
Gabe chuckled. “I was going to say a little tuckered out. But, yeah, it is late. Almost ten. And since I know both of you have to work tomorrow...”
Carol glanced at Susannah. “Are you going to be okay? Because I could stay the night.”
“That’s not necessary, Mom,” Gabe said as wind whipped up outside, signaling rain on the way. “I’m going to do that.”
His Plan for the Quintuplets Page 5