“We probably need to find you some crutches.”
“I have some at my apartment. This isn’t my first sprain.” I patted his arm. “All right. I’m ready.”
“For me to carry you?” He glanced at the door. “Using this method, we’ll still be all cozy when your brother gets back, and that might be a bad idea.”
“You have a valid point.”
“And the longer you are upright, the more that ankle swells.” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for permission.
I squeezed his arm, as much for sheer enjoyment as to give him his answer. “You going to pick me up, or should I jump?”
Chapter 6
With camera in hand, I passed the time taking pictures. “Is that your cat?”
“Where?”
I pointed at a tail, visible on the other side of a feed trough set up as a planter. “The orange striped fuzzy one.”
“Yeah, that’s him.” Zach opened the cooler. “Want anything?”
“If there’s another RC Cola in there, I’ll be a happy camper.”
“Very funny, considering.” He popped the top off the bottle and handed it over.
“How long have you had the cat? And where did you get it? You don’t seem like a cat person.”
“I’ll have you know I love cats . . . and dogs. I’m an animal person.”
“Even snakes?” Just the thought of the slithery creatures bothered me.
“I’m not a fan of the ones that can kill me. But I’ve owned a few rat snakes.” He drank down a swallow of Big Red. “And Waldo’s been around about two years. I arrested him not long after I moved into this place.”
“You arrested him?”
Zach grinned and dropped into a chair. “We were investigating a theft. A woman had called in, worried because her pretty things had been stolen off the clothesline and out of her laundry basket. She was worried she had a stalker or something.”
I wasn’t about to let Zach off easy. “Pretty things?”
“Lacy. Like yours, which I need to get out of the dryer for you.” Hopefully, he hadn’t used a high heat setting, or nothing would fit the same way ever again.
“Yes, but please continue.”
“Anyway, we were in her kitchen, finishing up the report, and a cat grabbed one of her bras and dragged it off. I started laughing, which wasn’t a great idea. But she forgave me when she turned around.” Zach crossed his arms over his chest. “We asked around to see if the cat had an owner, but he didn’t. Poor guy was a stray, so I brought him home. So, if you ever find any pretties lying around, blame Waldo . . . not me.”
“He still steals things?”
“I haven’t found a stash, but he probably wouldn’t tell me if he did.”
“I’m back,” Hank hollered as he walked through the house. “You can start the turkey, and I’ll warm these sides.”
Zach jumped up. “I made mashed potatoes to go with everything.”
“Is that why you were banging around in the kitchen?” Knowing mashed potatoes were on the menu made me feel a little bit better.
“Yep. Making whipped mashed potatoes like my grandma used to.” He ran inside, leaving me to take more pictures.
In the last twenty-four hours, I’d talked to Zach more than I had in all of middle school and high school. He was so much more attractive now . . . inside and out. Those kinds of thoughts did not help me.
Just Carrot. That reminder would have to get me through today.
The guys lowered the turkey into the bubbling oil, and I got hungrier by the second.
Even the fast method wasn’t instant.
When they lifted the turkey out of the oil forty-five minutes later, Zach winked. “Looks gooooood. Now it has to sit a few minutes.”
“My patience is running out.” I took off the telephoto lens and tucked the camera and accessories back into place.
Hank laughed. “You never had any to begin with.”
The guys disappeared inside, and I inched to the edge of the chair. I plotted my route, looking for things to hold on to while I hopped to the table.
I pushed off the chair, and Zach peeked his head out the door.
“Sit.”
“I’m more than a little tired of you acting like a dictator.” Balancing on one foot wasn’t all that easy with sore ribs.
He strolled up and planted himself in front of me. “I wouldn’t have to if you’d listen to me.”
“You’re infuriating.” I wobbled but refused to drop back into the chair. Clinging to the back of it, I fought to keep my balance.
He stuck his hand out. “And you’re—”
“Are y’all coming or not?” Hank was the one who was impatient.
I grabbed Zach’s hand to keep from falling over.
He swallowed. “Come on, Hop-a-long, let’s get you to the table.”
“You didn’t finish your sentence.” I searched his face for any hint to what he was about to say.
He smiled down at me. “You can wonder about it.”
The man was infuriating and maddening. Coming from anyone else, I would take that as flirting, but this was Zach, and I was just Carrot.
I settled at the table, almost as excited about the whipped mashed potatoes as I was about the turkey. The guys carried the foil pans to the table then Zach sat a pot right in front of me.
To my horror, there were peas mixed in. “Who puts peas in their mashed potatoes?”
“My grandma. Why?” Zach carved the turkey.
“You ruined a perfectly good dish.”
Zach laughed. “No beans. No peas. Does Carrot not like her vegetables? Although, beans are legumes, not vegetables. You like carrots though, right? I mean, it wouldn’t seem right if you didn’t.”
“Leave me alone.” I served myself a spoonful of what he’d made, planning to eat around the peas.
“She hates anything green. And a few things that aren’t green. Mostly just healthy stuff.” Hank pushed the pan of green bean casserole closer. “Want any?”
Teasing from my brother wasn’t nearly as tolerable as it was from Zach.
“I’ll take dark meat.” I held out my plate.
Zach served me juicy slices of turkey.
How had I ended up sitting across from him? And why was it that every time I glanced up, he made eye contact? When our eyes met, butterflies danced the cha-cha in my belly.
“When is your next photo shoot?” Hank pointed at my foot then served himself seconds.
I finished chewing my bite of food. “I have a Hill Country shoot late next week.”
“Need help?” He was a good big brother, but having him around would be a disaster.
I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. Nacha will be there.”
“Good. You won’t be out there alone.” He focused on his plate. “I’m working anyway.”
“Will you be able to keep weight off it while you take pictures?” Zach pulled the potatoes and peas closer to his plate.
“Oh yeah. But I should probably go home after dinner to dig out my crutches and maybe practice a little.”
“I’ll run you home.” Hank leaned back in his chair. “But not before we have dessert.”
Guilt rattled around in my head when I wished Hank would get called back into work or discover he was out of gas . . . any reason that would change things so that Zach would have to take me home.
“Practice? That sounds dangerous.” Zach cleared plates off the table. “Do we want dessert now or later?”
“Now.” Hank always wanted dessert. We were clearly related. He jumped up and headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll bring the pies to the table.”
Zach followed Hank into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Zach leaned over the back of my chair. “Your bag was open a little, so I put your things on top.”
Before I could say anything, Hank rounded the corner, and Zach moved to his chair like he’d developed the superpower of speed.
Maybe it was best that Zach wasn’t drivin
g me home. Being around him was chipping away at my sanity.
Chapter 7
Eve tossed a treat to her cat then dropped onto the sofa. “You’ve hardly said anything about how yesterday went. I’m dying to know. You haven’t even told me how you ended up with a sprain.”
I was dying to talk about it, but only certain parts, and I needed to give some explanation of my wounds. “Hank ended up having to work Wednesday night, and I spent the night with Zach.”
My friend almost fell off the couch. “You what?”
“That came out wrong. He picked me up—from my apartment, I mean.” I didn’t want to talk about how he’d carried me around. “We’d been at the campsite only a few minutes when I walked through poison oak”—I held up my arms to show off the rash—“then twisted my ankle and fell into cactus.”
She slapped a hand over her mouth. “No way.”
I lifted my shirt to show off the little red marks from the spines. “Anyway, we didn’t end up camping. I ended up staying the night on his couch.”
Eve laughed. “Oh my! It’s like a dream come true and a nightmare all at once.”
“Until he told my brother I was just Carrot, then it was all nightmare.” I sighed.
“Would you go out with him?”
Rubbing my ankle, I delayed my answer. “Going out involves two people being interested. So, no. Besides, Hank was weird about it when he showed up at the house. Pretty sure he wouldn’t approve.”
“How many times has your brother asked you about the ladies he dates?”
“I get your point, but Zach is Hank’s best friend. There are rules and expectations for this type of thing. Besides, getting back to my original point, I’m still just Hank’s kid sister.” I shoveled ice cream into my mouth. “I learned that Zach has a cat that steals ladies’ underwear.”
Eve giggled. “That could be embarrassing.”
“Tell me about it.”
Waldo was probably to blame for my missing underwear. That was the only item missing from the top of my bag. Either Waldo had returned to a life of crime, or—I couldn’t even contemplate the other option. But Eve didn’t need to know any of that.
“Want me to see if Adam has a friend? A blind date worked for me.” She added extra gummy bears to her vanilla ice cream.
“I’ll think about it.” Getting over my crush on Zach required me to get out of my comfort zone.
She waved her spoon back and forth. “I want you to be happy. You know that, right?”
“I know.” I set my empty bowl aside. “I’ll give you an answer by the end of the weekend.”
“Harper. I’ll ask Adam about his friend Harper, but I’ll wait until you decide.”
Dating a firefighter sounded exciting . . . almost as exciting as dating a law enforcement officer.
That type of thinking would keep me stuck. I needed to move on.
Thankful that my camera bag could be worn crossbody, I hobbled toward the barn. “Nacha, thanks for driving.”
Nacha slowed her pace so that I could keep up. “I wasn’t going to let you drive. That ankle looks terrible.”
“It’s been more than a week. I was hoping it would be better by now.” Getting the hang of the crutches hadn’t taken as long as I thought it would. “What if we set up the boots on that rock and get the weathered red of the barn in the background?”
“That would work.” Nacha positioned the rhinestone studded boots at the perfect angle. The light rays made the pair sparkle. “Wasn’t our model supposed to meet us out here?”
“Yep. I texted her the location.” I sat on an old stump and dropped my crutches. The camera was ready in no time flat, and I pressed the shutter a few times before studying the images in the viewfinder.
Nacha stepped away when her phone buzzed, leaving me to take more pictures.
Choosing my steps carefully—because walking barefoot out here carried the risk of being bitten, punctured, or pricked—I hobbled over to the boots, breaking my promise to Zach, but he wasn’t here to scold me. After shifting the pair so that there was a field of green and blue sky as a backdrop, I limped back to my stump.
“That was Cami. She had a flat not far from here. I’m going to run and get her. Will you be okay for a few minutes?”
“I’ll be fine. I want to get this wrapped up so I can make it back home in time for my date.” The idea of a blind date still made me nervous.
“Don’t hurt yourself. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She climbed back into the car and bumped along the dirt path toward the gate.
I tried to envision other ways to stage the boots. Using a shallow depth of field, a picture with the boots perched on the stump would be eye-catching. I picked up my bag and crutches and moved them out of the shot. Once the boots were sitting in place, I dropped to the ground. My ankle throbbed because I didn’t have the sense to keep weight off it.
With the boots framed perfectly and the evening light adding a warm glow, I focused my camera. As I mashed the shutter, a silver pickup pulled into the gate.
Who had messed up my shot? I shaded my eyes against the setting sun, trying to make out the driver.
Suddenly, I felt very alone in that field. My only hope of defense was ninja skills with my crutches. Truth be told, my ninja skills were lacking.
Alternating glances between the ground and the truck, I scooted toward the barn. Getting up without something to grab onto wasn’t going to happen.
The truck stopped, and when the driver stepped out, my heart stopped too.
Why was Zach here? As I took in his jeans and western dress shirt, I tried to maintain even breaths.
He grinned as he set his hat atop is head. “Hey there.”
“Why are you here? And that isn’t your Explorer.” I didn’t even bother trying to stand up.
“That’s my work truck.” Zach looked down at me. “I’m responding to a trespassing call. Someone nearby called in about a redhead on crutches taking pictures near the abandoned barn.”
“We have permission from the landowner to be here.”
He held out his hand. “Did you walk here alone?”
“Nacha had to go pick up the woman who is going to model the boots. Her car broke down.” I grabbed his hand and let him pull me to my feet.
“It’s still swollen.”
I nodded. “I was hoping to wear my boots tonight on my date, but that’s clearly not happening.”
“On your what?” Zach furrowed his brow. Why was he making it awkward?
I rubbed my forehead. “A date.”
“Has Hank met the guy?” He rested a hand on the barn wall behind me and leaned closer.
“I haven’t even met him. It’s a blind date.”
Where was Nacha?
“Do you trust the person who set you up? Where is he taking you?”
“He’s a fireman, a good friend of my best friend’s boyfriend. And I don’t know where we’re going.”
“So basically, he’s a friend of a friend of a friend. Where are you meeting him?”
I pressed a hand to Zach’s chest. “Back up. What’s with all the questions?”
“I’m looking out for you.” He blinked and stepped back. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to crowd you.”
“While I appreciate the thought, you don’t need to do that.” My hand had been on his chest way too long, so I yanked it back.
“Duly scolded. Didn’t mean to treat you like you were ten.” He winked.
The Mavericks started singing “All you ever do is bring me down,” and he looked at my phone lying on the ground. “Would you like me to get that?”
“Yes, please.”
He handed it over then walked back to the truck.
“Hello?”
Nacha sighed. “There won’t be a photo shoot today. Someone hit Cami’s car while it was on the shoulder. As soon as the police are finished, I’ll run back and get you. I’m so sorry.”
Zach stood beside his truck, watching me.
“Don�
�t worry about it.” I motioned him back toward the barn. “I might be able to get a ride. I’ll text you. Bye.”
“Did Nacha abandon you?” Zach’s humor was anything but subtle.
I propped a fist on my hip. “Nacha didn’t abandon anyone.”
“It was a joke.” He shielded himself with his hands. “But clearly not a funny one.”
“If it isn’t funny, it doesn’t qualify as a joke.”
“Good point. So what’s up?” He kept his distance.
Spending time with Zach right before my blind date was a bad idea. I knew that. “She’s stuck while the lady fills out a police report. Someone hit her car on the shoulder. And—”
“You need a ride so you can be home in time for your date, right?”
“That’s what I was going to ask you.”
He nodded. “Tell me what to gather. You need to keep weight off that ankle so it doesn’t throb all evening.”
“Will you help me to the stump?”
“Sure.”
When he leaned in close, I snaked my arms around his neck. “It’ll be faster if I let you carry me.”
Without a word, he scooped me up. Why did being in Zach’s arms have to feel so good?
Harper couldn’t compete with this . . . unless of course, he was actually interested.
After putting me down, Zach held up a finger. “Make me one promise.”
“I’m doing my best to keep weight off it.”
“Not that.” He pinched his lips together. “Don’t let him carry you.”
“I don’t foresee that happening, Zach. You’re the only one crazy enough to tote me around.”
He tugged at the end of a curl. “Promise me.”
I crossed my heart. “I won’t let him.”
Chapter 8
I smoothed my dress, giving myself a pep talk. “Forget Zach. You’re going out with Harper. You want to have a nice evening . . . crutches and all.” Snatching up the phone, I hurriedly called Eve.
“You aren’t cancelling, are you?”
“Did you tell Harper I was on crutches?” Deep breaths weren’t helping me stay calm.
One Guy I'd Never Date Page 4