Once a Champion

by Jeannie Watt

  “He’s stable and the fever is going down. I’m calling to check on you,” she said. “I take it you got home okay?”

  “Just one startling encounter with a big owl.”

  “Well, get some rest so you are strong enough to help us handle Tim.”

  “Is he okay?” Matt asked when Liv ended the call.

  “Yes. Andie just wanted me to get some sleep. She knows how I am.”

  “I should go,” he said. “Are you going to be okay here alone?”

  No. Liv did not want to be alone tonight. She wanted a distraction—but not if that distraction led to more complications in her life. A little comfort would be most welcome. A man she couldn’t control would not. “I’ll be fine.”

  “I could—” he shrugged one broad shoulder “—sleep in the truck.”

  Liv smiled at that, the corners of her mouth lifting almost of their own accord. “Yeah. That’d help,” she said. “Go home to Craig. I’ll be fine.”

  “All right. Maybe I can come back tomorrow and help out with the chores?”

  “Tomorrow I’ll probably be more myself and yell at you about your knee.” Which still made her sick at heart. She hated that he was doing what he was doing to himself.

  “I’ll take the chance.”

  Liv smiled, then reached out to lightly smooth the shirt over his chest, before straightening the placket. Why? She didn’t have a clue, but it’d been a long time since she’d touched a man. Greg had been well-built, but Matt’s chest was harder, insanely well-muscled from throwing calves.

  He watched the movement of her hands, his lips parting slightly as he inhaled, then met her eyes with an intense gaze. Liv stepped back, dropping her hands. Her breathing wasn’t exactly normal, either.

  “I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow.” He also took a step back, putting distance between them.

  All she had to do was say the word and she’d have company for the night. Something to take her mind off Tim. So very tempting, and stupid.

  “Thanks, Matt.” Her voice was husky and sounded way too needy. Not clinging needy, but woman-wants-a-man needy. “See you then.”

  “Yeah.” A few seconds later she pushed the protesting front door shut, catching one last glimpse of Matt as he headed for his truck before it closed all the way and the latch clicked.

  The house was still, so the sound of the truck engine sounded overly loud when it started. Liv listened as the Dodge swung past the house then bumped over the cattle guard.

  Heaven help her, part of her truly wished she’d asked him to stay.

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING Liv was at the hospital early. Andie was not there, but Dr. Bates, the man who was handling Tim’s case, was.

  “I hope to operate later today,” he said. “You father is responding to the antibiotics, the fever has dropped significantly, so yeah. Later today unless something happens.”

  “I have clients,” Liv said. “Could you have someone give me a call when you make a final decision?”

  “You bet.” Dr. Bates touched her upper arm with his clipboard. “I think we’re in good shape here. I’m just glad he didn’t put off coming in any longer than he did.”

  If he could have, he would have.

  Liv shook off the aggravating thought as she left the hospital for the short drive to Andie’s clinic. As she pulled out of the hospital parking lot, a familiar truck pulled in.

  Margo?

  Liv hit the brakes, watching in her rearview mirror as Margo parked in the same spot she had just pulled out of, then got out of her truck and marched through the front doors of the hospital like a woman on a mission.

  Liv felt an instant urge to turn around and try to protect her father, to demand to know what Margo was doing there.

  It might not be related to Tim.

  But it seemed reasonable that it was. Liv stayed where she was, blocking the entrance and debating, when the doors opened again and Margo came back out.

  She stepped on the gas and continued out onto the street. Maybe it was time for her and Margo to have a talk. Maybe at the next practice. She would not have that woman upsetting her father while he was trying to recover.

  * * *

  LIV DIDN’T CALL, so Matt didn’t go to her place to help with chores. He recognized her as a woman who would disappear from his life if he pushed too hard, and it startled him to realize how much he didn’t want her to disappear.

  “Hey, Matt!” Craig bellowed from the living room.

  Matt poked his head out of his office, where he’d been reading the mail. “What?”

  “Mom just sent a text. She got the job! Benefits and everything! She’ll call later tonight, but I don’t have to register for school here. She’s taking care of all that up there!” Craig punched his fist in the air, grinned and said, “Ah, the joy of financial security.”

  Matt smiled. “Excellent.”

  Craig jumped to his feet. “Maybe I’d better pack.”

  “As in close your suitcase?”

  “Something like that.” He headed past Matt, down the hall to his bedroom. Matt watched him go, aware of an odd knot forming in his gut.

  He was really going to miss the kid. Go figure.

  “Hey, you want to go to roping practice tonight?” he called.

  “Here?”

  “No. In Dillon.”

  “I don’t think so. The next season of Star Crusher starts tonight and I don’t want to miss the first episode.”

  “All right.” Matt went back into his office. Maybe all for the best. He was going to stop by McElroy’s house, get an injection, continue on to the arena. He was going to have to see about doing the injections himself on the road, something that was not all that legal, but he figured he might be able to talk the good doctor into cooperating—for a fee, of course.

  Tonight was Liv’s drill practice, but she probably wouldn’t be there.

  Fine. It’d give him a good excuse to stop by on his way home. He’d proceed with caution, not push things. See where this journey took him, because frankly, this was a journey he was very interested in taking.

  * * *

  IN SOME REGARDS, Liv was glad she hadn’t cleared her morning schedule—only the afternoon—because focusing on patients kept her from worrying about Tim. “He’ll be fine” was her silent mantra through the three appointments she had before lunch. She continued the mantra as she drove down to the hospital, only to find that surgery had been delayed until the next morning as they worked to stabilize her father and bring his fever, which had spiked up again, down to a tolerable level.

  This time she did get to see him, but he was heavily drugged with painkillers and the visit left her with a knot in her stomach. It didn’t help that young Dr. Bates was not as chipper and confident during this consultation as he had been during the last.

  “I hope to operate tomorrow morning,” he said.

  Liv listened as he explained his plans, what may or may not happen, the prognosis for recovery.

  On the drive home, Liv called Etta, had the receptionist clear her schedule for the next day. Then she went home to do the chores, pace and stew. Yesterday, when Matt had been there, she’d believed that by this time Tim would have had his surgery. But he hadn’t. Things had changed. Tim had taken a turn for the worse and she had no one to talk to. Vivian didn’t need this stress on top of dealing with Shae and who else could she call?

  Call Matt. Talk to him.

&nb
sp; Are you crazy? Call Andie if you want to talk.

  But Andie was at drill practice and Liv ended up calling no one. It was better that she was alone. Better that she dealt with this as she dealt with all major issues in her life. Alone.

  Or so she thought until she heard the distinctive throb of a diesel engine.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  LIV MET MATT at the door, looking pale but composed. Her reddish-brown hair was down, swinging past her shoulders, making him want to put his hands into it.

  “Hey,” he said, stopping a few feet away. “You weren’t at practice, so I thought I’d stop by. See if you needed anyone to pour bourbon for you.”

  She smiled a little and stepped back so that he could come inside. “You left the bourbon,” she said, “so I could have poured it myself.”

  “But isn’t it so much nicer when someone pours it for you?”

  She smiled, but once again it faded too soon. Something was very wrong. Matt reached out to gently run his hands over her upper arms before saying quietly, “Something happened.”

  Liv swallowed, then nodded.

  “Bad?”

  She nodded again and Matt suspected from the way she’d suddenly dropped her eyes that she was fighting tears.

  “Come here.” He opened his arms, offering what she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, ask for. Apparently, he’d done the right thing, because Liv barely hesitated before she stepped into his embrace, sliding her arms around his waist and pressing herself against him. His arms closed around her, but Matt held her loosely so that she could escape when she felt the need. He knew with a certainty she would soon feel that need.

  Sure enough, a moment later Liv loosened her hold and eased back...but she didn’t let go. Instead, her hands stayed at his waist, her thumbs lightly pressing into him.

  “What happened?” He brushed back the hair at the side of her face and felt his body stir as the silky strands moved through his fingers. He liked the way Liv felt against him, wished the circumstances were much, much different.

  “Tim’s fever spiked and they couldn’t operate.”

  “Damn. I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah.” She pulled in a breath that made her shoulders rise and fall a good inch or two, then, as he’d known she would, she stepped back, breaking the contact, and Matt let his arms drop.

  “They’re supposed to operate tomorrow morning.” She closed her mouth tightly, as if not wanting to say more, but lost the battle. “I didn’t see this coming. No one did. It...worries me.” She fought to keep her voice from breaking on the last words, making Matt feel helpless, since all he wanted to do was make things right. And he couldn’t.

  “Do you want tea?” she asked.

  “Not really.”

  “Me, either. But I wouldn’t mind a sip of whiskey.”

  “I’ll pour,” he said, moving past her and finding the bottle on the table, right where he’d left it the night before. He found the shot glasses back in the cupboard, set them up side by side and poured. Liv was still in the living room, her arms hugged around her as she stared into the blackened front windows.

  “Not a lot of light out there.”

  “The yard light burned out last night,” she said. “Just one thing after another, but at least Tim won’t be climbing the pole.”

  “I can take care of that for you. If you like.”

  “It’ll need to be done and I hate heights,” Liv said, taking the glass from him. Their fingers touched briefly and she didn’t jerk hers away as she had in the past, which reminded him of how she’d straightened his shirt the night before. And how he’d wanted to pull her into his arms afterward.

  “Do you mind if I sit?” he asked, gesturing to the sofa, feeling a lot like a high school kid on a first date.

  “No.” He took a seat, stretching his free arm out along the back on the sofa, and pretended not to be surprised when Liv plopped down next to him. There was a good twelve inches of cushion between them, but she leaned her head back so it touched his arm and closed her eyes, holding her almost full shot glass at chest level. Matt let his hand drop down to her shoulder and Liv scooted closer, laying her head against his upper chest.

  “I’m so damn worried,” she whispered.

  “I know.”

  She straightened then to take a small sip of the bourbon before she tossed back the shot. She met his eyes with a candid gaze, as if daring him to comment. He had nothing to say, and a few seconds later she settled her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

  Matt held very still as her breathing became more even, her muscles less taut. Relaxed or asleep? He didn’t know. Didn’t care. He was just glad he was there. She gave a little sigh and his lips curved up. Sleeping. Cool. He lifted the shot glass, took a sip, then closed his own eyes.

  * * *

  LIV WOKE WITH a start, then, when she felt Matt’s arm tighten around her shoulder, realized where she was. And with whom. Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, brushing her hair away from her face. Matt smiled down at her.

  “Wow,” she said. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Just to...relax for a couple minutes.”

  He said nothing, which made her feel more self-conscious. How many times had she dreamed about snuggling on a sofa with Matt Montoya? Schoolgirl fantasy come true under rotten circumstances.

  “What time is it?” she asked, moving his arm so that she could see his watch. “Eleven?” She jumped to her feet. “You shouldn’t have stayed for so long. I bet Craig’s worried.”

  Matt got to his feet slowly, stretched, then slid a hand around the back of her neck, where it stayed, warm and comforting...and making her want to invite him to step down the hall for a spell.

  “Craig’s fine and I wanted to make sure you were fine, too.”

  “Thank you.” The words came out too fast. Get a grip. You fell asleep. Big fat deal. “I appreciate you staying. I feel...better.”

  “Do you want me to stay longer?”

  What a loaded question. Liv cleared her throat. “I’m all right. Now. Thanks.”

  “Good.” He picked up his hat and started for the door.

  “Matt?”

  Liv crossed the distance between them. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  And then, just like the night before, he was gone. She was alone with only her worries about her father for company.

  This sucked.

  * * *

  BY THE TIME Liv got to the hospital the next morning, her father was in the operating room.

  “They had a window and they took it,” Andie said. “He wasn’t responding to the antibiotics as well as hoped, so they took a chance.”

  Took a chance were not the words Liv wanted to hear, but she nodded and put on her brave face as she took a seat on the hard plastic chairs. Andie perched beside her for a second.

  “I have a lot of faith in Dr. Bates.”

  Liv couldn’t bring herself to talk about faith in doctors. “How long?”

  Andie shrugged. “Depends.”

  Liv didn’t ask what it depended on. Instead, she leaned her head back against the wall, recalled how comforting it had felt curling into Matt last night. Why he kept coming by, she didn’t know, but at this point, she wasn’t going to analyze. She’d done enough of that in high school after their study sessions. She was going to accept comfort and not take it at anything except face value. She and Matt had known each other a long time. They were friends—
their reunion may have been a bit rocky, but they’d worked it out. Yes. Friends. Friends didn’t have to have a controlling influence on your life.

  “How was practice last night?” Liv asked without looking at Andie.

  “The usual. We were missing two—you and Margo.”

  Liv frowned over at Andie. She wanted to ask if she knew anything about Margo and Tim, or if maybe her father, who’d practiced law in the area forever, knew anything, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. This was Tim’s business. Not hers.

  “What?” Andie asked.

  “Nothing.” Andie reached out and patted Liv’s leg. “Don’t you have patients?” Liv asked.

  “Yes. The first is at ten o’clock. I have a little time.”

  “Thanks for being here.”

  “Thanks for letting me.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means,” Andie said patiently, “that you’re not so good at accepting moral support.”

  “I’m getting better,” Liv said, feeling the warmth rise in her cheeks as she thought about Matt and how she’d allowed herself to accept his help. “All part of the process.”

  The words were barely out of her mouth when the doors opened and Dr. Bates came out, wearing his scrubs. Liv jumped to her feet, thinking it was too soon, that there was only one reason he’d be out so quickly.

  “The gallbladder is out,” he said. “He’s not out of the woods yet, but barring more infection, I’d say the prognosis is good.”

  “When will you be more certain?” Liv asked, holding her breath as she waited for the answer.

  “I’d say if by tonight he has no fever, I’ll feel optimistic. But I want to keep him for at least two more days.”

  The doctor disappeared back through the door and Liv turned to Andie. “Is he telling the truth?”

  Andie laughed. “Yes. He’s just being cautious. He hadn’t expected Tim’s infection to be so resistant to the antibiotics, so what had seemed like a slam dunk became...shall we say...troublesome?”

  “Troublesome. Seems appropriate. So...I can relax?”