The Maverick's Reward

by Roxann Delaney

“Well?”

  “I— No, I can’t.” She turned to the cabinet, as if there was something there of great importance, hoping to ignore the thoughts racing through her mind.

  “Why not?” he asked from behind her.

  Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him again. “Because I’m a general practitioner. I’m neither an orthopedist nor a physical therapist.”

  “It makes a difference?”

  She swallowed. “In this case, yes.” But for reasons she wasn’t willing to share. She was attracted to him, although she’d never admit it to anyone. She shouldn’t even be treating him, if she was completely honest with herself. Dealing with his therapy would be more than she wanted to tackle, not only because of his attitude and that attraction she felt, but she also didn’t believe he’d stick with it.

  He grabbed his cane and stood down from the examining table. “Think about it.”

  She stared as he opened the door and walked out. When he was gone, she breathed out a long, loud sigh. She’d be crazy to even consider doing his therapy.

  “WHERE DOES Paige Miles live?”

  Jules turned from the refrigerator and looked at Tucker. “Paige? Why?”

  Tucker was fairly certain Jules didn’t know about the therapy thing—at least he hoped not—and he wasn’t about to tell her. “I need to talk to her.”

  Jules’s eyebrows shot up.

  “I can show you,” Shawn announced, walking into the kitchen.

  Tucker didn’t miss the smile on Jules’s face before he turned to his son. “Can you just tell me? It’s not like I don’t know the streets in Desperation.”

  Shawn shot him a quirky smile. “I guess you do. Turn right at the drugstore, then go three blocks. It’s the brick house on the left with white trim. She lives—”

  “Thanks,” Tucker answered, and grabbed the keys to the pickup. “I’ll be back later.”

  He’d spent the rest of the day before, after he’d seen Paige, with an ice pack on his knee. He’d even watched a little television with the family, and then turned in early. When he woke up, he felt almost as good as he had before he’d twisted his knee playing catch with Shawn. Almost. The prescription and ice seemed to be doing the trick. Maybe even the knee brace he’d dug out of an unpacked duffel bag was helping. He wasn’t sure. He didn’t care, he was just glad.

  Most of the morning he’d spent doing research on Tanner’s computer. He hoped his brother, who was fixing fences with Dusty and Rowdy, didn’t mind. He found the information he needed.

  The spring evening was beginning to settle in as he drove into town. He’d forgotten how pretty Desperation could be. After turning at the corner where Shawn had directed, he searched for the brick house with white trim and hoped he’d timed his visit right. Parking the truck across from the house, he noticed there wasn’t a car in the drive. There also didn’t appear to be any lights on inside, so he’d wait and hope it wasn’t too long before Paige came home.

  He hadn’t been waiting for more than five minutes when a sports car turned into the drive. The guy he’d seen with Paige at the baseball game climbed out on the driver’s side, doubling Tucker’s curiosity. Boyfriend or…husband? No, he didn’t think she was married. He’d never seen a ring on her finger or even an indentation of one having been there.

  He wasn’t sure what to think as he ignored his disappointment, and then another car, fairly new and a bit classy, slowed and pulled into the drive to park next to the sports car. Climbing out of the pickup, he closed the door and started across the street. The guy and Paige, who was getting out of the second car, both turned to look at him.

  “Tucker?” Paige asked when he walked up the drive. “What are you doing here?”

  He slid a look at the guy, standing nearby. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  Turning to the guy, she waved him on. “It’s okay. Go on inside.”

  With a shrug, the guy walked to the house and went inside, but not without looking back, as if he was suspicious of something.

  “Would you like to come in?” she asked Tucker.

  He wasn’t eager to have the conversation in the middle of Paige’s front lawn, so he nodded. “If it’s…okay.”

  Paige started for the house and turned back to look at him. “Why wouldn’t it be okay?”

  Should he say it? Yeah, he should. “Your boyfriend won’t mind?”

  “My—” She seemed to choke on a laugh. “That’s my brother. Haven’t you met him?”

  Tucker felt foolish, but he also felt a weight lift, although he didn’t know why he should. He wasn’t interested in her. Except for those chocolate-brown eyes of hers. And those legs. And that—

  He shook his head and followed her. “You don’t look like brother and sister, so I thought…”

  “Garrett takes after Mom, and I take after Dad.” She opened the door and stepped inside, motioning for him to follow. “I guess you haven’t had any run-ins with the law.”

  “Not since I was fourteen,” he answered, as he followed her. “But I thought Morgan Rule was the sheriff.”

  “He is. Garrett is the city attorney.”

  Inside, he saw her brother in the living room, removing his suit jacket, and immediately decided to reserve judgment, until he knew him better.

  “So you’re both transplants,” he said, not knowing what else to say.

  “Afraid so,” her brother said, walking toward him with an outstretched hand. “Garrett Miles. It’s good to meet you, Tucker.”

  Tucker returned the handshake and decided her brother was okay. “Hope you like it here,” he told Garrett. “Some folks don’t care much for small-town living.”

  “It beats city life,” Garrett said with a friendly smile.

  “Garrett is the one who coerced me into moving here from Chicago,” Paige explained.

  “It took a while,” Garrett said, turning to Paige, who answered with a nervous smile, “but big brother always wins out.” He smiled and he winked at her before facing Tucker again. “You’ll have to excuse me. It took me forever to get her to move here. She can be very stubborn at times, but I don’t think she’d leave for anything.” After glancing at a glaring Paige, he laughed. “I’d tell you more interesting tidbits about my sister, but I have work to do, so I’ll leave you two alone.”

  When he was gone, Paige turned to Tucker. “You’ll have to excuse Garrett. He was kind enough to share his house with me when I came to Desperation, but sometimes he forgets he’s not in court. Please, sit down and tell me why you’re here.”

  Tucker hoped it would be that easy. He doubted it would be, but he sat on the sofa, while she perched on the arm of a chair. “I’ve been doing some research,” he began. “The internet is amazing.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  He knew she was waiting for an explanation, so he pushed on. “There’s no reason why you can’t do my physical therapy.”

  Her eyes widened, and then she shifted on the arm of the chair. “I already told you—”

  “Yeah, you did, but I’m a little more informed now. You’ve had some training, right?”

  Her nod was slow. “I did an orthopedic rotation and had some basic physical therapy training, but—”

  “Then there’s no reason why you can’t.”

  She popped off the chair like someone had shot her. After pacing to the other side of the room, she turned to face him. “You have to understand that because you haven’t participated in the therapy you should have, your muscles have probably begun to atrophy. To some degree, anyway.”

  “That’s not uncommon after ACL surgery.”

  This time her eyebrows shot up. He had her.

  “I’ll lay it on the line,” he said, leaning back. “I don’t trust doctors. For some reason, I trust you. You have enough training, and if anything is wrong, as a doctor, you’d know it and treat it. So it comes down to one thing.”

  “And that is?”

  He answered slowly and clearly, so she wouldn’t misunderstand. “I
’ll do the physical therapy, if you’ll be the therapist.”

  He’d heard about the deer-in-the-headlights reaction, but he’d never seen it done—and done so well.

  Chapter Four

  Paige had every intention of saying no, of refusing his request to oversee his physical therapy, but instead of doing that, she pressed her lips together and said nothing. An internal dialogue whispered through her mind at light speed.

  Of course she couldn’t do what he asked.

  But if she didn’t help, he wouldn’t get the therapy he needed.

  Her practice kept her busy. She didn’t have time to oversee his therapy.

  A once-a-week check on his progress wouldn’t take more than ten or fifteen minutes. Surely she could spare that much for a patient.

  She’d already admitted to herself that she was attracted to him. Okay, more than simply attracted. Maybe. Spending even that small amount of time with him once a week or so was a bad idea. Now was the time to put a halt to it.

  He needed medical help. She was a doctor. How could she refuse his request and live with herself?

  “Well?” he asked, ending the back-and-forth in her mind.

  She forced herself to look at him, still not ready to make a decision. “I don’t know.”

  Without a sound, he lowered his head. His broad shoulders straightened before he raised it again. “Then I guess I’ll do it on my own.”

  “No!” She couldn’t allow him to do that. He could cause more damage to his knee, and it would be her fault if he did. “I’ll—” She took a deep breath and let it out on a long sigh. “You leave me no choice. I’ll do it.” As soon as she said it, the strain on his face and the stiffness in his shoulders eased. Her strain, however, increased. “But with reservations and some rules,” she added, not wanting him to feel he’d won the war. He’d only won this one battle. She suspected it wouldn’t be the last.

  He nodded. “All right.”

  Now that she’d made the decision, she was determined that it would work out. She would be in charge from here on out. “You’ll have to agree to follow my instructions to the letter.”

  He shrugged. “I can do that. I’ve been doing that in one way or another most of my life. This won’t be any different.”

  She highly doubted they would get through this ordeal without him questioning her at every opportunity or just being downright stubborn and argumentative. He’d certainly proved he was a pro at it. “No excuses, no arguments. I’m in charge.”

  “You’re the doctor.”

  She nodded, hoping she appeared more positive and sure of herself than she was feeling. In fact, she felt more like a fool than a doctor, but it was too late to change that now.

  “When do we start?” he asked.

  In for a penny, in for a pound. “Call the clinic first thing in the morning and make an appointment for Friday. We’ll start then.”

  Grabbing his cane, he pushed to his feet, struggling for a brief moment, until he was standing straight and steady. “How long do you think this will take?”

  As little time as possible, she wanted to answer. “A month. Two months,” she said, “or more, depending on how dedicated you are.” She suspected it wouldn’t be long before he quit. “There’ll be some pain, at least in the beginning.”

  “I can deal with it.”

  She didn’t doubt he could, but she also knew that PT after ACL surgery wasn’t a picnic. She didn’t know if he was up for that. “We’ll just have to see how it goes,” she said, not realizing she’d spoken.

  He’d started to turn toward the front door, but he hesitated. “Are you doubting me or yourself?” he asked.

  She didn’t know. What she did know was that she’d agreed to do something she wasn’t certain was the right thing to do. “Maybe both,” she answered, as honestly as she could, then wished she hadn’t said it.

  His gaze burned into her, his expression unreadable. “It’s a good thing I have faith in one of us.”

  “Yes,” she answered as he walked to the door. But which one? And did she really want to know?

  He said nothing as he reached the door and opened it. A quick glance back at her, and then he was gone.

  Relieved and filled with dread at the same time, she lowered herself slowly to the chair. “All done?”

  She looked up to see Garrett standing just inside the living room, having come from his office down the hall. How could she have been so crazy to agree to Tucker’s request? “Only beginning, I’m afraid,” she answered.

  Her brother walked farther into the room. “How so?”

  “I’ve agreed to act as his physical therapist.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  She wondered. As long as she kept it strictly on a professional level, maybe it would all work out for the best. She’d feel better about herself, and Tucker would walk without a cane.

  “Of course it isn’t,” she answered Garrett. She only hoped the determination she’d seen in Tucker’s eyes would carry them through this, however long it might take. She wasn’t ready to bank on it, though. In fact, she expected him to be a no-show on Friday.

  TUCKER POURED HIMSELF a second cup of coffee, then leaned back against the kitchen counter and silently watched his family begin the day. When he’d first arrived at the ranch, he’d been amazed to discover that each family member had his or her own role in the morning madness. He didn’t. After a month of living with them, he still didn’t feel as if he was a part of the family. But why should he? When he’d left all those years ago, never looking back, there’d been no plans to return.

  Plans changed. He should’ve known they would.

  “I’ll be at the Bent Tree most of the day,” Jules announced as she buttered a slice of toast. “Linda and I want to have everything in order when Nikki and Mac get back from their honeymoon.”

  Tanner laughed, taking his seat next to her at the table. “Some honeymoon, traipsing all over the country, visiting equine assisted therapy programs.”

  “That’s our Nikki,” Jules answered with a smile.

  Bridey entered, carrying a full plate of French toast. “Looks like rain out there,” she said, placing the plate in the center of the table.

  Shawn was right behind her. “It better not. I hate it when a game gets canceled.” As Bridey took a seat, Shawn turned to Tucker. “Can you come?”

  “To the game?” Tucker asked. When Shawn nodded, Tucker answered. “I’m not sure. I have—” He didn’t plan on telling the family, especially his son, that he was hoping his leg and knee would be better with physical therapy. He’d disappointed them enough. “I may have some things to do, so it depends.”

  Shawn reached for a piece of French toast. “What things?” Before Tucker could think of an answer, a car horn honked. “There’s Ryan,” Shawn said. “Is there—?”

  “Right here,” Bridey said, handing him a paper plate and plastic fork.

  “Thanks.” Shawn plopped his toast on the plate, squirted syrup on it, kissed her cheek and grabbed his books from the countertop. Rushing out of the room with a wave, he called over his shoulder, “See you later.”

  For a moment the room was quiet. “He’s like a small tornado in the morning,” Bridey said.

  Tanner chuckled quietly. “More like a big one, these days.”

  “I’m going to miss that,” Jules admitted. “But I’m sure Wyoming will do his best to make up for it.”

  “He will,” Tanner replied with a proud father’s smile. “And in sixteen years we’ll be doing this again.”

  Tucker’s heart ached for the time he’d missed with his son. If he could do it all over again… But he couldn’t, and it didn’t do any good to look back. All he could do was spend as much time as he could with Shawn now.

  Tanner broke the ensuing silence. “Tucker, we could use another eye today with the bulls, if you have time.”

  Tucker thought about it and nodded. “Be happy to. This morning, anyway.”

  “Good. W
e’ll get started in about twenty minutes.”

  Jules looked at Tucker with a strange expression on her face. He knew that look. She had questions. Or maybe concerns. One or the other. Sometimes she voiced them. Sometimes she didn’t. This time she wasn’t able to, thanks to Rowdy stepping into the room.

  “The boys should be arriving any time,” he told Tanner.

  Tanner pushed away from the table and stood. “You grab some breakfast, and I’ll go on out.”

  “I won’t be long,” Rowdy said, taking a seat and scooting up to the table.

  Tanner turned to Tucker. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  Tucker nodded. “I need to grab a different shirt first.”

  Nodding, Tanner moved to kiss Jules on the cheek, then left.

  After taking a last sip of coffee, Tucker rinsed his cup in the sink and started for his room. But as he stepped into the hallway, he felt someone touch his arm and turned to find Jules.

  “I don’t mean to pry,” she began, “but I worry about you.”

  Tucker instantly stiffened, but knowing Jules had a good heart, he waited. “There’s no need to.”

  She smiled, but obviously wasn’t convinced. “And I worry about Shawn. I heard about what happened at the game the other day.”

  Tucker frowned. Of course everyone knew. What did he expect in a small town? “I’m fine.”

  “If you say so, but that’s not what concerns me the most. I don’t want to see Shawn get hurt. You weren’t trying to put him off a few minutes ago because of what happened, were you?”

  “No. I have to be somewhere this afternoon.”

  She waited, as if he was going to explain, and when he didn’t, she gave a brief nod. “All right.”

  When she turned to walk away, he stopped her. “I’m not going to do anything to hurt him, you know. I’ve already done enough of that.”

  “I know you’d never mean to,” she answered without looking at him.

  He watched as she left him standing there, and then he turned for the stairs, shaking his head. He knew she meant well, especially where Shawn was concerned. But this was his chance—his only chance—to get to know the boy he’d fathered. He didn’t intend to screw it up.