by Joann Baker
“Thanks again, Gramps.” Gabe pushed to his feet. “I’m going to check on Pops before I turn in.”
“Just one more thing before you go, son.”
Gabe turned, his mind already on a hot shower and his soft mattress. “Yeah?”
“I have to work at the store tomorrow, so I’m going to need you to take Harvey in for his checkup.”
Immediately, a vision of sparkling green eyes and hair as black as a raven’s wing sprang to mind. The image of the beautiful doctor that had attended to Calhoun when he was hurt had haunted his days—and nights—for the past few months.
Longer than that, his inner voice whispered.
“Sorry, Gramps, I’ve got too much going on here. Maybe Naola…”
“No,” Silas cut in vehemently, “this is a family matter.”
“Then Ryder can…”
Silas shook his head. “He’s taking Georgia for her check-up tomorrow.”
Gabe ran a hand through his hair, swallowing the curse that sprang to his lips. Unless he wanted to explain his reasons for avoiding the new doctor in town, he was going to have to take his grandfather tomorrow. Maybe he could leave him there and come back for him. “Okay, sure then. What time?”
“Eleven.” Silas put the dishes in the sink. “Oh, and Gabe?”
“Yeah?” Gabe stopped in the doorway, one foot in the hall.
“Don’t let Harvey eat anything too rich tomorrow.”
Gabe frowned. “What’s going on, Gramps? I thought Pops was seeing Frank about his vertigo.”
“Yes, that’s…that’s right, but as Frank explained when he came out the other day, some foods can trigger vertigo. We don’t want him to have a relapse, now do we?”
“No,” Gabe agreed, frowning. Somehow, he felt he was missing something. Too tired to think too hard, he muttered another good night and headed upstairs.
Gabe could be called a lot of things, but a yellow-bellied coward wasn’t one of them. However, this particular morning, he certainly understood for the first time the urge to run away from something. Or someone. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, he walked out of his bedroom to face the day.
A day he’d never visualized coming. He was going to see her again.
The woman who had torn out his heart, stomped it into the ground and walked away as if nothing had ever happened.
Amelia.
Millie.
It had taken only the sound of her voice to make his insides knot tighter than a drum. For almost ten years he’d been trying to outrun that feeling—the one that made it seem as if his whole world had imploded. He usually achieved that through bar fights and quick hook-ups. Nothing, however, had erased it—or her—from his mind or his heart.
He didn’t know what to expect when they came face to face today. He sure didn’t want her to know that because of her, he’d given up on the whole idea of love. He’d had to. She’d left him without the particular organ needed for that specific emotion.
Jogging down the stairs, he hurried to the kitchen where Pops was waiting. He needed to get this part of the day over quick. Like ripping off a band-aid left on too long. He knew it was going to hurt and take away some skin, but once it was over, he could start to heal again.
Maybe. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get completely over the woman who had broken his heart.
“You ready?”
“Yep. Been ready going on nearly twenty minutes now.” Pops sat at the counter, a mug of coffee in his hand. Gabe longed for a cup but knew there wasn’t time for one. He watched as Pops took another drink of his. Despite his jab at Gabe for having to wait, apparently, the older man wasn’t worried that they would be late for his appointment.
“Come on, Pops. We need to get moving.” He stalked to the door, grabbing a coat. The weather was turning foul, and it was a cold morning. The rain that threatened would certainly make a long day worse.
“Don’t get your undies in a wad, boy. I’m moving as fast as I can.” He climbed down from the barstool and carried his cup to the sink. A frown darkened Gabe’s brow as he watched his grandfather carefully rinse out the cup and set it on the counter to dry. The man was moving slower than normal and there wasn’t a damn thing Gabe could do about it.
He knew he’d been a trial to his grandfathers and brothers the last few years—hell, the last ten. He also knew it had to stop. Even before his past had unexpectedly come back to slap him across his face, he’d known.
He’d known since that day only three years ago, when he’d finally mustered up the courage to put his past in the proper place and hunted Amelia down, finally ready to come out shooting like Wyatt Earp at the O.K. corral if it meant finding out why she’d walked away from the feelings between them. Like a fool, he’d felt a surge of complete joy when he’d found her, followed by razor-sharp pain at the sight of her outside her apartment building, a waif-like two-year-old on her hip, giving her former roommate—now husband?—a good-bye kiss.
That’s when things had really headed south for him. Again. He’d come back home and burned through women like a wildfire out of control in an attempt to forget the one he couldn’t have. The one that had played him like a violin. Now he both loved and hated her. The love, he knew, would never die. The hate, well, he’d fed it religiously for three years.
“Come on, boy. Let’s not keep the good doctor waiting.” A blast of cold morning air hit Gabe in the face. He realized that while he’d been reliving his past, his grandfather had gotten ahead of him. Grabbing his tan Stetson from the hook by the door, he jammed it tightly on his head and followed his grandfather out the door.
CHAPTER TWO
AMELIA MURPHY SIGHED as she said goodbye to her last patient in the small hospital that served Devil’s Spur. It was a far cry from the busy ER where she’d done her residency and she constantly felt as if she was forgetting to do something. She didn’t know why, but the slow, easy pace had her on edge.
Or, maybe it was the fact that she was in his town now.
The people in Devil’s Spur had been welcoming and friendly. Well, almost all of them. Here, she’d learned, everyone knew everyone else’s business and treated each other almost like family. Amelia had never ceased to be amazed by the crazy connections between people who were so different with seemingly unrelated interests. Or the way that life could suddenly throw a curve ball and you were just expected to either catch it or let it hit you squarely in the face.
That’s how she’d felt since she’d seen the familiar cowboy in her godfather’s waiting room over two months ago. Shell-shocked. Not that she’d been able to do more than admire his fine looking ass in those jeans he’d been wearing.
But as soon as he’d realized she was there, he’d left that room faster than a scalded cat. And that made her blood boil. Like he had any right to be angry or upset. He was the one that hadn’t shown up that night. The one who had left her sitting there like a fool, her bags at her feet, without one word of explanation.
Quickly, she shook away those thoughts. What was done was done. She’d cried enough tears over the footloose cowboy to last her a lifetime.
“Good morning, Dr. Murphy.” As she neared the nurses’ station, one of the women she’d worked with on several occasions while making rounds greeted her. She was a little older than Amelia and a very nice woman. Being such a small town, the doctors in the area took turns manning a shift at the ER. Amelia had taken over her godfather’s almost since day one. She’d seen immediately that the long nights were slowly taking their toll on him. Now, she shared the rotation with three other doctors in the area. An obstetrician—or lady doctor—as Frank liked to call the man, a pediatrician, and another general medical doctor.
“Good morning, Sally.”
“Ready to go home?” She took the chart Amelia was holding.
“You bet. But, I need to find something to eat first.” Amelia thrust her hands into the front pockets of her white coat.
“Go over to The Golden Griddle. I hear Mona is making pa
ncakes this morning.”
The eatery was one of only two small diners in town. Amelia had been to the Crusty Loaf but not The Golden Griddle.
“Thanks, I’ll give it a try. Pancakes sound really good this morning.” Amelia was not one to count carbs or calories. She was not a small girl by any stretch of the imagination. And she didn’t care. She was chubby and happy with herself. There were few enough pleasures in life and eating food that tasted good was one she indulged in probably more than she should.
It took her twenty minutes to make good on the promise to herself to eat a hot breakfast. But she wasn’t complaining. In larger hospitals, it took almost an hour to actually be able to leave once your shift was over. She walked out of the two-story brick building and headed to the diner. There was no reason to drive in Devil’s Spur, most places were within walking distance. The diner was just three blocks away and her rental house was just another two beyond that. She smiled, thinking she’d never consider walking three short blocks in Aurora. Too risky. She’d either driven or taken public transportation, which wasn’t the safest in some of the older parts of town she’d worked in during her residency.
She was glad her shift at the hospital was over. Now she could try and get some much-needed sleep. Ever since that day in Frank’s office, her sleep had been iffy at best. Just the sight of Gabe had brought front and center an avalanche of feelings she thought she had already dealt with. But then, did you ever get over your first and only true love?
Opening the diner door, she was greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and a few hellos. It was amazing how easily she’d been accepted into the small community. Another smile lit up her face. This was exactly what she’d wanted when she’d decided to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and go to medical school. A family practice where she could get to really know her patients.
Even the shift at the emergency room had been fun. Well, not fun exactly, but surely not the blood-pumping, almost paralyzing excitement of a big city ER. No, she’d been there, done that. She’d take an elderly woman having chest pains over a shooting victim every day of the week.
“Hello, Doll-face.” The waitress greeted her as she took a seat at one of the booths in the back. Business was brisk for late morning, and it looked as if she had lucked out for the last empty seat.
“Good morning.” She pulled off her coat and laid it on the empty space beside her.
“Do you need a menu or do you know what you want?” The woman stood at the end of the table, pad and pen in hand.
“I have it on good authority that the pancakes are wonderful.”
“Sure are, hon,” the waitress grinned. “I bet Betty Lou told you, didn’t she? She and her whole family were in here this morning.”
“Nope, it was Sally.”
“Same difference. Betty Lou’s her sister.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that.”
The waitress gave her a wink. “There’s a lot of things about Devil’s Spur you don’t know yet, doc, especially, which cowboys to take a liking to and which ones to steer clear of. The heartbreakers,” she grimaced.
The smile on Amelia’s face froze. She had a feeling that Gabe would be one of those cowboys every woman talked about. He was certainly handsome enough and, from what Frank had told her so far, he was certainly rich enough to snare any woman’s attention.
Except hers.
Been there and done that, too. Had the heartbreak to prove it.
“Could you bring me some coffee now and a glass of milk with my pancakes, please?”
“Sure thing.” The woman started to walk away then turned back. “Now that’s a cowboy you want to avoid at all costs, sweetheart.” Amelia’s gaze flew up just as the sound of the bell over the door faded away. She shouldn’t have been surprised at the sight of the man who had just walked in. It had been bound to happen in a town as small as Devil’s Spur, but she’d been hoping. Hoping since that day at the clinic that it wouldn’t happen again for a long time.
“Now, I’ll give you some free advice, honey. Don’t be setting your sights on that one. He’s a good-looking son-of-gun, sure enough, but he’ll break your heart and leave you bleeding in the street.”
Amelia snorted silently. Where had this woman been ten years ago when Gabe had done just that?
“Oh, don’t worry,” she shrugged with pretended nonchalance, “I’m not his type.” While Gabe had uttered words of love and undying desire ten years before, that was also several pounds ago and, even then, Amelia had had reservations about the hot cowboy’s sincerity in dating a fluffy woman. Not that she had a problem with her curves. But she’d worked around a lot of men and she knew how most of them thought. A woman had to have an hour-glass shape and a simple mind to be found attractive. With Gabe, she’d thought she’d just been a novelty. Or, she’d piqued his interest when she hadn’t immediately fallen for his charming smile.
But boy, when she had fallen…the spark between them could have powered an entire city for a year. They had been that explosive together.
“Honey, anything walking on two legs is Gabe Anderson’s type.” The woman walked away as another customer motioned for a refill of his coffee cup. As unobtrusively as possible, Amelia watched beneath lowered lashes to see where Gabe and the older man with him would sit. Luckily for her, more tables had opened up during the short time the waitress had been taking her order and providing her free advice. They chose a seat on the far side of the diner, and she gave a sigh of relief. Maybe she could go unnoticed long enough to enjoy her breakfast. If not, she could always get it to go.
The diner was crowded for midmorning—almost noon—Gabe realized as he ushered his grandfather towards the booth someone had just vacated. The waitress’ tip and dirty dishes from the previous occupants sat on the table. “Come on, Pops, let’s sit here.”
“Dang it, boy, what’s your hurry?” Pops grumbled, but followed him, moving a little more quickly than he had been earlier in the morning.
Gabe was still worried and had already made a mental note to call a meeting with his brothers to discuss Pops’ health. Thankfully, Frank had been the one to see him at the clinic. He hadn’t been strong enough to ask where Amelia was and Pops had been too preoccupied to ask. That had bought Gabe a small reprieve from having to face the ghosts of his past.
“The usual, boys?” Before they could settle themselves in the booth, Thelma Jones was there, pocketing her tip, clearing the table, and taking their order in the same breath.
“Yep. The big country breakfast and hot, black coffee for me.” Pops answered her as he removed his gray hat.
“Pops, Frank just told you that you needed to watch what you ate,” Gabe admonished.
“I’ll watch what I eat when I’m six feet under, boy. Until then, I intended to enjoy Joe’s cooking every day if I dang well please.”
Gabe shook his head and ordered the pancake special. He knew better than to argue with the stubborn old coot when he was in the mood he was in today. The news from Frank that Pops’ blood pressure was on the verge of being out of control had not set well with Pops. Gabe knew both he and Silas still considered themselves men who could outride and outwork any cowboy around. That simply wasn’t the case anymore and they were both finding it hard to accept. Yeah, they pulled more than their fair share of the workload around the Ace in the Hole, and Gabe and his brothers would be eternally grateful that their grandparents had stepped up to raise the three orphaned brothers. That had been no easy task by any stretch of the imagination.
But now it was time the two men slowed down, maybe actually tried to enjoy the remaining years they had left and the financial prosperity they had helped build. Of course, that was going to be easier said than done, Gabe thought. Stubborn pride ran in the family.
“Now don’t be getting that look on your face either, boy.”
“What look?” Gabe shrugged out of his coat, the temperature in the diner much higher than that outside.
“The one that say
s you’re trying to figure out a way to put me out to pasture.”
“Pops, don’t you think it’s about time…”
“Time for what? To sit around until I die?” He shook his head. “Not going to happen.”
“Pops…”
“Here’s your coffee, boys. Your orders will be up in a minute.” Thelma plunked down two thick ceramic mugs and filled them with piping hot coffee. Immediately, Pops took an ice cube from the glass of water she’d also brought with her to cool off the black liquid. Gabe smiled, thinking he’d watched the man do that a thousand times during his lifetime.
“Well, at least you have something to smile about.” Thelma huffed as she turned her attention to a booth on the other side of the room. Gabe’s gaze automatically followed hers. He saw a tall, lanky cowboy leaning over the sole occupant of the booth. He could tell by the rigid stance that the man wasn’t happy.
He picked up the stainless steel pitcher of cream and poured a good portion in his cup He usually liked his coffee black, but he wanted the roof of his mouth to stay intact.
“Isn’t that Colby Benson?” Pops asked.
“Yep. Been bothering that girl no end now for the last few minutes.”
“Always thought he was a bit of a rounder.”
“A rounder? The man has more notches on his bedpost than Ryder,” Gabe snorted. Before his marriage, Gabe’s younger brother had been a ladies’ man through and through. He chose not to dwell on his own…habits.
“Yeah, but he’s nowhere in your league,” Pops answered with a dark look.
Gabe hide his grimace. Nope, he didn’t have to worry about his reputation, not when he had Pops to do it for him.
Gabe knew that his family wasn’t happy with his philandering ways, but there was nothing he could do about it now. The past was what it was. He’d had relationships he wasn’t particularly proud of, but he’d never knowingly misled a woman. He laid his cards on the table up front every time. And if that woman—even if she was married—wanted to pick them up and take a chance, he figured it wasn’t his place to try and talk her out of it.