“Not the whole world,” Dev said, then smiled as he continued to pack away the remains of their afternoon picnic. “My world, maybe.”
After spending the last week pretty much immersed in his world, Tanya was finding she liked it here, really liked it, even if Mac’s observations at last Saturday’s barbecue had her moments away from canceling their plans for the drive-in movies that same night.
But then Dev had broken away from a discussion with his brothers to corner her in the empty kitchen, wanting to know what time he should pick her up for their date and stealing a heated kiss.
They’d had a good time that night, even though Dev concluded that drive-ins and his Jeep’s bucket seats weren’t a good match. He’d made up for that oversight once he’d got her back to the cabin.
Her first instinct had been to invite him inside, but it felt too soon, especially when Dev had never mentioned coming in, either. But then he’d driven past the soft glow of her cabin’s front porch and parked on the far side of the building in the dark.
They’d sat in his Jeep, her on his lap, making out like teenagers for an hour before he’d walked her to her front door and said good night.
More dates followed this past week, and she’d attended his three physical therapy sessions in Laramie while continuing their daily pool sessions at his house.
They’d also had dinner with Mac at his place, gone to the weekly bingo night again, where he and Zip had shared the duties of master of ceremonies, and last night had had dinner at the Blue Creek Saloon, staying to dance to the music of a local band afterward. They were joined by his brothers Adam and Nolan and their wives.
But this afternoon’s picnic here in the mountains outside Destiny had been a last-minute surprise of Dev’s, and he’d insisted on taking on the responsibility for everything, from the food to the location to the cleanup.
Admitting his mother had helped a bit, he’d packed a terrific lunch of chicken pasta salad, a loaf of crusty bread and some of Elise’s freshly baked brownies for dessert. He’d added an old blanket and a bottle of sparkling cider before they’d made a quick stop at her cabin so she could change from her casual yoga wear to jeans.
Then he’d taken the back roads, explaining that they were on the northern outskirts of Destiny as the blacktop gave way to dirt when they reached the foothills of the Laramie Mountains. He’d continued driving farther into the forest and higher on the mountain until they’d reached this spot.
It was a bit cooler up here, but they were in a clearing, surrounded by tall pines and blue spruces that stood far enough back to allow for plenty of sunshine and a pale blue sky. Dev had pointed out two ranches to the south of them, the Crescent Moon and the Triple G, both barely visible to the naked eye. They could see the faint outline of Destiny even farther beyond that.
As they’d gotten busy setting up the picnic, Tanya had found herself starting to wonder whether Dev had brought any other women up here before, until he’d told her this was a private place he came to often to get away from everything and enjoy the silence.
And it was his first time back since his accident.
They’d enjoyed their meal, talked about the progress Dev was making with another week of hard work under his belt, the firefighting crew training sessions and all the fantastic places Tanya wanted to visit while in the United Kingdom.
It was hard to believe the town would be celebrating Memorial Day on Monday and in another month she’d be leaving this quiet little ranching community for the busy streets of London at the end of next month.
Leaving Dev.
“I can totally understand why you come up here alone,” she said, suddenly needing to break the awkward silence that had fallen over them as he packed the food away. “What a wonderful place to meditate and spend time alone with your thoughts.”
He joined her on the blanket, mirroring her pose, only his legs extended a good foot past the quilt’s edge. “Oh, is that the official woo-woo description of what I do here? I thought I was just enjoying the scenery and a little alone time.”
She glared at him, going for her most evil scowl, but his grin was too infectious not to return. Then he closed his eyes, angling his Stetson down over his forehead to block the sun.
Watching the ease with which he moved—he no longer needed the cane—was so different from watching the man she’d met a month ago. His official test results that he’d shared with her said the same thing.
His recovery was speeding along now that he’d become fully committed to his sessions. He wasn’t anywhere near being ready to get back to volunteer firefighting, but Tanya could see how much he missed it when he’d shared with her details of the training sessions for the competition next month.
She glanced down at where his hand lay so close to hers on the blanket. The need to touch him, to feel the connection they shared, was suddenly overwhelming, especially out here in the wide-open space that was the Wyoming wilderness.
As if he’d read her mind, Dev reached over and laced her fingers with his, without bothering to look at her or move any other part of his body.
“Does it bother you?” she asked, wondering if this area was like where his crash had happened. They’d talked about his accident a few times, but never at length. “Being in the forest like this after your accident and being lost for a couple of days last year?”
He shook his head, the Stetson gently rocking back and forth. “No. I’ve wanted to come back up to this place for a while now and I wanted to share it with you.”
His words warmed her and she started to speak, but Dev kept on going.
“The place we went down was really dense. Nothing but trees for miles. I would’ve given my soul to find a wide-open space like this to try to land that bird. I tried to find...somewhere, but we were going in so fast. I did my best—”
A beeping noise filled the air. Dev swore under his breath.
“What is that?” Tanya asked.
“My cell phone.”
“You get service way up here?”
He untangled their hands and sat up, righting his hat and digging into his back pocket at the same time. “Farther down the mountain, once you’re in the foothills, it turns into a dead zone again until you hit the flatlands and are closer to town, but up here, yeah, they can find you.” He thumbed the screen, surprise registering on his face. He hit a button and put the phone to his ear. “Hey, Chief. What’s up?”
Tanya started to rise to give him some privacy as he spoke with his boss, but he tightened his grip on her, signaling it was okay for her to stay.
“No, I hadn’t heard about any fire. Was it bad?” Dev stayed silent, but Tanya saw his expression go from curious to uneasy. “Well, that’s good, but what does that have to do with—”
He went quiet again, listening. “Yes, that makes sense, but I wasn’t planning—” His jaw clamped shut, a muscle ticking along the edge. “Yes, sir. Yes, it’s a good thing the fairgrounds didn’t dismantle the tower while prepping for the events on Monday. Okay, see you next week, Chief.”
Dev ended the call and released his hold on her at the same time. Getting to his feet, he shoved his phone into his pocket and walked away a few feet, his back to her as he looked out over the expanse of land.
She didn’t have any idea what was going on, so she sat and waited.
After a few minutes, he turned and started to pace in front of the blanket. “That was the fire chief.”
“I figured that.”
“The firefighting competition has to be moved from Johnson City due to a fire last night at their fairgrounds.”
Not sure why that news would upset Dev so much, other than maybe his team had responded to the fire while they’d been dancing at the local bar, she remained silent.
“Destiny is going to be the new location. Well, the event took place her
e last year, too.”
He glanced at her and she could read by his expression he wasn’t happy about that. She played back his side of the conversation in her head, then said, “You’re upset about the change in location because you weren’t planning on going?”
He continued to stride back and forth, his silence giving her the answer she needed.
He hadn’t planned on attending the event.
“But you’ve been working so hard with your crew. Why wouldn’t you want to see them in action?”
“I know I’m being a complete idiot.” Dev sighed, but kept moving. “Agreeing to help out, which I really had no choice in, thanks to the chief’s persuasive methods, is one thing. Actually being there, watching them go all-out for the best time, to break records—” he jabbed at his chest with his thumb “—my record, when I can’t even be an official member, can’t do anything...when I...can’t...”
His voice faded and Tanya could almost see the wheels turning in his head, but she had no idea what he was thinking.
He stopped, his gaze locked on something in the distance. Then he spun around, came back to the blanket and dropped to one knee in front of her. “I’ve changed my mind.”
“About going to the competition?” She’d hoped so as she’d been looking forward to attending the event.
With him.
“About working with you. No more restrictions. Whatever you want me to do to get back to one hundred percent, I’m in. I know I’m almost there now, so I’m open to anything, from those crazy milkshakes to you cross-stitching ‘Mama knows best’ on my back with your miniature needles.” He smiled, all charm and confidence. “We’ve still got a month, and starting first thing tomorrow—”
“Wait! Hold on a minute!” Tanya cut him off with a wave of her hand. She scooted backward, then struggled to get to her feet, Dev’s rapid-fire words reverberating in her ears, throwing her off balance. “Please do not tell me you’re actually thinking of participating. Are you crazy?”
Ohmigod, it was Tony all over again!
Tony Blackwell had been a brilliant skier, who had come out of nowhere a year ago and surprised the skiing community by winning three events on the World Cup Circuit at the tender age of fifteen.
An off-season training accident last summer had brought the teenager and his parents to the famed Crane Clinic where Tanya worked, looking for a miracle to get him back on the slopes.
A miracle worker she wasn’t.
Not that he, his parents or the esteemed Dr. Ross Crane—her former boss and lover—would accept that.
Or her assessment and final decision when it came time for Tony to rejoin his team.
Nausea filled her and her heart pounded hard in her chest. She forced away the past and concentrated on the madness happening right now.
“You can’t do that. You cannot compete.”
Dev shot to his feet. “I was only thinking about—”
“You told me those challenges are replicas of what a firefighter is expected to be able to do on a daily basis, whenever he or she responds to a call.” She cut him off. “Isn’t that right?”
He nodded. “Yes, that’s true.”
“You have made a remarkable recovery, Dev.” Tanya latched on to his arm, her grip tight, needing him to look at her, to understand what she was saying. “A recovery you’ve earned from all your hard work, but as I’ve told you from the beginning, this is still a recovery that’s ongoing. It’s way too soon for you to consider doing that kind of physically demanding activity, even if it’s just a friendly competition.”
“Okay, I hear what you’re saying.”
“Do you really?” His expression was conciliatory at best, and the idea of Dev doing something that could cause serious damage—permanent damage—to his body, all in the name of a sport, made her physically ill. “Do you understand I’m speaking here not as some girl you’ve been trying to charm into your bed, but as a professional?”
Dev peeled her fingers from his arm, then took both of her shaking and clammy hands in his. “Yes, I hear you, but, honey, what’s going on? You are as pale as a ghost and shaking like a newborn foal.”
He was right—she was acting irrational.
Closing her eyes, Tanya forced deep, slow breaths in through her nose and pushed the air past her lips. One, two, three times. “I’m sorry, I— Oh, I honestly didn’t see this coming. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. I feel...so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid, you’re upset.”
Dev held tight when she tried to pull from his touch, and when he moved closer, bringing her into his arms, she found herself going willingly. The strength of his embrace and the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek calmed her. “Do you want to tell me what just happened here?”
She wasn’t sure she did, but the man deserved an explanation. She just didn’t think she could get the words out at this moment. “Not...not right now, okay?”
“Sure.” He kissed her forehead, his hands gently moving over her back. “Whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m here to listen.”
* * *
A half hour later, their picnic officially over, Dev steered his Jeep back down the mountain. He glanced over every now and then at Tanya sitting quietly in the passenger seat.
She still hadn’t told him what had caused her outburst back on the summit, but he suspected it had to do with something much bigger than his new ideas about his therapy regimen.
He’d actually considered for a moment the possibility that if he went all out with his workouts from now on, including agreeing to one of her dreaded acupuncture sessions, there might be an off chance he could compete in one of the less strenuous events next month.
Not the smartest plan, he conceded, but the chief’s call had thrown him for a loop because he really hadn’t planned on attending the annual competition.
In fact, he’d been entertaining the idea of stealing Tanya away that same weekend to a luxury resort somewhere, seeing how she was scheduled to leave for London the Tuesday following the competition.
He’d first thought about Reno, but that would mean flying.
Dev loosened his grip on the steering wheel, flexing his fingers and forcing himself to relax. He wasn’t ready to even think about getting back in the air again, but he had to admit Tanya asking about the crash had made him think.
Maybe it was time to read the official report for himself. It had been sitting on the corner of his desk for the last week after he’d asked Katie to make him a copy.
Right around the time he’d asked her to make sure all the paperwork was in place so he could fly to and represent the family business in the United Kingdom.
Just in case.
“Dev, what is that? Up there in the road?”
Tanya’s words, the first she’d spoken since they started back down the mountain, had him looking at her and then to where she pointed.
He slowed the Jeep to a crawl, realizing a small figure was frantically waving, trying to get their attention. As they got closer, he saw it was young girl, her blond hair in long braids, who raced to them when he stopped.
“Boy, I’m glad to see you!” She brushed at her dirty face, but the evidence that she’d been crying was still on her cheeks. “We need help!”
Dev easily placed the girl, considering their proximity to the Crescent Moon Ranch. “You’re Landon and Maggie Cartwright’s girl, aren’t you? What are you doing way out here?”
She nodded, sending her braids flying. “Yes, I’m Anna Cartwright. Jacoby Dillon and I were hiking up the road and he fell in a hole. Please help him!”
Dev reached for the girl and helped her climb over the side and into the vehicle’s backseat. He made a left turn onto the dirt path, following where she pointed while Tanya insisted the girl put on her seatbelt.
&n
bsp; They drove through the trees for a few minutes before Anna wanted them to stop. This was the place.
Dev parked the Jeep, tossed his hat into the backseat and grabbed his flashlight. Maggie’s daughter scrambled out of the backseat right behind him. “Tanya, can you get the rope and first-aid kit from the storage area in the back? I’m going ahead with Anna.”
Tanya nodded and Dev followed the little girl, his gaze already latched on to the gaping three-foot-wide crevasse a few yards ahead. “Hang on, Anna. I don’t want you anywhere near that. We don’t need both of you in trouble.”
“He’s down there.” Anna skidded to a stop in the dirt and rocks. “Jacoby! I’m back! Can you hear me? I’ve got the bingo guy and his girlfriend with me!”
Dev crouched beside the opening. “Hey, Jacoby, my name is Devlin Murphy and I’m a member of the Destiny Volunteer Fire Department.”
A faint response came up from the dark shadows of the hole.
He directed Anna to a nearby rock, glad when the girl obeyed his hand signal. The ground was soft and loose beneath his feet. Not a good sign, but at least the boy seemed to be able to communicate.
Dev inched closer, needing to figure out what kind of situation they had here. “You doing okay?”
“I think so, sir,” came the reply from down in the earth. “My ankle and my shoulder hurt real bad.”
“Are you standing up? Can you move around?”
“Yes, sir. I sort of slid down the side, but I’m standing now. There’s a stream of sunlight directly overhead, but otherwise it’s pretty dark down here.”
And scary as hell, Dev thought, but the fact the boy could see sunlight and carry on a conversation with them hopefully meant he wasn’t that far down. “Don’t worry, Jacoby. We’re going to get you out.”
Tanya arrived with the stuff he’d asked for, along with the quilt and the cider. She tended to Anna while Dev reached for his cell phone, even though he knew exactly where they were.
Just as he thought. No service. Damn!
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.” He spoke loud enough so the boy could hear his plan. “Jacoby, I’ve got a hundred feet of rope. I’m going to make a lasso at one end and lower it down to you. I need you to slip it over your head, down around your chest and then pull it tight under your arms so we can lift you out of there.”
Flirting with Destiny Page 16