“I guess we’ll cancel the trip.” Brady looked at his phone. “I’ve already got the time off work, so I should be able to help out around the farm while Sam’s recovering.”
Before Luke could speak up, Sam said, “Who says I’m having the surgery?”
Dr. Sanchez held the chart to her chest and stared at Sam with dark, serious eyes. “If you were asymptomatic, we might be able to treat with drugs or even wait awhile, but your heart valve has already started to calcify. The fainting was only the beginning of your problems. If you don’t have the surgery, you could go into heart failure.”
Sam kept his lips together tightly. Not a single word. Just as he’d done all those times the principal had called him to the school for Luke’s misconduct. Just as he had when he’d had to come to the police station to pick up Luke after a fight off campus. It was as if Sam just stopped caring at some point.
“I’m staying here.” Luke stared into Sam’s eyes, daring him to contradict him. Wanting him to. “I’ll take family emergency leave to help out at the farm and help Sam out after his surgery.”
“You need to get back to being a fancy doctor.” Sam pushed up out of the chair.
“Brady deserves to go on his honeymoon and you need surgery.”
“I’m fine. I don’t even need to be here now.”
“Bull.” Luke saw red. “Of all the stupid, arrogant things you could do.... Do you think you are invincible? That you won’t die if you don’t have this surgery?”
Sam went lockjaw again. His face was stone.
“I’ll let you discuss this in private.” Dr. Sanchez backed out of the conversation. “I’ll have the nurse call St. Mercy’s to set up the necessary procedures.”
The door shut behind her, leaving the cold silence. Luke didn’t drop his gaze from Sam’s eyes. If Sam could be stubborn, so could Luke. Sam was the tallest of the three, but he didn’t have much height over Luke. They were practically eye to eye. Backing down wasn’t an option. He wasn’t a child who Sam could order around anymore.
Brady sighed and sank into the chair. “Are you guys going to stare at each other all day? Because I’d like to go have lunch with my wife and daughter.”
“I’d be happy to leave now—” Luke brushed his hand over his hair “—but I’m not going to let another stubborn Ward die because he didn’t listen to what the doctor was saying. I know the statistics. I know the symptoms. The doctor wasn’t being completely honest.”
Sam narrowed his eyes. The muscle in his jaw twitched.
“You will die if you don’t have the surgery.” Luke kept his expression flat and emotionless. “Within a year or two. Maybe sooner. This isn’t something you can brush off...unless you have a death wish.”
“What do you know about running a farm?” Sam said quietly. “The time and effort? The brute strength required? The long hours—”
“I’m a freaking doctor, Sam. I’ve spent twenty hours on shift before, followed by being on call. I know all about long hours and sacrifice.” Cold seeped through him, taking the heat out of his words. Luke sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his hand over his chin. He was not giving up, but he needed another tactic. “You need the surgery, Sam. I’m not ready to dig any more six-feet-deep holes.”
Sam turned to Brady, who dropped his gaze to his hands. “Luke’s right, Sam. I’m not ready to bury any more family. If it will save your life, I don’t know why we are even having this discussion.”
“They want to cut into my body and mess with my heart.” Sam’s face screwed up as if he’d eaten something bad. “While they are in there, they are going to take out part of my heart and replace it with a fake valve.”
“And you’ll feel better and live longer,” Luke said. “I don’t see what the problem is.”
Sam shook his head and leaned against the end table. His gaze fell to the floor. “What if I don’t make it?”
Luke took in a deep breath. He’d gone through this with patients before. The fear of the unknown. He hadn’t expected Sam to be afraid. Not the Sam who had taken on Brady and him as a young man. Who’d stood at their mother’s and father’s gravesites without tears in his eyes.
In Luke’s world growing up, Sam was brave and uncompromising. He was stern and unyielding. But he was never afraid.
“This surgery is less invasive than open-heart surgery.” Luke stopped acting like a younger brother and became the doctor. “Every surgery has risks, but the benefits of this surgery far outweigh them. You’ll be down for a few weeks and then able to do some light work. Before you know it, you’ll be full Sam again. Except you’ll feel better.”
Sam grunted. “I have been feeling a little sick lately.”
Luke wanted to exclaim disbelief but he held it back. Most likely Sam had felt like hell for weeks before this collapse. But pushing Sam would get him nowhere. Luke always got so frustrated with Sam that he forgot and blew up, even now as an adult.
Luke placed his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “We’ll get through this, Sam. Together.”
Chapter Seven
“Hey, there you are.”
Penny turned toward Maggie’s voice. She’d found a magazine in the waiting room with a semi-interesting article on Chris Hemsworth and had decided to read instead of mope. She didn’t need to mope. No one to love meant no one to leave you when you least expected it, when you really needed them, when you were starting to trust them again.
“I looked all over for you.” Maggie sat down next to Penny and glanced at the article and the picture of Chris without his shirt on. “Nice.” She smiled. “They are finishing up Sam’s paperwork now, so we should be out of here soon. Then we’re going to stop and grab some lunch before heading to the farm.”
“What’s the verdict?” Penny’s stomach clenched. If Sam was okay, Luke would go back to his life in St. Louis. If Sam wasn’t, then Luke would hang around for a while. She wasn’t sure which she wanted.
“Sam needs heart valve surgery.” Maggie took in a deep breath. “Luke is insisting on staying and handling everything and that Brady and I go on our vacation after the surgery, while Sam is recovering. But I don’t know. Sam and Brady were just starting to get to know each other again and if something happens to Sam...”
Penny took Maggie’s hand. “We’ve gotten through worse before.”
Maggie nodded and looked up at the ceiling as if to stop tears from forming. “But Sam’s young and strong and we didn’t even know he was sick.”
“Sometimes it’s like that.” Penny could see her mother’s drawn face twisted and ravaged from the years of abuse. For all she knew, her mother was dead. She shook off the image. “He’s otherwise healthy. He’ll get through this.”
“Brady and Luke are talking the logistics.” Maggie brushed her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but would you be willing to help out while we are out of town? I can’t imagine Luke being able to do everything by himself.”
“He’s perfectly capable.” Penny shifted in her seat. “But I’ll do what I can.”
Maggie stared out the window into the blue sky. Some thought must have made her happy because she smiled softly. “It wouldn’t be so bad.”
“What’s that?”
“Getting back together with Luke.”
Penny laughed sharply as her heart ached. “I don’t do relationships. I keep my options open. You never know when a hottie like Thor here will roll up into town. It’d be a shame to have to waste the eye candy because I’m with someone.”
“You don’t fool me for a minute, Penny.” Maggie glanced down the hallway before returning her hazel gaze to Penny. “You talk a good game, but I know you. I know how much you loved Luke in high school. I don’t know all of what happened between you two, but it couldn’t have been too bad if he was willing to sleep with you last ni
ght.”
“We didn’t sleep.” Penny winked, trying to throw off Maggie’s speech. She was hitting a little too close to Penny’s heart.
“You know what I mean.” Maggie tightened her hold on Penny’s hand. “I know you aren’t happy with the way things are. You may enjoy other men, but I’ve never seen you light up the way you do when Luke is nearby. I know you’ve been hurt, but maybe it’s time to heal a little. Maybe this is the second chance you need.”
“Second chances like that are pretty rare.” Penny looked out the window as a small brown bird flew by. If she let Luke in, he’d hurt her because she actually could love him. “And you got the only second chance we’re going to see. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got all the men I need in my life right now.”
Maggie looked skeptical and opened her mouth.
“I swear, Maggie. I’m happy the way things are. I don’t need anything more.”
“Weren’t you the one who said it wasn’t about need?”
“That was to get you laid.” Penny stood and brushed the wrinkles out of her slacks. “I’m doing just fine on that part.”
Maggie stood. “This discussion isn’t over.”
“Yeah, it is. I don’t need Luke and he doesn’t need me. We had a good time together. It’s all good. Now, what’s the plan? Is there food to be had?”
Maggie shook her head. “Come on.”
When they got to the room, Penny’s gaze met Luke’s. He gave a hint of a smile, but the wrinkles on his forehead betrayed his worry. She hoped that Sam pulled through. Losing both his parents had devastated Luke. He couldn’t lose Sam, too.
“I take it you guys have this all sorted?” Maggie asked as she touched Amber’s dark hair.
Amber pouted. “We’re going to Disney.”
“You were excited for this trip, Squirt,” Penny said.
“But who’s going to take care of Uncle Sam after his surgery?” Amber turned to Penny. “You’ll take care of him, won’t you, Penny?”
Penny glanced around the room. Sam didn’t make eye contact. Luke was intensely watching for her answer. Brady and Maggie just smiled indulgently.
“You always take real good care of me when I’m sick.” Amber reached out and took both of Penny’s hands. “If I know you’ll be there, I might be able to have fun while I’m gone.”
Amber’s face was hopeful. Penny knew that no matter what she said Amber would have fun at Disney, but if it helped to get her on the plane without causing Maggie too much grief...
“You know I’ll do whatever I can.” Penny squeezed Amber’s hands. “But you have to promise to have fun.”
“Only if you call every night with an update.”
“You drive a hard bargain.” Penny bit out a laugh. Amber narrowed her eyes as if Penny weren’t taking her seriously. “Sure. I’ll check in with Luke every day and then call you.”
“Check on Uncle Sam,” Amber clarified.
Penny glanced over to Luke. “Your uncle Luke will be there—”
“I want you to.”
“That’s enough, young lady,” Brady finally spoke up. “Penny has promised. Now let’s go get something to eat and then get Sam set up at home. We have a lot to do to prepare for Sam’s surgery and while we’re on our trip.”
Luke’s eyes never left Penny’s. Her pulse throbbed. She didn’t know what he was searching for, but she didn’t have anything left to hide. She wasn’t Luke’s girl anymore. He was just another notch on her lipstick case. Even though she’d have to talk to him and maybe even see him, nothing else was going to happen. A few weeks and he’d be gone and out of her life again.
Maybe she was the one with a heart condition. She rubbed the ache in her chest.
* * *
The surgery was set for Wednesday. Frankly it couldn’t come soon enough. Keeping Sam indoors was proving to be a feat even for both Brady and Luke combined.
“You need to stay off your feet and rest.” Brady shoved Sam toward the living room. “Play Xbox or watch a movie.”
“I’m not an infant. I can do more than sit on my butt.”
Brady headed back to the kitchen to talk to Maggie.
“Not if you want to live.” Luke stood in the doorway. “We all grew up on this farm and each of us has done these chores a million times. I’m not sure why you think we’re going to mess something up.”
Sam grumbled something under his breath as he plopped in the worn-out recliner and grabbed the remote. Hopefully killing zombies on the Xbox would make Sam content to stay inside. He could pretend they were Brady and Luke if he really wanted to take out his anger. Lord knew that Luke had pretended they were Sam when he was younger. Luke turned and nearly ran over Penny.
“Sorry,” he said. His breath caught in his throat as she looked up at him, startled.
“It was my fault,” she muttered.
They’d barely spoken since the morning at the hospital. Apparently where Maggie and Amber went, Penny wasn’t far behind. The three ladies worked on scrubbing the house, while he and Brady worked on straightening up the outside. Mom would have been thrilled that her house was being put back in order. They needed to get ahead on the farm chores for the days that Sam would be in the hospital for his surgery and recovery.
The unfortunate side effect was that Luke kept running into Penny, both figuratively and literally. Every touch caused his pulse to kick into overdrive. The house wasn’t that big, which meant everyone was in everyone’s way. It also meant that he hadn’t been alone with Penny since the night of the wedding.
Penny still stood in front of him, looking at him with her brown eyes that always carried a hint of a devilish glint in them.
They weren’t going to have sex again, he reminded himself for the tenth time that day. The night of the wedding was a one-time deal, but his body clearly had misread the memo.
“Did you need something?” Penny asked. A hint of a smile tugged at her lips.
Did he need something? How ’bout a convenient closet or bed for an hour or two? “No, I’m just heading out to work on the fence.”
“Sounds exciting.” She stretched her arms over her head, which pushed her breasts against her tight black T-shirt.
His pants tightened and he had to restrain from adjusting himself.
“I get to clean the living room,” she said in a fake excited voice. “Maybe afterward we can go beat laundry down on the rocks in the creek? Won’t that be fun?”
Luke chuckled. “Better than gathering up the pigs for market.”
“At least when Maggie and Brady leave, we can slack off once in a while.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “I hid a package of ice cream bars in the back of the freezer behind a bag of frozen broccoli.”
“Always thinking ahead—that’s what I like about you, Montgomery.” Luke relaxed.
“Someone has to.” Penny took a deep breath and looked around. “Back to dusting. Yay?”
As she passed by him, he grabbed her hand. She looked at him with a question in her eyes.
“Thanks.” Luke released her hand and flexed his still tingling fingers.
Penny winked. “Anytime.”
Things with Penny were less complicated right now than his relationship with Sam. He really did appreciate that she got it. He knew, even though she didn’t say it, that she did.
Penny’s relationship with her grandma had always been similarly tense. They’d called her Grandma Tilly the Battle Ax.
She’d been old and alone when Penny’s mother had dropped Penny off at her doorstep. Penny was more rambunctious than most kids and everyone knew that Tilly wasn’t happy about having to raise her granddaughter. The stricter Tilly got, the wilder Penny got.
They were opposites in everything. Luke remembered the endless nights on a blanket staring up at th
e stars with Penny lying beside him. They’d talk about her grandma and Sam—the people who had gotten stuck with caring for Penny and Luke. They vowed that they’d never make anyone feel the way their caregivers made them feel. Like inconveniences instead of kids hurting from the loss of their parents.
He shook his head. Such thoughts didn’t help anyone. He needed to focus on the farm and on getting Sam better. Not on Penny.
Chapter Eight
The days passed quickly, and before Luke knew it, it was Wednesday. Luke had driven Sam and Brady the hour to the hospital in Springfield. Everything ran smoothly. Checking Sam in. The staff preparing him for surgery. Watching them take him away.
Luke found himself once more in the hospital waiting room, this time with Brady. They talked for a little bit, but there wasn’t much new to say because they’d spent the past few days working together.
Luke missed Penny’s presence. She’d wished them the best last night before leaving and said she’d check in. He wished she were here now. She could always distract him, whether it was through flirting, having sex or just sitting and talking.
Now all he could do was run through the surgery in his mind’s eye. Noting all the things that needed to happen. Everything that could go wrong. The steps to fix the mistakes. When he’d run through the procedures three times, he rubbed his face and turned to look to see what Brady was doing.
Brady had his laptop out and was working on some spreadsheet with numbers and formulas that Luke would need a business degree to understand. Luke pulled out his iPhone and scrolled through the emails he’d missed over the past few days. The signal out at the farm was questionable. Sometimes he received his emails, and other times, the battery drained from trying to connect to the server.
“Dr. Ward?”
ONE NIGHT WITH THE BEST MAN Page 6