“Dad, I know you don’t want that pudding but it’s pudding you shall have.”Lana glared at her dad. He was feeling better because he was being his obstinate, bull-headed self. He had given her the scare of her life with this heart attack and now he wanted to do things his way and not what the doctor was ordering.
“Lana, I’m not one of your first graders and I don’t eat pudding.”
“Then at least eat your chicken.”
“That is rubber, not meat. I want a steak.”
Men. She had sent all of her brothers back to work. There was a lot going on at the ranch this time of year and they had been alternating out duties but tomorrow was a big sell that had been in the works and they needed to be there to get ready. Her dad wanted to be there and that was part of the problem.
“Earlier, you were saying you had a new lease on life and you knew what was important.”
His gaze narrowed, his handsome face going slack as he stared at her. “Honey, I do know what is important and it’s not pudding or rubber chicken. It’s you and your brothers and the ranch.” His jaw tightened. “I’m ready to go home.”
“I know that. But you have to do what you’re told. Your diet has to change. And stop worrying about the ranch. The boys are handling it. You know that.”
He loved everything about ranching and she knew his worry had nothing to do with thinking they couldn’t handle it. He just wanted to be there.
His nurse came back into the room. She’d stepped out to give them some time to work on the meal troubles. She was a petite brunette name Karla. At maybe five foot tall and maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet, the woman was small but she was a firecracker.
Now, she put her hands on her hips. “Well, Mr. Presley, I see you still haven’t eaten any of your meal.” Though she smiled, Lana heard the firmness in her voice. She was not happy about him not eating.“I told you that you need to build your strength back and you have to change your diet. You had a heart attack, which means that you can’t be eating steak and potatoes all the time anymore. And right now especially your diet needs to be bland. You must cut down on salt, red meat, and potatoes.”
He glared at her. “Do I look like I’ve been eating a lot of potatoes?” He patted his flat stomach.
Lana couldn’t help smiling. Her dad was in shape for a fifty-eight-year-old man. He rode horses and trained every day and still built fences on the ranch, right along with all his sons and ranch hands. He did not look like a man who was a candidate for a heart attack. All the more reason that they were startled that he had had a heart attack.
Karla’s brow hitched. “It’s very obvious you’re in shape. But you like red meat and salt too much. Your cholesterol, sir, is off the charts. That cholesterol pill the doctor has prescribed will help but you have to change your diet. And that is just the way it is if you want to stay healthy.”
Lana watched her dad and Karla glare at each other. Was that a spark of interest she saw in her dad’s eyes? There weren’t very many women who would stand up to his ill temper. He was used to getting his way when he was determined but it was obvious that Karla was used to getting her way too, despite being so small.
“And if you want to go home, then you have to eat.”
Those were the magic words.
“Fine. Then push that cart back over here,” he instructed Lana.
Holding back a grin, Lana pushed the cart back into place so the plate of food was in front of him. “Now you’re on the right track,” she said as he picked up the fork.
“I’m just doing this so I get to go home.”
She smiled. “Whatever it takes is fine with me. Karla, you’re going to have to excuse him. My dad is not used to sitting and as you can tell, it’s getting tough for him to be stuck in this room.”
“I can tell that. And I understand. But still, Marcus, you need to seriously change some things about your diet. Just a few changes can make a lot of difference. You’re going to get out of here tomorrow but if you don’t change you’ll be back. And I know this is not where you want to be.”
She smiled at him and Lana watched the two stare at each other. And then Karla blushed. Lana glanced back at her dad, who suddenly looked thoughtful.
“Well,” Karla said. “I need to make rounds. I’ll be back.”
And then she left the room and to Lana’s surprise, her dad ate.
Lana was suddenly thinking about her dad’s social life. His dating life. As far as she knew, he didn’t date much. And maybe it was time.
Just like it was time for her to get back to it too.
At her dad’s insistence that he was fine at the hospital by himself, she went home that night to sleep. She showered before she crawled into bed and she didn’t think that hot water had ever felt so good. Her bed felt like heaven and despite all that she had on her mind, she was asleep almost the instant her head hit the pillow.
The next morning, feeling more refreshed, she dressed and went downstairs. She had woken up with Cam on her mind. She wondered what he was doing. And whether he’d made it to his ranch okay. She had almost called him to check yesterday but then hadn’t let herself.
“Morning.”
Drake was getting coffee when she entered the kitchen. He wore chaps with his jeans, boots, and spurs. His long-sleeved shirt had a film of dust on it. He’d been working the horses in the round pen already. His hat was on the peg beside the back door.“Good morning.” He handed her the cup of coffee he’d just poured.
“Thanks.” She took a barstool as he poured another cup for himself.
“So, Dad’s getting to come home today. That’s wonderful news.” Drake leaned against the granite counter and took an easy drink of the hot coffee. “What do we need to do around here to get ready for him?”
She set her coffee down after she took a sip. “I think we just need to make sure there’s food he can eat on his heart healthy diet and all of you need to encourage him to eat better. It wouldn’t hurt all of you to eat less beef.”
Drake nodded. “Gotcha. We can do that. Can you bring him home, or do you need one of us to come help? I can go or Coop. It’s going to be busy around here today with the sale going on.”
She knew all about it on the days they had a cattle sale. Buyers came from all over. “I can do it. If he knew one of you were leaving the sale to come cart him home, it would just add stress to him.”
“Okay, then that’s fine. But if you need me, I’ll be there. It’s really good to have you home. How long will you stay?”
“Thanks. I’ll try to stay two weeks if possible.”
“That sounds good. Of course, you know we’d love for you to come home for good.”
“I’m thinking about it. But I don’t know if that’s the best thing. I’ve started a new life in Windswept Bay and I really love it there.”
“It would put you closer to Cam.”
“Cam just gave me a ride home.”
“Oh really, is that all you think he did? Because the way he was looking at you said a different story.”
She did not want to discuss her love life with her brother. “Drake, does Dad date?” she asked to change the subject.
“Okay, so I’ll get out of your love life. I know a subject change when I hear it. He’s dated some but not much.”
“But Mom has been gone my entire life. It’s not right. He needs someone.”
Drake crossed his arms. “I agree. But I can’t make him. That’s all up to him.”
She thought about that all the way back to town a few minutes later. It was up to him. She needed to concentrate on getting him to eat right before she tried to get him to start dating but it just kept coming back to her—that look he’d had in his eyes when Karla had challenged him.
And as she walked toward the hospital entrance, Karla was the first person she ran into.
“Good morning,” Karla greeted her. She paused her brisk pace and smiled at Lana. “How are you doing this morning? Did you get some sleep? Your dad told me you
drove through the night to get here.”
So Karla and her dad had talked. That was interesting.“I rode. I caught a ride with a friend so I just got to enjoy the ride.” She thought about all that had happened on that ride and she missed Cam all the more. But she pushed that out of her mind and concentrated on Karla. “And I slept great last night. I want to thank you for being patient with my dad.”
Karla chuckled. “He’s a challenge but I like challenges. He’s a great guy and I get that he doesn’t want to be here. I don’t blame him. But all I’ll have to badger him into better eating habits is this morning. I’m actually coming in late to relieve a nurse who called in sick. This was my day off so I’d thought last night was my last chance to influence him. He’ll be surprised to see me this morning.”
“Well, thank you for being so dedicated to your job. My dad is not always so obstinate.” She cringed. “Okay, maybe he is. But he is a nice guy too. He’s just, you know, adjusting.”
The nurse laughed. “Understatement of the year, I’m sure.” Her eyes twinkled. “We better get in there. You might be there when the doctor comes by to release him. And I better get to work.”
Lana headed up to her dad’s room and found him watching a movie from the chair and looking quite bored. “Hey, I hear it’s a sure thing that you’re getting sprung from this joint this morning.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“That’s what I hear. I just pushed that cart around the floor five times because they told me I couldn’t leave until I’d made a couple of rounds.”
“So you doubled up.” That was her dad.
“I figured it couldn’t hurt.”
She laughed. “I just hope you didn’t overdo it. You just had heart surgery.”
“They just put in a stent. It’s not like they cracked my chest open or anything.”
“And we don’t want them to have to do that.” Karla breezed into the room.
Lana saw the surprise slam into her father’s eyes and then that same light of…attraction. Yes, her dad was attracted to firecracker Karla.
“I know, I know, you thought you’d gotten rid of me last night but one of the nurses called in sick and short-staffed the floor. So I came back in.”
“But didn’t you work a twelve-hour shift already?” Marcus demanded.
Lana almost laughed because she had heard that tone so often during her life. His demanding but concerned questions.
“I did but I’m the best one to call when they need a relief hitter. I’m new in town, have no family to take care of, and bored out of my mind most of the time after the first day off. Until I get a life here in town, I told them to use me when they need me.”
Her dad looked thoughtful as Karla wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm.
“Where did you move here from?” he asked.
Lana bit back a smile.
“I’ve been living in the San Antonio area but decided I wanted out of the congestion of the area so I put in for this job. I found a little place out in the country on the west side of town.”
“That’s the direction of our ranch,” Lana offered. “You’ll have to come out to the ranch. Dad can show you around.”
Her dad shot her a warning look before he looked back at Karla. “You’re welcome any time.”
Karla paused before she removed the blood pressure cuff. “Oh, well, that sounds great. Thank you.”
Lana decided she needed to step outside. “I’ll be back. I need to check my messages.” She left the room. Those two were adults and she had a feeling she might not need to nudge her dad in the right direction. He was doing fine on his own.
Though she could not help the matchmaking turn that her brain had taken. The very idea had her smiling. Then again, the truth was she just had dating on her mind because she could not stop thinking about Cam.
Her phone rang as she walked down to the waiting area. Her pulse jumped the instant she saw Cam’s name on the ID.
“Hello,” she said, feeling breathless.
“Good morning. How are you? How’s your dad?”
He sounded so good. “I’m great. And Dad is coming home today. Soon, I think. We are just waiting for release papers.”
“That’s fantastic. So did you get any sleep last night?”
She smiled. “I did. How about you?”
“I did. And now I’m wondering, I know you’re going to be busy but I’m wondering if you’d have time to slip in an hour or two for dinner this evening? Or for a visitor?”
She almost stopped breathing. “Maybe. It depends on who is asking.”
His deep, rich chuckle sent tingles through her.
“I’m asking. And I have to tell you I’m in trouble if you say no because I’m already heading that way.”
Her heart skipped a few beats. He was coming back. To see her. “You’re on the road already?”
“I am. So are you going to turn me away?”
She laughed. “No. Never. I would love to see you.”
And she meant it.
“You just made my day. I guess I better watch my speed or I’m going to get pulled over. I’ll see you soon. I’ll call before I arrive.”
“Great.”She just stood there, stunned. Cam was driving all the way back here to take her on a date.
The very idea sent joy spiraling through her.
Chapter Thirteen
She was still smiling when she went back to her dad’s room.
“You look happy,” her dad said as she entered his room.
She grinned at him. “You looked happy yourself when I left a few minutes ago. You should ask Karla out. I do hope you invited her to the ranch and made sure she understood you meant it. Maybe ask her to go for a horse ride. If the doc says it’s okay.”
He chuckled. “Why don’t you tell me what you really think?”
She moved to sit in the chair beside him. “It’s time, Dad. You know, for you to date.”
“You need to start dating. Cam seems like a good choice.”
She gave her dad a break about his dating life and took the bait. “As a matter of fact, I have a date with him this evening. If you don’t need me once we get home.”
“I’m all for it. I’ve put in a lot of thought about Dave and the cowboy was never good enough for you. But I have to take some of the blame for the trouble you went through. We gave you a hard time but he probably got tired of having all six of us, me and your brothers, looking over his shoulder all the time. He wasn’t man enough to handle it. I have a feeling Cam Sinclair can take anything we could dish out to him.”
She shook her head and laughed. “I’m glad you recognize the part you played in meddling in my love life but I know now that Dave was not for me. And yes, Cam can take whatever you dish out. But I’d rather you backed off and let me have my own life. I know now I made a bad choice and a painful lesson to learn. But, it was my lesson to learn. I recognize that and I need you to do the same. And now you need to also.”
He nodded and then gave a smile that faded to serious. “I hear you. But it’s hard. Your mom would have cherished you and given you all the insights you would need on dating and how to handle hard-to-handle, stubborn men…such as myself.” He smiled bitter sweetly. “I fear I’ve failed her and you.”
She took his hand in hers. “No, Dad. You didn’t fail anyone. You’ve been the strongest man I’ve ever known and I love you very much. I think you’re being a normal man with extra pressure on you to raise a baby girl on your own. So don’t be so hard on yourself…or me. Deal?”
“Deal.” He stood to his full six feet and hugged her. It felt good to have his hug without the IVs.
“And, Cam is different,” she added when he let go of her. “Over the last seventy-two hours, I learned he was a man of his word. A man of integrity who cares about people and doing what’s right. I’m not saying you can start ringing wedding bells but I have learned a good man from a bad one. Now, could you stop worrying about my love life and find one for yourself?”
“It’s time, Dad. You’re fifty-eight. You’re still young enough to share your life with someone.”
He continued to stare out the window.“You’re right.” He looked back at her.“Just so you know, I have dated a few times over the years. But nothing ever worked out. Nice ladies but I wasn’t ready and I had you and your brothers to raise. But it wasn’t your fault things never worked out…I just never got interested enough to take the next step. I never found anyone I felt like bringing home to share you kids with. Despite the fact that I know your mom would have wanted me to find a good woman to help fill the gaping hole she left behind.”
Her heart squeezed tight. “I get that. But now we’re all grown. And it’s time. And come on, Dad, Karla is a great woman. Stop looking back and at least invite her to the ranch.”
This was a big step for him and if all he needed was a push, she was going to give it to him.
She had been toying with the idea of coming home but now she started to reevaluate this situation. Maybe it was time for her dad to have his privacy. Not that he would get much when her brothers found out that he was thinking about dating. Surely they wouldn’t give him a hard time. She would have a talk with them. About their dad and about herself.
It was way past time.
They had arrived home and her dad had been determined to go out to the sale for a few minutes. But it didn’t last long; much to his dislike, he was forced to go into the house and take a nap.
The incident had Lana feeling down, even though she knew her dad was alive and would regain his strength. She had walked back out onto the front porch when Cam drove up the lane and pulled to a halt next to her dad’s truck.
Instantly, her spirits lifted and she strode from the porch to greet him. She told herself to act calm, cool, and collected. She felt none of that but that was what she kept repeating in her head as she walked toward him.
His smile sent her heart soaring and somehow, she didn’t slow down, but instead she walked straight into his open arms and lay her cheek against his beating heart. She could feel it thundering in his chest. Felt him kiss the top of her head.
With This Promise (Windswept Bay Book 7) Page 10