Читать книгу Flirting with Destiny - Christyne Butler, Christyne Butler - Страница 11

Chapter Three

“I can’t believe you never told me about your granddaughter.” Dev stood next to Mac, waiting while his friend locked up the hangar.

“I can’t believe how hard it is for you to keep your eyes off my granddaughter’s ass.”

Having no idea how to respond to that, Dev kept his mouth shut. He glanced across the yard toward the cabin, glad that Tanya had already disappeared inside and hadn’t heard Mac’s comment.

Silently, he admitted his disappointment that he hadn’t been able to watch her walk away, because she did have a damn fine backside.

Mac headed for the farmhouse and Dev fell into step next to him, noticing how the man slowed his pace to match his own awkward stride. The thought of stopping by the Jeep for his cane crossed his mind, but Dev decided he could make the short distance across the yard without it.

Besides, if he got it now he’d have no reason not to take it over to the cottage. The last thing he wanted was for Tanya to see him hobbling around like an old man.

“Still not using the cane, huh?”

“I use it.” A zing of fire licked across Dev’s right hip and down his thigh. “Sometimes.”

Mac just shook his head and went inside, leaving the door open for Dev to follow. His friend headed upstairs and Dev went into the kitchen, choosing to lean against the counter instead of taking a seat at the table.

If he sat down, he probably wouldn’t be able to stand again.

Still, it felt good to take the weight off his legs, even just a little bit. Not that having Tanya see him with a cane mattered. She’d obviously figured out he was injured. The gleam in her intelligent brown eyes and her direct questions had told him that long before Mac had come out with his crazy idea of her helping him.

Needles? No way in hell.

There’d also been something else in the way she’d looked at him, something that didn’t have anything to do with their being a potential client and caregiver and everything to do with being a man and a woman.

It hadn’t lasted long. She’d managed to erase the gleam seconds after the interest lit up her eyes, but for the briefest of moments...

He glanced out the large window over the sink, his eyes following the direct sightline to the cabin. It wasn’t hard to imagine Tanya’s toned muscles slick with soap as she stood beneath the hot spray of the cabin’s shower—

“What are you grinning at?” Mac walked into the kitchen, having switched out his jeans for sweatpants, but still wearing the same T-shirt that boasted he was a founding member of the Mile-High Club—Huey Style in faded lettering across an image of a helicopter. “Or do I want to know?”

He probably didn’t, so Dev settled for a noncommittal shrug instead.

Opening the refrigerator, Mac grabbed a package of sandwich meat, cheese, mustard and a couple of water bottles. He shut the door with one hip, tossed a bottle at Dev and sat at the table. “Pass me that loaf of bread behind you.”

Dev did as requested.

Mac pulled out two slices and squirted a healthy amount of the yellow condiment on both. “You want one of these?”

“No, thanks. I grabbed a burger at the Blue Creek a little while ago.”

Mac stopped spreading the mustard and looked at him. “You went to the Creek for lunch?”

“Yeah.” His mouth suddenly dry, Dev cranked open the water bottle and took a sip. “So?”

“Your first time back in town in months and you go to a bar?” Mac’s surprised tone turned flat. “Alone?”

Dev returned his friend’s stare. “Yes, alone. I did fine.”

This time Mac only offered a raised eyebrow and went back to sandwich making.

“I did,” Dev pushed, wondering why he felt the need to defend himself. No, that wasn’t true. He knew why. He and Mac had had too many conversations like this in the past. Conversations where Mac had seen him in much worse condition than he was now. “I’m not saying it was easy. Hell, it was way harder than I’d thought it’d be. Racy stepped in, but I was...tempted.”

Silence filled the air for a long moment as Mac sliced his sandwich from corner to corner into two perfect triangles. “Well, we all get tempted,” he finally said.

Dev thought back to the sight and smell of that tall frosty beer. Swiping his tongue across his lips, he swore he could almost taste the forbidden liquid there. “But I got through it. I ate my burger and fries, washing it down with bland, boring ice water.” He took another sip of the same. “Then I got out of there.”

“Is that why you called me?”

There was no reason to lie. “Actually it was the idea of paying a visit to White’s Liquors across the street after I left the bar that made me call.”

Mac took a bite of his sandwich, chewed and swallowed before he spoke. “Yeah, I used to avoid that side of town like the plague. Still do at times. If you were interested in eating out, you should’ve come to the coffee shop at the airstrip. Everyone’s been asking about you.”

Dev’s fingers tightened, the plastic bottle crinkling in his grip. “I already told you I have no plans to get back in the air again.”

“I know you did, but that was when you were still in the hospital. I figured once you got some distance from the accident, you might’ve changed your mind.”

“I haven’t.”

“I read the report. It wasn’t your fault.”

Mechanical failure due to electrical wiring defect. Yeah, Dev had read the report, too. Actually, he’d listened as Adam sat beside his hospital bed and read it to him a few months after the accident.

Final determination: pilot not at fault. Commended for landing disabled aircraft resulting in no loss of life. License to fly fully reinstated.

No, thanks.

Dev took another long swallow of water. “Like I said, I’m done flying.”

Mac opened his own water bottle and did the same. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing Liam and Bryant started lessons last month. From what I’ve heard they’re both doing pretty well. Should be certified in the next few weeks.”

A buzzing filled his ears. Swallowing hard only expanded the noise until his head throbbed. “My broth— my brothers are taking flying lessons?”

“You didn’t know?” Mac looked at him, the last bite of his sandwich frozen halfway to his mouth. “Forget I asked.” He dropped his hand to the table, regret in his voice. “I can tell from your face. Sorry, man. I thought they told you.”

“Flying helos?” The question sounded stupid, but he blamed it on the still faint ringing. “They’re learning to fly helicopters?”

Mac nodded. “When they and your father came by looking for information on replacing the bird, I figured Liam and Bryant were backups for you. Isn’t that what you always planned once it was decided having the helo was helping the family business?”

Yeah, the few months they’d had the helicopter before the crash had proved the benefit of seeing their various work sites from the air. Not to mention the ease and speed in getting to jobs located outside of Destiny.

Dev searched his brain, trying to remember if anyone in his family had talked about buying a new helicopter, much less flying the damn thing.

Faint memories of his parents weighing the needs of the business vs. the safety of their sons while sitting at his hospital bedside came back to him, but once he’d made it clear to everyone he had no intention of getting behind the controls again, he’d thought the subject was dropped.

Apparently not.

“You okay?”

Dev blinked, realizing he’d been staring at the empty water bottle held tight in his hand. As he eased his grip, the plastic crinkled and popped back into place. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Mac only nodded as he rose and cleaned up his mess. He downed the rest of his water bottle then grabbed two more from the refrigerator, tossing one at Dev. “Not to change the subject, but are you sure you want to sit in on this pincushion session?”

No, he wasn’t, but it was better than heading home and dealing with his brothers and the secret they’d kept from him for the past month. “Sure. Why not? Just don’t expect me to change my mind.”

“About working with Tanya?”

Just the sound of her name lightened Dev’s mood. “Not necessarily.”

Mac shot him a dark look as they headed out the back door and across the yard, following a well-worn path to the cabin. “Why? You’ve already said you’re not interested in any of her methods.”

No, he wasn’t, at least not anything that had to do with needles or munching on foreign plants. He didn’t have any idea what that left in her bag of tricks, other than a massage, of course, but there’d been something about the tone of her voice when she’d spoken of her work.

She believed in what she did.

He used to feel that way about flying. About being a part of the Destiny Fire Department’s volunteer squad. Two pieces of his life that were gone now. The burning aches across his shoulders, hips and down one leg were constant reminders of that fact.

And he had no one to blame but himself, no matter what that damn report said.

Dev could see his friend was waiting for an answer, but they’d arrived at the cabin so he only said, “Let’s just say she intrigues me.”

“Look, seeing how Tanya and I have just started to rebuild our relationship, I don’t have any right to say this...” Mac paused, one foot on the low porch that ran the length of the cabin. He glanced at the closed front door for a moment, then turned to him. “But I’m going to anyway.”

Dev waited, not sure how he’d respond if Mac came right out and asked him to not to spend time with Tanya in any way, shape or form.

Up until this moment, he would’ve done anything his friend asked of him. Except fly.

And now, stay away from Tanya.

He had no idea why someone he’d just met fascinated him so much, but she was the first woman in the past year to make him feel like his old self, and he couldn’t walk away from that.

“Telling you to stay away from my granddaughter would be like telling kids to keep out of the penny candy aisle at Packard’s Store,” Mac continued, his voice low. “But she’s had a rough time of it for the past few months. I don’t know the details, but she’s been pretty down since the holidays. Until she found out about being accepted for this advanced schooling thing.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“I don’t want anything—or anyone—to get in the way of her going to London.”

“Hey, all I said was I’m intrigued. You know, in learning more about her work. Spending time with an interesting lady. That’s it.”

“Don’t break her heart.”

Tanya’s heart was the least of her body parts that interested him. Not that he didn’t care about a lady’s feelings. He’d always made it clear to anyone he got involved with that he was a here-and-now kind of guy, and not someone to get serious with. “Me? I’m a confirmed bachelor. You know that.”

Mac sighed. “As long as you remember that, and the fact I’ll break you in two if you hurt her, we’re good.”

* * *

A confirmed bachelor?

Well, at least that answered the wife and kids question that had been running through her head the entire time she’d showered and changed.

She’d reached the front door in time to catch the end of Mac and Dev’s conversation. Hearing her grandfather’s warning made Tanya smile, but it was unnecessary.

There was no way Devlin would hurt her. After what she’d gone through over the holidays, no one could ever wound her that way again.

Especially since she had no one to blame but herself.

Tanya reached for the old brass knob, but then remembered her hair still hung loose around her shoulders. Ignoring the fact it was still damp, she combed it back into a ponytail and secured it with an elastic band from her wrist, finishing the same moment that Mac knocked.

Tugging the door open, she saw the guilty looks on both men’s faces but said nothing, not letting on that she’d overheard them. “Hey, I just finished dressing and was about to head over to the house to look for you two.”

“Well, here we are.” Mac offered a grin, reaching for the screen door. “Ready whenever you are.”

She stepped back and let them enter, watching Devlin’s face as he took in the cabin’s interior, from the curtains drawn against the afternoon sun to the soothing music and lit candles. The air carried a hint of sandalwood and vanilla, scents that Mac had said he liked the last time she’d worked on him.

Her portable massage table, draped in a white sheet and a light blanket, was set up in the middle of the room. The best place for it, seeing how the cabin was a wide-open space with a kitchen along the back wall, a distressed table and chairs separating the cooking area from the living room.

His gaze roamed the room, flinching a moment when he noticed the tools of her trade, a hand-carved wooden box, lid open and packaged needles in sight, on the dining table. Then he moved on, pausing for a long moment on the old iron bed in the far corner, half hidden by a set of folding screens.

“Wow, the old cabin sure looks different from the last time I was here.” Dev turned to face her. “I hardly recognize the place.”

“You’ve stayed here before?”

“A time or two over the years.” His mouth hitched into a half grin. “And you’re right about that mattress. It is a bit lumpy.”

Tanya’s cheeks heated for the second time today. A heat that raced the length of her despite the fact she was dressed in simple beige lounge pants, a white tank top and a matching lightweight knit cardigan.

Suddenly she wanted to wrap the sides of the sweater across her chest, but she settled for crossing her arms. “Yes, well, I’m sure I’ll get used to it.”

“You should’ve said something. We can replace it if you want,” Mac said.

“Don’t be silly.” She broke free of Dev’s gaze and walked to the dining table, reaching out to rearrange the supplies that were already in perfect order. “I’m only going to be here for a couple of months.”

“The old couch is pretty comfortable.” Dev headed for the piece of furniture and Tanya turned to watch him, noticing how he favored his right leg even more than before. “But it looks too clean to sit on now.”

“White is Tanya’s favorite color. Once I knew she was coming to visit, I gave the walls and the kitchen cabinets a fresh coat of white paint,” Mac said, walking over to join her. “Ursula helped with the decorating, everything from the white denim slip covers to the dishes.”

“Let me guess. You like vanilla ice cream best?”

She dropped her arms. “Actually, I prefer oatmeal cookie chunk. And fixing this place up for me was totally unnecessary, but much appreciated.”

“Not if you’d seen it in the before state.” Dev’s gaze wandered the length of her body. “Trust me, the after is a step up, even if it’s a bit...unexciting.”

“I prefer peaceful, tranquil.” Tanya pushed the words from her mouth, refusing to believe her sudden breathlessness had anything to do with the interest she saw in Devlin’s blue eyes.

Nerves, it was just nerves about working on Mac again.

She broke free from his gaze and dropped her hands, patting the table. “Mac, why don’t you hop up here and stretch out on your back? Dev, you can grab a seat where you are. Unless you’d like to get a closer view of my work?”

Dev sat stiffly on the edge of the couch, the smile now gone from his face. “This is close enough.”

Crossing to the kitchen sink, Tanya washed her hands again. When she got back to Mac, she found he’d already folded back the legs of his sweatpants before stretching out. Tucking the sheets and blanket around him, she left his lower legs and arms free.

“I’m going to talk as I go like the first time we did this, so Dev can understand what’s going on.” She offered Mac a smile, reaching for a needle packet from the box. “Ready to start?”

Mac flexed his fingers and then relaxed them across his stomach. “Ready.”

She looked up, centering her gaze on Dev. “I have no idea how much you know about acupuncture—”

His brows drew down into a sharp V. “You get stuck with lots of needles.”

“Well, not ‘lots,’ but let me back up a moment. Chinese medicine believes there are opposing forces, known as yin and yang, inside the body. When the forces are balanced, the body and the spirit are healthy. What helps to create this balance is an energy, a life force, called qi, which sounds like chee, but is spelled q-i. Qi flows through the body on a series of paths. When a path is obstructed, and in turn that force is blocked, illness can occur.”

“Is this where I start to call you Obi-Wan?”

Tanya smiled. “The point of acupuncture is that by using pressure on specific points within these paths, it will release any barriers that are hindering the flow of qi, which in turn will allow the body to heal. Make sense?”

He didn’t look convinced. “If you say so.”

“Yeah, I thought it was a bunch of hocus-pocus at first, too.” Mac turned his head and looked at Dev. “Now I’m a believer.”

Tanya saw the doubt in Dev’s eyes but continued, holding up the small packet in her hand. “Inside here is one needle. They are solid, hair thin and individually wrapped for sterilization. They are only used once and then tossed.”

Dev went visibly pale when she ripped open the sealed paper around the needle.

Dropping her hands to Mac’s lower leg, she held the needle between her index finger and thumb, out of Dev’s sight, while using her other hand to locate the first puncture location below his knee.

“Okay, here we go.” She looked at Mac. “Take a breath in...”

He did as instructed and after a quick tap on the end of the needle, it was in place.

“I thought this was to help Mac with the arthritis in his hands,” Dev said, his voice a bit rough. “Why are you sticking him in his legs?”

“There are almost two thousand acupuncture points on the human body and each one has a different effect on the qi. I’ve already mapped out the specific positions needed to help Mac find relief and yes, there are quite a few located in each hand as well as other areas of his body.”

“How long does he have to lie there like a human pincushion?”

“We did twenty minutes the past couple of times, but since it’s been a while I think we’ll go with a half hour today.” She had another needle and location ready on the same leg. “Another breath in, Mac.”

A quick glance up told her Dev was still watching, but his coloring had gone an even whiter shade of pale. “You okay over there?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You might feel better if you stretched out on the couch—”

“I said I’m fine.”

He wasn’t. Tanya could see that plainly, from his coloring to the way he sat hunched forward, his hands clasped tightly between his knees, but she continued to work.

Keeping her tone light and even, she explained each step while keeping her attention on Mac, making sure her grandfather knew when she was going to insert each needle until he had a total of eight, two in each leg and two in each hand.

“Okay, now we move onto what is known as ‘Eight Ghosts,’ which is the web area between each finger. Very helpful for those who suffer from pain and numbness in the fingers.” Tanya completed one hand, then reached for the last set of needles. “Mac, maybe you can explain to Dev what sensations you are feeling as I finish up?”

“I would, but he’s disappeared.”

Tanya’s head jerked up. Her gaze shot to the empty couch and then to Mac. “What? Where is he? What happened?”

“He was messing with his phone a moment ago, but as soon as you mentioned the between-the-fingers thing, he headed for the door.”

Surprised that she hadn’t heard him leave, Tanya tried to see if Dev was really gone or just outside on the porch getting some fresh air.

“Go.”

She looked back at Mac. “What?”

“Go check on him. I’ll be fine here.”

“Not until your treatment is complete.” She concentrated on inserting the final needles and then made sure Mac was comfortable. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ve got no plans to move an inch until you tell me I can.” Mac grinned. “You better hightail it after him. He’s moving slow, but he could be in his Jeep and halfway home by now.”

Tanya crossed the room, slipped on a pair of wedge flip-flops and headed for the door. She left, leaving the inside door open in case her grandfather called out. She spotted Dev in a red Jeep parked at the hangar, the engine coming to life just as she made it to the passenger-side window.

“I understand, sweetie. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Dev spoke into his phone. “Have I ever let you down? Hey, stop laughing.”

She should step away and let him continue his conversation with his lady friend in private, but the moment Tanya moved he looked her way, doing a classic double take when he saw her.

“Gotta go, Abby. Driving and talking on a cell phone isn’t a good thing. Especially when driving a stick.” Dev ended the call, dropping his phone into the cup holder between the seats.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” Tanya noticed his skin tone was back to normal, even though she could still see discomfort radiating from the deep creases around his eyes. “Mac noticed you left the cabin pretty fast toward the end. He wanted me to check on you.”

“No need. I’m fi—”

“Fine. Yeah, you’ve said that already.” Not that she believed him. “So, I take it you’ve decided that you’re not interested in acupuncture.”

“Guess I’m not brave or crazy.” He grabbed the cowboy hat from the passenger seat and settled it on his head. “At least not enough to let you stick me.”

She should be happy he was turning her down. Getting involved with Devlin during her stay in Destiny would be a crazy decision on her part, but the healer in her wanted desperately to ease the pain he wore like a heavy overcoat. “Does that mean you aren’t interested in my help?”

“Oh, I’m interested.” He flashed her that same wide smile that had called her to his side at the roulette wheel ten years ago. “I’m very interested.”