Читать книгу Heaven's Kiss - Lois Richer - Страница 12

O n Saturday, just after lunch, Dr. Lucas Lawrence steered his car around an assortment of potholes that littered the road to the Double D ranch and wondered why anyone willingly chose to live out here.

Just as quickly he chided himself for the criticism.

“Okay, it’s beautiful,” he admitted, gazing at the quilt-block pattern that the variegated greens made across the landscape. “Creation in all its glory.” He winced at the bounce from the right front wheel. “But it’s miles from civilization and a death trap to drive over!”

A sudden thought made him chuckle.

“If Winifred Blessing were here, she’d call me a wimp.” He deliberately pressed down the accelerator. One bone-jarring thump later, he yelped and immediately lifted his foot.

“I probably am a wimp.” He admitted it with a sigh and eased his aching behind more firmly into the padded seat, his attention fixed on the road.

“Now what?” Just on the crest of the next hill, a lone cow stood in the middle of the road, back end facing him. There wasn’t enough room on either side to pass the beast. Luc honked the horn.

The placid cow turned to face him. To his dismay, the cow turned out to be a bull that apparently was not amused by honking car horns. It scraped one hoof against the ground and snorted its protest in a bellow of disgust.

“Carrying bucolic a bit far, aren’t we, God?”

He sat there for several moments, waiting for inspiration to strike. The bull glared at him. Luc glared back. He was no wimp. He was a tough, in-charge doctor. He twisted the steering wheel hard right and edged forward. The bull moved just slightly to the right. Luc shifted to the left, so did the bull.

He considered getting out and chasing the thing away, but he’d chosen his favorite red shirt to wear today, and some echo in his memory reminded him that bulls charged anything red.

“What exactly am I doing out here?” he muttered in disgust. “Saturday afternoon and I’m sitting here trading stares with a bull.” As weekend entertainment, Luc felt it lacked a certain something.

The roar of an engine struggling to climb a hill caught his attention. Moments later Dani DeWitt’s battered red truck drew up beside the bull. Luc switched off his engine, his attention snagged by her chiding voice.

“Marvin, what are you doing out here?” She grabbed one horn and pulled. The beast shook his head free, then leaned over to lick her face.

“Stop that!” She dragged a shirtsleeve across her face. “I’m not impressed with your affections, you know. You’re supposed to be in the south paddock, not out here blocking traffic.”

The beast snuffled a response, rubbing its massive head against her side in a way that made Luc reach for the door handle as fear snaked its way up his spine. She couldn’t weigh one-tenth as much as that mammoth. It would surely kill her. He pushed the door open, freezing when it creaked loudly. The bull turned to glare at him.

Dani DeWitt didn’t even glance his way.

“Don’t get out, Doc. Just stay where you are. I have everything under control.”

Sure she did.

Luc didn’t believe it for a moment, but presumably she did have more knowledge than he about this animal. She even knew the thing’s name, though he’d never have called something so impossibly ugly “Marvin.”

Luc patted the seat beside him. He had his cell phone. He could call for help if he needed it, though he wasn’t clear on exactly whom to call.

“Okay, Marv. Shift your bulk right now, and I mean it. I’ve got my zapper and if you give me a bit of trouble, I’ll poke you right in the rump.”

The bull nudged her thigh again, waggled its horns, then obediently plodded across the road, into the ditch, and daintily stepped over a broken strand of electric fence. Dani followed him and smacked him on the hind quarters.

“You get home right now, Marvin, or you’ll find yourself going without supper tonight. Git now!” She stood her ground, hands on her hips, glaring at the beast’s wavering back end.

Marvin emitted a strange bellow, nodded his giant head twice, then began to trot due north, his hooves thundering against the hard-packed ground.

Luc climbed out of his car, staring at her in astonishment.

“How did you do that?”

“Hey, Doc. Didn’t think you were coming.” Dani touched her cheek with one finger, grimaced and wiped her face on her shirttail. She made a face at the wet spot of bull saliva, then grinned at him. “That dumb ol’ bull thinks I’m his daughter.”

“His daughter?” He chuckled. “You scared the daylights out of me when you grabbed his horn.”

“Oh, Marvin won’t hurt me. We grew up together. But don’t ever put yourself between him and me. He’s very protective. My dad once yelled at me and Marvin charged him.” She giggled. “He’s really just a big old softie, but he doesn’t like everyone to know that. Especially men.”

“I see.” Luc swallowed. This—this girl had used a few choice words to single-handedly manage what he’d seen grown men twice her size fail at. His appreciation for Dani DeWitt’s courage soared. “I’m sorry I’m so late. M-Marvin wouldn’t let me past.”

“No, he doesn’t want any strangers on the ranch. He’s afraid I’ll sell him like I did the other cattle.” Her face changed, lost its glow of fun.

“Will you?” He saw how little she wanted that to happen.

“Probably have to,” she murmured. “I don’t have any cows to breed him with and he’s worth a fair bit.”

“I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say.

“Thanks. It’s been tough since Dad died, but I’m getting through.”

“From all I’ve heard, you’re doing very well.”

Her head jerked up at that, eyes narrowed. Luc realized he’d just told her the entire town was talking about her. He hurried to change the subject.

“Is this your land?”

She nodded. “Far as you can see.”

She told him exactly how many acres she owned, but the number didn’t compute in his brain.

“It sounds big, but I know less than nothing about ranches.”

“Why would you? You’re a doctor. I know less than nothing about medicine.” She pointed down the road. “If you want to follow me, I’ll take you back to the house.”

“Weren’t you headed somewhere? I don’t want to take up your afternoon.” Maybe he could get out of this yet.

“I was expecting you. I just came out to check on Marvin. I knew he’d head out here. He does it whenever he wants to make a statement.” She turned toward her truck. “Keep driving straight ahead. You’ll see the house in about five miles.”

Luc followed her at some distance, hoping to avoid the cloud of dust that trailed behind her truck, but also wanting to save wear on his shocks. Pavement appeared to be in short supply in Dani DeWitt’s neck of the woods.

As he drove, Luc noted that the place was huge—miles of green stretched before him. She ran it virtually alone, he knew from gossip in town. He couldn’t help his smile of admiration. Dani DeWitt was one very unusual woman. She’d handled a bull with an attitude, agreed to direct a play that involved half the town. She was feisty. And she sure didn’t back down from a challenge. He’d experienced that personally.

The house, when he saw it, made his eyes widen. A large, cedar-sided two-storey, it sat in the lee of a south-facing hill, huge windows offering what must be a stunning vista over the surrounding valley. A few scraggly flowers struggled to show their blooms against the house, but mostly the yard was grass. He parked beside her truck, climbed out.

“It’s very beautiful country,” he told her sincerely. “You must love to come home.”

“Yes, I do. I was away at college for four years, but every time I came back, it was as if I’d never left.” She motioned to the willow furniture on the deck outside the front door. “Would you like to sit out here in the sun? I can get us some lemonade.”

“Sure.” Luc gingerly lowered himself onto the cushion atop a web of woven willow and found it quite comfy. He waited, content to study the magnificent view, until she returned with two frosty glasses. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She took a sip, stared at him for a moment. “Are you enjoying Blessing, Dr. Lawrence?”

“It’s Luc.” He nodded. “Yes, I am. Now that Joshua’s recovered and I have a few minutes of spare time, I’m looking forward to really getting to know the area.”

“It was a terrible accident. I know both he and Nicole were glad you were there.” Dani stared out across the billowing grasses. “They seem very happy together.”

“I’m sure they are. The girls love their new mother, and Nicole doesn’t let Joshua get away with much. She’s got her own opinions about things.” He didn’t want to talk about work, Luc discovered. He wanted to talk about her. He didn’t bother to ask himself why. “Tell me about the ranch.”

A mask fell over her eyes, shielding her thoughts from him.

“What do you want to know?”

He shrugged. “Whatever you want to tell me. What it’s like to live out here. Whether you intend on staying or not.”

“Staying? Of course I’m staying. Who told you otherwise?” Her brows drew together in a frown of dismay.

“No one’s said anything. I just assumed with you being so young, you’d rather move back to the city.” He glanced around, noted the unmown grass, the windows that needed painting, the broken board in the balustrade. “You must get lonely out here by yourself.”

“I don’t really.” She smiled. “Maybe because I’m so busy, or maybe it’s because I grew up here, cut my teeth on a horse’s bridle. This is my world.”

“And you love it.”

It didn’t take the nod of her head to tell him that. Luc could see it in the way she stroked the arm of her chair, in the softness of her eyes as she watched horses frolic in a distant pasture. Dani possessed a beauty he’d seldom seen. She had a youthful vitality that glowed in her vivid green eyes, glittered in the sheen of her black hair where the sun struck, but it was more than that.

Her beauty stemmed from the easy way she fit into her world, accepted its problems and refused to moan about it. He’d heard enough talk to know she’d inherited trouble.

“Yes, I do love the Double D. I just hope I can hang onto it.”

Luc wasn’t sure how to answer that. He’d got the impression she was sensitive about gossip, but he also had a hunch she needed someone to talk to. Listening was something his profession had made him fairly good at, and Dani DeWitt’s low melodic voice was easy to listen to.

“I’m sure it’s a lot of work for one person.”

She glanced at him, then shifted her eyes away. “I have— I had help. I had to let most of them go. Now I share a hand with Gray McGonigle. He does most of the heavy work, so it’s not too bad.”

Luc glanced down at her fingers, saw the calluses that covered her small palms and felt a pang of sympathy for the chores she’d undertaken. She was so young to be saddled with such a demanding task.

“I’ll soon have to get rid of the rest of the stock,” she murmured, her eyes on a herd grazing a quarter of a mile away.

He understood she was thinking out loud, so Luc leaned back in his chair and sipped his lemonade.

“They’re too much for me to handle and I can’t afford to feed them come winter. Besides, I need the money they’ll bring.” Her voice dropped until it emerged a faint whisper. “I wish he’d told me about the loan. I didn’t have to go to college. I would have been quite happy to stay right here.” She peered up at Luc, her eyes glassy with tears.

“I’m sure your father wanted his daughter to experience college life, Dani. I didn’t know him well, but I don’t think he would have begrudged you the opportunity, no matter what it cost. Let me tell you something I’ve learned, just from watching Joshua Darling. Nothing is too much for a man’s daughters.” He kept his eyes straight ahead, pretended he wasn’t paying attention to her soft sniffles as she struggled for control.

“Daddy insisted I go. At first we even argued about it. But I never could disobey him. Still, I should have refused. I didn’t realize he was so short of cash. He shouldn’t have taken out a loan to send me on that overseas study trip last summer. He should have told me. I’d have come home sooner if I’d known.”

“If you’d known he didn’t have long to live, you mean?” Luc did look at her then, touched by her sense of loss. “Dani, your father wouldn’t have wanted you to put your life on hold, waiting for him to die. He was happy living each day. He put the most he could into his time here, and then his heart failed him. Some men suffer for years, but he didn’t. Be glad you had the time you did.”

“I am.” She sighed. “It’s just…hard. You know? I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

“I know.” He met her tear-filled eyes. “I was there, I heard him talking about you. He loved you very much.” Who was he to give advice? Still Luc searched for encouragement. “Try to remember the good times you shared. And if you need a friend, I’ll be here.”

“Thanks. I might take you up on that.” She nodded, took a swipe at her tears. “Do you have a family?”

“One sister, two brothers.” He remembered suddenly that he hadn’t written any of them in ages. E-mail wasn’t that difficult to send. He chided himself for not keeping better touch.

“That must have been fun.” A wistful longing filled her voice. “I would have loved a sister.”

“Not mine, you wouldn’t. She was a pain.” Tracy’s stubbornness had not abated in the years since her pre-school temper tantrums, though Luc had never told her that outright. He preferred a hassle-free existence.

“Did you argue?” Dani’s face lit up with interest, green eyes sparkling.

“All the time. She always knew what was right and, unless you did it her way, she nagged you like a festering boil.”

“Doc!” Dani’s laughter bubbled out in spite of her shocked look. “That’s not very flattering.”

“Tracy’s not the kind of sister you flatter. I’m just glad I was never a patient under her care.” He made a face. “You’d get well just so you could escape.”

“She’s a doctor or a nurse?”

“A bossy, cantankerous nurse who always knows what’s best for everyone. Believe me, it wasn’t any hardship to give her away when she got married.” He strove for a lighthearted tone, hoping to ease her sad memories—while hoping Tracy would forgive him for enhancing his characterization of her managerial ways.

“Stubborn? Oh, she’s like you, then.” Dani giggled at his frown, held up her hands. “Teasing, just teasing. I have no basis for comparison. I haven’t even been in your office. I don’t get sick very often.”

No, she glowed like a beacon of good health, her youth and vitality making Luc feel far older than his thirty-three years.

“What about your brothers? Are they stubborn too?”

“Of course.” He nodded. “But you can reason with them, if you can understand them.” He caught her puzzled stare. “They speak an unknown language—at least to me. Computer mumbo jumbo. They’re partners in a tech company in Arizona. I love them both, but a lot of the time I don’t understand a thing they’re saying. Mostly I just nod and slap them on the shoulder.” He shrugged. “Works for me.”

She giggled at his silliness. “And your parents?”

He blinked up at her. “Hey, what is this? Twenty questions?”

“Just curious. But if you have something to hide, then—”

“I never said that.” Luc knew perfectly well that one whisper of a secret in Blessing and he’d be under the microscope of every busybody in town. He resigned himself to explaining.

“It’s just that I don’t talk about my family much. My parents died when we were young. We lived with my grandparents.” He decided that was enough information. “Okay, herein endeth the history lesson. Maybe we should get started memorizing those lines.”

“If I’d known you were so eager, I would have suggested that ten minutes ago.” Dani whipped out her copy of the play and grinned. “Where do you want to begin?”

“Truthfully? I don’t want to begin at all. That’s why I’m here. I was hoping you’d found someone else. You’re sure there is no one?” His heart sank when she shook her head.

“I’m sure, Doc. There’s no one else. It’s up to you.” Dani looked at him through her lashes. “The first line goes…”

He gave in then, reconciled himself to the torture of embarrassment that could not be avoided.

“Doc!” she squealed for the fifth time, ten minutes later. “Think about what you’re saying. You can’t ‘pry the tattles.’ It’s ‘try the paddles.’ Say it again.”

Luc tried, he truly did. But as time went on, and he thought more and more about standing in front of a bunch of people he knew mostly from their presence in his very private examining room, he simply got worse. His tongue twisted into knots that not even Dani’s soft coaching could undo.

“Face it, I’m lousy at this. You have to find someone else.” He lurched up from his chair and paced across the faded boards. “I’m simply no good when it comes to public speaking.”

“Anyone can be good at it. You just need the right method.” She tapped one finger against her bottom lip. “How about singing your lines.”

He groaned. How much could one man take? “I don’t think singing is going to help,” he mumbled.

“It might help you loosen up if you focus on something else. Try this.” She repeated the first of his lines in a catchy little melody.

Luc repeated the notes and words as best he could.

“Again.”

She repeated that word nine times, but by the time he made it that far, she had both ears covered and was curled up in a tight little ball.

“Stop, Doc. Please, have pity on me and stop.”

He stopped, immediately forgetting what he was supposed to say next.

Dani unwound herself, pulled her fingers from her ears and stood. Her eyes were huge.

“Look, Doc, no offense, but I think the singing is out. You are tone deaf.” She blinked at him. “Come on, I’m hungry. Maybe eating will help.”

She didn’t sound hopeful. Luc didn’t feel hopeful. He felt defeated and at the end of his rope as he followed her into the house.

“Why don’t you just let Big Ed do it?” he mumbled, watching her bend over to peer into the fridge. The jeans she wore had a jagged tear just above her knee. All her clothes seemed to be in tatters. He wondered why.

She twisted to glare at him. “We can’t have a cowboy English detective. It won’t work.” The fridge door slammed closed. Now she stood on tiptoe, stabbed one finger at something in the freezer. “Are you hungry?”

He shrugged, then nodded. Breakfast seemed a distant memory. Lunch—had he eaten lunch?

“What if we put some steaks on to grill while we try to think of another method. I studied acting in college. One course, anyway. I should be able to come up with something.” She didn’t wait for his agreement, but thrust a package into the microwave and set the timer. “Can you make a salad, Doc?”

“Are you kidding? I’m a genius at salad making. Piece of cake.”

He accepted the ingredients she handed him and set to work slicing and dicing, hesitating only when he remembered the comment about her cooking. Just how bad was she? Surely no one could mess up steaks….

“I’ll get some potatoes.” Dani was gone for three minutes and returned with two fat potatoes. She lifted the meat out of the microwave, put the potatoes in, then glanced at him. “What if we recorded the words on a tape and you listened to them while you were sleeping at night?”

Luc shook his head, turned back to his work.

“It’s a nice thought, Dani, but I’d be hesitant about wearing a headset at night. I’m usually on call. Besides, I freeze up in front of groups. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can find someone else.” He spread tomatoes over the salad.

She butted his arm, forcing him to face her.

“If you think your sister is stubborn, Doc, you’re in for a surprise. I do not give up. Not ever. Not with this ranch, and not on that play. There is a way around everything. We just have to find it.” She nudged a piece of tomato to the edge of the bowl with one fingertip. “Tomatoes on the side, not in, please,” she ordered.

“I like them in.” He pushed the tomato back. “And since I’m the salad maker, I get to say.”

“Do not.”

“Do so.”

She smacked her hands on her hips. “For a doctor, you are very immature,” she informed him, her green eyes dancing with fun. Then she snatched the steaks from the counter and stalked outside.

“Am not,” he called after her, then grinned at his foolishness. Being with Dani DeWitt made him feel young, expectant, as if life might just have a surprise or two left to show him.

Which was crazy. Dani was a kid, barely out of college. He’d buried his grandparents, pushed his siblings through school, put his own life on hold until theirs were settled, and then finished his own training. In terms of life experience, he was Methuselah and Dani DeWitt was in kindergarten.

But knowing that didn’t stop him from glancing over one shoulder before he picked up a wedge of tomato and, with a little snicker of delight, buried it under half a dozen lettuce leaves.

It had been a long time since he’d relaxed long enough to tease and joke. Maybe Dani was young, but she was also fun—and she was grilling the juiciest steaks he’d ever seen.

Luc could use a friend like Dani.