Читать книгу Her Favorite Cowboy - Mary Leo - Страница 11
ОглавлениеAs it turned out, Doctor Cori Parker had been right about Gage’s grandfather collapsing from acute hypoglycemia. Other than a low iron count and some arthritis in his joints, Gramps was in excellent health for a man in his seventies. All those years of cowboying had done well by him. Of course, they hadn’t done much for his ornery disposition.
“I don’t need no rest up in the room,” Gramps told Gage in no uncertain terms as they entered the hotel’s front lobby once again. “We got ourselves an opening talk and a barbecue to attend. There ain’t nothing short of death that’s gonna stop me from enjoying every part of this here conference.”
Gage decided it was easier to simply roll with the program than to continue arguing his point. “Whatever you say, Gramps. You know best.”
His grandfather gave him a little harrumph and moved on ahead of Gage in the direction of the Henry Strater Theater where the event had been planned. By now everyone would be in line for what was sure to be a Western treat with some fine Colorado beef, chicken and all the trimmings for a real down-home kind of meal, something Gage hadn’t experienced in too many years to remember. His ex-wife’s parents had come close several times, but a pot roast was little substitution for a rack of ribs and grilled chicken.
Gage tried to keep up, but his grandfather seemed to want to prove that he was “fit as a fiddle,” a saying his gramps liked to use, and had already disappeared around the corner of the lobby. In truth, now that his gramps was feeling better, with no side-effects from his collapse, all Gage could think about was Cori Parker. She’d been on his mind ever since he’d met her, and despite all his efforts to shake her free, he seemed to be stuck wanting to see her again, if for nothing else but to thank her for taking such good care of his grandfather.
But that had to be it.
He’d thank her and let it go at that.
Nothing more.
There would be no getting involved no matter how intoxicating her eyes were, or the sultry curve of her lips, or the way she had soothed his worries when his grandfather was in crisis.
He reminded himself that she was merely doing her job. Something she’d been trained to do. His grandfather could have been any number of people in need and the treatment would have been exactly the same. Sure, she’d been extra kind and compassionate when she learned about his grandmother’s passing, but weren’t all doctors trained to be empathetic to the elderly?
He tried to think of her as just another doctor when he spotted her standing in front of the open doors to the theater. With one glance, his breath caught in his throat, and his stomach was clenched.
“What the—” he said under his breath, angry that he’d had such a visceral reaction. He shook the sensation free, and forced his now-tense body to relax as he watched his grandfather give her a tight hug. One thing was for sure—the men in his family sure took to her like bees to honey.
He stopped walking and chided himself for the analogy. He hadn’t been in the west for more than a day and already his thoughts had gone all folksy.
“You saved my life,” Gage overheard Grandpa Buck say when he and Cori separated. His face glowed with appreciation.
“Hardly,” Cori told him, a slight blush on her cheeks. “All I did was help you get through a challenging time. Your grandson did much more than I did.”
Gage walked up alongside them and immediately his pulse quickened, as if her mere presence caused a physical reaction, which he knew couldn’t be the case. They barely knew each other. He blamed his response on the tensions of the day. There could be no other reason...at least none that made any sense.
“It was a good start,” Gramps teased, leaning in closer to Cori as if they had a secret bond. There was a time when he and his grandfather had their own secret bond, when his grandfather had a dry sense of humor that Gage always got, and most times added to the joke. Now he questioned almost everything his grandfather said. Nothing seemed funny and everything seemed like an attack.
“Was that a compliment?” Gage asked, hoping his gramps would lighten up.
Grandpa Buck turned to face him. “No. It was a fact.” Then he turned and walked into the theater where he met up with some of his male friends, each giving him a strong handshake and a pat on the back. Gage watched as his grandfather’s face lit up with each touch, with each recognition, and he longed for that light to be directed in his direction.
“He’ll come around. These things take time,” Cori said in a low voice.
It was as if Cori could read his mind. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a little spooky?”
“How so?”
“Do you always know what a person’s thinking, or am I one of the lucky ones?”
“You have an expressive face.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind whenever you and I are conversing.” Gage purposely relaxed the muscles in his face and tried to look deadpan.
She pointed her index finger and made little air circles around his face. He loved being this close to her and seeing her smile. He really worked at remaining expressionless, but as her smile spread, and her perfume engulfed his senses, he couldn’t keep a straight face.
“See, right there.” She pointed to his eyes, then to his forehead. “And right there. I can tell you’re happy to see me. And you want to sit with me during dinner.”
“Yes, I’m happy to see you, but I hadn’t thought about seating arrangements.”
She turned to walk inside. “Well, you should have. I’m a great dinner partner.”
He followed close behind, softly chuckling at how she could wrap him around her finger with a few words and a smile. “Let me grab my grandfather and we’ll join you at one of the more private tables along the wall. Will that work?”
“Sure, I’ll hunt down my family and let them know. There’ll be three of us.”
Gage left her at the door wondering what she’d meant by her family. He’d thought she had come with her grandmother and no one else, but then, they really hadn’t had time to discuss much of anything before his grandfather collapsed in the lobby. A fact that still haunted him. Grandpa Buck could have hit his head on a table or a chair or broken a leg or an arm and where was his grandson?
In a bar...as usual.
* * *
THE HENRY STRATER THEATER, according to the brochure Cori had read up in her room, was one of the oldest continually running theaters in Colorado, featuring comedy nights with world-renowned comedians, improv troupes and ragtime music—from The Rocky Horror Picture Show during late October to Breakfast with Santa in December. The theater acted as both a community space and a cultural center.
Deep red velvet drapes hung in various areas around the large room and across the stage. Elevated box seats adorned both sides of the room, and exposed redbrick walls gave off an Old West ambience. At once Cori felt as if she’d been transported into another time. A feeling of absolute delight filled her as she walked toward her grandmother and Hailey, her precocious daughter. At one point she had doubted her decision to quit her job.
She wanted a calmer place and a better way to live. She’d thought they could move to her grandmother’s small town, until she saw just how small the town really was. There wasn’t an adequate local school for Hailey, and the nearest possible employment for Cori was over sixty miles away in Denver.
As soon as they had arrived at her grandmother’s new home, she thought for sure she wouldn’t be able to last a week. Her gram had sold the big rambling house soon after Cori’s grandpa had died three years ago, and the new one was so small the guest bedroom barely held a double bed and a dresser. The place was great for her gram, but not so great for Cori and Hailey if their visit wasn’t going to be a short one.
So many good memories had been centered in her gram’s town that Cori had built it up to be somewhat magical. In reality, it was still a sweet little place, but unless she was an entrepreneur or was willing to make the commute into Denver, there was no way she and Hailey could settle there. She would have to find an alternative.
Cori knew she wanted to raise Hailey in a close-knit community—just not her gram’s community, which had turned out to be very disappointing for Cori. The thought of not being able to put down roots next to her gram had thrown Cori off course, but hanging out in Durango was proving to be something else entirely. More and more she felt sure this change was exactly what she needed, especially seeing the group of seniors who had gathered in the theater for the buffet-style barbecue dinner during the opening talks of the conference. Cori knew there had to be something more to life than merely working eight to twelve hours a day. She wanted time to spend with her daughter, time to pursue a hobby, time to learn how to cook something other than a prepackaged meal.
There was something comforting about being around energetic older folks, as if they were clearing the path with their tenacity and courage of conviction, saying, “Look at me! If I can make it to my golden years and still pursue my hobbies and dreams, so can you.”
“Mom! Mom! Grammy’s going to let me help during the auction. I get to hand out books and stuff. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Hailey’s face glowed with anticipation, causing her blue-gray eyes to sparkle. Her thick caramel colored hair was pulled back in a long ponytail, and it bounced with her every move. She wore jeans, a soft pink Western shirt and cowgirl boots Cori hadn’t seen before. Obviously, Gram had taken her shopping, a pastime they both enjoyed more than they should.
Hailey could barely contain her excitement. For the most part, she loved doing things with her grammy, especially if the two of them could go shopping either before or afterward. Helping Grammy in the kitchen, however, wasn’t on Hailey’s list of fun activities, especially if it had anything to do with cleaning up.
Helping out with the auction, on the other hand, sounded perfect.
“Are you sure it will be okay?” Cori asked her gram, who was seated at one of the many long tables.
Cori noticed an empty chair right next to her gram, no doubt being saved especially for Cori’s arrival.
“Don’t be silly, Corina-May. I never would have suggested it if she couldn’t do it. Besides, there’ll be a couple other people available to help her,” Grandma May said. Grandma May always referred to Cori by her birth name, making it a point to tack on the May part, in case anyone had any doubt who Cori was named after.
Cori looked around the crowded room and spotted Gage coming their way.
“I made a new friend today, and I thought we’d sit with him and his grandfather for dinner. Would you two mind?”
“Nope,” Hailey answered, sticking out her chin and shaking her head. “Does your new friend have any kids I could play with?”
“I don’t really know, but if he does, he didn’t bring them to the conference.”
Cori hadn’t given any thought to whether or not Gage was a father. Not that it mattered, but he didn’t seem like the type. Dads were usually more in tune with family, and Gage seemed completely out of step with that element of his life.
“That’s all right,” Hailey mumbled, making a frown.
Cori knew that Hailey was lonely for her friends, especially for her best friend, Susan, who she’d spent time with almost every day since they were five. Her decision to quit her job and move halfway across the country to live with Gram for a while was proving to be more of a challenge than she had anticipated, especially for Hailey. Not being able to play with Susan was really hard on her. Once they settled somewhere, Cori felt confident that Hailey would find a new best friend in no time. Till then, the two girls would have to be content to chat on Skype every night.
“I’m sorry, sweetie, I haven’t seen any children at this convention, but when we get back to Grammy’s house, we’ll make a point of getting out there and meeting some. Okay?”
“We’ll go to the Community Center and sign you up for a swimming class or gymnastics and you’ll meet lots of kids your age,” Gram said, trying to assure her.
“But I already know how to swim and I don’t like gymnastics. Don’t they have anything else?”
“As soon as we get back to my house, we’ll walk on over there and see what they offer. You can sign up for anything you want. Okay?”
“Okay,” Hailey mumbled, but Cori could tell she wasn’t the least bit excited about the prospects. All Hailey really wanted to do was go back home to be with Susan and her friends. It was up to Cori to change her mind...which wasn’t going to be easy.
Cori glanced back to see Gage as he approached. Grandma May tilted her head to get a clear view of Gage Remington as he weaved through the group to get to them. A smile creased May’s pink lips and her gray eyes lit up as he approached. “Is that your new friend heading our way?”
Cori turned and threw Gage a welcoming smile. He returned the gesture, and his entire face lit up. He was more ruggedly handsome when he smiled, if that was even possible. Cori didn’t know if her attraction to him was causing his looks to take on an Adonis flair or if he’d had those qualities from the beginning. Either way, her insides had turned to mush, watching him approach.
“Where’d you find him?” Gram asked.
“In the bar this afternoon.”
“He’s a real looker. Is he your boyfriend?”
“I just met him. How could he be my boyfriend?”
“It took your grandpa and me about ten minutes to know we were in love. What’s taking you so long?”
“Love is something that grows with time.” Cori was thinking about Jeremy, her deceased husband. They had known each other for three years before they’d started dating, then another two before they were married, each wanting to be sure marriage was the right move.
“In my day, as soon as you met someone you knew in that instant whether or not you were in love. I think it has to do with smell. Either you like the way he smells or you don’t. What’s he smell like?”
“I don’t know.”
“Sure you do, or he wouldn’t be heading our way.”
Cori thought about it for a moment and remembered how she had caught a citrusy cinnamon scent when they were in the lobby. That couldn’t have been from Gage. Way too sweet to come from a man. Men were more musky, more driftwood and cedar, not lemons and cookies.
“He has no particular scent.”
“Hogwash! And why didn’t you warn me we would be sitting with your new boyfriend? I would’ve worn my red lipstick. I look younger with red lips. You don’t want him to think your grandmother’s old, do you?”
Cori wanted to tell her the truth: you are old, Gram, but she knew better.
“Gram, he’s just a friend.”
Grandma May’s demeanor suddenly changed for the worse as she stared past Gage toward the group standing at the end of the buffet line. “Darn. He’s back.”
“Who?”
“That old coot, Buck Remington. I thought for sure with what happened earlier he’d be out for the entire conference. He’s already back, thinking up ways to aggravate me, I’m sure. Couldn’t you have insisted they keep him at the hospital for at least twenty-four hours?”
“No, Gram. He’s fine. Nothing that a good meal can’t fix. And what do you mean by ‘old coot?’ Buck’s a sweetheart.”
Cori knew what low blood sugar could do to a person’s personality, and Buck was certainly a prime example. Low blood sugar could change his mood, blur his vision, make it difficult for him to concentrate or make a decision, and cause him to be suddenly excessively hungry. If it ever became severe, like it already had, he would faint, or worse, he could slip into a coma.
“Please don’t mention his name in my presence, Corina-May. The man has caused me nothing but grief since the very first moment we met. He’s a thorn in my side, and I want nothing to do with him. Ever.”
Gage angled up beside Cori, sticking out his hand for Grandma May. “You must be Cori’s grandmother. It’s so very nice to meet you.”
May took his hand in hers, her eyes twinkling with delight, but Cori knew this wouldn’t go well once she learned his last name, so she interrupted the name exchange. “Gage, this is my grandmother, May. Gram, this is Gage.”
She purposely left out last names, trying her best to avoid a confrontation.
“Nice to meet you, Gage,” her grandmother said, a warm smile as big as pie on her friendly face.
“And this is my daughter, Hailey.”
Hailey politely stuck out her hand, Gage took it, but Cori could tell he seemed somewhat confused.
“Very nice to meet you,” Hailey told him giving him a firm handshake, pumping his hand twice then letting go. Hailey liked to shake hands with the people her mom and grandmother introduced her to. She thought it made her look more grown-up. Cori didn’t know if anyone thought she looked more grown-up, but they certainly remembered the little girl who shook their hand.
“And you, as well.” He turned to Cori bringing his voice down low under the din of the voices in the room. “But I thought you were...”
“Single? I am,” she whispered. “My husband passed away several years ago.”
“I’m so sorry.” His face turned solemn, as if he was truly saddened by her loss. Cori appreciated his sympathy, but there were other more pressing issues to be dealt with.“Thanks. We need to talk,” Cori said under her breath.
“Where are we moving to?” Gram asked, grabbing her purse off the extra chair.
“Give us a minute,” Cori told her, as she caught the glare on Buck’s face as he stared over at May, then back at Cori. And in that instant, the situation must have registered and he called out to Gage.
Gage held up a finger, asking him to wait. Buck wanted no part of waiting. He headed straight for his grandson, his scowl growing with each step. Apparently, the animosity that had poured from Grandma May was mutual.
“I think we have a grandparent problem,” Cori told Gage as her grandmother finally caught on to the situation. She immediately plopped right back down in her chair, folded her arms across her chest and waited for Buck to approach.
“What kind of grandparent problem?”
“The kind that means we won’t be sharing a meal tonight or most likely any night during this conference if they have their way.”
“Why not? Did I say something wrong?”
“It has nothing to do with you. I think...”
Buck interrupted. “Son, if you want to keep me as your grandfather and not have me disown you completely, you’ll step away from that there table.”
He turned to Cori. “Are you related to that woman?” He nodded toward May.
“‘That woman’ is my grandmother,” Cori said.
“That’s most unfortunate.”
“Gramps, Cori saved your life today. You said so yourself.”
“And for that, I’m grateful, but as long as you’re related to that woman,” he tilted his head in May’s direction, “I don’t want anything to do with you. C’mon, son, we need to get us some seats as far away from this table as possible.”
And he marched off with a loud harrumph.
Gage ran a hand through his thick hair and shuffled his feet. “I don’t know what this is all about, but I’m sure going to find out. That was totally out of line and I’m sorry. Maybe he just needs some food and he’ll calm down.”
“That old coot ain’t never going to calm down,” Grandma May warned. “He was born ornery.” She turned to Cori. “You don’t want no part of a Remington, Corina-May. They’re nothing but trouble. Hailey and me are getting in the dinner line before all the good stuff’s gone. Are you coming?”
“I’ll be right there, Gram. You guys go on ahead.”
She stormed off with the same loud harrumph that Buck used. Hailey glanced at her mom, gave her a weak smile, shrugged and then followed her grandmother.
“Do you understand any of this?” Gage asked Cori.
“No. I’ve never seen my grandmother so upset. She’s usually happy and loves everyone she meets. This is crazy.”
“I wish I could say the same for my grandfather. Unfortunately, grumpy seems to be his only gear.”
Cori chuckled. “It’s been a long day for everyone. Maybe we should keep our distance until we find out what this is all about.”
She secretly wanted him to stay and tell her the heck with their grandparents, the three of them would sit at their own table. But instead he agreed. “Probably a good idea.”
Then, without so much as a smile or a “see ya later,” Gage hurried to catch up with his grandfather, leaving Cori to wonder if there was more to his hasty departure than merely wanting to please his grandfather.
* * *
IT NEVER OCCURRED to Gage that Cori could have a child... Not that she didn’t seem like the type... It was more that in his circles none of his friends had children or even mentioned children. They weren’t on his radar screen, so he never imagined himself as father material.
He and his ex-wife had discussed it briefly when they were married, right before she’d asked for a divorce, but for the most part raising a family had been pushed off into the future...the distant future. He always thought he wasn’t cut out to be someone’s dad. Way too much responsibility came with the job title. Plus, Cori’s child had experienced trauma when she’d lost her dad. She certainly didn’t need any more father figures disappearing from her life.
Of course, that would assume that he was aiming for a serious relationship with a woman he’d met less than six hours ago, which under the current circumstances would more than likely never take place. He needed to be clear on the subject. Especially since every time he spoke to Doctor Cori Parker, his attraction to her kept deepening, almost to the point where he was losing control over his emotions.
He couldn’t allow that to happen. Not now. Not when he was busy working on rekindling his relationship with his grandfather. A relationship that seemed to take a negative turn with each hour they were together.
Everything about his grandfather was a mystery to Gage, and that mystery was only part of the puzzle. Gage felt as if he’d somehow stepped out of his entire family for the past ten years and they’d all gone off on different paths and now he was frantically playing catch-up.
Not only had his marriage dissolved in part because of his drinking, but his relationship with his parents, who lived only blocks from him in New York City, had become strained. His sister barely spoke to him after he’d repeatedly showed up at her apartment in the middle of the night wanting to crash on her sofa, and his best friend had told him flat out to stay away after Gage had made a pass at his girlfriend—an accusation Gage denied, but in fact he simply couldn’t remember.
He hadn’t thought his life could get worse until his divorce became official, and soon after he’d been overlooked for a promotion he thought he’d had. Normally, the combination of the two would have sent him on a long self-indulgent alcohol binge, but somewhere along the line, he’d realized that alcohol only prolonged the misery.
Going sober had been, and continued to be, more difficult than he’d ever imagined. He had decided to do it on his own, with an occasional AA meeting when he was feeling particularly vulnerable. So far it was working. There were still times when all he could think about was a shot of bourbon: the taste of it on his tongue, the heat of it in the back of his throat, the effects of it on his mind and body. There were moments when he’d crave it more than his next breath, but then he’d remind himself of who he’d become because of it and he’d decide all over again that he liked himself much better sober.
And now, his grandfather had demanded he steer clear of the one shining light in all of his post-drinking gloom, Doctor Cori Parker.
Perhaps it was one of those blessings in disguise, and for now, he’d roll with it.
He caught up to his grandfather standing in line at the buffet table, well ahead of May and Hailey. “What’s going on, Gramps? Why the cold shoulder for Cori and her grandmother?”
Buck piled potato salad and green beans on his plate. Gage grabbed a plate and opted for the green salad. Most everyone was already seated at the tables and the room echoed their conversations.
“That woman’s been persnickety ever since I joined this organization.”
“How?”
“I don’t want to talk about it now. She’ll upset my stomach and I need this here food to keep my blood sugar normal.” He turned to Gage. “You’ll know why, come the annual auction.”
“There’s an auction?”
“Yep, and lately they haven’t been so good because of that persnickety pill.”
Gage grabbed a chicken thigh and leg along with a rack of ribs from the heated pans, piled everything on his plate and then ladled on thick dark-red barbecue sauce from a silver bowl at the end of the table. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten barbecue of any kind, especially with an endless supply of sauce. His meals were mostly high-end cuisine in fancy Manhattan restaurants or something organic he’d picked up at a market. This kind of food reminded him of his summers on the ranch in Briggs, Idaho, and he looked forward to chowing down on the memories.
Barbecues on the ranch in Briggs with friends and family were perhaps some of his favorite memories. There were horseshoe games, roping games, potato sack races and long days of endless laughter. Adults and kids would participate. There was never a game that excluded the kids, and there were plenty of kids, cousins mostly, to play with.
What he remembered most clearly about those days, was that even though there was plenty of beer served along with all the barbecue you could eat, no one ever overindulged. No one ever had to be driven home afterward or made a fool of themselves because they were drunk. Everyone seemed to know their limits and stuck to them.
A trait Gage had apparently never learned.
When the day had ended, they sat around a roaring fire singing cowboy songs, telling stories and reciting poems, and Gage had wanted nothing more than to sit out under that starry sky for the rest of his life. On more than one occasion, he’d lean back on the ground, stare up at that dazzling night sky and imagine himself as the hero in one of Zane Grey’s books.
“You don’t have to worry, Gramps. I can outbid anybody in this room. Just tell me what you want and it’s yours.”
The thought of buying Grandpa Buck a first-edition Zane Grey novel really appealed to Gage. He loved a good competition. It was in his DNA from playing on Wall Street for the past six years. It was all about the score. All about the win. All about the money. Thanks to his ex-wife, Gage had become addicted to making money, and now that he had made more money than he ever thought possible, it was time to spend some of his cash to help out his family, beginning with Grandpa Buck.
“I don’t need your dang money. I can get whatever I want on my own.” His voice was stern and somber. Gage didn’t understand his reaction. Everyone wanted free money.
“I’m only saying, I can help.”
“Don’t want it.”
“But Gramps, I’m trying to...”
“You try too hard, son. Settle down. I saved us two seats,” Buck said. “Make up your mind. Will you be sitting with me or my enemy?”
“With you, of course.”
“And no more money talk.”
Gage wanted to ask him why, but he let it go. “Whatever you want.”
“I want us to enjoy our first meal together in a very long time.”
“You got it, Gramps.”
“Then our relationship is headed in the right direction.”
Grandpa Buck took off for their saved box seats. Gage trailed after him, still wondering what the heck that last blowup was all about. How could his grandfather not accept his generous offer? He’d never experienced such refusal. Before his drinking had taken over his personality, his parents had accepted his money and even asked for a loan when they bought their last apartment. His friends had accepted all the lavish presents he’d given them, and his ex-wife had tried to break him in the final settlement.
Everyone wanted his money except Gramps.
He didn’t know how to digest that fact, but he couldn’t dwell on it or it would sour his stomach, and right now he wanted nothing more than to dig into those ribs.
As he approached his grandfather’s table, he caught Cori’s gaze from across the room. Inner passions told him to acknowledge her, but circumstances demanded that he keep focused on the task at hand, pleasing his grandfather. At this point in his overly complicated life, no matter how much he craved Doctor Cori Parker, it was probably better for everyone concerned if he honored his grandfather’s wishes and kept his distance...at least for tonight.
