Lucky in Love

by Kelly Elliott

He chuckled. “I won’t argue with that. Listen, don’t let one guy ruin it for someone else. He wasn’t the one, but you got Liliana out of the deal.”

  “That’s the only good thing about that.”

  “Give yourself time. What about Truitt?”

  My brother’s words hit me like a cast iron pot to the head. I looked at him with what I was sure was a stunned expression.

  Then I forced a laugh. “Truitt? The man has a reputation for being a player. Not to mention, he seems to get hurt an awful lot. Bad luck seems to follow him around.”

  Ryan laughed. “True, he has been known to visit the ER often. We actually have a running bet among our group of friends on how many times Truitt will have to go to the ER before he turns thirty.”

  I laughed. “And the rumor about his player ways?” I asked the question more for myself than anything. A part of me needed to know if Truitt really was the womanizer he was portrayed to be.

  “Truitt, a player? Nah, that’s his brother Roger. Don’t get me wrong, the women line up for his attention, but Truitt really is a good guy. Hasn’t seemed to find anyone he’s interested in settling down with, though.”

  That piqued my attention. “Really? He hasn’t been in any kind of serious relationship?”

  Ryan looked at me, a smirk on his face. “No. None.”

  My stomach did a little flip. Why did that make me feel so happy? So…relieved?

  I returned his grin with a smile of my own. I could tell myself I wasn’t interested in dating until I was blue in the face. Truth be told, the entire drive from Dallas to Boerne, one thing had weighed on my mind.

  Was Truitt Carter still single.

  Truitt

  I ROLLED THE window down and spit out my gum, only to have it blow right back and land somewhere in my hair.

  “Motherfucker!” I shouted. Jack, one of the guys who’d been working for me since I started Imaginations Unlimited, started laughing. We’d gone to high school together, so he was familiar with my…incidents.

  “Dude, stop trying to figure out where the gum is, it’s going to get stuck in your hair and you’ll have to buzz cut it…again. It’s just now grown back out.”

  I rolled my eyes. What in the hell did I do in my life to be so damn accident prone?

  “When we get there, just get it out of my hair,” I bit out.

  As much as he tried not to, he laughed.

  Before he could remind me of the last time this happened, I started off in a new direction. “We’ve got a new build. Ryan’s folks, Mr. and Mrs. Night?”

  “Ryan Night’s folks, huh. They want a playhouse?” he asked with a chuckle. “Is it for Ryan since he’s so pussy whipped with that girlfriend of his?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know anything about that, but no, it’s for their granddaughter.”

  Jack snapped his head to me. “Ryan’s sister is back home?”

  “Yes.” I decided not to mention that I’d stopped and changed her flat tire. The moment I got out of the truck, all those old familiar feelings for her rushed back, nearly knocking me to the ground.

  Over the years I’d gotten the scoop from Ryan about how unhappy Saryn had been in her marriage to that dickhead of a husband. Why she’d ever dated him was beyond me. I tried not to think of that day on her front porch. The day that changed everything, or at least felt like it had.

  Whatever had happened between us, I could never figure out how Ryan Night had let his little sister get mixed up with a douche like Tim.

  “I heard she finally left that jerk,” Jack said. “What she saw in him was beyond me.”

  I let out a scoff. “I’m pretty sure it was beyond all of us.”

  Once I pulled into the driveway of one of the houses that we were delivering a playhouse to, all talk of Saryn came to a stop. And thank God. I didn’t like the way my body still reacted to her. I thought it had just been seeing her, but talking about her nearly had my cock coming to attention.

  My mind couldn’t help but go back to the way she’d been slowly checking out my body.

  “Truitt! Thank goodness you’re here. They’re doing it all wrong!” Pattie Lovesong stated as she rushed up to me.

  “Ma’am?” I asked, tipping my cowboy hat to her.

  “The swings were supposed to be on the right side of the playhouse and they’re putting them on the left. I want them on the right.”

  Mr. Lovesong walked up, then, a look of utter defeat on his face. Their six kids, ages two to ten, were nowhere to be seen.

  “The kids?” I asked as he walked up and wearily reached his hand out for mine.

  “My sister has them so we can get it all set up and surprise them.”

  I nodded. Then I focused back on Mrs. Lovesong, who was still bitching, though she had turned her focus onto Jack now. He looked at me with utter panic. Jack was my master carpenter. His hands were magical. The things he could do to wood even made me envious. Dealing with customers, though? That was something he never did. His eyes pleaded with me to help him. A part of me wanted to leave him to deal with this, but I stepped between them and held up my hand to Mrs. Lovesong.

  “Mrs. Lovesong, on the plans that you approved, the swings were on the right side of the playhouse to allow for the open window over the little kitchen to look out on the pasture.”

  She pursed her lips.

  “I’ve been trying to tell her that,” Mr. Lovesong said. “She insisted the swings were on the left.”

  “The plans are in my truck, let me go get them.”

  That was when she sighed, deeply. “No. No. You don’t have to go get them, Truitt. I seem to recall now. I had forgotten about the little window. The girls will love that.”

  “The monkey bars are on the left, which you had wanted for the boys. It’s up and out of the way of the window.”

  She beamed up at me. “That’s right! I remember now. You’re so amazing!”

  Mr. Lovesong mumbled something about her being ridiculous, but she ignored him and gave me a flirty smile.

  “Truitt, it looks like they’re having an issue with the crane and the upper deck of the playhouse,” Jack said.

  We quickly took off toward the house. Climbing up on the ladder, I helped to guide the structure into place. Then I felt the ladder move slightly and looked down to see only Mrs. Lovesong standing there.

  “You’re going to get hurt, Truitt! Please, get down. Let my husband do that!”

  “What the hell? I have no idea what he’s even doing. Will you let the man do his job?” Mr. Lovesong said.

  “Truitt, darling, please come on down, let my husband climb on up there.”

  “You do realize I’m standing right the fuck here,” Mr. Lovesong said.

  “Your language, Garth!”

  “Is warranted in this situation. Holy shit, Marge. You’re shamelessly flirting, with your husband—who happens to be paying for this—standing right here.”

  “I am not flirting!” she hissed, then glanced up at me and smiled. I shook my head and focused back on what I was doing. Once the upper piece was in place, Jack and I secured it to the bottom. I started back down the ladder and heard Mrs. Lovesong start going on about safety. Why in the hell she hadn’t cared about Jack’s safety, I had no idea.

  “I’ve got the ladder!” Mrs. Lovesong stated.

  “Get away from there. They’ve already told you that you’re in the way and it’s dangerous!” Mr. Lovesong shouted.

  “Why must you shout!” she said, turning and somehow pushing her hand off with ungodly strength, sending the ladder over, with me still on it.

  “Oh, shit.” I attempted to jump off and land like a graceful cat. Instead, I heard something pop in my ankle as I rolled onto the ground and a few more curse words spilled from my mouth.

  “I know what a broken ankle feels like, Jack. This is not one,” I said, my jaw clenched tight. It might not have been broken, but Jesus H, it hurt like a bitch.

  “Roger told me to bring you to the ER to be sur
e. He also told me to make sure you asked for the hot doctor again.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  As we walked, or I limped, up to the check in, I caught a glimpse of the nurse Roger had slept with. Lucy was her name. At least, I thought that was her name. She lifted her hand and waved.

  “Wow! Back two times in one week. Hate to tell you this, but Dr. Turner isn’t here today.”

  I let out a humorless laugh. She chuckled and then leaned down to whisper something to another nurse. The girl who was checking me in spoke, drawing my attention back to her.

  “Rose?” I asked with a smile.

  “Close, June.”

  I frowned and tilted my head, then looked at Jack. He was attempting to keep from laughing.

  “We’re going to have to start giving you frequent flyer miles as much as you come visit us, Mr. Turner,” June said.

  “Ha! Wouldn’t that be something,” I replied.

  After she checked me in and took my copayment, I was whisked away to have my ankle X-rayed.

  “No vitals?” I asked the guy who was pushing me.

  “They’re a nurse short. A new nurse started today. She’s normally labor and delivery, so she’s running a bit slow. You’d think they would remember working in the ER. Or, maybe it’s that they try to forget.”

  “And you are?” I asked.

  “I’m your X-ray tech, dude. You have a bit of a reputation here at the hospital.”

  “Is that so?” I said with a chuckle. “Good, I hope.”

  “Well, if you ask any of the nurses, they’ll tell you they love it when you come in.”

  Another laugh escaped.

  After they twisted and positioned my ankle in ways that nearly had me tearing up, they brought me back to one of the dreaded little ER rooms with the curtains. I was going to have to make a hefty donation to the hospital simply so I could have a private room.

  Yes. I was here that much.

  “The nurse will be right in,” the X-ray tech said. “Hopefully you get the new one.” He leaned in closer. “She’s hot as hell.”

  I smiled and gave him a nod.

  Then I waited. And waited. And waited.

  Finally, I hopped off the table, wobbled to the curtain and jerked it back. I was about to call for Lucy when someone small ran smack into me. The warmth of her body instantly had mine coming to attention. Her smell was familiar, and it made the little hairs on the back of my neck instantly rise. She looked up at me as I looked down at her.

  And there went my dick. He decided to show up for the party, ready to have a good time.

  A slow smile spread over Saryn Night’s face.

  “Truitt Carter.” She let her gaze sweep over me, a little quicker this time, but the same heat was there. “Seems like you have a reputation at this place. I’m told our Christmas bonus will come solely from the amount of times you’ve visited the ER.”

  I snarled at her. “No one likes a snarky nurse, Ms. Ackerman.”

  “Night. My last name is back to Night.”

  “Glad to see you didn’t simply get rid of the husband, but his name, as well.”

  Her eyes widened in shock, then narrowed as she gave me a sweet yet sexy smile. “Will you get back into the room.”

  “Please.”

  “Please what?” she asked.

  “No, you demanded. You should ask me nicely, to please get back into the room. After all, I am providing part of your bonus. I was even thinking of making a donation to the hospital. Maybe they can give me a private room.”

  Her eyes rolled. She motioned for me to step back into the room as she tried not to smile and failed. I did as she commanded.

  “I’m going to take your vitals, then the doctor will be in to tell you what your X-rays say.”

  “I just need an ice pack.”

  A perfectly arched brow slowly rose. “You sound so sure.”

  “I am sure. I’ve broken my ankle before. Twice. I know what it feels like. I think I simply pulled a tendon. I heard a pop. I’m only here to appease my pain-in-the-ass brother, Roger. If you could just get the doc in here to sign me off, I can get back to the job site.”

  She nodded, then pushed a thermometer under my tongue.

  “You need to have it elevated with ice on it. Not go back to work.”

  My words sounded muffled as I replied, “I need to get back to work.”

  “You need to stay off your ankle,” she insisted.

  The thermometer beeped and she took it out. “No fever.”

  I sighed. Then the doctor walked in. Thank God it was Pete.

  “Thank fuck you’re working,” I said.

  Pete laughed and reached for my hand. Saryn folded her arms over her chest and I tried not to focus on how it made her breasts look even more incredible. Never in my wildest imagination would I think breasts could look good under a nurse’s uniform.

  Shit. I needed to get laid. Preferably with the pretty nurse standing to my right.

  Ugh. Knock it off, Truitt.

  “You really are here a lot,” Saryn stated.

  Pete shook his head. “Truitt and I went to college together. Met in our frat house. This guy talked me into moving to Boerne, Texas, instead of going somewhere amazing, like New York City. Or Denver.”

  Saryn’s brows pulled in tight. “Denver?” she asked with a chuckle.

  Pete laughed. “I’m from Denver. It’s a joke,” he said before focusing back on me. “It’s not broken.”

  “I knew it wasn’t.”

  “Roger texted me. Offered me three-hundred bucks to tell you it was broken and another three if I put a cast on it.”

  My jaw dropped. “That rat bastard.”

  “I thought about it, but the last time I put a cast on you it only lasted three days and you cut it off.”

  “You cut it off!” Saryn gasped.

  My gaze swung over to her. “Roger offered him a thousand that time.”

  Saryn swung her gaze back to Pete.

  “It was too good to pass up,” Pete said.

  Saryn looked like she wasn’t sure what to say. “Um.”

  We both focused on her, waiting.

  “Was it broken, at least?” she asked.

  Pete barked out a laugh. “Slight fracture.”

  She shook her head. “So it’s true, you are accident prone.”

  I shrugged. “I like to call them small incidents of unfortunate luck.”

  “Heard about your broken penis,” Pete said, writing on a pad of paper.

  Saryn’s cheeks turned pink as she looked from me to Pete.

  “It didn’t break, because it wasn’t hard when the branch hit it. Besides, my balls took most of the hit and it sorta grazed the…the, um…my…penis.”

  That made her eyes jerk down to my junk, then back up. “I’ll go get his discharge papers ready,” Saryn said and quickly spun around and walked out.

  I laughed as I rubbed the back of my neck. “Thanks for that.”

  Pete smiled. “She is so out of your league, dude. She’s nice, and if I wasn’t engaged I would ask her out. Although she’s been asked out six times so far today by five different guys and one woman.”

  My jaw dropped open some.

  “She turned them all down,” he went on.

  “I know she just got divorced. She was married to a real dick,” I said.

  The curtain moved back and Saryn strolled in. “You do know it’s just a curtain, not a door, right?” she asked while she pushed the papers in my direction.

  I pointed to Pete. “He was the one who brought it all up.”

  Saryn looked at him. “Doctor, is that true?”

  He looked up at the ceiling. “Was I just paged?”

  With a look that could have pinned him to the wall, Saryn cleared her throat and said, “No. My shift is over. Lucy will take over from here.”

  Pete watched her walk away, then turned back and glared at me. “Thanks a lot, asshole. I have to work with her.”

  I laughed.
“Well, I have to build her little girl a playhouse.”

  He handed me a prescription. “For the pain.”

  I shook my head. “I’m fine.”

  “Truitt, look at your damn ankle. It’s swollen three times its normal size. You need to stay off it. That’s an anti-inflammatory, as well. Just fill the prescription, please. You’ll only need it a few days.”

  I took the prescription. “I don’t have time to stay off of it.”

  He looked at me with one of those looks you get from your father when you’ve nearly pushed him to the edge and he’s about to lose his shit.

  With a very exaggerated sigh, I replied, “Fine. I’ll take a day off.”

  “Take two.”

  “Can I go to the office, at least?”

  He gave me a thoughtful look and nodded. “Keep it elevated and iced.”

  I sighed. “Damn. You drive a hard bargain.”

  He smiled in triumph.

  Standing, I grabbed the discharge papers and prescription, then walked through the curtain Pete had pulled open.

  “Hey, Truitt, can you let Roger know he needs to pay me the hundred bucks on Friday night?”

  I turned and faced him. “Why does he owe you a hundred bucks?”

  He smiled. “I won the betting pool. We all picked dates for when you’d be back into the emergency room and I won.”

  My mouth slacked in shock. Then I snapped it shut and glared at him. “I hate all of y’all. And I’m not hosting card night next week!”

  Pete let out a roar of laughter as I limped my way out of the ER.

  Saryn

  LILIANA JUMPED FOR joy as my mother and father stood there, smiles on both of their faces. I stared down at the drawing in front of me, then looked back up at them.

  “This is a joke, right?” I asked, looking to my father first, then my mother.

  Her smile faded slightly. “No, it is not a joke. We’re having a playhouse built for Liliana.”

  I shook my head slightly in disbelief. “Mom, this is not a playhouse. A playhouse is what Daddy made me and Ryan. Some wood nailed together up in a tree with a ladder to climb up it. This is…this is…”

  My eyes jerked back down to the drawing in my hand.

  “Fine, it’s a play-castle. But nothing but the best for our grandchild,” Momma said.