“I’m going to the Davies family dinner tonight, and Jace just said it’s their way to interrogate us to find out if we’re dating.” Nolan cringed. He was a very sexy man with muscles for miles and a sharp face with kind eyes. But the cringe wasn’t a good sign. “What?”
“I’ve heard of those family dinners. I never dated a Davies just to avoid them. I dated Dylan’s wife once in high school, and her father is scary. Mad scary. The type to follow you with an armed drone that would shoot you if you made the wrong move with his daughter. However, he seemed the safer choice between Abby and a Davies woman.” Nolan shrugged then. “But you two are dating so it’s no big deal. Mr. Davies gave you farm equipment, and Mrs. Davies is over here almost every day dropping something off for you or buying flowers.”
Stella scrunched her nose. “I don’t know if we’re dating.”
“Sure you are. You two are together all the time.”
“We’ve never talked about it and he’s never called me his girlfriend.”
“Oh.” Nolan made the sound slowly and dragged it out as if seeing the problem. “Jace is the good guy of the group. I mean, they’re all great guys, but Jace was the one who always looked after everyone. He’s the kind one. The quiet one. The compassionate one. The one who didn’t blow things up all the time. I’m sure it’s just his way. From a man’s point of view, you don’t spend this much time with a woman unless you really like her.”
Stella crossed her arms over her chest. “You spend a lot of time with me.”
Nolan gave her a smile that would have any other woman orgasmic, but it didn’t do anything for Stella. “You pay me for my company.” Nolan’s eyes went to the driveway and his smile widened. “You have a visitor.”
Stella turned to see a familiar-looking minivan driving toward her. Soon a sprite of a woman hopped out and grinned at her. “Stella! How are you feeling about tonight?”
“Slightly petrified after Jace and Nolan told me about it,” Stella admitted. Tammy was an easy person to like. She didn’t seem like a mother, but a friend. However, the frown on her face and the glare she gave Nolan changed that in a second with a very pissed-off mom look.
“Nolan Flynn, what did you say?”
“Nothing bad, ma’am.” Nolan shuffled his feet and looked down at the ground.
Tammy’s eyes narrowed and her hands went to her hips. “Nolan. I’m only going to ask you once.”
“I told her about how scary y’all are to outsiders at family dinner. Stella’s worried because Jace told her y’all wanted to know about their relationship, but she doesn’t even know if they’re actually dating, officially,” Nolan said in a rush. Stella didn’t think he stopped to take a breath. “Sorry,” he mouthed to her and Stella rolled her eyes at him.
Tammy turned on her then. “My son hasn’t made it clear if he wants you to be his girlfriend?” Oh damn. Gone was Sweet Pixie Tammy and even Mom Tammy. In her place was Medusa Tammy.
“No, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
Tammy’s face suddenly softened as she reached out and patted Stella’s arm. “Oh no, dear. I’m not mad at you. It’s my idiot son who inherited his father’s idiot dating ideas. Don’t you worry. I’ll take care of this.”
Tammy spun around, and as she marched off, Stella heard Tammy muttering about a sexy Greek man, a stupid husband, genetics, and that she’d show them.
“Okay, so I get what you’re saying,” Stella said to Nolan as they watched Tammy drive off like she was outrunning the devil. Although by the look on her face it was more that she was chasing the devil down to give him a talkin’-to.
“Question is, is Jace worth it?” Nolan questioned.
“Yes,” Stella answered immediately.
“Then let’s get you to the interrogation.”
14
Nolan parked his truck out front of the clinic. Stella went to open the door when something caught her attention in the side mirror. Her eyes narrowed and she felt her forehead wrinkle in confusion.
“Nolan? Do you see a horse galloping down Main Street?”
Nolan looked in the mirror and cursed. The worry in his voice had Stella leaping from the truck to see if she needed to help catch the horse. She hadn’t seen a rider, but when she was out of the truck, she saw there was, in fact, a rider slouched over in a saddle.
“Hold your hands up and stop the horse! Distract him,” Nolan yelled at her as he moved to the side of the street.
Stella ran to the middle of the road and waved her hands in the air. “Stop, horsey! Stop! Whoa, horsey.”
The horse skidded to a stop and snorted. He stomped his foot on the pavement, causing a spark to fly from his horseshoe. This wasn’t a nice horsey. This was a horse with fire in his eyes and smoke coming from his nostrils. She heard a groan from the man clinging to the horse’s mane and looked his way. His brown hair was a little on the long side and liberally streaked with blond. He wore leather chaps over jeans and had what looked like a bulletproof vest on over his T-shirt. His arms were ripped with muscles she didn’t know men had. His jean-clad legs finally relaxed when the horse came to a stop.
Nolan tried to sneak in from the side and grab the reins that hung down, but the horse saw him and that fire in his eyes was focused all on Nolan. His hoof slammed against the pavement. Sparks flew and so did Nolan.
Nolan leapt, the horse reared, and the man slid off.
Stella didn’t have time to scream as she jumped forward. While Nolan was wrangling the horse, she dove to protect the man’s head from the fall.
The pavement tore into knees exposed by the hem of the cute swing-style dress she’d picked to wear, appropriate for family interrogation night. She felt the skin rip away as she held out her arms and caught the man’s upper body. His head slammed into her forearm, the force sending her arm scraping into the pavement. And then it was over.
Stella was breathing hard as she fought to calm herself. Her arms and legs felt like they were on fire. The horse was caught but throwing a fit as Nolan tried to calm him. The eyes of the man she was now cushioning fluttered open and she looked into hazel eyes similar to Jace’s.
“Thanks, ma’am.”
Then his eyes closed shut and his body went limp.
The door to the clinic flew open and Sarah ran out as she hollered for Jace. The horse didn’t like the noise and Nolan was left fighting him again until people began to pour out of the café and shops. Before Stella knew it, a man who looked a lot like the man in her arms was standing above her.
“Carter, help Nolan. Wyatt, call the farm and have my dad bring the trailer! Camila, be careful. This isn’t a pissed-off thoroughbred. It’s a rodeo horse that’s madder than a hornet,” the man next to her ordered.
Stella moved her eyes enough to see little Camila Davies helping Nolan and Carter Ashton wrangle the horse.
“I was looking forward to meeting you tonight at the inquis—family dinner. I’m Parker Davies. Thanks for saving my brother’s head from the fall. He’s had enough concussions.”
“Parker, what’s going on?” Jace yelled, running toward them as a crowd began to form around them. “Stella?”
“I stopped him from hitting his head when the horse threw him. But, Jace, he isn’t conscious.”
Jace bent down and pressed his fingers to the man’s throat. “Porter? Can you hear me?”
Jace pulled Porter’s eyelids open and flashed a light in them. Porter groaned. “Knock it off, Jace. Just let me lie here and enjoy Stella holding me. Maybe she’ll pick this Davies cousin since, according to the betting app, she’s technically still single.”
Parker laughed and then bent down to help Jace haul Porter upright. Porter let loose a string of cuss words that should have made her blush, but when Stella pried her body from the pavement, she was close to saying them, too.
“Dammit, Stella!” Jace cursed as he motioned for Henry Rooney to take his place and help carry Porter into the clinic. “You’re bleeding all over the place. Let me look.”
>
Stella let out a gasp of surprise as he yanked her skirt up to see the damage on her legs. “Jace!” His face was inches from her panties as he examined the scrapes that went from knee to thigh.
Suddenly a broom came out of nowhere and smacked Jace over the head. “Young man, a gentleman does not yank up a woman’s dress and put his face near her flower garden.”
Stella closed her eyes and wished that, when she opened them, this was just an embarrassing dream.
“Someone needs to tend the garden and that someone is me,” Jace told Miss Lily.
Oh God. This wasn’t a dream, but a nightmare. Could someone die of embarrassment?
* * *
Jace could only see red. Red from Porter’s comments about Stella being single and then red from seeing the blood dripping down Stella’s legs and even the drop that was about to fall from her fingertip. He wasn’t about to stop examining her to make sure there weren’t broken bones. No one was going to touch her where he was ever again. She was his. Period. This woman hurt herself to help protect his cousin. He’d be damned if he let her go again.
Jace put an arm along her back and then bent down and scooped her up. She hissed in pain as her knees bent over his other arm. “I’ve got you,” he said to comfort her.
“Your cousin. Number three hundred seven. He needs you more.”
Jace smiled as he marched toward the clinic. Sarah was already racing ahead to get the door for Porter and directed Parker and Henry where to take him.
“I’ll get some sterile water to start cleaning her wounds while you examine Porter,” Molly called out as she ran past him.
“You read my mind,” Jace told her before looking back down at Stella.
“Your work wife has you covered,” Molly chuckled. “I’ll take good care of her.”
“I wouldn’t trust her with anyone but you.” Jace didn’t take his eyes off Stella as he willed her to open her own eyes. “You’re going to be okay, Stella. You were so brave.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I’ve died of embarrassment.”
Jace set her down on the exam table. He didn’t want to embarrass her further by telling her how scared he was when he saw the blood. Not with Molly right there. One thing was sure, though: tonight he would be clear about how he felt for her. No more are they, aren’t they? He’d make it Blossom Café Betting Book official.
“I’ll be back to check on you as soon as I can.” Jace hated to let her go. He reluctantly left, but then all his attention was on Porter.
Jace thanked Henry as the man left Porter and Parker alone in the room. “What happened?” Jace asked as Sarah handed him the thick patient chart that belonged to Porter.
“I was trying to break Diablo in. We were in the far pasture so I could have him away from any distractions. He jarred the stuffin’ out of me and then sent me flying ass over hat. I landed on a rock with a pointed tip.”
“Maybe you’re not as good a trainer as you thought,” Parker said in a tone that made Jace wonder if they’d had this conversation a time or two.
“Just because you’re thinking of giving up your career doesn’t mean that I am. And I rode Diablo here. How’s that for training?” Porter looked as pissed off as Diablo had been.
Jace felt Porter’s pulse racing and knew he needed to calm him down. “Parker, can you help them get Diablo on the trailer? I know Porter would appreciate it.”
“I would,” Porter said, finally letting out a little breath and wincing.
“Of course. Then I’ll be right back to pick you up. A fall from a horse won’t get you out of family dinner.”
Porter cursed when his brother chuckled and Jace waited for Parker to leave the room before unstrapping the padded safety vest Porter was wearing. “What’s going on between you two?”
“Parker wants a career. He wants to make a difference like our dad did and he doesn’t think he’ll find that in the rodeo.”
“Parker wants to be a spy?” Jace asked as he lifted Porter’s T-shirt. A bruise was already forming on his back.
“Nah, he’s thinking of applying to be a U.S. marshal. He believes they’re the most cowboy-like government agency.”
“And you disagree?” Jace began feeling along Porter’s ribs and noticed when he held his breath. Porter had broken bones and never blinked an eye. He would never admit when something hurt, so Jace had to learn it from his involuntary actions.
“I do. He’s number two in the country on the pro circuit. He’s just pissed I’m number one.”
“Or maybe he realizes this sport is taking a massive toll on his body and wants to have a life left to live.”
“You sound like my mom,” Porter grunted.
“Well, Aunt Gemma’s a very smart woman.” Jace ran his fingers up Porter’s spine and to the back of his head. Porter flinched and Jace parted his hair to reveal the giant goose egg. “You hit your head when you fell, didn’t you?”
Porter shrugged instead of answering.
“Porter, I don’t want to get in the middle of a family discussion about everyone’s futures, but you need a backup plan. One more fall and you might not be able to pass the medical exam.”
“I get your point. I’ll be more careful. What’s the damage?”
Jace walked around front so Porter could see him. “I need to take an X-ray, but I’m guessing you have two fractured ribs and another concussion.”
“I’ll be down a week. No big deal. Wrap me up, will you?”
Jace grabbed the compression bandage to help lessen the pain of the fractured ribs, but didn’t put it on yet. “Porter, I’m not making a point. I’m telling you as your doctor: one more fall and your rodeo career is probably over. Possibly your life. What’s so bad about being a horse breeder and farmer? Your dad is one now.”
“My dad was an international spy who had fun playing stuntman. He’s now a farmer because his cover was blown and he had a family. I don’t have a wife or kids. I have nothing that would make me settle down like that.”
“That’s not a reason to keep doing this to your body, Porter. You don’t have to run a farm. You can do anything you’d like.”
Porter groaned as Jace wrapped the compression band around him. “You really do sound like my mother. At least with a concussion you can get me out of family dinner.”
“No can do. Grandma Marcy sent me a list of medical excuses to get one out of family dinner and concussion isn’t on it. I’d advise ear plugs and sunglasses.”
“I don’t believe you. This is punishment for me not wanting to quit rodeos.”
Jace pulled up his phone to the email he’d gotten from their grandmother and showed it to Porter. “Severed limb, delivering a great-grandchild, or death. Those are the only things listed.”
Jace couldn’t stop the grin as Porter groaned. “Let me get you hooked up to some fluids with a little something for the pain in there.”
“When are you going to make an honest woman out of Stella? Even I know it could have been much worse if she hadn’t protected my head during that fall. Maybe she could make me put down roots if you’re not going to lock that down.”
“Want another broken rib?”
Porter chuckled, then groaned. “I think that answered my question.”
* * *
Stella tried not to gasp as Molly cleaned her wounds. The young nurse was doing a very good job of getting all the debris and dirt out and bandaging her up, but it hurt like none other.
“Porter is so sexy, isn’t he?” Molly asked as if this was girl time.
“What? Oh, Porter. Yes. You don’t see that many guys that look like actual cowboys anymore.” So, the nurse had a crush on Porter?
“He’s a great guy. If you decide to date him, though, give me the heads up.” Molly smirked as if she were laughing to herself as she began to wrap Stella’s knee. “Momma needs a new couch. Any inside scoop on your dating life will be much appreciated.”
Stella laughed this time as the two began to joke about the various
bets going on around town. Stella resembled a mummy by the time Molly was done but she felt clean and ready to heal. Plus she had a new friend. She’d really enjoyed getting to know Molly.
“Sounds like you two are having fun.”
Stella and Molly both looked up and grinned at each other before nodding to Jace.
“Want me to drive you home?” Molly asked her. “I could grab us a to-go order from the café.”
“You’ll have to get a rain check,” Jace told her, but Stella was looking forward to doing just what Molly was suggesting. “I have a whole family waiting to make sure she’s okay. Grandma Marcy has already texted that they have a place for you to rest tonight before dinner.”
“Oh. Okay” Molly said slowly. “Gotcha. Good luck with meeting the family. You’ll love them. They’re great.”
“I’d really like a girls’ night, though,” Stella said before hissing in pain as she stood up. Jace was instantly by her side to steady her.
“I’d like that, too.” Molly stood by as Stella got her wobbly legs under her.
“Come on, sweetheart. I’ll help you out to the car. We’re taking Porter with us.” Jace began to help her from the room before turning back to Molly. “Thanks for taking care of her, Molly. Sarah said she’d clean up and close. Enjoy your weekend.”
Stella smiled over her shoulder as Molly watched them leave. Soon Jace had her in the front seat and was running back inside to help Porter out to the SUV. Molly had given her something for the pain, and now Stella wondered if that was a good idea. At first, she’d been thankful for it, but she’d completely forgotten about family dinner. High on pain pills and wrapped like a mummy wasn’t going to make a great impression.
15
Jace was going to strangle Porter. His cousin had been flirting with Stella the entire ride to their grandparents’ house. It wasn’t just flirting. Porter had point-blank asked her if she wanted to go out for dinner one night. When Stella laughed it off, Porter said to her, “You don’t have a boyfriend, do you? So, what’s the problem?”
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