by Katie Lane
Spending one more day in Bliss wasn’t going to hurt anything. And it would ease his mother’s mind if she had test results to prove that her precious son was okay.
What he wasn’t okay about was Summer not answering his text.
“Waiting for a text?”
He lifted his gaze from his phone and saw Granny Bon standing in the doorway. She was an attractive older woman with salt-and-pepper hair that she wore in a long braid, and gray eyes the exact shade of Dirk’s.
He set his cellphone on the rolling tray table by his bed. “I was just bored and scrolling through my emails. I’m glad you stopped by, Granny Bon.”
She walked in with a determined stride that reminded him of Summer. Her eyes held concern as she stood next to his bed. “Sweet Lord, she really did a number on you, didn’t she?”
“I’m fine.” He touched the collar around his neck. “This is just a precautionary measure.”
She nodded as she took a chair by his bed. “It’s always best to err on the side of caution. Still, I feel real bad about what happened, and I want you to know that the family will take care of all your doctor’s bills.”
“That won’t be necessary. I have insurance.”
“It is necessary. It’s our fault that you got injured, and it’s our responsibility to make sure you’re well cared for.”
“It wasn’t Summer’s fault. There were cows in the road.”
She studied him. “I heard. But I also believe that my granddaughter was going too fast. She’s a little bit of a speed demon, that one.”
He couldn’t help but grin. “She does take things fast. But that’s what I like about her.” As soon as the words were out, he wanted them back. Especially when Granny Bon’s eyes lit up like lights on a Christmas tree.
“So you like my granddaughter, do you?”
He tried to backpedal. “I like all your grandchildren. Dirk is my best friend. And the best business partner I could’ve asked for.”
She nodded. “He did seem to get all the business savvy in the family.” She paused. “Summer likes to think she’s got a brain for business, but she couldn’t be more wrong. She’s too impulsive. She gets a whim to do something, and then leaps right in before she looks. Once she’s knee-deep in quicksand, she’ll sink to the bottom before she admits that she made a mistake.”
Ryker knew where this was going. “And you’d like me to keep her from the quicksand by not helping her with her newest business venture.”
“I guess my grandson talked with you.”
“He did, and I told him I wouldn’t help her. But Summer can be…persuasive.”
Granny Bon studied him. “Talked you into it, did she?”
For some reason, maybe the knowing look in her eyes, he didn’t think they were talking about talking. But certainly Summer hadn’t told Granny Bon about what they’d done. Sex wasn’t something you talked about with your grandmother. Not that Summer had used sex to persuade him to help her. At least, he hoped she hadn’t. Just like he hoped she hadn’t used the tequila. He didn’t know why, but it was important to him that Summer had been as attracted to him as he was to her.
He tried to keep his voice nonchalant and his words noncommittal when he answered. “Like I said, she can be persuasive. And to be honest, I think it might be a good idea. I don’t mind looking over her business plan and pointing out all the problems with it.”
Granny Bon smiled. “That’s real nice of you. And I think you’re right. If you point out the problems with her plans, maybe she’ll let this harebrained idea go.”
Why did her family think it was such a harebrained idea? He hadn’t gotten all the details, but it sounded like a viable idea to him. He loved his personal shopper. He input his size and preferences and a box of clothes came straight to his door without the hassle of shopping. But maybe they knew something he didn’t about Summer’s plan. Which made him even more curious to talk to her and look at it.
“I’ll give her my honest opinion,” he said.
“I didn’t think otherwise. And you can do it while you’re here. She needs something to keep her distracted while she’s recuperating.”
He sat up quickly, winching when the muscles in his neck tightened. “Summer needs to stay in the hospital? I thought she was going to be released today.”
“She is, but the doctors still want her to take it easy for a couple weeks. And since Autumn will be busy with the store, I thought it would be better for Summer to recuperate here in Bliss.”
He was surprised that she’d agreed to that. He would’ve thought she’d want to head straight back to Houston. He certainly couldn’t wait to get back to his business.
“That’s good that she’s taking some time off,” he said. “But unfortunately, I won’t be staying in Bliss after they release me tomorrow. I need to get back to Dallas. So I’ll have to give her my advice via email.”
She patted his hand. “There’s no need to hurry back to Dallas. Dirk is catching a flight tonight.”
“Excuse me?”
“Like I told you before, the entire family feels responsible for what happened. And Dirk is headed to Dallas to let your employees know about your accident and to make sure everything runs smoothly while you recover.”
Ryker would’ve shaken his head if not for the collar around it. “He doesn’t have to do that, Granny Bon. He has a family to take care of.”
“Gracie and the babies will be fine without him for a little while. I planned to stay for a week after the wedding and help out, and the triplets’ new nanny, Mrs. Miller, can help Gracie after I’m gone. And Dirk knows he doesn’t have to do it. He wants to. Not only because it was his sister who put you in a neck brace, but also because you’re his friend. That’s what friends do for each other.”
There was nothing for him to say. She’d pretty much backed him into a corner. He suddenly realized that she and Summer had more than their determined stride in common. They were both stubborn, tenacious women. Of course, he had no intention of letting Dirk stay in Dallas. But for now, he would have to graciously accept the Hadleys’ help. He probably did need another day to recover. While he was resting, he could give Summer her three hours.
As if on cue, his phone pinged. He ignored it.
“Thank you, Granny Bon. My mother will be happy to hear that I’m in such good hands.”
She got to her feet. “When you talk to her, you let her know that we’re going to take extra good care of you.” She glanced at his cellphone. “Did you want to get that?” She winked at him. “It could be your girlfriend checking up on you.”
He smiled. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
She studied him. “Really? Now, I think you’re fibbing. You’re too good-looking not to have a girlfriend.”
“Thank you, but I’m afraid I haven’t had a lot of time for dating.”
“When you meet the right woman, you’ll make time.” She picked up his phone and handed it to him. “Just in case you change your mind.” She turned and strode out of the room.
As soon as she was gone, he tapped his phone and read Summer’s message.
Have you lost your mind?
He quickly sent her a reply.
I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about. Could you be more specific?
A few moments later, she rolled into his room in a wheelchair. She was wearing the same kind of drafty hospital gown that he was wearing and had a huge bandage on her forehead that immediately concerned him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She rolled closer, her blue eyes glued to the neck brace. “Are you?”
“It’s not a big deal. My neck was sore, and they put on the brace as a precaution until they can take an MRI. You, on the other hand, are in a wheelchair.”
“The nurse refused to let me out of bed without it. And if I didn’t get out of bed, I was going to go crazy.” He had to smile. She was not a woman who could be confined to bed…at least not without something to occupy her. He had pl
enty of ideas of how to occupy her in bed, but he pushed the thoughts out of his mind and tried to focus on the conversation. “The doctors want me to stay off my foot until they’ve read the x-rays and made sure it’s not broken,” she continued. “But If I can do this, it’s not broken.” She lifted her wrapped foot and wiggled her bare toes at him. Pink painted toes that he’d nibbled and tasted the night before, as well as her toned calf and the soft skin of her inner thigh and the hidden place beneath her hospital gown.
“Ryker?”
He pulled his gaze away from her lap to find her staring at him with confusion. She must’ve read the sexual desire burning a hole through him because she slowly lowered her foot and looked away. “I guess your glasses got broken in the crash?”
He’d forgotten he had his glasses on until she mentioned them. He touched the white piece of medical tape he’d used to fix the cracked bridge. He must look like a real dweeb. A dweeb who got all hot and bothered over pink painted toes and a bare leg. He pushed his glasses up his nose, and his voice sounded much cooler when he spoke. “So what was up with the text about me losing my mind?”
She turned back to him. “Because only people who have lost their minds would send naughty texts to people who’ve just been in a car crash and can’t beat their grandmother to their phones.” He cringed as she continued. “Yep. She got to it first. I tried to act like it was a joke, but I could tell by her face that she wasn’t buying it. Now she thinks there’s something going on between us.”
“Well, that would explain the knowing look on her face when she came to see me. And why she asked me about my girlfriend.”
“Granny Bon came to visit you and asked about your girlfriend? Damn.” She thumped the handle of the wheelchair. “It’s worse than I thought.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “You have a girlfriend?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you have asked that question before you kissed me?”
“I didn’t kiss you. You kissed me.”
“Only after you got me drunk and seduced me.”
Her eyes widened. “I did not seduce you.”
“What would you call coming to a man’s motel room with a bottle of tequila in a skimpy dress? And no, I don’t have a girlfriend. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“I don’t have time to date.”
He was surprised by how relieved he felt. And maybe he was just relieved because he’d never been the type of guy to encroach on another man’s woman. “Which is exactly what I told your grandmother when she asked about my girlfriend. I don’t have time to date.” A thought struck him, and he cringed again. “So now she thinks that I’m a playboy who’s trying to get in her granddaughter’s pants.”
“Too late.” Summer frowned. “And I’m worried that Granny Bon knows it. My grandmother is no dummy. After seeing the text, it wouldn’t have taken her long to put two and two together. Especially when I arrived at the hospital in my maid-of-honor dress.”
“That was pretty telling. So what do we do now? Should I apologize for dishonoring her granddaughter?”
“No! Right now, she’s only speculating. If she found out for a fact that we had a one-night stand, she’ll really think my life is out of control. It’s best if we play dumb and you get back to Dallas as soon as possible.”
He didn’t know what bothered him more: being a one-night stand or her desire to get rid of her “one-night stand” so quickly. “There’s a problem with that plan,” he said. “Your grandmother feels responsible for what happened and wants me to stay in Bliss for few days so all you Hadleys can take care of me. Dirk is headed to Dallas to keep an eye on Headhunters while I’m gone.”
“Well, hell.”
He smiled dryly. “I’m not planning on taking her up on the offer. I don’t expect anyone to take care of me.”
She heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I just thought you’d want to get back to Dallas as much as I want to get back to Houston. But Granny’s right. It is our responsibility to take care of you—or my responsibility. I was the one who was texting and driving fast.” She turned away and stared out the window. “I could’ve hit you and pushed you down the embankment and we both could’ve died.” He was surprised to hear fear in her voice.
He reached out and touched her arm. “But you didn’t. Besides being a little banged up, we’re both okay.”
She continued to look out the window. “They say that your life passes before your eyes when you’re in a traumatic accident.”
“Did yours?”
She frowned. “No. I just remember thinking about my family and praying that I didn’t die. They’ve been through so many hardships in their lives—with our mama’s death and our daddy being a deadbeat—that I hated to become another.”
Ryker knew how much Dirk cared about his family, but he hadn’t been aware of how much Summer did until now. A lot of people would be worried about their lives being cut short, but Summer had been more worried about how her death would affect her family. She could be controlling, but it was obvious that she loved her grandmother and siblings. He wondered if the reason she wanted to succeed so badly was because she didn’t want them worrying about her.
“If you have a few hours tomorrow, I’ll look at your business plan,” he said.
She turned to him. “You don’t owe me anything anymore. The bet was paid in full when you took care of me after the accident.”
He should’ve agreed. Not only would that take care of his promise to Dirk, but he could also head back to Dallas sooner. But for some reason, he refused her offer. “A bet is a bet.”
She sent him a skeptical look. “Even if it was made while under the influence of tequila? I’m surprised you even remember the bet. I barely remember anything that happened last night.”
He wasn’t sure why that bothered him. Maybe because he remembered every detail. Every. Single. Detail. He remembered the way her dress had slipped to her waist when he tugged loose the bow at her neck, and the beauty it had revealed to his greedy gaze. He remembered the soft fullness of her breasts as he cradled them in his hands and the sweetness of their tight, rosy centers on his tongue. He remembered the toned muscles of her legs that flexed and trembled as he brushed his fingertips along their lengths and how they’d encased him when he moved between them. But mostly, he remembered the ecstasy of being deep inside her. It had been like plugging into an energy source. Summer’s vibrant heat had surrounded him—consumed him. He’d felt electrified and energized. And when she’d tightened around him and screamed out his name, all that electrical energy had surged into the best orgasm of his life.
Of course, after she’d just told him that his lovemaking was forgettable, he wasn’t about to tell her that.
“Yeah,” he said. “I don’t remember much of anything either.” He’d never been good at lying, and when Summer’s gaze narrowed on him, he wondered if she’d read the lie. He was thankful when a nurse walked in and distracted her.
“Excuse me, but I need to check your vitals, Mr. Evans.”
Summer backed the wheelchair away from the bed and quickly swiveled toward the door. “I’ll talk with you later, Ryker.” She paused on the way out the door and looked back at him. “None.”
“Excuse me?”
She smiled. “The answer to your last text.” While he was digesting the fact that she wasn’t wearing any underwear, she wheeled right out the door.
Chapter Eight
Waylon and Spring’s home was an old monstrosity of a house that would’ve made a perfect haunted mansion if it had been in disrepair. But the siding was painted a pretty shade of gray and the trim a crisp white. The lawn was thick and lush, and the flowerbeds were weeded. Although the gnomes that peeked out from behind every shrub and tree were a little creepy.
Summer squinted at the gnome hiding in the azaleas. It was wearing camouflage and pointing a tiny little rifle straight at her wrapped ankle. Her ankle wasn’t broken, but the doctor had given her crutches and told
her to stay off it for a few days and ice it. She didn’t need crutches. Her ankle was just a little sore. The only reason she was using them was because she didn’t want any more lectures from Granny Bon.
“Isn’t this a beautiful old house?” Granny Bon asked as she followed Summer up the path.
“If you’re partial to old things,” Summer said under her breath, but of course Granny heard her. The woman could hear a pin drop.
Granny Bon laughed. “I realize you don’t like me much right now, Summer Lynn, but recuperating for a few weeks in Bliss will do you good. Can you get up the porch steps?” Granny moved to her side.
“I got it.” Summer shifted the crutches to one hand and hopped up the steps. “And not a few weeks. Two. Just two.”
Granny Bon shook her head as she followed her up the steps. “Stubborn as the day is long.” On the porch, she set down Summer’s suitcase and lifted the chubby gnome with the red hat that sat by the front door to get the spare key. “Spring is thrilled that you’re staying here while she and Waylon are on their honeymoon. She’s been worried sick about leaving Sherlock alone at night being that he’s afraid of the dark.”
“That big ol’ hound dog?”
“Just because you’re big doesn’t mean you can’t be afraid.” Granny Bon unlocked the door and held it open for her. Sherlock might be afraid of the dark, but he wasn’t afraid of intruders. As soon as Summer crutched inside, she was greeted with a low, ferocious growl. Once her eyes adjusted to the dim foyer, she spotted Sherlock standing in the kitchen doorway with a tiny gray kitten sitting between his huge front paws.
“Don’t attack, Sherlock. It’s just me.” The dog came bounding over and almost knocked her to the floor with his enthusiastic greeting. She dropped her crutches and gave the dog a good ear scratching. “You are such a big ol’ baby, aren’t you? Just a big ol’ droopy baby.”
