by Max Monroe
“That’s not too far.”
“Mm-hmm,” I respond, but my thoughts are the exact opposite. Sure, not too far distance-wise, but this place is worlds apart from what I’m used to.
Whereas my apartment is located in downtown Salt Lake, in the middle of the hustle and bustle, this ranch makes me feel like I’m on a different fucking planet.
There’s no Starbucks.
No restaurants.
No nightlife.
No cars.
And besides Tom and Tiny, I’ve yet to see another human being.
I’m thankful when Tiny pulls us to a stop in front of an impressive and huge rustic lodge. “Here we are,” he says and cuts the engine. “Tex should be in his office.”
Careful not to trip over the gravel pathway, I follow him toward the entrance and through the large wooden doors. The moment we step into the interior, I’m shocked at just how big the structure is on the inside.
The strong smell of cedar assaults my nostrils, and my eyes don’t miss the massive fireplace in the center of the main room or the dead animal heads that hang proudly all over the walls.
Holy cowboys and cowgirls. This is the kind of lodge or cabin or whatever you want to call it that you’d see in a Western-style Hollywood movie. Any second, I feel like a young Brad Pitt dressed as Wyatt Earp might come sidling out in sexy chaps and boots and spurs.
Certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen…
Tiny leads me out of the main gathering room, past what looks to be an even larger dining room, and down a long hallway.
Once we reach the end of it, he comes to a stop.
He raps his knuckles against the closed door three times, and it’s followed by a husky male voice responding, “C’mon in!”
“I’ve got the good doctor here, Tex.” Tiny opens the door and gestures for me to step inside.
A large desk that looks like it took three giant trees to make sits in the center of the room, and behind it is an older but handsome man who matches this lodge to a T. His skin is tanned, his face is clean-shaven, and his aqua-blue eyes are downright striking. Wrinkles form around his lips when his gaze meets mine, and his mouth crests up into a friendly grin.
“Dr. Leah Levee,” he greets, and the way he says my name makes me feel a genuine welcoming. “I’m Tex Jameson,” he continues and stands to his feet, holding out a hand to shake mine. I step forward and accept the affable gesture.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Jameson. And please, just call me Leah.”
His grin grows. “And you just call me Tex. Mr. Jameson makes me feel too damn old.”
I smile. “Okay, Tex.”
“What cabin are we puttin’ her in?” Tiny asks.
“Three.”
“That’s a great cabin, Doc,” Tiny comments. “Clean, spacious, and with a great view of the cliffs. I reckon you’ll feel right at home there.”
And I reckon it’s going to take a lot for a girl like me to feel right at home in a giant, away-from-most-civilization ranch like this, but I keep that snarky thought to myself and just offer a simple, “That sounds great.”
“Okay, Doc. Tex will take it from here,” he adds over his shoulder as he walks back to the door. “I’m gonna be headin’ on my way, but I’ll make sure your bags get to your cabin, ’kay?”
“Thank you so much, Tiny.”
He heads out the door and back down the hallway, and Tex motions for me to take a seat across from him.
I adjust my dress and sit down in the thick leather armchair positioned in front of his desk.
“Glad you could make it,” he says and sits back down in his cozy desk chair. “Did you have any trouble gettin’ out here?”
I shake my head. “Mr. Kaminsky was nice enough to lend one of his planes.”
“One of his planes.” Tex smirks. “That bastard has more money than he knows what to do with.”
I want to say that from the looks of it or the fact that he’s paying me a lot of money to stay out here for the next two months and help his kid recover from his orthopedic injury, Tex Jameson also has a lot of money, but I figure that’s a little too forward of a comment for someone I just met mere minutes ago.
So, instead, I just smile.
“Well, darlin’, I can’t deny your job might come with some difficulties.”
I quirk my brow. “Difficulties?”
“My son, Rhett, well, he can be a bit of a stubborn mule,” he begins to explain.
“Well, Tex, I’m sure I can handle it. I worked at Salt Lake Regional for three years and handled a lot of pediatric ortho cases. Tough boys are my specialty.”
“That’s good.” A laugh jumps from his throat, and a smirk follows. “Because my son Rhett is definitely a tough boy. I take it Frank gave you the lowdown on everything?”
“Somewhat,” I answer. “I know Rhett is fourteen and recovering from a patella fracture and patella tendon tear. I also know he had surgery four weeks ago.”
“Fourteen?” he questions, and his face scrunches up in amusement. Instantly, I’m confused and tilt my head to the side.
“Is your son not fourteen?”
Tex just laughs and shakes his head. “Well, some days, he can act like he’s eighteen, even twenty-one on a good day.”
I grin at that. “Teenage boys can be difficult.”
“Teenage boys. Young boys. Grown boys. All ages of the male species are difficult, darlin’.”
“You won’t find me denying that one.”
Tex chuckles. “I can already tell, beneath that pretty exterior, you’ve got some fire and sass about ya. That’s certainly gonna come in handy when it comes to dealing with Rhett.” He leans back in his chair and takes off his hat, tossing it onto the desk. “Can you promise me you’ll stick it out for the full eight weeks? Even when Rhett is givin’ you a hard time?” he queries. “Dr. Namath thinks, with your hands-on help and expertise, two months is a long enough recovery duration to get a stubborn jackass like my son safely back on his feet. Which is the whole reason you’re here. If left to his own devices, he’d never get back to one hundred percent.”
Jackass.
Stubborn.
Giving me a hard time.
Sheesh. How bad is this kid?
I’m picturing all sorts of temper tantrums and spoiled brat nightmarish scenarios.
But I’m also picturing the generous paychecks these eight weeks will provide and the fact that I’ll be able to pay off my student loans and get on my boss’s good side in the process. I may have been hired as one of the Slammers team physicians, but I’m currently only second in line. One day, I want to be the number one. Calling the shots. Making the decisions. Running the whole show.
So, taking this job for one of Mr. Kaminsky’s closest friends seemed like a win-win situation. Even if it comes with some struggle.
“I’m sure I’ll be able to handle whatever Rhett throws my way.”
“Now that’s the kind of attitude I like to hear.” Tex’s grin grows, and he reaches out to slip his cowboy hat back on. “I’d say it’s a good time to get you settled into your cabin, and then you can head on over and meet Rhett and start doing your smart doctor thing.”
“That sounds like a plan, but if you don’t mind my asking, is Dr. Namath Rhett’s current ortho physician?”
Tex nods.
“I’d love to get his phone number so that I can give him a call and get a full briefing on your son’s case. Mr. Kaminsky assured me that I would be able to get that done before I officially started to take over his care.”
“That won’t be a problem, darlin’,” he responds. “How about you write your number down here, and I’ll get in touch with Dr. Namath for ya?”
“Perfect.” I nod and quickly jot down my cell number with pen and paper he slides across his desk.
“Now, the cell service around here can be tricky at times, but I’ve got a good map for you that shows all the best spots to make calls if you find it difficult from your ca
bin,” he states and stands to his feet.
Best spots to make calls? I think to myself. That doesn’t sound promising.
But he doesn’t give me any time to question it.
With him to his feet and already on the move, I have no other option but to follow his lead out of his office door.
By the time we step outside the lodge, he hands me a map, a sheet of paper with important phone numbers for the ranch and staff, and a set of keys. “You can borrow my Jeep while you’re here to get around. But I should warn ya, this ranch is over two thousand acres, so make sure you keep this map handy until you get the lay of the land.”
Over two thousand acres? That’s insane.
I can’t even calculate how big that actually is. I just know it’s a lot of land.
Surely it’s enough to put at least one Starbucks out here…
“That’s my Jeep,” he says and points to what has to be the oldest working Jeep in the fucking world right now. Its doors are rusted out, and it has more layers of dust and dirt than ten car washes could remove. “Just filled the tank for ya, so you should be good to go.”
I nod and try to hide my shock over driving this deathtrap around.
“I circled your cabin—cabin number three. It’s a straight shot from the lodge, only a mile up the road.” Tex pats my shoulder. “And I also circled Rhett’s house on the map for ya, so once you get settled into your cabin, you can head on over to his place.”
Rhett’s house? He doesn’t stay in the same house as his dad?
“I’ll make sure my wife Jenny stops by to see you later today. If there’s anyone who can make ya feel at home around here, it’s her. But don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything. My number is on the sheet.”
“O-okay, Tex,” I stutter out, my mind bouncing around to all the things he keeps flinging my way.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I gotta head back inside and get back to work,” he states at rapid-fire pace. “Real glad to have you here, Leah, and I’m sure I’ll see ya later tonight. There’s no doubt in my mind, my Jen will want to have you over for dinner.”
All I can do is nod. Though, inside, I’m a ball of fucking anxiety. I feel like I’ve been tossed to the proverbial wolves and now my only option is to sink or fucking swim.
Tex’s boots crunch against the gravel as he turns back to the lodge, and I hesitantly make my way over to the Jeep in hopes I can figure out how to drive the damn thing.
I lift my fingers to the door handle but pause when Tex’s voice fills my ears again.
“Oh, and by the way, Rhett doesn’t know you’re here,” he calls toward me. “So, if he gets pissy with ya, tell him I’ll be in my office and more than happy to have a word with him.”
Wait…what? He doesn’t know I’m here?
I blink several times, but before I can even inquire further about that mind-blowing statement, Tex is back in the lodge and out of sight.
And I’m just left standing here, staring at the keys and map in my hands.
Holy hell. What have I gotten myself into?
Tex
“What are you doing over there?” My wife’s voice startles the hell out of me, and I quickly back away from the curtains and try to act like I’m doing something manly like checking the strength of the lodge’s foundation.
In reality, I’m spying on a certain lady doctor. Mostly trying to make sure she gets the Jeep started up okay, but also, pretty damn entertained watching her stomp around on them pointy shoes that don’t belong in a place like this while cursing at the hard-as-hell-to-open driver’s door.
It might seem mean how I left her standing there in a colorful getup with just a map, keys, and her jaw damn near touching her toes, but there’s always a method to my madness. Or should I say, in this case, a method to my meanness.
“Tex?” Jenny’s voice fills my ears again, and I pretend I’m being productive.
“Thought I saw some instability here.” After a few taps to the wood of the large wall in the entryway, I nod. “But don’t worry, everything appears good. Though, I still might call the contractor to come out and take a look just in case.”
When I turn around to face Jenny, she’s standing there, staring at me like I’ve got two heads, with a sassy hand to her hip. Even though she looks prettier than a Sunday morning sunrise in her favorite pair of Levi’s and old cowgirl boots, I can tell she is ready to ream my ass.
“And you expect me to believe that?”
Yep. She’s definitely ready to ream me a new one.
Doesn’t mean I’m not going to try like hell to avoid the subject of what I was actually doing or who I was actually snooping on through the window.
“What are you talking about, Jen?” I retort like I’m not full of crap. “You know this lodge here is a relic. It’s important I keep an eye on it for any issues. One small crack in the wall or a leak in the ceiling that’s left unfixed could end up costing us thousands.”
She purses her lips. “So, you weren’t just watching the pretty doctor you hired for Rhett struggling with that piece of junk you call a car?”
Shit. Caught red-handed.
“Exactly how long you been standin’ here, honey?”
“Long enough to watch you all but shove her out of the lodge on her pretty heels with some excuse of having work to get back to. When, I know for a fact, the rest of your day is pretty damn clear.”
I sigh. I swear, my Jenny, she doesn’t miss a fucking beat. Even though she told me this morning she’d be busy in the lodge kitchen cleaning and organizing all day, I guess she found some time to check up on me.
It’s like she’s got a pair of eyes in the back of her head and her hearing is better than a damn dog.
“Tex, I’d say it’s high time to fess up.”
Looks like the ole cat is out of the bag and the wife isn’t gonna tolerate anything but the truth…
“I take it you’ve figured out I’ve hired a doctor to come stay at the ranch and help Rhett get back on his feet.”
She guffaws and tosses a sarcastic hand in the air. “You hired her to help Rhett? Pretty sure you mean you hired her to keep his ass in line.”
“Which he needs.”
She quirks one eyebrow. “More like, you think he needs.”
“And you don’t think Rhett needs that?”
“Don’t put words in my mouth, old man,” she retorts and points one bossy index finger in my direction. “I know Rhett needs a little kick in the butt sometimes, but I also know he’s not a boy anymore. He’s a man, and a man should have the right to make his own decisions.”
“Yeah, well, if I don’t open your son’s eyes and make him see that his current path will lead this ranch down the shitter, then I’ll be out herding cattle until I’m a hundred. Is that what you want, honey? Me trying to herd cattle and run a ranch when I can hardly remember my own fuckin’ name?”
Jen sighs and steps closer to me. “You know that’s not what I want.”
“Then, tell me, what’s the alternative?” I question. “What would you have me do in this situation?”
“I’m not sure.” She shrugs and tosses the towel in her hand over her shoulder. “But I know a good start would be to stop being dishonest with your son.”
“You think I should’ve told him about hiring Dr. Levee?”
She nods. “I do.”
“And I’m guessin’, if you knew I let Frank Kaminsky tell Dr. Levee that Rhett is a fourteen-year-old boy, you’d probably also think I shouldn’t have let that happen either?”
“Texas Jameson,” she retorts with narrowed eyes. “That doctor thinks Rhett is a teenager?”
“Like I said, it wasn’t me!” I quickly respond with both hands held high. “It was Frank.” “Wasn’t you, my patootie!” she chastises. “You obviously went along with it. Not to mention, you and Frank just about share half a brain when it comes to this kind of stuff. I can’t for the life of me understand why it is that men are incapable of fully growing up.
”
I flash a flirty smirk and waggle my eyebrows at her. “It’s why we need wonderful women like you to keep us in line.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, don’t think you can try to distract me with your flattery!” She takes the towel off her shoulder and whips me in the side with it. “You old bastard, you!”
I laugh and raise both of my hands up in the air again. “C’mon, Jen, you know if that doctor would’ve known what she was really walking into, she would’ve never come out here. And, trust me, Rhett needs this. Just a week ago, Tiny caught him out in the barn saddlin’ Sonny.”
“No, he didn’t.” She tries to refute the idea that her baby boy is a fucking troublemaker.
But I don’t have any problems setting her straight. Even if it means another night on the couch.
“Jenny, I know you think Rhett is a good boy, but I’m tellin’ you, that son of ours is as stubborn as they come. If I didn’t bring someone out here to help him safely get back on his feet from that knee injury, I feared he’d end up losing the fucking leg. All them years of ridin’ broncs has only made him more willing to take unnecessary risks. More willin’ to choose ego over rationality.”
Jen shakes her head and steps closer to the window to peek out the curtains.
I’m not sure if Dr. Leah Levee has managed to get out of the lodge parking lot yet, but with the way my wife huffs out a sigh, I can imagine there’s still a bit of a struggle going on.
“Tex, don’t you think you should at least give her something better to drive?” she requests. “Making a pretty city girl like that drive around in your old hunk of junk just seems downright cruel.”
“I’m plannin’ on switchin’ it out for one of the trucks later.”
“Why later?” she asks, glancing at me over her shoulder.
“Because that ole Jeep of mine is good for one thing and one thing alone—breaking the fuck down. And guess who’s gonna have to come to her rescue?”
She inhales an exasperated breath. “Rhett.”
“Now you’re getting the idea. I’m just encouraging some bonding, is all.” I grin and step forward to stand beside my beautiful wife, and with my arm around her waist, after I give her ass a little squeeze, I watch out the window with her.
