“Occasionally when I stand too long. I want to strengthen it so I can be on my feet more.”
“We’ll use that as our first goal.” She moved Heather’s leg and felt around the area. “Get dressed. I’ll meet you at my desk. I have a schedule set up. We’ll see if it works for you.”
“Why can’t we do some simple exercises today?”
“I never work on someone without studying all their information first.”
Heather understood, but she was disappointed. She’d wanted to get started. “You have to learn patience,” she mumbled to herself as she dressed. When she walked to the desk, Cora handed her the schedule.
“Will these dates work for you?” Cora asked. “We’ll start with three days a week and see how it goes.”
“Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday,” Heather read out loud. “Aren’t you off on the weekends?”
“I am, but this is the only way I can see you three days a week. I’m very busy with patients and others that have been sent to me.”
“I can’t ask you to give up your time off. Maybe I’d better have you refer me to someone else.”
Cora’s eyes flashed with annoyance and her lips tightened. “Heather, I’m the best, and I’m not bragging. I’ve been doing this since I got out of school at twenty-four. You need me. We have other very good physical therapists in the area, but they don’t have my experience. They are much younger and do well with regular cases. You are an exception. I want to work with you and see how far we can go. Will you let me?”
“Certainly. Gavin said you had a special talent. I just didn’t think it was fair of me to interfere with your personal life.”
“Like you, Heather, my job is my life.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow at four o’clock.”
Heather walked toward to the door and Cora spoke up. “We’re going to get rid of your cane, Heather.”
Hope swelled in Heather’s chest as she rode the elevator to the main floor. She liked Cora and believed her. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow afternoon.
* * * *
Ivor Stannis watched Pamela, Heather Carrick’s understudy, as she practiced the lead part that had been Heather’s. Ivor’s plan had failed Pamela on his first try.
Damn Heather. The idiot he’d hired didn’t hit her car hard enough. Ivor had wanted her out of the way for good. This fiasco cost him a bundle, but it would be worth it if Pamela got the opportunity to be the lead ballerina.
Heather’s parents had come to the theatre the other day at the director’s invitation. Ivor had tried to overhear their conversation, but the director saw him and motioned him away.
Pamela hadn’t been given Heather’s position officially. Heather’s name was still on the program and Pamela was noted as understudy. What were they waiting for a fucking miracle?
Still, it would happen for Pamela. With Heather’s injured leg, she’d never dance again. But if she attempts to, I’ll finish the job myself, and I’ll do it right.
* * * *
When Heather came out of the hospital on Thursday, she found Gavin waiting for her. “Hi, what are doing here?”
“I thought I’d catch up with you. I hadn’t heard whether Cora had taken you as a patient or not.”
“You could have called and asked her.”
“But then I wouldn’t have seen you.” He walked beside her as she headed to her car.
“How long are you going to keep this rental?”
“I don’t know. I have to have a car to get around. Aunt Bella and Uncle Jack offered to loan me hers, but I don’t want to inconvenience her.”
“I have a solution. My dad got Mom a new truck for Christmas. When I talked to her, she agreed you can use her old truck, which is in good shape, until you decide whether you’re staying in South Dakota or going back to Chicago.”
“I’d insist on paying her for the use.”
“You’d insult her. We help each other. That’s the way we are in Triple Creeks Township.”
Heather bit her lip. “You’re not just saying that, are you? Because I’d feel better about it, if I paid her.”
“Relax. Learn how to live in a small, supportive community.”
“I really appreciate the offer. But I will give her a nice gift as a thank-you.”
“Women like gifts. How about coming to the ranch for dinner? Beck’s grilling steaks.”
“I don’t know. Aunt Bella is expecting me.”
Gavin punched in a number. “Mrs. Bella, I’d like for Heather to have dinner with Beck and me. Do you mind? I’ll follow her home to be on the safe side.”
He clicked off his phone. “She said that would be fine, and for you to enjoy yourself.”
Heather stomped her foot. “See, you are too controlling.”
“No, I’m not. I solved the problem.”
“Maybe I don’t want to go to your ranch tonight. I’m tired.”
“You don’t have to do a thing, but relax. Are you too tired to drive?”
“Of course not.”
“Then follow me.”
Heather fumed all the way. “He’s so arrogant and controlling. I want to see them, but I’m not ready to start anything too serious,” she mumbled to herself. “I can’t be distracted from the work I’m doing to help my leg improve.”
But when Gavin looks at me with those blue eyes and his lips turn up in a sexy smile, my heart flutters, and my insides tighten with desire. I can’t stay focused on saying no. With the two of them I’ll be even more of a marshmallow.
Gavin turned, and she followed him along a narrow road to a large opening. Their house was bigger than she’d expected for two bachelors. The sunset reflected colors of red and gold off the windows. Heather parked next to Gavin’s truck. He came to her car door and opened it.
“You have a beautiful place with the mountains in the background and the sunset reflecting the colors off of them. I see a barn in the distance.”
“We chose to build the house a fair distance from the rest of the ranch.”
“Did you build it yourself?”
“No. We had the plans drawn up by an architect. Our friend Andy is a contractor. His company built it for us. Come on in. I’ll show you the house and afterward I’ll start the grill. Beck will be in soon, so it’ll be hot and ready. We won’t have to wait too long to eat.”
He brought her in the front door. There was a foyer, and then a large room with a fireplace with windows on either side facing the front of the house.
Gavin led her around the back wall of that room into the dining room and then the kitchen off of it. “I like to cook,” he said. “Most of the time I do the cooking. It helps me unwind from my busy days.”
“This is a cook’s dream kitchen. You have all the most modern appliances.”
“Do you like to cook?”
“I’ve never really tried except for salads and very small meals.”
“I’d hoped to fall for a lady chef, but I’ll take you instead.”
“Don’t move too fast. I have no idea what my future holds or what I want it to be.”
“Beck and I are planning to show you one direction you can take. We’ll see what happens.”
“Do you ever take no for an answer?”
Gavin grinned. “Occasionally.”
He led her down a hallway on the left and one on the right. There were bedrooms and baths on each side of the house. Along the right hall, they stopped at the door to Gavin’s room. She stepped inside.
“I’m surprised. I expected the cowboy décor to be more Beck’s style.”
“I’m just a cowboy at heart.”
The walls were light beige, and there were three pictures of the mountains at different times of day—sunrise, noon, and sunset. “Did you take these photos?”
“No. Beck did. He keeps a camera with him at all times. He’s caught some beautiful shots of animals and the surrounding area. I’ll show you his room.”
“Won’t he mind my invading his privacy?”
>
“He told me it was all right this morning when we discussed asking you to dinner.”
Gavin opened a door further down the hall. The walls were a greenish blue like the ocean on a pretty day. White curtains blew in the breeze from an open window. His paintings were of sailboats, and his photos of Navy ships. His teal blue bedspread matched the room.
“He must miss the sea?”
“On vacation he goes to some seashore for a few weeks. When he returns, his tan is darker and his eyes clearer.”
“Do you think he’d ever leave here and move to a place by the ocean?”
“I asked him and he said no. This is home. Beck also loves the mountains and the prairie. But when he retires, he’ll have a beach vacation home to visit whenever he wants. He’s looking for one to buy now.”
“I totally didn’t expect how you’ve decorated your rooms. I’d have thought you’d have the softer, seaside colors and Beck the cowboy décor.”
“Our moms helped us. They know what we like, and we made suggestions, especially about the overall effect we wanted.” He tilted her face upward. “See, you can’t assume you know someone until you’ve spent time with them.” He looked back in Beck’s room. “This is the only soft side he allows anyone to see, and few people have been in his room.”
Gavin took her hand. “We have a grill to fire up, and I’m making a salad and baking potatoes.”
She’d been surprised by their home and their rooms. They were gradually exposing layers of their personality, and she was intrigued.
* * * *
When Beck joined them, it was evident he’d showered. His black hair was still wet and tried to curl. He carried three glasses of red wine and handed them each one.
“Thanks for getting the grill started.” He sipped his wine and looked once-over at Heather with his shark-like eyes. “What did you think of the house?”
“It’s lovely. You must hope for a big family with five bedrooms.”
“If we marry, we’d like three or four kids someday,” Beck said.
“They’d have the three bedrooms on the left side of the house, and we’d combine our rooms into one large suite,” Gavin explained.
“You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“If we don’t hurry we’ll be too old to play with our kids and teach them all we’d want them to know.”
Beck stood to the side listening to Gavin and her. When Heather sipped her wine his gaze narrowed to her mouth. Her heart raced and her pussy clenched with desire. He irritated her when he smiled as though he read her thoughts and feelings.
She turned her back to him. “Gavin, shall we go to the kitchen and fix the rest of the food?”
“I can handle it. Stay with Beck and get to know him better.”
Heather glanced over her shoulder and Beck shrugged and grinned at her predicament.
Chapter Five
“It’s nice of you and Gavin to make me feel welcome in Triple Creeks Township.” Heather spoke to break the silence between her and Beck.
At first she didn’t think he’d answer. He worked with the grill and ignored her. Then he looked up and gave her a long searching glance. “You’re attractive and new to town. It’s easy to show you attention. We’ve been on our own too much lately.”
“Why?”
Beck shrugged. “Probably because of me. I’m not the sociable type. I prefer my horses and the ranch.”
“Why does Gavin put up with you?” she blurted out and then put her hand to her mouth in surprise of what she’d said.
Spontaneous laughter erupted out him, and he really smiled for the first time. Oh, my. No wonder the women drop at his feet when he smiles and directs his attention to them.
Her heart pounded and her blood rushed through her veins. A stirring of desire kindled deep in her core.
“What’s so funny?” Gavin asked as he brought out a plate of cheese and crackers. “Here’s something to keep you all from starving before we eat.”
“She asked me why you put up with me. The same question I asked you the other day.”
Gavin put the plate on the table by the grill. “He grows on you,” he said to Heather.
“Lots of things can grow on you. Like poison ivy for instance. It’s not all good.”
“True.” Gavin started to walk back inside. “But you learn to take the good with the bad. Many of us have a touch of poison ivy inside.” He opened the backdoor and went in the kitchen.
“He’s a good man,” Beck said.
“And you aren’t?”
“I used to be. I don’t know anymore.”
His dark gray eyes looked sad and, for a second, confused. Heather moved closer to him. “I’m sorry for asking that question. I don’t know you well enough to be so impertinent.”
He turned from the grill and tipped her chin upward. She saw his mouth dipping closer to hers. She couldn’t have moved if she’d wanted to. His lips brushed light as a feather across her mouth. When she sighed, his tongue slipped inside and stroked all around. Then he pulled her closer and kissed her harder.
Beck tasted of coffee and mint. His manly scent surrounded her and his hands clasped her buttocks to hold her tight against his aroused cock. Time held still like a stone at the top of a hill before it began to roll downward.
“Here are the steaks…” Gavin stopped walking.
Slowly Beck released her. He had a satisfied smile on his face. “I’ll take them. The grill’s hot. They won’t take long to cook.”
Heather had turned to face away from the men. When Gavin took hold of her shoulders, she stiffened.
“Don’t be embarrassed. There isn’t any jealousy between Beck and I. Now if I saw you kissing another man, I’d react differently.”
She pulled out of his grip and swung around with her hands clenched. “I am not your woman or his.” She nodded her head toward Beck. “Don’t rush to conclusions.”
“I’m trying not to rush, but when you find the right person, the impulse is to grab them and hold tight.”
“And how many right ones have you and Beck found?” She lifted her chin challenging him.
“You are so cute when you get annoyed.”
“I am not annoyed. I’m…”
“Annoyed,” Gavin repeated and grinned.
“As to how many right ones we’ve found,” Beck drawled and her attention went to him. “I’d say one, you.”
“You never seriously cared for any of the women you dated? I can’t believe it.”
Beck shrugged. “Then don’t.” He went back to cooking the steaks.
“We liked many women and enjoyed their company, but they were not you.” Gavin hugged her. “Admit you like us, too.”
“I will not. There’s no telling what you’d do.”
This time both men laughed and Heather started to laugh with them. “I know why you aren’t married. No woman would put up with the two of you.”
Gavin’s easygoing smile and relaxed posture told her she hadn’t made a dent in his confidence. He gently pulled her close and kissed her lips.
“You’ll be different. You will see the good side of us and the positive reasons to love us.”
Heather pushed lightly at his shoulders. “Dream on. Aren’t those steaks finished yet?”
“I’m putting them on a platter now. You and Gavin head for the kitchen.”
While they ate, Gavin kept her entertained with funny stories from their childhood and Beck joined in once or twice.
“One of the best stories was when we literally stumbled across a skunk. My mom wouldn’t let me in when I went home. I had to wash down by the barn and even the animals turned their noses up,” Beck said. He looked at Gavin and they both grinned.
“Mom always reminds me of the time I decided to go to the creek and swim. I’d already left the house and didn’t have my swim trunks with me, so I skinny-dipped. I stuck my clothes in the saddle bag thinking they’d be safe. Something spooked my horse and she took off. I had to walk hom
e and sneak in the back way. But two of the cowboys were standing by the barn and saw me. I took a lot of ribbing from them and Beck,” Gavin said.
“You two obviously had fun growing up.”
“Didn’t you?” Gavin asked.
“Yes, but it can’t compete with your adventures.” She smiled and took another bite of steak. “This is really good.”
When they’d finished and cleaned the kitchen, Heather suggested she go home.
Gavin went to get her jacket. Beck walked with her to the door. “I’m going riding in the morning. Do you want to join me?”
“I’d love to ride, but I haven’t been on a horse for a few years.”
“No problem. We’ll make it a short ride this time and gradually ease you into a longer one.”
“What time?”
“Be here at eight. Is that too early to end your beauty sleep?”
“I’m usually up at seven or seven thirty. I can manage. I’ll be on time.”
“If you aren’t, I’ll leave without you.”
She saw a twinkle in his eyes. “And I’ll go to town and have lunch with Gavin to get to know him better.”
Beck shook his head. “You can’t make us jealous. But I like the fact that you don’t let anyone roll over you.”
“I learned not to. Ballet dancers are not like the sweet swans they impersonate. It’s a tough group.”
Gavin came to the foyer and helped her into her jacket. “Ready?”
Heather nodded. She started to follow Gavin out, but impulsively turned to Beck. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his mouth, and then rushed out the door. “Thanks for the good steak,” she called back to him.
* * * *
Beck didn’t move. His hand went to his mouth. She’d surprised him, and he liked it. But should he let himself get too involved with her. His dark moods, that came over him once or twice a year, tended to push others away, all but Gavin.
He wasn’t sure how he could stop himself from seeing her. She drew him to her. She was a bright light full of laugher, irreverence at times, and warmth. When she’d turned and kissed him, and then thanked him, his heart seemed to stop for a second. Then it pounded hard in his chest.
Fearless Fighters [Triple Dare County, South Dakota 7] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Polyromance) Page 4
