by Caroline Lee
Unable to help himself, Dustin whistled in appreciation. If the interest was enough for her to live on, her settlement must’ve been very impressive indeed.
His arm was still on the back of the couch, and it was easy enough to drop it to her shoulders, so his fingers could caress the back of her neck. She shivered, then moaned quietly and dropped her head forward for him to squeeze the tight muscles.
She must’ve really been pushing herself today.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think you should be ashamed,” he finally said. “You’ve talked about how one of your missions is educating others about disabilities. You’ve sure educated me.” He hadn’t even considered half the things Marley had taught him during their time together. “Well, thanks to you and your lawyer, that corporation was certainly educated. They won’t discriminate against someone in a wheelchair again.”
“That’s my hope,” she said with a groan, twisting her head to one side so he could reach that spot.
He chuckled and shifted on the couch. Then he reached down, grabbed her hips, and physically twisted her, so her back was to him and her legs hung over the edge. She had just enough time to suck in a startled breath, before he began kneading her shoulders in earnest, and then she moaned in pleasure again.
What would it be like to hear her make that sound for other reasons?
He swallowed and focused on his task.
“You’re exhausted, Marley. I can tell. I’m going to take you back to the hotel—no arguments—but first, let’s see if we can work out some of this stiffness.”
And he could hear the lazy smile in her voice, when she said, “Yes sir, Dr. Dustin!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Caroline stood by the side of the van as Marley pushed the button to retract the lift, then closed the wide door. They were parked out on the road, because the gravel driveway was filled with cars. On the way to Quinn Valley Ranch, Caro had explained that while Travis’s grandparents had once run the ranch from the big house, when they turned that responsibility over to their son and grandkids, they moved out here to this home. It wasn’t exactly small, and it was still on the ranch, but the driveway was still gravel.
Marley wheeled herself onto the rocks, gritting her teeth against the exertion. She was wearing a cute little red silk blouse, and it’d be a shame to get it all sweat-stained before she even arrived.
“Here, let me help,” Caro was quick to volunteer.
Marley gave her the response she always gave, the response she’d given for years. “I can do it.”
Her friend sighed. “I know you can. You know you can. I know you know you can. Okay? There’s nothing to prove, except”—she was quick to say, when Marley tried to interrupt—“you don’t want to show up to Dustin’s grandparents’ house looking like a sweaty mule, right?”
Since the argument was so close to what Marley had been thinking, she pressed her lips together and put her shoulders into her next push.
“Oh, for crying out loud! You’re as stubborn as a mule.”
Quick as a wink, Caro had hung her purse from one of the handles of Marley’s chair, braced herself against the resistance, and pushed.
Marley had to admit, it was much easier. They were almost to the house—and she could see movement behind the curtains and hear voices from the backyard, when she finally muttered, “Thanks for saving me from myself.”
“Hey,” Caroline said with a puff of exertion, “that’s what friends are for. You don’t always have to do things for yourself.”
Marley braked when they reached the front walkway, then twisted to look up at her best friend. “Yes, I do,” she said in all seriousness.
If she didn’t do things for herself, she’d be out of luck. She couldn’t afford to rely on someone, if that person wouldn’t be with her every day.
Caro’s sad smile said she understood. But she placed her hand on Marley’s shoulder. “No, you don’t. Not always,” she said quietly. “You have people who care for you very much, Mar.”
She was probably talking about herself, but Marley’s thoughts went to Dustin.
She’d been seeing him—dating him?—for weeks now, and had seen him almost every day. They’d developed a routine, and the weird thing was, she was okay with it. She wasn’t bored or resentful he took up so much of her time. She liked being with him.
No, she loved it.
He was funny and quick-witted, and really interesting. She enjoyed hearing his stories and opinions, and talking about his day. They were able to talk about his cases—no names, of course—because she understood so much of his field of medicine, thanks to her years in and out of spine doctors’ care. But more than learning about him and from him, she enjoyed just being with him.
And she liked touching him.
The longer she spent with him, the more convinced she became there might be a person out there for her. A person who would be there for her, every day.
Was she falling in love? Almost certainly.
But he wasn’t falling in love with her. If he were, he’d have kissed her by now. Right?
She sighed, certain the two of them were back to the just friends thing again, the way she’d predicted. Because if they were dating, he would’ve kissed her by now. Just friends could laugh and paint and eat, and maybe even swim together…but without kissing, that’s all they were, right?
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head a little. If they were dating, he would’ve been the one to invite her to this barbecue, instead of Travis and Caroline.
Groping for Caro’s hand, she squeezed it. “Don’t leave me alone in there, okay?”
Her friend squeezed back, and when Marley opened her eyes, grinned down at her. “They’re nice people, Mar, honest. I promise Grandma Gertie won’t eat you.”
“You’ve met them before, right?”
“Yep, I was out here a few weeks ago. I got to ride Frank Sinatra, Grams’ horse! Travis’s family is nice, and I’ll be right next to you the whole time.” Her expression turned sly. “Besides, if you need rescuing, Dustin could always help.”
Marley dropped her friend’s hand and lowered her shoulders to push herself up the walkway. “I don’t need rescuing,” she muttered.
“Oh yeah?” her friend quipped in a teasing tone. “Then how do you expect to get up those steps?”
Marley groaned when she realized her bestie was right. The Quinn grandparents’ house didn’t have a ramp. With a sigh, she turned back to Caro, who was grinning as her thumbs flew over her phone’s screen.
“What are you—”
Marley didn’t have time to finish before the front door flew open, and Travis’s face lit up when he saw them. “There you are!” he exclaimed, as he threw himself down the stairs to sweep Caro into his arms.
I deserve that too.
Marley tamped down the small twinge of jealously. She was so flippin’ happy for her best friend, and it was just her earlier thoughts of Dustin—and how he hadn’t seemed at all interested in kissing her—which was making her irritable.
Then the front door opened again, and he stepped out.
And the look on Dustin’s face when he saw her was exactly the same as the look on Travis’s when he’d seen Caroline.
Marley swallowed, suddenly a little light-headed.
Dustin came down the stairs slower, but his grin didn’t fade, even as he reached her side. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been waiting for you.”
And like an idiot, Marley said, “You have?”
He nodded, she flushed, and they might’ve been high schoolers.
Caro broke the silence. “Hey, you two big strong men! How about giving my friend here a lift?”
Before she could protest—she hated having to rely on someone else—Travis moved up to her other side and bent to wrap his hands around the wheel.
“Ready, Dusty? Remember, lift with your legs—”
“Not your back, yeah, yeah,” Dustin finished with an eye roll as he grasped her other
wheel.
Marley sucked in a breath as the two of them lifted her into the air effortlessly…then paused.
Before they began up the stairs, Marley twisted in her seat to stare at Dustin, who was now eye-to-eye with her.
His grin flashed. “Hi there,” he quipped, right before he leaned in towards her…
And kissed her on the cheek.
She raised her finger tips to her skin, wondering why it felt as if his lips had branded her, sure her heart was pounding out of her chest. It wasn’t until they set her down again on the porch that she shook herself out of her reverie, but she had trouble focusing on anything besides him.
Dimple!
Yeah, she was sighing like a teenager again, wasn’t she?
Oh yeah, she was going in the soup again.
Maybe she was falling for Dustin, after all…
Caroline had been right; she didn’t need rescuing. Dustin’s family were all really great. After meeting his mom, Marley saw where he got his teasing attitude from, and his father and older brother, Andrew, were equally polite—and stoic—when they greeted her. His older sister, Heather, who was married to Jack Raven, was in California with him and her two kids, getting in a last-minute trip before school started. It was his sister Katie who leaned down to hug Marley, her pregnant belly protruding just a bit.
“You know, Dusty’s never brought a single girl to these events.”
Dustin poked her. “I didn’t bring her. Caroline brought her.”
“Hey,” Marley spoke up in her defense, “I brought myself!”
From the line of chairs behind their little group, Andrew’s elegant wife Rachel—who was only a few months pregnant, but the triplets made her look much further along—called out, “Right on, sister!”
It was a surprise how easy it was to get along with Dustin’s immediate family. And once he started introducing her to his cousins—the ones she hadn’t already met out around town or at Quinn’s Pub or via the wedding planning—she felt…well, almost at home.
She was a biracial paraplegic gal from the Florida Keys. Who would’ve thought she’d feel so at home in a sprawling house on a ranch in Idaho?
And why did that thought make her grin?
Grandma Gertie was nice enough not to tease Dustin about bringing her, even if most of his cousins did. Instead, the little old lady just smiled and bent down to hug Marley, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
After the barbecue, the little woman clapped her hands and called for everyone’s attention.
“I know you’re wondering what our game will be this time. Nothing fancy, just a series of challenges, and couples accumulate points.” She made a shooing motion. “Go on, pair up. Now that Alyssa has brought Tripp to these events—yes, you, young man—I’m going to pair up with little Jeremiah.”
There was good-natured laughter all around, and Dustin turned to her, a twinkle in his eyes.
“Well, Miss Santana, what do you say? I know you brought yourself, but would you be my partner?”
And that’s how they—somehow—ended up holding hands as his grandmother announced the first challenge, which was a variation of ping pong, using plastic cups as targets.
Marley was competitive, and fairly graceful, thanks to her years in the water. But Dustin couldn’t aim nearly as well, and they scored somewhere in the middle of the gathered couples. But she couldn’t remember any time she’d laughed quite so hard while losing.
The second challenge required more dexterity; working together, the couple needed to build a tower out of cheerios. She and Dustin came in second…to Caroline and Travis.
“It’s a miracle!” Travis’s sister, Robyn, shouted, throwing her hands in the air. “Caroline has cured him!”
Caro was laughing too hard to answer, but Travis stopped his celebrating to scowl at his sister. “Hey, I’m not totally incompetent when it comes to playing games,” he said indignantly.
And around him, half a dozen of his cousins—maybe more—called out some variation of, “Yes you are!”
It wasn’t until the fourth challenge, a thought occurred to Marley. “You know,” she murmured to Dustin, as they waited for their turn to roll a marble into a cup taped to an ironing board, a task which required the couple to communicate effectively, “your grandmother only chose games I could participate in. Are these the normal kinds of things she chooses?”
“Nope,” he said cheerfully. “Last time, it was three-legged races and water balloons. It’s all sorts of things, and yes, I think she chose these knowing you’d be here.”
Marley wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She knew her limits, but sometimes hated them. “Well, now that I’ve got the ReWalk, I’ll bet we could dominate at a three-legged race. Next year—”
She bit down on her lip, remembering last minute that talking about next year was stupid. She might come back to visit Quinn Valley, but she wouldn’t be staying here. Not if she and Dustin were just friends.
Then she remembered the little kiss he’d given her when she’d arrived, and her cheeks heated.
He glanced at her, a smile in his eyes. “I don’t want to dominate the three-legged race, Mar. I like you the way you are.”
Well, that’s a lot to unpack.
They didn’t score highly enough on a few of the challenges to be in the lead, but Marley had fun doing them. The last one was a sort of treasure hunt.
Grandma Gertie stood up and waved for silence. “Alright, folks, this is our last contest. Ranks are as follows: Roxie and Ciran are in the lead, which is good news for all of us who are enjoying cuddling little Christian, because it means she’s going to be distracted for the next twenty minutes, or until the baby starts fussing for milk.”
As the cheers and groans went up, the old woman adjusted her glasses and peered at her clipboard. “Georgia and Logan are next, then there’s a three-way tie for third. Alyssa and Tripp—and it’s just lovely to see how well you two are working together, welcome back home, dear—Carter and Avery, and to everyone’s complete surprise, Caroline and Travis!”
There was a lot of laughter, cat-calls and jeers yelled back and forth at that, as Travis defended his ability to understand directions, and his siblings in particular hollered their denials.
“The final game will be simple. Hidden around this house and in the garden—very well hidden, I assure you—are thirty pieces of red yarn, all different lengths. If you find more than one, tie them together. At the end of thirty minutes, the couple with the longest cumulative string wins! Go!”
The house wasn’t that small, but with so many people elbowing one another, it felt smaller. Marley breathed a little sigh of relief as half of Dustin’s cousins poured out into the yard. He caught her eye and jerked his chin towards the kitchen, so she followed.
They found their first string inside the low wooden bin with the cat food. It was about ten inches long, and Dustin made a big deal of waving it over his head. His sister Katie rolled her eyes and took her husband Kenneth’s hand.
“Come on, hon. Looks like they’ve found the kitchen string,” she said, as she pulled him out of the room.
That left Marley and Dustin in the kitchen with only two other competitors. His cousin Betsy—who seemed quite at home in the kitchen—was concentrating on the pantry, while her fiancé, Knox, seemed more interested in teasing her than looking.
Marley was meticulously picking through the silverware drawer, when she saw a flash of red. She held her breath as she pulled…
And pulled…
And pulled.
The string had to be five-and-a-half feet long, judging from Dustin’s wide-eyed measurements. He was smart enough this time to keep his celebrations silent, to avoid drawing attention. But he reached down to squeeze her hand, before shoving both strings in his pocket, and his excitement was evident.
The third string—only about two feet long—was inside a crockpot in a bottom cabinet, and Dustin found that one. The fourth one they found, another
short one, was under a potted plant she accidentally bumped into on their way back to the living room when Gertie called time.
While Dustin tied their strings together, Marley watched the reckoning. Together, the Quinn cousins had found twenty-eight of the hidden strings, and their grandmother had a grand time teasing them for missing two.
Then she made great ceremony of measuring the cumulative strings. More than a few couples—Travis and Caroline included—hadn’t found any strings at all, but judging from a few sets of swollen lips and mussed hair, they’d taken advantage of an opportunity for some privacy, and didn’t seem upset at all.
She and Dustin won, thanks to that long string in the spoon compartment.
They didn’t place overall, but Dustin made a big deal out of accepting their individual prizes; two over-sized candy bars.
After, he folded their long string into thirds and handed one end of the bundle to her, then deftly braided it. She watched with amusement as he tied off the end, folded the braid again, and held out his hand for hers.
With no hesitation, she placed her hand in his. Smiling, Dustin wrapped the red braided bracelet around her wrist, tying it off with a flourish.
And she wore it proudly for the rest of the day, remembering the feel of his lips on her skin, and hoping for more.
CHAPTER NINE
“Are you ready for this?”
At her question, Dustin glanced over at her and raised his brow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Her eyes flicked across his bare chest, and she had to suppress a delicious shiver at the sight. If she thought he looked hot in scrubs, or a suit, or even just jeans, then Dustin McIver in swim trunks was the hottest hottie of them all.
Still, she forced a nonchalant shrug. “Because I’m not bad in the water, but seeing me get into the water can be a little…weird.”
