The Texan’s Happily-Ever-After

by Karen Rose Smith

  Raina went to it and opened it, then returned with a few papers. “You need to sign these before you leave.”

  As he signed the forms, he tried to make conversation—anything to distract himself from her quiet beauty. “Did you come in just for Manuel, or have you been here all day?”

  She gave a shrug. “This has been an exceptionally long day. I had office hours this morning, surgeries this afternoon and a complication that kept me here.” At his look, she was quick to assure him, “Not for anyone who had tubes inserted in their ears.”

  Shep smiled the first smile that had come naturally since he’d entered the emergency room. “You knew I was going to ask.”

  “You’re the type who would.”

  “Type?”

  “You care, Mr. McGraw. You ask questions and you want answers. That’s a good type to be when you’re a parent.” There was admiration in her voice.

  “You’re going to have to practice using my given name.”

  Another blush stained her cheeks. “Maybe I will. I’ll walk you out.”

  As they strode side-by-side to the reception area once more, Manuel stilled on Shep’s shoulder. He could tell the little boy was almost falling asleep. His crying had exhausted him.

  Raina must have seen that, because as they stopped at the entrance to the hallway leading to the pharmacy, she peered around Shep’s shoulder at Manuel’s face, and then gently patted him on the back. “I imagine he’ll get more sleep tonight than you will.”

  “You probably imagine right.”

  Standing there like that, staring down into her eyes, Shep felt totally unsettled. His gut tightened, his collar felt tight and he was overcome by a desire to kiss her.

  He was absolutely crazy.

  A woman like Raina Greystone Gibson wouldn’t give a man like him a second look. Her husband had been a hero.

  And Shep?

  He was no hero…and because of his past, he never would be.

  The following Wednesday, Raina hurried to the day-surgery waiting room. Manuel had been her last surgery of the day, and she was eager to bring his father good news. However, when she reached the doorway to the waiting room she stopped cold as her gaze went immediately to an obviously nervous Shep McGraw.

  To her dismay, she felt flustered, knowing she was going to have to talk to him again. That was ridiculous! She didn’t fluster easily. But something about this tall, lean cowboy got to her, and she couldn’t figure out why. Since Clark had died, no man had made her feel much of anything. But then, the way Clark had died probably had something to do with that.

  Closing her mind to memories she didn’t revisit often, she watched Shep McGraw for a few seconds. He sat alone, away from the others in the waiting room, staring at the cable-channel news on the TV. But she could tell he wasn’t really absorbing what he was watching. He’d checked his watch twice since she’d stood in the doorway.

  Why did he get to her? Because he was such a concerned dad? Shep had had such a difficult time stepping away from Manuel to let the baby be taken to surgery. Still, she’d seen concerned fathers before. Maybe he got to her because he was a single dad doing the best he could with the boys he was adopting?

  That had to be it. After all, she knew Manuel’s story because Shep had given her the baby’s history the first time she’d treated him. Manuel had gone into foster care malnourished and sickly when he was almost seventeen months old. A month after that, Shep had received a call from a contact working in the system who’d told him about the boy, asked if he was interested in adopting a third child. Shep had gone to see Manuel and made the decision on the spot. Thank goodness the toddler’s mother had finally cared enough to sign away her parental rights. Manuel’s father was nowhere to be found.

  Raina suspected some particular motivation drove Shep to save children from the system. She was becoming more and more curious as to what that motivation could be. Not for the first time, Raina reminded herself her interest couldn’t have anything to do with Shep’s six-foot height, dark brown hair, the very blue eyes that reminded her of a Texas sky on a clear summer day. He could probably crook his finger at a multitude of women and they’d come running. But he wasn’t crooking his finger, and she wondered why.

  She’d heard he was well off. He’d bought a huge ranch on the outskirts of Sagebrush, invested in a barnful of horses, remodeled the house and refurbished the barn. He’d also purchased a business—a lumberyard. He might look like a cowboy on the outside, but inside she got the feeling he was a shrewd businessman. He’d supposedly made a bundle selling commercial real estate in California before moving to Sagebrush. Yet he didn’t flaunt his wealth. In fact, the locals said he spent a good bit of time at the lumberyard as well as working his ranch.

  He glanced at the doorway. Spotting her, he was on his feet in an instant.

  She stepped a few paces to the side of the doorway for a little privacy, faced him and smiled. “Manuel came through the procedure with flying colors. He’s in recovery. If you’d like to come sit by his bed while he wakes up, that’s fine. After he’s aware that you’re there, we’ll wait another half hour or so until the anesthesia wears off. Then you can take him home.”

  “Just a half hour? Are you sure he’ll be okay? And you said something about instruction sheets and eardrops.”

  Impulsively, she reached out and clasped his arm. “Shep, he’ll be fine. We won’t let you leave without the instruction sheets.”

  As her fingers made contact with his tanned skin, sensations registered from her fingertips to her brain—his heat, the strength of the muscle in his forearm, the tingling in her belly that seemed to come from nowhere. His eyes met hers, and for a moment they were both aware of the contact. She quickly released his arm.

  He was wearing a Stetson, and he took it off now and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it. “Will you take me to him?”

  “Sure.”

  They walked side by side down the hall. Shep was six inches taller than she was—a couple of inches taller than Clark. But where Clark had been husky, Shep was lean. Clark had worked out with weights to keep his body in prime condition for his job. But she had the feeling Shep McGraw’s muscles came from his work on the ranch and at his lumberyard.

  She shook her head to clear it from such insane thoughts. “Will your housekeeper be available this evening?”

  Shep arched a brow at Raina.

  “I just wondered if she’ll be helping to care for Manuel tonight.”

  “More than likely she’ll keep Roy and Joey busy so that I can take care of Manuel. Eva often jokes that I moved from laid-back California to Wild West Texas never expecting life to be as unpredictable as it has been. But I don’t regret one day of it and I don’t think she does, either. I’ll show her anything you show me, in case she needs to know.”

  “Is she…older?” Raina asked, telling herself she needed the information for purely professional reasons.

  “Don’t let her hear you say she’s older,” he joked, with a wry smile. It was a crooked smile that made Raina’s pulse beat just a little faster. “She’s in her fifties,” he went on, “but won’t say exactly where in her fifties.”

  Raina chuckled. “She sounds like a woman after my own heart. We should never have to divulge our age.”

  “Let me guess,” Shep said. “You’re thirty-seven.”

  “How did you—?”

  “Gotcha,” he teased. “I have a friend who’s a doc in Santa Fe. I know how long med school took him. And you started practicing here after your residency, right?”

  “A year and a half ago,” she confirmed with a nod.

  “That’s about when Joey and Roy came to live with me.”

  “And Manuel joined you six months ago.”

  “That’s right. It’s been a roller-coaster ride.”

  She laughed. “You’re a brave man, Shep McGraw, taking in three boys and having the confidence to raise them.”

  “Confidence or insanity,” he muttered
.

  She laughed again.

  They reached a door with big black letters—Authorized Admittance Only. Raina opened the door and let Shep inside. He spotted Manuel right away and made a beeline for him, Raina hurrying to catch up. She glanced at the monitors, then asked the nurse at Manuel’s side, “How’s he doing?”

  “He’s doing great.”

  Shep caught a stray stool with the toe of his boot and dragged it to Manuel’s bedside. He sank down on it and took the little boy’s hand. “How are you doing, kiddo? There’s nothing to worry about now. I’m here and we’re going home soon.”

  “Home?” Manuel repeated, his eyes still a little unfocused.

  “Yep, home. Joey and Roy and Eva are waiting for us.”

  Raina went to a side counter, picking up a sheaf of papers. She brought them over to Shep, then went over the instructions for giving Manuel the eardrops, as well as changing the cotton in his ears. “Everything’s explained here. If he runs a fever or if anything seems out of the ordinary, call me immediately. My service can page me.”

  Shep’s attention shifted from her to his son in the bed. His gaze ran over Manuel—from the little gown he was wearing to the cotton in his ears.

  Shep was quiet for a moment, then he swiveled around on the stool to face her. “Are you done here for the day?”

  “Yes, I’m off to run some errands. But as I said, my service can always contact me.”

  “How would you like to do something a little more exciting than running errands?”

  “And what would that be?” She was really curious.

  “How would you like to come to the Red Creek Ranch and get a taste of just how wild the West can be?”

  Chapter Two

  Raina was stunned by Shep’s invitation.

  “Why do you want me to come to the ranch?”

  For a moment, he looked as if he was going to clam up, pull down the brim of his Stetson and walk away. But then he gave a small shrug, stood, lodged his hands in his back pockets and studied her. “You’re a no-nonsense kind of woman, aren’t you?”

  “Does that require an answer?”

  “No,” he drawled, with a lazy Texas slowness that made her stomach jump. Then he became more serious. “After what you’ve been through, I imagine you don’t have time for crap. Life’s short, and you know it.”

  No one had ever approached the subject of her widowhood quite like this before. She was even more intrigued by this man who had been getting under her skin a little every time he had an office visit with one of his kids. “That’s one way of putting it,” she admitted wryly.

  Sliding his hands out of his pockets, he dropped them to his sides. “The truth is…” He hesitated and then said, “I like you and I trust you. Manuel had an operation and anesthesia. The hospital is sending him home just an hour afterward. That doesn’t sit comfortably with me. On top of that, I need to do some things, like the drops and all, and I don’t want to make a mistake. I’ll be glad to pay for your time. I’m not asking you to do this for free.”

  He liked her. She decided not to focus on that. “So you’d consider this a house call?” If she looked at this in professional terms—

  “Yeah, sort of. Maybe a little longer than a house call. After all, it’s going to be suppertime soon. You could stay and eat with us.”

  There was nothing obvious in the way Shep was looking at her, and yet…she was very aware he was a well-built man. From those silver sparks in his blue eyes, she had the feeling he appreciated who she was, white lab coat and all. This was the oddest situation she’d ever found herself in. Over the past nine years, she hadn’t taken a second look at a man, and had always put up a shield or run quickly if one looked interested. Why wasn’t she running now?

  Because this was mainly about Manuel, she told herself.

  “I don’t usually make house calls.”

  “Is it on your list of things you never wanted to do, or on your list of things you just never have done?”

  In spite of herself, she had to laugh. Shep’s sense of humor was one of his charms. Raina thought about the Victorian where she lived. It would be empty tonight. She’d missed Gina Rigoletti the day she’d moved out to live with her fiancé at his estate. Gina’s sister, Angie, had moved in with her last week. But as a pediatric nurse, she was working the night shift. And her friend Lily was away in Oklahoma with her recently deceased husband’s family. Her husband had been killed in Afghanistan while serving his country.

  Raina suddenly realized that at one time she’d craved solitude, but that wasn’t the case now. After Clark died, her grief had gotten held up by everything surrounding September eleventh—the immensity of everyone’s loss, the days of horrible nightmares, the government settlement. She’d watched way too much TV, unable to tear herself away from it, hoping to learn more…to see Clark’s face somewhere. Grief had finally overtaken her the day she’d gone to Ground Zero, seen all the pictures posted and been overwhelmed with the realization that the man she loved was never coming home. Now, nine years later, she felt as if she’d finally found herself again. Returning to Sagebrush, being near her family, had helped her do that.

  So here she was, with this rugged single dad asking her to his ranch. “Basically, you want my help with Manuel?” she asked Shep directly.

  “Yes. I’ll pay you outright. Insurance won’t be involved.”

  “You could hire a nurse, though I really don’t think you need one.”

  “First of all, I don’t want a nurse. I want you.” The way he said it seemed to disconcert him a little. The muscle in his jaw jumped. But he went on anyway. “And secondly, I have two other boys to think about. They’re going to be worried about Manuel. I want to make sure they don’t have anything to be afraid of by the time they go to bed tonight.”

  Making a sudden decision—from sheer instinct—Raina said, “No need to pay me. Let me tell my housemate where I’ll be. She’s working upstairs. Then I’ll come home with you for a little while, just to see how things are going.”

  After an automatic last check of Manuel’s monitors, a look into his adorable dark brown eyes, Raina left the recovery room, wondering what in the heck she was doing.

  As Raina’s hybrid followed Shep’s shiny new blue crew-cab truck down the gravel lane, she thought about how absolutely different she was from the rancher. The types of vehicles they drove were only the tip of the iceberg. So why was she following him to his ranch as if…

  As if she were attracted to the man?

  She was here for Manuel’s sake. That was the beginning and the end of it. Though she was curious how a single rancher managed to handle two rambunctious boys and a baby. Wasn’t it part of her duty as a doctor to find out?

  The beautifully maintained split-rail fencing lined the lane. Pecan trees and live oaks kept the road in shade. To the left she spotted horses, at least ten or twelve, and a new-looking lean-to that could shelter them from the weather. When she drove a little farther, she caught sight of a huge red barn with Red Creek Ranch painted in shiny black letters above the hayloft doors. On the right stood a spacious two-and-a-half-story ranch house that looked as if it had been recently refurbished with tan siding and dark brown shutters. The wide, white wraparound porch appeared to be an addition to the original structure. A swing hung from its ceiling. She caught sight of curtains fluttering at the windows and was surprised to find herself thinking the house looked like a home.

  To the left of the house, set back, a three-bay garage stood waiting. Shep headed for the parking area in front and she followed, her tires crunching on the stones as she parked beside him. Then she went to the back of his truck to help him with Manuel. The little boy was awake, but not altogether himself.

  “He’s usually yelling and screaming to be let out of his car seat by now.”

  “Give him some time to get back to normal.”

  As Shep reached for Manuel, the two-year-old began to cry. “What did I do?” Shep asked worriedly.


  “Are you grumpy after you have a tooth drilled?”

  “Sometimes,” Shep answered warily.

  “Well, think about how Manuel must feel.”

  To Shep’s surprise, when he held Manuel in the crook of his arm and closed the back door of the truck, the little boy reached toward Raina.

  “Do you think she can do a better job of making you feel better?” Shep asked, half serious, half joking.

  Manuel stared at his dad for a few seconds, then reached for Raina again.

  Shep shrugged. “Go ahead.”

  “This has nothing to do with your ability to take care of him,” Raina assured him as she cuddled Manuel close and let the baby lay his head against her hair.

  “There’s a basic difference between men and women,” Shep decided. “That’s what this is all about.”

  “And that difference is?” Raina asked, not sure she wanted to know.

  “Women are softer. Men are harder. It’s a matter of comfort.”

  Raina couldn’t help but hide a smile as she followed Shep up the porch steps to the front door and into the house.

  A ceiling fan hummed in the large living room and tempered the noise coming from beyond. Raina caught a glimpse of a colorful sofa, its covering stamped with rodeo cowboys and horses. Black wrought-iron lamps and comfortable-looking side chairs complemented the casual decor. Sand art on the wall appeared to be hand-crafted, as did the mandala over the sofa and the blue pottery painted with gray wolves high on the bookcase. The big flat-screen TV was a focal point in the room.

  Manuel tucked his face into her neck and she snuggled him closer. She liked the feel of a baby in her arms. Once she’d hoped a child would be a possibility. But so many possibilities had died on September eleventh, along with her husband.

  At first, she’d thought about him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Memories still popped up now and then without her summoning them. But time was taking its toll, and life went on, whether she grieved and remembered or not. Life had swept her along with it, and she’d stopped resisting its force, though a deep ache was always there.