Aidan: Loyal Cowboy: Aidan: Loyal CowboyThe Family Plan

by Cathy McDavid

  Much, much better than any painkiller.

  Jolyn forgot all about her knee, about everything except the sweetly sensual liberties Chase’s tongue took with her mouth, and the exquisite pressure of his palms on the small of her back. Her arms slid up to circle his neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss. He responded with a hungry moan that echoed her own rising need.

  She could blame surprise for her complete lack of restraint but, in truth, she’d thought about kissing Chase often since her return. Had he not made the first move, she would never have acted on those fantasies. Certainly not while she was working for him and her mother was trying to—

  Her mother! Everything about the last two hours came back to Jolyn in an emotionally jarring rush. The lumps in her mother’s breasts, the imaging center, their conversation at the fountain.

  Chase must have sensed her abrupt mood shift, for he ended the kiss, though with obvious reluctance. “I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

  “I probably shouldn’t have let you.” She withdrew her arms and lowered her gaze, attempting to put a little emotional distance between them.

  “I’m not sorry I kissed you, only that I’ve made you uncomfortable.” He released her except for a hand on her waist.

  Good thing. Jolyn had yet to regain her balance. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Then you liked kissing me?”

  His gentle teasing, so reminiscent of their long-standing friendship, gave her the courage to look at him. The smile in his voice was reflected in his dark brown eyes, which were fastened squarely on her.

  She, too, tried to lighten the mood. “You have to ask?”

  “My confidence has taken a beating in recent years.”

  “Trust me, low confidence isn’t one of your problems.” Clearing her throat, she moved away from Chase on legs that felt only marginally rubbery. “The timing’s not right.”

  “What about when the timing is right?” They walked through the lattice of framed walls, emerging near where her truck was parked. “I won’t be your client in another month.”

  “It’s not that simple. There’s a bigger obstacle than you being my client.”

  “Your mother,” he said evenly.

  Jolyn suspected he was keeping his anger in check for her benefit.

  “Yes.” Even if she could begin to explain, she had no right. Her mother’s health was a private matter and would remain so until her mother chose to make it public. “The timing may never be right for us.”

  “I disagree.”

  He opened her truck door when she would have done it herself and helped her hop up into the cab.

  “She has to give up eventually.” He stood near her, just inside the open truck door. “She has no legal claim to Mandy, and no legal recourse, either.”

  The tone of his voice made Jolyn think he was more than prepared to stop her mother if she didn’t back off soon.

  “I really hope she does give up.” The pain Jolyn had forgotten about returned with a vengeance as she settled behind the steering wheel and fastened her seat belt. Without thinking, she reached down and rubbed her knee.

  “You should get home and put some ice on that.” Chase reached up and nudged her fingers aside. Warm currents flowed through her leg as he massaged her inflamed knee. Jolyn watched, unable to tear her gaze away. His hands were strong, yet at the same time, sensitive and nimble. He knew precisely how much pressure to apply and where. She closed her eyes for a few moments and gave herself over to the sensation.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said. Her heart still ached, though. Chase had no idea how much she wished things were different, that she were free to have a romantic relationship with him.

  “Our friendship is important to me. I hope I didn’t screw it up tonight.”

  “You didn’t.”

  The unspoken words—I hope your mother doesn’t screw it up, either—lay between them.

  “See you in the morning.”

  “Bright and early.” Jolyn turned the key and started the engine.

  “Try and get some rest tonight.”

  She nodded, thinking it was unlikely. If the conversation she was about to have with her parents didn’t keep her up all night, reliving Chase’s kiss over and over definitely would.

  * * *

  “THANK YOU SO MUCH, Dr. Raintree, for seeing me again.”

  Anita Vasquez, a young woman Chase was considering hiring as his new assistant, pumped his hand with unabashed enthusiasm.

  “Call me Chase.”

  “Okay,” she gushed, finally relinquishing her hold on him.

  Her sunny smile was infectious. Chase felt the corners of his own mouth lifting for the first time since Jolyn had driven away the night before.

  Where was she, anyway? She said she’d be here bright and early. According to his watch, it was two hours past bright and early. In ten minutes he was due to leave for his first call of the day. Old Mr. Parkerson didn’t like to be kept waiting, and would give Chase an earful if he arrived late. On the other hand, the octogenarian’s cat would be more than happy about a delay. Snicker Doodle didn’t like shots and let Chase know it.

  At the sound of spinning tires on gravel, he glanced up. A truck—not Jolyn’s—rumbled down the driveway. More workers. They’d been arriving with regular frequency since daybreak. Electricians, plumbers and Sheetrock hangers, according to the names painted on the sides of their vehicles.

  “Did you get the references I emailed?” Anita asked.

  “Yeah, I did. Dean of the college, huh? And the owner of Harvester Racing Stables?”

  Anita’s enormous smile turned into a grimace. “Gosh, I hope I didn’t overdo it.”

  “No.” Chase might have laughed if his nerves weren’t ready to snap.

  “That’s good.” She released a huge sigh. “Because I really want this job.”

  A mere slip of a girl with waist-length black hair pulled into a neat braid, Anita had put herself through veterinary school by working part-time as a jockey at Turf Paradise Race Track in Phoenix.

  Her one drawback was her diminutive size. He’d have enough trouble getting the ranchers in the area to accept a woman vet. Convincing them to welcome one who needed to stand on a stool while palpating a pregnant mare might be asking the impossible.

  But something about Anita appealed to Chase. Perhaps it was her determination to succeed at a job more frequently held by a man. It reminded him of Jolyn.

  Where was she?

  He hadn’t planned on kissing her last night, should have predicted it wouldn’t end well. But once he touched her, wrapped his arm around her, he couldn’t help himself. Any hope of regaining his senses had died the second she parted her lips and locked her arms around his neck.

  For one fantastic minute, she’d responded in ways that far exceeded his imagination—and his imagination had been going pretty far afield lately whenever he thought of her.

  Chase pushed aside thoughts of last night and concentrated on the present. Mixing business with pleasure, he reminded himself, too often went awry. Her construction company and building his clinic were too important to her for him to endanger it by rushing a relationship.

  When the job was done, however, all bets were off. And that included Dottie Sutherland. If Jolyn cared for him, too, and he was convinced she did—she couldn’t have kissed him like she had and not care at least a little—they’d figure out what to do a
bout her mother.

  Mike Flannigan, an old friend of theirs Jolyn had hired, walked past Chase and Anita, a bulky coil of phone cable slung over his shoulder.

  “Excuse me,” Chase said to Anita, then hollered, “Hey, Mike. Do you know where Jolyn is this morning?”

  “She called a while ago. Said she was stopping by Cutter’s Market first.”

  “Thanks.”

  Good. No reason to worry. Jolyn wasn’t angry or upset or avoiding him. She’d picked up material the previous day in Pineville for her new office and was dropping it off before heading to his place.

  “Dr. Raintree…er, I mean Chase.” Anita’s enormous smile blossomed anew. “Not to be pushy or anything, but I’m available to start right away and can relocate.”

  He turned his full attention to her. “You free the rest of today?”

  “Are you offering me the job?” Her eyes went wide.

  “I’m giving you a test run. I have to be at a patient’s home in…” Chase checked his watch. “Damn, I should have left five minutes ago.”

  “What kind of call?” Her demeanor changed to all business as they walked to Chase’s truck parked near the barn.

  “Feline vaccinations. Then to the Double S Ranch to oversee the semen collection and cow insemination.”

  “Okay.” She didn’t appear the least bit daunted.

  “Their prizewinning bull, Peaches, is a Brahma and two thousand pounds of hunka hunka burning love. Think you can handle him?”

  “Haven’t met a guy yet who can resist my charms.”

  Chase believed her.

  To reach the Double S Ranch, they had to drive through the center of town. When Chase didn’t see Jolyn’s truck parked outside Cutter’s Market, he made the excuse of refilling his Thermos and went inside for fresh coffee. According to Mrs. Cutter, Jolyn wasn’t there and hadn’t been for two days, though she was expecting her soon.

  His earlier agitation returned tenfold. Had he misjudged Jolyn? Was she upset about the kiss and avoiding him? Whatever it took, however many appointments he had to reschedule, he’d see her today and apologize.

  Chase wanted more than a platonic relationship with Jolyn. But he’d happily settle for that rather than lose her altogether.

  * * *

  THE KITCHEN DOOR shut behind Jolyn’s father, leaving her and her mother alone.

  “I have to get to work, too, Mom.” She scooted back from the table and reached for the breakfast dishes. “I’m late.”

  Both Jolyn and her parents had slept in because they’d stayed up late the previous night. More than once, tears were shed, reassurances repeated, prayers offered and hands squeezed until they were numb. In the end, they’d agreed to remain calm and assume the best until Dottie’s test results came back in the next day or two.

  When Jolyn would have risen from her chair, her mother’s hand stayed her. “There’s something I need to ask you before you leave.”

  “Okay.” The trace of desperation in her mother’s voice, coupled with the tight grip on her wrist, alarmed Jolyn. This was no pick-up-some-bread-at-the-market favor.

  Dottie didn’t speak right away, and Jolyn’s worry increased with each passing second.

  “Mom?” she prompted.

  Her mother visibly collected herself. “You and Chase have been spending a lot of time together recently.”

  Memories of their kiss returned, setting loose a flurry of tiny whirlwinds in Jolyn’s stomach. She swallowed and hoped her mother didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. “I’m building his clinic and office.”

  “Yes, but it’s more than that. You’re close and growing closer.”

  “We’re friends,” she said, perhaps a bit too quickly. She need only close her eyes, and she could feel his lips, molding to fit hers and moving in ways that were definitely more than friendly.

  “Yes.” Dottie spoke slowly, as if picking her words with utmost care. “And because you’re friends, he might be more receptive if you asked him.”

  Jolyn tensed. “Asked him what?”

  “If he knows who Mandy’s real father is.”

  She gnawed her lower lip, wishing her mother would let the matter of Mandy’s parentage rest until they had more information on her condition.

  “Hear me out before you say no.”

  “You can’t expect me to—”

  “Please.”

  Stark terror shone in her mother’s eyes. It hit Jolyn so hard, the hair on her arms stood straight up. Her mother was scared of dying. Really and truly scared. Jolyn hadn’t fully comprehended the depth of that terror until now. She’d been too busy trying to minimize it.

  “All right.” She settled uneasily into her seat. “I’ll listen.”

  Her mother visibly collected herself before continuing. “I think Chase knows Steven is Mandy’s real father and that’s why he refuses to have the DNA testing done.”

  “He could also know he’s her real father.”

  “If that’s true, why doesn’t he have the testing done? It would be the simplest solution and get me off his back once and for all.”

  “Because he doesn’t have to.”

  Or, Jolyn thought, he was afraid of the findings. With her next breath, her heart went out to him. How hard it must be for him to struggle with the constant uncertainty, if he was indeed uncertain.

  “I’d like you to ask him for me.”

  “If he knows Steven is Mandy’s real father?”

  “Yes.”

  “I would never do that to him.” Jolyn crossed her arms over her middle. “Even if I could bring myself to ask him, what makes you think he’d tell me?”

  “He might. Especially if you played on his sympathies.”

  “You’re suggesting I tell him about the lumps in your breasts?”

  “Absolutely not.” Her mother looked aghast.

  “Then what?”

  “Say it’s important for you to know if Mandy’s your niece or not. Don’t mention me.”

  “Lie to him, you mean.”

  “You wouldn’t be lying exactly.”

  “I wouldn’t be telling the truth, either.”

  “I realize I’m putting you on the spot.” Dottie meticulously folded and refolded her paper napkin into a small square as she talked. “Will you at least reconsider if it turns out I have… If my mammogram…shows something?”

  The panic in her mother’s eyes had been replaced by a desperation that begged Jolyn to understand. Her rock-solid conviction crumbled a little. “I don’t know… .”

  “Put yourself in my place. How would you feel if you thought you might die?”

  How would she feel? Scared out of her mind, naturally. Worried about the family she was leaving behind. And she’d want to spend whatever time she had left with those she loved. Her husband, if she had one, and children. Grandchildren.

  Oh, God.

  What if Mandy really was Steven’s daughter and not Chase’s? Was it fair that her mother be deprived of her granddaughter in the last days of her life?

  Stop thinking like that, Jolyn told herself. Your mother is not going to die.

  “I don’t like taking advantage of Chase’s and my friendship.”

  “He could be more,” Dottie offered quietly. “If that’s what you want.”

  Was it?

  Jolyn recalled the wild, wonderfully satisfying sensations she’d experienced in his arms.

  Was it possible? Could she and Chase date
? Jolyn was so used to thinking of him as “off-limits,” thinking of him as “available” didn’t come easy. She forced herself to consider the possibilities and immediately warmed to them. Once the clinic was finished, nothing prevented them from dating.

  “I think you and Chase would be good for each other.”

  Something in her mother’s tone gave Jolyn pause. “Why do you say that?”

  “You have a lot in common.”

  “Like a stake in who Mandy’s real father is?” Jolyn hated to admit she doubted her mother’s motives.

  “I was referring to your love of horses.”

  “Oh.” Maybe she’d been wrong.

  Or had she?

  If she and Chase did start dating, her mother would have a built-in excuse to get close to Mandy. And what if she took advantage of the opportunity? Would Chase then think Jolyn had tricked him? The idea that a moment ago had appealed to her suddenly left a bad taste in her mouth.

  She was shortsighted, if not foolish, to think she and Chase could enjoy a complication-free romantic relationship. Certainly not while her mother was sick.

  Steering the conversation away from her and Chase, Jolyn said, “I still think you should talk to Steven. You can’t acknowledge Mandy as your granddaughter without him having to acknowledge her as his daughter.”

  “He’ll support me.”

  “He hasn’t before now.”

  “Circumstances are different.”

  There was that reminder again, the black cancer cloud hanging over their heads.

  “You’ve told him about the lumps, then?”

  “No. And don’t you, either.”

  “He has a right to know.”

  “I’ll tell him,” her mother said. “Eventually.”

  The catch in Dottie’s voice affected Jolyn deeply. Perhaps she’d been wrong to doubt her mother’s motive. She might want nothing more than to see her daughter happy.

  “You’re going to live to be a hundred, Mom. Your doctor said the lumps could be cysts or benign tumors or any of a dozen harmless abnormalities.”