by Eve Gaddy
“I might buy that, but Sarah won’t,” Maggie told her, taking a sip of iced tea.
“I’ll avoid her for a week or so, until she forgets. Hopefully she won’t hunt me down here. Say, Maggie, have you seen Gabe lately?”
“No. I take it you haven’t, either.”
Delilah shook her head. “I don’t think he’s been in more than three times since his accident.”
Maggie scowled. “Probably holed up at home. He really needs to get out more. I bet he hasn’t left his house in weeks unless it was to go to the doctor.”
Lana cleared her throat. “He has at least once.” They both looked at her inquiringly. “With me. Yesterday.”
Both women stared at her. “You actually got him to go out?” Delilah asked. “How?”
“I asked him.”
Delilah looked as though she wanted to say more, but a customer called her and she had to leave. Maggie drank some tea and eyed Lana speculatively. “So, you and Gabe.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. He took me fishing.”
“How did he manage that?”
“Not on a boat.” She sipped her drink. “We went to a pier.”
“You’re the first person who’s convinced him to do anything fun—make that anything period—since the accident.”
“Maybe I’m the first person who hasn’t treated him like an invalid.”
“You could have a point,” Maggie acknowledged. “But it’s hard not to when you see him on those crutches or remember the accident.” She shuddered. “I hate car accidents. In a small town like this, they almost always involve people I know.”
Delilah brought their food, but the restaurant was getting crowded so she couldn’t stay to talk.
“So, you know everyone in town,” Lana said.
“Sure. I’ve lived here most of my life. I spent a few years in Dallas, but then I came back.”
“You didn’t like the city?” Lana ate a piece of shrimp and sighed happily. Nothing was better than fresh seafood.
“Guess I’m just a small-town girl at heart,” she said lightly, but some hidden undercurrent in her tone made Lana think there might be more to the story.
“What about you? What’s a city girl from Los Angeles doing in Aransas City?”
“Making a new life,” Lana said, surprising herself with her honesty.
Maggie didn’t seem surprised. “This is a good place to start over. If you can stand the pace. Exciting it isn’t.”
“I like it.” She was finally growing accustomed to the slower pace, and found she enjoyed not having to rush everywhere. Her patient load was lighter, as well, and without the trauma of the ER, her work was much less stressful.
Maggie shifted and looked uncomfortable. “Look, I know this is none of my business, but are you and Gabe—”
Lana interrupted. “I told you, it was no big deal. There is no ‘me and Gabe.’”
Maggie studied her a moment, tapping her fingers on the table. “Would you like there to be?”
“I—don’t know.” It surprised her—and scared her—to realize that wasn’t exactly the truth. She was interested all right, even though just the idea that she was attracted to a man again terrified her. But the fear warred with her desperate desire to be normal again. Would she ever be able to risk getting involved with someone?
Maggie ate a bite of food, then said, “Gabe’s had it rough. He hasn’t exactly been rolling in clover lately.”
As Lana stared at the woman, an unexpected thought crossed her mind. “Are you warning me off, Maggie? Because if you’re interested in Gabe, just tell—”
Maggie interrupted her, laughing. “Me and Gabe? No, it’s nothing like that. I’m not sure the guy even realizes I’m female.”
“I’m sure he does,” Lana said dryly.
“If he does, he thinks about me like a sister. No, the reason I asked is… Well, it’s like this. Gabe has the worst luck of anyone I’ve ever known.”
“The accident, you mean.”
“Not just that. A lot of things have happened, but they’re not my business to tell you. Though if you listen to gossip you’ll probably hear about them. Eventually, anyway.”
She fell silent a moment, drumming her fingers lightly on the table, then looked at Lana again. “Gabe is snake bit. It seems like every time things start to go right for him, something goes wrong. Big time.”
Like the accident and having to sell his boat, Lana thought. “And you don’t want me to be one more thing that goes wrong in his life.”
“Like I said, it’s not my business. Just…be careful. He’s a good guy.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“That’s me. Everybody’s friend,” Maggie said with a wry smile.
As she got ready for bed that night, Lana thought over the conversation about Gabe. He was snakebit, Maggie had said. Lana wondered what, besides the accident, had happened to him and if she’d ever find out. Her own luck hadn’t exactly been stellar lately, either. Still, things had improved since she’d moved to Aransas City. Maybe both she and Gabe were due some good fortune for a change.
CHAPTER FIVE
“HEY, LANA, can you take the patient in exam one?” Jay asked her several days later.
“Take your patient? Why?”
“She fired me,” he said, straight-faced. “She wants ‘that new gal.’”
“What’s the catch?” Lana asked suspiciously. Jay didn’t ordinarily give away his patients. None of them did.
“No catch. Mrs. Lindstrom’s a little hard of hearing,” he said with a wink. “Nothing you can’t handle, I’m sure.”
I’m going to kill Jay, she thought half an hour later. Crotchety was about the kindest adjective she could think of for the woman. “Mrs. Lindstrom, you need to use your hearing aid,” she shouted one more time. “Turn it on.”
“Band-Aid? What do I need a Band-Aid for? Just here for my blood pressure checkup.”The older woman scowled at Lana and added, “You’re no better than that other young fella. Babies, that’s what you are.”
Lana gave up and wrote down what she wanted to tell her. Which didn’t suit Mrs. Lindstrom, but Lana had run out of patience. After that she went to her office to finish up paperwork before lunch. Someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” she called, thinking it was Bridget, the receptionist.
The door opened and her partner Tim’s wife came in like a whirlwind. “Hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
Lana closed the file on her desk and smiled. Tamara exuded energy, an interesting contrast to her more laid back husband. “No, I was just finishing up before lunch.”
Tamara clasped her hands together and beamed. “Lana, you have to come to dinner Saturday night. Well, not just dinner, but a party. A small one, don’t worry.”
Immediately wary, Lana tried to think of an excuse. She liked Tamara, she really did, except for her habit of trying to pair off every single friend she and Tim had. Plus, a small party to Tamara could mean anything from two or three couples to half the town. “Oh, thanks for thinking of me, Tamara, but I really—”
“Don’t say you can’t.” Green eyes beseeched her. “Tim ran into an old friend over in Corpus the other day and he’s coming, too. I don’t mind telling you, this guy is to die for. I know you two will hit it off.”
“I can’t. I have a date.” The words were out before she could stop them. A lie, but she could not face being paired with a blind date. And though Lana had told her a number of times, Tamara simply didn’t believe that Lana didn’t date.
Tamara’s face clouded for a minute, then she brightened. “Bring him, then. I’ll find someone else for Allen. Maybe Maggie Barnes will come.”
“Thanks, but I’m not sure what he was planning.” Oh, Lord, she was digging herself in deeper with every word she spoke.
“Who is it?”
Lana stared at her blankly, and Tamara laughed. “Your date, who is it? Is it a secret?”
“No, of course not. It’s…Gabe.” Plea
se don’t let Tamara have already asked him, she prayed. Just let me get out of this and I won’t lie anymore, I promise.
“Gabe Randolph?” Her face lit up. “Oh, that’s perfect. I didn’t realize you and Gabe were dating. We haven’t seen him in ages, not since—”
Someone knocked and the partially open door behind Tamara swung wider. She knew it was Gabe almost before she saw him. Of course, who else would it be?
“Hey, Lana. Hey, Tamara. Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. Bridget told me to come on back.”
“Hi, Gabe. No, it’s fine.”
“Well, this is perfect,” Tamara said brightly. “Lana and I were just talking about my party Saturday night. She wasn’t sure what you’d planned but please tell me you’ll both come.”
“Saturday?” He raised an eyebrow and looked at Lana for an explanation.
“We’ll talk it over, and I’ll let you know, Tamara,” Lana said hastily. Gently she ushered her out the door. “Thanks so much. I’ll call you.”
She shut the door and leaned her head back against it, closing her eyes. “Does she never give up?”
“Not when it comes to her parties. What’s going on?” Gabe asked her.
“I’m not sure you want to know.” She looked at him and smiled. “You’re using a cane. That’s wonderful.”
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s better than crutches. I came by to see if you wanted to go to lunch.”
“Lunch? Ah— Thanks, but—” She hesitated, not knowing what to say. If she went with him, he might think of it as a date. But she’d backed herself into a corner. She had to tell him about Tamara’s party, otherwise she really would be up a creek. She was about to ask him for a big favor, maybe doing it over lunch would make it easier.
“I’m talking about grabbing a burger, Lana. You have to eat, don’t you?”
“All right. But you may be sorry you asked after I tell you about my conversation with Tamara.”
“No fear of that,” he said, smiling.
He really did have a charming smile, she thought. Charming and just a bit dangerous. She couldn’t quite figure out why she felt so comfortable and…safe with him. But she obviously did, because his had been the first—no, the only—name that had popped into her mind when she was looking for an excuse to avoid Tamara’s matchmaking attempts.
“OKAY, so what’s the deal with Tamara?” Gabe asked once they were seated in a booth at the tiny burger joint. It had only opened up a couple of weeks before, but he had already eaten here several times. The food was good and cheap. They had both ordered thick juicy hamburgers and crisp French fries, which were heaped on paper-lined plastic baskets on the table in front of them.
Lana took a bite and savored it before she spoke. “I lied to her. She was trying to set me up with a blind date for her party, and I said I had a date with you.”
“Doesn’t she know about your dating embargo?”
“Of course. I’ve told her at least ten times. She doesn’t listen.”
He took another bite and swallowed before speaking. “Do you want to go to the party?”
“I wouldn’t mind. It’s the blind date I object to.”
So he was better than a blind date. Which, since he knew her opinion of blind dates, didn’t do his ego much good. “Ever heard of just say no?”
She gave him a dirty look. “You know very well that doesn’t work with Tamara.”
“True.” He set his burger down and smiled at her. “I guess this means you’re going to have to go out with me. On a date.” Could be worse, he thought philosophically. A date was a date, whatever the reason behind it.
“I—I guess it does. Do you mind? If you have other plans I’ll just tell Tamara we can’t come.”
Mind? Did he mind going out with her? Those ocean blue eyes locked onto his and sucked him in. Apparently she didn’t have a clue that he really liked her. Usually he didn’t have trouble letting a woman know he was interested. But Lana was nothing like the women he used to date. B.A.—Before the Accident.
God, she looked pretty today. But then, every time he saw her, she looked great. And he was starting to think about her way too much for comfort.
What was up with him? She was just a woman. A beautiful one, but so what?What was it about Dr. Lana McCoy that made her stick in his mind?That made her different from every other woman he’d dated?
Well, for one thing, she wouldn’t date. Except when forced into it.
Her eyes, which had been gazing at him anxiously, dropped. “I’m sorry to put you on the spot like this. Just forget it, I’ll figure something out.”
“Having a date with you isn’t a hardship, Lana. And no, I don’t have plans.” He picked up a fry and ate it. What would she say if they made it a real date and not a ploy to get out of a blind date?
“I sense a ‘but’ coming,” Lana said.
“Does it have to be the party? We could do something else. Take in a movie in Corpus.”
“No.” Her response was quick in coming. Then she obviously realized how harsh she sounded. “I… I…told Tamara we would be there.”
Well, he had his answer. “No you didn’t. You told her we’d talk about it.”
She glanced away, then asked, “Why don’t you want to go to the party?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want to go.” But he didn’t. For the same reason he didn’t go to the Scarlet Parrot if he could help it. Because he was sick and tired of people treating him like an object of pity.
“You can’t avoid everyone forever, you know.”
“I’m not avoiding anyone.” Which was a big, fat lie. He put down what was left of his burger and looked at her. “You really want to go, don’t you?”
“It could be fun,” she said a little wistfully. “I don’t know that many people here yet, and I thought it would be nice to meet some more. But if you’re that set against it, we can just forget the whole thing.”
“We can go.” It sounded like torture to him, but if it was the only way he could be with her, he’d do it.
“Are you sure?”
“I said we’d go, didn’t I?”
She rewarded him with a blinding smile. “Thank you. You’re very sweet.”
He blinked, befuddled by her smile. “Sweet?”
She laughed. “Don’t look so horrified. Hasn’t anyone ever called you sweet before?”
He shook his head. “You’re the first.” Sweet, for God’s sake. “I’ve been called a lot of things by women, but sweet isn’t one of them.”
She put her hand over his and gave it a light squeeze. “They were wrong. I think you’re very sweet.”
Oh, shit, he thought, gazing into those blue-water eyes of hers. It hit him like a marlin striking a twenty-pound test line, fast, hard and deadly. The reason he couldn’t forget her, the reason he liked her so much. He was falling for her. Just steps away from being sucked under and dragged out to sea.
He should tell her to forget it. Cancel the date, stop seeing her, stop being friends. Now. Before he became any more involved. Because the very last thing he needed was to fall for—really fall for—a beautiful woman again and get slammed in the teeth. He’d done that once. No way, no how, was he doing it again.
He opened his mouth to tell her he’d changed his mind. “What time should I pick you up?”
CAM WAS WAITING on the front porch when Gabe got home. The familiar flash of guilt assailed him because he’d been dodging his brother just as he’d been dodging everyone else he knew. He got out of the truck and slowly made his way to the door, aware that Cam was watching him.
“When did you start using a cane?” Cam asked.
“A few days ago. It’s not pretty, and I’m slower than a tortoise, but it’s better than crutches.” He opened the door and Cam followed him inside. “So, what’s up?”
“Have I done something to piss you off?”
Gabe tossed his keys down, then went to sit on the couch and stare at his brother. “No, why would
you think that?”
“Because you never come to the Parrot anymore. I can’t remember the last time you came over.”
He stretched his leg out and grimaced as he rubbed it. “Look, I’m just not feeling sociable, okay?”
“I think there’s more to it.” Cam sat in the over-stuffed chair beside the couch and pinned him with a sharp glare. “And I have orders not to leave until I find out what the problem is.”
Orders from Delilah, he’d bet. Women. Gabe rolled his eyes. “It’s not my job to get your wife off your back.”
“This is between you and me. Delilah has nothing to do with it.”
Gabe simply lifted an eyebrow.
Cam grinned. “Okay, she has been on my case to come see you. Delilah cares about you, too. So, why don’t you make it easy on all of us and just tell me what’s going on.”
Maybe he should. It might clear the air. “What the hell. You won’t let me pay for anything when I come to the restaurant. So I figured I wouldn’t come in.”
Cam just looked at him, as if waiting for more.After a moment he said, “That’s it? That’s your reason?”
“Yeah.” He scowled at his brother. “I don’t like feeling like a charity case. I can afford to buy my own damn food and drinks.”
“Well, hell, why didn’t you just say so?”
“I did. You weren’t listening.” None of his family listened. They just kept on offering, kept on trying to help.
“I didn’t mean to—”
“Yeah, I know,” Gabe interrupted. None of them meant to hurt him. They just didn’t get it. “Forget it.”
“Okay, no more freebies. Are we square now? You’ll start coming in again?”
“Yeah.” Even though he still didn’t feel like being sociable, he’d make the effort. “Is that the only reason you came over?”
“No.” Cam smiled and pulled a couple of cigars out of his pocket, handing Gabe one.
Gabe looked at the cigar, then at his brother, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat. “Let me guess, Delilah’s pregnant.”
“She is.” Cam struck a match and held it out for Gabe to light his cigar. “She sure is. And due in a little less than seven months.” He lit his own cigar and leaned back, still smiling.
