The Maverick's Reward

by Roxann Delaney

  “It’s too bad we didn’t get Shawn that car for his birthday, but with the extra pickup—” Jules stopped suddenly and turned to Tucker, the hint of pink creeping across her face.

  “It’s okay,” Tucker quickly told her. He felt bad enough about barging into their lives. They’d bent over backward, trying to make him comfortable, never prying, never asking questions. Jules had no reason to be embarrassed. “Besides,” he continued, “it’s time I got my own vehicle.”

  “There’s no need,” Tanner said. “Most of the time the pickup isn’t used.”

  Tucker knew better than to argue with his older brother, so he didn’t reply. But he would look into getting his own transportation. He didn’t intend to stay at the Rocking O Ranch or even near Desperation, once Shawn graduated. Tucker saw even less reason to stay around than he had when he was fifteen. Maybe if he hadn’t left then, things might be different now, but he’d made his choice and would live with it for the rest of his life.

  But at least he didn’t have to worry about getting to his appointment, and a little over an hour later, they were on their way into Desperation.

  Tanner glanced at Tucker beside him in the truck. “You seem to be getting around better.”

  Tucker nodded. “I’ve been doing some work on my knee,” he admitted. “I hope you don’t mind that I used your computer for a little research.”

  “No,” Tanner replied. “You’re welcome to use it whenever.”

  “Thanks.”

  Tanner pulled onto the main street and headed in the direction of the Chick-a-Lick Café. “Can I drop you off anyplace special?”

  “No, the café is fine.”

  Tanner slid him another look, but said nothing as he pulled into a parking space in front of the café. Tucker barely waited for his brother to turn off the engine before he climbed out of the pickup.

  “Are you going to make it to the game?” Tanner called after him.

  “I’ll be there. Thanks for the ride.”

  “Sure. Anytime.”

  Tucker could feel his brother watching him, but had purposely walked in the opposite direction of the doctor’s office. The high school was only a couple of blocks in the direction he was going, so he decided to stop in and see when the weight room was available.

  Walking up to the sprawling brick building, memories of the year he’d spent in it came rushing back. He’d hated school, wanting only to become a rodeo star. He smiled, but it was a sad smile. Quitting school and running off to join three older rodeo riders was the answer to all his problems—or at least that’s what he’d thought. It was almost three years later that he realized what a bad decision he’d made, but by then he believed it was too late to go back home, even if he’d wanted to.

  Avoiding the front door of the school, he skirted around the building to the back to slip inside the heavy doors. He remembered that the hall led to the boys’ locker room, but once there, he realized he didn’t know where the weight training room was. It had been far too many years since he’d been in the school. He should have expected changes, but he hadn’t given it any thought.

  Outside again, he looked around and realized there were two other buildings that hadn’t been there when he was a student. Feeling totally lost, he glanced at his watch and decided to find out another time where he needed to go.

  With time to waste, he stopped for a cold soda at the Sweet & Yummy Ice Cream Parlor in the historic opera house. From a table near the window, he could see the entrance to the clinic. When he saw the shades pulled, he knew the office staff would be leaving soon, and it was near time for his appointment with Paige. His leg was better, stronger and there were times when he didn’t bother with his cane, although he still limped. He was ready to live his life, although he didn’t know what kind or how.

  After paying for his soda, he stepped out onto the sidewalk and started for the clinic. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two figures moving down the street. Curious, he looked closer and was surprised.

  He remembered Vern and Esther from his childhood. Now probably in their eighties, he couldn’t believe that Esther was still chasing Vern. Rumor had it that they’d been sweethearts before Vern had joined the army, and when he returned, he wasn’t interested in her anymore. Esther, however, hadn’t lost interest, and it appeared she still hadn’t.

  Shaking his head, Tucker turned down the alleyway, making sure no one was paying attention, and arrived at his destination.

  “Right on time,” Paige said as she opened the back door at his knock.

  “I wasn’t sure I was going to make it,” he admitted, stepping inside the back hallway.

  She led him into the now familiar large room and pointed to the tall examining table, as she always did. “Problems?”

  “Lack of transportation, but I found a way into town.”

  “Where there’s a will, there’s a way, I guess.”

  Using the calipers, she measured the amount of flex in his knee. Thinking he’d been doing well, he was surprised when she looked up at him with a frown on her face. “What?” he asked.

  She shook her head and moved away. “Nothing. I was expecting too much.”

  “What does that mean?”

  She’d turned to replace the calipers on a countertop and looked over her shoulder. “There wasn’t as much progress as I’d hoped there’d be, that’s all.”

  He couldn’t believe she was saying this. He’d worked hard and had hoped this would be the last appointment he’d have to have. Was it one more failure in his long list? He’d hoped he had left that road behind and was moving forward to something new. Something better. Apparently he wasn’t.

  Sliding down from the table, he stood straight. “Then I guess I’m wasting your time.”

  “No,” she said, walking back to where he stood. “Sometimes therapy hits a point where there’s little progression. I’m sure that’s where we are with this now.”

  He shook his head, determined not to show his disappointment. He had thought and hoped— “I’m doing okay. There’s no need for this anymore.”

  Without waiting for her to reply, he started for the door, but Paige’s voice stopped him. “What is it with you, Tucker?” she asked. “You didn’t want to do this to begin with, and now that I’ve proven to you that therapy can help, you’ve decided to quit, all because your progress has slowed a little?”

  He refused to look at her and shrugged to show her he wasn’t all that disappointed, even though he was. “I guess I owe you my thanks for getting me this far, but I can go it alone from here on out.”

  “Only you would think so,” she replied, disgust in her voice. “There’s more work to be done, Tucker.”

  “I’m fine.” At least he would be.

  “No, you aren’t,” she said, her voice cracking. “And I’m sure you won’t do anything, once you walk out this door. I thought you were smarter than that. I guess I was wrong.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that nothing has changed. If you don’t do the work needed now, a wheelchair could still be in your future.”

  Shaking his head, he continued to the door. “I’ll be okay.” But when he reached for the door handle, he stopped. Things weren’t going his way, so he was going to quit? Except for his time in the marines, that’s what he’d done all his life. When the going got rough, Tucker got going, but somewhere in a small, primitive prison in Somalia, he’d begun to see things in a different way.

  He’d had time to look back at his life, and although he didn’t make plans, knowing at that time that even the possibility of a future was dim, he realized that it was his choices that had gotten him where he was. Some choices had been good. Some hadn’t.

  And now it had come down to this. Sure, his leg was better, but it wasn’t good. He couldn’t deny that the improvement wasn’t because of Paige. He’d practically forced her to help him, and maybe he owed her for that. Maybe he owed himself more than to quit and walk away.

  �
�Okay,” he said, turning back to look at her. “You win.”

  “No, you’ll be the winner.”

  Her smile was slow. And sexy. And he wondered if she had any idea how sexy. Although he didn’t want to admit it to himself, she’d become more than his doctor and therapist. Seeing her so often and working with her wasn’t such a good idea. Had she been aware of this, too? Was that why she’d been so difficult about taking on his therapy?

  But he couldn’t let any of this stop him. He didn’t want to end up in a wheelchair. No matter how much work it would take, he was going to see this through and hope he’d be rewarded with a leg that was strong and nearly normal.

  When Paige finished giving him his therapy instructions for the next week, he helped her make sure doors were locked and lights were out, and then followed her outside the back door, where he’d come into the clinic.

  “Where’s your truck?” she asked, looking around the small parking lot at the back of the building.

  He explained that he’d gotten a ride with Tanner and why, then told her goodbye and turned to walk away.

  “Are you going to Shawn’s game?” she asked.

  He looked over his shoulder to see her standing by her car. “That’s the plan.”

  “Come on,” she said, unlocking and opening the car door. “I’ll give you a ride.”

  He wasn’t sure that was a good idea. “It’s okay. The walk is good for me.”

  “And you’ll be late, so get in.”

  Should he? He knew there would be questions, family asking what he was doing riding with the good doctor, and he hesitated.

  “Tucker?”

  “Yeah?” he asked, noticing she was now in the car.

  “Just get in.”

  After hesitating another moment, he decided he’d deal with the questions, and he walked to the car, opened the door and climbed inside.

  “I don’t bite,” she said as she started the engine.

  “Never said you did.” And he’d never tell her what kind of thoughts went through his mind, sitting in the confines of her car with her as she drove them to his son’s game. Those thoughts were the kind he shouldn’t be having.

  Chapter Six

  “How many more?” Paige asked from the hall.

  At the reception desk, Cara turned to answer her. “Only one. Or two, depending on how you want to look at it.”

  Tired, Paige smiled anyway. Once this last appointment was over, everyone else would go home, and then Tucker would be here. They’d changed his appointments to one day a week and switched that day to Thursday, so they wouldn’t have to work around baseball games and end-of-the-year school activities. “So how should I look at it?”

  “It’s the McPherson twins,” Cara explained.

  Paige looked out the open window in front of Cara to the waiting room. “If they’re as healthy as I expect they are, it won’t take long. Why don’t you lock up? You might as well all go on home. Unless Kate mentioned concerns, this is a routine checkup, right?”

  Cara scooted away from the desk. “Right. And thanks, Paige. It’s been a long day for all of us. I’ll tell the others they can leave.”

  Knowing it would be a few minutes before she would see Tyler and Travis McPherson, the twin sons of Dusty and Kate McPherson, Paige retreated to her tiny office. She sat and leaned back in her chair, wishing the day was over, wishing the week was over. It seemed that during the past week, she’d seen every patient in Desperation. All she wanted to do now was go home, take a long, hot bubble bath and relax until it was time for bed. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen.

  Minutes later, she was in the small examining room, checking the throat of nine-month-old Tyler, while his mother held a squirming Travis in her arms.

  “They’re healthy little guys,” Paige told Kate when she was done with the exam. “They’re definitely a handful, but you manage them so well.”

  “Thanks to Dusty,” Kate replied, gathering her things. “He’s a great dad and would have been here with me to help, but he had some errands to run. He’ll be back in a few minutes, if he’s not back already.”

  “He won’t be able to get in,” Paige told her, knowing the clinic had been locked when the staff had left.

  “I know. Cara told me,” Kate answered. “I called him and said to meet me outside. Next time we’ll try to get an earlier appointment. I hate keeping you this late.”

  Knowing how Tucker didn’t want anyone to know that he was getting therapy, Paige refrained from explaining why staying late wasn’t a problem. “Don’t worry about it. It isn’t that late, and we’re done, so there’s no harm done.” She picked up Tyler and held him, brushing her lips on his baby-soft cheek, then laughed when he wiggled in her arms. “They’re both as healthy as can be,” she said, giving him an extra hug.

  “You should find some nice man to give you babies,” Kate said, slipping the strap of the diaper bag over her shoulder as she got to her feet.

  Paige sighed. “As if I have time for that.”

  “Which?” Kate asked. “A nice man or babies?”

  “Both,” Paige answered, laughing.

  Kate followed her out the door and into the hallway. “You’d make a terrific mom. And there are a few eligible men in Desperation, if you know where to look.”

  “Where would that be?” Paige asked over her shoulder with a smile. “Lou’s Place?”

  “Hardly,” Kate said with a chuckle. “But off the top of my head, I can think of at least one.”

  “And just who would that be?”

  “Tucker O’Brien.”

  Paige stopped and turned, just as they stepped into the semidark waiting room. “Not you, too,” she said with a sigh.

  “But—”

  “He’s a patient.” When she realized what she’d just said, Paige quickly corrected herself. “Or was, but could be again, I guess. And isn’t that Dusty I see getting out of the pickup?”

  Kate turned and looked out the door, the blinds half-pulled. “Yes, that’s him,” she replied, obviously forgetting about the subject of their conversation.

  Paige unlocked the door, and Kate stepped outside, then turned back. “Thanks for everything, Paige. Now go home and relax. Get some rest. And think about what I said.”

  Paige laughed and nodded. “Yes to the first, but no to the second.”

  “You never know…”

  “About what?” Dusty asked, walking up and taking Tyler from Paige.

  “Never mind,” Paige hurried to say, when Kate started to answer. Hoping to put an end to the subject, she bid them all goodbye and hurried back into the clinic, relocking the door behind her and making sure the blinds were closed all the way.

  “They’re nice people.”

  Paige jumped, but tried not to show she’d been startled. “They are,” she replied, crossing the waiting room and walking to the doorway to the hall. She closed the door behind them and flipped on the hall light.

  Tucker pushed away from the wall where he was leaning and followed her down the hallway. “My brother chose wisely when it came to picking a partner and best friend. I’m not surprised.”

  Paige didn’t reply until they reached the room in the back. “You don’t get along well with him, do you?”

  Tucker, settling on the examining table, stopped and looked at her. “You noticed?”

  “It’s hard not to.” She gathered his file and the calipers she needed to make the necessary measurements. “Having a sibling myself, I can understand being at odds sometimes. But your relationship with Tanner seems much deeper.” She stopped, and shook her head. “But that’s none of my business, so let’s just get this done, shall we?”

  “Now you sound like a doctor,” Tucker answered as she took the needed measurements.

  “Well, I am. Should I sound different?”

  “It is after office hours.”

  The slightly seductive quality Paige heard in his suddenly soft voice tempted her to look up, but she refused to give in
. “You’re right,” she said, hoping he didn’t notice the husky quality in her own voice. “So why don’t you tell me what it was like being a marine?”

  After a short, uncomfortable silence, Tucker finally spoke. “You don’t want to know.”

  Paige looked up and saw pain in his eyes. “I didn’t mean your experience in Somalia,” she said softly. “I meant as a marine in general. I’ve heard it’s the toughest branch of the service. Why did you choose it?”

  Looking away, he shrugged. “I heard some guys at a rodeo trying to pick a fight with a couple of the other bull riders. They said nobody was tougher than a marine.”

  “So is it true?”

  His smile was wry, and his chuckle was soft. “I suppose it is. Boot camp definitely is the worst of the lot.”

  “But you made it through it,” she pointed out.

  “I did. But just getting there was tough. If it hadn’t been for Grandmother Ayita, I wouldn’t have been able to join.”

  “How’s that?”

  “I quit school when I was fifteen. I needed a diploma. She knew a man who could help get me one.”

  “I’ve heard Nikki speak of her,” Paige told him. “So you made it through boot camp. Did you like life as a marine?”

  “I did,” he said, nodding. “I’d still be active, if it wasn’t for…” He stopped and stared at her. “Why are you asking me these questions?”

  It wasn’t hard to miss the anger in his voice. She knew it would be wise to stop. She didn’t have the training to be doing this. “I’m curious,” she answered. “I haven’t known a marine—at least not that I’m aware of—and I’ve always been curious.”

  “Be curious with someone else.”

  Seeing the look of pain on his face and hearing the anger in his voice, she decided not to ask him more. But she’d gotten him to talk a little about his past, and she considered that a major step. At least he’d opened up, if only a little.

  “So how’s my knee now?” Tucker asked in the silence, the anger still evident in his voice.

  She moved away, swallowing a sigh of frustration. “It’s good. Better than good, actually.”