by Ruth Langan
The first taste had Erin sighing. The second had her closing her eyes in sheer bliss.
“See.” Hazard leaned close, until he was almost nuzzling her ear. “It’s one of my favorites.”
“I see what you mean.”
He looked up. Their gazes met. They smiled and continued staring at each other for several long moments. The way they were looking at each other made them oblivious to everyone else in the room.
As Maggie and Chance watched in silence, they turned to each other with matching looks of disbelief and then gradual understanding.
“So.” Cody broke the silence. “How was the flight home?”
“You should have seen us loading all those boxes and bags aboard the plane.” Chance was shaking his head, while the others around the table merely chuckled. “Our pilot and crew warned Maggie they weren’t certain they could get the plane up with all the extra weight.”
“I can’t believe you were able to buy so much in such a short time.” Erin buttered a roll, still hot from the oven.
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” Chance smiled at his wife. “The rest is being shipped.”
“The rest?” Ace paused with the fork halfway to his mouth. “What else did you buy, Maggie?”
“Some furniture. A new bedroom set. And a wonderful old antique dining room table and eight chairs.” When the others merely stared at her she said sweetly, “We’re building a new house, remember?” She calmly looked from Ace to Hazard. “Chance and I thought it would be fun to start with everything new.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Ace winked at Hazard. “That’s what every guy living on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming dreams of at night. New furniture.” He shook his head. “Next, Bro, you’ll be picking out china patterns and silver service and—”
He saw the look on Chance’s face and stopped. Grinned. “No way. You didn’t.”
Chance shrugged. “There was this great shop on Fifth. We both stopped to look at the window display. And the next thing we knew, we were inside picking out patterns.”
“See what happens?” Ace lifted both his hands, palms outward, as if to hold back an advancing army. “Love’s like a giant snowball. Once it starts rolling, there’s no stopping it. One day the only decision you have to make is whether to stop at Clancy’s for a beer or the E.Z. Diner for burgers. Then you find yourself married and thinking about building a house. The next thing you know you’re worried about filling it. Not only with furniture, but pretty soon, with kids.”
He saw the way Chance and Maggie were looking at each other, and his eyes widened. “You’re not…” He tried again. “You wouldn’t be having a baby or anything, would you?”
Chance merely grinned while Maggie said, “We’ve been talking about it.”
“Talking.” He wiped a hand over his brow. “Well, okay. As long as you’re still talking, there’s time to reconsider. You might want to think about starting out on a smaller scale. Like maybe a puppy first. Just to see if you’re equipped for all that responsibility.”
Chance couldn’t help laughing at the look on his brother’s face. “I know you can’t understand this, since you haven’t found the woman of your dreams yet. But someday it’ll happen, Ace. And when it does, you’ll wonder what took you so long. Then you’ll find yourself racing ahead, trying to make up for lost time.”
“Listen.” Ace reached for the platter and helped himself to seconds. “I think it’s great for somebody else. It’s just not in the cards for me. I am worried, though. I certainly hope whatever’s going around this ranch isn’t contagious.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chance watched him over the rim of his cup.
“First you and Maggie. Now Hazard and the doc.” He bent to his meal, missing the furious look that came into Hazard’s eyes and the color that stained Erin’s cheeks. “If you could make a vaccine against love, Doc, I’d be the first one in line for it.”
Seeing the way Chance and Maggie were studying her, Erin ducked her head and busied herself stirring cream into her coffee, refusing to meet their eyes.
Cody took pity on her. Clearing his throat he remarked, “Speaking of vaccines, Erin, have you come up with anything in the lab yet?”
“Nothing yet.” She swallowed and prayed her voice wouldn’t reveal her utter embarrassment. “But I have some tissue samples now, and I’m hoping to do some cross studies, comparing the healthy tissue to those taken from the dead calves. Something is bound to show up. It’s just a matter of carrying out the right tests.”
“I don’t get it.” Maggie frowned. “Why can’t you just look into your microscope and pinpoint the problem?”
Erin relaxed, grateful for the distraction. This was a subject she could discuss with ease. Unlike the talk of new homes and new babies.
“If it were just a matter of looking through a scope and detecting illness, medical science would have eliminated all diseases by now.
“Unless you know what you’re looking for, and run specific tests designed just for that organism, you’re simply operating in a maze.”
Chance dropped his fork with a clatter. “You mean, after all the tests you’ve run, you still don’t know any more than when you started?”
“Oh, I’ve learned a great deal. I know, for instance, that the calves haven’t died from any known bacteria or virus. None showed up in their blood. And, so far, their tissue samples have revealed no known organisms that would prove fatal.”
“So,” Ace said with a grin, “you’ve eliminated the usual suspects.”
“Exactly.” She nodded at him. “Now I have to round up some new ones and put them through a lineup.”
Ace grinned. “I can see that some of our Wyoming plain speech has finally rubbed off on you, Doc.”
“Thank you.” She inclined her head. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should.” Ace winked at Cody. “When you first came here, I didn’t know what you were saying half the time. Now we’re almost speaking the same language.”
“Careful,” Chance said with a laugh. “This could be dangerous, Erin. If Ace can understand you, you must be losing your touch.”
“That’s all right. When I first got here, I couldn’t understand a thing you said either, Ace.” She grinned. “I believe you were talking about eight ball and scratch and running the table. I’m afraid even now I haven’t a clue.”
Everyone laughed. Even Hazard joined in, hoping that Ace’s slip of the tongue had been forgotten. But minutes later he saw the speculative glances from both Maggie and Chance and realized that what he’d been given had been nothing more than a brief reprieve.
He knew that when his older brother got him alone, he’d be grilled mercilessly.
“All right.” Chance paused in the doorway of the lab. He’d deliberately waited until Maggie and Erin were occupied with clearing away the dishes before following his brother to his usual hangout. “What’s going on here?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Hazard busied himself returning a blood sample to the refrigerator.
“I mean about you and the doctor. I leave you alone here for a couple of days and come back to find you acting really weird. Staring into those baby blues. Whispering in her ear. And practically feeding her.”
“I wasn’t feeding her.”
“Only because you knew we were watching. If you’d have been alone with her, I think you’d have devoured her along with your meal.”
Hazard’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t understand what you’re hoping to gain from this inquisition. What business is it of yours what I do?”
“In case you’ve forgotten, Dr. Ryan is a guest in this house. And you were the one who issued the invitation.”
Hazard could feel his temper rising. “I haven’t forgotten.”
“Well then, maybe you’ve forgotten that in this day and age there are laws against sexual harassment.”
“Sexual…” Hazard’s anger erupted. He started forward, his hands already ball
ed into fists. “Listen, pal.” He grabbed Chance by the throat and forced him against the wall.
Instinctively Chance’s hand curled into Hazard’s shirtfront, holding him stiffly at bay.
“You think I’m forcing myself on Erin? Is that what you think?” Hazard’s eyes were hot with fury.
“I didn’t mean…”
“I know exactly what you meant.” Hazard tightened his grip on his brother’s throat. “You don’t think a woman like that could care about a guy like me?”
By bringing up both arms and pushing with all his strength, Chance was able to break his brother’s grip. He took a step back and lifted an arm in defense. “Wait a minute. Are you saying…?” He managed to deflect the first blow, as the light began to dawn. “You and the doctor are both…?” The second blow caught him on the jaw, snapping his head back.
He shook his head to clear it, then managed to duck so that the next punch missed him altogether and Hazard’s fist pounded into the wall beside him.
With a muttered oath Hazard flexed his fingers as pain shot through his entire arm.
“Maybe I just got lucky and you broke that hand,” Chance muttered under his breath. Then, seeing Hazard’s reaction, he sidestepped before another punch could be thrown. “Now wait a minute. I didn’t realize it was like that between you two. You should have just told me right from the start you were in love.”
“I’m not…we’re not…I didn’t say—” Hazard’s eyes darkened with a frown.
“You didn’t have to. Your punches said it all. You haven’t lost your temper that fast since Keith Smedley stole a kiss from that little girl you had a crush on in fourth grade. What was her name? Mary Alice something.”
“Mary Alice Carter.” Hazard huffed out a breath.
“Yeah. And now it’s Dr. Erin Ryan. Who’d have thought? My brother and the little genius.”
Hazard’s strong fingers closed around his brother’s throat, as he slammed him hard against the wall. “Don’t call her that.”
Chance sucked in a quick breath. “I didn’t mean it as an insult.”
“I don’t care. She’s not just a brain. She’s a person.” Hazard’s fingers tightened for just a moment, before he slowly loosened his grip. Then, aware of just how rough he’d been, he released his hold on Chance and allowed his hands to drop to his sides. “A wonderful, kind, sensitive person.” He shook his head in wonder. “She’s the finest woman I’ve ever known.”
Chance put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “And you’re in love with her.”
“I’m…Yeah.” Hazard shook his head from side to side, still unable to believe it. Then he lifted his head to meet his brother’s eyes. “I don’t know how it happened. But it did. The timing’s all wrong—it’s calving season, and I’ve got a crisis on my hands with the herd. But there it is. It can’t be helped.”
Chance grinned. “Love’s like that. Just sneaks up and sucker punches you when you least expect it. But quit looking so miserable. You’re supposed to be having fun.”
“I just wish I could spend more time with her.”
“I know the feeling.” Chance watched as Hazard crossed his arms over his chest and leaned morosely against the wall. “But calving season won’t last forever. And neither will this crisis. Between the two of you, you’ll figure it all out.”
“You think so, huh?” Hazard looked up.
“Yeah.” Chance brightened. “Know what you need?”
“What?”
“A night at Clancy’s.”
“You mean with you and Ace?”
“Yeah. And Cody. We’ll have a few beers. A few laughs. And tomorrow we’ll be ready to deal with reality. What do you say?”
Hazard thought a moment, then shook his head. “I’d rather stay here. Give Erin a hand in the lab.”
“Uh-huh.” The corners of Chance’s mouth curved into a smile. “Now I realize just how serious this is. When you’d rather spend a night studying drops of blood and bits of tissue under a microscope than tipping a few at Clancy’s, I’ve got to worry. It looks like there’s no hope for you now. Come on. You can pry your little doctor away from kitchen duties and steal her away to the privacy of your lab. I’ll finish up the dishes with my bride.”
“And you think I’m crazy. How about you? Ever since Maggie came into your life, you’ve been getting your kicks doing dishes.”
“Yeah.” Chance’s smile grew. “But it’s what we do after the dishes are put away that really makes me happy.”
Chuckling, the two brothers draped their arms around each other’s shoulders and headed toward the kitchen, where the sound of feminine laughter lifted their spirits even higher.
“Do you miss Chicago?” Erin began to carry the dirty dishes from the table to the sink.
“So far I haven’t.” Maggie loaded them into the dishwasher, then turned on the taps and poured liquid detergent before settling the first of the pots and pans in the hot water. “I thought I would. But it just hasn’t happened. Maybe because there’s so much that’s new and exciting here in Wyoming. And maybe because I didn’t leave any family behind. Chance and his brothers have become my whole world.” She turned to Erin. “How about you? Are you missing your family in Boston?”
Erin shook her head and reached for a towel. “Not at all. It’s strange. The minute my plane left Logan Airport, I felt—” she shook her head, wondering how to explain the almost heady sense of exhilaration “—like a caged bird that had been suddenly set free.”
“Really?” Maggie turned to her. “Still, it had to be a little frightening.”
Erin nodded. “I wasn’t certain I was heading in the right direction. I wasn’t even certain my wings would work. But I knew I had to strike out blindly and see if I could really fly.”
“Good for you.” Maggie rinsed the first pot and handed it to Erin.
“Could I…” Erin paused, then decided to take the plunge. “Could I ask you something, Maggie?”
“Sure.” Maggie washed a second pot, rinsed it, then set it on the counter.
“Did you know, the minute you met Chance, that he was the man you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?”
Maggie laughed. “Erin, the first time Chance and I met, I mistook him for an intruder. He was bearded, carrying a rifle and looked like some kind of wild mountain man. I attacked him with a butcher knife.”
Erin pressed a hand to her mouth. “What did he do?”
“He managed to disarm me without breaking my neck, though I think he would have liked to. I must say, we didn’t make a favorable impression on each other.”
“How long did it take before you warmed to each other?”
Maggie’s hands stilled. A slow smile crept into her eyes. “I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment. I think it took us awhile before extreme dislike turned to acceptance, and acceptance turned to trust, and trust finally turned to love.”
“How did you know—” This one was harder to ask. But Erin forced herself to speak quickly, before she lost her nerve. “How did you know it was love, and not merely lust?”
Maggie turned. Erin’s attention was fixed on the pot in her hand, which she continued to dry over and over.
“When Chance became more important to me than my own life.” Maggie’s voice lowered with feeling. “I would have gladly taken a bullet for him, rather than see him hurt.”
Erin looked up. “You’re so brave, Maggie. I wish—”
Maggie touched a hand to her shoulder. “What do you wish?”
Erin shook her head and looked away. “I wish I could be half as brave as you. When you mistook Chance for an intruder, you attacked him. If it had been me, I’d have probably fainted.”
Maggie placed a hand under Erin’s chin and forced her head up. “Now, why do you say that?”
“Because it’s true. That’s what I did the first time I met Hazard. Fainted dead away. And every time I think about it I get so embarrassed.”
“Then don’t think about it.”
Maggie closed her wet hands over Erin’s. Squeezed. “We all do things that come back to embarrass us. That’s part of living. When that happens, we just have to develop a sense of humor about it.”
“Do you mean you and Chance can laugh about your first meeting?”
“Absolutely. He still loves teasing me about it. And I do have to admit, it makes me giggle every time he reminds me. So, Erin, stop fretting about what happened in the past. Instead, just enjoy the moment.”
“Enjoy the moment.” Erin met Maggie’s smile with one of her own. “I like that.” Then, without thinking, she threw her arms around Maggie’s neck. “Thanks, Maggie. I never had a sister. And I can’t imagine talking to my mother like this.”
“Hey. Anytime.” Maggie patted her shoulder. “And anytime you want a laugh, just ask Chance about the morning he met his new cook.”
The two young women were still laughing when the door opened and Chance and Hazard came in.
Chance crossed the room and took the towel from Erin’s hands.
“What are you doing?” She reached for it. “I’m not finished yet.”
“Oh, yes you are, Doctor. My brother needs your help in the lab. Besides, I haven’t been alone with my wife for a couple of hours now. So go on. Both of you.”
Erin walked to the doorway, where Hazard was waiting. As she followed him out of the room, she caught a glimpse of Maggie and Chance, locked in an embrace.
Seeing it, Hazard leaned close to whisper, “Let’s leave the lab work for morning. You’ve already put in too many hours.”
“But what about tonight?”
He shot her a wicked smile. “I just came up with a better idea.”
Chapter 13
“Ah.” Ace breathed deeply as he walked into the kitchen. “I smell real coffee. And is that—?” he leaned over Maggie’s shoulder “—real food?”
Maggie shot him a glance. “As opposed to what?”
“The sewer water Agnes passes off as coffee.” He touched a hand to his heart in mock distress. “And the leftovers from the E.Z. Diner’s carry-outs we affectionately refer to as breakfast.”
