Cassie ran up to Heath, wrapping her arms around him. “How is he, Dad?”
“We’re still waiting for word from the doctor.”
“Where are Mitch and Sean?” Skye asked as Heath gave her a hug.
“Sean’s outside on a phone call.” Heath nodded toward the double glass doors. “Mitch and Dana are in the cafeteria. They should be coming back upstairs any time now.”
She joined Sean outside while Cassie took a seat next to Heath.
“What happened?”
Heath explained Rafe’s seizure during the meeting and results of the angiogram.
“No one knew, except his kids, that he had three stents as the result of a seizure a few years ago. His ex-wife doesn’t even know about it, even though they were married at the time.”
“How could that be possible?” Cassie couldn’t imagine Heath keeping that from Annie.
Heath shrugged. “They’re marriage had been going downhill a long time. She vacationed quite a bit, so it wasn’t hard to keep it quiet.” He picked up his lukewarm coffee and took a sip. “After performing the angiogram a few hours ago, the doctor recommended minimally invasive double bypass surgery instead of adding more stents. At first Rafe leaned toward the stents, then changed his mind.”
“Is he in surgery now?”
“He is. The way I understand it, they’re treating it as emergency surgery due to the amount of blockage.” Heath glanced at his watch. “Shouldn’t be too much longer.”
Skye and Sean walked inside, taking seats next to Cassie and Heath at the same time Jace, Amber, Kade, and Brooke came into the waiting area carrying sacks of food.
“No sense everyone going hungry while we wait.” Amber placed her bags on a table. “Any word?”
“Nothing yet,” Sean answered, waving off a sandwich Kade held out to him. “Thanks, but I’m going to wait.”
The others nibbled at their food, hopeful a positive report would come to them soon.
******
“Here you are. There wasn’t much choice at this time of night so I grabbed a turkey and a ham.” Dana laid the sandwiches in front of Mitch and a salad at her place. “This must all come as a shock. He seems much too young to have heart issues.”
They’d sat outside on the patio for a time, saying little until the air became too chilled and they returned to the cafeteria. Even though neither mentioned it, a tentative truce formed as the evening turned to night and everyone waited.
“This is his second time under the knife. The first time shocked all of us. Afterwards he changed his diet, exercised, even stopped his once or twice a week cigars. He seemed fine.” Mitch unwrapped a sandwich and took a bite, chewing slowly.
“Stress?”
Mitch focused on the food in his hand, as if studying it would provide answers.
“No more than usual. A year ago, when Heath and Jace bought RTC, I’d have said yes. The last few months have been much better. He’s had to deal with a lot of changes.”
“I guess learning you have another son would have been a big one” Dana picked at her salad, pushing it around her plate.
“It was, but he handled it pretty well, given the circumstances. Pop’s always had a hard time with change.”
“Like father, like son?” she joked, seeing a slight smile touch Mitch’s mouth before her expression grew serious. “Is there any reason to call your mother?”
He’d been asking himself the same question all evening. His mother and Rafe hadn’t gotten along in years. Arguments followed by silence increased over time. After Rafe learned of the affair, the divorce seemed a formality.
“You may have heard my mother had a long affair with some guy she met on one of her frequent trips. She never liked the ranch, RTC, or being stuck in what she considered a hick town lacking any social life, so she created her own fantasy life with this other man.”
“How did you learn about it?”
“I walked in on her and the son of a bitch,” he snorted, seeing Dana’s eyes widen. “I’d just turned fourteen, thought I knew everything, even though I acted like a punk much of the time. Mother said she and friends were going shopping, so I ditched school, believing no one would be home. I heard noises from her room and opened the door to see…well, you can figure it out.”
“I can’t imagine,” Dana whispered, sensing some of the pain Mitch must’ve felt at the betrayal to his father.
“Believe me, it’s a sight you never want to witness. Anyway, Mother panicked. Begged me not to say anything to Pop. I was big for my age and confronted the guy, told him to get the hell off our property and never come back.” He blew out a breath, not sure why sharing one of the most painful parts of his life with Dana felt right. “I couldn’t look at or speak with my mother for months.”
“Did you tell Rafe about it?” She pushed her salad away as her hunger vanished.
“No, at least not that time.”
“You mean it happened again?”
“She couldn’t stay away from the guy. He never stepped foot in our house again, but I guess they continued to meet whenever they could. I worked at RTC during high school, doing whatever they needed, cleaning corrals, helping with the bulls, running errands. One day during my senior year Pop asked me to take a file to his attorney in town. I drove past this no-tell motel type of place and whose car sat parked in front of one of the rooms? Mother’s,” he bit out. After all this time he still felt anger at what she did to his father. “I parked and pounded on the door. When it opened, the same guy stood there, half dressed, my mother behind him on the bed with sheets wrapped around her…” his voice trailed off at the memory.
They sat in silence a few minutes until Mitch spoke again.
“I couldn’t form a sentence, just stared at her, then turned and left.” He shook his head, his lips forming a thin line. “I’d stopped at a burger place on the way into town and finished it before spotting her car. I lost it all about a quarter mile past the motel.” He looked at Dana. She could still see the pain after all these years. “Seventeen-years-old and I had no clue what to do.”
“He found out, though.”
“I gave her a choice—either she told him or I would. She told him. Promised it would never happen again, which I knew was crap. She just didn’t want to go through the mess of a divorce. Mom stuck around until Skye left for college, then moved to California. No one filed for a long time, then Pop finally decided to get an attorney.” He pushed away from the table, stood, and stretched his arms above his head. “Guess we should head back upstairs.”
She followed him to the elevator, placing a hand on his arm. “You know, anytime you want to talk—about anything…”
He stared down at her, a look she couldn’t quite decipher in his eyes before a small grin appeared.
“Who would’ve thought Dana Ballard would be such a good listener?”
“Hey, I have a lot of skills I keep tucked away for use in emergencies. Text, phone, email—whatever works for you.” They stepped into the elevator and punched the floor for cardio surgeries.
Mitch stilled, his voice dropping to a whisper as the door closed behind them. “Would that include talking over dinner?”
She felt the same rush of heat as with the first time he’d asked. Now she knew to keep her distance so he didn’t burn her a second time.
“Dana?”
She swallowed, deciding there’d be no repeat of what happened before. “Dinner would be nice.” She flashed him a warm smile as the elevator dinged, signaling their floor.
******
“Can’t you get me out of here any sooner?” Rafe’s mood had deteriorated since the operation. Not from the surgery, which had been a success. He hated hospitals. Being tested and probed, eating passable food, getting little or no sleep, and having doctors and nurses ask the same questions over and over, turned relief at his prognosis to frustration.
“Doc’s going to check you out tomorrow morning. If he gives the okay, I’ll get you out of here.�
� Mitch picked up one of the plastic covered bowls, lifted the top and sniffed. “Hmmm…”
“Do you have any idea what that stuff is?” Rafe shifted on the bed, pushing the cord of the call button to the side.
“Not a clue.” Mitch guessed it to be pudding, although he wouldn’t swear to it.
“And that’s a damn good reason why I’m not eating it.” He grimaced, shifting again to find a more comfortable position.
“How’s the patient?” Skye asked as she walked in, a small bag in her hand.
“He’d be doing better if he were home,” Rafe said, eyeing the bag. “What’s in there?”
“Not much. A toasted bagel and chicken sandwich.” She dangled it in front of him, snatching it away when he reached for it. “Half now and half later.”
“Fine.” Rafe grabbed the bag, opened the top, and sniffed in the aroma. “It’s been three days since I’ve had edible food. Thanks, honey.”
“Are you sure it’s all right for him to have that?” Mitch watched him take an unrepentant bite.
“The doctor gave the approval before I left for the deli. Of course, I had him alone in the elevator and wouldn’t let him out until I pleaded Pop’s case. He relented when I reminded him he’d have to face Pop later today.”
Dana could hear the laughter coming from Rafe’s room as she walked up the hall. After learning the surgery had been a success, she’d stayed away, wanting to give Rafe’s family time alone with him. She also wanted to keep a healthy distance between her and Mitch. Knocking, she pushed the door open and poked her head inside.
“Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all. Come on in.” Skye moved to the other side of the bed, giving Dana room to stand next to Mitch, who stood and pulled his chair over, brushing her arm in the process.
“Have a seat. I’ve been sitting all morning.” Instead of moving aside, Mitch stepped closer, crowding her without drawing any attention to his movements.
“You look much better than the last time I saw you.” She smiled at Rafe, seeing his color had improved, at the same time ignoring her body’s response to Mitch standing so close.
“Which would have been in the ambulance?” Rafe asked.
“Yep.” She glanced around the large private room with a view toward the mountains. “Not that this isn’t a great room, because it is, but when do you get to go home?”
“See, even Dana thinks I should be let loose.” His grumbled response sounded more upbeat than when he’d complained to Mitch.
“The doctor will check his progress in the morning. If all looks good, the old man will be staying in his own bed tomorrow night.” Mitch leaned past Dana to help Rafe change positions, hearing an intake of breath as his thigh brushed against hers.
“Old man, huh? You remember that when I best you at the next family rodeo.”
“Family rodeo?” Dana had heard nothing of this event.
“Each year the family here in Fire Mountain holds a rodeo in the area in front of the ranch house. This year we’ve been invited.” Skye looked at Dana, her brows rising. “You might be ready to compete in barrel racing this summer. Cassie’s says you’re a natural.”
“What barrel racing?” Mitch’s gaze narrowed on Dana.
She turned toward him, ignoring the hard face and set jaw. “Cassie spent quite a bit of time teaching me when I was in Cold Creek. I’ll never win a medal, but I can clear all three without knocking them down. No one would mistake my turns for being tight.” Dana’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“You’ve had, what, a couple lessons, and now you’re thinking of going up against Cassie, Skye, and Amber, risking injury doing something you know little about?”
Setting fisted hands on her hips, she glared up at him. “If it’s a family and friends event for fun, then I don’t know why not. All anyone can do is laugh at me. You have a problem with it, big guy?”
Mitch held up his hands, palms out, realizing he’d already revealed too much. There’d been four women he cared about in his life—his mother, Skye, Sam, and his college sweetheart. Over the years the number had been reduced to his two sisters, and no matter how much he told himself they were grown, able to take care of themselves, he couldn’t shake the worry something might happen. Confusion and conflicting feelings gripped him as he began to comprehend the same worry had transferred to Dana.
“No problem. Just stating my case.”
“Good, because if I get an invitation, I’m going to give it a try.”
Skye watched the two, knowing more went on between them than either wanted to admit. After Dana left Crooked Tree, Mitch began to snap out orders and became a general pain. It had been a relief to leave for Houston and let Sean, Sam, and Rhett deal with him. Although guarded, Mitch seemed more at ease with Dana around.
“I’d better get going so you can visit with Skye and Mitch. It’s good to see you looking better, Rafe.” Dana cast a look at Mitch, then turned to leave.
“Hold on a minute, Dana. I’ll walk you out.” Mitch followed her toward the hall. “Anything you want while I’m downstairs, Pop?”
“Whiskey?”
“You wish. I’ll be right back.” He kept pace alongside Dana, resting a hand on the small of her back, wanting the connection he’d missed since she’d left Montana. Mitch had no idea why he felt this strong pull to be near her. Since the betrayal of his college girlfriend, and their breakup, he’d avoided all entanglements, never allowing any woman to get close. Dana had broken through his defenses, and though he still didn’t see a future, he wanted to find some way to keep her in his life.
“Thanks for coming downstairs.” Dana turned toward him in the lobby, searching his face, for what, she didn’t know. “You don’t need to go outside.”
“Where’s your Jeep?” Ignoring the comment, he guided her toward the door.
“Rafe looks much better.”
“Yeah.”
“Has he been able to get up, walk around?”
“Yeah.”
His one word responses began to grate on her. Why had he volunteered to walk her out if he wanted to ignore her?
“Will you be going straight back to Crooked Tree when he’s released?”
“No.”
Spotting the Jeep, he stopped at the driver’s side door and glanced around.
“Is this all I’m going to get? One word—”
She didn’t finish before he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him, his mouth capturing hers. Surprise turned to passion as she threaded her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck and held on. Nothing about the kiss was gentle. Heat surged through her as he lessened the pressure, then trailed soft kisses on the edges of her mouth, along her jaw, to the soft column of her neck.
Loud laughter had them pulling apart, each gasping for air as they looked around, spotting a family getting into their car.
Dana’s mind rocked at the intensity of his assault, and she chided herself on letting him suck her in so easily. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her spine, and looked into eyes which had turned a deep, stormy gray.
“What are we doing, Mitch?”
Keeping his arms slack at his sides, he glanced away, deciding how to answer. He’d always been better with the truth, no matter how blunt.
“I want to keep seeing you.”
“I see.” She nodded in a slow movement. “I assume this means you want me in your bed.”
“Of course.”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know.”
She crossed her arms, leaning against the side of her car, her eyes narrowing. “And what happens when the desire wears off?”
Dragging a hand through his hair, he shifted from one foot to another. “We go our separate ways. Until then, we enjoy each other.”
Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she bit down hard enough to stop herself from saying what first came to mind. He didn’t need to know how she thought of him at the most inconvenient times, r
emembering every moment of their night together, and the way her heart raced whenever she saw him. He wouldn’t care.
“So the deal is we have sex with no strings attached until it’s no longer fun.”
He winced at her definition, although it captured what he wanted. All the pleasure and none of the potential pain associated with a long-term relationship or commitment.
“Yes.”
Dana sorted through her choices. She could back out now and avoid the pain when he decided the excitement had worn off. Jump in with both feet and relish every minute, knowing it wouldn’t last. Or go along with the sex without strings, try to keep it light while hoping he might change his mind, perhaps grow to care for her the way she already did for him. The last held the most risk, but also the most promise. She’d lost before, picked up the pieces and moved on. Dana had no doubt she could do it again.
“All right, we’ll do it your way. But don’t come whining to me when you can’t let me go.”
“Oh, I’ll be able to let you go.”
“I’ll take that bet.” She smiled, running a finger down his shirt.
He studied her, his chest tightening at the thought she might be right.
“With some ground rules,” she added.
“Ground rules?”
“First, no repercussions at work. You’re a MacLaren with a secure place in the company. When it’s over, if I choose to stay with the company, you won’t try to push me out.”
“Done.”
“Second, no one knows we’re friends with benefits. What we do will be between the two of us and no one else.”
“All right.”
“And third, we don’t see others while we’re together. If you want to be with someone else, tell me and I’ll disappear like that.” She snapped her fingers. “No drama, just gone. And I’ll do the same. If I meet someone else, I’ll let you know.”
He considered the last rule. The thought of Dana with another man burned like a hot poker in his gut. Mitch pushed it aside, knowing he’d see her for a month or two, maybe three, then move on. At that point he wouldn’t care who she saw.
“Agreed. Now, if you don’t have plans, let me say goodnight to Pop and take you to dinner. I’ll be right back.”
Hearts Don't Lie Page 14
