by Judy Duarte
Mike drew up short. Who the heck was she? Another of Tex’s granddaughters?
When she turned, facing him, recognition dawned and his jaw dropped. He didn’t know who he’d expected to see on his way out of the house, but certainly not a gorgeous brunette with a shape that could stop traffic at rush hour in downtown Philadelphia.
Was that really Tammy?
Damn, it couldn’t be anyone else.
“Hey,” she said, offering him a shy smile. “How’s Tex doing this afternoon?”
“He’s...about the same.” Mike tried to focus on his reason for being on the Flying B, on his patient, on relaying medical information to the man’s granddaughter. But all he could do was marvel at the new Tammy.
Not that the old Tammy, with those pretty blue eyes, hadn’t been intriguing and fun to know. But who in the world left a palette of makeup out? And who opened the door to Victoria’s Secret after hours? And why hadn’t they done it sooner?
Tammy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Is something wrong, Doc?”
“Wrong? No.” Hell, no. It’s just that he... Damn. “I didn’t recognize you at first, and it kind of...threw me for a loop, I guess.”
“It’s the dress.”
No, it was more than the dress—although the style and fabric certainly spotlighted the woman he’d failed to see before.
He probably ought to say something else, to comment about the new Tammy. But he was...dumbstruck. Awestruck. Maybe even a bit moonstruck.
Not that he’d do anything about it. Even if he were inclined to give Tammy more than a passing thought, he couldn’t allow himself to get involved with anyone in Buckshot Hills. His plan was to fly back to Philadelphia as soon as Stan Reynolds returned to his practice. So there was no point in considering any kind of temporary fling with the locals.
But damn. He couldn’t take his eyes off little Tammy Byrd, who didn’t seem so little anymore—in spite of her short stature. She couldn’t be much taller than five foot one. Still, Mother Nature had packed a whole lot of woman in her.
He couldn’t seem to do anything but gawk at her and stumble along in his thoughts. Of course, it was just the metamorphosis that had him amazed. Wasn’t it?
As one second stretched into another, she finally broke the silence with a nervous chuckle.
“What’s the matter, Doc? Cat got your tongue?”
Mike, who’d been scanning the length of her again, stopped long enough to look into her eyes—those dazzling blue eyes with lush dark lashes. He’d expected to see a spark of feminine pride in them, as well as the hint of a confident grin splashed on her face. But her expression revealed a bit of apprehension.
Hadn’t she realized that the new Tammy had knocked him completely off stride and that he was the one who ought to be uneasy?
Maybe not.
Okay, then. If she hadn’t figured it out, he certainly wasn’t going to spell it out for her.
So he tossed her a smile and said, “You ought to wear dresses more often.”
* * *
Tammy ran her hands along the sleek fabric that clung to her hips. She was treading uncharted waters here.
She’d never had a man look at her with such intensity before. And while it was a little nerve wracking since she had no idea what to say or where to go from here, it also felt good.
Amazingly good.
A sense of sexual power surged through her, and for the first time ever, she was glad to be a girl—or rather, make that a woman.
She might be way off base, but it seemed as if things had suddenly changed between them. Was Doc at a loss, just like she was? And was he eager to spend a little time with her, too?
If so, the makeover had worked even better than she’d hoped. Yet as nice as the two-way attraction was, she realized he’d soon tell her that he had to go, but for some reason, he continued to stand there, gazing at her and setting her heart and her hormones pumping.
Something swirled around them, something so strong and real, she could almost cut it with a pocketknife—which she didn’t have on her right now. Not that she’d do anything to put a stop to it. The heat in Doc’s gaze was enough to make her want to fan herself.
She probably ought to say or do something, but before she could come up with an actual game plan, she spoke without thinking it through. “Would you like to take a walk?”
The minute the invitation rolled out her mouth, her cheeks warmed to the bone. What must he think of her?
If she could have reeled in the words, she would have done it in a heartbeat. As it was, she had to wait for him to tell her he was way too busy for leisurely strolls. And that she was silly to even suggest it.
Doc glanced down at her feet, at the heels she wore.
Well, duh. She clearly wasn’t dressed for that sort of thing.
“I can change,” she said.
His gaze lifted. “Please don’t.”
A beat of silence followed, then his expression softened. “I’m sorry. I knew you weren’t suggesting a hike or a full-on tour of the ranch.”
Well, in a way, that’s exactly what she’d had on her mind. She’d wanted to spend more time with him—away from the house. In fact, she always related with the males species when they were outdoors, where she could prove herself. But being with Doc was a whole new ball game—one she wasn’t sure she could win.
“Did you want to talk privately?” he asked.
Actually, she wanted to get him alone—period. But she couldn’t very well be that honest with him, that vulnerable, so she nodded and said, “I didn’t make that very clear, did I? I have a question I want to ask, and I thought it would be best if we stepped outside.”
Uh-oh. That was an even worse suggestion. Once they left the house, he’d be closer to his pickup—and closer to leaving altogether.
“Of course,” he said. “Let’s go.” He made his way to the door and then opened it for her. “After you.”
Tammy couldn’t recall a man ever showing her such mannerly respect, which was cool. Who would have thought that being ladylike would be...so amazing?
“Is there a reason you’re all dressed up?” Doc asked, as they crossed the porch.
“Jenna and I went shopping today, and we just got back.”
Okay, so she’d avoided answering his question, while making a truthful comment—a trick she’d used on her dad once or twice. But she couldn’t very well admit that she’d gone to extremes to knock his socks off.
As Tammy stepped off the porch and into the yard, her ankles wobbled. She gasped and swayed on her feet.
Doc reached out and grabbed her, holding her steady.
Holding her.
His left hand gripped her forearm, while the other slipped around her waist. His touch, his concerned gaze, his musky, mountain-fresh scent, nearly turned her inside out.
Her hormones were running amok, and her heart was pounding like a son of a gun. She could blame some of her escalated pulse rate on the near mishap, but not all of it. Being held in Doc’s arms so tenderly, so... Well, all she really knew was that everything feminine inside had gone completely haywire.
Or was that a normal reaction?
If she had more experience with this sort of thing, she might know for sure.
“Are you okay?” Doc asked.
She couldn’t very well admit that she’d never worn high heels before and that a mama duck could have done a better job keeping her balance in those fool things. So she said, “I twisted my ankle.”
“Can you walk on it?”
In her bare feet, she could. And while she might be a little backward when it came to showing her womanly side, she wasn’t a fool. All she needed to do was trip up and cause her makeover plan to blow up in her face.
“Yes,” she said, “
I can walk, but I’m going to take off these new shoes. They’re a little too big to begin with, and I think there’s something wrong with one of them.”
She slipped off the heels, promising herself she’d practice walking in them when she was alone. Then she picked them up and placed them on the porch.
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” he asked.
She wouldn’t be so bold as to ask him out on a date. Wasn’t the guy supposed to do the asking?
Either way, she had to come up with a question of some kind for him. Something that had nothing to do with him or her. And the first one to come to mind was something she’d been thinking about ever since he’d told her that Tex only had a few weeks left to live.
“I’d asked before how long you thought my grandfather had left. But I was wondering. Will he suffer? And will he have to be in a hospital at the end?”
“I’m prescribing pain medication now, so I hope to keep his discomfort at a minimum,” Doc said. “And as for the hospital, he’d like to die at home. So I’m going to do everything I can to keep him here.”
She nodded, trying to wrap her mind around it all—the suffering, the impending death, the loss.
“I’m sorry. I wish I had better news.”
She glanced down at her bare feet, pondering her response before meeting Doc’s gaze. When their eyes met, she said, “I hardly know the man, and while that might seem like it will make his passing easier on me, it really doesn’t. I can’t help grieving for the wasted years when I could have had a relationship with him. And now that we’ve met, I’m going to lose him for good in a matter of weeks. And that’s not enough time to even scratch the surface of who Tex Byrd really is.”
As tears welled in her eyes, Doc lifted the arm he’d wrapped around her waist and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry you have to go through this.”
“Me, too.”
His gentle touch and the compassion in his gaze offered a comfort she hadn’t expected, an intimacy she’d been longing for ever since the day she first saw him.
Wouldn’t it be nice if they became close enough that he could offer her a hug instead?
Either way, she’d take what he was giving her now, savoring the way his fingers warmed her from the inside out, the way his eyes locked on hers.
Still, there was another question that churned inside of her and begged to come out, one that had nothing to do with her grandfather. So as his hand trailed over her upper arm until he removed it altogether, she asked, “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“Thanks. In all honesty, a home-cooked meal sounds good, especially since I’ve been eating out a lot, but I’d better take a rain check this time. You have a lot of family here, and I don’t want to be an imposition.”
Doc could never be an imposition. Not to Tammy, anyway.
Besides, with the family rift in full swing and a little gray cloud of awkwardness hovering over the ranch, everyone tended to eat alone. And she’d love to have some company for a change, especially his.
“It’s really no trouble,” she said.
“I appreciate the offer, Tammy. Maybe next time.”
He was probably just being polite, but Tammy couldn’t help wondering what he would have said if she’d invited him to eat with her alone—a private meal, where none of the others would chance upon them.
Maybe he’d have been more inclined to agree. Goodness, a girl could dream, couldn’t she?
And if truth be told, Tammy would much rather have the kitchen to herself. She could even give Barbara a night off. And she’d whip up the tastiest meal she could think of....
As her thoughts drifted to the cookbooks she’d found in the nightstand in the dream cabin, particularly Romantic Dinners for Two, an idea struck. Tammy was a whiz when it came to cooking and baking, even if she did say so herself.
And didn’t they always say that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach?
Savannah had probably figured that out, which was why those cookbooks were in the cabin. She’d probably hosted a romantic evening or two there, too.
Oh, wow. Maybe Tammy could do the same thing.
Of course, she’d have to ask Tex if she could officially remove the padlock on the dream cabin. It was one thing to break in through the back window and snoop around. But it was something else to completely make herself at home without an actual invitation.
“Well, I’d better head back to town,” Doc said.
As much as Tammy wanted to keep him here, she couldn’t come up with another excuse to prolong his stay.
But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t spring the dinner question on him again—once she’d secured a romantic place for just the two of them.
Tammy tossed him a genuine smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You bet.” Then he strode toward his pickup.
He was about to drive off into the sunset, leaving her in the dust, but Tammy couldn’t be happier.
She had a game plan. And if everything worked out the way she wanted it to, she and Doc would have that romantic dinner if it was the last thing she did.
* * *
On the drive back to town, Mike tried to focus on the road ahead, but his thoughts remained on Tammy Byrd. He’d never imagined how womanly she would look under that flannel and denim.
Well, that’s not entirely true. When she came into the clinic with that shoulder injury, he’d gotten a pretty good idea of what she’d been hiding. And his thoughts had taken off in a sexual direction.
But today, after seeing her dolled up and in a sexy dress, he’d been completely floored. Who would have guessed that with a little makeup, a change of hairstyle and a black, slinky dress, the cowgirl would morph into a knockout?
And that he would be dazzled by her—so much so, that he’d nearly agreed to tour the ranch and stay for dinner.
Tammy had turned out to be prettier than he’d ever imagined. There was also something about her he found unpredictable and intriguing. And her innocence was refreshing.
She wasn’t anything like the women he’d known in Philadelphia, especially Katrina, who’d gone out of her way to woo him when they’d first met.
Of course, it hadn’t taken long to convince him to ask her out. She was a beautiful blonde and had a great personality. He’d also come to find out that she’d had a selfish side, although recently she’d been doing her best to convince him otherwise.
She’d called him again last night, and that time he hadn’t given her any excuses about needing to hang up.
“I’m sorry about the way things ended between us,” she’d told him. “I made a big mistake, Mike. And I want to make it up to you.”
He hadn’t been sure how she planned to do that—or if he even wanted her to, so he’d merely said, “I accept your apology.”
“I can come out to Texas and we can talk more,” she’d said.
“You don’t need to do that. Let’s give it some time.”
“I think we’ve let enough time pass already.”
While he was willing to forgive and forget, he was leery of falling back into a relationship with a woman who might not be a team player, even though she insisted she would be from here on out.
Surprisingly, Tammy flashed across his mind, and he envisioned that sprinkle of freckles across her nose, those amazing blue eyes filled with spunk, those womanly curves that made a man wish he had a right to reach for her whether she stumbled or not.
Why did he find Tammy so intriguing, especially now?
Sure, the makeover had nearly taken the breath right out of him. But maybe it was because she was so different from Katrina.
Either way, there was no way he’d get involved with anyone in Buckshot Hills. His future was in Philly, where he was eager to return and start up his
medical practice.
A lot rode on his success—his mom’s retirement, for one thing. She’d worked her fingers to the bone to provide a home for him. When Mike had been a kid, there hadn’t been money for many extras, and that was something he was determined to change.
Growing up, he’d seen the estate and the luxurious lifestyle his mother’s boss had, and a medical degree allowed him to provide a world like that for his mom that had once been forbidden to her.
She was one of the most selfless women he’d ever met. And she deserved to live a life of comfort and leisure now that she was reaching retirement age.
For a man who’d once thought he had life mapped out for himself, Mike had landed in a brand-new world—and one he was determined to escape as soon as his old debt was paid.
Once Stanley Reynolds had finished his treatment and came back to Buckshot Hills and to his medical practice, Mike could return to Philadelphia. There he would work long hours and do whatever it took to build a practice of his own. He might be getting a slow start, but he’d make up for lost time. And that meant romance and dating would have to wait.
When the day came that he did get involved with another woman—be it Katrina or someone he’d yet to meet—he’d want to be sure that she didn’t have a selfish streak or ulterior motives.
He’d been fooled once, but he couldn’t afford to let it happen again.
Chapter Seven
Tammy stood at her grandfather’s bedside, noting the old man’s wan coloring, the gaunt cheeks, the frail movements. He was clearly weaker than he’d been when she’d talked to him the first time. He even seemed to have declined since their last chat.
They talked for a while about the weather, about the cost of alfalfa. He shared a couple of anecdotes about growing up on his daddy’s ranch, how he’d loved Texas history—enough to name both his sons after heroes William Travis and Sam Houston.
As she listened to his stories, she realized that she actually liked the old man, and not just because he was related to her. They shared a love of the land and cattle.
