His Texas Runaway (Men 0f The West Book 41)

by Stella Bagwell

  “Well, pardon me, for being a friend,” Trey said, managing to sound sarcastic and offended at the same time. “If you think about it for a minute, it’ll dawn on you that I’m the only guy you can talk to about private things. Besides your brothers, that is.”

  Damn if Trey wasn’t right, Chandler thought. As irritating as the man could be, he was more than Chandler’s working partner. He was a friend. Someone who would give his very last penny to Chandler if he thought he needed it. And though he was a chatterbox from dawn to dusk, he never repeated anything Chandler had told him in confidence.

  Wiping a hand over his face, Chandler said, “Don’t mind me, Trey. Here lately I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

  “You always have a lot on your mind.”

  “Yeah. But this is different,” he muttered as he looked out the passenger window at the passing landscape. The area was as raw and untamed as much of Arizona. The stark hills were covered with outbreaks of rock mounds and brushy vegetation. Thanks to the late-winter moisture, there was green grass on some of the lower slopes, along with bursts of red and yellow wildflowers. He really should drive Roslyn through this area, he thought. She’d think it was beautiful.

  “You’re talking about Roslyn now.”

  He didn’t know how the guy was so perceptive. Or was it that Chandler was so transparent? “She’s part of what’s on my mind,” he admitted.

  A different song began playing on the radio and Chandler recognized it as one that had been sung at Blake and Katherine’s wedding. His oldest brother was married and had three children now. His youngest brother, Joseph, had a wife and baby with plans to add more to their brood. Both men were happier than Chandler had ever seen them. And somehow they’d learned to juggle their jobs to accommodate their family life. In Chandler’s eyes they were supermen and something he could never be.

  “Why?” Trey asked. “You regret letting her work at the clinic?”

  Chandler had to admit she’d surprised the hell out of him this past week. She’d been doing her part to help at the clinic without one complaint about being tired. In fact, she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying everything that went on with caring for the animals. Even scrubbing soiled examination tables and cleaning dog kennels. And he’d more than enjoyed having her near.

  “What’s there to regret? She’s loving it. And every bit she does helps Cybil keep up. It’s just that—”

  “She’ll be having the baby soon.”

  “I’m looking forward to that,” Chandler admitted.

  “Are you? Maybe you’re thinking after the baby gets here, she’ll be heading on to California.”

  “She will be heading to California,” he said, unable to keep the hollowness he was feeling from his voice. “She has a little house and piece of property there. She’ll make it her home and make a new life for herself and the baby.”

  “Without you. That’s really what’s on your mind, isn’t it?”

  Chandler squinted a sharp look at him. “Look, Trey, Roslyn isn’t my business. And I’m in no position to try and make her my business. Even though I like her...a lot.”

  Trey’s short laugh was mocking. “Hell, Doc, don’t try to kid a kidder. It just won’t work. You’re making a bunch of excuses because you’re too afraid to try and make her your woman.”

  Snorting, Chandler stared blindly out the windshield. “Afraid of what?”

  “Plenty of things. Like how she might turn you down. How she might rather be in California or even go back to her rich daddy in Texas rather than stay on an isolated ranch with you. Or maybe the baby’s daddy is still in her heart and she doesn’t have room for you in it.”

  Chandler felt sick inside. Because no matter how dorky Trey could get at times, the guy somehow managed to put his finger on the crux of the matter. “If you think I’ve gone and fallen in love with Roslyn, you’re all wrong, Trey. My life is full. Too full for a wife and baby.”

  Trey tugged on the brim of his battered straw hat, then shot Chandler a goofy grin. “I never mentioned anything about love. You’re the one who brought that up.”

  “So I did,” Chandler muttered. “Now see if you can build a fire in this thing. You’re driving at a turtle’s pace.”

  Trey cursed. “‘Slow down. Don’t get a speeding ticket. Speed up. You’re going like a turtle.’ This’ll be the last time I drive you anywhere, Doc.”

  “Other than crazy, you mean?”

  “No. You’re doing that to yourself.”

  Chandler started to give him a sharp retort, but promptly bit back the words. Trey was right, he suddenly concluded. He was driving himself crazy thinking about Roslyn and the uncertainty surrounding her future plans. Did he honestly want to be a part of them? Or in the end, would he be better off to let her go?

  He’d never managed to maintain a lasting relationship with a woman. Trying with Roslyn might end up breaking both their hearts. He was half out of his mind with wanting her and needing to tell her just how deeply his feelings for her had grown.

  But what would happen if he did tell her? Or maybe he should be asking himself, what would happen if he didn’t?

  Chapter Nine

  The next evening, Roslyn was giving the last of the four beagle puppies its bottle of milk when Chandler walked into the room.

  “Looks like he’s enjoying every drop of his supper,” he said as he stood next to her shoulder and peered down at the tan-and-white puppy she was cradling in the crook of her arm.

  “He’s certainly nursing like he feels good,” Roslyn agreed.

  “You’re going to make a good mother, Roslyn.”

  The compliment warmed her, but it was the odd light flickering in his blue eyes that was creating a slow burn in her cheeks.

  Clearing her throat, she said, “Hopefully I inherited my mother’s nurturing instincts. It’s not something you can learn from a book.”

  His eyes continued to study her face. “No. It comes from within.”

  This was the first quiet moment Roslyn had shared with him today and as always, just standing next to him, breathing in his scent and feeling the heat radiating from his body were enough to make her knees mushy.

  Drawing in a deep breath, she looked back down at the tiny puppy. “He’s nearly finished. Is there something else you need for me to do?”

  “Have the other pups been fed?”

  She nodded. “He’s the last one.”

  “Good. I just finished treating the final patient for the day so we’re closing up,” he told her. “Loretta and Danielle have already locked the front. Cybil and Violet are going to stay here at the clinic tonight and take turns with feeding the pups until morning.”

  There were a pair of cots in a small alcove just off the recovery room for times Chandler or other staff members were needed at the clinic throughout the night.

  “Oh, my. That’s every two hours!” Roslyn exclaimed. “They’ll be exhausted tomorrow.”

  “They’re tough. They’re used to doing overnighters. And by tomorrow afternoon, the owner can take mother and pups home. Then it will be her responsibility to care for the new little family. Hopefully she’ll have someone there to help her.”

  With the tiny bottle drained of the specially mixed formula, Roslyn placed the pup back with his two brothers and one sister, then carefully latched the kennel.

  “I think I’ve finished all the chores in here and I’ve put up the new medicines that arrived this afternoon,” she told him. “All I need to do now is gather my things from my locker.”

  “Uh, before you do that, Roslyn, I have something to ask you,” he said.

  She turned to look at him and was surprised to see a hesitant expression on his face. One thing she’d learned about Chandler, especially since she’d been working here at the clinic, was that he never seemed uncertain or indecisive. But something was bothering him now.


  “Is anything wrong, Chandler?”

  “Wrong? No. Not at all.” He gave her a lopsided grin, then shook his head. “I’m really rusty at this, Roslyn. What I’m trying to do is ask you to join me for dinner, here in town—just the two of us.”

  It was a good thing there weren’t any flies in the room because Roslyn couldn’t stop her mouth from falling open. “Dinner? Just you and me—like a date?”

  “Well, I guess it is a date,” he answered. “Do you feel up to it? Or would you rather go on home to the ranch so you can rest?”

  Actually, her back had been aching off and on since she’d eaten lunch, but she wasn’t about to let that stop her from sharing a special evening with Chandler.

  “Oh, no. I don’t want to rest. I’d love to go.” She looked down at herself. “Except I don’t have any other clothes with me.”

  “I don’t, either. But we don’t care if we’re wearing work clothes, do we?”

  She gave him a wide smile. “I don’t mind at all. Just give me a minute to freshen up.”

  “Take your time. I’ll wait for you in my office,” he told her.

  She hurried out of the recovery room and down the hallway to a small room furnished with lockers and a private restroom for the staff.

  After plucking her handbag from a locker space, she rummaged around for a compact and tube of lipstick. With a shaky hand, she applied both, then took down her ponytail and brushed through the shoulder-length tresses.

  Even with the powder and lipstick she looked rather pale, but there wasn’t much she could do about that tonight. Besides, it wasn’t like Chandler hadn’t seen her all day in her jeans and work shirt and very little makeup.

  She was turning away from the mirror, when Loretta walked into the room, then stopped and stared. “Oh, Roslyn, I thought you’d already gone for the day.”

  “No. I only finished feeding the baby beagles a few minutes ago.” She gestured downward at her shirt and jeans. “Do I look presentable enough to go into a restaurant?”

  Loretta arched an eyebrow at her. “You’re staying in town for dinner?”

  Roslyn felt a blush sting her cheeks. “I am. Chandler’s taking me out,” she said, unable to hold back the rush of excitement in her voice.

  Loretta’s big green eyes were suddenly glinting with speculation. “Chandler? I didn’t realize you call the boss by his given name.”

  Which was telling, Roslyn thought. Everyone here at the clinic called him Doc. But he wasn’t actually her boss. Well, maybe he was in a technical sense. But that was only a small portion of what he was to Roslyn.

  Turning, Roslyn thrust the hairbrush into the handbag she’d left lying on a shelf in the open locker. “Well, that is his name,” she reasoned.

  “Hmm. And you have been living with him and his family. I can see why he’s Chandler to you.” She moved closer to Roslyn and lowered her voice to a sly whisper. “Is this dinner a real date?”

  Roslyn didn’t have to look in the mirror to know that her cheeks had turned an even deeper pink. “That’s what he called it. I’m not willing to call it that, though.”

  Loretta looked at her in disbelief. “Why ever not? Doc means what he says. Unless he’s teasing. And he’s not nearly as much of a jokester as his brother Holt.”

  “You know Holt?” Roslyn asked with faint surprise.

  Loretta chuckled. “There probably isn’t a woman in all of Yavapai County and beyond who doesn’t know Holt Hollister.”

  Roslyn had heard about Holt’s numerous escapades with the ladies and yet since she’d been living at Three Rivers, she’d not seen him with even one woman. She was beginning to think Holt’s reputation as a ladies’ man was mostly just an overblown rumor.

  “Well, think what you like,” Roslyn told her. “But Chandler is just being nice and feeding me before we head home. He’s not really taking me on a date.”

  Loretta pulled an impish face at her. “If he isn’t, then he should be.”

  Stepping back, she gave Roslyn a closer inspection. “You look fine. Except there’s some sort of stain at the bottom of your shirt.”

  “There is? Where? I don’t see anything.”

  “It’s below your belly. That’s why you can’t see it.” She picked up the hem of Roslyn’s navy blue blouse and pulled it up high enough to show her the large stain.

  “Oh, drat. I spilled some of the puppy formula when I was mixing it. I guess it went on my shirt, too.”

  Loretta suddenly snapped her fingers. “Not to worry. I just now remembered I have something in my locker you can wear.”

  Roslyn laughed out loud. “Are you crazy? I couldn’t squeeze myself into any of your blouses.”

  “You can this one. It’s one of those flowy, filmy things that’s way too feminine for me. My mother gave it to me as a gift. Her way of saying you need to look more alluring. I brought it to work thinking I was going to take it back to the store for an exchange. I never did. And here it still hangs.”

  She pulled the garment out of the locker next to Roslyn’s and held it out for her to see.

  Roslyn instantly gasped with delight at the coral-and-yellow printed blouse. “Oh, how pretty! And the way it’s cut, maybe I could get in it. Are you sure you won’t mind if I wear it?”

  “I’d love it if you would. Here, let me help with the buttons. You don’t want to keep Doc waiting.”

  * * *

  Chandler was trying to keep his eyes on the street and the slow-moving car in front of him, but every few seconds he found himself glancing over at Roslyn.

  How she’d instantly transformed herself he didn’t know, but somehow she’d managed to make herself look particularly lovely tonight. And not just because Loretta had lent her a blouse. Her face seemed to be radiating a special light and her brown eyes were glowing with...what? Was that love? Happiness? Whatever it was, he wanted some of it.

  “Is there a particular kind of food you’d like to eat tonight? Since Wickenburg is small there’s not a whole lot of choices, but most of them are good,” he told her.

  “I like all kinds of food. You pick. This is your town. You know what’s best.”

  Chandler had never dated what he’d considered snobbish women. But after Roslyn’s agreeable comment, he realized that none of them had been as accommodating as she was. Not just about the choice of a restaurant, but about everything. All of them would’ve been insulted if he’d asked them on a date fifteen minutes ahead of time. And they would’ve definitely suggested he drive on down to Phoenix so they could have a real dinner served to them.”

  “Okay. I think I know a place you might like. We’ll be there in five minutes.”

  “Town seems busy this evening,” she remarked as she gazed out at the shops and businesses lining the street.

  “It’s Friday. Folks are getting ready for the weekend.”

  She glanced over at him. “I’ve never noticed you doing anything special on the weekend.”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “I used to do plenty of things on the weekend. Especially with my brothers. We’d go over to Lake Pleasant and fish. And once in a while we’d drive up to Cliff Castle. That’s a casino up near Camp Verde. Holt usually made a killing at the blackjack tables.”

  She laughed. “That’s not surprising. And what about you?”

  He chuckled. “I mostly watched Holt. That way I saved my money.”

  She turned her knees so that she was facing him. “So what about now? You don’t ever do those types of things anymore?”

  He shook his head. “No. And I can’t exactly tell you why. Except that after Dad died, I guess all of us began to change in some ways. So did the ranch. Suddenly everything turned serious and we all decided that making sure it remained in the black and keeping the Hollister legacy going was more important than anything.”

  “You weren’t t
hinking in those terms when your father was alive?”

  “Up to a certain point. Don’t get me wrong, we all worked hard back then. But with Dad around we never doubted or worried about the ranch’s solvency. He was our rock. Losing him shook all of us. And it hit Blake the hardest. He threw every bit of himself into the ranch and suffered a broken engagement because of it. For a long time Joe was driven to find Dad’s killer. Every spare moment he had was spent on solving the case. And Holt, well, he just went a little wilder with the women and horses and whiskey.”

  “And you? What about you, Chandler?” she asked gently.

  He rubbed a hand over his face. “These past six years since Dad died, I’ve tried not to think about my life too much. But now that you’re here, I’m beginning to see there’s more for me than the ranch and my patients.” He reached over and clasped her hand in his. “I’ve told you this before, but I’ll say it again. I’m very glad you decided to park in front of the clinic that first night you hit town.”

  As his fingers warmed her hand, she felt her heart melting into a helpless little puddle.

  Smiling at him, she said, “I’m kinda glad I did, too.”

  * * *

  Jose’s, the restaurant Chandler chose for their evening meal, was located on the edge of town and far enough from the main highway to make it a quiet and cozy spot.

  The building was fashioned in a sprawling, hacienda style with stucco walls painted a pale turquoise and a red tiled roof. A porch with arched supports ran the width of the front and at the top of each arch hung long strings of drying red peppers. At one end of the porch, a bougainvillea covered in yellow-gold blossoms grew all the way to the roof, while at the opposite end a single saguaro stood like a sentinel against the desert horizon.

  Roslyn was totally charmed by the outside of the place and even more so when they entered the small restaurant and took seats in a quiet corner. All through the meal of avocado stuffed with grilled chicken, she continued to gaze around at the little round tables with orange-and-white-checked tablecloths and vases of yellow marigolds.