“That’s about when Joey and Roy came to live with me.”
“And Manuel joined you six months ago.”
“That’s right. It’s been a roller-coaster ride.”
She laughed. “You’re a brave man, Shep McGraw, taking in three boys and having the confidence to raise them.”
“Confidence or insanity,” he muttered.
She laughed again.
They reached a door with big black letters—Authorized Admittance Only. Raina opened the door and let Shep inside. He spotted Manuel right away and made a beeline for him, Raina hurrying to catch up. She glanced at the monitors, then asked the nurse at Manuel’s side, “How’s he doing?”
“He’s doing great.”
Shep caught a stray stool with the toe of his boot and dragged it to Manuel’s bedside. He sank down on it and took the little boy’s hand. “How are you doing, kiddo? There’s nothing to worry about now. I’m here and we’re going home soon.”
“Home?” Manuel repeated, his eyes still a little unfocused.
“Yep, home. Joey and Roy and Eva are waiting for us.”
Raina went to a side counter, picking up a sheaf of papers. She brought them over to Shep, then went over the instructions for giving Manuel the eardrops, as well as changing the cotton in his ears. “Everything’s explained here. If he runs a fever or if anything seems out of the ordinary, call me immediately. My service can page me.”
Shep’s attention shifted from her to his son in the bed. His gaze ran over Manuel—from the little gown he was wearing to the cotton in his ears.
Shep was quiet for a moment, then he swiveled around on the stool to face her. “Are you done here for the day?”
“Yes, I’m off to run some errands. But as I said, my service can always contact me.”
“How would you like to do something a little more exciting than running errands?”
“And what would that be?” She was really curious.
“How would you like to come to the Red Creek Ranch and get a taste of just how wild the West can be?”
Chapter Two
Raina was stunned by Shep’s invitation.
“Why do you want me to come to the ranch?”
For a moment, he looked as if he was going to clam up, pull down the brim of his Stetson and walk away. But then he gave a small shrug, stood, lodged his hands in his back pockets and studied her. “You’re a no-nonsense kind of woman, aren’t you?”
“Does that require an answer?”
“No,” he drawled, with a lazy Texas slowness that made her stomach jump. Then he became more serious. “After what you’ve been through, I imagine you don’t have time for crap. Life’s short, and you know it.”
No one had ever approached the subject of her widowhood quite like this before. She was even more intrigued by this man who had been getting under her skin a little every time he had an office visit with one of his kids. “That’s one way of putting it,” she admitted wryly.
Sliding his hands out of his pockets, he dropped them to his sides. “The truth is…” He hesitated and then said, “I like you and I trust you. Manuel had an operation and anesthesia. The hospital is sending him home just an hour afterward. That doesn’t sit comfortably with me. On top of that, I need to do some things, like the drops and all, and I don’t want to make a mistake. I’ll be glad to pay for your time. I’m not asking you to do this for free.”
He liked her. She decided not to focus on that. “So you’d consider this a house call?” If she looked at this in professional terms—
“Yeah, sort of. Maybe a little longer than a house call. After all, it’s going to be suppertime soon. You could stay and eat with us.”
There was nothing obvious in the way Shep was looking at her, and yet…she was very aware he was a well-built man. From those silver sparks in his blue eyes, she had the feeling he appreciated who she was, white lab coat and all. This was the oddest situation she’d ever found herself in. Over the past nine years, she hadn’t taken a second look at a man, and had always put up a shield or run quickly if one looked interested. Why wasn’t she running now?
Because this was mainly about Manuel, she told herself.
“I don’t usually make house calls.”
“Is it on your list of things you never wanted to do, or on your list of things you just never have done?”
In spite of herself, she had to laugh. Shep’s sense of humor was one of his charms. Raina thought about the Victorian where she lived. It would be empty tonight. She’d missed Gina Rigoletti the day she’d moved out to live with her fiancé at his estate. Gina’s sister, Angie, had moved in with her last week. But as a pediatric nurse, she was working the night shift. And her friend Lily was away in Oklahoma with her recently deceased husband’s family. Her husband had been killed in Afghanistan while serving his country.
Raina suddenly realized that at one time she’d craved solitude, but that wasn’t the case now. After Clark died, her grief had gotten held up by everything surrounding September eleventh—the immensity of everyone’s loss, the days of horrible nightmares, the government settlement. She’d watched way too much TV, unable to tear herself away from it, hoping to learn more…to see Clark’s face somewhere. Grief had finally overtaken her the day she’d gone to Ground Zero, seen all the pictures posted and been overwhelmed with the realization that the man she loved was never coming home. Now, nine years later, she felt as if she’d finally found herself again. Returning to Sagebrush, being near her family, had helped her do that.
So here she was, with this rugged single dad asking her to his ranch. “Basically, you want my help with Manuel?” she asked Shep directly.
“Yes. I’ll pay you outright. Insurance won’t be involved.”
“You could hire a nurse, though I really don’t think you need one.”
“First of all, I don’t want a nurse. I want you.” The way he said it seemed to disconcert him a little. The muscle in his jaw jumped. But he went on anyway. “And secondly, I have two other boys to think about. They’re going to be worried about Manuel. I want to make sure they don’t have anything to be afraid of by the time they go to bed tonight.”
Making a sudden decision—from sheer instinct—Raina said, “No need to pay me. Let me tell my housemate where I’ll be. She’s working upstairs. Then I’ll come home with you for a little while, just to see how things are going.”
After an automatic last check of Manuel’s monitors, a look into his adorable dark brown eyes, Raina left the recovery room, wondering what in the heck she was doing.
As Raina’s hybrid followed Shep’s shiny new blue crew-cab truck down the gravel lane, she thought about how absolutely different she was from the rancher. The types of vehicles they drove were only the tip of the iceberg. So why was she following him to his ranch as if…
As if she were attracted to the man?
She was here for Manuel’s sake. That was the beginning and the end of it. Though she was curious how a single rancher managed to handle two rambunctious boys and a baby. Wasn’t it part of her duty as a doctor to find out?
The beautifully maintained split-rail fencing lined the lane. Pecan trees and live oaks kept the road in shade. To the left she spotted horses, at least ten or twelve, and a new-looking lean-to that could shelter them from the weather. When she drove a little farther, she caught sight of a huge red barn with Red Creek Ranch painted in shiny black letters above the hayloft doors. On the right stood a spacious two-and-a-half-story