The Rancher's Prospect. Callie Endicott

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СКАЧАТЬ and Grandma Evelyn had loved art, music and flower gardens.

      He glanced at his grandfather, who’d briefly fallen asleep earlier but was awake and blinking groggily. If only Walt would try to make the best of things now, but he wanted things his way and only his way. Ironically, Grandpa never would have put up with that behavior when he was a young man; stories of the battles between Walt and his father were epic. Of course, those battles might have started his stubborn refusal to see anyone else’s point of view.

      “You’re welcome to go riding at our ranch whenever you want,” his mother told Tara. “Lauren, too, of course.”

      “You’ll have to excuse me,” Josh said, hoping to head off his mother from suggesting that he give Tara and her sister a personal tour of the McGregor spread. “I’m going to the cafeteria for some better coffee than this sludge. Who wants some?”

      There were several raised hands, along with a rueful shake of the head from Kayla, who was holding her four-month-old daughter. Kayla was forgoing coffee until she was no longer nursing—she’d discovered that even decaf gave the baby colic. Josh knew how hard that must be for her; she’d once lived in Seattle, which was a mecca for coffee lovers, and deeply missed the brew.

      When he returned with a tray of steaming cups, Lauren and her sister had left. His mother was still talking about them, though, and he was convinced she had matchmaking in mind.

      He would have to be careful. The past few months had been hard on the family, especially for his mom. She’d lost her mother and watched her father go from being an active, vital rancher to a querulous old man with disabilities. The arrival of Kayla’s baby had helped, along with having his sister, Alaina, pregnant along with Emily. Still, he didn’t want to raise her hopes that he’d get married anytime soon.

      Right now he was solely interested in the ranch he’d dreamed of building. Grandpa was providing enough roadblocks; he didn’t need any more.

      * * *

      LAUREN PRESSED HER fingers to her stomach as she walked with Tara toward the emergency room exit. She wished negative emotions didn’t bother her so much. Heck, half the time she was wrong, misinterpreting a frown or shrug and losing sleep over what it might mean or questioning what she should do about it...even as she knew she was being ridiculous.

      Josh McGregor was a prime example. The way he’d stomped out of the waiting room had seemed ominous, but it could be her imagination. And even if it wasn’t, it didn’t necessarily mean anything except that he was having a bad day.

      If only that sort of thing didn’t make her feel as if she was shriveling up inside.

      It would be wonderful to be more like Tara. Karen—the receptionist at the clinic—had gleefully recounted how Tara had “stuck it to Josh” when he’d roared into the waiting room earlier in the week. Obviously Karen felt their patient had deserved a dose of comeuppance.

      Maybe so, but Lauren was glad someone else had dispensed the prescription.

      She hadn’t talked enough with Tara to know if her twin was interested in settling down and getting married, but it would be wonderful if she stayed in Montana. There were plenty of nice guys in town. Almost as if summoned by the thought, Lauren saw two men in uniform coming through the double doors to the emergency room. The taller man grinned when he saw her.

      “Hey, Lauren,” Carl said. “I heard about Alaina, so we stopped to say hello to the family and wish them well.”

      Lauren nodded as other kinds of flutters started. “That’s nice of you.”

      Carl was the local sheriff and the man with him was a new deputy. After living in Los Angeles with its frantic pace, she loved the small-town atmosphere in Schuyler. She couldn’t imagine a big-city policeman dropping in like this at the UCLA Medical Center.

      Carl had attended the Trent Hawkins–Emily George wedding, and he and Lauren had sat next to each other at the reception. Lauren had enjoyed talking to him, and after she’d moved to Schuyler last October, they’d gone out several times.

      “Holy cow,” Carl said, staring at Tara. “You said you had a twin, but it didn’t hit me until just now what that meant.”

      “Sometimes I feel the same way. Tara, this is Carl Stanfield. And the deputy next to him is Noah Mercer.”

      “It’s nice to meet you,” Tara said.

      “Same here.” Carl cocked his head. “You almost have an accent, but I can’t place it.”

      “I’ve lived in five different countries over the past ten years. There’s no telling how much has rubbed off.”

      “That explains it. Noah is the same—he spent most of his childhood in New Zealand and Germany.”

      Tara turned to the deputy, asking about a place in Auckland that she’d visited, while Carl urged Lauren down the hall a few feet.

      “I’ve stopped by the clinic to see you,” he said, “but you’re usually with a patient.”

      “They keep me pretty busy.”

      “I’m sure they do. But now that you’ve had a chance to get more settled, I wonder if we could get together for dinner again?”

      Renewed flutters went through Lauren’s abdomen. She liked Carl...liked him enough that she’d excused any further dates by saying she needed to get more settled. Carl was attractive and her pulse jumped whenever she saw him, but they were incompatible, so it didn’t make sense to continue.

      “I’m sorry to put you off another time,” she said slowly, “but with my sister here, I shouldn’t take time from her visit.” Darn it, why couldn’t she just say no?

      “Don’t be silly,” Tara exclaimed, apparently overhearing them. “You can’t put the rest of your life on hold while I’m in Montana. Go ahead.”

      “Oh... I...in that case, it would be nice, Carl.”

      He flashed his wide smile at her. “Great. How about Saturday night?”

      “I don’t know, I’m on call for the next week,” she said, still hoping he’d get the message that she didn’t actually want to go out with him again. “I try to keep things quiet so I’ll be at my best if I’m needed.”

      That was the truth. Medical personnel were limited in the area, and they took turns being available for after-hours emergencies.

      “I understand. Would the following Saturday work?”

      Obviously he wasn’t giving up, and Lauren wondered if she was unconsciously sending the wrong signals.

      “Uh, sure,” she answered, unable to think of another excuse. A shred of irritation went through her. Most guys would have gotten the message with the first excuse she’d used, or at least the second. Even Billy Halloran, a notorious Schuyler flirt, had backed off when she’d told him that she wasn’t free because she was painting her apartment and who knew how long it would take?

      Of course, it was doubtful that sensitivity had anything to do with Billy’s reaction. He’d disappeared at the speed of light, possibly worried she’d ask him to help.

      Carl СКАЧАТЬ