Page 12 of Take Me Please, Cowboy
She envied him for being close with his siblings.Maybe if she’d had a sister, or a brother who’d wanted to play with a sister, she wouldn’t have been so lonely.
The sliding glass doors opened, and Ansley quickly stood but it wasn’t anyone for her and she slowly sat back down, trying not to be anxious.Uncle Clyde was with doctors and nurses, and they’d help him, far better than she could.But he hadn’t had breakfast yet, and he liked to eat early every day.
She glanced at Rye and made a face.“Sorry.I know I’m not very good company right now.”
“You’re great.Don’t apologize.”
“I don’t have a lot of experience with hospitals.This is my first visit to an ER.Now, my mom was always driving one of my brothers for stiches and concussions, broken collarbones, broken leg, broken fingers.”
“You never broke anything?”
“No.I was the proverbial good girl.Quiet and boring.”
Rye smiled, a deep dimple forming in his cheek.“I can’t imagine you quiet or boring.”
Ansley was fascinated by the dimple, fascinated by the flash of even white teeth, fascinated by his strong tan throat and the hint of an equally tan chest visible above his open button.She wished he’d left a few more pearl buttons open.She imagined he had a rather spectacular chest to match his wide shoulders.
“I think you’ll relax better with me gone,” he said, standing.“But I’m going to give you my number so you can call me when your uncle is discharged.I’ll help you transfer him into the car, and be happy to follow you home to help get him in the house.”
“You don’t need to do that,” she said, rising.
He shrugged.“If I can make things easier for you—or anyone—then I should.”
A lump filled her throat, and she looked up into his eyes, the brown irises flecked with gold.“I’ve never met anyone like you before.”
“I’m sure you have.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head.“Most people don’t go out of their way to help others.”
“But wouldn’t the world be a better place if they did?”His lips twisted in a vaguely self-mocking smile.“Let’s make a deal.If you want a hand, call me.I’m not far, just over at the fairgrounds, and don’t if I’m being presumptuous.The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable.”
“You don’t, and I’m terrible at asking for help, but in this case, it might be nice to have a hand getting my uncle settled.”
“I hate asking for help, too.I’ve always figured it was because I’m the oldest.”
“And I always figured it was because I’m the youngest and sick and tired of being bossed around.”Ansley shyly handed him her phone.“Do you mind putting it in my contacts?That way I won’t lose it.”
She watched as he added his name and cell number to her contacts before tapping done and returning the phone to her.“I really do appreciate the kindness,” she said, a catch in her voice.
He looked at her for a long moment, searching her eyes and then he nodded.“Happy to help.Let me know when your uncle is ready to leave.I’ll be here in five.”
She nodded and walked as he turned away and walked to his blue and white truck.Her brother Colm had one very similar, except his was a rusty orange and white.Cowboys and their old work trucks.She didn’t know if they drove them because they were cheap, practical, or they knew they looked sexy in them.
Maybe not all cowboys looked sexy in their beat-up truck, but Rye Calhoun did.
Rye Calhoun was something else.
Chapter Three
They were goingto keep her uncle for the next few days.He had broken his wrist from falling on his left side, but there were other concerns, more urgent concerns, like Uncle Clyde’s blood pressure and worrying results from the MRI indicating that her uncle probably had had a stroke, and apparently it wasn’t the first.Dr.Gallagher promised to phone Ansley as soon as he had something concrete to share.
Ansley exited the hospital slightly dazed.Her uncle was in good hands, but she was surprised.It hadn’t crossed her mind they would want to admit him, and now that they had, she wasn’t sure what to do next.
There was nothing forcing her back to the ranch, not immediately.No animals to feed, no uncle to keep company, nothing specific she needed to do.For the first time since arriving in Marietta, she had twenty-four hours to herself.It was a heady thought, and her work ethic told her she ought to return to the barn loft at Cold Canyon Ranch and get painting, while another part of her rebelled against the ranch’s isolation.
Ansley thought about calling Rye and letting him know but held back, fearing he’d think she was trying to orchestrate a date—and she didn’t want a date.She was drawn to Rye, and the physical attraction was pretty electric, but she still wasn’t ready to get romantic with anyone.Relationships were hard work and breakups brutal.Better to avoid entanglements until she was more settled and financially independent.
Heading to her car, Ansley thought about her options and the reluctance to return to the ranch spoke volumes.
