Page 3 of All Night with the Cowboy
“I’ve also booked the physical therapist.” She hesitated and he set down his beer, waiting for her to finish. “There was one who clearly stood out from the rest, so I took the liberty of making sure she was available, too.”
“Cody, how about you say grace this year,” Walter Ford, Tanner’s dad, suggested from the other end of the table, interrupting the conversation Tanner was having with his sister.
“It’s Lauren,” Mia whispered as Tanner went to bow his head.
His head shot up so fast he got whiplash. “What?” he demanded in a loud voice.
“Tanner!” His father scolded.
“Lauren Lewis,” Mia repeated, her voice barelyaudible. But he knew what he’d heard, and he knew why she’d said it so quietly, too.
“You’ve got to be goddamn kidding me,” he muttered.
Tanner sat silently, head dipped, fuming as he listened to Cody’s words. Thunder roared in his ears and when he lifted his head and reached for his fork, his hand was shaking as he tightly clenched the piece of cutlery. He stabbed at a piece of turkey.
“Tanner, come on. It’s…”
“The answer is no, Mia. Find someone else.”
“She was already heading to Fiji on vacation and it was the only way to get her, so I organized for you to, well, join her. You’ll be flying out together in a few weeks’ time.”
She stared at him and the rest of the table went quiet. He felt eyes on his burning hot skin, but no one said anything and Mia eventually smiled and changed the subject, striking up a conversation with her husband.
Lauren wasn’t the only physical therapist around, and he’d rather suffer in pain for the rest of his life than ever see her again. There was no way in hell he was letting her touch him, let alone board a plane and spend weeks with her on a goddamn island in Fiji.
***
Lauren stretched out like a cat in a puddle of sunshine. Sleeping in was amazing. In fact, right now, it was her absolute favorite thing to do.
She’d been working twelve-hour days, seven days a week, for nine months straight, and she was still exhausted even a week after finishing up for the season. She flexed her toes and reluctantly pushed the covers back, dragging herself up and trying to decide if it wasworth making her way to yoga, or if she’d be better off staying in bed and reading a book.
Then again, this was the only time in her life she had to go to yoga. There wasn’t usually any time to make classes or hell, make any time for herself at all, if she was completely honest. Not when she was working. She sighed. And this was why she was waking up in a bed alone, again, after her last boyfriend had reminded her repeatedly about how little time he ever had with her because she was more interested in work than play.
Her phone buzzed on her bedside table and she reached for it, admiring her hot pink manicure—another thing she didn’t get to indulge in very often. She smiled when she saw who it was from. Mia Ford had always been friendly, and whenever they’d run into each other over the years they’d always enjoyed catching up, but this time was different. She’d heard about Tanner’s fall—hell, everyone had heard about what had happened to Texas’s bull riding star at the World Finals—she just hadn’t ever expected a personal invitation to work on his rehab. But Mia had been insistent, and she supposed that if Tanner was okay with seeing her again, then she could be too. She was a professional physical therapist. She worked on top athletes for a living and she’d perfected the friendly but professional relationship with all the men she saw on a regular basis. Why would Tanner be any different?
Her heart did a little flutter, but she ignored it. Tanner was in the past, period. This was a professional engagement, nothing more, nothing less. So what if she’d technically be vacationing with him on a beautiful island in Fiji? The fact her skin was on fire had nothing to do with Tanner, and she’d booked this trip months agoas a way to prove to herself and everyone else in her life that she was capable of relaxation. The irony that she’d now be working on her one vacation in almost a decade wasn’t lost on her though.
She texted Mia back, her thumb flying fast over the screen of her iPhone.
All confirmed, available for the entire three weeks if needed. Send me through all the final details, including his latest scans and reports so I can review, and you should already have my itinerary so you can schedule his flights and room. Looking forward to it. Lauren.
She set her phone down and scooped her long dark hair up into a ponytail, slipping a tie from her wrist. She stripped down, put on tights and a t-shirt, then made her way into the adjoining bathroom. Lauren turned the faucet on and studied her face while she waited for the water to run hot. What would Tanner think after all this time? Would he think she’d aged? That she was different? Her face was a little slimmer than it had been back in high school and there were tiny lines feathering beside her eyes, but hell, that was twelve years ago. He’d probably changed since then, too.
She washed her face then dried it and rubbed in some tinted moisturizer before brushing her teeth and heading downstairs. She’d walk to yoga and grab a shake for breakfast on the way. Who knew, it might help her stop thinking about a handsome as hell, reckless, fun-loving cowboy who’d stolen her heart in high school and had never, ever truly given it back to her. Or if he had, it sure as heck wasn’t in one piece.
She grabbed her phone off the counter and her keys, then let herself out and locked the door, smiling the second sunshine hit her face and a light breeze of wind tickled against her bare skin.
Lauren dialed her sister, Hannah, grinning to herself as she thought about her sister’s reaction to what she was doing.
“Hey,” Hannah answered. “Tell me something exciting. Did you go out last night?”
“Me, exciting?” Lauren laughed. “Come on, you know me, an exciting night is watching more than one show on Netflix and getting a big sleep.”
“Seriously, when you’re up to your elbows in diapers one day, with kids’ television shows blaring, and you’re operating on zero sleep and way too many coffees? You’ll be wishing you’d made the most of your single years.”
Lauren stifled a laugh. She didn’t know whether Hannah was joking or whether it was a genuine plea for help. “You need me to come over and help out?” she asked. “Because seriously, I was just going to a class. I can jump in my car and be there in, like, an hour?”
“No.” Hannah sighed. “I just, you know, I love my kids so much but sometimes I’d just like to hit pause for a day, a weekend, heck maybe even an entire week. It’d be nice to go to the toilet for once without having an audience of little people.”
