Page 16 of A Cowboy's Claim
Still, she had a lot of good things in her life, and that’s what she wanted to focus on. She tilted her head back against the cushion behind her and let the sunshine heat her face.
Which meant thirty minutes later when Petra pulled into the yard, Sydney was a relaxed puddle. Partly because she’d been daydreaming about kissing Declan and his sweet touch in the aftermath of the chaotic visit.
“Lounging without us?” Tansy teased as she manoeuvered her crutches up the porch. “That bench is prime real estate.”
Sydney gestured to the cushion beside her. “Saved you a spot.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” A twist and a hop later, the crutches were under the base of the bench and Tansy stretched her cast toward the railing and let out her own sigh. “Not moving from this place until you tell me there’s food on the table.”
Petra stood, arms full of bags, eyeing them with amusement. “You’re such a lazy butt, which I love. I don’t love that it took you breaking your leg to get you to slow down, but taking care of yourself looks good on you.”
“I agree,” Sydney said. She popped to her feet and joined Petra. “Let’s haul that inside and we can all grab drinks and enjoy the sunshine.”
“Nothing alcoholic for me,” Tansy reminded them. “I’m mostly off the pain meds, but I don’t want to chance it in case I do have to pop a couple tonight.”
“Not a problem.”
Inside the house, Petra put the salad in the fridge and pulled out the giant pitcher of fruit punch Sydney had made for the evening. “Nice. This one isn’t spiked, is it?”
“No.” Sydney grabbed two more glasses, and within minutes, they were all on the porch, drinks in hand and sun beaming down on them.
The lovely type of quiet that usually only occurs among good friends slipped in then. All of them shifting from the business of the day to this time of connection with people they loved and who loved them.
Five minutes later when Petra spoke, her tone was carefully moderated and smooth. “Gonna tell us about the black eye?”
So much for Sydney’s makeup job. “Declan didn’t already fill you in?”
Petra twisted her head to the side, still sprawled in relaxation. “He said something about you getting into a dust-up but that you’d let us know the details. He also asked me to teach him how to use the Finder app because he assumed I would have everyone in our family tagged like well-loved deer.”
“Because you do,” Tansy said bluntly. “And thank God for that. Only I’m going withtagged like rare ghost bearsbecausethat’s a little more exotic than a deer. Plus, people don’t usually shoot them.”
Sydney hid her amusement and focused on Petra’s more important comment. “Declan wants to be able to track me?”
Petra shook her head. “Declan wants to trackallof us. I’m kind of surprised it took him until now to ask, considering how much of an overprotective teddy bear he is.”
Huh. The big guy had straight-up told her what he planned to do, so it’s not as if Sydney could really complain. The jerk.
Sydney raised her glass, the sun lighting it up like stained glass. “I did a house visit today and the children of my patient decided I was trying to scam them out of the future money they might get. Looking at how healthy Nora is and the shape the three of them were in, I bet she outlives them by a good ten years.”
Tansy swore. “They really accused you of being a con artist? Do they even know you?”
“Of course not. Worse, they don’t know their mother. I hate to think they might try to barrel over her future decisions, but she seemed to have it under control before we left. Declan gave her the name of a good lawyer.”
“Well, good for you for making a difference in another person’s world. Just duck faster next time, okay?” Petra raised her glass.
Sydney topped up her own glass from the pitcher then did the same.
They were inside at the table, digging into the cheesy goodness that was Sydney’s one claim to culinary fame when Tansy laid both hands on the table. “Time for a serious question, and as always, tell me to butt out if you want.” She met Sydney’s gaze straight on. “You’re not drinking.”
Sydney lifted her full punch glass in the air. “Of course I am.”
Her friend waved her hand. “Don’t try the innocent act. Tonight isn’t the first night I’ve noticed. It’s absolutely your choice whether you dump alcohol in your system or not, but to be blunt, you used to drink a lot.”
Petra made a face. “We all used to drink a lot.”
It wasn’t as if Sydney were keeping it secret. “Weweredrinking a lot,” she agreed. “I’ll admit the day I got up and went to work at the clinic and felt like shit until the end of the day was a bit of a wake-up call. I know better than most the effect alcohol has on the body, and while there are times I enjoy the buzz and the mental relaxation, I think it had become a crutch. A way to take off the edge when I didn’t want to feel…anything. That’s not who I want to be.”
Tansy laid a hand on her arm and squeezed. “Whether you choose to drink or not, we’ll support you. But this is a thing that it would be nice to know so we’re not pushing your boundaries if you have a moment of temptation.”
