Chapter Fourteen

Hospitals gave him the chills, but Tyler forced all that away as he walked through the front doors. He and Cord followed the arrows on the hospital walls until they reached the elevators for the Intensive Care Unit. Off the elevator and to the right, he saw Charli. She looked up as they approached, stood and threw herself into his arms. He caught her against him, her entire body trembled.

“Shhh, we’re here. Come on, baby, tell us what’s happening.” He pulled back and brushed the wild red hair off her face. She had no make-up on and dark circles ringed her puffy eyes.

Cord handed her a tissue, and Tyler took the moment to step back from her as Cord took over. His older brother wrapped an arm around the redhead’s shoulders and led her back to the couch. “What’s the latest word?”

Charli sniffled and blinked rapidly as if to stem the flow of tears. “I can only get in for five minutes every hour.” Her face crumbled. “He looks awful, all grey and hooked up to these machines and...”

Tyler sat down in a chair next to the sofa. “What happened?”

She brushed her hair back and blew her nose. Cord put his hand on her knee and she grasped it like a lifeline. “He was just in his office. I don’t know, maybe around ten. He said he didn’t feel good. I went and got him a couple aspirin and some coffee and...and”—her lip quivered—”when I came back, he was face down on his desk.” Her tears flowed in earnest.

Cord pulled her close to his side and caught Tyler’s eye. “Sit here with her while I see what’s going on.”

Tyler nodded and switched places with his brother.

Charli sat up, wiped at her eyes, and blinked again. “I can’t believe I’m falling apart like this.”

“When was the last time you ate anything?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want anything.”

Tyler didn’t argue, When Cord came back he’d get her to drink something.

“I’m sorry I called you. I didn’t know who else to call.”

He frowned. “Why would you be sorry? You had to call me.”

“I know, but you and Beth are just starting to patch things up and...”

“Beth will understand. It’s your father; she won’t even think twice about me leaving.”

But, later that night after Charli had been forced to go to bed and he and Cord were in Chase’s office, Tyler wondered just how long he might end up being away. “Once they do the surgery in the morning, he’s going to have a long recovery time.” Cord stared out the window as Tyler poured them each a drink.

It was weird; he’d been away only about a month yet it was like he’d never left. The Circle S had become his home as much as the Double B ever had.

He took a sip of the bourbon and handed Cord a glass. “I guess we’ll have to look for that overseer even faster.”

Cord took a sip. “You know that’s not going to be a fast process. We can’t leave things like this. Charli can’t run this place.”

Tyler shook his head. “Nope. I’ll have to stay for a few weeks. What else can we do?”

“I’ll stay as long as I can, but I can’t leave things at home alone that long either.” Cord sat down in the oversized leather chair and leaned his head back. “I hated seeing him in there. Brought back stuff I didn’t want to remember.”

Cord had been the one to find Beau Sampson, the girls’ father, face down in the hall. Tyler could see the strain of the memory on his brother’s face. “Yeah, but at least for Chase, it sounds like the outcome is going to be okay. A long, hard road, but he’ll make it.”

“I’ve never seen Charli fall apart like that either. She surprised me a little.” Cord sat up and draped his hands down between his legs, his now empty glass cradled between them.

“He’s all she has. They’ve been a team since her mother ran off when she was a kid.”

Cord nodded his understanding. “I talked to Susan earlier. She’s going to head up here tomorrow to be with Charli during the surgery and stay a few nights, but she’s got Sara on her mind. The baby isn’t due for two more weeks but who knows with babies.”

Tyler frowned. He needed to call Beth. He’d gotten a quick text from her earlier and he said he’d call her, but hadn’t had time yet. Even though he knew she’d never think twice about him having to be here, he felt guilty.

All this time he’d told her he wouldn’t leave, and now he had.

Cord stood up and set his glass on the bar table. “I’m going to get some sleep. Charli wants to get to the hospital at six before the surgery.”

Tyler sighed. “I’m going to call Beth and then I’ll head up too.”

Cord walked to the door. “Good night.”

“Night.”

He set his glass down, pulled out his cell and hit the speed dial for Beth. She picked up on the second ring, sounding sleepy. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He heard her shift and imagined her tucked into bed. A glance at the clock over the fireplace had him closing his eyes. “I’m sorry, Angel. I didn’t realize it was past midnight.”

“It’s okay. How’s Chase?”

“He has to have surgery first thing in the morning. We’re at the house now, but we’re heading back in there at dawn.” Tyler sat down in the chair behind Chase’s desk.

“How’s Charli holding up?”

“Not good, to be honest. She’s a basket case over this.”

“I can only imagine. I feel so bad,” Beth yawned. “Ohh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s late; I shouldn’t have called.” He fiddled with the pencil on the desk, twirling it between his fingers.

“I heard Susan is driving up first thing in the morning.”

“Yeah.” He tapped the pencil on the wooden desk.

“How long do you think you and Cord will have to be there...I mean, is there anyone to take over?”

“Not really. Look, I know it’s bad timing, but I’ll probably be staying up here for a while. Cord can’t stay for more than a few days to a week.” He wished he could see her face to know what she thought about all this. She understood right?

“Okay.” Her voice was quiet.

He frowned. Was she mad? “You sure?”

“Ty, what do you think I am? You have to be there; there’s nothing holding you here. You have to be there right now.”

What did that mean, “nothing holding you here?” Did she mean that there was nothing between them? Or was she simply telling him she was okay with him being in Abilene? Was that one and the same?

She yawned again. “Ty, do what you need to do and don’t worry about me. I’ll see you when I see you. Just take care of Charli.”

He raked his hand through his hair. “Maybe with Grant back home, you can take a few days off and come up here once Chase is out of the woods and all.”

“We’ll see. It’s hard for me to get away. We’ve got a lot of appointments, and some of the regular work got backed up over the holidays.”

“That’s okay. I understand.” He tried to make his voice sound easygoing and casual, but inside his guts twisted. The timing couldn’t be worse—just when he and Beth had reconciled, or at least made huge strides in a reconciliation, he had to take off for Abilene.

“Will you call me when Chase is out of surgery tomorrow?”

“Sure. Goodnight.” He wanted to say he loved her, but he didn’t want her to feel obligated to say it back.

“Goodnight.”

He tossed his cell phone down and paced across the room. Shoving his hands through his hair, he contemplated having another drink but decided against it. Seeing Chase laying in the hospital and his daughter falling apart in a way he never thought he’d see, made him realize that his ties to this ranch, the Circle S, weren’t as easily broken as he once believed. He felt as if his loyalties were split between Beth and Chase.

“Hey.”

Tyler spun around as Charli walked into the room. She had on baggy pajama bottoms and an old T-shirt that read, “Show me how big things are in Texas.” Her hair was twisted up with a clip and her face freshly scrubbed. She curled up in the corner of the couch, tucking her long legs underneath her. She looked like a lost child.

Tyler leaned back against her father’s desk.

“I couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged.

“Want a drink?”

At her nod, he moved to the bar and poured her a shot of her favorite whiskey and handed it to her.

Charli sipped the amber liquid. “I heard you talking to Beth.”

Tyler sat down next to her. “She was asking about you.”

Her eyes widened. “I don’t want you staying here.”

“What are you talking about?” He frowned. “You want me to go to a hotel or something?”

She shook her head. “No, I mean once Daddy has the surgery and he’s going to make it...” her voice broke and she cleared her throat. “Once we know when he’s coming home, I want you to go back home.”

“I’m not leaving. I’m staying here for as long as it takes.”

“No you’re not. I can do this myself. I can.”

He reached across the couch to rest his hand on her leg. “Honey, you’re not a rancher. I know you’d do your best, but there’s no foreman here, no one to help you.” He shook his head. “No, I’m staying here until everything is under control.”

“I am not going to let this muck things up for you and Beth.” Charli pushed back her thick curly hair and finished off her drink.

“I’m not going to lose Beth.” He said it as much to convince himself as to convince Charli.

Her blue eyes were full of pity, but he held her gaze. “Trust me. Maybe I’ll leave for a weekend or something and then come back. But I’m not moving back to Sweet Meadow until there’s a new guy in place to oversee the operations.”

“Oh, I see, you’re going to commute from Abilene to Sweet Meadow.”

“It’s not that far by plane.”

Charli unfolded her legs and stood. She pinned him with a glare, and her eyes were cold as she regarded him. “While Daddy is under the weather, I’m in charge, and I’m telling you, I don’t want you here any longer than necessary.”

“Do you think I can’t handle the job?” Tyler stared hard, wondering if she really didn’t want him there.

“You’re a moron. If you didn’t have Beth, I’d be doing everything in my power to keep you here and force you to do what you are more than capable of doing. But I’ve watched you for over eighteen months grow more and more miserable with missing her—and I saw you this Christmas and how she made your whole life come alive.”

She closed the space between them and cupped his face in her long slender hands. “I love that you’re here and that Cord is here and that I don’t have to worry about anything right now, but I want it understood completely that when Daddy is out of the woods, you’re out of here.”

Tyler raised one eyebrow at her little speech. “Yes, ma’am, boss lady.”

Charli squeezed his cheeks, her blue eyes finally sparkling with a bit of life. “That’s right, and don’t you forget that either.”

Tyler pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. “It’s going to be fine, kiddo. I promise you, he’s going to be fine.”

She clung for a moment and he heard her sniffle. Then she threw back her head and pushed away from him. At the doorway, she turned and half-smiled. “Do you think if I crawl into bed with Cord and ask him to hold me, he’ll let me have my way with him until I feel better?”

Tyler laughed. “Knowing my brother, he’d probably climb out of bed and get you a cup of cocoa.”

Her mouth lifted in a sexy smile. Her hand on the doorway trailed behind her as she slipped out the door. “Hmm, maybe. We’ll see...”

****

The sun was barely up but Tyler had already been on horseback for an hour with some of the men in the north pasture. As always, his first thought of the day was Beth. He longed to call her, but, in the three weeks he’d been away, they’d fallen into a pattern of talking to one another in the evenings. They had agreed that it was simply too hard during the day to have a conversation. His fingers brushed the cell phone, longing to text her, but he had no idea if she had been called out last night and was sleeping.

He took a long swig of coffee from his travel mug.

“Mr. Weston?”

Tyler turned in the direction of a ranch hand’s voice. “Randy, call me Tyler,” he reminded the young kid for the hundredth time.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Weston...er I mean, Tyler. There’s some fence down at mile marker 412. Sandy wants me to come up there with him. That okay with you?”

Tyler nodded. “Yeah, go ahead. We’re all set out here. You guys work on that, and I’ll see you at noon chow time.”

The younger man turned his horse and was gone. Tyler had to admit, it felt good. It felt damn good to be the guy in charge. With Chase out of the hospital and recovering at home, Cord had left. He planned to return the following week to begin the interview process for some of the candidates they’d found for the overseer position. For whatever reason, as much as Tyler knew they had to hire someone, he dreaded it. How do you find someone who will care about your family’s business the same way you do? What if they bring in the wrong person and he screwed up? What if the men hated him? What if he...

Tyler shook his head and pushed his hat back. He had to stop thinking like that. A month ago he wanted to get home and not look back. Now he was wishing he could stay here. Couldn’t he make up his mind?

He turned his horse and headed back towards the house. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what he wanted; it was a matter of wanting the Circle S and wanting Beth, an impossible situation.

He loved it out here. He’d grown up and spent his whole life on the Double B, but for some reason, this place felt like home, too. But, at the end of the day, when he crawled into bed, he knew why it wasn’t home. Beth wasn’t here. To live here, he’d have to live without her, and he wasn’t willing to do that.

Once they’d established someone to oversee the day to day operations and he was back home permanently, was he going to be happy? Certainly with Beth, but what about working with the family? He and Sara had finally discussed the training facility for the horses and partnering up, but Sara was pretty much as bossy as they came. He couldn’t picture her letting him truly be her equal and run the show. What if they hit heads? Who would win? Sara, of course; she never backed down in her life.

He shook his head. It didn’t matter; he’d be with Beth. That’s what he had to hang on to. He’d just have to learn to suck up the rest as best he could. She was worth it.

He spurred his horse on and forced back his doubts. He was here for now and then he was going home to begin his life with Beth. That’s what he wanted. Nothing had changed.

The ranch house came into view. He dealt with his horse, and, a short time later, walked through the door in time to inhale the amazing aroma of whatever Charli was cooking for breakfast. Tyler grinned at the sight of the redhead standing in bare feet at the kitchen stove. Her hair was up in a clip, and she swayed to the country music coming from the radio. She flipped what was most likely an all egg white omelette. The doctor had ordered a low fat, low cholesterol diet for Chase. Charli was determined to convince her father that she could cook all his old favorites with this new twist, and he wouldn’t notice.

“Morning.” Tyler reached past her for a cup of coffee.

“Hey, handsome.” She slid the omelet onto a plate already garnished with fresh fruit. “I’m going to take this into Dad and then I’ll fix you something.”

He inhaled appreciatively as the plate passed by him. “I know I should be polite and tell you not to go to any trouble but...”

Charli laughed. “I’ll be right back.”

Tyler took his coffee over to the table. He certainly didn’t expect her to wait on him but knew she’d fix something amazing, so why should he pretend he wasn’t hungry?

He wondered if Chase had a good night’s sleep. The older man had been set up on the first floor and, even though he still complained that he could climb the stairs to his own room, didn’t seem to mind too much when he got tired.

Charli padded back in carrying pill bottles, an empty water bottle, and the newspaper. She set the paper on the table.

Tyler reached for the local section. “How’s he this morning?”

“Said he feels like he has more energy.”

“He’ll try to overdo it if he’s feeling better.”

Charli cracked several eggs into the frying pan and Tyler watched as she added bits of bacon, potatoes, and cheese. Thank God only Chase was on the low taste diet.

“I’m not too worried about that. Between me and Daisy, we’ll keep him in line.” Charli set the plate in front of him along with thick slices of Texas toast.

Tyler spread jam on the hot buttered bread and scooped up some eggs. “I’ll go see him when I get back from town. I need to talk about some work we need to get done in the far end of the south pasture.”

“You know he’ll tell you to do whatever you think is best.” Charli sat down across from him. Crunching on her toast, she rested one bare foot on the chair next to her and wrapped her arm around her leg. “He trusts you to make decisions, you know that.”

That was what concerned him. He didn’t want Chase coming to completely depend on him. But he wouldn’t say that to Charli; he didn’t want to sound like he was complaining. He was more than happy to be here when Chase needed him. Well, maybe not more than happy, but he was here and he knew this was where he needed to be. “Daisy’s quite the find, don’t ya think?”

Charli sipped her juice. “I think she likes him.”

Tyler lifted one eyebrow. “Yeah? You mean not just as a nurse, right?”

She nodded and grinned. “I’ve seen his eyes light up when he argues with her. I think he gives Daisy a hard time just so she’ll argue back.”

“I just thought he was being ornery.” Tyler’s eyes widened.

“She’s good for him.”

The older woman was a retired nurse and had been recommended by one of the nurses at the hospital. She was supposed to come once a day to make sure Chase was following doctor’s orders, but Tyler noticed more often than not, she showed up twice a day. Always with a good reason—something forgotten, to bring over a book she knew he’d like, etc.

Charli finished off her eggs, stood up and carried her plate to the sink. She came back with the frying pan and scooped the remainder onto Tyler’s plate.

He grinned and tucked in again. Can’t let breakfast go to waste after all.

“Did Cord tell you he thinks I should open my own restaurant?”

Tyler glanced at her. “Is that something you want?”

Charli poured another cup of coffee and sat back down across from him. “Not really.” She pushed her hair back from her face. “You know how much I hate being tied down, committed to anything. When I get bored I just move on. If I owned my own place...” Her voice drifted off and she seemed lost in thought for a minute.

Tyler wondered if maybe there was a part of her that was tempted, or maybe she was just bored with being home. After all, she was used to coming and going as she pleased. To the best of his knowledge, she’d pretty much been home since Thanksgiving. “I think it’ll only be a few more weeks, a month at most, and you should be able to get away from here again.”

Charli frowned. “Am I that transparent?” She laughed. “Yeah, part of me is itching to get somewhere, do something, but I’m okay. Right now, this is where I need to be.”

“If you could leave right now, where do you think you’d go?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know...but I was sort of thinking and had this idea...”

Tyler nodded. “I’m listening.”

“There’s a lot of people who open restaurants and then don’t have a clue what they’re doing. What if I were to go in, help them get it on track, and then once it was established, moved on to the next project, Sort of like a consultant?”

“Do you know how to do something like that?”

She shrugged again. “I did something similar in Europe two summers ago. It wasn’t intentional, but the husband and wife owners really were in over their heads. When they hired me to cook, I ended up doing more than that. By the time I left, sales were up, customers were lined up at the door, and it was a well established café.”

“Nothing says you can’t try it. As you said, that way you aren’t committed for too long and you can pull up stakes and leave when the project is done.”

“What about you?” Charli sipped her coffee.

“What about me? You mean what do I want to do?”

“Yeah? I mean, besides marrying Beth and having little Westons running all over the place.”

Tyler grinned as an image of Beth pregnant with their baby flashed through his mind. “It’ll be a while before we have kids, but yeah, the plan is to definitely have a big family someday.” He set his coffee mug down and carried his plate to the sink. “For now, I’m going to work with Sara and see how that goes.”

“Why don’t I see that working for you?”

He clenched his jaw. “I’ll make it work.”

Charli raised one eyebrow. “I’m going to take a shower. If I don’t see you before, I’ll catch up with you at dinner.”

Tyler picked up his hat and headed out the door. Charli’s doubts got under his skin. This would work. It had to.

****

Beth closed her cell phone, leaned back in her chair, pressed her hands to her eyes, and drew a deep breath. The phone calls with Tyler each night were so frustrating. She couldn’t believe that he’d been back in her life only a month and already she felt the loss of him not being here like a physical ache. Somehow she thought when he left this time, it would be no big deal; after all, she’d lived without him for over a year and a half. But it wasn’t the same. This time she wasn’t mad at him for leaving, wasn’t hurt...she just missed him. Like a huge ache.

She couldn’t ask Tyler to come back, but he was needed there. No one else could do what Tyler was doing for Chase. Even Cord wasn’t the right person this time. He didn’t know the Circle S operation, the men, or the layout of the ranch the way Tyler did. When Cord had come home, the few things he’d said were nothing but praise for the way Tyler was running everything. It was more than apparent that Tyler was in his element in Abilene in a way he never had been here.

Restless, she wandered from her office into the reception area. Since she was a little girl, she’d wanted to be a vet. When Doc handed her this practice, she’d been scared, but knew she could do it. Even though she and Tyler’s dreams had once been to travel and settle somewhere other than Sweet Meadow, once Doc said she could have this business—a practice of her own just handed to her—it never occurred to her to say no.

Now, Tyler was given an similar opportunity to do what he wanted to do. Chase was doing the same thing for him that Doc had done for her. The only difference, Tyler was going to turn the opportunity down. Because of me.

She was spoiled, just like Charli said. She was a vet for crying out loud, she could do that anywhere. She could open a practice anywhere. Yeah...I could.

Chewing her bottom lip, her heart thudded at the direction of her thoughts. Was she really considering this? Leaving Sweet Meadow and following Tyler to Abilene? Love was sometimes about sacrifices. She looked around the tidy reception area, studied the pictures on the wall, and wrapped her arms around her waist. She loved this place, but did she love it more than Tyler?

No. The answer came sharp and clear, no hesitation.

Without stopping to think, she headed to the computer at the front desk. There were four veterinarian practices within a sixty mile radius of the Circle S. Maybe one of them would be looking for another doctor. If not, she could open her own practice. Thanks to Doc, she knew how to run one, so why not? Chase had connections in Abilene; she had no doubt he’d help her build a clientele. Beth grinned. If that didn’t work, well, she’d marry Tyler, have some babies and take care of their own animals. She grinned at the thought of being a wife and mother. A long time ago, that was her real dream. Raising a family together. That was truly what she wanted. The rest was just filling time until she—until they—had the opportunity to make those dreams a reality. The core of her heart, the focus of her world was building a life with Tyler.

Her heart lifted. Was it really that easy? She grinned as if she’d solved life’s biggest mystery.

She leaned over the keyboard and sent off a few exploratory emails to the practices she found. Drumming her fingers on the desk, she looked around again. What about this practice? She and Grant were partners, but she owned the controlling interest. She’d talk to him about that; see how he wanted to handle it. She could certainly still maintain her interest in the practice but from a distance. They could bring in two more vets and an office worker—definitely an office worker.

There was a lot of work to do, but it’d be worth it. Excitement pulled a grin to her lips.

From the back of the building, she heard the door open and Grant call to her. She took a deep breath. Might as well talk to him about this now.

“I’m up front,” she hollered back.

His footsteps were steady as he walked through the clinic to where she sat at the reception desk. His hair was mussed, his clothes a wrinkled mess, and he had his old glasses on again. He had a habit of losing his glasses, so he kept several old pairs around. She grinned. What a great guy he was. She couldn’t love him more if he was her own flesh and blood. Last year, when she wanted to curl up and literally die, he’d hauled her up and forced her to keep on going. He truly was the reason she’d made it through the heartbreak that Tyler’s leaving had caused. It was understandable that he couldn’t fathom why she’d give Tyler a second chance. But then, Grant had never been in love, not like that, not like this. He’d had some bad luck with girls in college and she knew the girl he dated back home had cheated on him, so love and romance weren’t exactly something he had a lot of faith in. It made him jaded and cynical, but Beth believed that all he needed was for the right woman to come along and change all that for her friend.

Still, this conversation wasn’t going to be easy.

He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “What are you up to?”

She smiled even wider and crossed the room. “Let’s take the horses out for a run.”

“You want to go horseback riding? Now?”

“Yeah, I do. Then I want to discuss something with you, but I really need to get out of here first, get some fresh air.”

He shook his head but uncrossed his arms. “All right, let’s go.”