Once and Always (Women of Character) (13 page)

Danny pushed his hands through his
hair.  The car was gone, the dust too. Miz Anna depended on him, Mama told him
that all the time. He would do things right so she wouldn't be disappointed in
him. He never wanted her to be disappointed in him again.

Ω

Anna looked over at the
speedometer. "You'll end up with a ticket if you don't slow down."

Tyler glanced at her, his gaze
sweeping the blood soaked cloth. "Ticket be damned."

She smiled weakly. "That's
what you said about the glass."

His head whipped around, then back
to the road ahead, brows drawn in a dark frown. He eased up slightly on the
gas. "This isn't funny. You may have severed something."

"I'm not laughing. It's just―"
she shrugged and looked out the window, fighting emotion. How could she tell
him his concern brought a lump to her throat and if she didn't laugh she'd cry?

"How are you holding
up?" he asked several moments later. "Feeling lightheaded?"

"I'm fine. The doctor's
office is off the main drag on Cranberry Street, small green house set back
from the road." She bit her lip. "You'd better call him first so he's
expecting us."

"Do you know the phone
number?"

He dialed the number and told the
doctor's office what had happened and that they were on their way over. He
seemed to be listening to something detailed on the other end, but didn't share
it with her.

Tyler drove quickly and
efficiently, but by the time they pulled up outside the office, Anna was biting
her lips as the pain intensified, making her afraid she'd lose her lunch.

Tyler jumped out of the car and
ran around to open her door, supporting her up the short walk to the side door.
Lynn, Doc Barnum's nurse and wife, opened the door and ushered them inside.
When she saw Tyler, she lost her smile. "Tyler!" she exclaimed.
"I heard you were back."

"Hello Lynn."

Anna suddenly remembered Tyler and
Lynn had dated a few times before she and Tyler had gotten together. She turned
to Tyler, but he looked more distracted than interested in a conversation.

"Lynn is married to Bobby,
Doc Barnum," Anna said.

Lynn took Anna's arm.
"Anna," she said with warm concern. "Come right in and we'll
take a look at that arm."

By now Anna was feeling decidedly
wobbly, but determined not to lean on Tyler more than necessary. It was a
relief to sit on the examination table but she continued to watch Lynn and
Tyler covertly, wondering for a brief, jealous moment if there were any lingering
feelings between the two of them.

With barely a glance in Tyler's
directly, Doc Barnum entered the room. Anna sat perfectly still as he pulled
back the blood soaked cloth.

"Anna," he said,
"what have you done?"

 Beside him, Lynn pursed her lips
and said, "It's a good thing you got here so fast, that's a nasty
gash."

"It'll have to be
stitched," the doctor said, gently touching and prodding around the gash.
"I told Tyler you'd have to go to the emergency room if it was too
deep."

Anna met Tyler's glance and read
the very real worry clouding his eyes.

"Will there be
scarring?" he asked.

"The doctor does a nice job
of stitching," Lynn said reassuringly. "There might be a thin line
for a while but it'll fade with time."

Anna had the urge to laugh, but clamped
her lips shut, afraid it might turn into more than a laugh. What did a little
scarring on her arm matter?

"We'll have to clean this out
and then you'll need a tetanus shot," the doctor murmured.

"Well, you've got me
here," Anna said staunchly, "you might as well do the works."

"That's the spirit,"
Lynn said. She looked at Tyler. "If you want to wash up, you can help me
gather everything the doctor will need."

"Okay." He looked at
Anna. "I'll be right back, will you be okay?"

"I'm fine." Tensely,
Anna watched Tyler follow Lynn out of the room, and she had to wonder at the
purposeful look on Lynn's face.

Ω

After showing Tyler where to wash
up, Lynn pulled supplies from a locked cabinet and handed him several rolls of
plastic wrapped dressing.

"This is what you needed help
with?" he asked with surprise.

Lynn grabbed him by the sleeve and
pushed the door closed between the two rooms. "No. I could do this
blindfolded. I want to talk to you."

Tyler waited.

"The word around is you're
moving back into the Double B."

Tyler narrowed his eyes.
"Good news travels fast. I already have."

Lynn's brow went up. "Don't
take that tone with me, remember we grew up together and I think I know you
pretty well."

"Yeah, so is that good or
bad?"

"You tell me."

"It seems that maybe you've
already formed an opinion."

She gave an impolite snort.
"My opinion in this doesn't count for squat. All I remember is you were
always the wild, independent sort."

"People change," he said
shortly, wondering where this was going. He and Lynn had dated in the past, but
nothing serious. Once he'd decided on Annie, that had been it.

"I know you're a decent guy,
despite a few rough edges, but my point is, I don't want to see Anna get hurt.
She's been through a lot. As nice a guy as you are, I think you could hurt
her."

"Hell, Lynn, what makes you
think that? Is this because of what happened six years ago?" he asked, his
voice hard.

"I don't know what happened―Anna
never said a word to anyone. I just know you left, she changed, and since the
accident, she's even more vulnerable. Everyone in town gives her the space she
needs, but if she ever asks, we'd be there for her."

"Can you get to the
point?"

Lynn put her hand on her hip and
cocked her brow. "If you're getting involved, make sure you stick around
this time."

"Shit, Lynn, that wasn't my
fault. I don't know your recollection of that time, but I didn't have much
choice."

Lynn sighed. "Tyler, I've
always liked you, but I like Anna too, and I can't watch you walk back into her
life after all this time and not say something."

"Okay, you've said it, not
that I think it's your business. Now can we get back in there?" he asked
impatiently, looking toward the room where he'd left Annie, resenting that he'd
been cast as the bad guy.

She looked at him a moment and her
expression changed, as if she was seeing something she hadn't noticed before.
She nodded, and then she did a complete turnaround and smiled at him.
"Yes, let's get back to Anna. After all, she's the reason you're here.
Maybe I've got you all wrong, Tyler."

Ω

Four days later Anna walked to the
barn early in the morning. She'd managed to do some light unpacking the last
couple days and generally take it easy, but the arm the doctor had stitched no
longer throbbed and as long as she was reasonably careful she could resume
normal activity.

She was still surprised by Tyler's
concern on the day she'd been hurt, amazed by the way he'd waited around,
looking anxious while the doctor stitched her up. It had almost felt like a
blast from her past, the time she'd twisted her ankle and he'd carried her all
the way from the barn to the house. Martin hadn't been pleased that day to see
her in Tyler's arms, but Anna knew that's when she'd begun to fall in love with
him. Funny how she recalled stuff like the stray curl at the edge of his
temple, the ferocity in his expression when she got hurt. Too bad it hadn't
stayed that simple and easy between them.

Anna walked to the barn and found
Tyler riding in the outside ring. The animal was beautiful and sleek, its coat
a deep black. By the look of the horse's powerful hindquarters, she knew he'd
be great on barrels. She wondered if Tyler would let her give him a try.

Anna moved to the old upturned
barrel between the barn and the pen, where she'd sat countless times and watched
Martin work his horses in the riding pen. Tyler had always been an exceptional
rider, his hands light and easy on the horse's mouth, his seat quiet as he
moved like fluid silk with the animal. He had a natural grace, almost like he'd
been born in the saddle. Anna knew he planned to bring in cattle so he could
begin his training on the cutting horses, and her excitement began to rise.
Finally, the Double B would be back on track, no longer a breeding ranch, but
at least a real working ranch once more. She was only beginning to realize how
much she'd missed being part of that. She only knew it was good to feel alive
again.

Tyler brought the horse to the
middle of the pen and dismounted. Anna stood and dusted off the seat of her
jeans and ducked through the wooden rails. "Great ride!"
Enthusiastically, she moved forward to stroke the horse's nose.

Tyler leaned down to loosen the
saddle's cinch strap. "He's got lots of heart and he likes to play, he
should do well."

Anna stroked the soft muzzle.
"Some things never change, do they? You still look for horses with that
extra edge."

Tyler lifted a brow, but then
shrugged, as if it were a given. "I've found the best cutting horses like
to play, they're curious and full of life. I want to bring that out when they zero
in on a cow. Wouldn't you rather play than work?" He gave her a searching
look, his eyes deeply blue in his suntanned face. "I seem to remember you
going for the same type of horse." The message in his eyes said something
else. She recalled how they used to play as lovers, making love out in the
middle of nowhere or wrapped in the sheets of his bed on a miserable, rainy
day.

With difficulty, Anna turned her
attention to the horse. "Spirit loves to play and test me. I admit I love
the challenge of channeling that energy."

"Exactly." He lifted the
saddle and swung it from the horse's back. "How are you feeling today,
Annie?"

Anna lifted her bandaged arm.
"Like there's nothing I can't handle." She'd never handled Tyler,
he'd always been his own man. Maybe that had been her downfall, thinking she
could handle him.

One corner of his mouth lifted.
"I'll bet you can take on just about anything these days. You've really
changed from the girl I remember."

Anna met his gaze squarely and
dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Despite the obvious physical changes,
you're right."

Tyler placed the saddle on a rail
and began to brush the black's neck. "So what do you think of this
guy?"

"He's gorgeous. I bet he'd be
great on barrels."

"Yeah," he said with a
grin, "but you can't have him. I had an idea I'd like to run by you, if
you're interested. Once your stitches are out and you're feeling up to it, I'd
like to keep mornings free so we can work together with the horses."

Anna studied him intently, her
mouth dry. "Work together?" Spend time together like they used to.

Maybe Tyler was having the same
sense of déjà vu, because he suddenly became very focused on the horse.
"Exercise them. I also have a client who bought a mare for her
twelve-year-old daughter. She needs someone to work with them on barrels and
gymkhana events. If you think you'd be interested, I'll let her know."

The idea thrilled her, and then
the next moment the anxiety set in. "Are they local people?"

"They're new in the area, but
heard about us through a friend of a friend."

Anna gripped her hands together
and chewed her lip, then swallowed with difficulty. "What if they expect
something―someone different?" Strangers. Why was she afraid of
strangers? A woman and her little girl.

Tyler gave her a level glance.
"They know your reputation. If they're not satisfied, then they can go
somewhere else."

"But Tyler, we're building a
business. Maybe if they won't work with me, you could―"

Tyler looped his horse's reins
through his hand. "It'll be okay, Annie. They work with you or go
elsewhere. Simple."

Simple. Black and white, no shades
in between. Tyler had not changed. He'd always found compromise unacceptable.

"Okay." Anna thought
about that. "There's another thing we have to go over. I need to know how
much room we'll have for additional horses, just in case we start getting
calls."

"Good idea. We'll have to run
over the plans later this afternoon or maybe tonight." Tyler grabbed a
hoof pick from a grooming box and lifted his horse's front hoof. "By the
way, I've been in contact with a potential client referred by your friend Gill
Dakins."

Pleased with the news and on
familiar ground, she smiled at him. "That's a good sign, as I'm sure you
know. The horse community is a small one when it comes to information getting
around."

"I know that first
hand," he said dryly, but he smiled. "He's interested in bringing
some horses in for training." He picked up another hoof and began to clean
it, his back to her. "Which brings me to something else. I thought if
you'd like to try your hand at reining some time, we could play around with it.
I can give you some pointers." He dropped the hoof and stood upright.
"You're an excellent rider, I know you'll be good at it."

Anna knew her skill level, but
felt pleased by the compliment nonetheless. "I've played around with
reining to some degree, but never on a professionally trained cutting horse.
I'd love to try it."

"Good. Gill Dakins gave me
the name of a stock dealer, Jerry Wills. I'm going to go look at his steers
today. If he's got something I can use, I'll buy enough to get started on the
reining. Let me put Dudley out and I'll fill you in on everyone's feeding
schedules so we're consistent." He unsnapped the crossties.

"His name is Dudley?"
Anna asked with a raised brow, smiling.

Tyler shrugged. "That's his
registered name, if you can believe that."

"Dudley." Anna surveyed
the handsome animal from head to toe. "He sure doesn't look like a Dudley.
I'd say more like a Star Prince or a King's Ransom."