The Doctor's Choice~Badlands (Contemporary Western Romantic Suspense) Page 4

  Shadow whined softly outside her door and she admitted him. He curled up on the room-size Aubusson rug that left only a foot of golden oak floor showing around the circumference of the room.

  She felt a wave of empathy, recognizing Shadow’s grieving behavior. She started to close the door and caught a glimpse of something else in the hallway. Moon stood a few feet away, waiting for an invitation to enter.

  “By all means.” She stood aside for the cat to pass. With a regal grace, Moon leapt upon the bed and settled herself comfortably.

  Cami curled back under the covers and heard the cat purring softly in the darkness. It was a comforting sound and the presence of the animals, her Aunt Silky’s pets, made her feel less alone in the huge empty house.

  The next morning, she sipped coffee and spread jam on the toast she’d made from Cora Lee’s home-made bread.

  Sometime during the night the wind had died down and quit howling. The sky was a lighter shade of gray. Cami peered out the beveled glass oval inset into the front door. She saw Frank trudging through the snow, on his way to the stables.

  She ran lightly up stairs and into Aunt Silky’s room. She dug around in Silky’s closet and found a well-worn leather jacket lined with curly lambs wool. Tugging it on, she felt a lump in the pocket and was rewarded with the discovery of a pair of lined sheepskin gloves.

  She flew down the stairs and out the door with Shadow at her side. Her breath came out as a vapor trail. She caught up with Frank in the stables.

  “Miss Cami,” he said. “You scared the life out of me. I wasn’t expecting nobody.” He expelled a long breath.

  “I’m sorry, Frank,” she said. “This is Red?” She stared at the handsome paint stallion Frank was grooming. “This is Silky’s horse?”

  “Yes, Miss Cami. They was all Miss Silky’s horses, but Red here was her favorite.” He stroked the curry brush down the horse’s flank.

  She stepped close to the stall and reached out to touch the horse’s nose.

  The big paint snorted and shied away, kicking at the stall.

  She stepped back, her heart racing. “He’s wild isn’t he?”

  “No, Ma’am,” Frank said emphatically. “He don’t know you. He was like a big old baby for Miss Silky, but he don’t have nothin’ to do with nobody he don’t know.” Frank reached up to stroke the horse’s neck.

  Cami stared up at him. “I can understand that. Some days I feel the same way.” She turned to head back to the house. “Frank,” she said. “How can I get to know Red?”

  He grinned at her, a blush staining his boyish face. “Red is partial to apples, especially when you slice them for him.”

  She nodded and headed for the house, her footsteps crunching through the crisp layer of snow. Shadow picked up his head and barked twice as Breckenridge Ryan’s truck rolled toward the house.

  He lowered the driver’s side window and smiled at Cami. “That jacket looks good on you.”

  “Thanks.” Cami ducked her head and stamped her feet to keep warm.

  He put the truck in gear and leaned out. “You need to get a pair of boots at Pruitt’s Western Wear. I’m sure your feet are cold.”

  “An astute observation,” she said.

  He gave her a one-sided grin. “Did your fiancé tell you what to do about your inheritance?”

  “My fiancé gave me his opinion,” she said, refusing to be baited.

  “And may I ask what that might be?”

  “My fiancé thinks I should stay.”

  “I can hear a ‘but’ attached to that statement.” He turned off the motor and climbed out of the truck.

  “But, I’m not willing to give up my fellowship so easily,” she said. “I did change my flight. I gave myself two weeks to make up my mind.”

  “Good for you,” he said. “Silky would be proud of you.”

  She cast him a cool glance. “For your information, Silky was always very proud of me. She was my number one fan.”

  Breck chuckled deep in his chest. “I would think your fiancé was your number one fan.”

  A cloud of anger gathered in her chest. “Did you just come here to irritate me?”

  “That and to give you this.” He opened the passenger door and removed a large foil wrapped container.

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “Smoked ham prepared especially for you in the Ryan smokehouse, courtesy of my dad. I’ll carry it in for you.” He trudged up the stairs and stamped the snow off his boots on the front porch. Turning back to where she stood, he asked, “Are you going to let me in?”

  Cami ran up the steps and opened the door.

  He went to the kitchen and set the large container on the counter. The aroma immediately filled the kitchen.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “I didn’t know if you cooked or not.”

  “Of course I can cook. Why would you think I couldn’t?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know if a busy city doctor had time to cook or if you just ate from a microwave.” He stood grinning at her with his know-it-all expression.

  Cami resisted the overwhelming urge to smack him. She tilted her head to one side. “I’ll have you know that I’m an excellent cook. Some would call me a gourmet.”

  “I see,” he said. “I’m glad to know you won’t be starving to death here.” He swung the refrigerator door open and checked the contents. “You seem to have lots of food but you’ll need to go into town and stock up on some fresh fruits and vegetables. There’s meat in the freezer and staples in the pantry, but you’ll need dog and cat food.”

  She nodded. “You seem to know a lot about running Aunt Silky’s household.” She gave him a cool blue stare.

  “She was my friend.” He met her gaze steadily. “I kept Silky’s accounts open so you should be able to get what you want at any store in town.”

  “I’d feel funny charging to her accounts.” She pressed her lips together in a firm line. “I wouldn’t know what to say.”

  “They’re your accounts now. Come with me,” he said. “Let me take you in to meet some of the local merchants.”

  She hesitated. She was standing dangerously close to a yawning abyss. “I better check and see if the men need anything.”

  Breckenridge T. Ryan gave her a long look and a warm smile. “Okay. I’ll wait in the truck.”

  She trudged back out to the stable and Frank told her the bunkhouse was running low on coffee and sugar.

  The windows of Breck’s truck were trying to fog up and his defroster was running when she climbed inside.

  “You’ll notice I didn’t try to offend you by opening your door,” he said.

  Cami took a deep breath and grinned at him. “Okay, I’m sorry.”

  “What was that?” He leaned closer.

  “I said I’m sorry I was rude.” She gave him a mock glare. “And I’m waiting for your apology for inferring that I needed my fiancé to tell me what to do. That was a cheap shot.”

  “It was,” he said. “Please accept my most abject apologies.” He grinned as he shifted gears and propelled the large vehicle forward.

  The heated air inside the vehicle made her feel stifled. She loosened the jacket and removed the warm gloves.

  He adjusted the heater and glanced at her. “Two weeks, huh?”

  “Fourteen days.”

  “And what do you hope to accomplish during the next fourteen days?”

  She took a deep breath. “I plan to determine whether or not foul play was involved with my aunt’s death.”

  Breck turned to give her a sharp glance. “What do you suspect?”

  “It’s just a feeling,” she said. “Nothing specific and everything in general.”

  “Because?”

  Cami wasn’t sure she could explain her misgivings. “Because Aunt Silky was an excellent horsewoman and she loved Red. I don’t think she ever met a horse who could throw her. Unless she suffered a fatal heart attack or hemorrhagic stroke I’ll never
believe she fell off a horse. I want to see the autopsy results.”

  “I’ll make sure you get to see them.”

  She was aware that Breck kept glancing at her as they traveled toward town, but she refused to be drawn into the dark vortex of his eyes, keeping her gaze studiously affixed to the scenery they passed along the way.

  The trees were crystallized with a coat of ice. Fence posts accented the roadway, contrasting darkly against the fields of snow. The road had been sanded and remained clear for driving.

  “I saw Red today,” she said. “He’s beautiful.”

  “That he is,” Breck said. “Don’t try to ride him, though.”

  “I hadn’t planned to. I haven’t ridden in a while.”

  “If you want to ride, I’ll take you. I’ll saddle Gypsy for you. She’s very gentle.”

  She shot him a sharp glance and bit her tongue. Why did she always want to slap him down? “That would be very nice.” She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. He thinks I can’t even saddle my own horse.

  “Tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be clear.”

  “Clear and cold,” she said.

  Breck slowed as they passed the city limits sign. Someone in a passing vehicle waved at them and he raised his hand. He parked the truck in front of Pruitt’s Western Wear.

  “Stay,” he said as she reached for the door handle. The dark eyes held hers for a moment before he broke into a grin. “Good girl.”

  She gasped and swung at him, but he dodged. He came around and opened her door, holding out his hand.

  “Oh, my goodness.” Her voice dripped sweetness. “I don’t think little me can possibly get down out of this great big old truck all by myself.” She sat gazing into his eyes with a little smile quirking at the corners of her mouth.

  “No problem.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the sidewalk and into the store. A metal cowbell clanked against the glass door.

  Cami laughed, thinking how effortlessly Breck had lifted her from the truck and borne her up the steps and inside the store. He set her on her feet and took her hand. After being in his arms it didn’t seem strange to be holding his hand.

  He led her to the footwear department. “Sit down,” he said. “What size do you wear?”

  “Seven.” She watched him walk away as a balding, ginger-haired clerk approached.

  “Hey, Breck!” the man called.

  Breck returned and greeted the man. “Hey, yourself, Merle. This is Cami Carmichael, Silky’s niece. Put her on the account, would you?”

  Merle nodded at Cami and said, “Sure thing.”

  “We’d like to see size seven-and-a-half western style riding boots.”

  “I wear a size seven,” she protested.

  “I got you some thick wool socks.” Breck pulled a chair across from her and busied himself untying her wet sneakers. He tossed them aside along with her sodden white cotton crew socks. “Your feet are freezing.” He smiled as he held her foot in his large warm hand. He touched the gold toe ring she wore on the middle toe of her right foot and his smile became a grin.

  Cami’s heartbeat sped up at his touch. She swallowed hard. “They’ve been frozen since I arrived here.”

  “You should have said something.” Breck unbuttoned his flannel shirt and pressed her feet against his warm hard ribcage and stomach.

  She was bombarded with physical sensations. Her icy feet were trapped between Breck’s hands and his warm trunk. She also felt a wave of something else. She recognized it as lust. “You are a crazy man,” she whispered.

  “That’s common knowledge.” He rubbed the tops of her feet as he stared at her. “You have small feet.”

  “For a tall woman, I do. Aunt Silky had really tiny feet.”

  He grinned at her. “She was a small woman.”

  “I’m glad she didn’t hear you say that.” Cami was sure she was doing something bad, but it felt so good. Her feet hadn’t been warm since she’d stepped off the plane. And while the fact that she was warming her feet against Breck’s six-pack abs was disturbing and way too intimate, she couldn’t seem to pull her feet away.

  “Here we are.” Merle returned with several boxes. “I didn’t know whether you prefer pull-on or lace-up.”

  “Lace-up, please.”

  Breck gave her a smile and a little nod. She thought she’d passed some kind of test. He took a pair of thick brown wool socks out of his pocket and put them on Cami’s feet. He continued to massage them until she drew them away.

  She reached for the boots in Merle’s hands, but Breck took them and slipped them on her feet, lacing them up.

  “Walk around,” he said.

  “Do you have a dog?” Cami asked.

  “Yes, why?”

  “Because in the last fifteen minutes, you’ve ordered me to stay, sit and walk. I’m trying to give you some slack, but you’re at the end of your tether with me.”

  Breck flashed a grin. “I understand. I’ll try to be careful about bossing you around from here on out.”

  “Good boy!” She gave him a wry look and turned away from the disturbing lawyer. She strolled around in the boots, examining them in a mirror and liking the way they looked.

  “What size pants do you wear?” Breck asked coming up behind her.

  “That’s a little personal,” she said. “Even for you.”

  “You need to get some jeans and I’d suggest thermal underwear, if it’s not too personal.”

  Cami nodded and followed him to a wall lined with shelves of folded pairs of jeans for men, women and children. She selected a pair and held them against her body, then draped them over her arm.

  Breck took two more of the same size and style and grabbed two sets of ladies thermal underwear and several pairs of wool socks.

  “Surely I won’t need that many,” she said.

  “Surely you’ll need more,” he said.

  Merle bagged the items and Cami signed for them.

  “What else do you need?” Breck asked as he stowed her purchases in the back seat.

  “Where did Aunt Silky get her prescriptions filled?”

  He drove her to the pharmacy and introduced her to the pharmacist, Walter Samuels.

  “Mr. Samuels,” she said. “Could I see my aunt’s records? I want to know about any prescriptions she had filled within the past six months.”

  The pharmacist glanced at Breck who gave him a nod.

  “Well, Doctor Carmichael, I ordinarily wouldn’t divulge this information, but if Breck says its okay, I’ll go along with it.”

  “Are you telling me she had some major illness?” she asked.

  “Let’s see, now” He typed into his computer database. “It looks like she had a sinus infection in September and the doc prescribed an antibiotic for it.”

  “What else?” she urged.

  “That’s it,” he said. “That was the last prescription she had filled.”

  “She didn’t have any routine meds for any chronic illnesses?”

  “None. She was a remarkable woman. She took an over the counter pain reliever for a mild case of arthritis, but that’s all that comes to mind.” Walter shook his head sadly. “You can check with Doc Parker. He might have given her some samples.”

  Cami nodded her head and they left the pharmacy.

  “Where to, now?” Breck asked.

  “I’d better get the groceries and head back.”

  “Let’s have lunch first.”

  “Does that mean another visit to Tiny’s Diner?” she asked, thinking about the memorable biscuits.

  “How about La Hacienda? They make great fajitas.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  They ate at the small restaurant and she was introduced to Milita Rios, the owner’s daughter.

  “Milita and I graduated from Langston High School,” Breck said.

  “Please,” Milita protested. “Breck was two years ahead of me and way too important to notice a skinny little girl like me.”
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  “I noticed,” he said. “I noticed Hector following you around like a bloodhound.”

  Milita smiled sadly and dropped her gaze. She handed Breck the check and walked away.

  “What was that about?” Cami asked.

  “I shouldn’t have mentioned Hector,” Breck said. “He was killed in Afghanistan.”

  “She’s a lovely woman,” Cami said.

  Breck nodded and tossed some bills on the table. “Let’s get those groceries.”

  He pushed the cart as she shopped. She selected salad greens along with fresh tomatoes, green peppers and celery. He watched in amusement as she filled a bag with large red apples.

  Breck heaved a huge bag of dry dog food under the cart and Cami tossed in cans of cat and dog food. Finally, she selected coffee and a large bag of sugar for the men.

  “This should do it,” she said. “People have been coming by to bring casseroles and cakes since the funeral.”

  “Why thanks, Cami,” he said. “I’d love to come for dinner tonight.”

  “Dinner?” She looked up at him and experienced a squeezing sensation in her chest.

  “You know,” he said. “You can heat up something and I’ll come over and eat with you. We’ll talk and maybe you’ll want to go to the dance at the Eagles Hall.”

  “Dance?” Her heart did a little drum roll against her ribs.

  He arched an eyebrow at her. “Am I speaking a foreign language here?”

  “No.” She took a deep breath. “You can come to dinner. I don’t know about the dancing.”

  Breck grinned at her. “Awww, you don’t know how to dance?”

  She felt a blush creeping up her neck. “I dance.”

  A wide grin spread across his face. “Good. I’d hate to have to have you stepping all over me.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  When they returned to Moonshadows and pulled onto the circle drive, Cami noticed a strange truck sitting in front of the house.

  Breck expressed a short sound of disgust and shook his head.

  She raised her brows, noting the grim set to his jaw.

  Grinding the gears to a stop, he shot her a look that clearly said, ‘stay’.

  Cami gathered her packages and waited for him to open her door. When she leaned down into his arms, she felt a shiver of excitement as his arms encircled her. She wondered how she could have thought his gray eyes were cold when they seemed to be flickering with green sparks.