Linda Goodnight - Sometimes When We Kiss

With a concerted effort, he drew his attention away from Shannon’s mouth and back to the doctor.

The doctor replaced her glasses. “How does your grandfather handle his stress?”

“Handle it?” Shannon huffed. “He doesn’t. He keeps everything bottled up inside so I won’t worry about it.”

Jackson could have told them that. Holding trouble inside was the cowboy way. Although lots of men blew off steam by getting drunk on Saturday night or picking a barroom fight, Gus wasn’t the type. Maybe he had been in his younger days, but not now, not even ten years ago.

“I thought you might say that. While caused by the blockage, his blood-pressure problem is exacerbated by the stress,” said the tiny doctor. “You need to do everything possible to eliminate any areas of tension in his life.”

Shannon frowned, a cute little pucker between her eyes that gave Jackson the strangest desire to slip an arm around her waist and pull her close.

“That is not going to be easy.” She gnawed on her full bottom lip and danged if he didn’t start staring at her mouth again.

“No, I don’t expect it will be. But if Mr. Wyoming is to regain optimal health, he must reduce stress and control his blood pressure. If he behaves himself, he could very well beat this thing. Otherwise, he is looking at some serious complications in the not-too-distant future.”

Shannon swallowed hard, her face blanching. “I can’t let anything happen to my granddad.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to Gus,” Jackson said. “We’ll see to it.”

At his reassurance, Shannon relaxed a little and got that determined jut to her chin. “Okay. You’re right. We are going to get him well. I can handle the business side of the ranch, keep him from seeing any financial problems.” She turned to Jackson. “Jackson, don’t tell Granddad about any problems with the horses or their owners. Okay?”

Lying to a man he respected was not what Jackson had in mind. A man who spent his life working on a ranch, burning his muscles into exhaustion wouldn’t take kindly to two women plotting his retirement to a rockin’ chair by hiding things from him. And if Gus could hear this conversation, he would be one unhappy cowboy.

“Gus’s nobody’s fool.”

“I’d be the first to agree with that. But I don’t want to lose him either. For the sake of his health, we absolutely have to keep him relaxed. So gloss over any problems, only tell him the good things.” She placed a hand on his arm and his pulse rate kicked like a young mule. “Please, Jackson. I need your help.”

When she looked so worried like that, her blue eyes threatening a rainstorm, he was helpless to argue.

“I thought you wanted to fire me.”

She crossed her arms, an action that pushed the front of her tank top up and out. A man could totally lose his concentration at such a sight.

“Don’t rub it in.”

A devilish impulse made him tease. “Admit you’re glad I’m here, and I won’t.”

The good doctor, whom Jackson had completely forgotten, cleared her throat. “If you two will excuse me, I have rounds to make. We’ll talk again before Mr. Wyoming is discharged.”

She bustled away, pager beeping at her waist, nurses armed with charts following her down the long white corridor.

“Seems like a good doctor.”

“She’s terribly overworked, but yes, I trust her.” Wearily she pushed her hair behind one ear. “If Dr. Torrence says Granddad will get well faster if he eats right and isn’t stressed, then I have to find ways to keep him content.”

“We.”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t you just admit you need my help?”

Her eyes lit up and two parentheses appeared around her full, kissable lips. “You win. I’ll take your offer of help.”

“Wait, I wasn’t finished.” He couldn’t resist the urge to goad.

She cocked an eyebrow. “Well?”

“Admit you’re glad I’m here.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, Jackson. I’m glad you’re here. Are you happy now?”

“A little insincere, but it will do.”

Jackson had the sudden thought that he might be in trouble. He didn’t know why he cared, but he wanted her to want him here. And that worried him more than a little.

A few minutes later, Shannon headed to the coronary care unit to see her granddad. Jackson, bless him, made noises about phoning his aunt, but she recognized the effort to give her time alone with her grandfather. Now she wished he’d come along; she needed a referee.

“I wouldn’t mind dying so much if you was settled.” Propped up at a forty-five-degree angle, Granddad had tossed off the oxygen mask the minute she’d walked in. Though he sounded a bit winded, his will hadn’t weakened at all.

How was she supposed to keep him calm when he had such a one-track mind? “I am settled, Granddad. And you are not going to die.”

“Everybody dies, little girl. Even cranky old mavericks like me.” He shifted sideways in the bed, looking old and withered beneath the stark white sheets. “But don’t go changing the subject on me. I ain’t talkin’ about me. I’m talkin’ about you and this problem you have with finding a man and settling down.”

“I have everything in the world I want or need including a good man—you.”

He waved a hand in impatience, dismissing her statement as nonsense. “That ain’t what I mean and you know it. You need a husband, but ever time a prospect comes along, you lope off like a green-broke colt.”

“Men don’t interest me that much.”

“A few of ’em interested you enough to get engaged.” He screwed up his brow in thought. “How many fellers have you run off? I’ve lost count.”

He made her sound like one of those Hollywood types who ran through men faster than cold beer on a hot day. She took exception to that.

“Only three.” Three broken engagements, the last one less than six months ago. Each time, as soon as the commitment was made, she’d gotten cold feet. Instead of a ring on her finger, Shannon had felt as if they’d wanted to put a noose around her neck.

“Seems like more than that to me.” He coughed, a wheezy noise that worried Shannon.

She gave him a drink of water, waited for him to regain his breath before asking, “Are you all right?”

“Won’t be until I know you have someone to take care of you when I’m gone.”

Her voice rose in frustration. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Yes, I am. Margaret’s been waiting for thirty years and she never was a patient woman. I’ll hear about it for a month once I get over there so I need to quit procrastinating and get on with it. She’s just like you. Once she gets over her snit, we’ll be the happiest pair in paradise.”

Shannon knew he was trying to make her laugh, to make a joke out of dying, but she saw no humor in losing the man who’d loved her and provided for her ever since she could remember.

“Stop it, Granddad. Just stop it. I need you. The ranch needs you.”

“What you need is a good man to look after you, so when I do go I can rest in peace instead of wondering if you’re all right.”

So they were back to that again. All three of her engagements had been as much to please him as to please herself. But every single fiancé had wanted to run her life, as well as her ranch. As soon as the engagement had been announced, they’d expected her to become someone else, to give up her hard work on the ranch and become a lady of the manor. And she wasn’t having any of that. She could ride, rope, train horses and run a ranch better than any man on the planet. She could stand on her own two feet, thank you. Shannon Gayle Wyoming did not need a man.

“Granddad, the doctor says you can live with this heart problem if you’ll only learn to behave yourself better and stop stressing over the small stuff.”