Callie Endicott - The Rancher's Prospect

He would have to be careful. The past few months had been hard on the family, especially for his mom. She’d lost her mother and watched her father go from being an active, vital rancher to a querulous old man with disabilities. The arrival of Kayla’s baby had helped, along with having his sister, Alaina, pregnant along with Emily. Still, he didn’t want to raise her hopes that he’d get married anytime soon.

Right now he was solely interested in the ranch he’d dreamed of building. Grandpa was providing enough roadblocks; he didn’t need any more.

* * *

LAUREN PRESSED HER fingers to her stomach as she walked with Tara toward the emergency room exit. She wished negative emotions didn’t bother her so much. Heck, half the time she was wrong, misinterpreting a frown or shrug and losing sleep over what it might mean or questioning what she should do about it...even as she knew she was being ridiculous.

Josh McGregor was a prime example. The way he’d stomped out of the waiting room had seemed ominous, but it could be her imagination. And even if it wasn’t, it didn’t necessarily mean anything except that he was having a bad day.

If only that sort of thing didn’t make her feel as if she was shriveling up inside.

It would be wonderful to be more like Tara. Karen—the receptionist at the clinic—had gleefully recounted how Tara had “stuck it to Josh” when he’d roared into the waiting room earlier in the week. Obviously Karen felt their patient had deserved a dose of comeuppance.

Maybe so, but Lauren was glad someone else had dispensed the prescription.

She hadn’t talked enough with Tara to know if her twin was interested in settling down and getting married, but it would be wonderful if she stayed in Montana. There were plenty of nice guys in town. Almost as if summoned by the thought, Lauren saw two men in uniform coming through the double doors to the emergency room. The taller man grinned when he saw her.

“Hey, Lauren,” Carl said. “I heard about Alaina, so we stopped to say hello to the family and wish them well.”

Lauren nodded as other kinds of flutters started. “That’s nice of you.”

Carl was the local sheriff and the man with him was a new deputy. After living in Los Angeles with its frantic pace, she loved the small-town atmosphere in Schuyler. She couldn’t imagine a big-city policeman dropping in like this at the UCLA Medical Center.

Carl had attended the Trent Hawkins–Emily George wedding, and he and Lauren had sat next to each other at the reception. Lauren had enjoyed talking to him, and after she’d moved to Schuyler last October, they’d gone out several times.

“Holy cow,” Carl said, staring at Tara. “You said you had a twin, but it didn’t hit me until just now what that meant.”

“Sometimes I feel the same way. Tara, this is Carl Stanfield. And the deputy next to him is Noah Mercer.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Tara said.

“Same here.” Carl cocked his head. “You almost have an accent, but I can’t place it.”

“I’ve lived in five different countries over the past ten years. There’s no telling how much has rubbed off.”

“That explains it. Noah is the same—he spent most of his childhood in New Zealand and Germany.”

Tara turned to the deputy, asking about a place in Auckland that she’d visited, while Carl urged Lauren down the hall a few feet.

“I’ve stopped by the clinic to see you,” he said, “but you’re usually with a patient.”

“They keep me pretty busy.”

“I’m sure they do. But now that you’ve had a chance to get more settled, I wonder if we could get together for dinner again?”

Renewed flutters went through Lauren’s abdomen. She liked Carl...liked him enough that she’d excused any further dates by saying she needed to get more settled. Carl was attractive and her pulse jumped whenever she saw him, but they were incompatible, so it didn’t make sense to continue.

“I’m sorry to put you off another time,” she said slowly, “but with my sister here, I shouldn’t take time from her visit.” Darn it, why couldn’t she just say no?

“Don’t be silly,” Tara exclaimed, apparently overhearing them. “You can’t put the rest of your life on hold while I’m in Montana. Go ahead.”

“Oh... I...in that case, it would be nice, Carl.”

He flashed his wide smile at her. “Great. How about Saturday night?”

“I don’t know, I’m on call for the next week,” she said, still hoping he’d get the message that she didn’t actually want to go out with him again. “I try to keep things quiet so I’ll be at my best if I’m needed.”

That was the truth. Medical personnel were limited in the area, and they took turns being available for after-hours emergencies.

“I understand. Would the following Saturday work?”

Obviously he wasn’t giving up, and Lauren wondered if she was unconsciously sending the wrong signals.

“Uh, sure,” she answered, unable to think of another excuse. A shred of irritation went through her. Most guys would have gotten the message with the first excuse she’d used, or at least the second. Even Billy Halloran, a notorious Schuyler flirt, had backed off when she’d told him that she wasn’t free because she was painting her apartment and who knew how long it would take?

Of course, it was doubtful that sensitivity had anything to do with Billy’s reaction. He’d disappeared at the speed of light, possibly worried she’d ask him to help.

Carl would have rolled up his sleeves and taken over the project, ignoring her protests. In the time they’d already spent together, his take-charge personality had been obvious, which was partly why she couldn’t envision a relationship with him. Someone like her would get swept under, like a swimmer in a riptide.

“I’ll drop by the clinic and we can discuss the details,” Carl said, drawing Lauren’s attention back to the present. He smiled again and walked with his deputy toward the maternity wing.

Outside Tara studied her curiously. “Is something wrong? You’re flushed.”

“No. Everything is fine.”

To avoid further questions, Lauren headed for the fitness trail, setting a rapid pace that Tara easily matched, though in her case she made it look like a sexy, long-legged stroll.

It was too bad they still hadn’t developed the close relationship that sisters should share. That way Tara might have teased her about Carl and she could have explained that she liked him, but that she wasn’t his kind of woman...the main factors being his career and her unfortunate streak of timidity.

In the beginning, her old boyfriend in Los Angeles had found those qualities attractive—it had made him feel protective and manly. But after a while Kendall had suggested she take assertiveness training and get counseling for her self-image. She’d broken up with him not long afterward.

Carl was a sheriff who’d been a big-city cop. He’d dealt with everything from traffic violators to murderers. It would take him even less time than Kendall to realize he’d rather be with someone gutsier. But she couldn’t explain that to her sister, who was strong and confident enough to live and travel alone in foreign countries. They barely knew each other—what if Tara thought less of her because of it?

“You’re quiet,” Tara commented after they’d circled the park twice.

“Just, um, getting my head together for work,” Lauren said. It was true, more or less. She needed to think less about her abysmal love life and more about the good things she had going, such as connecting with her long-lost sister. That was great, even if being around Tara made her feel like the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.

Taking a deep breath, Lauren decided she didn’t have to make a big deal out of the situation. It was just one more date. Carl hadn’t suggested getting serious; he’d just asked if they could have another dinner together. She didn’t have to go out with him again once it was over.