Patricia Thayer - Proposal at the Lazy S Ranch

With another groan, she started to raise her head. He stopped her, but caught a whiff of her familiar scent. Hell, how could he remember what she smelled like? He drew back, already feeling the familiar pull to this woman. It had been nearly ten years.

She rolled to one side.

“Take it easy,” he told her. “Do you hurt anywhere?”

“My chest,” she whispered. “Hard to breathe.”

“You got the wind knocked out of you.”

She blinked and finally opened her eyes, and he was hit with her rich blue gaze. She looked confused, and then said, “Garrett?”

He rose to his knees. “Hello, Josie.”

Josie felt as if she were in a dream. Garrett Temple? It couldn’t be... She blinked again, suddenly realizing it was reality. She pushed him away, sat up and groaned at the pounding in her head. “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t look any happier to see her. “Trying to save your neck.”

“Like I need your help for anything.” She glanced up and saw several men peering at them. “I’m fine.” She brushed off her sweater and jeans, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. “I just need a minute.”

The crew didn’t move away until Garrett stepped in. “Everyone, this is Ana Slater’s sister Josie.”

The guys mumbled a quick greeting, and then headed back to their jobs.

Once alone, Josie turned to the man she’d never expected to see again. The man who’d smashed all her dreams and the last person she needed to see right now.

“Do you hurt anywhere?” he asked again.

A broken heart. “No, I’m fine,” she lied. Her ankle was suddenly killing her.

Garrett got to his feet and reached down to offer her some help. She got up under her own power, trying to ignore her light-headedness and her throbbing ankle.

“Still as stubborn as ever, I see.”

She glared at the large man. He was well over six feet. Nothing had changed in the looks department, either. He was still handsome with all that black wavy hair, not a bald spot in view. Her attention went to his mouth to see that sexy grin, and her stomach tightened in awareness. Well, dang it. She wasn’t going to let him get to her again.

She tested some weight on her tender ankle. Not good. “I know why I’m here,” she began, “but...why are you?”

He folded his muscular arms over his wide chest. So he’d filled out from the thin boy she once knew in high school.

“I own GT Construction. Ana hired me.”

No. Her sister wouldn’t do that. Not when she knew how much Garrett had hurt and humiliated her. “We’ll see about that.” She started to walk off but her ankle couldn’t hold her weight and she started to fall.

“Whoa.” He caught her in his arms. Big strong arms. “You are hurt.”

“No, I just twisted my ankle. I’ll be fine when I get back to the ranch.”

“You aren’t going anywhere until I get you checked out.”

“You’re not doing anything—” She gasped as he swung her up into his arms as if she were a child. “Put me down,” she demanded, but he only drew her closer and she had no choice but to slip her arm around his neck to keep her balance.

He carried her the short distance to his truck. One of the men rushed over and opened the passenger door. Garrett set her down in the seat.

“You can’t kidnap me, Garrett.” He was so close to her, she could inhale that so-familiar scent of the man she’d once loved more than anything. “Just take me home.”

He shook his head. “You were hurt on my construction site, so I’m responsible for you. We’re going to the E.R. first, then I’ll take you back to the ranch.”

She started to speak, but the door got shut in her face. A few minutes later, he appeared in the driver’s seat. He handed her purse to her. “You might want to call your sister and tell her where you’re going.”

“No. She’ll get all worried and she has enough on her mind.” She stole a glance at the man beside her, unable to stop studying his profile. Okay, so she was curious about him, darn it. “What about my car?”

“I’ll have one of the men drive it back to the house.”

She folded her arms over her chest.

Garrett started the engine and began to back up, then headed for the highway. “Josie...maybe this would be a good chance to talk.”

She glared at him. “What could we possibly have to say to each other, Garrett? I got the message nine years ago when you said, ‘Sorry Josie, I’m going to marry someone else.’” She hated that his words still hurt. “So don’t waste any more words.”

Josie managed to fight back tears. She had to concentrate on getting through this time with a man who broke her heart once. She wasn’t going to let it happen again, so she decided to head back to Los Angeles as soon as possible.

* * *

An hour later at the emergency room in Dillon, Garrett sat with Josie while they waited for the doctor. Even in the silly gown they had her put on, she still looked good. There was no denying that seeing her again had affected him, more than he thought possible.

From the moment when he noticed Josie Slater in Royerton High School and saw her big blue eyes, he’d been a goner. They’d been a couple all through school, even after he graduated and went off to college. Josie finished high school and went to college locally two years later. Then one weekend he’d come home to tell her about his apprenticeship. They had a big fight about him being gone all summer, and they broke up. Josie refused to talk to him for months. Then he met Natalie....

Now all these years later, Josie was back here. Seeing her today had been harder than he could imagine. But her reaction toward him was a little hard to take. He didn’t have to worry about her having any leftover feelings for him.

Garrett stood outside of the cubicle and the curtain was drawn as the doctor examined Josie.

“So, Ms. Slater,” the doctor began, “you’re getting a nasty bruise on your forehead.” There was silence for a moment, and the middle-aged man continued, “You’re lucky. It doesn’t seem you have a concussion.”

Grateful, Garrett sagged against the wall, knowing he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but he still listened for more information.

“I want you to take it easy today,” the doctor told her. “Your ankle is swollen, but the X-ray didn’t show any broken bones. But you’ll need to put ice on it.” He paused. “Do you take any medications?”

Garrett heard Josie rattle off a few. He recognized one was for anxiety and the other for sleeping. What was wrong with her?

The doctor came out from behind the curtain. “She’ll be fine, although she’ll have some bruises.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

He nodded. “Just make sure she rests today and have her stay off her feet.”

“I will.”

The doctor walked away, and Garrett called, “You decent?”

“Yes,” she grumbled.

He went behind the curtain and found her sitting on the bed, not looking happy. “I got a clean bill of health, so can we go home?”

He nodded, suddenly wishing she was home. But he had a feeling that Josie was headed back to California real soon, and he’d lose her for the second time.

* * *

It was another forty minutes before Garrett pulled up in front of the Slater home. Josie’s pulse started racing once again as she looked up at the big two-story brown house with the white trim. It was a little faded and the porch needed some work. So a lot of things around the ranch hadn’t been cared for in a while.

Garrett got out of the truck and walked around to her side. He pulled the crutches out of the back, but propped them against the side of the truck as he reached in and scooped her into his arms. Instead of setting her down on the ground, he carried her toward the house.