Home on the Ranch: Honorable Texas Cowboy Read online

  Diego took a deep breath and let his speed drop back to the limit.

  “Cassie will take good care of him until we get there,” she added, settling into her seat.

  “How can you be so calm?” Diego asked her, amazed.

  He could see his mom smiling at him in the rearview mirror. “If you had four children like mine, you’d learn to not worry about bumps, cuts and bruises. Or a broken leg.”

  Diego smiled back at her. It was true that they’d done the drive to the hospital a fair number of times with Pop in the driver’s seat.

  “It’s a good thing you had a responsible kid like me around to keep your life from getting too crazy, right?” Jose asked from the passenger seat, folding his hands behind his head.

  Ma and Diego both snorted, and soon all three of them were laughing. Diego gave his brother a quick shove, then leaned back against his seat and relaxed slightly. Jose could always be counted on to lighten the mood in an emergency.

  That didn’t mean he wasn’t worried, though. Diego knew Jose well enough that he was sure Jose cared as much as anyone.

  “Have I told you about the time Brock broke his leg? You must have been too young to remember,” Ma began from the backseat.

  Diego and Jose glanced at each other. They’d heard it before, but neither one said anything and soon Ma was reciting the anecdote, her voice full of love and good humor. Diego and Jose laughed at all the right spots.

  When the story ended, silence descended on the car, but it wasn’t a tense silence that made him push his foot down on the pedal. This time it was a silence of camaraderie and shared experience.

  It lasted for a good long while, but the tension began to return the closer they got to the hospital, and as they pulled into the parking lot, Diego glanced into the rearview mirror at Ma.

  As calm as she had appeared for the entire drive, and as much as she refused to admit it, he knew she really was at least a little worried about her husband. Diego wished he could do something to calm her fears the way she calmed his, but there was nothing for him to do except get her into the building so she could be told that Pop was fine.

  He desperately hoped.

  Cassie greeted them at the door. “Amy, Jack and the boys should be here any minute. Pop’s on the third floor, but only Ma will be able to see him for a while. He’s in for X-rays and will need to be fully evaluated before they apply the cast. Ma, they should let you in. See Brock. He’s waiting for you on the third floor.”

  “On the drive, Howie seemed okay, I’m sure?” Ma asked with the smallest hint of a quiver in her voice.

  If he hadn’t been her son, Diego wouldn’t have even caught it. Diego wrapped his arm around her. For the first time, Ma seemed almost frail to him.

  Cassie gave the older woman a reassuring nod. “He was totally fine, except for some pain, of course. He even told us a story about the time he drove Brock in for a broken leg when he was young.”

  Diego smiled to himself. His parents were meant to be together, that was for sure.

  “I don’t think they’ll find any other issues, and even the leg looks to be a simple break, the wound a pretty minor cut from a sharp rock,” Cassie continued, putting her arms around Ma for a quick hug. “Now go upstairs. Brock is waiting for you,” she added, her voice encouraging as she gestured inside.

  Diego used the arm still around Ma’s shoulders to steer her toward the elevator, but after a few seconds, she seemed to regain her inner strength and he dropped his arm before she had the chance to slap it away and assure him she was able to walk to the elevator just fine on her own, thank you very much. She was a strong woman, and he knew that any weakness she showed was bound to be temporary.

  Still, he was determined to see her upstairs, and apparently so was Jose. By the time they were on the third floor, Ma was very much her own self. When Brock greeted her as they stepped off the elevator, she put her hands on her hips. “Why on earth are you up here while Cassie’s minding the door downstairs? She’s the doctor. What were you two thinking?”

  Brock’s eyes widened at the verbal assault, but Diego could only shrug at him. They had all learned that a worried Ma could go from sweet to irritated in an instant. Brock held up his hands as if to prove his innocence. “Cassie thought it would be better if she wasn’t breathing down Dr. Tisdale’s neck, and Pop insisted that she should go wait for you.”

  Ma nodded but still seemed suspicious of the arrangement, so Brock continued, “His doctor is Rebecca Tisdale. You remember her, right?”

  Ma nodded again, more accepting this time. “I’d heard from her mother that she was a doctor. Good girl. Smart as they come, even if she wasn’t the best rider.”

  Diego couldn’t remember any Rebecca Tisdale, but he imagined Ma knew her from the riding school. That was how they knew pretty much everyone who had grown up in Spring Valley.

  Brock waited for another moment. Then, once he was sure he wasn’t going to be berated anymore, he gestured toward doors that led into the east wing of the building. “How about I take you in to see Pop now?” he asked, using the same level of wariness he’d use on an unbroken bronco.

  Ma nodded and strode through the door, as if she was looking for some other reason to scold. Brock raised his eyebrows at his brothers and followed her. “Have fun!” Jose shouted after them.

  Chapter 4

  Hours later, Diego sat with his siblings in the waiting room, keeping true to the room’s name. They all waited—talked, read and watched the boys play with a variety of objects, including a makeshift rubber-glove balloon Brock blew up for them.

  Ma had dropped in a couple times to tell them what results the doctor was waiting for, and most recently to say that they were going to apply the cast. It had been a long while since then, and everyone was antsy. Brock and the boys had gone to find food for everyone as a way to kill time, but everyone had eaten, and time was still ticking slowly with no end in sight. Diego wanted to get Ma and Pop and take them home.

  Diego’s thoughts drifted back to the ranch, and to Kate. Always back to Kate.

  “So, Jose,” Amy said, her voice breaking into Diego’s thoughts. “You’re engaged now, huh?”

  Diego wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear this conversation. Still, he turned his attention to his siblings.

  Jose relaxed back in his chair with a wide grin. “Yep. I decided to follow your example, just without the bun in the oven. Didn’t want to turn into an old maid.”

  “And because you love Kate, of course,” prompted Amy.

  “Yeah, sure. That, too,” Jose said.

  At the casual tone in Jose’s voice, Diego felt anger bubble up as it never had before toward his twin. Everyone got pissed off at Jose at one time or another, except Diego, who always managed to see the good in him.

  But the flippant way he talked about loving Kate, like he wasn’t the luckiest guy in the world and should be worshipping the ground she walked on, made his fists clench involuntarily.

  “Finding your soul mate is a big deal,” Amy said, clearly trying to get a better answer from her younger brother.

  “Soul mate? I’m just happy I found someone that can stand to be around me. Plus, we’re a really attractive couple. The wedding photos will turn out great,” Jose said, making a camera with his fingers and smiling at it, as if he was taking a selfie.

  Diego stood up. He couldn’t listen to any more of this. He didn’t know where to go, but anywhere would be better than here.

  As he approached the door, however, a tall dark woman in scrubs and a white coat stepped into the waiting room. She looked vaguely familiar. He stopped and tried to figure out where he’d seen her before.

  “Becca?” Amy asked, looking closely at the doctor.

  The woman nodded with a grin. “I wasn’t sure you’d remember me. It’s been a long time.”

  Amy wiggled her very pregnant body out of her chair and gave the doctor a hug. Diego realized this must be Rebecca Tisdale, the one who had been in the riding school. Diego didn’t really remember her, but Amy clearly did.

  “So you’re Pop’s doctor,” Amy said to her old friend.

  Rebecca nodded, pushing her dark curly hair out of her face as she turned to speak to the entire group. “I’m happy to report that he’s doing well. The break was clean and the cast will help it heal correctly. His leg will be in a cast for a while, but he’s very strong and healthy for his age, and his injuries were relatively minor. I usually have to convince folks of his years to get more exercise, but with him...”

  “Relaxing isn’t exactly his thing,” Amy declared.

  “Whereas I can relax all day long and be ready for more,” Jose added with a grin as he leaned back languidly in his chair.

  Dr. Tisdale gave him a wide smile. “It’s good to see you still have your sense of humor, Jose, even after all these years.”

  “See, I keep telling you guys that I’m a delight,” Jose said to his siblings.

  There was a collective eye roll before they turned back to the doctor. “Are you going to keep him overnight for observation?” Cassie asked.

  “I recommended it, but according to Mr. McNeal, he plans on being in his own bed tonight and his son married a wonderful doctor, who he trusts will keep him alive for a long time yet, God willing. So he’ll be ready to go in an hour or two. You can all go in and see him now while we work on his discharge papers, and then you can head home and enjoy the holiday.”

  Everyone stood, and soon Pop’s tiny hospital room was filled with people. Zach and Carter started sniffling again when they saw the big white cast on his leg, but Pop’s high spirits and the markers he gave them to “make him a work of art” soon had them smiling again.

  After a few minutes of chatter, reassurances that he really was fine and exuberant coloring, Ma looked at her watch. “You kids should get back to the house now. I’ve already let everyone know that our shindig is back on for just a couple hours from now.”

  Diego opened his mouth to argue that Pop should have a quiet evening at home, and by the looks on his siblings’ faces, he wasn’t the only one thinking that. But Ma held up a hand to stop him. “Howie insisted. Besides, we invited Dr. Tisdale to join us, so he’ll be just fine.”

  Diego closed his mouth. Apparently there was no use arguing.

  * * *

  “Okay, Ma, thanks for letting me know. Yes, I’ll get the pies in the oven. Tell Pop—” Kate broke off, not sure what to say. It seemed odd to say that she loved him, but she did. “Tell Pop I’m glad he’s all right and I’ll see him in a couple hours.”

  Kate hung up her phone and looked at the pile of now unnecessary items she had prepared to bring to the hospital that filled the cab of her truck. It included the roast and everything for a large family dinner in the hospital, as well as some big surprises that would cheer up Pop, she was sure.

  After finishing all her tasks with the horses, she’d gathered everything, then piled it into the truck. She had just been waiting for Ma to call and tell her they would be there overnight and that she could come visit. Now all her efforts were a waste, and Pop would never see everything she had planned for him.

  Or would he? Kate looked into her truck and then back at the house, then checked the time. If she hurried, she could get the pies in and have everything done before anyone arrived. But she’d need to move quickly.

  Kate wished for some help, and, of course, the one person she knew would actually be a help was the one person she shouldn’t be working with. Yes, Diego would be ready to throw himself into the job and they would get it done in no time.

  She could just picture him, those dark brown eyes smiling as he heard what she had in mind...

  Stop that, she scolded herself. Kate shook her head to get rid of those thoughts and opened the door of her truck. She couldn’t sit here and daydream when there was so much to do.

  * * *

  Jose and Diego drove most of the way without talking to each other. Well, Diego didn’t talk, and Jose wasn’t so much talking to Diego as filling the silence. He never could be quiet for long, and soon he was chattering about who knew what. Diego was too lost in his own thoughts to pay much attention, and he was used to Jose’s noise. And since Jose was used to Diego’s silence, the situation fit both just fine. Neither minded.

  Diego would never admit to his brother that this time he was quiet because he couldn’t stop thinking about Kate. His attraction to her was unlike anything he’d experienced before, and it was driving him crazy. When he wasn’t thinking about Kate, he was thinking about how bad it was that he was constantly thinking about Kate.

  Diego wasn’t sure if he was glad that Cassie and the twins had decided to squeeze into Jack and Amy’s truck, making it unnecessary for him to try to hold up his side of a conversation, or if her presence might have kept him from his ruminations. With Jose’s mindless chatter, it was too easy for him to get lost inside his own head. He’d been doing it his entire life. This was one time where he tried to listen to his twin if only to stop the constant cycle of thoughts, but it didn’t work.

  As they neared the ranch, Diego made his decision: he would need to stay at least a day to make sure Pop was settled back home and then he’d be on his way out of town, as far from Kate as he could get.

  Speaking of Kate, he thought as he turned in to the drive and got his first glimpse of the sprawling ranch house, what has that woman been up to?

  Red, white and blue bunting festooned the house while a ribbon of cheap plastic American flags hung from the roof. Crepe paper encircled every available post and patriotic pinwheels lined the walkway, spinning slowly in the breeze.

  “Excellent,” Jose laughed. “It looks like the Fourth of July threw up on this place.”

  Diego parked, and he and Jose walked up the porch steps. Diego silently noted the basket full of silly glasses, flag earrings and beaded necklaces sitting beside the door. But that wasn’t all: as they entered the house, Jose and Diego were bombarded with balloons and more crepe-paper decorations. The entire house smelled like baked apples and looked like an America-themed birthday party.

  Kate burst into the living room, full of excitement, then stopped in surprise at the two men staring at her. It was clear they hadn’t been the people she’d expected to see. Diego watched as Jose ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug. “You pranked Ma while she was at the hospital?! That’s my kind of girl. She’s really going to be annoyed,” he said with glee.

  “No, it’s not like that,” Kate protested.

  Diego looked around, and suddenly the truth dawned on him. He smiled as he realized what she’d done. “It’s all for Pop, isn’t it?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Ma said he’d wasted good money on nonsense and the Fourth of July shouldn’t look like a toddler’s party. He looked so disappointed,” she explained.

  Diego could almost see what had happened. After all, he’d seen similar acts play out a dozen times in his childhood. Pop had come home from a visit to the local dollar store with bags of whatever caught his eye. It was his worst vice, in Ma’s opinion. This must have been one of the times that he’d outdone himself and she had put her foot down about the sheer profusion of cheesy decorations.

  “I was going to bring it all to the hospital and throw a miniparty for him there, but then Ma called and said that he was coming home today and the party was still on, so...” Kate said, trailing off as she gestured at the garish decorations.

  Diego had to force himself not to kiss Kate. This was exactly the kind of thoughtful, caring thing that set her apart from everyone else. And it was exactly why he should spend as little time around her as possible if he didn’t want to get hurt.

  He knew it was far too late for that.

  “When will they get home?” Kate asked.

  Diego had been so absorbed in his thoughts that at first he wasn’t sure what she was talking about.

  “It could be as much as a couple of hours,” Diego told her as soon as he realized whom she meant. “Amy, Jack, Cassie and the twins will be back any minute. Brock’s waiting with Ma and Pop and will drive them as soon as everything’s done at the hospital.” He knew he was rambling but he couldn’t seem to stop. “Cassie wants to spend a little time organizing things here to make it easier when Pop arrives.”

  “Oh,” Kate said. Diego nodded, feeling awkward.

  Jose rubbed his hands together, wearing his most mischievous grin. “I think I might hide in the bushes so I can see Ma’s face as they pull up,” he said.

  Diego’s and Kate’s eyes met. Diego hoped Jose would be disappointed. Either way, he and Kate would both be watching Pop, not Ma.

  “In the meantime,” Jose said, “I’m going to grab a pair of funky glasses, and then I’d love to know what that delicious smell is, and when I can eat it.”

  Kate shook her head. “The apple pies are for the party guests. There’s a meal on the table if you need something to eat.”

  Diego turned to Jose, glad to have a reason to get his attention off Kate. “Speaking of the guests, we should work on setting up tables and chairs and the barbecue. People will start arriving soon.”

  Jose grimaced. “But I need to eat. And we should really take one of the pies. Pie sounds way better than manual labor,” he said.

  Diego wasn’t surprised by his brother’s response. He opened his mouth to reply, but Kate got to it before he could. “People who don’t pull their weight don’t get dessert,” she said.

  Jose gave an exaggerated sigh. “You sound so much like Ma, it’s crazy,” he told her. Then he seemed to rethink that. “Or more like Diego, actually. He thinks he’s my parent sometimes, I swear.”

  Diego shoved Jose toward the back door without a word. He didn’t mind Jose comparing him to pretty much anybody, but it made his heart ache to be compared to Kate. It was just another reminder of how well they fit together.