Lazy Days (53 page)

Lying
on the couch with her forearm over her eyes, Sarah kept wishing she would wake
from this nightmare. Of the hundreds of dude ranches in the United States, fate
had conspired to send her to Sage Tanner's. Now all she wanted was to get her
damn car running and escape Dodge.

"Here's
a wet cloth so you can wipe your face," said Sage.

She
lifted her forearm to see him squatting beside her. She wanted to squeeze her
eyes shut and wipe his gorgeous baby blues from her memory. She took the cloth.
"Thank you," she said stiffly.

He
stood and looked down at her. "I called my doctor friend and he said I
need to bring you to his office for an x-ray. My ranch hand will be here soon.
Then I'll drive you to Doc's."

"No…no,
just get my car running or call the rental company to send another one. I'll be
on my way…"
And away from you.

"Mims,
that's not gonna happen. Looks like you're gonna be laid up for awhile."

"Mr.
Tanner, I do not intend to be laid up for any length of time, and especially
not here."

"Lady…Sarah…"
There was a knock on the front door. Sage walked to open it. Sarah listened to
a woman's high pitched voice.

"OMG,
you're Sage Tanner! We're Mindy and Mandy. We're at the dude ranch for
three
weeks." There was a pause and then a very seductive, "What would you
like us to do?" spoken by another woman.

Sarah
groaned and covered her face with the wet cloth.

Sage
said, "Welcome ladies. One of the ranch hands should be here soon to check
you in. Do you see that building on the other side of the corral?"

"Yes,
Sage," they voiced in unison.

"That's
the dorm. Your room has a sticker with your names on it. Make yourselves
comfortable and feel free to explore the facility. Just don't go into the barn
with the horses, okay?"

"Okay,
Sage," they said in unison again. The one who had first spoken said, "We
can't wait to get to
know
you."

"Uh,
nice to meet you, uh, Mindy and Mandy." He closed the door.

Sarah
pulled the cloth down over one eye and watched Sage press his forehead against
the door.

"Looks
like you've got some groupies," she said, and then winced when a sharp
pain traveled up her leg.

"God,
why me?" he mumbled.

"Oh,
the perils of being a gorgeous model," she retorted.

She
watched him straighten. He turned and looked at her with narrowed eyes and
opened his mouth to make what looked to be a nasty reply, but instead, smiled
slow and devastatingly. "So, you think I'm gorgeous?"

Sarah
sputtered and pulled the cloth back over her eye. "M and M obviously think
so, but sorry, you don't do it for me. I like more than a pretty package."

There
was another knock on the door. "Shit!" Sage exclaimed and opened the
door.

"Hey
boss, I just saw two bimbos drive toward the dorm."

Sarah
pulled the cloth down again and watched Sage usher a weathered old cowboy into
the room. The cowboy saw her and turned scarlet beneath his leathery skin. He
removed his hat and held it against his stomach. "Ah, sorry, ma'am, I
didn't know there was a lady in the room."

Sage
said, "Newt, this is Mims…er Sarah Carter. Her vehicle stalled on the way
in. She twisted her ankle walking to the ranch and Doc wants to see her. I've
got to take her to his office–"

Sarah
interrupted, "No, you don't have to take me anywhere. You just have to get
my car running or call the rental company to deliver another one so I can leave
and–"

Sage
interrupted, "Newt, pull the truck as close to the front door as you can
so we can get Miss Carter into the cab–"

"What
part of, 'I'm not going to see
Doc',
don't you understand, Mr.
Tanner?"

Silently,
Newt glanced between Sage and Sarah, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Pull
the truck up, Newt," Sage said, staring her down.

"Yes,
boss." Newt rushed out the door.

"Mr.
Tanner…" Sarah began in her iciest voice.

"I
don’t give a shit what you say. I'm taking you to a doctor." He stalked
out the door after Newt.

Sarah
pulled herself into a seated position and threw the wet cloth across the room.
Who
the hell does he think he is?
Gingerly, she put weight on her foot and
stifled a scream.

The
screen door opened again and Sage stepped back inside. "You are one
stubborn woman, Mims." He walked to the couch and unexpectedly lifted and
carried her to his truck. The sharp pain in Sarah's ankle almost made her
faint. It took all of her concentration not to cry.

Newt
had the passenger door open and Sage gently sat her on the seat. She bit her
cheek, but a moan escaped anyway.

When
Sage shut the door, she glanced out the window to see the M and M girls
watching from a short distance away. One girl bent to the other and whispered
in her ear. Her identical twin slowly shook her head back and forth.

Sarah
wanted to yell out the window, "Don't worry girls, he's all yours."
She rubbed behind her neck.
As if they're worried. Jeez, look at them and
then look at you.
Sarah laid her head against the door frame and squeezed
her eyes tight against the Twilight Zone playing out in her life.

* * *

Doc
Jones said, "Nothin's broke. But you got a doosey of a sprain. You're
gonna have to be on crutches for at least ten days."

Sarah
looked at him in disbelief. Even though her mind screamed,
No,
her mouth
wouldn't move. The shot Doc had given her relieved the pain, but it rendered
her woozy and sleepy. Finally, she croaked, "I don't wanna stay with
Gorgeous George," and closed her eyes.

As
if in an alternate world, Sarah felt herself being wheeled outside and then
lifted back into the rusty old truck. She just wanted to sleep. She snuggled
against someone speaking in her ear. She heard words from far away,
"Sarah, let go of my neck so I can close the door and take you home."

"Home?
Yes, I want to go home." Thank God, her ankle didn't hurt anymore.

* * *

Sarah
stretched and her eyes flickered open. A dim illumination lit the room. Slowly,
she glanced around and then groaned. She was back in the male model's living
room lying on his couch. She tried to sit up and her head went fuzzy at the
same time her stomach roiled. Grabbing her mouth, she swallowed to keep from
throwing up.

A
young girl's voice said, "Are you okay? Should I get a trash bag so you
can puke?"

Sarah
gained control of her stomach and shook her head. Finally, after several deep
breaths, she looked for the owner of the voice. Now standing above her, a
teenage girl of around fourteen or fifteen looked concerned

"You've
been sleeping ever since my dad brought you home about two hours ago. Right
now, he's with the newbie dudes, getting them situated. He said I should keep
an eye on you. When he gets back, we're gonna move you to the guest bedroom.
It's next to my room. My dad said you've got a bad sprain and Doc's orders are
for you to stay off it for awhile."

Sarah
glanced at her ankle, wrapped and propped on a pillow. She groaned.

"Are
you hurting? Doc sent pain pills. Should I get you one?"

"No,"
she croaked. She looked back at the girl and asked, "Who's your dad?"

The
girl looked confused. "Sage Tanner."

Jeez,
the guy's got a wife and daughter? Never would have crossed my mind. I wonder
where the wife is. Actually, she's probably the ex-wife.

"What's
your name?" Sarah asked.

"Julie."

"Thanks
for your help, Julie."

"No
problem, ma'am."

The
front door opened and Sage entered. Backlit by the porch light, his sun
streaked mahogany hair and incredible bone structure made Sarah blink twice. He
looked like an erotic angel.

"Hey,
Dad, she's awake," said Julie.

"Good,
turn a light on, sweetie."

Julie
went to a lamp and switched it on.

"Did
you get the guest room ready?"

"Sure
did. Fresh sheets and dusted."

Sage
patted his daughter on the head and then walked to gaze down at Sarah.
"Looks like you're our guest for awhile. Newt's bringing crutches from the
barn. Doc says the only time you can get up is to go to the bathroom. He wants
you off the foot completely for at least three days, and then using crutches
after that."

From
her current prone position, Sarah looked up into Sage's azure eyes and wanted
to curse the universe for putting her there.

"Doc
said to ice your foot every two hours for at least fifteen minutes. Julie's
gonna help with that." He squatted beside her and his ocean eyes
threatened to drown her. "Are you hungry? I think you should eat. Whatever
Doc shot you with for pain sure knocked you out. He sent some pain pills. If you
need one, it's probably best not to take it on an empty stomach."

Sarah
hated the feeling of being overwhelmed and out of control. She wanted to cry
and quickly blinked back tears.

Sage
said gently, "Are you hurting, Sarah?"

She
shook her head, her eyes glued to his. He stayed crouched a moment longer, then
stood. "I'll have Newt deliver supper here from the dorm."

Sarah
heard a timid knock and rolled over to face the door. Sharp pain shot up her
leg and reminded her of the previous day's nightmare. First, cows and winding
roads, followed by azure eyes, airhead sisters, a grizzled old cowboy, a
white-haired doctor, a sweet teenage girl, and that horrible feeling of
helplessness.
Oh, God, why me?
She turned her head into her pillow when
she heard the door creak open. The thought of Sage seeing her at her worst made
her push her face deeper into it. She heard Julie's voice.

"Um,
good morning Miss Sarah. My ride to school will be here in a few minutes. Is
there anything I can get for you?"

Sarah
shook her head still crammed into her pillow. She heard the door close and
peeked toward the sound of shuffling feet.

Julie
slowly approached, biting her lower lip. Sarah lifted her head from the pillow
to look at her. The girl was biting so hard Sarah thought her lip might bleed.

Timidly,
Julie said, "Can I ask you something?"

Sarah
nodded.

In
a rush, she asked, "Are you Mims Murphy?"

Crap!
Sarah slowly nodded
again and Julie hastened to the side of the bed. She started to say something
else, and then ran across the room to grab the stool in front of the vanity.
She carried it back to the bed and sat down.

"O…M…G!
I can't believe it. I
love
your books and I can't wait for
Dream
Kisses
to be released. When my dad said he posed for the cover, I couldn't
believe it. He won't let me read grown-up romance books cause he still thinks
of me as a little girl. I get your books from my friend Tooty. I've read all of
them. You're my favorite author. This is so cool—Mims Murphy is staying at my
house! I can't wait to tell Tooty!" The one-sided conversation spewed from
Julie like a volcano.

"No,"
Sarah croaked. "Please don't tell anyone I'm here. I…I…don't feel up to
meeting anyone."

Julie
scrunched her forehead, "Not even Tooty? She won't tell. I'll make her
swear."

Sarah
reached and placed her hand on top of Julie's. "Let's keep it our secret
for now."

Julie
looked at Sarah's hand on top of hers and then smiled. "Okay. I won't tell
anyone. It'll be kinda mysterious with only you, me, and Dad knowing. He said I
shouldn't tell anyone either. I don't always listen to what he says
cause…well…cause he's my dad and too old-fashioned."

Sarah
almost choked.
Sage Tanner, the gorgeous model of women's fantasies is too
old fashioned? Give me a break.
When Sarah thought about Sage, a fresh wave
of anger washed over her. Even though he'd been nice throughout her ordeal, he
was still a patronizing jerk.

"My
dad said I needed to help you go to the bathroom." At the mention of
bathroom, Sarah's bladder felt like it was going to burst. Slowly she attempted
to sit up with Julie eagerly assisting. When she sat on the side of the bed
with her feet barely touching the floor, Julie placed a crutch on either side
of her. Sarah put all of her weight on her good leg and pulled herself up with
the crutches. The pain in her sprained ankle shot to the top of her head. A
little yelp escaped.

"Do
you want me to get my dad?" Julie's anxious voice penetrated her pain fog.

"No!
No! I can do this with your help."

With
Julie hovering, Sarah crutched her way to the bathroom. Once they were there,
Julie said, "I really need to help you sit. I promise I won't look. I'll
look at the wall."

Sarah
wanted to shriek with laughter; the way her bladder felt, Newt could join Julie
and she wouldn't care.

While
Sarah accomplished her business, Julie asked if she wanted anything from her
suitcases. Sarah described her small carry case and Julie rushed to retrieve
it.

A
car horn beeped. "That's Tooty and her mom." Julie set the travel
case on the edge of the tub.

"You
run along. I'm fine."

"You
sure?"

"Of
course. Have a great day at school and thanks for your help."

Julie
smiled. "I can't wait to talk some more! When I get home, I'll help you
unpack your things. See ya later." Before closing the bathroom door, she
gave Sarah a brilliant smile.

Sarah
smiled back. She liked Julie. Too bad she couldn't stand her father.

Sighing,
she reached for her crutches and got off the pot.