BACK IN THE SADDLE

Gage Remington needs a place to start over, and Durango, Colorado, is it. By reconciling with his rancher grandfather, Gage hopes he can begin repairing past damage. It doesn’t occur to Gage that his heart needs fixing, too, until he meets gorgeous doctor Cori Parker. And he’s sure his troubled past will send the single mom running.

Since her husband’s tragic accident, Cori’s been focusing on her family. Though she’s deeply attracted to the banker-turned-buckaroo, Gage is a wild card, and Cori can’t let anyone bring her life crashing down again. Still, she realizes Gage’s finally ready to be the man—and the cowboy—he always wanted to be. But will Cori be part of his future, or one more regret from his past?

“Your timing is impeccable...”

Cori continued, “I was just thinking about you.” At once she noticed how good he looked with scruffy facial hair, a gray button-down shirt open at the neck and those tight black jeans. His mere presence made her reconsider those silly friendship thoughts.

“In a good way, I hope.” Gage’s grin grew wider, and his dark eyes sparkled under the glow of the streetlights.

“I thought you were ignoring me.”

“I was, and I’m sorry about that. My grandfather is a powerful force, but he finally went up to his room,” he said.

“Is this a vacation?”

“It’s more of an attempt at reconnecting my family.”

“Sounds as if you burned a lot of bridges.”

“More like I soaked them in gasoline and used a flamethrower.”

“I’m getting a little worried.” Cori smiled.

“About what?”

“About us.”

“Things are looking up. I didn’t know we were an us.” Gage laughed.

She chuckled and slowed her pace, wanting to make her intentions clear.

“That all depends.”

Dear Reader,

The inspiration for this book arrived like a thunderstorm on the prairie, all at once and with a charging force. At first I didn’t know if I could craft it in such a way that I wouldn’t find myself simply extolling the wonders of Zane Grey, but as I kept plotting and honing the story, the heroine and hero came to life. Not only are they real to me, but their plight has personal resonance.

I grew up surrounded by several relatives who abused alcohol, and I know firsthand what it means to watch someone you love drift away from you. I wanted to show how Gage, the hero of this story, lost his cowboy ways, but with the help of his sometimes grumpy grandfather, a beautiful, feisty doctor and her sweet daughter, along with the cowboy values that encompass the works of Zane Grey, Gage just might save himself before it’s too late.

The time I spent in Durango for the annual Zane Grey West Society’s conference was a real treat. I based a lot of my scenes on the actual conference, but this is a work of fiction, and as such, I took some liberties with the events of the conference and the actual establishments in Durango. That being said, the Strater Hotel, the Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum, and the historic mining town of Silverton are very real and make for a great family vacation.

Please visit me at maryleo.com, where you’ll find some fun facts about old-time cowboys, the Zane Grey West Society and Durango. While you’re there you might want to sign up for my newsletter. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter @maryleoauthor, where we can chat.

Happy trails,

Mary

Her Favorite

Cowboy

Mary Leo

www.millsandboon.co.uk

USA TODAY bestselling author MARY LEO grew up in south Chicago in the tangle of a big Italian family. She’s worked in Hollywood, Las Vegas and in Silicon Valley. Currently she lives in San Diego with her husband, author Terry Watkins, and their sweet kitty, Sophie. Visit her website at maryleo.com.

For Henry and Catherine Nardi, who introduced me to the many books of Zane Grey, and for inviting us to our first annual Zane Grey West Society’s conference. The time spent at those conferences, both in your company and in the company of so many wonderful people, has truly been life-changing. Thank you!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“I’ll get the bags,” Gage Remington told his grandpa Buck as he pulled into the last available parking spot. On any other occasion Gage would never drive his expensive car over gravel and dirt, but he’d spent the past thirty minutes trying his best to find parking in town and he was at his wits’ end. Gravel would have to do.

“Don’t be treating me like I’m an invalid,” Buck said, as he swung open the passenger door on the black Mercedes. “Just ’cause you ain’t seen me for the past five years, don’t mean I deteriorated into some feeble old man. There might be snow on my roof, but there’s still a fire burning inside. I can roll a dang suitcase up the sidewalk.”

“It’s your call, Grandpa. I was just offering.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine.”

It had been a stressful drive into Durango from Albuquerque, New Mexico, the closest town with a major airport, where they’d met to drive in together. It had taken four long hours and Gage was already second-guessing his decision to spend some quality time with his grandfather.

Gage had worshiped his grandfather when he was a kid, and had spent three weeks every summer with his grandparents on their ranch just outside of Briggs, Idaho, a quirky little town that Gage had loved. It had been the single event he’d looked forward to all year long. His grandma always said they were like two peas in a pod. That Gage was simply a younger version of his gramps. Gage had loved the comparison and tried his best to imitate his gramps.

Not only had his grandfather taught him how to saddle up and ride a horse, but he would spend hours teaching him how to do a chore the proper way, how to be patient with a bucking horse, how to listen to someone’s complaint with an open heart and how to suck it up when something unfortunate happened. He shared his beliefs that the common folks had the ability to change a society for the good, that the rising tide lifted all boats, and that you never asked a cowboy to ride a horse you wouldn’t ride yourself. But the one truth Gage remembered most was how “sometimes it takes something bad to happen to a person before that person can bring out his best.”

When Gage was a kid, his grandfather’s wisdom hadn’t always meant much, but now, after everything he’d gone through in recent months, Gage wasn’t so sure his best would be good enough.

He wished he had spent more summers on the ranch, but once he’d gotten into college and later graduated, he landed a high-paying job on Wall Street. Soon after, he’d gotten married and begun moving up the corporate ladder. There wasn’t any time to visit his grandparents. Even when his sweet grandmother passed away two years ago, he hadn’t been able to make the funeral due to all his obligations, a decision that still haunted him.

He had been all set to go, even bought the plane tickets for himself and his wife, but then at the last minute his boss had offered him his weekly spot with Tricia Massey, dispensing Wall Street Wisdom to her millions of fans. His boss had had a conflicting obligation and was depending on him to step in with Ms. Massey on her TV show. Gage had talked it over with his wife and concluded it was the chance of a lifetime to take his career to the next level, so he simply couldn’t pass it up.

His grandfather never quite forgave him.

Now Gage was trying his best to rekindle that shredded bond and make it up to him. So far, it didn’t seem to be working. Ever since his grandma had passed, his grandfather had turned into a recluse with attitude. Gage knew this trip would be difficult.

He never imagined it would be impossible.

Gage slipped out of the car, and popped open the trunk. Before he could say another word Buck had pulled out his suitcase, tugged up the handle and was headed for the Strater Hotel a block away, leaving Gage in his dust...literally.

Not only were his black jeans now covered in white powder, but a pickup truck had sped through the lot, shooting up stones and dust that now covered Gage from head to toe. Even his new cowboy hat, which he’d carefully placed on top of the suitcases in the trunk, showed a fine sprinkling of white.

“You go on ahead, Gramps. I’ll be right behind you,” Gage yelled to the spunky older man who had somehow managed to get to the sidewalk before the pickup had roared through the lot.

His grandfather never turned around or acknowledged Gage. He just kept walking toward the hotel.

“Fine,” Gage mumbled to himself, then slammed the trunk closed without taking out his bags. No way did he want to go up to the room with Gramps to get settled in. “Oh, yeah, this was a good idea. What the heck was I thinking?”

He locked the doors and headed down the street, some twenty-five feet behind his grandfather, grateful they were no longer stuck together in the car. For the past four hours they’d barely spoken, and when they had, Gramps disagreed with just about everything, even the type of gas Gage should use in his own car.

What he needed now was some time away from him at a bar—preferably a crowded bar—to make him forget that he was spending the next two weeks with the man.

In the same hotel.

In the same room.

Attending the same convention.

Thankfully the convention only lasted a few days. After that, instead of “seeing the sights,” they could each return home if they so chose. And if Gage had anything to say about it, they would leave tonight.

Gage walked toward the Strater Hotel, which happened to be located in the historic section of downtown Durango, Colorado. Fortunately, right there on the bottom floor of the grand old red Victorian brick hotel and seemingly not connected to the lobby where his grandfather was no doubt dutifully checking in, was a noisy old-time saloon named The Diamond Belle.

As soon as Gage approached the entrance, the sound of honky-tonk piano filled his ears. He opened the screen door to discover a large crowded room with agreeable-looking people enjoying a late afternoon fermented beverage.

Gage had stopped drinking alcohol six months ago, right after his wife had asked him for a divorce. He still longed to partake, but knew he would merely enjoy the atmosphere of a tavern and save the hard liquor for some other time.

The mix of familiar sounds and smells put a smile on Gage’s otherwise weary face as he entered the colorful old-time room.

He immediately made his way to the one open spot at the impressive oak bar and ordered a tall glass of soda water with three limes from a male bartender who looked a lot like he’d just stepped out of a Western movie.

“Been a long day?” a woman with raven hair that curled down her back sitting on the barstool next to him asked.

“Way too long,” he said without really looking at her. He wasn’t exactly in the mood for small talk.

The bartender delivered his drink and Gage guzzled half of it down.

“Well, at least it’s over,” the woman told him, her voice low and sexy.

He placed the glass down on the cocktail napkin and turned to face her, thinking he’d find a way to brush her off and move on down the crowded bar to a better spot where he wouldn’t be required to speak.

As soon as he saw her face, his stomach tensed and he knew his ability to ignore her would be difficult. Not only was she beautiful, with that silky hair caressing her lovely face and those amazing gray eyes staring up at him, but she had a smile that changed his mind about walking away.

Instead, he said, “Actually, it’s only just begun.”

“Something you still have to do?”

“Two weeks’ worth of somethings.”

“Ouch! That’s a long time to be miserable.”

He needed some sympathy at the moment, and this goddess in blue jeans seemed to be saying all the right words.

“Might be, but for now, sitting here talking to you, I’m feeling a whole lot better.”

He hoped she would stick around for a while, at least until he finished his soda. She was easy on the eyes, and after staring at his grandfather’s sourpuss face for the past several hours Gage could feel his disposition changing for the better.

“Glad I could help,” she said, her voice enticing enough to make him imagine things he shouldn’t be thinking about. Especially since he’d made a promise to himself to steer clear of women until he figured out what the heck he wanted to do with his life now that his divorce was officially final.

It had been one of those messy divorces and had caught him completely off guard. They had been talking about having a baby and buying a bigger place when his wife of four years had sprung it on him during a dinner party at her parents’ house. She confessed that she had fallen out of love with him and “didn’t like who he’d become,” as her dad plated the pot roast. Her two older brothers and their wives were seated around the table as she made clear her intentions. His wife had never liked to do anything major without her family present, and announcing that she wanted to jettison her marriage had apparently been one of those major moments.

Needless to say, the dinner hadn’t gone well after that, at which her mom had literally cried, not because of the pending divorce, but because she had worked all day in the kitchen preparing the perfect pot roast and a seven-layer cake that was “to die for.”

The memory of that dinner party still stung as Gage watched the woman on the bar stool next to him flip her silky hair over a shoulder and blink those steel-gray eyes, as a warm smile creased her seductive red lips.

Oh, yeah, she was way too easy on the eyes.

He drank down more of his soda and once again thought about moving to another spot. And once again she changed his mind.

“You have no idea.”

“How so?”

He wanted to tell her all about his recent divorce and his voluntary extended leave from his lucrative nine-to-five to go on some misguided nostalgic trip with his grandfather in order to reconnect with his youth. But getting into the details of his sordid life was not something he had ever enjoyed doing.

Instead, Gage switched his thoughts back to his grandfather. “I’m thinking the relationship might improve if I try a little harder.”

“By ‘relationship,’ are you talking about a relationship with a woman?”

Gage shook his head. “No. I’m through with women for a while.” He sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “What I mean to say is, my main focus at the moment is on rebuilding a relationship with my grandfather.”

She took a sip of her red wine, and he noticed her dark red manicured nails. They screamed city girl.

“I take it that’s not working out either.”

He shook his head. “Not really. He hates me, and I’m beginning to think he has just cause. I haven’t been a very good grandson lately.”

“How so?”

Gage stared into those big eyes of hers. “You cut right to the chase, don’t you?”

“Only because you seem to want to talk about it.”

He hesitated. Baring his soul had never been easy for him and he wasn’t about to start stripping for a stranger, albeit a beautiful, intuitive stranger.

“Maybe some other time.”

“So you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Not really. No.”

She smiled. “I’d ask you if there was any way I could help, but under the circumstances, you may get the wrong idea.”

He chuckled. “What, you mean because you’re sitting on a bar stool, and you’re offering me comfort?”

“Exactly.”

He leaned into the bar and turned toward her, a smirk on his face. “Okay, if it’s not that kind of comfort then tell me what you’re offering?

“A shoulder to cry on. Sometimes it helps to vent. No judgment or advice involved.”

He gazed at her shoulders covered in the crisp white cotton shirt that hugged her petite body, black hair tumbling down the front of her, hiding full breasts, and a delicate gold necklace fastened around her neck sporting a rather large square-cut ruby. He wondered if the ruby had been a gift or if she’d bought it for herself. Either way, it told him she liked the finer things in life. It was a trait his ex-wife lived for and had kept him addicted to, making more and more money for the entire four years they were married.

“I wouldn’t want to get those pretty shoulders of yours all wet,” he told her.

“It’s a warm day. A little moisture might cool things off a bit.”

“Are you always this friendly to strangers, or am I the exception?”

“You have kind eyes. Makes me think you’re a good man.”

“Not very. People I love seem to end up hating me.”

“Hate’s a strong word.” She sipped her wine. “You’re too charming for anyone to hate you.”

A great big grin captured her face and he about melted. The woman was all allure and style...too bad he wasn’t interested. This trip was about his finding his soul again, rekindling a relationship with his grandfather, going back to his roots, remaining sober and deciding what he really wanted out of life. Those were the important things.

It most certainly was not about hooking up with a captivating woman he’d met in a bar.

“You don’t know me. I could be a terrible person.”

“A little misguided perhaps, but definitely not terrible.”

“How can you be so sure?

“It’s right there in your eyes. Besides, I’m a good judge of character.”

Gage turned his back to the bar, to get a better look at his judge in cowgirl boots. “And what kind of character do you see in me?”

“It’s your demeanor, and the fact that you’re covered in dust. I’d say you just parked in the dirt parking lot behind this hotel. You seem a bit shaky, so I’m going to guess you’re coming off a long drive with your grandfather. And, for some reason, you and he have a strained relationship that you’re trying to mend, thus the sparkling water and not a beer or something stronger to hamper your reactions. That makes you a stand-up kind of guy.”

Gage was stunned. “What are you, some kind of psychic or something?”

She laughed. “Not exactly, I just went through almost the same experience with my grandmother. Note the dust on my boots.”

She held out her leg, and sure enough her brown cowgirl boots were covered in a thin coating of white dust.

She said, “I take it you and your grandfather are here for the Zane Grey convention?”

He knocked off the rest of his soda and asked the bartender for another. “We sure are.”

“First time?”

“Yep. Been hearing about this convention for more years than I can remember. Read most every book the man ever wrote. Had to. Gramps wouldn’t let me ride Smokey, my favorite horse, if I didn’t read at least four chapters every day during the summers I visited him. Those were some of the best times of my childhood.”

“Same here, only it wasn’t for a ride on a horse. My grandma made the absolute best cakes and cookies in the entire world, and she wouldn’t teach me how to make them unless I could discuss one of Zane’s books while we baked. My mom and I would visit her every summer for an entire month. Some of my best memories are tied up with that woman.” She held out her hand. “Cori Parker. And you are?”

He took her hand in his, and at once he felt a burning heat slip through his body. He quickly let go.

“Gage Remington, grandson to Buck Remington, a cantankerous old cowboy who is up in our room right now, undoubtedly charting out how to make my life a living hell for the next two weeks...which I fully deserve.”

She snickered. “I’m sure that’s not the case. If he’s anything like my grandmother, Miss May Meriwether, he’s too busy reacquainting himself with friends.”

Cori nodded toward a group of older folks sitting around a couple of small tables in the corner, obviously enjoying themselves. Their laughter permeated the entire saloon.

Unfortunately for Gage, his grandfather was not one of them.

Cori continued. “She’s the petite lady, wearing jeans and a blue shirt. She’s the only one with brown hair. Gram turns seventy-five next week, but she’s fighting it as long as she can.”

“My grandfather was like that. Always took care of himself, but ever since my grandmother passed, he’s been nothing but...”

An older, slim man wearing a black cowboy hat rushed into the saloon from the open back door and yelled, “Is anyone in here a nurse or a doctor?”

The music stopped as the room took on a sudden eerie silence. Everyone collectively waited for someone to respond to the frantic question.

A few awkward seconds passed.

Then Gage watched as Cori slid off her barstool, grabbed her oversize purse, and said, “I’m a doctor.”

The man told her to follow him, which she did, as she reached out for Gage’s hand. He reluctantly took it and followed close behind.

“You’re a doctor?” Gage asked her as they made their way out of the tavern area. He never would have guessed. He always thought of doctors as older, wiser-looking people. Not someone he could meet in a bar, and especially not someone who looked and sounded like Cori Parker, with her sultry voice, tight jeans, boots and manicured fingernails. She simply didn’t fit the type, but then, what did he know of types? He hadn’t looked up from achieving his financial goals in way too many years.

“Yes,” she said. “And I need you as my assistant.”

“But I don’t know the first thing about...”

“Just follow my lead and you’ll do fine.”

She squeezed his hand tighter as if she was depending on him for strength. He quickly took up the cause, gaining confidence with each step, and followed her through the back of the saloon, which led directly into the lobby of the Strater Hotel.

As he and Cori came around the corner, past the wooden staircase and into the main lobby decorated with crystal chandeliers, wallpapered walls, antique walnut furniture and ornate woodwork, he spotted the man lying on the plush, carpeted floor in the center of a small group of people who knelt around him.

Gage’s heart raced as he let go of Cori’s hand and hurried toward the group.

“It’s my grandfather,” he told Cori, his voice cracking.

* * *

“I DON’T KNOW what happened,” the young man told Cori as he crouched next to the older man lying on the floor. “One minute he was standing in front of my desk getting his room key, and the next he was on the floor.”

A small group of older folks had gathered around the gray-haired man lying on the floor. Cori immediately focused on the color of the man’s skin, which looked normal, plus his eyes were open and he wasn’t clutching his chest.

All good signs.

“Oh, Gramps,” Gage whispered as he dropped to the floor next to the fallen man. Then he smoothed out his grandpa’s hair, which seemed to relax them both.

As soon as his grandfather heard Gage’s voice he turned toward him. “What? How did I ever get on the floor?” He sounded shaky, deliberate, as if he was trying to control internal tremors. Cori knew these symptoms well, but she didn’t want to jump to any conclusions. It was always difficult coming into a situation like she now found herself. She longed for a patient who filled out a medical history. Just once she’d like to know what that was like. Even though she had worked in a low trauma hospital in Manhattan as an ER physician, her experience with a detailed medical history for any of her patients had been a rare luxury, rather than the norm.

“Do you know if he’s suffering from any blood sugar problems?” Cori asked Gage as she clocked the man’s pulse. She could feel his tremors as she held on to his wrist. He also seemed anxious and nervous, but that could be from what had to be an embarrassing situation.

Gage hesitated as Cori looked to him for an easy answer. His grandfather was breathing too fast, which would only make him dizzy.

“I don’t know.”

“He’s your grandfather. Do you know anything about his health?”

“No. Not really.”

His statements took her by surprise, especially since he’d claimed to want to spend time with his grandfather. Cori knew everything about her grandmother, down to what vitamins she took and what she ate for breakfast. But then, Cori had always shared a special relationship with her gram, and felt closer to her than she did to her own parents.

“What’s his name?”

“Buck, Buck Remington.”

Cori directed her full attention to the patient. “Mr. Remington, I’d like you to take some deep, slow breaths to calm yourself. Can you do that for me? I’ll lead the way?”

Buck nodded, as they each slowly sucked in air through their mouths. “Now let it out through your nose,” she told him, and he dutifully followed her lead.

Once she had him breathing normally, his pulse slowed to a more acceptable pace. An older woman with pure white, shoulder-length hair and deep red lips leaned over and handed Gage her pink sweater. “Maybe you can put this under his head. That floor’s hard.”

“Thanks,” Gage told her, while Cori threw the generous woman a quick smile.

Gage looked to Cori for approval. She nodded, then he carefully lifted Buck’s head and rested it on the folded sweater.

“Have you been diagnosed with hypoglycemia, Mr. Remington?”

He nodded again. His pulse quickened and sweat beaded on his forehead.

She looked up at Gage. “He needs glucose. Could you get him a glass of orange juice from the bar?”

“Sure.” Gage jumped up and rushed back to the tavern.

“I caught him as he went down,” a tall, lean gentleman, probably in his late sixties or early seventies and wearing a cream-colored cowboy hat offered. “He didn’t hit anything but my chest, so nothing should be broken. Court’s the name. Steve Court. Been Buck’s friend for the past ten years or so. Never know’d him to drop like that. Glad I was close by to break his fall.”

“You did perfect,” she told the man, then directed her attention back to Mr. Remington. “Can you sit up?”

He nodded and she motioned for Mr. Court to please help her.

She cradled his head and shoulder with one arm, and Mr. Court leaned down to help put Buck upright.

Gage returned with the juice.

“Drink this, Mr. Remington. It’ll make you feel better.”

Buck did as he was told and quickly slurped up all the juice, then handed the empty glass back to Gage. “Thank you, son,” he mumbled, his hand visibly shaking.

A siren screamed in the distance.

“Don’t worry, Gramps. We’ll get you checked out at the hospital, and you’ll be fine.”

“I’m not going to no dang hospital. I’m fine now. Just lost my balance is all.”

He struggled with each movement as if his limbs wouldn’t cooperate with his mind.

“Just rest for a bit, Mr. Remington. Take your time. There’s no rush.”

“Not going to no dang hospital.”

Two male EMTs walked into the lobby and came over to the group. The glow of the swirling red lights from their ambulance pulsed in through the windows and stained the walls with their fiery color.

“Gramps, stop being so obstinate. I’ll be right there with you.”

“You ain’t been with me since you was a kid. Don’t think you can tell me what to do now. I can make my own decisions.”

Cori quickly realized their relationship was in even worse shape than Gage had led her to believe.

She reached out and took Mr. Remington’s hand. “I knew a Buck when I was in medical school. He was a kind, thoughtful, easy-going man. I think those traits go along with the name. I have a feeling you probably didn’t eat a meal for a long time, and because of that, you might not be your sweet self. Your grandson only wants what’s best for you, and so do I.”

Buck nodded, staring into Cori’s eyes. His demeanor changed and Cori could see the tension drain from his body. He relaxed his shoulders, and gently squeezed her hand.

Cori worked on instinct and purposely stopped herself from thinking about what she was doing or saying despite the fact that she had started second-guessing herself a few months back.

Her self-doubt and stress had caused her to walk away from her ER position at Manhattan Central Hospital for some much-needed rest and reassessment. She’d been chronically fatigued for weeks from lack of sleep. And after nearly running off the road with her nine-year-old daughter Hailey in the car on their way home from another school event that Cori had all but missed, she knew her life had to change.

Those changes began with her turning in her resignation.

Up until that moment, Cori had thought she could do it all. Now she wasn’t so sure she could do anything right, and that included diagnosing hypoglycemia in an elderly man with the appropriate symptoms.

She gazed at her patient and saw all the fear and loneliness in his light blue eyes.

He couldn’t seem to stop staring at her, as if he was trying to place where he’d seen her before, but Cori knew that wasn’t possible.

“Rose? What are you doing here, Rose? I thought you were...”

“My name is Cori, Mr. Remington. I’m not Rose.”

He hesitated for a second, smiled and whispered, “You remind me of my wife. Same color hair and eyes. And your voice, there’s something familiar about your voice. She was a looker just like you, and a real spitfire. That woman could get me to eat hay if she asked me to. Always kept me on a schedule. Since she passed, I don’t know when to eat or what to eat. I’m all mixed up. It ain’t right that she left first. Ain’t right at all.”

“My grandmother passed a couple years ago,” Gage told her.

She understood Buck’s despair much better now. She could identify with it.

“It’s hard losing someone you love, especially your soul mate. Believe me, I know how you feel. I lost my husband five years ago. He took a piece of my heart that I’ll never get back. But he wanted me to go on and be well and love again. I’m sure Rose wanted the same for you. You need to take care of yourself for Rose.”

His defenses seemed to tumble down, and she saw only love in his eyes. “She always took good care of me.”

“Then don’t let her down. Please allow these competent professionals to take you to the hospital to run a few tests. I’m sure it won’t take very long, and if everything goes well, your grandson will have you back here in time for the barbecue tonight.”

Gage’s eyes were moist as he turned to his grandfather. “We’ll get you fixed up, Gramps. I’m here now, and I’ll see to it that you get everything you need.”

“Thanks, son,” Buck told him as he allowed one of the EMTs to help him into a wheelchair and roll him out of the lobby.

Cori and Gage stood, and at once she caught a whiff of cinnamon mixed with citrus. Nothing heavy. It was more aromatic than anything else. She gazed around the room, wondering if there was a candle burning or if perhaps there was a plate of cookies on the front desk, but she couldn’t see anything.

Gage took her hand in his, running his thumb over the back of her hand. His touch sent a shiver through her.

“Are you always this amazing?” he asked.

“Your grandfather’s the one who’s amazing. I merely did what I was trained to do.”

“Thank you.”

She glanced out the front window. The ambulance was getting ready to leave.

“You better get going.”

“Will you be here when we get back?”

“All five days.”

“Great.”

And he took off out the front door, leaving Cori to wonder what exactly he meant by that. Cori hadn’t come on this trip with her gram looking for anything other than some time to heal and rethink her chosen profession. Meeting a pseudo cowboy hadn’t been part of her idea of healing, and she certainly didn’t want to add any complications to her already taxed life.

But still...

Chapter Two

As it turned out, Doctor Cori Parker had been right about Gage’s grandfather collapsing from acute hypoglycemia. Other than a low iron count and some arthritis in his joints, Gramps was in excellent health for a man in his seventies. All those years of cowboying had done well by him. Of course, they hadn’t done much for his ornery disposition.

“I don’t need no rest up in the room,” Gramps told Gage in no uncertain terms as they entered the hotel’s front lobby once again. “We got ourselves an opening talk and a barbecue to attend. There ain’t nothing short of death that’s gonna stop me from enjoying every part of this here conference.”

Gage decided it was easier to simply roll with the program than to continue arguing his point. “Whatever you say, Gramps. You know best.”

His grandfather gave him a little harrumph and moved on ahead of Gage in the direction of the Henry Strater Theater where the event had been planned. By now everyone would be in line for what was sure to be a Western treat with some fine Colorado beef, chicken and all the trimmings for a real down-home kind of meal, something Gage hadn’t experienced in too many years to remember. His ex-wife’s parents had come close several times, but a pot roast was little substitution for a rack of ribs and grilled chicken.

Gage tried to keep up, but his grandfather seemed to want to prove that he was “fit as a fiddle,” a saying his gramps liked to use, and had already disappeared around the corner of the lobby. In truth, now that his gramps was feeling better, with no side-effects from his collapse, all Gage could think about was Cori Parker. She’d been on his mind ever since he’d met her, and despite all his efforts to shake her free, he seemed to be stuck wanting to see her again, if for nothing else but to thank her for taking such good care of his grandfather.

But that had to be it.

He’d thank her and let it go at that.

Nothing more.

There would be no getting involved no matter how intoxicating her eyes were, or the sultry curve of her lips, or the way she had soothed his worries when his grandfather was in crisis.

He reminded himself that she was merely doing her job. Something she’d been trained to do. His grandfather could have been any number of people in need and the treatment would have been exactly the same. Sure, she’d been extra kind and compassionate when she learned about his grandmother’s passing, but weren’t all doctors trained to be empathetic to the elderly?

He tried to think of her as just another doctor when he spotted her standing in front of the open doors to the theater. With one glance, his breath caught in his throat, and his stomach was clenched.

“What the—” he said under his breath, angry that he’d had such a visceral reaction. He shook the sensation free, and forced his now-tense body to relax as he watched his grandfather give her a tight hug. One thing was for sure—the men in his family sure took to her like bees to honey.

He stopped walking and chided himself for the analogy. He hadn’t been in the west for more than a day and already his thoughts had gone all folksy.

“You saved my life,” Gage overheard Grandpa Buck say when he and Cori separated. His face glowed with appreciation.

“Hardly,” Cori told him, a slight blush on her cheeks. “All I did was help you get through a challenging time. Your grandson did much more than I did.”

Gage walked up alongside them and immediately his pulse quickened, as if her mere presence caused a physical reaction, which he knew couldn’t be the case. They barely knew each other. He blamed his response on the tensions of the day. There could be no other reason...at least none that made any sense.

“It was a good start,” Gramps teased, leaning in closer to Cori as if they had a secret bond. There was a time when he and his grandfather had their own secret bond, when his grandfather had a dry sense of humor that Gage always got, and most times added to the joke. Now he questioned almost everything his grandfather said. Nothing seemed funny and everything seemed like an attack.

“Was that a compliment?” Gage asked, hoping his gramps would lighten up.

Grandpa Buck turned to face him. “No. It was a fact.” Then he turned and walked into the theater where he met up with some of his male friends, each giving him a strong handshake and a pat on the back. Gage watched as his grandfather’s face lit up with each touch, with each recognition, and he longed for that light to be directed in his direction.

“He’ll come around. These things take time,” Cori said in a low voice.

It was as if Cori could read his mind. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a little spooky?”

“How so?”

“Do you always know what a person’s thinking, or am I one of the lucky ones?”

“You have an expressive face.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind whenever you and I are conversing.” Gage purposely relaxed the muscles in his face and tried to look deadpan.

She pointed her index finger and made little air circles around his face. He loved being this close to her and seeing her smile. He really worked at remaining expressionless, but as her smile spread, and her perfume engulfed his senses, he couldn’t keep a straight face.

“See, right there.” She pointed to his eyes, then to his forehead. “And right there. I can tell you’re happy to see me. And you want to sit with me during dinner.”

“Yes, I’m happy to see you, but I hadn’t thought about seating arrangements.”

She turned to walk inside. “Well, you should have. I’m a great dinner partner.”

He followed close behind, softly chuckling at how she could wrap him around her finger with a few words and a smile. “Let me grab my grandfather and we’ll join you at one of the more private tables along the wall. Will that work?”

“Sure, I’ll hunt down my family and let them know. There’ll be three of us.”

Gage left her at the door wondering what she’d meant by her family. He’d thought she had come with her grandmother and no one else, but then, they really hadn’t had time to discuss much of anything before his grandfather collapsed in the lobby. A fact that still haunted him. Grandpa Buck could have hit his head on a table or a chair or broken a leg or an arm and where was his grandson?

In a bar...as usual.

* * *

THE HENRY STRATER THEATER, according to the brochure Cori had read up in her room, was one of the oldest continually running theaters in Colorado, featuring comedy nights with world-renowned comedians, improv troupes and ragtime music—from The Rocky Horror Picture Show during late October to Breakfast with Santa in December. The theater acted as both a community space and a cultural center.

Deep red velvet drapes hung in various areas around the large room and across the stage. Elevated box seats adorned both sides of the room, and exposed redbrick walls gave off an Old West ambience. At once Cori felt as if she’d been transported into another time. A feeling of absolute delight filled her as she walked toward her grandmother and Hailey, her precocious daughter. At one point she had doubted her decision to quit her job.

She wanted a calmer place and a better way to live. She’d thought they could move to her grandmother’s small town, until she saw just how small the town really was. There wasn’t an adequate local school for Hailey, and the nearest possible employment for Cori was over sixty miles away in Denver.

As soon as they had arrived at her grandmother’s new home, she thought for sure she wouldn’t be able to last a week. Her gram had sold the big rambling house soon after Cori’s grandpa had died three years ago, and the new one was so small the guest bedroom barely held a double bed and a dresser. The place was great for her gram, but not so great for Cori and Hailey if their visit wasn’t going to be a short one.

So many good memories had been centered in her gram’s town that Cori had built it up to be somewhat magical. In reality, it was still a sweet little place, but unless she was an entrepreneur or was willing to make the commute into Denver, there was no way she and Hailey could settle there. She would have to find an alternative.

Cori knew she wanted to raise Hailey in a close-knit community—just not her gram’s community, which had turned out to be very disappointing for Cori. The thought of not being able to put down roots next to her gram had thrown Cori off course, but hanging out in Durango was proving to be something else entirely. More and more she felt sure this change was exactly what she needed, especially seeing the group of seniors who had gathered in the theater for the buffet-style barbecue dinner during the opening talks of the conference. Cori knew there had to be something more to life than merely working eight to twelve hours a day. She wanted time to spend with her daughter, time to pursue a hobby, time to learn how to cook something other than a prepackaged meal.

There was something comforting about being around energetic older folks, as if they were clearing the path with their tenacity and courage of conviction, saying, “Look at me! If I can make it to my golden years and still pursue my hobbies and dreams, so can you.”

“Mom! Mom! Grammy’s going to let me help during the auction. I get to hand out books and stuff. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Hailey’s face glowed with anticipation, causing her blue-gray eyes to sparkle. Her thick caramel colored hair was pulled back in a long ponytail, and it bounced with her every move. She wore jeans, a soft pink Western shirt and cowgirl boots Cori hadn’t seen before. Obviously, Gram had taken her shopping, a pastime they both enjoyed more than they should.

Hailey could barely contain her excitement. For the most part, she loved doing things with her grammy, especially if the two of them could go shopping either before or afterward. Helping Grammy in the kitchen, however, wasn’t on Hailey’s list of fun activities, especially if it had anything to do with cleaning up.

Helping out with the auction, on the other hand, sounded perfect.

“Are you sure it will be okay?” Cori asked her gram, who was seated at one of the many long tables.

Cori noticed an empty chair right next to her gram, no doubt being saved especially for Cori’s arrival.

“Don’t be silly, Corina-May. I never would have suggested it if she couldn’t do it. Besides, there’ll be a couple other people available to help her,” Grandma May said. Grandma May always referred to Cori by her birth name, making it a point to tack on the May part, in case anyone had any doubt who Cori was named after.

Cori looked around the crowded room and spotted Gage coming their way.

“I made a new friend today, and I thought we’d sit with him and his grandfather for dinner. Would you two mind?”

“Nope,” Hailey answered, sticking out her chin and shaking her head. “Does your new friend have any kids I could play with?”

“I don’t really know, but if he does, he didn’t bring them to the conference.”

Cori hadn’t given any thought to whether or not Gage was a father. Not that it mattered, but he didn’t seem like the type. Dads were usually more in tune with family, and Gage seemed completely out of step with that element of his life.

“That’s all right,” Hailey mumbled, making a frown.

Cori knew that Hailey was lonely for her friends, especially for her best friend, Susan, who she’d spent time with almost every day since they were five. Her decision to quit her job and move halfway across the country to live with Gram for a while was proving to be more of a challenge than she had anticipated, especially for Hailey. Not being able to play with Susan was really hard on her. Once they settled somewhere, Cori felt confident that Hailey would find a new best friend in no time. Till then, the two girls would have to be content to chat on Skype every night.

“I’m sorry, sweetie, I haven’t seen any children at this convention, but when we get back to Grammy’s house, we’ll make a point of getting out there and meeting some. Okay?”

“We’ll go to the Community Center and sign you up for a swimming class or gymnastics and you’ll meet lots of kids your age,” Gram said, trying to assure her.

“But I already know how to swim and I don’t like gymnastics. Don’t they have anything else?”

“As soon as we get back to my house, we’ll walk on over there and see what they offer. You can sign up for anything you want. Okay?”

“Okay,” Hailey mumbled, but Cori could tell she wasn’t the least bit excited about the prospects. All Hailey really wanted to do was go back home to be with Susan and her friends. It was up to Cori to change her mind...which wasn’t going to be easy.

Cori glanced back to see Gage as he approached. Grandma May tilted her head to get a clear view of Gage Remington as he weaved through the group to get to them. A smile creased May’s pink lips and her gray eyes lit up as he approached. “Is that your new friend heading our way?”

Cori turned and threw Gage a welcoming smile. He returned the gesture, and his entire face lit up. He was more ruggedly handsome when he smiled, if that was even possible. Cori didn’t know if her attraction to him was causing his looks to take on an Adonis flair or if he’d had those qualities from the beginning. Either way, her insides had turned to mush, watching him approach.

“Where’d you find him?” Gram asked.

“In the bar this afternoon.”

“He’s a real looker. Is he your boyfriend?”

“I just met him. How could he be my boyfriend?”

“It took your grandpa and me about ten minutes to know we were in love. What’s taking you so long?”

“Love is something that grows with time.” Cori was thinking about Jeremy, her deceased husband. They had known each other for three years before they’d started dating, then another two before they were married, each wanting to be sure marriage was the right move.

“In my day, as soon as you met someone you knew in that instant whether or not you were in love. I think it has to do with smell. Either you like the way he smells or you don’t. What’s he smell like?”

“I don’t know.”

“Sure you do, or he wouldn’t be heading our way.”

Cori thought about it for a moment and remembered how she had caught a citrusy cinnamon scent when they were in the lobby. That couldn’t have been from Gage. Way too sweet to come from a man. Men were more musky, more driftwood and cedar, not lemons and cookies.

“He has no particular scent.”

“Hogwash! And why didn’t you warn me we would be sitting with your new boyfriend? I would’ve worn my red lipstick. I look younger with red lips. You don’t want him to think your grandmother’s old, do you?”

Cori wanted to tell her the truth: you are old, Gram, but she knew better.

“Gram, he’s just a friend.”

Grandma May’s demeanor suddenly changed for the worse as she stared past Gage toward the group standing at the end of the buffet line. “Darn. He’s back.”

“Who?”

“That old coot, Buck Remington. I thought for sure with what happened earlier he’d be out for the entire conference. He’s already back, thinking up ways to aggravate me, I’m sure. Couldn’t you have insisted they keep him at the hospital for at least twenty-four hours?”

“No, Gram. He’s fine. Nothing that a good meal can’t fix. And what do you mean by ‘old coot?’ Buck’s a sweetheart.”

Cori knew what low blood sugar could do to a person’s personality, and Buck was certainly a prime example. Low blood sugar could change his mood, blur his vision, make it difficult for him to concentrate or make a decision, and cause him to be suddenly excessively hungry. If it ever became severe, like it already had, he would faint, or worse, he could slip into a coma.

“Please don’t mention his name in my presence, Corina-May. The man has caused me nothing but grief since the very first moment we met. He’s a thorn in my side, and I want nothing to do with him. Ever.”

Gage angled up beside Cori, sticking out his hand for Grandma May. “You must be Cori’s grandmother. It’s so very nice to meet you.”

May took his hand in hers, her eyes twinkling with delight, but Cori knew this wouldn’t go well once she learned his last name, so she interrupted the name exchange. “Gage, this is my grandmother, May. Gram, this is Gage.”

She purposely left out last names, trying her best to avoid a confrontation.

“Nice to meet you, Gage,” her grandmother said, a warm smile as big as pie on her friendly face.

“And this is my daughter, Hailey.”

Hailey politely stuck out her hand, Gage took it, but Cori could tell he seemed somewhat confused.

“Very nice to meet you,” Hailey told him giving him a firm handshake, pumping his hand twice then letting go. Hailey liked to shake hands with the people her mom and grandmother introduced her to. She thought it made her look more grown-up. Cori didn’t know if anyone thought she looked more grown-up, but they certainly remembered the little girl who shook their hand.

“And you, as well.” He turned to Cori bringing his voice down low under the din of the voices in the room. “But I thought you were...”

“Single? I am,” she whispered. “My husband passed away several years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.” His face turned solemn, as if he was truly saddened by her loss. Cori appreciated his sympathy, but there were other more pressing issues to be dealt with.“Thanks. We need to talk,” Cori said under her breath.

“Where are we moving to?” Gram asked, grabbing her purse off the extra chair.

“Give us a minute,” Cori told her, as she caught the glare on Buck’s face as he stared over at May, then back at Cori. And in that instant, the situation must have registered and he called out to Gage.

Gage held up a finger, asking him to wait. Buck wanted no part of waiting. He headed straight for his grandson, his scowl growing with each step. Apparently, the animosity that had poured from Grandma May was mutual.

“I think we have a grandparent problem,” Cori told Gage as her grandmother finally caught on to the situation. She immediately plopped right back down in her chair, folded her arms across her chest and waited for Buck to approach.

“What kind of grandparent problem?”

“The kind that means we won’t be sharing a meal tonight or most likely any night during this conference if they have their way.”

“Why not? Did I say something wrong?”

“It has nothing to do with you. I think...”

Buck interrupted. “Son, if you want to keep me as your grandfather and not have me disown you completely, you’ll step away from that there table.”

He turned to Cori. “Are you related to that woman?” He nodded toward May.

“‘That woman’ is my grandmother,” Cori said.

“That’s most unfortunate.”

“Gramps, Cori saved your life today. You said so yourself.”

“And for that, I’m grateful, but as long as you’re related to that woman,” he tilted his head in May’s direction, “I don’t want anything to do with you. C’mon, son, we need to get us some seats as far away from this table as possible.”

And he marched off with a loud harrumph.

Gage ran a hand through his thick hair and shuffled his feet. “I don’t know what this is all about, but I’m sure going to find out. That was totally out of line and I’m sorry. Maybe he just needs some food and he’ll calm down.”

“That old coot ain’t never going to calm down,” Grandma May warned. “He was born ornery.” She turned to Cori. “You don’t want no part of a Remington, Corina-May. They’re nothing but trouble. Hailey and me are getting in the dinner line before all the good stuff’s gone. Are you coming?”

“I’ll be right there, Gram. You guys go on ahead.”

She stormed off with the same loud harrumph that Buck used. Hailey glanced at her mom, gave her a weak smile, shrugged and then followed her grandmother.

“Do you understand any of this?” Gage asked Cori.

“No. I’ve never seen my grandmother so upset. She’s usually happy and loves everyone she meets. This is crazy.”

“I wish I could say the same for my grandfather. Unfortunately, grumpy seems to be his only gear.”

Cori chuckled. “It’s been a long day for everyone. Maybe we should keep our distance until we find out what this is all about.”

She secretly wanted him to stay and tell her the heck with their grandparents, the three of them would sit at their own table. But instead he agreed. “Probably a good idea.”

Then, without so much as a smile or a “see ya later,” Gage hurried to catch up with his grandfather, leaving Cori to wonder if there was more to his hasty departure than merely wanting to please his grandfather.

* * *

IT NEVER OCCURRED to Gage that Cori could have a child... Not that she didn’t seem like the type... It was more that in his circles none of his friends had children or even mentioned children. They weren’t on his radar screen, so he never imagined himself as father material.

He and his ex-wife had discussed it briefly when they were married, right before she’d asked for a divorce, but for the most part raising a family had been pushed off into the future...the distant future. He always thought he wasn’t cut out to be someone’s dad. Way too much responsibility came with the job title. Plus, Cori’s child had experienced trauma when she’d lost her dad. She certainly didn’t need any more father figures disappearing from her life.

Of course, that would assume that he was aiming for a serious relationship with a woman he’d met less than six hours ago, which under the current circumstances would more than likely never take place. He needed to be clear on the subject. Especially since every time he spoke to Doctor Cori Parker, his attraction to her kept deepening, almost to the point where he was losing control over his emotions.

He couldn’t allow that to happen. Not now. Not when he was busy working on rekindling his relationship with his grandfather. A relationship that seemed to take a negative turn with each hour they were together.

Everything about his grandfather was a mystery to Gage, and that mystery was only part of the puzzle. Gage felt as if he’d somehow stepped out of his entire family for the past ten years and they’d all gone off on different paths and now he was frantically playing catch-up.

Not only had his marriage dissolved in part because of his drinking, but his relationship with his parents, who lived only blocks from him in New York City, had become strained. His sister barely spoke to him after he’d repeatedly showed up at her apartment in the middle of the night wanting to crash on her sofa, and his best friend had told him flat out to stay away after Gage had made a pass at his girlfriend—an accusation Gage denied, but in fact he simply couldn’t remember.

He hadn’t thought his life could get worse until his divorce became official, and soon after he’d been overlooked for a promotion he thought he’d had. Normally, the combination of the two would have sent him on a long self-indulgent alcohol binge, but somewhere along the line, he’d realized that alcohol only prolonged the misery.

Going sober had been, and continued to be, more difficult than he’d ever imagined. He had decided to do it on his own, with an occasional AA meeting when he was feeling particularly vulnerable. So far it was working. There were still times when all he could think about was a shot of bourbon: the taste of it on his tongue, the heat of it in the back of his throat, the effects of it on his mind and body. There were moments when he’d crave it more than his next breath, but then he’d remind himself of who he’d become because of it and he’d decide all over again that he liked himself much better sober.

And now, his grandfather had demanded he steer clear of the one shining light in all of his post-drinking gloom, Doctor Cori Parker.

Perhaps it was one of those blessings in disguise, and for now, he’d roll with it.

He caught up to his grandfather standing in line at the buffet table, well ahead of May and Hailey. “What’s going on, Gramps? Why the cold shoulder for Cori and her grandmother?”

Buck piled potato salad and green beans on his plate. Gage grabbed a plate and opted for the green salad. Most everyone was already seated at the tables and the room echoed their conversations.

“That woman’s been persnickety ever since I joined this organization.”

“How?”

“I don’t want to talk about it now. She’ll upset my stomach and I need this here food to keep my blood sugar normal.” He turned to Gage. “You’ll know why, come the annual auction.”

“There’s an auction?”

“Yep, and lately they haven’t been so good because of that persnickety pill.”

Gage grabbed a chicken thigh and leg along with a rack of ribs from the heated pans, piled everything on his plate and then ladled on thick dark-red barbecue sauce from a silver bowl at the end of the table. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten barbecue of any kind, especially with an endless supply of sauce. His meals were mostly high-end cuisine in fancy Manhattan restaurants or something organic he’d picked up at a market. This kind of food reminded him of his summers on the ranch in Briggs, Idaho, and he looked forward to chowing down on the memories.

Barbecues on the ranch in Briggs with friends and family were perhaps some of his favorite memories. There were horseshoe games, roping games, potato sack races and long days of endless laughter. Adults and kids would participate. There was never a game that excluded the kids, and there were plenty of kids, cousins mostly, to play with.

What he remembered most clearly about those days, was that even though there was plenty of beer served along with all the barbecue you could eat, no one ever overindulged. No one ever had to be driven home afterward or made a fool of themselves because they were drunk. Everyone seemed to know their limits and stuck to them.

A trait Gage had apparently never learned.

When the day had ended, they sat around a roaring fire singing cowboy songs, telling stories and reciting poems, and Gage had wanted nothing more than to sit out under that starry sky for the rest of his life. On more than one occasion, he’d lean back on the ground, stare up at that dazzling night sky and imagine himself as the hero in one of Zane Grey’s books.

“You don’t have to worry, Gramps. I can outbid anybody in this room. Just tell me what you want and it’s yours.”

The thought of buying Grandpa Buck a first-edition Zane Grey novel really appealed to Gage. He loved a good competition. It was in his DNA from playing on Wall Street for the past six years. It was all about the score. All about the win. All about the money. Thanks to his ex-wife, Gage had become addicted to making money, and now that he had made more money than he ever thought possible, it was time to spend some of his cash to help out his family, beginning with Grandpa Buck.

“I don’t need your dang money. I can get whatever I want on my own.” His voice was stern and somber. Gage didn’t understand his reaction. Everyone wanted free money.

“I’m only saying, I can help.”

“Don’t want it.”

“But Gramps, I’m trying to...”

“You try too hard, son. Settle down. I saved us two seats,” Buck said. “Make up your mind. Will you be sitting with me or my enemy?”

“With you, of course.”

“And no more money talk.”

Gage wanted to ask him why, but he let it go. “Whatever you want.”

“I want us to enjoy our first meal together in a very long time.”

“You got it, Gramps.”

“Then our relationship is headed in the right direction.”

Grandpa Buck took off for their saved box seats. Gage trailed after him, still wondering what the heck that last blowup was all about. How could his grandfather not accept his generous offer? He’d never experienced such refusal. Before his drinking had taken over his personality, his parents had accepted his money and even asked for a loan when they bought their last apartment. His friends had accepted all the lavish presents he’d given them, and his ex-wife had tried to break him in the final settlement.

Everyone wanted his money except Gramps.

He didn’t know how to digest that fact, but he couldn’t dwell on it or it would sour his stomach, and right now he wanted nothing more than to dig into those ribs.

As he approached his grandfather’s table, he caught Cori’s gaze from across the room. Inner passions told him to acknowledge her, but circumstances demanded that he keep focused on the task at hand, pleasing his grandfather. At this point in his overly complicated life, no matter how much he craved Doctor Cori Parker, it was probably better for everyone concerned if he honored his grandfather’s wishes and kept his distance...at least for tonight.

Chapter Three

Once the meal had finished, the opening talks welcomed everyone to the yearly conference. There was a video of last year’s conference, a couple of letters from members who couldn’t make it this year, and a rundown of all the upcoming events, including a train ride up to Silverton, which Hailey was already excited about.

“Are we going on the train ride, Momma? Can we? I’ve never been on a real train.”

“We live in New York City. We’re on a train most every day,” Cori told her daughter.

“That’s a different kind of train. Grammy says this is a real Western train with a real coal-burning engine and everything. I promise not to get a cinder in my eye if we go. Honest.”

The speaker had warned them about his getting a cinder in his eye several years ago when he sat in the open railcar.

“I already bought the tickets for us, sweetheart. We’re all going,” Grandma May said.

“I can’t let you pay for us, Gram. That’s too much,” Cori protested.

Grandma May shook her head. “Nonsense. It’s my treat.”

The train ride, which was an all-day affair, had been scheduled for Saturday. That was three days away. The conference ended on Sunday with a business meeting and an excursion to Mesa Verde National Park. Cori and her family would be driving back to Gram’s house by then, and the conference—along with Gage Remington, given his apparent behavior—would be a fading memory.

All through dinner, Cori had tried to get his attention, but he’d seemed dead-set on avoiding her at all costs. It made Cori believe he took their grandparents’ warnings seriously. Although she admired his discipline in the matter, it didn’t bode well for them maintaining a friendship, even a clandestine one, which could have been fun.

After all the talks had ended and most of the attendees either went up to their rooms or headed over to the tavern, she walked the somewhat empty sidewalks of downtown Durango in the moonlight, alone. She thought about how nice it would have been to share this with Gage. Whatever was going on between their grandparents certainly shouldn’t impact their budding friendship. She wasn’t looking for a relationship, at least not with her life so unsettled, but a friendship with a man was something that she’d been missing for a very long time. And Gage Remington seemed like the man for the job. She liked that he seemed to really care about rekindling his relationship with his grandfather, and that he’d taken the time to escort him to Durango. Not very many men would want to do that.

Plus, he had a killer smile.

“Nice night,” a familiar voice echoed from behind her. She had heard the rustle of feet on pavement, but never assumed it would be Gage. She felt as if he’d been reading her thoughts, and a tinge of heat made her blush.

His distinctive voice echoed in her ears. “Mind if I join you?”

Cori spun around to see Gage standing close behind her, grinning. At once she noticed how good he looked, with scruffy facial hair, a gray button-down shirt open at the neck, revealing a dusting of dark chest hair, tight black jeans and those sexy black boots. His mere presence made her reconsider those silly friendship thoughts. This cowboy might have to be elevated to a friend with benefits. She’d never thought of that possibility with any other man she’d met, until now.

“Your timing is impeccable. I was just thinking about you.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and quickly wet her lips.

“In a good way, I hope.” His grin grew wider, and his dark eyes sparkled under the glow of the streetlights. Her knees felt weak, and her pulse quickened.

“I thought you were ignoring me.”

“I was, and I’m sorry about that. My grandfather is a powerful force, but he finally went up to his room. The good news is I was able to get my own room, so we’re both much happier men this evening. And your grandmother?”

“She and Hailey called it a night.”

“What about you?”

“I’m in their room. We have a suite.”

“No, I mean why aren’t you up there with them?”

“I needed a walk. It’s too lovely to be inside. Don’t you agree?”

“Way too lovely,” he said, his gaze caressing her face, a shadow of a smile on his lips. She wanted to swoon, but controlled herself. “Much different from Manhattan.”

Cori didn’t remember telling him she lived in New York City.

“How’d you know?”

“Know what?”

“Where I’m from?”

“I didn’t. That’s where I’m from. Been living in New York for the past six years. And you?”

“Wow, it really is a small world... The past five.”

They continued up Main Avenue, past closed shops and bustling restaurants. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke, and not a single car passed them on the street. The silence of the town wrapped them in its serenity, as if protecting them from the rest of the hurried world, reminding Cori of her visits to her gram’s house when she was a child.

Gage broke the silence as a horse-drawn wagon filled with several tourists went clacking by. “So this is a vacation?”

“Not exactly. More like a major change. I was an ER doctor, but I quit. I’d been working too many hours and not spending any time with Hailey. I needed to slow down and rethink my career path...what’s important to me. I don’t know exactly where Hailey and I will settle, but I won’t be going back to New York. And you? Is this a vacation with your grandfather?”

His soft deep chuckle erupted from the back of his throat, reminding her how much she’d missed the intimate company of a man.

“The words vacation and grandfather can’t be used in the same sentence, at least not where I’m concerned. It’s more of an attempt at rekindling some burning embers with my family. I thought I’d start with my grandfather and work forward.”

“Sounds as if you burned a lot of bridges.”

“More like I soaked them in gasoline and used a flamethrower.” His voice took on a serious tone, as if he hadn’t liked where his life was heading and now he was seriously trying to change.

“I’m getting a little worried.”

“About what?”

“About us.”

“Things are looking up. I didn’t know we were an us.”

She chuckled and slowed her pace, wanting to make her intentions clear.

“That all depends.”

“On what?”

“On if your arson days are over.” She didn’t want to begin anything with Gage if he was already focused on the endgame. What few men she had dated in the five years since her husband’s passing had only been interested in hookups or sex without any commitment. In the beginning that was fine, but after you’ve experienced real love, hooking up with men who don’t care about you gets old really fast. She wanted something more now, and until she found it, she was willing to stay celibate. At least, that was the plan.

“I’m more into building bridges now. Not that I’m a very good carpenter, but I’m learning.”

She nodded, wanting to know more, but willing to wait for the details when and if he was ready to share.

“One plank at a time.”

“That’s a tough concept for a New Yorker. Especially in my line of work.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a trader.”

“A Wall Street trader?”

“Yes, but I’m on an extended leave at the moment.”

When she glanced at him, she saw the anxiety on his face. She’d met several traders, both in her practice and socially. If they couldn’t be in the center of the action they had a difficult time functioning in general society. They needed that constant tension in order to remain somewhat calm.

“And I take it that’s not a state you’re comfortable with.”

“I’m trying to settle into it, but I have to admit it’s more difficult than I’d ever imagined.”

“I have a feeling you miss the high-speed pace of the trading floor.”

When they came to a corner, they each looked both ways on the deserted streets, and casually made their way across... A far cry from the streets of Manhattan where the traffic never stopped, 24/7.

“There’s more to it than the pace. I grew used to getting whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it. And I grew used to expecting it. More than I’d like to admit. Second row seats at a Knicks game, same-night reservations at any high-end restaurant in Manhattan, first-row theater tickets, whatever. It’s hard to explain. I felt as if I was someone important, and that I deserved all that stuff.”

“So you were addicted to the power that kind of position brings.”

“You sound like my shrink.”

“I treated a patient with wealth addiction in 2008 when the stock market crashed. He would have tried to hang himself, because he’d lost several million dollars in three days, but he couldn’t find the appropriate Armani belt. At least that’s what he told me. He was also a perfectionist, which ultimately saved his life.”

He snickered and shook his head. “Are you serious?”

“Absolutely.”

“It wasn’t like that for me. Usually I was too drunk back then to really care.”

Cori abruptly stopped walking. Her heart raced and her stomach was clenched. His words were like a stinging slap. She turned to face him. “What do you mean?”

“Ironic that we should stop walking here in front of Wine and Fine Spirits, a store I would have immediately been drawn to if this were a few months ago.”

Cori took stock of her surroundings, and sure enough, just a couple steps up ahead, next to a real estate office, stood a softly lit shop with an inviting open doorway. She walked up to the window and peered inside. High-end wine and spirits crowded the shop. Some of which she would like to buy and bring back to Gram’s. Cori loved a smooth Pinot Noir and she spotted a great bottle for only sixty-five dollars.

A steal.

She was thinking how she’d buy a couple of bottles before they left town when Gage said, “I’m a recovering alcoholic. At least that’s the term I’m supposed to use. I crave a drink twenty-four-seven, but somehow I manage to control the craving by telling myself I’m better off without it.”

“And do you believe you are?”

He moved to get closer to her and stared into her eyes. She saw the vulnerability of a man in need of affection, in need of family, of friends, of a lover...of a drink.

“Moments like this, being this close to you, I would have to say yes. I believe I am.”

He gently ran his fingers down the side of her face, like feathers caressing her cheek. She’d so missed a man’s touch, his laughter, the intimacy of his affections.

Gage leaned in to kiss her, but at the very last moment she stepped away from him. Reality took hold, stark hurtful reality of a past event that had changed her life forever. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Only seconds ago, she’d been daydreaming of his kiss, and now his touch clenched her insides. The mere thought of her being intimate with a recovering alcoholic made her feel as if she was betraying her past and jeopardizing Hailey’s future. She envisioned herself running toward a cliff without the ability to stop.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t...I can’t do this. I need to get over to the hotel. My daughter won’t sleep without me tucking her in.”

His forehead furrowed, breaking the trance. “Sure. I understand. We can hustle back.”

She took a few steps backward, feeling as if being near him was wrong.

“No. That’s okay. You continue with your walk. I don’t want to force you to come back with me. It’s a nice night. You should enjoy it.”

He stepped toward her, just as she turned and headed up the sidewalk. She needed to get out of there. Needed to get away from him before she did something she’d regret.

“You’re not forcing me to do anything. I want to escort you back to the hotel,” he said from behind her.

He caught up to her and tried to take her hand. She snapped it away, as if he was a stranger.

“You’re not understanding. I don’t want you to come with me. Please. Just let me go. Our grandparents were right. We can’t talk to each other anymore.”

He stopped walking as she moved ahead of him, leaving him standing on the corner. She jogged across the deserted street, heading straight toward the hotel. She heard him call after her, but she kept moving forward, kept jogging until she stood in front of the hotel, struggling to catch her breath, thinking about what had nearly happened.

How could she have flirted with an alcoholic? Fallen for his charm? It wasn’t like her to be taken in so easily. She should have caught the warning signs from the start. His ordering a soda in the bar when they first met should have tipped her off.

As she ran up the three cement steps right outside the lobby, she decided she wanted nothing to do with Gage Remington, no matter what her libido told her. She could not and would not fall for an alcoholic, not when it was a drunk driver who had taken her husband’s life.

* * *

AFTER A RESTLESS night’s sleep, speculating on why Cori had left him standing on the street corner when they’d been having such a nice evening, he awoke thinking he should have simply listened to his gramps. She obviously wasn’t interested in any kind of relationship. Or perhaps her grandmother had gotten to her? Or she secretly never liked him and when he pushed it, her true feelings came out? But did she have to run away? He’d never experienced a woman actually running from one of his advances. What was that all about?

All he could conclude from her odd behavior was that she wanted no part of any kind of romantic interlude. That was now crystal clear. He’d just have to learn to suck it up, like his gramps had taught him when he was a kid.

He took in a deep breath and let it out. “I can handle this.”

Still, he was hopeful she’d come around.

And maybe it would happen as soon as today. He wasn’t exactly ready for a day of horseback riding. The working dude ranch was located just outside of town. Unfortunately, Gramps wouldn’t hear of him not participating. Grandpa Buck always loved to ride, no matter if it was on his own ranch wrangling steer or for fun with his friends and family. He’d taught Gage how to ride the summer he’d turned five. It took a while for Gage to get the hang of it, but once he did, his mother had a hard time getting him to do anything else during their visits.

Now, that seemed like light-years ago. He hadn’t been on a horse in more years than he cared to remember, and had probably lost his ability to ride. He’d forced himself to not care about ranch life and riding once he began making it on Wall Street. None of that mattered as long as he was moving up the ladder and making an insane amount of money. How could he possibly want to be a cowboy when all of Manhattan was laid out at his feet?

He snickered at the irony of it all.

It seemed this simple trip with his grandfather would be taking him back to something he’d shoved so far back in his mind that riding a horse now seemed foreign to him, almost as though that had been some other kid riding around his grandpa’s ranch.

Gramps used to tell him, “You’re a natural cowboy, son. And one day, this here ranch will be all yours.”

Gage wondered if his grandfather still felt that way, and if he did, what the heck would Gage do with an entire ranch?

Sell it, came rushing into his thoughts. Take the money and run.

He took a deep breath as he pulled his car onto the gravel road that led to S & J Ranch. He felt certain he was headed for a day of pure misery.

“We’re starting off with a mighty fine breakfast, served outdoors like it should be,” Gramps said as Gage drove their car into a spot. “Got my appetite all riled up for some flapjacks, eggs and biscuits this morning.”

“Should you be eating flapjacks with your sugar problem?”

Gramps glared at Gage. “What I eat ain’t none of your concern. I won’t be collapsing again anytime soon, so you don’t have to worry. Just stay out of my business and we’ll get along fine.”

Gage turned off the engine. “I was just trying to...”

“Look, son, I know you’re trying to say and do the right things so you and me can get our relationship back on track. There’s been a lot of bad blood between us, and it’s going to take some time for me to believe you’ve changed your haughty ways. So please do us both a favor and try not to tell this old cowboy what to do. It brings out my worst side, and right now, being here with all my friends, talking about my favorite writer, I don’t need a mother. What I need is my grandson. When you find him let me know, ’cause I miss that rascal more than I wanna say.”

Before Gage could respond, his grandfather slipped out of the sedan and walked off toward his friends who were gathering in front of the massive red stables. Everyone shared a smile and a nod as they moved on toward the Old West town that was part of the ranch. Breakfast would be served behind the hotel.

Gage sat there trying to digest what his grandpa had told him. It was the Gramps of his youth who had just lectured him, not the Gramps he’d been traveling with for the past couple of days. That Gramps hadn’t spoken a kind word to him since he’d said hello, and even hello had seemed forced.

The good thing was his grandfather had actually spoken to him in a calm voice. Now all Gage had to do to keep the momentum going was find his way back to being “that rascal,” so he and his grandfather could rekindle a relationship they both seemed to want more than either one of them was willing to admit.

As he stepped from the car and beeped it locked, another car pulled up, containing Cori, her grandmother and Hailey. Maybe now he could get to the bottom of Cori’s speedy departure last night.

“Hey,” Hailey said as she bounced out of the car, her white cowgirl hat momentarily slipping from her head, revealing golden curls catching sunlight. Gage could tell she was excited about her day. Her face and demeanor announced it loud and clear.

“All set for the ride?” he asked, eager to engage someone in Cori’s family in a conversation.

“You bet. I’ve never been on a real live horse before, just the fake kind on a carousel. Have you ever ridden a real horse?”

“Yep, when I was a kid.”

“I bet that was a long time ago.”

Gage chuckled. Did he look that old? Was thirty-two getting up there? He supposed that to Hailey anyone taller than her had to be old. “It sure was, and I’m a little scared I forgot how.”

She shook her head. “You can’t forget something like that, silly. It would be like forgetting how to dance. Just because you haven’t done it in a long time doesn’t mean you forgot how.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because my dad taught me how to ride a two-wheeler bike when I was three, and after he died and we moved to New York, I had to give my bike away. So I didn’t ride in a really long time. Then when we went to visit Grammy, she let me ride her bike and I remembered everything. Even how to use the bell and keep pedaling when someone is in front of me.”

Gage wanted to hug her, but he restrained himself. He wondered if all kids were as precocious as Hailey, or was she one of a kind?

“Thank you for telling me that story. I feel much better about riding now.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, beaming.

“I hope Hailey wasn’t bothering you,” Cori asked once Hailey skipped off with her grandmother, who never really looked his way. Apparently her dislike for Buck Remington was, by default, passed on to his grandson.

“Not at all. She’s surprisingly smart. Are all kids her age that smart?”

“I get the feeling you haven’t been around children much.”

“Hardly ever.”

“Most kids are pretty smart these days, but Hailey happens to be more intuitive than other children.”

“She takes after her mom,” Gage told her, hoping that would help cut through the icy chill.

Regrettably, it didn’t, and she began to walk away.

“About last night,” he called after her.

She stopped, and spun around to ace him, the sun dancing on her raven hair. She looked absolutely stunning in the morning light wearing a red T-shirt, tight jeans and boots. Gage wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and kiss those adorable lips. He knew he shouldn’t be feeling this way, knew he needed to take a step back, but the attraction was too strong. And given the way the light embraced her slim body, his thoughts were all about the bedroom, and definitely not about getting up on a horse.

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