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“And I’d prefer that you had someone take care of you while you’re resting. I don’t want you moving around too quickly and getting dizzy.”
“That’s covered,” Tanner said.
“I thought it might be.” The doctor smiled at him again.
The doctor was really nice, but Lilac didn’t like the way she kept smiling at Tanner.
You’re being irrational.
The doctor and Abby left, and Lilac turned to Tanner. But a knock interrupted her before she could ask him anything.
In walked another woman who introduced herself as the dietitian.
Damn it.
Keep on faking it, Lilac.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, the dietitian left, and Lilac’s mind felt like mush.
Tanner had done most of the talking and he now held several pages filled with menu plans and food suggestions.
“You took that very seriously,” she commented. He’d listened to everything the enthusiastic woman had to say.
“Of course I did. I need to know what to feed you. Apparently, lots of liver and spinach. Yum-yum.”
“Tanner! That’s not what she said!”
“Joking.” He grinned.
“And you don’t need to feed me. I can feed myself.”
He shot her a look. Okay, so they both knew that was a lie. Still, what was he planning on doing? Coming into town each night to feed her dinner? That would be crazy.
“The bunkhouse isn’t the nicest place in the world, but all of my brothers have moved out so it’s private. I can’t really cook. Mia is a great cook, though. I’m sure she can cook liver and make it kind of palatable.”
She sighed. “I can’t go home with you, Tanner. I’ve got responsibilities.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Your friends and Kye are welcome to come too.”
“It’s not that . . . how would I make my shifts at the bar and diner if I’m staying on your Ranch?” she told him, reasonably.
“Baby, you’re not working for at least a week. You heard the doctor. You need to rest.”
“First of all, she said a couple of days.”
“A week would be better,” he told her. “And I don’t think we should give it a time limit. You need rest.”
“But I can’t rest. I only just got those jobs. How will I pay to fix Sugar if I can’t work for the next week?”
Frankly, the idea terrified her.
“No, baby. You’re not hearing me. You don’t have to take care of anyone. Not even yourself. Because I’m doing it all now. Remember? You’re giving the decisions to me to handle.”
But that was just a pipe dream. It wouldn’t work in reality.
“I appreciate you wanting to help me. To take care of me. But that just won’t work.”
