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Grim closed the door behind them and made sure it locked.“Yeah, she was saying a name. I didn’t catch it.”
“Michael, maybe. She was scared of him.” Josh looked back atthe door. “Maybe we should take her with us.”
“Let her sleep. I get the feeling she doesn’t do a lot ofit,” Grim said, keys to the truck in hand. “Hopefully we’re panicking fornothing and I won’t need your help. You can come right back and bring her outfor Sunday dinner.”
“And let my momma scare the crap out of her?” What was Grimthinking?
“Abby is the best,” Grim countered. “She doesn’t scareanyone.”
“My momma will start planning a wedding by dessert, andshe’ll start talking baby names shortly after.”
Grim shrugged as he hauled himself into the driver’s seat.“I don’t have a problem with it.”
Josh sighed and got in. “I don’t think it’s going to beeasy. I think we’re going to have to slow play this with her.”
Grim put the truck in reverse as a tall blonde stepped outof the door next to Nicole’s. She glanced up and down the street and thenstarted for the office. “Don’t you want to get her out of here? Although thenew guest looks like she doesn’t belong here either.”
Maybe the clientele was changing. Or the blonde hadn’trealized what a dump the place was when she booked it online. If this moteleven had a website. “Damn straight. I’m planning on getting her out of here assoon as possible, but we have to be tricky about it. We need a game plan,brother.”
“Well, we’re pretty good at coming up with one of those.”Grim started down the highway that would take them to the ranch. “You’ll comeback and hang with her while I deal with the problem. And I’ll talk to Abby andask her to curb her enthusiasm. But I don’t think feeding Nicole is going toscare her off.”
No. She’d eaten everything they’d put in front of her thenight before, and she’d done it with relish. Like food had been nothing but anecessity for a while now. Like she hadn’t indulged in a long time.
They talked about how to gently ease her into therelationship as they drove to the ranch. When they pulled in, the first thingJosh saw was his pops stepping out of the big barn, a concerned look on hisface. Sam Fleetwood was a sunny man who smiled most of the time, so hisexpression had Josh sitting up.
“Damn it.” Grim parked the truck, obviously getting the samevibes he was.
Josh followed him, slamming the door behind him. Olivia waswalking out from the main house, carrying two bottles of water. Grim joggedacross the lawn toward the barn, but Josh caught his sister.
“What’s going on?”
Olivia kept walking. “I don’t know. Dad’s been cussing up astorm, and Pops is worried. They were going to call Grim in, but I told themyou were already on the way. They didn’t want to disturb you.”
“I’m supposed to be disturbed,” Grim called out. “I’m a damndoctor. I did not go to seven years of school for fun.”
Grim took that shit seriously, as his father was about to bereminded.
Pops nodded as Grim ran inside then turned to Josh. “It’snot good. She won’t stop vomiting. I have no idea what the hell is going on.I’m heading out to the pasture she’s been in to see if she could have gotteninto something she shouldn’t have.”
“I’ll go with you. I’ll grab the ATV,” Olivia offered. “Momtold me to make sure you’re hydrated.” She pressed one bottle into Pop’s handand gave the other to Josh. “Make sure Dad gets this, and I’ve got my cell ifyou need me. Mom’s inside. She could not handle the smell.”
Josh stepped inside the barn and could understand hismother’s hesitation. The acrid smell of vomit reached his nose, and he had zeroidea how his father and Grim were standing there like it didn’t affect them.
“I need to take some samples, but she’s been ingestingsomething toxic,” Grim said, dropping to one knee. The heifer was lying on herside, her swollen belly obvious. “I don’t know if we’re going to lose the calfor not. It depends on what she’s been eating.”
“Sam’s going out to investigate,” his father said. He lookedup as Josh walked in. “Hey. I’m sorry to call you. I know you were on a date.”
“It’s fine.” He wondered how long his father had been up.Likely since dawn. His fathers still rose early, the cowboy in them so deeplyingrained it was hard for them to take time off. “I’m going to help out hereand then go back and pick her up. I thought she could come to Sunday dinner, ifMom can refrain from embroidering her name on the family quilt.”
The words brought a smile to his father’s eyes. “You knowshe only wants you to be happy.”
“I think sometimes she’s pointing out I’m not getting anyyounger and she already had Lexi by my age. Well, Lexi was already in gradeschool by my age.” He put a hand over his nose. “She does not understand howhard it is for two men to find a wife. She had it easy.”
His father put a hand on his shoulder and led him back out.“Don’t you say that around her. You know she’s had it hard, and it’s neverstopped. And you need to think about your momma’s experience when it comes todating this young lady. What do we know about her?”
“I know I care about her,” Josh admitted. “I know I felt aninstant connection to her.”
A brow rose over his dad’s eyes. “And after a single nightyou want to bring her to meet your family?”
