Then again, if the town could evade the reach of an orbiting satellite system, she should easily be outside the meddling reach of Muriel Bailey. Ever since Sierras last relationship ended, her mother, undaunted by living three and a half hours away, had tried arranging meetings between Sierra and Dallass most eligible bachelors. The good news about a town the size of Cupids Bow was that there couldnt be many men who met her mothers exacting standards.
So when she ended her call with Jarrett by saying I look forward to meeting you, she very nearly meant it.
Chapter Three
Knock, knock, Jarrett said tentatively, unsure of his welcome as he stood in the doorway of his sisters room. His voice seemed to echo unnaturally. The house had been damned quiet in the hours since their parents had left at the crack of dawn. According to his mother, Vicki had barely said a word when they came into her room to exchange goodbyes. Did she feel like the Rosses were abandoning her?
His mother was excited that Jarrett was interviewing another candidate this afternoon. Until Sierra had called, the family had decided to offer the position to local retired nurse Lucy Aldridge, a grandmother of five. Lucy was kind, if a bit absentminded, but she was also more than three times Vickis age. Anne Ross had worried Vicki wouldnt relate to her. Jarrett didnt know specifically how old Sierra Bailey was, but judging from the credentials shed emailed, shed been out of med school for only a couple of years. And she certainly hadnt sounded like a woman approaching seventy. When theyd spoken, Sierra had sounded... Feisty was the word that sprang to mind.
Did you need something? Vicki asked, her voice empty of inflection. Her wheelchair was pulled up to her desk, and he couldnt tell if she was looking at her laptop or simply staring out the window. This used to be a guest suite, but since it was on the first floor, theyd relocated Vicki after the accident. All the essentials were here, but shed said not to bother with miscellaneous belongings, like the posters that hung on her walls upstairs. Or the gleaming softball trophies that sent blades of guilt through him whenever he saw them.
Her blond hair hung crookedly in a limp ponytail. She was able to shower by herself in the remodeled bathroom, but she only bothered to brush her hair when her mother said something about it. And the last time shed applied makeup was when her boyfriend, Aaron, had visited weeks ago.
I just wanted to remind you that Sierra should be here in an hour or so. When Vicki didnt respond, he prompted, Sierra Bailey, the potential therapist. I thought you might like to meet her.
She hadnt sat in on any of the interviews, dismissing it as unnecessary. All of the candidates had been local, which meant shed met them all at least in passing. Anne hadnt pushed the issue, since shed already had her hands full convincing Gavin to leave the ranch. Jarrett was surprised by his sisters apathy. Vicki had always been opinionated. Surely she wanted to have a say in who was chosen to be her companion?
Ill pass, she said. I was about to take a nap. Im exhausted.
From all the energy it took to stare out the window? Dont be an ass. You dont know anything about the effort it takes her to perform daily tasks you take for granted. Besides, fatigue wasnt always physical.
He attempted a compromise. If she seems like a good fit for the job, do you want me to wake you up before she leaves? Then you could
No. She shot a glance over her shoulder. It was jarring how her dark eyes flashed with so much emotion while her clipped words held none at all. Makes no difference to me who pushes my wheelchair.
Nobody pushed the chair. Theyd rented an electric one to make her as self-sufficient as possible. Vicki
I dont care who you hire, just make it clear shes not my babysitter. And anytime Aaron visits, we want our privacy.
He clenched his jaw, conflicted about his little sisters alone time with her boyfriend. Hypocrite. Like you were celibate at nineteen? Hell no. Hed always been ready and willing to hit the sheets with a pretty ladya character trait he deeply regretted. If hed had any self-discipline, Vicki wouldnt be in the wheelchair. Or in this room. Shed be at college with Aaron and her friends.
Close the door on your way out, she said woodenly.
Okay. As conversations went, he couldnt call this one a rousing success. On the other hand, it was the most sentences shed spoken to him at one time all month. Maybe his mother was right about his parents trip forcing Vicki to deal with him. Jarrett just wished his sister would let loose and scream at him. Call him an irresponsible ass. Maybe even hurl something at him with that pitchers arm of hers. Shed broken her left wrist, but her right was undamaged.
He went to the kitchen, where he pulled a casserole from the freezer for its two hours in the oven and brewed iced tea for his expected guest. Hed briefly spoken to Daniel Baron this week about Sierra. The man sang her praises. Daniel had worked with her after the bull-riding injury that made him quit rodeo for good, not that he sounded disappointed about his new lifestyle. He was happily married in San Antonio with twin toddlers. If Sierra was under fifty and even half as promising as Daniel made her sound, she had a job.
While he waited for Sierra to arrive, Jarrett caught up on emails and the paperwork that accumulated while he spent most of his time outside. In addition to taking care of the cattle and preparing to plant the winter crops, he generated income by offering riding lessons and equine therapy. He was happier doing physical work than crunching numbers, but it was on his shoulders to make sure nothing fell through the cracks while his father recuperated.
Hed just finished entering some figures in the banking spreadsheet when the doorbell rang. If either the golden retriever or shepherd-Lab mix had been close to the house, he would have heard barking long before the visitor reached the front porch, but in pretty weather, the dogs enjoyed the wide-open spaces of ranch life.
In case his sister had been genuine about needing sleep, he hurried to the door to make sure Sierra didnt ring the bell a second time. Mentally crossing his fingers that the woman on the other side was everything Daniel said, he swung the door open.
He felt his features freeze midsmile. Shock made it momentarily difficult to form words, even one as basic as hello. Hed been hoping for younger than fifty, but the stunning redhead appeared to be in her twenties. And, although his mama would smack him upside the head for the stereotype, she looked more like a lingerie model than a med school graduate.
Well, technically, she was probably too short to be a model, but that body... Sierra Bailey? he asked, half hoping she wasnt.
She nodded. Jarrett Ross?
One and the same. As he ushered her inside, he tried to recover his composure. The view from behind wasnt helping. Her slim-fitting suit skirt fell just below her knees, modestly professional, but the material lovingly cupped the flare of her hips and shapely butt.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he spared a dark thought for Daniel Baron. His friend should have warned Jarrett what to expect. Daniel was so head over heels in love with his wife, Nicole, that other women probably paled in comparison, but the man wasnt blind.
The irony would have been laughable if Jarretts sense of humor werent dormant. He hadnt had sex in months. Hed ignored flirty texts and used the isolation of the ranch to avoid temptation, but that hadnt been penance enough. Karma had sent him a gorgeous woman whose green eyes flashed intelligence and whose curves would make a centerfold envious. His past self would have found sleeping down the hall from her a tantalizing prospect.
Hell, the old Jarrett would already be working to seduce her. But he was a recovering ladies man and, potentially, her employer. You will not so much as look at Sierra Bailey.
Too late.
* * *
IT WAS TOO soon to tell whether this interview would be an improvement over her others, but, so far, it was certainly weirder. Sierra had entered the house ready to apologize for being late. Shed got lost twice, not that shed been able to call Jarrett Ross and tell him because shed apparently been driving through a cellular dead zone. Shed finally happened across a tiny gas station where a friendly guy with elaborate tattoos gave her directions to the Twisted R.
She knew it was bad form to show up tardy to an interview, but before shed had a chance to explain, Jarrett had suddenly declared, Tea! the way a scientist might shout Eureka! Then hed pointed her into a wood-paneled study and bolted in the opposite direction. Presumably, to fetch tea.
Her first impression of the rancher was that he was tallalthough, from her perspective, lots of people were. More specifically, he was hot. His dark hair, threaded with a few sun-streaked threads of gold, contrasted dramatically with pale silvery eyes. He had a chiseled jaw and defined cheekbones.
And abs worthy of inspiring legend.
That highly unprofessional observation struck as she caught sight of a framed picture among the dozen or so that hung on the far wall behind a massive desk. In the photo, a shirtless Jarrett stood on the shore of a river, displaying a fish hed caught. She was already moving in for a closer look before she realized what she was doing, as if mindlessly drawn in by a tractor beam. Tractor abs. Plus, sculpted shoulders and arms that
Bailey! What the hell happened to being professional?
Right.
It was ironic that shed been fired over Lloyd Carson, given that shed never entertained a single thought about him half as improper as what shed just been feeling for Jarrett Ross. Get your act together. She moved on from the shirtless picture to the other shots decorating the wall. Several had been taken at rodeos, and while shed never understand bronc-riding as a career choice, she had to marvel at the raw grace displayed in one action shot. Repressing the memory of her own horrific fall from a horse, she wondered how Jarrett managed to stay in the saddle. For that matter, how was the black cowboy hat staying on his head?
Next to that photo was a snapshot taken right here on the houses front porch. Jarretts arm was casually draped around a blonde girls shoulders. Sierra was willing to bet money that the young woman was his sister, Vicki. Their coloring was reversedthe girl had light hair and brown eyesbut the similarity of their features was unmistakable. As was the affection between them.
Sierra glanced from Vickis face to Jarretts. His expression was so self-assured. He was grinning as though he didnt have a care in the world, and his eyes sparkled with mischief and confidencea far cry from the somber man whod opened the door to her.
She supposed no one chose to display family photos where the subject was scowling or looked troubled, but his image was the same in every picturethe self-satisfied lord of all he surveyed. Was it Vickis accident that had changed him? Sierra knew a lot of siblings were closer than she was to her own brothers. Jarrett had been notably tense while detailing his sisters injuries over the phone, as if he felt her pain.
Vicki may be the one in the wheelchair, but apparently she wasnt the only one who needed to heal.
Chapter Four
Sierra shifted her position in the leather chair and sipped her sweet tea, waiting for Jarrett to say something. Theyd reached the end of his list of questions, and she assumed he was mulling over her responses. He hadnt said anything in several seconds. Hed been terse throughout the conversation, lending credence to the strong, silent cowboy image, but, on the bright side, he hadnt mentioned her family connections or leered at her. Hed barely looked at her at all, either focusing on the pad of paper where he was jotting notes or staring at some point just over her shoulder.
The interview had reached its logical conclusion. All that was left was for her to talk to the patient and assess for herself the work that needed to be done. Jarrett had handed her a folder of medical records after joining her in the study with two glasses of iced tea, but X-rays told only part of the story.
Sierra set her glass on the desk and cleared her throat. When can I meet Vicki?
His head jerked up, his eyes almost meeting hers before he resumed that unfocused gaze into the beyond. Oh, uh, that wont be necessary. Shes sleeping now and authorized me to make the decision on her behalf. And Im happy to say, the job is yours. If you want it.
Fantastic. She was employed againby a laconic cowboy who lived at the butt-end of nowhere and kept staring eerily into space as if he were about to have a psychic vision. Thank you for the offer. Ill be able to give you my answer after I meet your sister.
He frowned. I told you, shes sleeping.
She rose from her chair, eager to escape the awkward confines of the study. So well need to wake her up. Every patient case shed ever worked had started with an evaluation. And this wasnt just any caseshed be living with these people! No way was she packing her bags and relocating before meeting both of her new roommates.
Jarretts gaze locked with hers, and the sudden connection was like an electric current that ran all the way down to her toes. The masculine energy in his rigid body language caused a wholly inappropriate tingly sensation. She could almost understand how a stupid cliché like youre beautiful when youre angry had originated.
Vicki expressly asked not to be disturbed, he said, his sharp tone matching the metallic glint in his eyes.
Sierra lifted her chin, determined to make him see reason. Is she ill? If the girl was sick, then Sierra would come back another day to meet herespecially if Vicki was contagious. Otherwise...
You mean like with a cold or something? No. But, as a professional, you must know that people recuperating from such serious injuries need plenty of bed rest and
Its been a couple of months since her accident. Too much bed rest leads to atrophy. Ive been here over an hour, she said with a glance at her watch. Thats adequate for a nap. Sleeping the day away can also be a sign of depression. Part of my job will be keeping Vicki engaged, whether she likes it or not.
You mean bullying her? he asked. The way he shot to his feet, as if preparing to physically protect his sister, might have been endearing under other circumstances.
I wouldnt say bullying. She might not put it that way...but a few of her patients had. Bully. Drill sergeant. Hard-ass. Daniel Baron, sweating through a session with his handsome features contorted into a grimace, had once called her a demon tyrant with no soul. But she was pretty sure hed meant it as a compliment.