Page 69 of Winning His Wager
“Go, right now. Check in with the Texas peeps. I am going to talk to a nurse I know about helping me wash the wacky hair and everything. I feel a little grubby. Go.” She pointed to the door. Then grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. “But…kiss me first. Right here on the cheek. I have anesthesia breath, so that is all you are getting.”
“I don’t care.” Fletcher pressed his lips to hers, just once. “I’ll be back. I’m not going too far.”
He loved this woman, and first moment they were alone, he was going to make that clear.
* * *
Dylan lookedat the doctor after the room cleared of everyone but Dr. Paterson and Laney. What a pretty man he was too. All the men in Masterson County were quite beautiful. But Fletcher still took the top trophy for that. “So…how long am I in here for?”
“Probably a few more days,” Dr. Paterson said after looking at the incision and her chart. “I’m seeing signs of infection. Not uncommon, but…you may be here two to four days.”
“But I have stuff to do, dude. I have stuff to do.”
“I’m afraid it’s just going to have to wait,” Dixie told her, bluntly. “If you try to escape, I’ll just tell your boy toy out there. And when you do get out, it’s rest time, not Dylan-full-speed-ahead time. I’ll definitely tell Fletcher that myself.”
“He is a rather overprotective Dylan keeper.”
“No kidding. That Tyler boy is hooked.”
The doctor slipped out of the room, taking Laney with him.
“You scared us, toots,” her sister said. “I have a bottle of dry shampoo here. We’ll get you presentable before that gorgeous man gets back in here. That guy is seriously gone over you, in case you’ve missed it. So…how long have you actually been boinking him? No chance you are pregnant? Bit too late to ask, but he just gave me this wild-eyed Fletcher-stare when I asked earlier.”
“Four or five days—not so sure what day today is, actually—and no. We were careful and always used something. He said…forever. I’m still getting a bit used to that part.”
“How did that make you feel?”
Her sister was good at this whole nursing thing. She was a fusser—Dixie had gotten it from their mother. No denying that. “A little excited, not nearly as scared as I probably should be, either. I can see forever with him, and that part is a bit terrifying.”
“Not the fact of it, but that you can actually see doing it?”
“See it easily. What if it gets all screwed up? I am not exactly like Dusty, now am I?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, isn’t obvious? Dusty has life all figured out. I’m just not there yet, Dixie. Don’t think I ever will be.” But for the first time in a long time, she was starting to think that maybe she would eventually. At least now she felt like she was probably going in the right direction.
“You don’t have to have life figured out, little sister. I have told you that before. Just…worry about today. And maybe tomorrow. Whatever you figure out, that man out there—he loves you. Just as you are. And just as much as his brother loves our sister. Now, do you want me to go rescue him from our father?”
“Please. Fletcher has a bad habit of wanting to needle Daddy just for the hell of it. Even more than Ben does. Without me there to keep him, I’m not sure Fletcher will behave himself. Fun, but…probably not the most appropriate place for it.” Dylan yawned and settled against the pillows, feeling partially human now that she had brushed her teeth and put on deodorant and washed up a little, at least. Still, Fletcher had seen her in her jammies after she’d just woken many times before.
She was ready for him to come back. They had things they needed to talk about, after all.
As Dixie left, Dylan was honest with herself. Who was she kidding?
She just wanted Fletcher with her, period.
48
He hadn’t found it.Will hadn’t found it anywhere. He had already searched that guy Phil’s house. He hadn’t found it anywhere. It was supposed to be the size of a small end table, and he hadn’t been able to find it.
Bruce had insisted the trunk was at his brother’s. One of his brothers had to have it. He’d searched Phil Tyler’s already, and Bill’s, even that stupid prick Nick’s. Nothing. He hadn’t searched that Ned guy’s place. Or that place Michael Tyler lived now that had been his dad’s before he’d died. Bruce had told him to go to Fletcher’s; Will had been searching Fletcher’s each night for two nights. When he knew the guy was hanging out at the hospital with Dylan.
Will stayed in his truck and waited. He’d go inside the inn in five minutes, get his sister and get her home. His dad was freaking out. The guys he knew—the guys he used to work for before Will was even born, they were getting pissed Bruce was still out there. Pissed at what had happened in Texas. Pissed no one had found the missing shipment yet.
Will hadn’t found it either. It wasn’t where he had been led to believe it was. He was running out of money, was almost completely out of OPJ, and he was running out of time.
And Bruce Tyler knew exactly where to find him. Worse. Bruce hated Will and hated his dad and he’d made that known too.