Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Urgh. She nearly groaned. But she could still make her shift. Hopefully.
“All right.”
“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.”
His eyebrows rose. “You’re talking like you have a choice.”
“Tanner, be serious.”
“Lilac, I know that a lot of the time, it might seem like I’m not taking things seriously. But I can assure you that when it comes to someone I care about, I am very serious about their health and safety. You are coming home with me so I can look after you.”
Fuck.
Tanner hated how lost and vulnerable she looked. She was staring at him with a mix of confusion and longing. As though she couldn’t imagine someone wanting to take care of her.
Her brother had a lot to answer for.
Fucking asshole.
Tanner knew he was going to have to undo years of damage that asshole had done. Along with that bitch nanny who was meant to take care of her. Who should have protected her.
Then there was her father, who had put his son before his vulnerable daughter.
Fuck. Had no one ever put this girl first?
But that was all right. He wasn’t entering into this relationship with anything but forever in mind. So, he had time to undo all of her beliefs. That she had to do it all on her own and take care of everyone else. Put herself last.
Yep. He wanted forever.
And a Malone always got what he wanted.
“You know, I think I started falling for you the minute I met you. Definitely when I saw you try to throw that first dart.”
A sob escaped her, and he stared at her in confusion. He didn’t think that would upset her.
“You won’t feel that way once you know the full truth,” she told him.
He frowned at the despair on her face. The fear in her eyes. He was trying to reassure her. “What do you mean? Is this about your brother? Baby, I don’t know how you came to be on the run from him or how Opal and Ryleigh come into it. But I am going to protect you from him. You are never going back to him.”
“No, you don’t understand, Tanner,” she said. “I’m not talking about Stefan and why I left. I’m talking about meeting you. It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a chance encounter.”
He froze. “What does that mean?”
“I’ve always known who you were. I searched you out. I went there to get to know you.”