Parker by Maddie James Read Free Book Online

eat
too.”
    Parker queried from the front seat, “You
haven’t eaten?”
    Reba caught his eyes again in the mirror. “I
did. Yesterday. Sometime.”
    “Sometime?”
    She shrugged a little. “Well, it was a busy
day. I was taking care of all the food at your house, and people
were coming and going, and I don’t really remember when I ate or if
I—”
    “Stop. I get it.”
    “I don’t think you do.”
    Parker huffed out a breath. “So, let’s see.
You’ve hit your head and might have a concussion, you could be
dehydrated because you haven’t drunk enough water, and you’re not
sure when you last ate? Do you need someone to take care of you,
woman?”
    Reba felt her eyes grow big. “That’s none of
your concern, Mr. McKenna!” The hell. Who did he think he was?
“Just turn around and take me home. I don’t need to see a
doctor.”
    “No. We’re almost there.”
    Reba rolled her eyes. Crap. “I don’t have
insurance yet. It’s complicated, and I just moved here. This is
going to cost me an arm and a leg, and right now, I can’t afford
it.”
    Parker didn’t miss a beat. “I’ll pay for
it.”
    Reba bristled. “You most certainly will
not!”
    “I will. You wrecked on my property, and now
you are telling me you didn’t eat or drink yesterday because you
were too busy taking care of things at my house, after my father’s
funeral. Seems I owe you.”
    Callie nudged Reba with her elbow. “Don’t
argue with him, Reba. It will only get worse.”
    She sighed. “I’m serious. Really, Parker.
That is all not necessary. Take me back home. I will be fine.”
    He ignored her, stared straight ahead, and
accelerated.
    Reba looked out the window. He was definitely
not turning around. “Parker?”
    “They are expecting us at the hospital. I’ve
already made arrangements for you to see my friend Mike.”
    Reba couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Excuse me? I really don’t want to go. I appreciate your concern,
truly, but I want to go home. I have work to do and—”
    Parker interrupted. “We’re here.”
    “Where?”
    “Livingston. The hospital. It’s right around
the corner,” Callie said. She turned to Reba and looked into her
face. “It’s okay, Reba. Let’s pop in and have Dr. Attaway check you
out, and then that will satisfy that stubborn brother of mine and
he can take you home. Okay?”
    Reba took in a deep breath, glanced to
Parker’s eyes glaring at her in the rearview mirror, and said, “All
right. But like I said, I have work to do today, so let’s make this
fast. Got it?”
    The corners of Parker’s eyes twinkled a
little. She glanced to the side of his face then and noticed his
lips were definitely spreading into a grin.
    Oh hell. He won this round. I have to be on
my toes.

Chapter Six
     
     
    Parker wasn’t accustomed to sitting around
and waiting. Doing nothing. Twiddling his thumbs. And he was about
to go stark-raving mad waiting for some nugget of news from
Mike.
    Callie had left with Murphy, his ranch
manager and her fiancé, an hour earlier. Murphy had been in town
for supplies and had swung by to check on things. Parker suggested
his sister go on back home. That he could handle things here.
    Can I? Handle things with Reba Morris?
    He’d known her less than a day, and it felt
like weeks. First impressions aside, the biggest realization he had
about his new neighbor was she was a pretty tough cookie to
handle.
    A challenge? Perhaps. But he was up to
it.
    He’d drank all the coffee he could stand and
had watched way too many minutes of politically-charged news
programs on the ER waiting room television—a television set for
which one had to ask for permission to turn down the volume or to
change the channel.
    He was certain there was a reason for that,
but he’d be damned if he’d ask for the remote control just so he
could flip through soap operas and talk shows and not land on
anything at all of interest. So he got up and stepped outside for
some fresh air