THE COWBOY SHE COULDN'T FORGET by Patricia Thayer Read Free Book Online Page B

Rivers way off-limits.
    * * *
    By the time the plane landed the next day, Ana was exhausted from the trip. She hadn’t gotten much rest, thanks to the man sleeping just outside her bedroom door.
    Vance had parked his pickup at the airport lot before their trip, so they drove straight to the hospital. The ride there was a quiet one, for which Ana was grateful. She had a slight headache, which she contributed to that second glass of wine, one Vance hadn’t shared with her.
    They got off on the second floor and went directly to Colt’s room. There she found the bed empty and her father sitting in a wheelchair.
    “Oh, Dad. Look at you.” She went to him, and felt the urge to hug him. Instead, she placed her hand on his arm. “How are you feeling?”
    Colt only looked at her, then glanced away. Pain shot through Ana’s chest. Rejection was something she should be used to, but it still hurt.
    A young man wearing dark scrubs walked into the room. He smiled at her. “Well, Colt, seems like you’re attracting the ladies today.” The man’s smile widened as he held out his hand. “Hello, I’m Colt’s occupational therapist, Jay McNeal.”
    Ana shook it. “Ana Slater. Colt’s daughter.”
    Jay glanced down at Colt. “You didn’t tell me you had a beautiful daughter.”
    Ana pulled her hand away. “Has my father had a therapy session yet?”
    “Yes, he did,” Jay said. “And he did very well.”
    Vance stood across the room, watching this guy. He never liked his type, always smiling when a woman was around. Vance walked over to Colt and pulled up a chair so he’d be eye level with his mentor-father figure.
    “I’m glad to see you up.” He glanced at Ana and the therapist as they walked to the other side of the room. “I know this has been rough on you, Colt, but I want you to know that I’m taking care of things at the ranch. I’ll hold down the fort until you’re well enough to come home.”
    No response.
    Vance decided to try something else to see if he got a response. “Ana and I just got back from Los Angeles. We went to see Tori and Josie, to let them know about your condition.”
    That did it. Colt shot a look at him and made a groaning sound. Good, a reaction.
    “That’s right, Colt. Ana is trying to bring them home.”
    Another groan.
    “There’s no choice, we need help to run the ranch. Come on, they’re your family, and you’re lucky to have them.” Vance stood and turned toward the door. Stubborn man. Well, Colt needed to get over that real fast.
    * * *
    Frustrated, Colt tried to call Vance back, but he was helpless to speak. Dammit. He couldn’t let this happen. His daughters were better off without him. Without a bitter old man who couldn’t get over the woman who’d deserted him and their daughters.
    From the day their mother left, it had been like that. He knew nothing about raising girls. To make it worse, every time he looked at his beautiful Ana, Tori, Josie and Marissa, all he could see was their mother in their faces. God forgive him, he hadn’t been able to get over Luisa’s betrayal.
    He closed his eyes, wishing for the millionth time that he’d done something that would have changed the past. That he could have gotten his wife to stay, for their daughters at least.
    He regretted so many things. The worst had been making his girls suffer because he couldn’t deal with his own failure. He glanced down at his useless hand. Now it was too late. He didn’t care about the ranch anymore, but he couldn’t stand to see the hurt in his daughters’ eyes. He’d caused them enough pain. It would be best if they could forget all about him.
    * * *
    The next morning, Ana woke up early and, after Kathleen’s insistence on breakfast, drove into town. The first thing she needed was some clothes for her long stay at the ranch.
    She stopped at her apartment and packed up her jeans and boots. Suddenly she felt excited that she was going to be living back at the Lazy S for the next few