Tyler, page 5
She put the brush back into her purse and closed it and stared down into her lap. Now that it was all over, she wondered how he felt. Would he think she was that starved for affection that she’d have reacted the same way to any man? She glanced at him nervously, but he seemed oblivious to her presence. He was staring out the windshield, apparently deep in thought.
In fact, he was trying to breathe normally. It was unusual for him to feel so shaken by such an innocent kiss. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had thrown him off balance. But Nell seemed to do it effortlessly, and that bothered him. Loss of control was the last thing he could afford with a virgin. He had to put on the brakes, and fast. The question was, how was he going to do that without making Nell think that he was little more than a playboy having fun?
He turned his head and found her watching the landscape without any particular expression on her soft face.
“We’ll be late for lunch,” Nell remarked without looking at him. She couldn’t. She was too embarrassed by her reaction to his kiss.
He searched for the right words to explain what had happened, but Nell was far too unsophisticated for that kind of discussion. She seemed remarkably naive in a number of ways. He imagined her own abandon had been as embarrassing to her as his lack of control had been disturbing to him.
Better to let things lie, he supposed, for the time being. He started the station wagon without another word and headed for the ranch.
* * *
Margie got the boys ready to go early in the afternoon, and Tyler volunteered to take them back to Tucson. That seemed to thrill Margie, and it was a relief to Nell, who’d dreaded being alone with her sister-in-law. Margie had a way of dragging information out of her, and Nell didn’t want to share what had happened with Tyler. It was a secret. A sweet, very private secret, which she was going to live on for a long time.
“You’re not brooding again, are you?” Bella asked that evening as they washed supper dishes.
Nell shook her head. “No. I’m just grateful for a little peace. Margie was on her soapbox again about gussying me up.” She sighed. “I don’t think I’d like being a fashion plate, even if I had the raw material. I like me the way I am.”
“Frumpy,” Bella agreed.
She glared at the housekeeper. Nell’s soapy hands lifted out of the water. “Look who’s talking about frumpy!”
Bella glared back. “I ain’t frumpy.” She shifted her stance and shook back her wild silvery-black hair. “I’m unique.”
Nell couldn’t argue with that. “Okay, I give up. I’m frumpy.”
“You could do with a little improvement. Maybe Margie isn’t the terror we think she is. You know, she does care about you, in her way. She’s only trying to help.”
“She’s trying to help herself into a relationship with Tyler,” Nell corrected.
“She’s lonely,” Bella said. Her knowing eyes sought Nell’s suddenly vulnerable face. “Aren’t you?”
Nell stared at the soapsuds. “I think most people are,” she said slowly. “And I guess Tyler could do worse. At least Margie makes him smile.”
“You could, if you’d get that chip off your shoulder.”
“I got hurt,” Nell muttered.
“That’s no reason to bury yourself. You’re just twenty-four. You’ve got a lot of years left to be alone if you don’t turn around pretty soon. You don’t gain anything if you’re afraid to take a chance. That isn’t any way for a young woman to live.”
Nell’s mind had already gone back to the morning, to Tyler’s warm mouth so hungry against her own, to the feel of his lean, strong body against hers. She colored at the sweet memory, and at that moment, she knew she was going to die if she could never have it again.
But Tyler didn’t want her. He’d said that he didn’t have room in his life for a woman—more than once. She had to keep her head. She couldn’t run after him. Not when she was certain to be rejected.
“Bella, maybe I’m meant to be an old maid,” she murmured thoughtfully. “Some women are, you know. It just works out that way. It’s the beautiful women who marry—”
“I ain’t beautiful and I married,” Bella reminded her with an arrogant sniff. “Besides, looks fade. Character lasts. And you got plenty of that, child.”
Nell smiled. “You’re a nice lady.”
“I’m glad you like me. I like me, too, just occasionally. Now wash off that spot, Nell, so we don’t get food poisoning. When you have your own house and kitchen, you’ll have to do all this without me to remind you.”
Nell had to stifle a giggle. Bella could be imposing, but she was an angel.
* * *
Tyler threw himself into his work for the next couple of days, and Nell hardly saw him. He came to meals, but he was looking more and more haggard, and he was coughing. Since the Sunday he’d picked her up at church, they’d hardly spoken. He’d been polite but remote, and Nell began to think he was avoiding her. She understood the reason for it—he didn’t want to get involved. He was probably afraid she’d read too much into those warm kisses. Well, she told herself, there was no need for him to worry. She wasn’t going to throw herself at him. She just wished she could tell him so, again. But it was too embarrassing to contemplate.
All the same, she couldn’t stop being concerned about him. He did look bad. Inevitably, there came a day later in the week when he didn’t show up for supper.
Bella went down to the foreman’s cabin to find out why. She’d asked Nell to go, but Nell had refused instantly. Another confrontation with Tyler was the last thing she needed now.
Bella came back a half hour later looking thoughtful. “He don’t look too good,” she remarked. “He’s pale and he says he’s not hungry. I hope he’s not coming down with that virus that went through the bunkhouse last week.”
“Is he all right?” Nell asked too quickly.
“He says a night’s sleep will do him good. We’ll see.”
Nell watched her amble off to the kitchen and had to force herself not to go rushing down to the cabin to see Tyler. He was the epitome of good health. She knew because he’d told them that he was never sick. But there was always a first time, and he’d worked like a horse since his arrival.
Sometimes it seemed that he was working off more than the loss of his ranch back in Texas. Perhaps there’d been a girl he’d wanted who hadn’t wanted him when he lost everything. That put a new perspective on things and Nell started worrying even more. She hadn’t thought of him having a girlfriend. But he was a handsome man, and he was experienced. Very experienced, even to her innocent mind. There had to have been women in his past. He might even have been engaged. She groaned. She didn’t like to consider the possibility that he might have kissed her because he was missing some woman he’d left behind in Texas. But it might be true. Oh, if only there was some way to find out!
She paced the living room floor until Bella complained that she was wearing out the rug. She went up to bed, where she could pace uninterrupted.
But the more she paced, the more confused things got. In the end, she undressed, put on her soft long gown and climbed into bed. Minutes later she was blessedly asleep, beyond the reach of all her problems.
* * *
The next morning, Nell’s first thought was of Tyler. She dressed in jeans and a yellow knit top, looped her long hair into a ponytail, and ran downstairs with her boots barely on.
“Have you been to see Tyler?” she asked Bella.
The older woman scowled at her from a pan of biscuits she was just making up. “I will as soon as I get these biscuits in the oven….”
“I’ll go.”
Bella didn’t say a word. But she grinned to herself as Nell went tearing out the back door.
The foreman’s cabin was nice. It was big enough for a small family, but nothing fancy. Nell knocked on the door. Nobody answered. She knocked again. Still nothing.
She paused, wondering what to do. But there was really no choice. If he didn’t answer, he was either asleep, which was unlikely, or gone, which was equally unlikely, or too sick to get up.
She opened the door, glad to find it unlocked, and peeked in. It was in good order for a bachelor’s establishment. The Indian rugs on the floor were straight, and there were no clothes thrown over the old leather couch and chair.
Her heart beat wildly as she eased farther into the living room. “Tyler?” she called.
There was a soft groan from the bedroom. She followed it, half-afraid that she might find him totally unclothed. She looked around the door hesitantly. “Tyler?”
He was under the covers, but his hair-matted chest was bare, like his tanned, muscular arms. He opened his eyes briefly. “Nell. God, I feel rough. Can you get Bella, honey?”
“What for?” she asked gently, moving closer.
“To call a doctor,” he said wearily. “I haven’t slept and my chest hurts. I think I’ve got bronchitis.” He coughed.
“I can call a doctor,” she said gently. She felt his forehead. It was burning hot. “Just lie there and don’t move. I’ll bring you something cold to drink, and then I’ll get the doctor. I’ll take care of you.”
He caught her eyes, searching them strangely. It felt odd, the sensation her words had sent through his body. He’d never had to be taken care of, but it occurred to him that there was nobody he’d rather have nursing him than Nell.
“Be right back,” she said, hiding her concern under a faint smile. She rushed out, all the antagonism gone in the rush of concern she felt for him. He had to be all right, he just had to!
Chapter Four
Nell got Tyler a cold soft drink from his small refrigerator and helped him get a few swallows of it down before she rushed back to the main house to phone the doctor.
Bella stood listening in the doorway while Nell described the symptoms to Dr. Morrison and was told to bring Tyler in to his clinic as soon as she could get him there.
She felt insecure when she hung up. “I’ll bet he thinks it could be pneumonia,” Nell told the older woman worriedly. “And I guess it could be. He’s coughing something terrible and burning up with fever.”
“I’ll go get Chappy to help you get him into the station wagon,” Bella said. “Or I’ll go…”
“No, that’s all right,” Nell replied. “Chappy can come with us. We’ll have to postpone the daily shopping trip with the guests, but Chappy can drive the Simses and the others to the mall as soon as we get back.”
“He’ll hate that.” Bella chuckled.
“I know, but somebody’s got to look after Tyler.”
Bella almost strangled herself trying to keep quiet. She could have looked after Tyler, but it was pretty obvious that Nell had already assigned that chore to herself. And Bella wasn’t about to interfere. “That’s right,” she said, grinning. “I’ll get Chappy.”
But as they went out the door together, they noticed immediately that the station wagon was missing. So was the pickup truck.
“Where’s he gone?” Bella yelled to Marlowe, who was leading a saddled horse out of the stable.
“Chappy had to run into town to pick up that stomach medicine for the sick calves. He’s been gone a half hour, so he should be back anytime.”
“Where’s the pickup?” Nell called.
Marlowe shrugged. “Sorry, ma’am, I don’t know.”
“Great,” Nell muttered. She glanced at Bella. “Well, send Chappy down to the cabin the minute he comes back. I just hope he’s not inclined to linger at the vet’s office.”
“I’ll phone the vet and make sure,” Bella replied. “Don’t worry. Tyler’s tough.”
“I guess he is.” Nell sighed. She forced a smile and quickly went down the path to the cabin.
Tyler was sprawled against the pillows asleep when Nell got back to him. She sighed, wondering how on earth he was going to dress himself.
“Tyler?” she called gently, touching his bare shoulder lightly. “Tyler, wake up.”
His eyes opened instantly, a little glazed from sleep and fever. “Nell?” he murmured, shifting under the covers.
“Dr. Morrison wants me to bring you to his office,” she said. “We have to get you dressed.”
He laughed weakly. “That’s going to be harder than you think. I’m as weak as a kitten.” A sudden bout of coughing doubled him up and he grimaced at the pain it caused him. “Damn! It feels like I’ve got a broken rib.”
Nell’s heart sank. It was almost surely pneumonia. Her mother had died of it, and it held hidden terrors for her because of the memory.
“Can you dress yourself?” she asked hesitantly.
He sighed jerkily. “I don’t think so, Nell.”
“Chappy isn’t here,” she said thoughtfully. “But there’s Marlowe, or Bella—”
“No,” he said shortly. He glared up at her with fever-bright eyes. “As strange as it may seem to you, I don’t like the thought of having myself dressed by yahoos and grinning old women. No way. If you want me dressed, honey, I’ll let you help. But nobody else. Not even Chappy.”
That was surprising. She hadn’t thought men minded people looking at them. But then, Tyler wasn’t like other men.
She hesitated. “Okay. If you can get the—” she cleared her throat “—the first things on, I guess I can help with the rest.”
“Haven’t you seen a man without clothes?” he asked with faint humor.
“No. And I don’t really want to,” she said nervously.
“You may not have a choice.” He started coughing again and had to catch his breath before he could speak. “Underwear and socks are in the top drawer of the dresser,” he said. “Shirts and jeans in the closet.”
She paused, but only for a minute. The important thing was to get him to the doctor. She had to remember that and put his health before her outraged modesty. Since he wouldn’t let anybody else help, she didn’t have a choice.
As quickly as possible, she laid out everything he was going to need. But when he started trying to sit up, he held his chest and lay right back down again.
“God, that hurts, Nell,” he said huskily. “It must have been the dust. We got into a cloud of it a few days ago bringing back some straying cattle, and I inhaled about half an acre, I think. I’ve had a lot of congestion, but I thought it was just an allergy. Until this morning, anyway.”
“Oh, Tyler,” she moaned.
“Should have worn my bandanna,” he murmured. “That’s why the old-timers wore them, you know, to pull up over their faces in dust storms and such.”
“How are you going to dress?” she wailed.
He gave her a knowing look. “You mean, how are you going to dress me,” he replied. “If it helps, it isn’t something I’d choose to saddle you with. I don’t even like stripping in front of men.”
She colored. “I don’t think I can,” she whispered.
“It won’t be that bad, I promise,” he said softly. “Pull the sheet up over my hips and slide my briefs up as far as you feel comfortable. I think I can manage it from there.”
The blush got worse as she picked them up. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, fumbling the briefs over his feet and ankles. “Old maids aren’t very good at this sort of thing.”
“Neither are old bachelors.” He coughed, groaning. “Come on, Nell, you can do it. Just close your eyes and push.”
She laughed involuntarily. “That might be the only way.” She eased them up, her hands cold against the warm, hard muscles of his thighs. She couldn’t help but feel how well made he was, how powerful. She got them just under the sheet and her nerve gave way. “Is that…far enough?” she asked huskily.
“I’ll manage.” He eased his hands under the sheet and tugged and then lay back with a rough sigh. “Okay. The rest is up to you, honey.”
She slid his socks on his feet. He had nice feet, very well proportioned if a little big, and even nice ankles. His legs were as tanned as his face and arms, and it almost had to be natural, because he certainly hadn’t been sunbathing the past few weeks.
“This is the first time in my adult life that I’ve ever been dressed by a woman,” he remarked weakly as she eased his undershirt over his head and pulled it down over his broad, hair-matted chest.
“They tell me there’s a first time for everything,” she returned, but her eyes were on the rippling muscles of his chest. She could feel the warmth of his skin, feel the thick abrasiveness of the hair that covered the broad expanse until it wedged down to his undershorts. When she reached under his arms to pull the undershirt down over his back, her face was almost pressed to his skin, and she had to grit her teeth not to kiss him there. The most unwanted sensations were washing over her body like fire. This wasn’t the time or the place, she had to remind herself. He was a sick man, and she had to get him to a doctor. Besides all that, it was suicidal to feel that way about a man who’d already warned her off.
“You look like boiled lobster,” he remarked. “It wasn’t as bad as you thought, was it?”
“No, not really,” she agreed with a thin smile. She helped him into his chambray shirt and snapped the cuffs and then the snaps down the front of it. “It’s just new.”
“Didn’t you ever have to dress your brother?” he grinned weakly.
“No. Ted was much older than I was,” she said. “And he went away to school, so we didn’t spend a lot of time together. Dad and Mom worshiped him. He was their world. I guess I was more or less an accident. But they tried not to let me feel left out.”
“My father never wanted kids at all,” Tyler remarked. “He did his damnedest to break my spirit, and he almost did break my sister’s, Shelby. But we survived. It’s ironic that the ranch had to be sold. He’d have sacrificed both of us to hold on to it.”
She unfolded his jeans. “You’ll have your own ranch one day,” she said gently. “And you won’t break your children’s spirits to keep it, either.”
