waved away Zach’s questions. “Don’t want to talk about that stuff. Susan, tell me, has this scalawag been good to you?”
She smiled. “Very good.”
As well she should say, Zach thought cynically. She was being well paid. But he had to admit she was giving great value. Gramp liked her, he could tell.
“So why haven’t—” Pete broke off and grimaced, drawing Zach’s attention.
“You shouldn’t talk so much,” he urged, stepping closer and touching his grandfather’s shoulder. Susan stepped forward and tucked in the cover that had come loose.
“Nonsense. It was just a twinge,” Pete insisted. “I want to know when you two are going to get hitched.”
“What’s ‘hitched’ mean?” Paul asked, looking puzzled.
“Married, boy, married. Don’t you want a new daddy?” Pete asked, his gaze on Paul’s face.
Zach almost swallowed his tongue. “Uh, Gramp, that’s not, I mean, we haven’t set a date.”
“Why not? You’re not getting any younger. Me, neither.” He sighed, sort of fading into the pillows, which only underlined to Zach how little time he had left with his grandfather.
“That’s not important right now. We want to concentrate all our attention on getting you well.”
“You want to get me well? Then get yourself married to this little lady. Now, before it’s too late for me to see you happy.” His breathing was becoming noisier and his eyes were closing.
“I think your grandfather is tiring himself out,” Susan said, her soft hands pulling the covers higher again before she tenderly cupped Pete’s cheek. “You need to rest, Mr. Lowery. Paul and I will go to the waiting room and give you a little time alone with Zach.”
Pete’s eyes came open again. “You’re a sweetheart, Susan. You take good care of my boy, okay?”
She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “You just take care of yourself. Zach’s a big boy. He’ll be all right.”
Pete chuckled, a sound Zach hadn’t been sure he’d ever hear again. “Yep, you’re a sweetheart.”
Zach’s gaze met Susan’s as she and Paul walked past him. On a sudden urge, he caught her arm and bent down to brush her lips with his.
He only did it to persuade Gramp everything was on the up-and-up. And to thank Susan for a great performance. His action had nothing to do with the fact that he hadn’t been able to get her off his mind all afternoon. Or those luscious lips of hers.
Nope, nothing to do with those things.
Thankfully she wasn’t facing Gramp, because she appeared startled by his action.
“I’ll be out in a few minutes,” he assured her, and winked at Paul.
They slipped from the room.
“Now, tell me why you haven’t married her,” Gramp ordered, his voice sounding much stronger all of a sudden.
“Why did that man kiss you?” Paul asked as soon as they were in the waiting room.
“Because—because he—I don’t know.” Susan knew, but she didn’t want to explain to Paul that she and Zach were lying to Zach’s grandfather.
“I like him.”
She looked at her little brother in surprise. The few times she’d accepted a date, Paul had been...difficult. “Zach?”
“Yeah. And his grandfather, too. Why don’t I have a grandfather?”
It wasn’t the first time Paul had questioned her about his family. She gave her standard answer. “You had two grandfathers, just like everyone else. sweetie, but they died before you were born.”
“Oh.”
“Look, here’s a television. Want me to turn it on? I think Monday night football is playing.”
“Okay.”
Paul wasn’t very enthusiastic, because he intended to be a baseball player, but football was better than nothing.
And maybe it would keep him from asking more uncomfortable questions.
Half an hour later, Zach came into the room.
“How is he?” she asked, surprised at how much she cared about the old man’s health. After all, she didn’t really know him.
“Better. The doctor’s with him now.” He paced around the room, impatient, ignoring both her and Paul.
“Your grandfather is a nice man,” Paul said softly, his gaze following Zach’s movement rather than the football game.
Susan feared Zach might be irritated by Paul’s comment, because it interrupted his private battles. Instead, the man walked over to Paul and touched his shoulder. “Yeah. He is, isn’t he?” Then he sat down by Paul.
“What’s the score?”
The little boy supplied the information, and the two bonded in typical male fashion.
Then the doctor came into the room.
Zach bounded up from the couch and met the doctor before he’d made much progress into the room. Susan couldn’t hear their conversation, but she watched them all the same.
Finally the doctor left the room.
“I’m going to say good-night to Gramp. I’ll be back in a minute,” Zach murmured.
“Then we’ll go home?” Paul asked, yawning. “I’m sleepy.”
“Then we’ll go home, sweetie,” Susan responded as Zach left the room. “Thanks for being so good.”
“It’s okay. I’m going to pretend Gramp is my grandfather. Is that okay, Susan? I won’t tell him, but since I don’t have a grandfather, I’ll just pretend.”
Susan gave her brother a hug. “As long as you don’t say anything to Zach or his grandfather, then that’s okay.”
Zach returned. “Ready to go?”
Susan studied his grim face as she helped Paul off the sofa. Something was wrong. She feared the doctor’s news hadn’t been good. “Do you want us to take a taxi home, so you can stay here?”
“No. They have my number and will call if there’s any change.” His words were abrupt, clipped, as if he were out of patience.
She made no more suggestions.
Once they were in the car, heading back to her apartment, she asked, “Are you going back to the ranch tonight?”
“No,
