Their Forever Family: Her Family for Keeps / A Father for Poppy / His Little Christmas Miracle
Not a good idea. Yet. He eased back and watched in delight as her eyelids fluttered and surprise covered her face. She was as turned on as he by the surprising power of the kiss. Her lips were red and plump, face flushed and breathing slightly erratic. He imagined he looked about the same. He’d love to see her all rumpled from making love all afternoon but had to grit his teeth and pull away.
She was relieved when he moved back, but at the same thoroughly confused by the kiss. Then again, Duncan wasn’t going to be someone she’d date. They were just coworkers and friends.
Who maybe kissed on occasion. That happened, didn’t it?
“That was very nice, Rebel.” His eyes glittered.
“Uh, very.” She cleared her throat and blew out a breath, trying to get herself under control.
He placed a light kiss on her lips and reluctantly withdrew. He clasped her shoulder, then let his hand stroke down her arm and take her hand. “Let’s get going, shall we?” He straightened the tartan over her shoulders. “This looks perfect on you.”
Despite her experience as a nurse, she was such a babe in some ways. He liked that. Not sure why, but he did. The innocence she exuded was really quite alluring. Her own siren song she didn’t know she sang.
“Thanks.” With her senses still humming, she grabbed her handbag and locked the door. Duncan took her hand and escorted her to his vehicle. The pickup truck seemed totally Duncan. It was black and unassuming on the outside, but inside it had all the bells and whistles one could ask for. It looked like a small airplane. She wasn’t surprised when he put on aviator sunglasses.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Where does he live? In a retirement home?” There were probably lots of them in Albuquerque. It was a retirement hot spot.
Duncan snorted, then choked on a laugh. “Him? In a facility? Not on your life. He’d throw himself in front of a bus first.”
“More self-sufficient than I imagined, then?” Some elderly lived independently well into their nineties.
Duncan gave her a slant-eyed glance then turned his attention back to the road. “You have no idea.”
In short order, they arrived not at a private home, as she’d expected, but at a private airfield.
“He lives at an airport?” Now she was more confused than ever.
“No, he lives in Hatch, like I said. It’s about three hours by car, but only about forty-five minutes by plane.”
Her stomach churned. “This isn’t a good idea. Why don’t you just take me home, and we can forget it? Or we could drive.” Panic began to set in. How the hell was she going to get out of this? Get into an airplane with him after he’d just given her the kiss of a lifetime? How was she going to sit that close to him and not reach out?
“You don’t get air-sick, do you?” He parked the truck and got out. She bailed out of her side and slammed the door.
“N-no, I don’t think so, but I’ve never been in a plane that small before.” It looked like a toy. Seriously, where was the wind-up device?
“Well, here’s your chance.” He began to remove the padded covers from the propeller. “You’re not afraid to go up with me, are you?” He moved closer to her. “You are. You’re uncertain about going up in a plane with a man you just met.”
What a relief. He understood, and they could end this now.
“No problem.” He resumed his preparations and anxiety resurfaced.
“You’re a pilot?” That surprised her. Most people she knew were just what they appeared to be. A doctor or nurse or plumber. Duncan was starting to have more depth than she’d imagined, but that didn’t mean she wanted to get into a flying tin can with him.
“I’ve been flying since I was fourteen. Got my junior license when I was sixteen, flew my grandfather back and forth from Hatch to Albuquerque I don’t know how many times, then got my full pilot’s license so I could fly day or night. Been flying for almost twenty years now.”
“Uh…that’s nice.” He was still preparing the plane, like he thought she was getting into it.
“Don’t worry, Rebel. I’ll get you there safely, and I’ll get you back safely.” He grinned and looked at her over his reflective sunglasses. “Trust me. I’m a doctor.”
Now, that made her laugh, and she relaxed. “I think that’s the cheesiest line I’ve ever heard.”
“Yeah, but it made you laugh and that’s a beautiful thing.”
He approached her and took her hand gently in his. “It’s going to be okay. You said you wanted a field trip.” He led her to the small plane, opened the door and assisted her into the passenger seat, tucked the plaid around her and buckled her in. After securing her door, he rounded the plane and settled himself in the pilot’s chair.
Duncan helped her to adjust the headphones so they could speak to each other over the headset and started the plane. The hum of the engine whined in her ears and the vibration pulsed through her. Excitement and eagerness fought with equal parts of anxiety and nausea inside her as Duncan got all serious and went through his preflight checks.
“Any mishaps over the years?” Although it was wise to ask, it also felt impolite.
“Only one. Daisy got sick every time.” Though he answered the question honestly, he didn’t elaborate and continued his preparations.
“Oh, I see.” A sick, jealous feeling surged inside her, and she pushed it down. Though he’d kissed her, she didn’t have any right to be jealous. Knowing he’d flown another woman multiple times put a damper on the day. Another yoga breath to clear those thoughts. And she ignored the tremor in her hands. It was nothing.
“She hated flying, but once she got her paws on the ground she was a whole new dog. Raced through the fields like a puppy.”
“Paws?” That opened up a whole new dimension to the situation.
“Yes, she was my dog. Chocolate lab. Never had another dog like her.” A wistful sigh escaped him. “She was a gift from my mother when I was twelve. Said I needed to learn how to take care of a four-legged female before I could ever consider taking care of a two-legged one.”
Relief flowed through Rebel and a warm pulse in her chest followed. A dog.
Someone spoke into the headset, and Duncan responded. Rebel remained quiet as they bumped out onto the runway and prepared to take off.
Her heart raced and her mouth went dry. Clenching her hands on the seat didn’t relieve her anxiety, but she couldn’t help it, just as she couldn’t help the grin that exploded on her face when the tires left the pavement and they were airborne.
CHAPTER SEVEN
A TOTALLY GIRLISH squeal erupted from her throat. “Oh, my, this is incredible!” There were so many things to look at all at once out of every window of the plane, she felt as if her head were on a swivel. There was the river, the mountains, cars on the highway, and all kinds of buildings that were growing smaller and smaller.
Duncan’s chuckle sounded warm in her ears. “Keep that up and you’re gonna barf. Pick one side of the plane to look out of.”
That got her attention. So uncool to barf in front of witnesses. “Good to know.”
“Look to your right, there’s the Rio Grande. Locals say it without the emphasis on the e at the end. And I’ve heard people add the word river at the end. It literally translates to river big, so no need to add river on the end.”
“Dead giveaway for tourists, right?” Note to self.
“You got it.”
For the next hour Duncan kept her entertained by pointing out the sights below and didn’t make her one bit nauseated. She was fascinated by all the knobs and dials he tended to. No wonder his truck looked like a small plane on the inside. He was used to it.
“We’re coming in over the property now.”
Rebel looked at a beautiful patchwork of red dirt and green vegetation, whirls of dirt kicked up by a tractor adding another dimension to the scene below. The engine changed tone, and Rebel clutched the seat.
“Don’t worry, just have to slow the plane so we can land.”
“Down there?” She raised her brows and didn’t see a thing large enough to land on. “Uh, where?”
He chuckled. “Yes, down there. Don’t worry. I’ve never missed the airstrip yet.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Duncan expertly guided the plane down until they were just a few feet above the dirt. Rebel cringed and closed her eyes tightly, held her breath.
Then a few bumps, the pressure of the brakes pressed her forward into the seat belt and then flung her back into it as they came to a dusty, bouncy stop unscathed.
“You okay?” Duncan asked, and looked at her.
“I’m okay.”
Duncan reached toward her, his hands cupping her face as he pushed off the headset. “Welcome to Hatch.”
Both doors were flung open from the outside and two young men, bearing a strong resemblance to Duncan, peered in at them.
“Come on, he’s waiting for you.”
Rebel smiled as she stepped out onto solid ground again.
“Rebel, these are my nephews, Jake and Judd,” Duncan said as he introduced them. They rode in a golf cart on a dirt track that paralleled a field of chili. In minutes, they approached a huge, two-story home that reminded her of pictures she’d seen of historic old Mexico. Beautiful, traditional and exotic.
“There he is.”
Rebel noticed a hunched-over old man standing on the porch. He raised a hand, and she waved back, though she knew he couldn’t see her. The old man appeared to lean on something, and she thought it might be a cane or a walker. With the sun bright overhead, she shaded her eyes with one hand and as they neared the house she realized she’d fallen victim to a trick of light and shadow.
The man was six feet tall and as robust as she could imagine any ninety-year-old could be. Duncan had said he was impressive, and Rebel believed him. The cart stopped at the edge of the patio, and Duncan stepped out, then offered a hand to assist her. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” Rebel said, and straightened her spine. “I’ve taken on many patients his age. I can handle him.” A snort erupted from one of the nephews in the front seat, but Rebel didn’t know which one.
Duncan walked beside Rebel with anticipation humming through him. He didn’t really know why. They weren’t a couple, they weren’t even dating. The last time he’d introduced a woman to his grandfather it had ended in disaster. The man had seen right through her and had made no bones about what he thought of her.
They’d broken up the next day.
“So this is the lady friend you were tellin’ me about?” he asked, and stepped forward.
“Yes. Allow me to introduce my friend and a nurse, Rebel Taylor. Rebel, this is my grandfather, Rafael McFee, current owner of this impressive empire.”
Rafael held his hand out to Rebel, and she didn’t know whether to shake it or curtsy, so she went with a firm grip. She’d seriously have to amend her mistaken assumption he was going to be elderly, frail and cute. This man was anything but, and she could see how Duncan had inherited his strong, commanding presence and control.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Duncan has mentioned you several times.” She hoped that was okay.
Without releasing her hand, he gave Duncan a narrow-eyed look. “I’ll bet he did.” His accent was soft with a mixture of Spanish and Scottish inflections. Rafael tucked her hand into his elbow and led the way to an outdoor patio, a portál, if she remembered correctly. “Did he tell you I chased off his last girlfriend?”
Rebel gave a panicked look at Duncan’s enigmatic expression, then returned it to Rafael. “No. No, he didn’t. But as I’m not his girlfriend, I don’t have to worry about you chasing me off, do I?”
“Well, there’s still the matter of you walking into my home brazenly displaying the colors of a rival clan, now, isn’t there?”
Rebel laughed and patted him on the arm. “Now, that’s a whole other issue.”
They settled at a large wooden table with chairs made of wood and cowhide, and an older Hispanic woman emerged from inside, carrying a tray of iced tea. She didn’t have the manner of a hired member of staff, but carried herself as if she had been around this family for a long, long time.
“I’m Lupe, and I run this madhouse,” she said, then turned to Rebel. “Now, be on your best manner.”
Rebel raised her brows and Duncan said, “She’s talking to him, not us.”
“Oh.” She paused. “Oh! So you’ve made a habit of misbehavior, have you?” Rebel asked, innocently setting her chin on her hand and looking right at Rafael.
Duncan tilted back in his chair and roared out a laugh. “I knew this was going to be fun.”
The scowl on Rafael’s face should have made her cringe, but she only smiled, comforted by Duncan’s relaxed demeanor. He was right. It was fun.
“So, tell me, why aren’t you dating my grandson? Don’t tell me he’s not good enough for you either.” Rafael turned to face Duncan. “Don’t tell me she’s like that last one. Only seeing dollar signs.” He paused, thinking. “Or was that the one before that? The last one didn’t make it to the altar either.” He slapped his hand on the table and Rebel jumped. “Dammit, Duncan. You’re supposed to find a woman you can make babies with. I want to make sure my favorite grandson has his life in order before I die.” The scowl on his face was enough to make anyone cringe, but Duncan hardly looked disturbed.
Duncan snorted and reached out to take Rebel’s hand for a second. “That’s about enough of the grilling.” He leaned forward, getting into Rafael’s face. “And I’ve never been your favorite grandson.”
“Duncan certainly is a fine doctor and a fine man, but the fact is I don’t date. It has nothing to do with him.” There. She said it out aloud, and she hadn’t been struck by lightning. She looked overhead. It could still happen. Looked like thunderheads were coming their way. Outrageously huge ones, racing across the horizon.
“Why not?” The frown grew even more fierce. “Don’t you like men?”
“I like men just fine.” She glanced down and fiddled with her glass. “Things just haven’t worked out that way for me. So I’ve decided to let go of that part of my life.”
“Why? There must be something wrong with the men you’re picking, then.”
“Yes. Well.” Rebel’s insides tightened a bit, not wanting to get into her tragic family history the second they arrived, but it seemed they were on the edge of it.
“Seriously, Rafael. Enough.” Duncan defended Rebel. She didn’t need that sort of treatment. “Rebel’s decisions are her own and it’s not for us to pry. She hasn’t even had a cup of coffee, and you’re jumping down her throat.”
“It’s not natural, that’s for sure,” Rafael said, and eased back into his chair.
“If I’ve offended you, sir, I apologize, but, as Duncan says, this is my own business.” She stood and wrapped the plaid around her shoulders as if it would protect her. “You’ll have to excuse me for a while,” she said, and walked away from the table, back out the gate they’d entered and away from the house. Where she was going, she didn’t know, but she needed a breather. Now.
Her strides lengthened until she was almost running away from the house. If she’d worn better shoes, she would have raced, but her flats weren’t designed for that. And there were too many rocks and stickers on the road.
Minutes later she heard the crunch of tires on the dirt, but no engine. She kept going, not looking behind her. It was probably one of the field workers she’d seen, and she wrapped her tartan around her shoulders tightly. Certainly wouldn’t be Duncan chasing after her. He wasn’t the kind to chase.
“Rebel, wait.”
It really was him. “No.”
“Seriously, please wait.” He drove the golf cart closer and pulled alongside her as she huffed along the dirt road. A small rock had gotten into one shoe and now she limped along, pain in every step. But it was nothing to the pain in her heart. She didn’t want to have to explain herself to anyone. Her lifestyle was a choice. A personal one. Telling it didn’t change it.
The sky darkened further as the thunderclouds raced closer and drops of rain began to fall all around her while Duncan was safe in the little golf cart.
“I’ll stop if you’ll stop.” What a ploy.
“I’m not stopping.” It was a matter of stubborn pride now. The Irish always could out-stubborn the Scottish. Or at least that’s what her mother had told her. Rebel was about to find out.
“Then I guess I’m not either.”
When the skies opened up minutes later and lightning sizzled too close, she jumped into the golf cart. “Let’s go. I can be mad at you later.”
Duncan guided the lumbering golf cart toward a large barn, which looked really far away. Rain pelted down on them and Duncan began to drive slower.
“What are you doing? Go faster, not slower.”
“The battery is dying. Damned kids never plug anything in. We’re going to have to run for it.”
“Oh, no.” She got out of the questionable shelter of the cart and ran alongside Duncan. They were getting closer to the barn when mud engulfed one of her shoes, and she was forced to stop.
“Come on!” Duncan raced back to her.
“I’m stuck!” She was not leaving her shoe.
Like any superhero ready to save the damsel in distress, he bent at the waist, put her over his shoulder and ran for it.
Rebel screamed the whole way.
Duncan stumbled into the barn and collapsed into a pile of hay as he lowered Rebel down. Or tried to. It was more of a controlled fall than a gracefully executed maneuver. Seemed like he was always stumbling into something when he was around Rebel.
“Are you okay?” Riding on his shoulder couldn’t have been comfortable.
“I’m fine. Just soaked.” She pushed her dripping hair up and out of her face. “That storm came up quickly.”
“Welcome to monsoon season.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously, but that’s not what I mean. I meant okay about what happened back there. He’s a cantankerous old buzzard, but that was going overboard, even for him.” Duncan slid his hand down her arm until he reached her hand. “I’m sorry. I should have stepped in sooner, but I didn’t realize he was going for the jugular until too late.”
“It’s okay, really. I should be used to people asking me questions like that.”
“Well, no, you shouldn’t. Your personal decisions are nobody’s business, not even mine. Though I don’t understand, it’s really none of my business.” He wanted to, but it was such a waste of life to not fully enjoy it. And for someone as vibrant and lively as Rebel, it was equally sinful in his eyes. Especially when that life could be ripped out from under you at a moment’s notice. Like in a car wreck.
“Thank you.” Giving herself a verbal shake, she sat on a bale of hay and patted the space beside her. “Sit down. Why don’t you tell me about this monsoon season? I’ve never heard of it.”
Duncan shook himself like a dog. He dropped onto the spot beside her. “It’s the rain this time of the year that makes or breaks a chili season.” Though he was soaked to the bone, it didn’t bother him. He was warming up watching Rebel try to make headway with her hair, which was a wild tangle. He itched to dig his hands into the mass and test it for himself.
“I had no idea.” She huffed one last strand out of her face.
Pieces of straw poked out from her shirt, and he reached to remove that. She looked up at him, and she’d never looked more beautiful, more alluring than she did sitting there soaking wet on a hay bale in his grandfather’s barn.
“Rebel.” He reached out and cupped her face so she looked up at him. “I want to kiss you again.”
She didn’t say anything, but held his gaze. He wanted her with everything he had in him, but she was much more fragile and vulnerable than he’d known. Hiding behind all that fire and sass was a profoundly bruised soul. He leaned closer, drinking in the sweet fragrance of the hay, the fresh aroma of the rain falling around them, the unique perfume of Rebel’s body, and he leaned closer still. Her eyes dilated, and her gaze dropped to his mouth.
He’d only intended to give her a small kiss. But his appetite to taste her had been whetted that morning. When his lips touched hers, she took a deep breath, as if scenting him, breathing his essence, and he was lost. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he brought her fully against him. She tasted sweet, like the rain on his lips. Pliant, she relaxed beneath his touch and parted her lips to his questing tongue.
Lord, the man could kiss. Unable to deny herself this moment, she wrapped her arms around his middle and hung on as he kissed her like he couldn’t get enough of her. His hand dove into her hair and cupped her head while his mouth explored hers.
She’d been kissed plenty of times, had had a few short-term relationships that had been purely physical, but she’d never been kissed like this. Warmth began with his lips pressed against hers and spread to her chest and abdomen, inspiring surges of pleasure that made her want to stay in his arms forever.
Duncan could stay here, just like this, wrapped up with Rebel for the rest of the day, the rest of the night. Doves cooing overhead only lent to the atmosphere. Making love all afternoon would be something he’d never forget, but he knew she wasn’t ready for that yet.
Rebel wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer, aching to have him against her skin. When his hand cupped her breast and his thumb traced her nipple, she knew she was in over her head. Telling him no or pulling away wasn’t one of the options she was thinking of right now.
The lights of a vehicle shone in the doorway, and they broke apart.
“Someone’s come to get us, I think.” Duncan pressed a kiss to her nose and helped her to sit. “Dammit.”
The SUV raced down the road and nearly drove into the barn. Rebel watched as Duncan changed, his radar on full alert. This wasn’t the usual rescue of people stranded in the rain.
One of the boys burst from the vehicle and dashed into the barn. “Come quick. He’s in trouble.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
DUNCAN GRABBED HER hand and they hurried through the rain and into the SUV.
“What’s wrong?” Duncan leaned forward from the backseat.
“He’s having another spell.” Jake skipped the road and drove right through the middle of what had once been a promising field of chili, but was now a straight shot to the house.
“Another spell? What do you mean, another?”
“Last week he couldn’t breathe, but it passed, and he wouldn’t let anyone call you.”
“Dammit.”
“He’s so stubborn, he thinks he’s invincible.”
In minutes the SUV stopped in front of the house. “Go to the plane and get my medical kit from the outside cargo hold.”
“Got it.” Jake sped away before Duncan even closed the door.
Rebel waited, anxious, for him. He was more serious than she’d ever seen him. Concern for his grandfather was evident on his face and the grim set of his mouth.
“It’ll be okay. We’ll take care of him.” Somehow she wanted to reassure him.
Duncan nodded and led the way inside. Lupe met them at the door. She clutched her hands in her apron. “Where is he?”
“In the den. He can’t breathe, mijo, just like last time.”
Without a word, Duncan strode to the den, with Rebel steps behind him. If his grandfather died it would be because of pure stubborn pride. Or Duncan would strangle him. One or the other. Rafael could inspire the most patient of men to murder.
He sat on the couch, eyes closed, his color a waxy, greenish-yellow. That indicated a cardiac issue. “How long has this been going on?”
“‘Bout…half…hour.” His breathing came in short gasps, and Duncan could hear crackles in his lungs, even without a stethoscope.
Rebel sat on the other side of Rafael, and she placed his hand in her lap, her fingers on his pulse. “He’s clammy, tachycardic, and I can hear fluid in his lungs.”