basis. I would hate to think this is the sort of woman you hired to teach my granddaughter how to conduct herself like a proper young lady.”
“I don’t need anyone to teach me anything,” Bennie chimed in, only to have Tyler cut her off.
“Rest assured, Miss Myers is the epitome of grace and elegance. This is simply a bad day for her.”
“And is this one of your bad days, as well?” Helen gave him a pointed stare. “You look dreadful, Tyler. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you quite so rough -looking.” She sniffed. “And that smell. What have you been doing?”
“It’s called work,” he replied, his voice calm and even, though Lucky could feel the tension in his body, his fingers still firm on her arm. “Why don’t you visit with Bernadette while I help Miss Myers back to her room and get cleaned up?”
“A lovely idea,” Helen said. “Miss Myers and I can chat later when she’s feeling better. A long chat, after breakfast”
“Not enough time, I’m afraid.” Tyler did his best to look regretful, but Lucky could see the relief dancing in his eyes. “If you and Merle are going to make San Antonio by nine, you’ll have to hit the road in the next half hour.”
“There’s been a change of plans. Merle had urgent premeeting business.” Helen stared pointedly at the pitcher of juice, then at Mabel who looked as if she’d rather eat nails than pour the woman a drop. “He left an hour ago.”
“ Left? But y-you’re still here.”
“Of course I am, Tyler. One evening is so little time. I thought I would just stay and get reacquainted while Merle went on without me. I’m staying two weeks.” She smiled and clasped Bennie’s hand. “Two wonderful weeks to visit with my granddaughter and—” she shifted her attention to Lucky “—get to know the woman you’ve hired to care for her.”
Lucky forced a swallow and turned her gaze to the man with the iron grip on her elbow.
And for the first time since she’d met him, Lucky saw Tyler Grant completely and utterly speechless.
7
“Y OU’RE NOT GOING to throw up, are you?” Lucky watched Tyler pace the length of the library, a strange expression on his face.
“ Staying, ” he muttered. “She’s staying.” He raked tense fingers through his hair. “For two weeks. Two weeks.” He shot her an incredulous glance and kept pacing, his complexion visibly paler. He was upset, really upset, and she had the insane urge to cross the room and wrap her arms around him.
It was definitely too early in the morning.
“I’ll just go back to my room and pack,” she told him. “That way, if you really want to toss your cookies, you don’t have to worry about being unmacho in front of me. I was hoping to make it home before the lunch-hour traffic. It’s really heavy near the airport on Saturday—”
“You can’t leave.” He turned in her direction. “She’s staying for two weeks.”
“I understand that.” He’d gone off the deep end. She could see the desperation in his eyes and it did funny things to her. She could feel the sympathy churning inside her, spreading, swamping her common sense.
“No,” she blurted out as he advanced.
“No what?”
“No to whatever you’re thinking.”
“You can’t leave. Please, Lucky. It’s just two weeks.”
“I can’t abandon my life for two weeks.”
“Not abandon. Just take a little vacation. You don’t have a husband waiting at home, no kids.”
“But I’ve got my granny. I visit every Monday. What will she say when I don’t show up?”
“I don’t know. What?”
She opened her mouth, but the words stalled on her lips. What would Granny say? Probably nothing. With Alzheimer’s, half the time she didn’t recognize Lucky. She simply sat out in the garden, picking flowers. She loved the nursing-home flowers.
The thousand-dollar-a-month nursing home that Lucky could barely afford. Forget afford. She was two months behind, her tuition money hanging in the
“I don’t need anyone to teach me anything,” Bennie chimed in, only to have Tyler cut her off.
“Rest assured, Miss Myers is the epitome of grace and elegance. This is simply a bad day for her.”
“And is this one of your bad days, as well?” Helen gave him a pointed stare. “You look dreadful, Tyler. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you quite so rough -looking.” She sniffed. “And that smell. What have you been doing?”
“It’s called work,” he replied, his voice calm and even, though Lucky could feel the tension in his body, his fingers still firm on her arm. “Why don’t you visit with Bernadette while I help Miss Myers back to her room and get cleaned up?”
“A lovely idea,” Helen said. “Miss Myers and I can chat later when she’s feeling better. A long chat, after breakfast”
“Not enough time, I’m afraid.” Tyler did his best to look regretful, but Lucky could see the relief dancing in his eyes. “If you and Merle are going to make San Antonio by nine, you’ll have to hit the road in the next half hour.”
“There’s been a change of plans. Merle had urgent premeeting business.” Helen stared pointedly at the pitcher of juice, then at Mabel who looked as if she’d rather eat nails than pour the woman a drop. “He left an hour ago.”
“ Left? But y-you’re still here.”
“Of course I am, Tyler. One evening is so little time. I thought I would just stay and get reacquainted while Merle went on without me. I’m staying two weeks.” She smiled and clasped Bennie’s hand. “Two wonderful weeks to visit with my granddaughter and—” she shifted her attention to Lucky “—get to know the woman you’ve hired to care for her.”
Lucky forced a swallow and turned her gaze to the man with the iron grip on her elbow.
And for the first time since she’d met him, Lucky saw Tyler Grant completely and utterly speechless.
7
“Y OU’RE NOT GOING to throw up, are you?” Lucky watched Tyler pace the length of the library, a strange expression on his face.
“ Staying, ” he muttered. “She’s staying.” He raked tense fingers through his hair. “For two weeks. Two weeks.” He shot her an incredulous glance and kept pacing, his complexion visibly paler. He was upset, really upset, and she had the insane urge to cross the room and wrap her arms around him.
It was definitely too early in the morning.
“I’ll just go back to my room and pack,” she told him. “That way, if you really want to toss your cookies, you don’t have to worry about being unmacho in front of me. I was hoping to make it home before the lunch-hour traffic. It’s really heavy near the airport on Saturday—”
“You can’t leave.” He turned in her direction. “She’s staying for two weeks.”
“I understand that.” He’d gone off the deep end. She could see the desperation in his eyes and it did funny things to her. She could feel the sympathy churning inside her, spreading, swamping her common sense.
“No,” she blurted out as he advanced.
“No what?”
“No to whatever you’re thinking.”
“You can’t leave. Please, Lucky. It’s just two weeks.”
“I can’t abandon my life for two weeks.”
“Not abandon. Just take a little vacation. You don’t have a husband waiting at home, no kids.”
“But I’ve got my granny. I visit every Monday. What will she say when I don’t show up?”
“I don’t know. What?”
She opened her mouth, but the words stalled on her lips. What would Granny say? Probably nothing. With Alzheimer’s, half the time she didn’t recognize Lucky. She simply sat out in the garden, picking flowers. She loved the nursing-home flowers.
The thousand-dollar-a-month nursing home that Lucky could barely afford. Forget afford. She was two months behind, her tuition money hanging in the
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