Here Comes Trouble (6 page)

"It should," she told him knowing that they
were talking about nothing, trying to fill the empty space the
conversation was quickly falling into.

"They carrying your furniture down the steps
for you?" Joel asked with concern in his tone.

"Yeah, supposedly they'll have two big
meatheads to tote it all down."

"Good."

"Good," she repeated then tilted her head
wondering what was on his mind. It had to be something. Whether he
was headed to Dallas to move some of his own stuff or not, his
timing was awfully suspicious.

He picked now to go to Dallas and get his
stuff, just when she was moving herself? And he cared enough to
stop here to make sure she was okay? A little burst of something
shot through her chest and squeezed her heart.

After a moment of silence, he said, "You wanna
go get something to eat? I've got an hour or so to burn before I
head to Dallas."

"I better not," she told him. Being alone with
Joel was just asking for trouble. When she was anywhere in his
vicinity her body lit up like a roman candle on the fourth of July.
He was her new boss, and she needed to keep her distance if she was
going to maintain any semblance of control where he was
concerned.

"You said you were going to eat," he reminded
her with a smirk.

"Yeah, I was...until Dr. Gregory decided to
visit."

"Lost your appetite?" he asked and his smile
dropped. "That man would make anyone sick at their stomach. I can't
believe you put up with that shit as long as you did."

"You do what you have to do," she told him. "I
just finally couldn't
do
it anymore."

"Let me know if he comes around again..." he
told her angrily.

"Oh, I think he got the message," she told him
with a chuckle. "Thanks for delivering it to him."

"He deserved that and more...if he comes back,
he'll get it."

Terri sighed, then put her hand on his chest
and leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek, because she couldn't
resist. Joel Rhodes was a good man, even though he tried to pretend
to be hard sometimes. "I'm sorry you had to get involved in that. I
hope he doesn't call the cops."

"If he does, we'll file a report for
harassment, stalking and assault. I don't think he's that stupid,"
Joel told her. "You should probably file a report anyway and get a
restraining order."

"He's pretty dense," she said with a snort.
"But I really don't think he'll be back. Besides, I won't be here
if he does, and nobody knows where I'm going."

Her stomach growled, and Joel's eyebrows drew
together over his eyes, then he grabbed her hand. The touch of his
palm to hers sent fire skittering along her nerve
endings.

"We're going to get something to eat," he said
and grabbed her hand then dragged her toward the moving truck.
What's good around here?"

Terri put on the brakes and dug in her heels.
"I think it would be smarter to take my car, don't you?" she said
reasonably. "It would take a heck of a lot less gas."

"Sure, fine..." he agreed and headed back
toward the car with her in tow.

A few minutes later she regretted the
decision, when his big body was stuffed into her Miata and there
wasn't an inch of room separating them. Every time she shifted, her
hand brushed his thigh and sparks of electricity shot up her arm.
The whole interior of the car was filled with his intoxicating
citrusy cologne. It marinated her brain and sent sensual messages
to other body parts. His shoulder brushed her breast when he moved
to get more comfortable in his seat and Terri swerved trying to
squeeze closer to her door.

His big hand gripped her thigh and he shouted,
"Whoa, sugar...you need me to drive?"

Fire shot up her thigh to her center and Terri
whimpered. He finally settled back into his seat and moved his
hand, but it was too late. Inside her chest, her heart was playing
field hockey with her ribs. A slow throb had started between her
thighs and her nipples were at full alert. Damn, the man could turn
her to pudding with just one touch. And it had been
accidental!

How the hell had she thought she could work
with him with their history? With how she knew he affected her. It
was a fine time to be thinking about that now though. She'd quit
her job, packed up her stuff, and she
was
going to work for
him.

Terri would just have to find a way to avoid
being alone with him, or near him, or touching him. That was going
to be a tall order, she knew. The consequences of failing at that
though were steep enough to give her incentive. No job, no place to
live, alone in a town where she knew no one...well she knew one
person, but Jenny had her own life now.

On auto-pilot, her car pulled into Charlie's
Bar, the old haunt that she and Jenny loved. The bar sold
sandwiches and wraps, and alcohol. She needed a drink, and he could
drive her back home. He still had to drive to Dallas tonight, so he
probably wouldn't be drinking more than one beer.

When they got inside, she waved at a few old
friends then sat at the bar. Joel took the stool beside her. He
looked around then asked, "This is the best you could do for
grub?"

"It's the closest place that serves
alcohol...I need a drink," she said and waved at Jerry the
bartender. "Their sandwiches are good too," she told him then
pulled a menu from between the napkin rack and handed it to
him.

"Hey, Sunshine, what'll you have tonight?"
Jerry asked her with a bright smile on his weathered
face.

"Double vodka martini, four olives and a
cheeseburger loaded."

"Sounds like you're gonna be loaded," Joel
mumbled with a snort.

She looked over at him and grinned. "Takes a
lot more than that, darlin'."

Jerry piped up, "Yeah, her and her doctor
friend are regulars...my favorites."

"You drink a lot?" Joel asked her and his eyes
darkened with concern.

She raised an eyebrow then told him
sarcastically, "I've just spent almost a year in hell fighting off
Dr. Feelgood who was trying to force me to give him a blow job to
keep
my
job
. Yeah, I drank daily, but not to
excess."

"Nope, two's her limit," Jerry seconded and
wiped the counter in front of her. "What can I get for you?" he
asked Joel.

"Draft beer and a cheeseburger...loaded, with
fries," Joel told him with an edge to his tone.

Terri looked over at him. "What's wrong with
you?"

"I'm pissed that you let that go on so long,"
he admitted angrily.

"So it's my fault now?" she snarled ready to
let loose on him.

"No, ma'am...but you could have gone up the
food chain and reported him sooner."

"So I could get fired sooner? That's not how
things worked there, Joel. You just don't understand. The doctors
are gods, and the nurses are peons...no respect
whatsoever."

"I just can't believe that shit still goes on,
and that it's tolerated," he told her and shook his
head.

Jerry sat her martini and his beer down on the
bar, then walked off to take another order. Someone tapped her on
the shoulder and she looked back and grinned.

"Hey, sugar...I hear you quit. Good for you.
Bout time someone stood up to those asswipes," Solly said then
leaned down and kissed her cheek. He was her friend, a fellow
nurse, who had worked in the department as long as she had. Solly
was tall, blond and muscle bound, good looking as hell...but as gay
as they came. She glanced around the bar looking for Ted his x-ray
tech boyfriend, but didn't see him.

"When they asked, I told them about that time
I saw him feel you up in the hallway. He's lucky I didn't put his
lights out," Solly said, his face turning red and his jaw
tightening. He was the only one who had stood up for her. A true
friend.

"That took guts, I appreciate you standing up
for me," she told him then took a healthy swig of her
drink.

"Didn't matter. That's not what they wanted to
hear, they had enough sheep in the department to override anything
I said. I'll probably be next in front of the firing squad," he
told her with a laugh.

"I doubt that, but at least you don't have to
fight off Dr. Octopus and them at the same time."

"Yeah, that's something...wanna dance?" he
asked then glanced over at Joel, before looking back to her. "Or
are you here with someone?"

"Um, yeah...Solly this is Joel Rhodes, my new
boss. Joel, this is Solly Redmond, a friend from the ER," she
introduced.

Joel held back a growl when Solly dropped his
arm around her shoulders and reached across her to extend his hand.
"You're a smart man to hire this one...she's a damned good nurse,"
Solly told him and squeezed her shoulders.

For a second, Joel contemplated whether to
shake his hand or not. Seeing his other hand was on Terri, Joel
wanted to break his fingers. Reining in the impulse, Joel took his
hand and shook it firmly. He didn't hear any bones crunch, so he
figured he must've managed to go easy.

A two-step song came on and Terri squealed,
then downed the rest of her martini. After wiping her lips she
looked over at Joel with a smile and said, "You don't mind if I
dance a couple with Solly, do you? I won't be long."

"Food's gonna get cold," Joel grumbled and
took a long drink of his beer.

"One dance then," she said with a wider grin
then slid off of the bar stool. The top of her head barely reached
the man's chest, but he quickly tucked her under his arm and walked
her toward the back of the bar where a small dance floor was set
up, leaving Joel staring at his beer.

Against his better judgment, Joel turned on
the bar stool to watch them dance. A glutton for punishment is what
he was. The man pulled her against his body, her arms slid around
his neck, and Joel's stomach clenched in a sick knot. This wasn't
the first time they had danced together he quickly realized when
Solly spun her in circles and executed complicated moves which she
was perfectly in tune with as they strolled around the
floor.

That song ended and another began and they
moved to the middle of the dance floor. Solly pushed and pulled her
away then pulled her to him, before throwing her around like she
was a rag doll. Jitterbug took on new meaning watching those two do
it. Terri was grinning from ear to ear, evidently having a
ball...with another man. Her laughter rang out across the bar and
when it reached his ears Joel flinched and turned back toward the
cheeseburger that Jerry had just delivered.

He was sure Terri had other men in her life
since their time together a year ago, he'd certainly had women, he
just hadn't thought about it. And he hadn't thought it would bother
him...but Joel was definitely bothered. His main goal right now was
to finish his damned cheeseburger as fast as he could, down the
rest of his beer and get the hell out of here.

He'd spend the night in Dallas, and drive back
to Amarillo tomorrow. Hopefully, by the time he got back home,
she'd be settled into the bunkhouse and he'd only have to see her
occasionally. The less time he spent with her the better. He had no
idea why he stopped in Henrietta to check on her to begin with. He
could have made it to Dallas and loaded the truck already, but he'd
stopped here instead to see if she needed help.

Joel was lying to himself though, he knew
exactly why he stopped. He needed a pep talk, and he knew Terri
would give it to him unvarnished. He was going to have to see Karen
in Dallas, and it was the first time since he'd left her over a
year ago.

But Terri was otherwise occupied, too busy for
him. With her outgoing and straightforward personality, not to
mention her cuteness, he imagined she had men lined up wanting her
attention. He was just one of many, and he didn't like
it.

A year ago, he'd basically told her she would
be one of many, that he wasn't looking for a relationship. Right
now, he was feeling like she must have been then, and he didn't
like it, but he still couldn't offer her a relationship. Joel was
never going there again...and now she worked for him. That would be
the extent of their association.

But he'd have to face the fact that Terri was
a relationship kind of woman, and that wasn't something he could
give her, so she was looking for someone who could.

It looked like she had everything under
control on the moving front too, he thought, taking another swig of
his beer to wash down the burger that was lodged in his throat. If
she needed help, that guy Solly or any number of other men were
probably available to help her. Joel just needed to hit the road
and quit procrastinating on getting to Dallas.

Suck it up
. That would be Terri's
advice, and that is what he was going to do.

He had to get back to the ranch as soon as
possible, anyway. The other new hires would be moving in tomorrow.
He only had five days to train them, and organize things before his
first guests arrived next Monday.

The livestock he'd bought at the local auction
would be delivered to the ranch on Thursday. Ben Bowman had sold
him the horses and tack that he had no more use for, and Joel had
bought more from Tommy Tucker who Chase had recommended he talk to.
Things were coming together, but it seemed like they were all
coming together at one time. The next few weeks were going to be
crazy.