Winner Takes All. Cheryl Harper
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we go.” He tightened his hand in a fist under the table and waited.
Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest with a gusty sigh. “How did I know there was more negotiation coming? Did you think I needed the practice?”
“I don’t want to talk about Holly Heights Hospital. At all.” He waited for her to agree, watched her open her mouth to argue and then reluctantly close it.
“Fine. But you need to talk to someone. It’s been four years. It’s only a big thing in your own mind, and your sister wants...” She shook her head. “What’s the second rule?”
He was glad she’d stopped. He and Rebecca had always been close and missing her made it harder to be happy doing this job that mattered so much. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if Rebecca asked him to come home to Texas.
Focus. She hasn’t asked and you have a job to do, visitors from home or not.
“You’re going to have to follow my orders. My trip means my rules.”
“Bossy. Just like old times.” Stephanie rolled her eyes. “I’ll try. That’s all I can promise. I never graduated from obedience training, Doc.”
This would be a disaster. One way or another, she’d interfere with his work. But he wanted the help and having a piece of home so close was hard to resist.
He turned his wrist over to check the time and then reviewed everything he still had to get done before they could leave Lima. “How much luggage do you have?”
Stephanie jerked in her seat as though she hadn’t quite believed he’d give in. He should have negotiated harder. He tried to remember how many times he’d ever won against Stephanie and decided he’d never stood a chance anyway. She pointed over her shoulder. “See the pile next to the desk? That’s all mine.”
From here he could count two big suitcases and three duffle bags. “More khaki?”
She tapped her lips with one finger. “Are you making a joke? It’s so hard to tell.”
“There’s no way we’re dragging all that with us. Go through and cull to one bag. Make good choices. Pants, shirts, things we can wash if we have to.” He checked under the table and nearly winced. “Unless you’ve worn those hiking boots for more than the plane ride down here, bring along your running shoes. And Band-Aids. Sunscreen. I’ll be back in two hours. I’ll tell Paulo to store the rest of your bags with mine so you can pick them up on your way home.” He scooted back from the table and stood, ready to execute his plan.
Until Stephanie held up one soft hand and said, “Wait a minute. I respectfully request a question-and-answer period with each sweeping order, sir.”
“Two rules. You can’t keep up with two?” He sighed. “I knew this was a terrible plan.”
Her lip twitched. “But you still want my money.”
“I do.” He tapped his left foot impatiently.
“And my help?” She batted her eyelashes at him and he could remember so many other times when she’d been able to tease him out of whatever cloud he’d been under.
“I do.” She wouldn’t back out now, would she?
“Fine. My backpack is okay, right? It’s got all my camera stuff.” She shoved her camera and journal in and stood while she waited for his answer.
“Yes. One bag and your backpack.” Some of the tension in his neck and shoulders that had been building into a low-level headache eased when she saluted and clicked the rubber soles of her boots.
“I’ll meet you right here. Should we synchronize our watches?” She held up her bare, slender wrist and tapped it as if she was trying to get a stopped watch working again.
He was shaking his head when he grabbed his bag and walked off, but there was something exciting about facing the trip he’d already made so many times with a new partner. Whether she disliked the journey or actively hated it, she’d be a lot of fun along the way. Stephanie Yates made sure everyone enjoyed life if it was possible. That was why the town of Holly Heights had loved her since she sprang into the world with a dimple and a bow taped to her head. He’d seen the pictures. She was adorable. And that was why the waitress hugged her neck on the way out.
“Miss Yates is going to leave her bags here while we make the run to Alto.” He slid some money across the desk. “She’ll need a room to rest and repack, but we’ll be leaving this afternoon.”
“Certainly, Doctor. I’ll be more than happy to help,” Paulo answered as he slid the nuevo soles into his back pocket.
Daniel paused in the doorway to watch Paulo scramble to lift what had to be enough luggage for three months. As Paulo led Stephanie to the elevator, she turned and waved, looking like an adventurous ray of sunshine in the light streaming down from the skylight.
He didn’t know whether to thank his sister for sending him a slice of home or to curse her. Life on the mountain was hard enough. Once he got used to laughing with Stephanie Yates, he was afraid he’d see the hard work that much more clearly.
Not that it mattered. Hard work was nothing. He was helping people, and that was all he’d ever wanted to do. Coming here had been hard, but now he’d found what he’d spent his life preparing for. Sometimes he wished things were different, that he was back home or just...not alone.
He didn’t need distractions.
If anything was guaranteed, it was that Stephanie Yates would be a fun, frustrating, beautiful distraction. And to be honest, he was sort of looking forward to it.
STEPHANIE MADE SURE to arrive fifteen minutes early because she knew Daniel would be there ten minutes before the agreed upon time. Since he’d had to chauffer them around more than once before she got her first car, she, Rebecca, and Jen had often heard his opinion on the rudeness of keeping other people waiting. Even in high school he’d been attached to his schedule.
And if she’d spent one more minute in the comfortable hotel room, she might have decided Daniel was right. She’d called her mother to say she’d arrived safely, and her mom’s long list of the threats she should be prepared for had worn her down. How her mother had any concept of the dangers, Stephanie wasn’t sure. She hadn’t left Texas. Ever.
But the warnings turned up the heat under the anxiety she’d tried to hide from Daniel. She could give him a check and do some sightseeing here in the comfort of the big city before hopping on a plane back to her safe small town.
Playing it safe was smart. Comfortable. Easy. But in this case it would also mean failure.
Convincing him to go along with her plan had been a long shot.
Now she had to follow through, even if the idea of heading off into the unknown was giving her Texas-sized butterflies in her stomach. Daniel would keep her safe. All she had to do was keep her emotions in line.
Stephanie was casually filing her nails when Daniel strode through the open door. She nearly grinned at his slightly disgruntled frown when he spotted her. Victory.
“Have you been waiting long?” he asked. “Nobody will notice your manicure in Alto.”
“Multitasking.” She waved a hand. “You know how I hate to waste time.”
He studied her face, and Stephanie tried to fight the warm flush headed straight to her cheeks. Daniel had always been good at calling her bluff.
“Or maybe you aren’t as excited about this trip now that you’ve had some time to think on it.” He paused, one hand over the handle of her suitcase.
He was giving her another chance to back out, which made pretending she didn’t want to twice as hard, but she was committed. “Nope. I’m all in.” Petrified,