Unlikely Lover

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“She will from now on,” Mari promised. “If I have to roll the pills up in steak and trick them into her.”

The young resident grinned from ear to ear. “You have pets?”

“I used to have a cat,” Mari confided. “And the only way I could get medicine into him was by tricking him. Short of rolling him up in a towel.”

Ward glared at her. “That’s no way to treat a sick animal.”

She lifted her thin eyebrows. “And how would you do it?”

“Force his mouth open and shove the pills down his throat, of course,” he said matter-of-factly. “Before you say it,” he added when her mouth opened, “try rolling a half-ton bull in a towel!”

The young doctor covered his mouth while Mari glared up at the taciturn oilman.

“I’ll get the pills into her, regardless,” Mari assured the doctor. She glanced at Ward Jessup. “And it won’t be by having them forced down her throat like a half-ton bull!”

“When will you know something?” Ward asked.

“I’ll have the tests by early afternoon, and I’ll confer with Dr. Bradley. If you can be here about four o’clock, I’ll have something to tell you,” the young man said.

“Thank you, Doctor…?”

“Jackson,” he replied, smiling. “And don’t worry too much,” he told Mari. “She’s a strong-willed woman. I’d bet on her.”

They stopped by Lillian’s room and found her half sedated, fuming and glaring as she sat propped up in bed.

“Outrageous!” Lillian burst out the minute they entered the room. “They won’t give back my clothes. They’re making me spend the night in this icebox, and they won’t feed me or give me a blanket!”

“Now, now.” Mari laughed gently and bent to kiss the thin face. “You’re going to be fine. They said so. They just want to run a few more tests. You’ll be out of here in no time.”

That reassured the older woman a little, but her beady black eyes went to Ward for reassurance. He wouldn’t lie to her. Not him. “Am I all right?” she asked.

“You might have had a stroke,” he said honestly, ignoring Mari’s shocked glare. “They want to find out.”

Lillian sighed. “I figured that. I sure did. Well,” she said, brightening, “you two will have to get along without me for a day or so.” That seemed to cheer her up, too. Her eyes twinkled at the thought of them alone together in the house.

Ward could read her mind. He wanted to wring her neck, too, but he couldn’t hurt a sick lady. First he had to get her well.

“I’ll take good care of baby sister, here,” he said, nodding toward Mari, and grinned.

Lillian’s face fell comically. “She’s not that young,” she faltered.

“Aunt Lillian!” Mari said, outraged. “Remember my horrible experience!”

“Oh, that.” Lillian nibbled her lip. “Oh. That!” She cleared her throat, her eyes widened. “Well…”

“I’ll help her get over it,” Ward promised. He glanced down at Mari. “She’s offered to help me get some of my adventures in the oil business down on paper. Wasn’t that nice? And on her vacation, too,” he added.

Lillian brightened. Good. They weren’t talking about his “fatal illness” or her “brutal attack.” With any luck they wouldn’t stumble onto the truth until they were hooked on each other! She actually smiled. “Yes, how sweet of you, Mari!”

Although Mari felt like screaming, she smiled at her aunt. “Yes. Well, I thought it would give me something interesting to do. In between cooking and cleaning and such.”

Lillian frowned. “I’m really sorry about this,” she said, indicating her leg.

“Get well,” Ward said shortly. “Don’t be sorry. And one more thing. Whether or not this fall was caused by your blood pressure, you’re taking those damned pills from now on. I’m going to ride herd on you like a fanatical ramrod on a trail drive. Got that?”

“Yes, sir, boss,” Lillian said, pleased by his concern. She hadn’t realized she mattered so much to anyone. Even Mari seemed worried. “I’ll be fine. And I’ll do what they tell me.”

“Good for you,” Ward replied. He cocked his head. “They said it could have been an ear infection or sinusitis, too. So don’t go crazy worrying about a stroke. Did you black out before you went down?” he persisted.

Lillian sighed. “Not completely. I just got real dizzy.”

He smiled. “That’s reassuring.”

“I hope so. Now, you two go home,” Lillian muttered. “Let me sleep. Whatever they gave me is beginning to work with a vengeance.” She closed her eyes as they said their goodbyes, only to open them as they started to leave. “Mari, he likes his eggs scrambled with a little milk in them,” she said. “And don’t make the coffee too weak.”

“I’ll manage,” Mari promised. “Just get well. You’re all I have.”

“I know.” Lillian sighed as they closed the door behind them. “That’s what worries me so.”

But they didn’t hear that troubled comment. Mari was fuming all the way to the car.

“You shouldn’t have told her what the doctor said.” She glowered at him as they drove out of the parking lot.

“You don’t know her very well,” he returned. He pulled into the traffic without blinking. Ravine had grown in the past few years, and the traffic was growing with it, but speeding cars didn’t seem to bother him.