“Good morning, Mason. How was your date?”
Mason wheeled into the kitchen, rubbing his scruffy chin. He blinked the grit from his eyes, trying to wake up fully. It was well past nine in the morning, and the bright sun shining into his room had finally chased him out of bed. He should have been up much earlier, but he hadn’t gotten home until after four, and could still use a few more hours of sleep.
He stopped before he was fully at the table and glanced around the room. Something was up. Three sets of eyes were staring at him. Or rather, two sets of eyes were glaring, while the other pair looked downtrodden.
Alley, who’d posed the question, stood at the counter by the sink. She had a slight smirk on her lips and it looked as if she was trying hard to keep from bursting out in laughter. His sister’s eyes bore into him like the talons of an eagle. Shane sat at the table, nursing a cup of coffee. He made eye contact with Mason, and the silent communication was as clear as if he’d spoken out loud. “We’re busted.”
It didn’t matter if they’d been found out. Mason grinned. Nothing was going to get in the way of his good mood, least of all his sister and Shane’s wife. Last night had been incredible.
Ignoring Raine for the moment, he directed his gaze on Alley. “Glad you asked. I had the best time of my life.”
“Really?” Raine clearly couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Funny that a girl you supposedly took on a date had dinner with me at Evie’s Diner. I would think she would have said something if she was going to be meeting you afterward. We women usually talk about that kind of stuff, but she didn’t say a word about it.”
Mason’s grin widened. For once, he had the upper hand on his little meddling sister. Shane groaned and seemed to slump further into his seat. He deserved to be put out of his misery, but for a few more minutes, it was fun to let the girls think what they wanted.
Alley shot a look at her husband. “Shane told me last night that after he dropped you off for your supposed date, he ran into Jerry and that’s why he’d been gone so long.”
Mason winced. Ouch. Judging by that look, Shane was definitely in trouble. Clearly, his wife had gotten a few pointers from Raine. Alley used to be quiet and meek. She adored Shane. This was a bit out of character for her. It seemed as if the girls were enjoying the taunts as much as he was.
Unrelenting, Alley continued, “Shane told me he and Jerry got to talking and he lost track of time.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Mason stared from Alley to Shane, who quietly shook his head.
“Well, the funny thing is, Jerry stopped by here, looking for Shane at the exact same time.” Alley glared at her husband, but there was a sparkle in her eyes that belied her amazon-woman stance. Raine might be taking this interrogation seriously, but Alley was a softy, and probably just enjoyed the idea that she’d caught her husband and brother-in-law in a juvenile lie and prank.
Mason’s gaze went to his brother. Shane’s pain at getting caught in a lie to his wife was clear. Mason shot him an apologetic look. Getting his brother sent to the doghouse by his wife certainly hadn’t been intentional.
“Sorry, Mason. I had to come clean last night.” Shane darted a quick look at Alley.
Mason shook his head and shrugged. “I understand. Didn’t mean to drag you into my business, Shane.” He turned to the two women who still stood as if they were prosecuting an ax murderer. He met Raine’s dagger-eyes with a narrow-eyed look of his own.
“Unlike meddling little sisters who need to keep their noses out of their brother’s business unless they are asked for help.”
Raine stood straighter. Her back visibly bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Mason moved toward her. “It means I’m getting tired of you telling me what I should and shouldn’t be doing, and what’s good for me and what isn’t.” Mason softened his gaze. “I love you, Raine, but I can do things for myself. I asked Shane for help with a new therapy I’d wanted to try, without you getting involved, too. That’s why I kept it quiet, and asked him to keep it quiet.”
“But why go to all the trouble to make up some story about going on a date with Lori to keep me from finding out?” Alley shook her head.
“Because I know how tight the two of you are.” Mason looked at his sister-in-law. “I didn’t want to risk you telling Raine.”
Alley shook her head and glanced at Raine. “You were right. When those two get together, they do all kinds of stupid things.”
“Watch out, Alley.” Raine’s hardened expression had turned into a playful smirk. “They might just be getting started. This could have simply been a warm-up stunt. When Mason is back to full capacity, there’s no telling what those two might cook up next.”
Raine turned to Mason. She took several steps forward and leaned down to wrap her arms around his neck.
“I care about you. I can’t help but meddle because I only want what’s best for you.”
“I know.” Mason hugged her back. “I appreciate your concern. You pushed me when I first got here, and it’s what I needed then. But back off just a little from now on.”
Raine straightened and smiled. Mason grinned at Shane. “But it was fun keeping you in the dark for once.”
Raine raised her chin and squared her shoulders. “But we always find out. You can’t keep secrets from Alley and me.”
Mason glanced at Shane, who stood from his seat.
“We’ll take that as a challenge.” Smiling for the first time, he pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her soundly on the mouth.
Mason cleared his throat. The scene was a reminder of what he and Lori had shared not twelve hours ago, and what could be his future. It was nice to see his brother happily married. It had never entered his mind that he’d want the same thing, or that he could have a wife of his own. He’d never had a serious relationship before. He’d never wanted one because his career had always come first. All of a sudden, he couldn’t stop thinking about being together with Lori, and how he could have both a wife and a career.
He shook his head. He was jumping the gun, but after last night, it wasn’t such a far-fetched idea. His infatuation with Lori went far deeper than that. He’d felt it weeks ago, and had simply ignored it. Because of the wheelchair, he’d been a coward and afraid of rejection. He wasn’t going to ignore it any longer, especially not since –
“So, you went to the clinic after hours and did what? Did you see Lori?” Raine’s question interrupted his thought.
“Yeah, I saw her. In fact, we had a great time together. She finally brought me home around four this morning.”
All three pairs of eyes gaped at him this time. Shane looked like he wanted to high-five him. Alley smiled as if this was the best news she’d heard in a month.
Mason grinned. “I said I was going to be out on a date with her. Why would you doubt me? She may not have known about it until I showed up at the clinic, but she was more than happy to see me and spend the night together.”
“And you two were together until four in the morning? Doing what?” Raine looked skeptical.
Mason shrugged. “That’s for me to know, and for you to stay out of our business. I never kiss and tell.” He shook his head. “How many more questions do I have to answer before I can get some coffee around here?” He eyed the coffee maker. “If you want more details, you can ask Lori yourself. She’s going to be here in a few hours after she’s done at the clinic.”
A twinge of guilt slapped him. Lori had to be as exhausted as he was. They’d sat with Toby while the dog woke from anesthesia, and monitored him until he seemed to be resting comfortably.
Jake Bartlett had left as soon as Mason had told him the dog had come through the surgery, but would be staying for observation for a few days. Lori had joined him and assured the man that everything had gone smoothly and she expected a full recovery. The farmer had thanked them both and carried his sleeping sons to his vehicle.
Alley handed Mason a mug. The strong aroma of coffee drifted to his nose with the steam.
“Thanks.” Mason wheeled to the table and sipped the hot brew.
His mind was still on Lori, and the events of last night. Despite his lack of sleep, energy and adrenaline rushed through him. For more than six months, he’d missed the feeling of true accomplishment. It was finally back, and this time it was magnified by the feeling of falling in love at the same time.
Raine and Alley left the kitchen, apparently having lost interest in hearing about his date, especially since he’d turned the tables on them. Each woman mumbled about something she needed to do. Evidently, he’d been clear enough that he wasn’t going to elaborate on his date with Lori, and knowing she was going to be stopping by later must have momentarily appeased them.
Mason glanced over his shoulder once the women were out of earshot. Shane still stood at the sink, putting dishes in the dishwasher.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Shane turned and tossed him a suspicious look. “The last time a conversation with you started like that, we both got into some hot water. In fact, I’m still not sure Alley’s forgiven me completely.”
Mason waved off his comment. “A minute ago it sure looked like she’s forgiven you. Don’t worry, I really need to talk to you.” He paused, took a sip of the hot coffee, then said, “Something happened to me last night.”
“You came to your senses and realized what a dumb plan you concocted? I had to sweet-talk my way back into my wife’s good graces, and Raine will be more suspicious of us than ever.” Shane pulled up a seat next to him at the table and reached for the coffee mug he’d left sitting there.
Mason waited for Shane to catch his breath. He turned his chair so he could look directly at his brother. He needed Shane’s full attention. Two things had happened to him last night, and it wasn’t clear which one he was most excited about. He sipped his coffee, then glanced up to see Shane watching him.
“My stupid idea turned out to be brilliant, after all. I had the best night I’ve spent in a long time.”
“With Lori? I thought that was all a bluff earlier in front of the girls.” Shane’s brows shot up. His eyes instantly dropped to Mason’s lap. “You can’t feel anything below the waist, how was it possible for you to –”
Mason snickered. “Get your head out of the gutter. It wasn’t anything like that. The lower part of me doesn’t work . . . yet, but my heart sure does.”
“Your heart?”
Mason grinned. “I fell in love last night, Shane. I’ve thought about Lori for weeks. Actually, since the day I met her. She’s smart and we have a lot in common, and we make a great team.”
Shane chuckled. “And she’s nice to look at, too. Besides, I already guessed that you like her. Love’s a big step.”
“Yeah, she’s good-looking, but I think I can safely say, since high school ended, looks aren’t what’s important.”
Shane took another drink from his mug. “So, Lori wasn’t mad that you showed up unannounced, and declared that simply being in the same room with her qualified as a date?”
Mason rubbed his chin. “Well, maybe she was a bit upset when I told her I needed her to pretend we’d gone on a date, to keep out of trouble with Raine and Alley.”
Shane shook his head and laughed. “I can only imagine how flattered she must have been. You must have worked it out, since you were gone all night.”
Mason met the smug look on his brother’s face. “I was gone so long because we ended up doing an emergency surgery on a dog with an internal bleed.”
Shane’s smug look turned into a smile. He nodded in apparent approval. “How did that feel? You’ve been adamant that you can’t do that kind of stuff anymore.”
Mason leaned forward in his chair. He stared at Shane, and lowered his voice. “It didn’t feel nearly as good as when Lori fell into my lap after the surgery.”
“Fell into your lap?” Shane laughed. “I’ve heard of girls wanting to fall at your feet in high school, but –” He laughed again, letting the rest of the sentence hang unspoken.
“She tripped and fell into my lap. That’s when I kissed her.”
Shane chuckled. “Great thinking. Nothing like a little smooching after being covered in blood and guts. Leave it to you veterinarians.”
“Lori likes to do her surgeries clean. There was no blood after we were done with the dog.”
Shane stood and refilled his coffee mug. He carried the coffee pot to the table and poured more into Mason’s half-empty mug. He stood in front of the wheelchair, smiling. “And that’s when you knew you were in love with her?”
Mason nodded. “It’s when I was absolutely certain of it. I’m sure you must have felt something similar when you first kissed Alley.”
Shane set the pot on the table, then returned to his seat. “Yeah, Alley and I had sort of an unconventional first date, too. I’ve told you about how we ended up camping out overnight because she’d sprained her ankle, the horse was lame, and I was getting over an allergic reaction to fire ants.”
Mason laughed. “Sounds as romantic as being in a vet clinic with several dogs and cats watching.”
“At least Alley and I had a campfire.” Shane grinned.
Mason sipped at his coffee again, then set the mug on the table. He braced against his chair and shifted in his seat.
“Something else happened last night, Shane.”
Shane’s eyes narrowed. The casual smile on his face vanished. He’d clearly picked up on the urgency in Mason’s voice. “Can’t wait to hear it.”
Mason leaned forward. “I felt her.”
Shane shook his head. His forehead furrowed. “What do you mean, you felt her?”
“I felt her sitting on my legs, Shane. My legs started to tingle. The sensation hasn’t gone away. And look.”
He glanced down at his bare foot. After several seconds that seemed to last an eternity, his big toe twitched slightly.
Shane jumped from his chair. “Mason! I saw it move.”
Mason shushed his brother’s loud outburst. Shane beamed with laughter and slapped Mason’s back. Mason stared up at him, then joined him in laughter.
“Yes, it moved.”
Shane watched as Mason made his toe move again.
“I guess all it took was a pretty girl falling into your lap to jump start your spinal cord again! Why didn’t anyone else think to try that? Have you told anyone?”
Mason’s face sobered. “No, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I want to make sure this is really happening before I tell anyone else.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. It hadn’t been his imagination. He could still make his toes move, if even just a little. It had all started last night, when Lori had sat in his lap, and she’d wrapped her arms around him and returned his kisses. Things were definitely heading in the right direction. Now that he’d shared the news with his brother, it was time to tell the girl who’d brought his dreams back to life.