Free Second Chance Ranch by Audra Harders Page B

avoiding me.”
    “I’ve been working.” He hugged her and gestured toward Zac. “Zac tells me he’s moving back to Hawk Ridge. Did you know that?”
    “I’ve heard rumors.”
    “I don’t know if Hawk Ridge is ready for you two to partner up again. Talk about a handful of trouble running around town.” Her father laughed. “Oh, it definitely took a village to raise the two of you.”
    “Dad,” she cautioned, trying to not make her diversion appear too obvious, “we’re going to make Zac late for whatever appointment he has here at the clinic.”
    “That’s right.” Her dad folded his arms across his chest and nodded toward the reception area. “What can we do for you?”
    The lump in her throat turned to molten thick lava, burning an acid trail all the way to her heart. She tried to catch Zac’s eye, but he refused to glance her way. She was so screwed.
    “Just a routine test. Nothing special.” Zac appeared completely unaffected by the clinic. He shifted his weight as he indicated the hall leading to the lab. “Thought it might be a good time for a check up. Actually, Jen’s the one who brought it up.”
    Her cheeks warmed as their attention centered on her. Her father raised a brow as she scrambled for an answer to the question she knew he was about to ask. “Nothing’s wrong, Dad. I was talking about cancer and the kids, and well, one thing led to another.”
    Her dad nodded and nudged Zac. “You’ll have that, you know. Doctors and nurses. We just can’t leave our work in the office.”
    “I’ve noticed that.” Zac reached out and snagged her wrist, his touch light, yet firm. “Glad you showed up, Bean. Show me where I’m supposed to go.”
    He tugged her close and Jen could only offer a weak smile. “See ya, Dad.”
    “Glad to see you two still look out for one another. Just stay out of trouble.” He shook his head and opened the folder he’d had tucked under his arm. Not bothering to look where he was going, her dad followed the familiar path to his office.
    Jen drew a breath filling her senses with the warmest scent of clean, cotton shirt and male strength she’d ever imagined. She knew she needed to straighten and put distance between them, but her body refused to entertain the idea. She pressed her ear to his chest, the strong, steady heartbeat reminding her of summers past and almost making her forget the chill of the present. As Zac’s arm clamped around her shoulders, drawing her close to his side, she wiggled out of his hold and stepped back, putting a couple of vinyl floor tiles between them. “Thanks for not telling my dad.”
    “Don’t get the wrong idea of sparing feelings. I didn’t think this was any of his business.”
    The tight, hostile edge to his voice caught her off guard. She’d never heard Zac refer to her father with anything but respect. She hadn’t considered how Zac might want to handle the situation. Protecting her dad from her errors in judgment had been her primary focus. “The lab is right around the corner.”
    Just before they reached the lab, Zac took her hand and tugged her down an empty corridor with an emergency door at the end. “I hate going into situations blind. What’s going to happen here? How long is this going to take? How am I supposed to answer their questions?”
    The edge to his voice had faded. He sounded more like the Zac she knew years ago, the one who was always up for the adventure, but then turned to her for confirmation. Her dad was right. They still looked out for one another. “They’re going to swab the inside of your cheeks to collect cells for tissue typing.”
    Goose bumps ran up her arm as the callused pad of his thumb traced a nervous path back and forth along the inside of her wrist. She placed her other hand over his knuckles. “I’m sorry I didn’t explain this earlier. I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me.”
    “I didn’t.” He squeezed her fingers. “But since you’re here, I’m