He almost groaned as he opened his mouth to ask the question. He could almost guess the answer before the words even left his mouth. Still, he had to ask. “So what’s Rafe up to now? Nowhere near the good old U.S. of A, I can bet.”
“No quite,” Ridge said, his tone harsh. “But close. The kid takes it as his duty to stay as far from home as he possibly can. Always in a different country. Would live on a different planet if he could.”
“Even though he knows how much it makes Mom worry.” Ryder’s voice was cool but the look on his face was anything but. Whatever Rafe’s excuse was this time, it didn’t matter. Regardless of how easygoing Ryder usually was, Rafe had managed to piss him off.
“It’s all right, boys. Rafe has to live his own life the way he sees fit.” As always, Maggie was quick to defend her youngest. The wisps of graying brown hair falling into her face, she looked earnestly at Ransom then at Ryder then at Ridge. She hated it when they fought over Rafe. Sliding forward in her chair she reached over to pat Ransom’s hand. “Don’t worry about Rafe right now. You just focus on getting well.”
Ridge gave a grunt. "Kind of hard to do when my kid brother’s acting like a jerk.” Then he frowned. “How’s all of this affecting Dad?”
At his question Maggie bit her lip and looked down at her hand still resting on top of his. A range of emotions flitted across her face but when she lifted her eyes to look at him again, on her lips she was wearing a brave smile. “Your Dad’s a trooper,” she said, her voice slightly hoarse. “You know how hard it’s been on him since the stroke but I’ve never heard him complain. Not once.”
Ryder left his post by the window and walked over to lay a hand on Maggie’s shoulder. “You’re his backbone, Mom. You’re the one who keeps him going. You’re always there…for all of us.”
Maggie shook her head but even as she did she was reaching up to cover his hand with hers. “You’re my boys,” she said, the telltale glint in her eyes giving away the depth of her emotions, “my family. I’m the luckiest woman on earth.”
Now it was Ridge’s turn to shake his head. “No, we’re the lucky ones. Lucky to be blessed with you and Dad in our lives. Thanks, Mom.”
Ransom felt the same way but he couldn’t help cocking an eyebrow in surprise. They weren’t normally an expressive family and when it came to things emotional they tended to keep those to themselves. They all loved one another, that was without doubt, but in their home actions always spoke way louder than words.
He cleared his throat. Things were getting too emotional for his comfort. Time to change the subject. “As soon as I’m back on my feet I’m coming out to the farm to see Dad.” He grimaced. “And then I’m going to deal with that runt and get him to come home.”
Maggie’s smile widened. It was obvious that she was pleased with the news of his plan to visit. “Bill will love that.” Then she chuckled. “But you have to stop calling your brother a runt. He’s taller than you are. Remember, he’s not the twelve-year-old who used to want to hang with his big brother who could drive. He’s all of twenty-eight.” She paused then her eyes took on a wistful look. “My, how time flies. Even the baby’s all grown up.”
“And speaking of ‘the baby’,” Ransom turned his eyes on Ridge, “where the heck is he now? Is anyone going to tell me?”
Ridge gave him an amused grin. “You won’t believe me if I tell you.”
“Just spill it.” Ransom was in no mood to play guessing games with his brother. “Where’d he run off to this time? A Buddhist temple in the Himalayas?”
“Worse,” Ridge said with a smirk. “An oil rig in Alaska.”
“What the…an oil rig?” Ransom stared back at Ridge, incredulous. No wonder their mother was worried sick. Living and working on an oil rig was no simple matter. In fact, if you had a yen for dangerous living that was a damn good choice. If a fire broke out on one of those rigs you either stayed on board and got roasted alive or you jumped a couple of hundred feet down into freezing, shark-infested water. Talk about ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’.
Ransom’s brows fell. “That kid needs some sense knocked into him. What the hell was he thinking? It’s not like he needs to be doing stuff like this. I invested in his online business. He's got wads of money to spare.”
“He’s not doing it for the money. You know that.” Ryder shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked down at Ransom, his face serious. “He’s got a wanderlust that only a woman…the right woman…can assuage.”
Ransom folded his arms across his chest. “Well, I’ve had it with Rafe and his shenanigans. He’s stressing Mom out and it’s got to stop. And if it means finding him a woman then that’s what I’ll do.” As if confirming what he’d just said aloud he nodded then turned to look at Maggie. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m going to get Rafe.” His voice was firm. “I know I’ll have a fight on my hands but I’m bringing him home.”
***
“Soledad Felix. Paging Nurse Soledad." Solie groaned as her head touched the pillow. The words kept reverberating in her head. If she never heard her name announced over a hospital intercom again it would be too soon.
It had been a long, exhausting day and that was putting it mildly. She’d had one of those crazy shifts, twelve hours long, and now all she wanted to do was forget about hospitals and emergencies and patients and just lose herself in the silky softness of slumber.
But even as her tension began to dissipate and her body sank into the cottony comfort of her bed she had to admit there was one patient who she didn’t want to forget, a devilishly handsome one who had her heart doing flip-flops each time she walked into his room. Even lying flat on his back in the narrow stark-white bed Ransom Kent exuded sex appeal so strong it had her thinking thoughts that were far from ‘nursely’. She was lusting after her patient, for heaven’s sake. How low could you get?