Tacker (Arizona Vengeance #5)(63)

“Heartburn,” he mutters. “The chorizo and eggs this morning coming back to haunt me.”

Nora’s eyebrow cocks high, telling me she doesn’t know whether to believe him or not.

“How about I take you to an urgent care clinic,” she suggests gently. “Maybe you’ve got a bug or something that could use a hit of antibiotics.”

“I don’t need no damn doctor,” he growls. When Nora flinches from his tone, I have to clench my fists, but they unfurl when Raul immediately backpedals. “I’m sorry, honey. I’m just grumpy because I don’t feel good.”

“Will you at least lay down and rest?” she suggests, putting her arm on his shoulder. “It will make me feel better.”

“Got too much to do,” he replies, but I note he doesn’t shrug off her touch. “Getting ready to feed the horses—”

“I can handle that,” Nora interrupts, cutting off any excuses.

“And I’ll help,” I add. Looks like our day spent together is going to be working the ranch, but I’m fine by that as long as I get to be around Nora.

“In fact,” Nora drawls, looking from Raul to me. “Tacker… do you mind driving Raul to the main house in the Gator?”

Next ensues a five-minute argument between Nora and Raul, who is adamantly opposed to being coddled and put to bed in her house so she can tend to him.

When their voices start rising in frustration, I take matters into my own hands. “Come on, Raul,” I say with a jerk of my head to the Gator. “I’m going to drive you to your house. Nora can start feeding the horses, and I’ll make sure you’re all set up. Then you can call us if you need us, okay?”

Nora opens her mouth, but I give her a slight shake of my head. Let it go, babe.

Gritting her teeth, she gives a huff of annoyance before stomping off to the storage room at the other end of the barn to grab some feed.

Raul immediately looks relieved, and even paler if possible. Without a word, he starts ambling to the Gator, his hand rubbing at his breastbone again.

I jump in the driver’s seat, and Raul has to point me to the correct trail to take. I’ve never even seen his house on the property, but, then again, I haven’t seen much of the full ranch yet. I had hoped to do that with Nora today, but that will easily wait for another time.

He’s quiet on the drive, somewhat slumped in his seat and a little green around the gills.

“Mano e mano,” I say as we bump along the dirt trail to his house. “What’s going on with you?”

“First,” Raul says, arching an eyebrow. “Don’t try to butter me up with poor Spanish.”

I snort, my lips curling up.

“Second,” he says a little more quietly. “I don’t know what’s going on. I feel like shit, okay, and I don’t want Nora to worry about me. Probably a bug like she says. Going to lay down and sleep it off. I’ll be fine after.”

“Heartburn, huh?” I press. Once again, I let my gaze linger on the hand rubbing at his chest. It drops, and he stubbornly refuses to answer me.

A small one-story ranch house comes into view with the same type of stucco siding and red-tiled roof as Nora’s larger house. It’s cute… has hanging baskets of flowers and a well-manicured yard filled with cacti and other desert flora.

“You two getting serious?” Raul asks, which catches me by surprise. I glance over at him.

He just stares right back, determination in his eyes that I’m not to blow off his curiosities or concerns.

“I think so,” I say, keeping it vague enough that if he wants more info, he’s going to have to push me for it. I might be an open book with Nora or Dr. Dumfries these days, but I keep stuff pretty close to the vest from most people. Maybe I’ve told Aaron a little bit about my feelings for Nora, but I’m still navigating all kinds of murky, guilty waters so I don’t talk about it much.

“She’s different,” Raul says, then goes silent.

Son of a bitch is playing my vague game and making me work if I want the info. And I most certainly do.

“Different how?” I press as I bring the Gator to a stop in front of his porch.

“Smiling all the time,” he says, his eyes boring hard into mine. “Lighter in her step. Fucking bluebirds on her shoulders and stuff like that.”

The grin that comes unbidden to my face makes him grimace. “Really?” I ask, sounding a little too much like a middle-schooler for my ultimate tastes, but no taking that back.

“She likes you, Tacker,” Raul says earnestly. “A lot. Don’t mess it up, okay?”

“You already had that talk with me, remember?”

“Just reiterating,” he mutters as he hauls himself out of the Gator. He bends to poke his pale, sweaty face inside. “I love that girl more than anything. And I like you, too. I don’t want to see either of you get hurt or let down.”

“I don’t see that happening,” I assure him. “You have to know I care for her quite a bit, right?”

“I think so,” he concedes, then straightens. “Now, I’m hauling my ass to bed.”

“We’ll check in on you later,” I say. “Bring you something to try for lunch if you’re up to it.”

“I don’t need no damn lunch,” he snarls, but I don’t argue with him. There’s no way Nora is going to let him languish in this house by himself without trying to care for him.