As they started to separate, Allison, one of the admins in the office, approached them.
“Rachel. So nice to see you. I didn’t know you were coming back today.”
She smiled at the surprised but friendly greeting. “I had a little extra time, so I thought I would come say hi. And if Dan has a few minutes to spare, I’ll check in with him, as well.”
Allison looked over at Ty. “And who is this cowboy?”
They didn’t get many men in the office wearing a hat and cowboy boots. Most of the men they encountered were all in suits, so she could see where Allison might be a little curious.
Ty held out his hand. “Ty Warner, head counsel for the Double R Ranch. And you are?”
Giggling like a schoolgirl, Allison said, “Allison Sargent. I work with Rachel. I’ve heard a lot about the Double R, but I think you are the first real cowboy I’ve ever met. So many wannabes here in Denver, it’s a pleasure to see the real deal.”
Was Allison flirting? And was it wrong for Rachel to want to punch the girl in the face for doing so?
But Ty gave Rachel a look like he found Allison’s commentary annoying. “You’d be surprised at what a real cowboy does or doesn’t do. There are a lot of stereotypes, and not all of them are true. For example, not all cowboys wear a cowboy hat. A lot of the hands on our ranch simply wear ball caps.”
He sounded like he was doing a commercial for the Double R, which he probably was. Rachel couldn’t help smiling at how Ty was always so focused on promoting the place he loved so much.
Allison giggled again. “Maybe I should come out to that ranch of yours and find out. Are any of your hands single?”
“We have a strict policy against our hands fraternizing with guests,” Ty said.
With a pout, Allison said, “Oh, well. I need to hurry and find out what happened to the refreshment order for a meeting in an hour. They were supposed to have delivered the pastries by now, and they aren’t answering their phone.”
With that, Allison rushed into the coffee shop.
Rachel said, “I’m sorry about that. Allison’s a little boy crazy.”
Ty shrugged. “You go say hi to your folks, and I’ll relax for a bit.”
As she walked to the elevator, she saw Ty get in line behind Allison, and Allison turned to talk to him again. But this time she wasn’t jealous, not with Ty’s reassurances.
In fact, she felt light enough that she could have floated right up to the office without any help from technology.
Even though they’d agreed to hold off on any romantic talk because Rachel’s health was a priority, spending time with Ty on the way here was making her think that maybe they should make the most of what time they had together. Hopefully, God would answer her prayers and give them more time than what she feared they had. In the meantime, she’d do everything she could to enjoy whatever she had left.
Chapter Ten
Though it had been a few weeks since Rachel had made her decision to make the most of her time with Ty, part of her was already regretting it.
Time was running out, and while Rachel had been moved up higher on the transplant list, she knew that statistically speaking, more people died while waiting for a transplant than received a kidney.
As she cleaned the equipment in preparation for her next treatment, she glanced out the window to see Ty swinging Katie in his arms. A lump clogged her throat. She’d done the right thing in asking him to be there for Katie if something happened to her, but she hated that she wouldn’t be there with them to enjoy it.
Putting the remainder of her equipment away, Rachel took a deep breath, trying to calm the frustration boiling up inside. Janie had told her that she liked to pray during those moments, when you had to face someone or something you didn’t want to. So Rachel closed her eyes and said a quick prayer.
Though she didn’t feel like there was an immediate answer, she did feel slightly better knowing that she didn’t have to have any of the answers. It was enough to share her troubles with God.
When she came downstairs, Ty was sitting at the bar in the kitchen next to Katie, who was dunking chocolate chip cookies in milk like any other self-respecting four-year-old.
“Hi, Mom,” Katie said, turning to smile at her quickly, but then going right back to her cookie. “We’re only eating one cookie so we don’t spoil our supper.”
Wanda entered the kitchen from the side. “Would you like one? I made a bunch for tonight’s barbecue, and there should be plenty.”
She didn’t wait for Rachel’s answer and went over to the platter of cookies sitting on the counter. “I also made my famous coleslaw, which is in your kidney diet recipe book.” Puffing up her chest, Wanda added, “Well, not my recipe. That’s a secret that’s been handed down in our family for generations. But it’s similar enough to the one in the recipe book that it should be good for you.”
The support she was receiving from people like Wanda made Rachel even more grateful she’d come to the Double R. She hadn’t just found a grandfather, but a whole family of people supporting her. Ty had been right. Family wasn’t just about blood, but about the loved ones surrounding you.
It seemed wrong, somehow, that she’d only just found them and was already facing the possible end of her life.
Ty laughed at something Katie was saying, reminding her why she couldn’t give up.
Wanda handed her a cookie, which Rachel gratefully accepted. Maybe she didn’t have all the answers, but Wanda’s baked goods were about the closest to a cure for most things.
If only a chocolate chip cookie could get her a new kidney.
Still, as she bit into the deliciousness, feeling the chocolatey goodness
