“Dude, you want to talk about something?” he asked.
Jameson glanced at him and then turned his attention to the road, fighting with himself. “No. Man, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“What else does the ranch do besides cattle?” he asked. “Do you run special ops?”
Jameson shook his head. “Matthew warned you to stay out of the ranch’s business. Asking questions will get you booted. I suggest if you plan on sticking around while Riley heals, you keep your mouth shut.”
“It’s kinda hard when I watched how all of you operated today,” Garret said, warily. “I signed the paperwork and don’t plan on saying anything. How do you think I feel? I don’t know if you’re doing something illegal or what.”
“Think about it. If we operated something illegally, do you think we’d need an NDA?”
Garrett swiped at his chin. “I guess not,” he said as they pulled into the parking lot. He took out his phone and noted the sizes.
“Let’s get this over with,” he said, getting out of the truck.
The two men walked inside the store, garnering stares from other women as they perused the selections. Jameson picked a pale yellow dress from the rack. He held it against him as he showed it to Garrett. “What about this?”
“I like it.” Garrett saw a lavender colored one andinstantly envisioned Riley wearing it. He checked the sizes and frowned when he didn’t see the one he needed.
An elderly woman approached them. “May I help you?”
“Yeah. Do you have this in the back? I don’t see her size here. She has a broken arm and leg, and I want to find some dresses she can easily wear,” Garrett explained.
“Oh, then, you’ll want to come with me. I have the perfect ones,” she said, leading them to the back of the store.
She pulled out several dresses, meeting his requirements, but he grimaced at each one. They reminded him of the duster nightgowns his friend’s mom used to wear as she lounged around the house.
“She can slip these on and off with hardly any assistance,” the woman exclaimed, adding them to his cart.
“We need clothes for Tara,” Jameson reminded him. “She’ll wear teen clothes.”
The woman tittered as she led them to the teen section. “Will she require dresses, too?”
“She can wear anything,” Garrett said, glancing down at the list Rachel sent. His eyes widened as he got to the intimate section. “Tara needs underwear and bras. Something comfortable and nothing sexy,” he insisted as the woman picked items up, waiting for his approval.
After several minutes, he took everything to the register and watched as the saleswoman scanned the clothing. She reached for the dresses for Riley, and Garrett cringed, thinking they’d do nothing to bring out her eyes or show her toned figure. Then again, they were meant to ease her discomfort with restrictive clothing. With several bags in their hands, the two men left the store. Garrett felt eager to return to the hospital.
Jameson pulled into the parking lot and helped him carry Riley’s bags.
Rebecca met them at the door. “I came outside to call you. Riley’s headed to surgery. Her arm requires pins and plates. They bruised her leg badly, but nothing’s broken. Most likely, it’ll feel like it is.”
“Shit,” he muttered, feeling guilty.
“She woke up for a few minutes and saw Tara. They spoke briefly, and Riley mentioned they planned to take a bus as soon as they left the hospital. I don’t think she realizes the extent of her injuries. She won’t be able to work, and Tara told Rachel that Riley gave her the emergency fund from the cereal box. They have a little over a thousand dollars. It’ll be gone in no time,” she said, worried.
“Do you have a problem if they stay with me at the cabin? I can pay rent while they’re there,” Garrett asked, waiting for Rebecca to shoot him down.
“We have cabins they can stay in, but I don’t like the idea of the two of them alone. Something tells me Riley will run at the first opportunity. Do you know anything about the dad?”
“Tara seemed afraid of him. He came to the apartment, and she ran to get Riley. It’s when the bikers claimed she scratched one of their motorcycles,” Garrett recalled.
“You won’t need to pay rent. I’ll feel better if they’re close. The same rules apply to them as to you. You’ll stick to your side of the ranch and do your job. Speaking of which, Matthew said he gave you three days off to settle. Take the week and help them establish a routine. If the surgery goes well, she can return home tomorrow. Did you get her something to wear?”
“Yeah,” he said, holding out the bag. “One of the saleswomen helped us.”
“Good. Why don’t you take Tara and get something to eat? She might talk to you if she’s more relaxed. Right now,she’s pacing the floor like a cat on a porch filled with rocking chairs,” Rebecca suggested as she took the bag and led him to the waiting room.
Tara stood and ran to him, putting her arms around his waist. “Thank you for rescuing her. Did you see how badly they hurt her? Now, I wish she’d never come for me,” she sobbed.
