Rex jabbed his elbow against Blake’s arm again. “You want to join us, kid? It’s a fifty-dollar buy-in.”
Under the circumstances, considering Shannon was playing with men on fixed incomes, those were pretty hefty stakes.
“I’d rather watch,” Blake said. “What time does the game start?”
“Around half past five. Right after supper.” Rex pushed his plate aside with a trembling hand. “Some of us can’t keep the late hours like we used to.”
Blake didn’t doubt that. The men probably weren’t as sharp as they used to be, either. Surely Shannon had that figured out and was using it to her advantage. And if the Rocking C was actually in financial trouble, there could be other underhanded things going on around here.
Damn, he was glad he’d come to Texas to see this mess for himself—and to rescue his uncle before the whole thing blew up in his face.
Again Blake focused his gaze on the head nurse. Why was she working at a retirement home and not at a hospital or clinic? Had she taken this job to prey on the elderly?
He was going to have to keep a close eye on her, although he was tempted to keep an eye on her for other reasons, too. Even dressed in scrubs, she was too pretty for words.
But then Melissa, his former fiancée, had been an attractive woman, too. After uncovering her real motive for wanting to marry him, he’d learned a hard but valuable lesson—to guard his heart and never take a woman at face value again.
Even if her face was as pretty as Shannon Cramer’s.
* * *
The ranch cook, who Rex and the other men had referred to as “Miz Hopkins,” had no more than cleared the dinner plates and serving bowls from the table, when Doc Nelson, a spry older man with a potbelly and a Santa Claus twinkle in his eye, arrived with a deck of cards and a case of poker chips.
Shannon, who was still wearing her scrubs, returned carrying her purse. Blake was glad to know he’d soon catch her in the act of taking advantage of the men who were her patients, yet at the same time, he couldn’t help his disappointment. He didn’t like the idea of the attractive nurse turning out to be a thief. Or the suspicion that “Doc” might be in on the ruse.
After Rex placed two dimes and a nickel on the table, and the doctor tossed out two quarters, Shannon pulled out a dollar bill from her wallet.
“I’ll need change,” she said.
Blake scrunched his brow. “I thought it was a fifty-dollar buy-in.”
“That’s what we call it,” the doctor said. “There’s something about playing for coins that just doesn’t seem right to us.”
“And neither does playing Bingo,” Rex chimed in. “When Shannon first got here and suggested it, I said, ‘Hell, no. I’m not playing that girly game.’”
Doc Nelson chuckled. “So I convinced Shannon to not only let them play poker, but to let them wager something more valuable than matchsticks, even if it was just coins.”
“Let me get this straight.” Blake crossed his arms as he addressed each of the men and the woman seated at the table. “A chip represents a dollar, but it only costs a penny?”
“That’s right,” Doc Nelson said. “You’ll need fifty cents to play. So are you in or out?”
Under the circumstances, since there was no longer a need for Blake to sit back and witness an infraction, he reached into his front pocket for some change. “Sure, why not?”
As the doctor shuffled the deck, Shannon took the seat next to him and asked, “Did you get a chance to look at Nate’s hand, Doc?”
“Yep, I sure did. You were right, it needed a couple of stitches, so I took care of that and then bandaged him up again. But I’d like you to keep an eye on it. Even with that shot of penicillin, I’m concerned about infection. Especially because he’s not likely to complain about pain or swelling.”
Shannon cast a frown on the men at the table. “That’s because he doesn’t want these guys to call him a ‘snot-nosed kid who can’t take a little discomfort.’”
“Oh, pshaw.” Rex slowly shook his gray head. “I only said that to toughen him up. The first week he got here, he was moping around like someone stole his candy. Besides, as far as I’m concerned, those youngsters Sam hired are just a few years out of a diaper.”
“And they’re all pretty soft,” a wiry man named Chuck added. “The Good Lord sure don’t make cowboys like He used to. That’s for sure.”
Blake shot a glance at Shannon and watched her smile. But why wouldn’t she? These good ol’ boys were pretty comical.
Nearly two hours later, they called it a night. And this time Rex was the winner.
“Okay,” Shannon said. “I’d better go home and get some sleep. I’ll see y’all in the morning.”
Blake decided to see her out. After all, he was going back to Sam’s place anyway. Still, even though he was downplaying his reason for that decision, he had to admit there was more to him wanting to go outside with Shannon than just being polite.
The woman might have lost a quarter or more tonight, but she certainly knew how to play poker.
As Shannon reached under the table for her purse, Blake got to his feet. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
His suggestion must have taken her aback because her lips parted, and she hesitated a moment. Then she smiled and said, “All right. I just need to tell the night nurse I’m leaving.”
“I’ll wait for you by the front door.”
She tilted her head slightly, as if suspicious of his offer—or maybe surprised by his manners. Who knew what she was really thinking?
And there lay the problem. Blake shouldn’t have given a damn, but he felt compelled to learn more about her. Not only about what she was thinking, but what made her tick. Something wasn’t right on the Rocking Chair Ranch, and he had a feeling the head nurse held the key.
* * *
After briefing Darlene about a change in one resident’s bedtime medication, Shannon met Blake in the living room.
His offer to walk her to her car had taken her by complete surprise. Maybe he was just being a gentleman, but she had a feeling he had something on his mind. If so, she’d find out soon enough.
He opened the front door for her, and she stepped out onto the wraparound porch, where a row of empty rockers were lined against the wall and flanked by pots of red and pink geraniums. As he joined her, she took a moment to savor the sights and sounds of the evening. The moon was only a sliver tonight, yet the stars twinkled brightly in the sky. In the distance, a horse whinnied.
Not wanting him to think she was dawdling or trying to eke out more time with him, she started toward her car, her pace slow until he caught up with her.
“So where did you learn to play poker?” he asked.
“My dad taught me. I used to watch him and his buddies play on Saturday nights, and sometimes, when they needed a fifth, they’d ask me to join them.”
“Your mom let you do that?”
Shannon wasn’t sure how much of her past she wanted to share with him. But she adored Sam and couldn’t see any reason to be leery of his nephew. “My mom died when I was six.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” She gave a little shrug. “Anyway, my dad taught me a lot of things, poker being only one of them.”
They continued toward her car, the soles of their shoes crunching along the dirt walkway.
“Your uncle reminds