A Ring For Cinderella

They slipped from the room.

“Now, tell me why you haven’t married her,” Gramp ordered, his voice sounding much stronger all of a sudden.

“Why did that man kiss you?” Paul asked as soon as they were in the waiting room.

“Because—because he—I don’t know.” Susan knew, but she didn’t want to explain to Paul that she and Zach were lying to Zach’s grandfather.

“I like him.”

She looked at her little brother in surprise. The few times she’d accepted a date, Paul had been...difficult. “Zach?”

“Yeah. And his grandfather, too. Why don’t I have a grandfather?”

It wasn’t the first time Paul had questioned her about his family. She gave her standard answer. “You had two grandfathers, just like everyone else. sweetie, but they died before you were born.”

“Oh.”

“Look, here’s a television. Want me to turn it on? I think Monday night football is playing.”

“Okay.”

Paul wasn’t very enthusiastic, because he intended to be a baseball player, but football was better than nothing.

And maybe it would keep him from asking more uncomfortable questions.

Half an hour later, Zach came into the room.

“How is he?” she asked, surprised at how much she cared about the old man’s health. After all, she didn’t really know him.

“Better. The doctor’s with him now.” He paced around the room, impatient, ignoring both her and Paul.

“Your grandfather is a nice man,” Paul said softly, his gaze following Zach’s movement rather than the football game.

Susan feared Zach might be irritated by Paul’s comment, because it interrupted his private battles. Instead, the man walked over to Paul and touched his shoulder. “Yeah. He is, isn’t he?” Then he sat down by Paul.

“What’s the score?”

The little boy supplied the information, and the two bonded in typical male fashion.

Then the doctor came into the room.

Zach bounded up from the couch and met the doctor before he’d made much progress into the room. Susan couldn’t hear their conversation, but she watched them all the same.

Finally the doctor left the room.

“I’m going to say good-night to Gramp. I’ll be back in a minute,” Zach murmured.

“Then we’ll go home?” Paul asked, yawning. “I’m sleepy.”

“Then we’ll go home, sweetie,” Susan responded as Zach left the room. “Thanks for being so good.”

“It’s okay. I’m going to pretend Gramp is my grandfather. Is that okay, Susan? I won’t tell him, but since I don’t have a grandfather, I’ll just pretend.”

Susan gave her brother a hug. “As long as you don’t say anything to Zach or his grandfather, then that’s okay.”

Zach returned. “Ready to go?”

Susan studied his grim face as she helped Paul off the sofa. Something was wrong. She feared the doctor’s news hadn’t been good. “Do you want us to take a taxi home, so you can stay here?”

“No. They have my number and will call if there’s any change.” His words were abrupt, clipped, as if he were out of patience.

She made no more suggestions.

Once they were in the car, heading back to her apartment, she asked, “Are you going back to the ranch tonight?”

“No, I’m staying in town.”

He didn’t volunteer where, and she didn’t ask. If she’d had more room, she would’ve offered to let him stay with them, but somehow she couldn’t see Zach Lowery stretched out on their lumpy couch.

There were several men hanging around outside the apartment building when they pulled up, and Zach scowled in their direction. “This isn’t a safe neighborhood.”

Susan, recognizing Manuel’s father, smiled and waved before turning to Zach. “We’re perfectly safe. Those are some of our neighbors.”

Opening the car door, she slipped out of the car and reached for Paul’s door. Before she could get the boy out, Zach was at her side.

“I’ll walk you upstairs.”

“Really, that’s not necessary.” She started to thank him for a lovely evening until she realized she’d been working, not socializing.

“Yes, it is. I need to pay you.”

He sounded angry. Fine, she didn’t have to take the rest of the money. The first check would help her out of some financial difficulty. She opened her mouth to tell him, but he grabbed Paul’s hand and her arm and started them toward the stairs at a fast clip.

“You’re going too fast,” Paul protested.

Without a word, Zach swung the boy up into his arms, then reattached himself to Susan’s arm.

“Wow, you’re strong,” Paul said in awe.

For the first time since Zach Lowery had come into her life, he smiled, and Susan realized handsome didn’t begin to describe him.

“You weigh a lot less than a bale of hay, Paul,” he said to her brother. “You need to eat more.”

“Susan says I eat lots and lots,” the boy said with a giggle.

“Why do you call her Susan?” Zach asked, frowning.

“’Cause that’s her name,” Paul said simply.