Waiting For Love (Wild Creek Ranch Book 2)

Chapter Four

The next day, Ember walked down to the hospital thinking about the pictures that Adelaide had promised to bring her. She waited impatiently at the nursing station for Adelaide and grabbed her the moment she came inside. 

"Got you. Have you got Rex's pics?" She asked eagerly. 

"Yes, I have. I can forward them to you if you let go of me," said Adelaide with a laugh. Ember immediately released her, jumping up and down impatiently as she forwarded Rex's pictures to her number. 

"Check them out and keep a tissue ready for the drool. I'm off to see Renner," said Adelaide with a laugh. Ember stuck her tongue out at her. She went to sit at the window seat to check out pictures she'd been dying to see. She switched on her mobile phone and downloaded the pictures. Once done, she opened the two pictures eagerly. There was her Rex looking handsome as ever. His ocean blue eyes twinkled back as he looked slightly startled at being photographed. His hair was shorter and he looked far more droolworthy than before. His body had nicely filled up with muscles and she blushed as she checked him out. The tight muscle tee showed off his biceps and the shorts showed his thick, muscular legs.   Her fingertips touched his picture longingly. She remembered Adelaide's words.

You can have him. He's hopelessly waiting to fall in love 

What did that mean? Is he single? Ember was curious to know what happened to that cheerleader, Lauren Samuelson who he was dating. 

"Ember, you're still here? They're looking for you at your department. Run," said Carol, another nurse. Ember was brought back to reality from her dream world. 

"Oh my gosh! I'm late, thanks Carol, " she said, rushing out. The wholedsy she was so busy that she didn't get time to catch up with Adelaide.  When her duty was over, Adelaide had already left. Ember walked down the road lost in her own world. The sound of a crash somewhere that looked up ahead at the crossing. A truck had collided with another and people were gathering to watch the fight. She rushed home. Who wanted to be caught in the middle of a country brawl! 

Rex had just delivered their dairy products to the huge departmental store at the marketplace when his eyes fell upon a woman. Her hair, her figure was the same as the one he saw the other day. His dream woman! He hadn't been able to sleep as she was all he saw in his head. She turned and walked towards him and he watched her with his breath stuck at his throat. The moment he saw her face, her curled eyelashes and her emerald green pools, he was lost. 

He was so hypnotized by her that he forgot where he was. His truck collided with the truck in front which had stopped all of a sudden. Although it wasn't a loud and damaging accident as he was moving at a snail's pace, yet a collision was a collision and no one let it go. The truck driver dismounted and strode towards him to fight as onlookers gathered around to watch the fun. 

"What the f*ck! Can't ya see where you're goin'?" Yelled the farmer who Rex knew lived at the outskirts of Fordsville. 

"Look, I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional. I'll pay for the damages," offered Rex, eager to get away. The farmer calmed down and quoted an amount which Rex had with him. He paid up and heaved a sigh of relief when the farmer took the money and left. The crowd had dispersed but Rex couldn't find the woman who was the cause of it all. She seemed to have disappeared from his view. Rex felt frustrated and disappointed. He had again lost her. Slowly he drove home, feeling the vacuum inside him. This was the second opportunity he got to find out who she was and he lost it again. 

Ember sat at the window of her room and stared at the photographs of Rex longingly. She wanted to go to him, she wanted to tell him that she liked him. She wanted to talk to him, see him. Granny Stacey entered her room twice but didn't disturb her. She crept up behind her and noticed that Ember was busy staring at Rex's pictures. She quietly left the room determined to take up Charlotte upon her offer. She would take Ember and go visit her friend, Jenny Wilson, Rex's granny. 

However all their plans got disrupted when granny Stacey received a call from aunt Frieda to say that the wedding had to be advanced since the grooms grandmother was admitted to the hospital and wanted to see them married. Her flight tickets were ready and her cousin Josh would arrive at Fordsville the next day to get her. Ember's hopes were dashed. She had wanted to meet Rex. 

"I haven't packed anything yet!" She said with frustration. "How can I attend at such short notice?" She wailed.

"The flight is at night. You can hand in your leave application tomorrow morning," said granny. Ember nodded and the rest of the time they spent in packing for the trip. Granny didn't want her to go but obviously they were her family too and she couldn't stop her from attending a family event. 

The next morning, Ember informed Renner who was quite displeased with her plans yet accepted her application and granted her leave. She saw Adelaide at the nursing station. 

"So, did you like what I sent you?" Asked Adelaide wiggling her eyebrows at Ember. 

She blushed but didn't answer. Of course, she loved the photographs. Only she knew how much they meant to her.

"It's bad that I'm going away for a month to Chicago. My mom's family lives there and there's a wedding coming up so they're whisking me away. When I return, I want to be introduced to Rex," said Ember. Adelaide nodded with a smile.

"Sure, when do you leave?" She asked her.

"Tonight. My cousin and his friend are coming to get me, " informed Ember. 

"Enjoy yourself then Ember, " said Adelaide. 

"Yes, I love weddings. They're so romantic, " said Ember, dreamily. "I can't wait to marry Rex." It just slipped out of her tongue and Adelaide's jaws dropped at her admission. Ember blushed and ran out to start her work for the day, eager to escape all the teasing. 

Ember didn't meet Adelaide again as she left early. She walked into her home and saw Josh. He looked up from his television as she walked in. "Hey little sister! You've grown up?" Saod Josh with a grin, getting up and coming forward to hug her. "So you've become a nurse?"

"Yes. You've grown up too with a beard and all," said Ember with a laugh, returning the hug. "When did you come in?" She asked him. Another guy of Josh's age with blonde hair and a lip ring came into the room. His right arm had the tattoo of a dragon engraved and there was a bad boy aura oozing out of him.

"Ember, meet my best friend Jamie Moore. Jamie, this is Ember," Josh introduced. The man came forward and picked up her hand to give a kiss on her knuckles. Ember was too startled by the suddenness of his actions. She wrenched her hand free of his hold. She wasn't comfortable with the way he stared at her. "Jamie, no flirting with my sister," he warned, as a guarded warning passed between the two men. Granny Stacey came into the room with dinner. She started laying the table. 

"Go and freshen up, Ember. You'll need to have an early dinner," she said. Ember noticed that granny didn't look happy at all. Something was bothering her and she avoided interacting with Jamie. It was strange since granny loved having guests at home. Jamie on the other hand was least perturbed by everything as he sat watching her with hooded eyes, looking like a predator ready to pounce. A tremor shot up her spine and she ran up to her room to shower and change out of her nurse's uniform. 

Afterwards they all sat down dinner. Ember's grandfather was against her going  and while he spoke to Josh a little, he completely ignored Jamie. In fact he looked displeased with Josh for bringing him home. "So when are you bringing her back?" Asked Ember's grandfather. 

"Next week?" Said Josh. "The wedding's on Saturday. I'll bring her back on Monday, " informed Josh and granddad nodded.

"Take care of your sister," said granddad, eyeing Jamie. 

"Of course, I will, granddad," promised Josh. Ember went up to her room to get ready and granny followed her to her room. 

"Stay away from Jamie, sweetie. I don't like the way he's looking at you. If I had a say, I would never let you go with these two," said granny. 

"Dont worry, granny. I'm not a child. I'll stay away from him," promised Ember.

"You're very naive, my dear. That's what worries me," said her granny. 

"I'll be back next Monday. It's just for a week that I'm going away. Don't worry, granny," she reassured her. After hugging her grandparents, Ember left Fordsville to go to the nearest airport at Great Falls.