Tacker (Arizona Vengeance 5)

“What about your family?” I ask.

Raul takes a long pull from his bottle, his eyes falling a little flat. “My wife, Guadalupe, died nine years ago. Our kids moved East years ago, though. Got a handful of grandkids I don’t see all that often because they never come back to visit. Sad to say, Nora’s more like a daughter to me than my own.”

“You’re lucky to have her.” I lower my gaze, becoming reflective. “Hell, I’m lucky to have her.”

Raul’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“You know… as my therapist,” I quickly correct.

“Didn’t sound like you were thinking of her like a therapist,” he replies with challenge. But not in an offended way. He almost sounds fucking delighted by it.

I furrow my brow, wondering what’s on his agenda. Is he being overprotective? Do I need to start some major backpedaling?

“I wanted to kiss Nora last night,” I blurt out, then have to restrain myself not to clap my hand over my mouth in shock that I just admitted that to this man who may as well be Nora’s father.

“Say what?” Raul asks with rounded eyes.

“We were dancing, and talking, and well… I wanted to, but I didn’t. I know we can’t.”

“She has ethical guidelines, Tacker,” Raul says quietly, and I’m slightly mollified by the empathy in his voice. “Her license is at stake. You don’t have those things holding you back.”

“I know.” The frustration is heavy in my voice. “And I have no business thinking about her like that. I fucking lost my fiancée in a plane crash. I’ve been in such deep grief and guilt over that that I truly should not be thinking about another woman—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Raul says, sitting up straight in his chair and holding a hand up. “Stop right there. Putting the ethical issues of Nora being your therapist aside for just a moment, you cannot let your past losses dictate who you can or can’t be interested in.”

I pause, letting that sink in a moment. “I’m confused… are you telling me to be interested in Nora or not?”

“I’m telling you if you’re ready to move on and have a relationship again, you do it. Whether that is Nora or someone else.”

“Whether it’s Nora?” I press. “So you’re saying I can have an interest in her in particular?”

“Are you always this dense?” Raul asks with a slight eye roll. “Let me break it down… you deserve happiness. If you are ready to take the step forward in finding it, take the biggest damn step you can. As for Nora, she is your therapist. She cannot be involved with you. If she’s not your therapist, then she can. Simple as that.”

Simple as that, huh?

An idea forms.

“Does she want to be involved with you?” Raul asks hesitantly.

“I think she wanted to kiss me last night, but I can’t be sure. It was just a moment… fleeting, but I think she was right there with me.”

Shaking his head, he mutters, “Christ… I can’t believe I’m sitting here trying to give advice on your love life with Nora.”

He doesn’t say anything else, even though it sounds like he was getting ready to unload on me. I lean forward, staring at him expectantly.

Raul’s gaze lowers to his beer bottle where he seems to contemplate something a moment. When it returns to me, he sighs. “Like I said, if you’re ready to move forward to find happiness, might as well take the biggest damn step you can.”

I wait for more, but nothing is forthcoming.

It’s then I realize it’s about what he doesn’t say.

No warning to stay away from Nora.

No reminder her career could be put in jeopardy.

Raul just stares, the gauntlet laid down at my feet.

The question now is if I am ready to move forward.

“Do you know where Nora is?” I ask as I push up from the chair.

“Up at the house,” he replies with a nod of his head in that general direction.

A grin comes to my face. “Okay. Thanks for the talk.”

Raul nods and I spin from him, heading for the door.

“Mijo,” he calls. While I’m not sure what that means, I know it’s an endearment of sorts.

I pivot in question.

“You hurt her, and I will kill you. Even though I like you, I will kill you very dead. Take your body out in the desert and dump it. No one will find you.”

I don’t laugh. He’s quite serious, and I respect him for it. “I’ll do my best.”

Raul nods, accepting my promise and taking another sip of his beer. I leave him, heading out of the barn and toward the main house.

When I reach the door, I take a deep breath, giving myself a moment to ask myself if I am truly ready for this.

I am.

But only if the woman is Nora.

I’m certain of that.

I knock on the door. In moments, I hear her footsteps approaching. She’s not surprised to see me there, giving me a welcoming hello.