Quickly, she returned to the ropes and tied the one Chris had thrown down to the one already tethered to the Jeep that had held Travis when he rappelled down. She tied a double fisherman’s knot—thank you, Jeffrey Steadman—then pulled on it, using all of her body weight to test it. It held. Holding the other end, she ran back to the cave. Gina hadn’t moved. She was probably dead, but Heather couldn’t stop to check. Not yet. She made it to the ledge and threw the rope over. “Travis, grab the rope, then tell me when to pull!”
Within seconds, the rope went taut. “Now!”
She ran to the entrance. “Now, Chris! Now!” After the longest two seconds of her life, the rope pulled taut and started moving.
She heard Travis grunt and soon his head appeared level with the edge. His gloved hand slapped at the rock and he held on, dangling, but he had a good hold on the ledge. Heather hurried to grab the material of his coat in both hands. And pulled again. The rope attached to the Jeep moved more and the upper half of his body made it over the ledge. “Come on, come on.”
And then he was all the way in, his head in her lap. For a moment, he lay gasping. “I think I dislocated my shoulder.”
“Hold on and I’ll look.” She ran to the entrance. “He’s up, Chris! He’s up!” She hurried back to Travis and went to her knees beside him. “Let me look.”
He flinched away from her reaching hands.
“Travis, you almost died. Now is not the time to be a fraidy cat when it comes to doctors. Now pull on your big-boy pants and let me look at it.”
He huffed out a choked laugh and nodded. “Fine.”
Heather ran her hands over the shoulder, feeling bones and moving the joint. “It’s not dislocated, but you no doubt sprained it.”
“I’ll take it. Man, that was terrifying.”
“Yeah,” she whispered, then let the tears flow. “Why do I always cry when I’m around you? I never cry.”
Using his good arm, he pushed himself into a sitting position and tucked her next to him. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
“How did you not . . . how did you manage . . . how?”
“He had my leg when he went over. I managed to grab that piece of rock that juts out. I knew it was there and just reached for it, praying. And I snagged it with one hand. It stopped the fall and Donnie swung into the side of the cliff . . . and let go.”
Heather could envision it and swallowed the nausea that his words induced. “I don’t want to think about it, but I’m probably going to dream about it. It’s a toss-up as to which nightmare I’ll have now.”
Travis gripped her tight and she buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent.
“I know the feeling,” he said.
“Travis! Heather!” Chris’s shout reached them. “Somebody let me know what’s going on. The cops are here.”
“About time they showed up,” he muttered.
Tucking his wounded arm against him, Travis rose and held out a hand. She let him pull her to her feet. Her legs trembled but held her. They walked to the entrance, the temperature dropping the closer they got. “We’re okay, Chris!”
“Hold on a second.” Heather returned to the woman who’d tried to kill her numerous times and knelt next to her. She pulled one of the gloves off and placed two fingers on Gina’s throat. “No pulse. She’s gone.” Tears battered her lids and she drew in a deep breath, trying to get control of her emotions, wondering why she was grieving so hard. But she’d loved Gina like the good friend she’d been. Thought she’d been. And her betrayal—and death—left her raw. “So much bitterness. So much hate,” she whispered. “She had so much potential, Travis. She was an excellent nurse and probably saved as many patients as I did in Kabul.”
“She was a very lost soul,” he said.
Heather stroked Gina’s hair away from her face. “I wish it could have ended differently for you, Gina. I wish you would have let someone reach you, that you would have asked for the help you needed.” She sniffed as she rose and let Travis tuck her under his good shoulder. “I wish I’d seen the depth of her pain,” she said. “Was I too wrapped up in my own stuff? Was I that blind?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think she knew exactly what she was doing and there was no deterring her. No one saw it because she truly didn’t want to be helped. She was too clever, too cunning, in maneuvering all the pieces in her twisted desire for revenge and her desperate need to find the one piece of evidence that could connect her to that bombing. No wonder she was so good at chess. She was always thinking three moves ahead.”
“Somehow, she set up Rayi’s kidnapping, managed to get Abdul to almost blow up a hospital, and who knows what else? Unbelievable.” She paused. “Donnie and Brad were best friends. He was just as angry as Gina was about Brad dying in the friendly fire incident. I think he also was a little bit in love with her. When she expressed the desire for revenge, he went along with it. Mostly because she promised to pay him, but partly because he wanted to impress her. I think. I don’t guess we’ll ever know for sure now. I just know when she betrayed him, he didn’t hesitate to kill her.”
“Well, he definitely left an impression.” Travis drew in a deep breath. “Now, let’s figure out how we’re going to get down this cliff without breaking anything.”
She squeezed his hand. “You’ll figure it out.”
“Travis Walker? Heather Fontaine?”
The shouts came from outside the cave.
“In here,” Travis called.
Two members of the SCSAR team stepped inside. Under the large letters on their jackets read South Carolina Search and Rescue. Never had she been so glad to be rescued. “Hey, you two ready to get out of here?” the one in front asked.
“Yes. Please.” Heather held out a hand to Travis. “I’m ready to go home.”
He clasped her gloved fingers and brought them to his lips. “I’m right behind you.”
“Can we build a fire in that big fireplace of yours when we get back from the hospital?”
“Hospital? Um . . . no hospitals. And no doctors—except you. I’m okay with you.”
Heather smiled. “And I’m okay with you, Travis Walker. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
FOUR WEEKS LATER
Heather sat on the couch in Travis’s living area, her head snuggled against his good shoulder, fingers wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate. A fire burned brightly in the fireplace opposite them. “People will be here any minute now,” she murmured.
“I know.” He kissed the top of her head. “I almost can’t believe we made it to this point. It still feels surreal or something.”
“Yes. It’s been a very strange four weeks. I’m still a little unsure of what to do with myself.”
“I know one thing you can do.”
She tilted her head up, met his gaze, and smiled. “What’s that, cowboy?”
His lips settled over hers and she cupped his chin to kiss him back, secure in his warm embrace. He tasted like chocolate and whipped cream—and icing? She pulled back slightly. “Travis?”
“Yeah?”
“When you got the hot chocolate, did you happen to get into anything else?”
He frowned, but his eyes slid from hers. “What are you talking about?”
“Cake.”
“Um . . . well . . .”
“You snitched a piece, didn’t you?”
“No way. I wouldn’t do that. You sure do have a lot of balloons in there. And the streamers are just the right touch.”
“Stop trying to change the subject. If you didn’t eat a piece of the cake, then you skimmed the icing.”
He grinned. “I might have done a little skimming.”
“Travis Walker, that cake is not for you!”
“I know, but are you kidding me? This house smells like nothing but sugar and cake. It was just sitting there, practically begging me to sample it, so I did. No one will ever know, I promise. I smoothed the little are
a over really well.”
“You’re hopeless.”
His knuckles gently scraped down her cheek and he kissed her nose. “I’m hopelessly crazy about you, Heather Fontaine,” he whispered. “You know that, right?”
“I’m beginning to believe it. The more you kiss me, the more I’m convinced.”
“I’m more than happy to keep convincing.”
She laughed and he kissed her again.
With his forehead against hers, he stared at her, making her want to squirm. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Were you ever bitter?”
She blinked at his suddenly serious tone. “Sorry?”
“About how you grew up? The way your father is and the way he treated you?”
She sighed. “Wow, what brought that on?”
“I’m . . . curious, I suppose. I see what happened to Gina and how she let Brad’s death take over her entire life, her attitude, everything. And then there’s you.”
“It’s not just me. Most people who suffer trauma don’t turn into killers, but . . .” How did she explain? “Okay. Was I angry? Yes. Did I ever wish I was someone else who had loving parents? Yes. Bitter? Maybe. Yes. I think that went with the anger.”
“What changed that for you? Because I look at you and I don’t see an angry or bitter person. You’ve let it go.”
“Well, I’m sure part of it was the fact that when I realized the anger was controlling me and not the other way around, I decided that would never do. That’s also when God and I were developing a relationship and he was showing me some things about myself. Like to have the kind of future and life I wanted, I needed to release that anger, the unforgiveness, and the hatred. I make it sound easy, but I promise, it wasn’t.”
“But you did it.”
“With some divine help, yes.”
“Gina couldn’t do it.”
“You were right, back in the cave, when you said Gina wasn’t open to doing it. We tried to help her, tried to form a real friendship with her, but she didn’t want our help. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from you all, it’s if someone doesn’t want help, it’s hard to give it.”
“I wasn’t giving you a choice.”
“I know.” She laughed. “Trust me. But deep down, even though I had a hard time admitting it, I wanted your help. And I wanted Caden’s help in getting that video down. Thank goodness, it’s gone now, by the way.”
“I noticed and I’m glad.” He hugged her and she closed her eyes to simply enjoy the moment.
“Travis?”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad you were the one to come after me.”
He leaned back and lifted her chin to stare into her eyes. “I’ll always come after you, Heather. I’ll never leave you to face trouble alone.”
“Thank you,” she whispered through a tight throat. She cleared it and he ran a thumb over her cheek.
“Okay, now for the serious stuff,” he said, setting her back from him.
Heather’s heart thumped. Serious stuff? “All right.”
“I have a question for you that you never answered.”
She frowned. “What’s that?”
“Your time-waster. I know you have one. So, what is it?”
Heather almost wilted. Serious stuff, huh? She could feel the heat moving from her chest into her neck and finally her cheeks. “I guess I do. Maybe. I mean, it’s kind of one, but it helps people too. It’s really a stress reliever.”
“You’re killin’ me, woman. Spill it.”
She laughed, then gave a little groan. “Okay. I watch medical shows on television and then dissect everything they do wrong—and right—and write a review on my blog. I have quite a few followers—mostly writers.”
His jaw dropped and she ducked her head. He lifted her chin to meet his eyes. “That’s incredibly fascinating. You like medical shows but feel like you shouldn’t because they’re beneath you. So, this is your way of justifying watching them.”
“What? No, I don’t think they’re beneath me!” When he raised a brow at her, she giggled. “Okay, guilty. Silly, isn’t it? Although, some of them are really well done, even if they don’t get all of the medical facts right every time. So, yes . . . I enjoy them.”
Laughter poured out of him and she grinned. Then narrowed her eyes. “Now, it’s your turn.”
“What?”
“Why are you so antsy around doctors?”
He groaned and dropped his head into his hands. “It’s stupid.”
“Travis, you might as well tell me. I’m not going to let this go, you know.”
“It’s Sandra’s fault. She used to make me be her patient when we were kids and she used to pinch me when she ‘gave me a shot.’ And if I ever actually had to go to the doctor, she would tease me that I’d have to get a shot.”
“How mean.”
“She was a brat, but I’ve grown to love her.” He paused. “How many followers?”
A car door slammed. “They’re here,” she said.
“Yes, they are.” His eyes glittered with sudden excitement and he stood to go open the door.
Before he could get there, Brooke swung it open and stepped inside, stomping her boots on the mat. “Hey, y’all, I’ve got the chips and dip.”
“And I’ve got the drinks,” Asher said from behind her. “Sarah and Gavin just drove up, and I think Ava is a few minutes behind.”
“Awesome,” Heather said. “This is going to be so fun.” A dark blue SUV pulled into the drive. “And that’s Dr. Colson.” She slipped out the door and ran to hug the man. He smelled of peppermint and citrus soap. “I’m so glad you felt well enough to come.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I’m still a little dependent on this cane when I get tired, but I’ll be able to toss it soon enough.”
Heather led him inside, then looked out the window. Ava drove up, followed by Caden. She turned to Travis. “Our gang’s all here. Now we just need your family.”
He waved his phone at her. “They’re on the way.”
Sure enough, within three minutes, she spotted Joe and Sandra’s van, followed by Travis’s parents in their golf cart.
“Ryker’s in the van, right?” she asked.
“Supposed to be.” Travis whistled and everyone quieted. “Thank you, guys, so much for coming today. The guest of honor is here and will be walking in at any moment.”
“We’re ready,” Sarah said.
Caden’s eyes widened as he glanced around. “Did you buy every balloon in the city?” He batted one that floated past his face.
“Just about,” Heather said. She peered out the window once more. “Here they come!”
Everyone fell quiet. The door opened. Sandra stepped inside carrying baby Lisa. Jackie, Davey, and Martin followed, their excitement palpable. And then Ryker’s lanky frame filled the entrance.
“Surprise!”
The one word, yelled in unison, filled the home.
Ryker gasped and stepped back right into Joe. The man put his arm over the kid’s shoulder and maneuvered him forward.
Heather grinned. “Happy birthday, Ryker.”
“But . . . but . . . what?”
Heather laughed and Travis stepped forward. “Welcome to your surprise birthday party.”
Ryker’s throat worked and his gaze touched on each and every person, finally landing on his doctor friend. He rushed forward to hug the man, who patted him on the back. “Happy birthday, son.”
“I don’t know what to say. It’s not my birthday yet.”
He did look a tad dazed. Heather grabbed his hand and ushered him into the spacious kitchen where the others had gathered around the island.
And the twelve cakes. Ryker spotted them and gaped. “What . . . ?”
Travis plunked a Stetson on his head. “This was Heather’s idea, but we all helped.”
“I helped ice the heart-shaped cake,” Jackie said.
“And I licked the bowl,” Martin chimed
in.
Everyone laughed, then fell silent as Ryker took it all in. “I don’t know what to say. No one’s ever—” Tears filled his eyes and he sniffed, then shook his head. “Oh man. Thank you. I . . . just . . . wow. Thank you.”
“You said the last cake you had was for your sixth birthday,” Heather said. “I wanted you to have a cake for every one that you missed since then.”
Ryker turned and hugged her, burying his face in her hair. “Thank you. You’re going to have me crying like a baby.”
“That’s all right. We’ll all probably join you.”
He chuckled and drew in a deep breath.
“When are we gonna eat the cake?” Davey asked.
More laughter filled the kitchen, and Ryker hefted the kid onto his back, then Travis handed him a brightly wrapped package. “For you.”
“Open it!” Jackie fairly danced with her excitement.
With Davey hanging on like a monkey, Ryker opened the gift as if it contained a priceless treasure. A fine tremor ran through his hands. “I haven’t gotten many gifts before. I don’t know what to say.”
Heather’s heart broke once again for the teen. “Well, you can come to expect it from now on.”
Ryker finally pulled the paper from the box. And gasped. “A phone?”
“We figured you could use an upgrade,” Travis said.
He simply stared, his mouth working. They’d rendered him speechless. A tear slipped over and tracked its way down his cheek. He swiped it and cleared his throat. “Thank you. Again.”
Dr. Colson stepped forward. “There’s one more thing.”
Ryker waited while the doctor pulled an envelope out of his pocket. Dr. Colson passed it to Ryker.
“You got in. On a full scholarship. I’ve already sent my endorsement. All you have to do is accept the invitation and show up for the first day of class.”
And that was it for Ryker. A sob erupted from him, and he bolted to the man who’d practically raised him. Ryker wrapped his arms around the doctor and held on while he wept.
Travis slid an arm around Heather’s shoulders and she buried her face in his chest.
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