by Michelle, T.
“I know a guy in town who owes me a favor. And you’ll have to at least call the job you were supposed to be at to tell them you aren’t going to make it. In fact, allow me to call – I’ve got that doctor voice down pat.” He was humoring her, not at all conducive with last night’s behavior.
She nodded, not wanting to deal with the mess, but knowing she’d better get it over with. He picked her up at the front door and trudged through the rain and mud to a Range Rover parked alongside the house. After depositing her in the passenger seat and securing the belt across her, he threw a blanket over her lap.
“I really don’t want you on that leg for seven days. If you tear the muscle fibers in that calf while they are healing you’ll have hell to pay later on with scar tissue.” He jumped in and fired the engine up.
They bumped along the driveway in silence. As she stared out at the murky scenery, she caught him casting looks her way every so often.
“Tabitha. What’s your last name?” His voice was much less gruff than it had been the night before.
“Afraid I won’t pay the doctor’s bill?” Her touch at humor was light. “It’s MacLean.”
“Well, Tabitha, I’m officially Dr. Jared Larsen. But Jared is fine.” He shifted in his seat as they hit the highway. “Now, where’s that car of yours?”
She reached across him and pointed out his window to the decrepit looking Toyota sitting at an awkward angle on the side of the road.
“Hmmm. Doesn’t look good, I’m afraid. It would have been better off if you hadn’t decided to try and plow down that rather large telephone pole.”
She burst out laughing, not knowing what else to do. He shared her humor, smiling broadly with a stunning show of bright white teeth and an easiness that actually reached his eyes for a change. In the light of day, his hair showed to be a light brown in color with gold highlights. It hung loosely about his square jaw, giving a bit of a roguish look to his handsome countenance. He was roughly beautiful – tall, sculpted but lean, with a golden skin color and an almost American Indian look about him.
Tabitha has been aware that Jared was certainly attractive but now, she found that he was just good looking and personable enough to make her uneasy. The realization ceased her laughter. Her giggles tapered off and she went back to brooding over her current drab situation.
Staring at the car made her wonder just how much it would cost to fix the damage. The hood had been bent into an odd-shaped W thanks to the impact of the pole and she was quite certain the axle had been bent with the blowout. The repairs would be more money than she could hope to make in a year’s time, much less be able to fork out today. She only carried liability on the car and even if insurance did total it, it wouldn’t be enough to buy anything else. Rough luck. That’s what she had.
Jared steered the vehicle onto the highway and headed into town. Giddings was a quiet little town that had obviously seen many years. Quaint storefronts lined the road and people bustled about even though it was barely nine in the morning and the rain was still coming down. Jared turned into an auto service driveway and stepped out. “I’ll be right back.”
A large cowboy sauntered out to the opening of the garage and at the sight of the doctor, clapped him hard on the back. The two shared a few words, through which the cowboy would glance at her from time to time and nod. Tabitha felt as though she were an article in a store window – completely exposed and on display. God only knew what Jared was saying to the man about the poor stray he’d managed to rescue the night before.
Jared stepped away from the man and back into the vehicle. “That’s settled. Travis will drop by this afternoon and take a look at it, if the rain lets up. Until then, why don’t we call your boss?” He withdrew a cell phone from the middle console, checked for service, and waited for the phone number.
She recited the digits, not really sure this was a good idea, but the pain pills she had taken with breakfast had started taking effect and she leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. She tried to focus on what Jared was saying.
“Good morning. This is Dr. Larsen calling in regards to Tabitha McLean. I have been made aware that she was to report to you this morning; however, Ms. McLean suffered some injuries after a car accident last night and will not be able to arrive as scheduled. I have put her on bed rest for the upcoming week.”
There was a pause.
“Yes, she will be fine, but her injuries involve several different points of the body and I believe she will not be in a position to be fully active for a couple of weeks.” Another pause. “Yes, I’ll relay the message. Thank you.” He ended the call and replaced the phone.
Tabitha was reluctant to hear what had been said. She waited for him to tell her she’d lost her job. A job she hadn’t even started yet.
“You’re a Camp Guide?” He sounded skeptical.
“Counselor. I was going to be the youth counselor at a Ropes academy.”
“What is Ropes?”
“It’s an esteem building course for kids, usually middle school and high school kids. Under strict adult guidance, it’s designed to teach children how to climb trees, free-fall, scale cliffs, etc. all the while instilling good values and thinking skills.” This was all she’d ever wanted – to work with adolescents in a healthy environment to help them better themselves.
“That’s very interesting.” He headed back towards the farmhouse. “Well, the gentleman I spoke with said they would hold the position for you and wished you a speedy recovery.”
That straightened her back. She’d managed to keep her job. It wasn’t much, but it was that small strand of hope she was looking for. She sent up a silent thank you and squeezed her eyes shut to regain control of her emotions.
“So, how long have you been working with kids?”
“I haven’t yet.” She didn’t really want to talk about it with this man; the A-1 over-achiever would certainly judge her harshly.
“This was to have been your first time working with kids?” He sounded skeptical and surprised.
“Yes. Well, for money at least.” She drew in a deep breath and decided that she owed him way more than some simple answers to his questions. As long as it wasn’t too personal, she could oblige him a response or two. “I’ve been volunteering with children since I graduated high school.”
“Did you attend college?” He had slowed the Range Rover down and was creeping along the highway.
“No. I wanted to go to university, but I couldn’t afford it.” The memories of defeat were still painful after so many years and it brought about an irritation in her. Why was he crawling down the freeway? It was like he had her trapped in the passenger seat, grilling her. All that was missing was the bright white light in her eyes. “I do have an Associates.” She added lamely.
“Why don’t you go back now?” He cocked an expectant glare at her.
“Money. I’m in serious debt and I can’t get a loan. I don’t make the money necessary to self-pay. It’s a sick circle, isn’t it?” Tabitha tried for a smile, but it wilted.
“You can do anything you set your mind to.” His smile was genuine.
“You think so?” She knew it sounded like a challenge, but get real. What did this guy really know about her?
“You were out driving in the middle of the worst storm we’ve seen all year, in the dead of night no less. You saw a warning sign and still trudged up my driveway, didn’t you? You were pummeling my dog, well on your way to winning the fight when I broke the two of you up, weren’t you?” He nodded once. “Yes, I’d definitely say you’re a fighter. Why give up now?” He pulled to a jerky stop in front of the house. “Stay put.”
Like her own personal valet, Jared slid her into his arms and finagled his way through the locked front door. He deposited her in the guest room for a much needed bit of rest.
Chapter 3
Jared peered in at her, as Tabitha was just waking from her doze. “What about some lunch?”
“I’m not hungry.”
She mumbled, plucking at her shirt.
“Well, I’m the doctor here and I say you eat. What about some fruit and cheese? That’s nice and light.” He had picked her up again and deposited her on the couch, making his way to the kitchen.
“Can I help?” If she could just be of some use to someone, maybe she’d feel a little better.
“What preparation needs to be done with fruit and cheese?” His voice held a bit of mockery in the tone.
“Oh.” She wasn’t trying for pity or attention, but at her defeated sound he turned around. He seemed to assess her for a moment before changing direction and coming to get her, plopping her down in the wheelchair in front of the table. “What are you doing?” She sputtered as he pushed her gut into the edge of the table. She pushed back a little for some breathing room and craned her neck to look at him.
“We should slice the fruit. I figure you can do that while I toast some French bread and get the cheese.” He moved into the kitchen, buried his head in the fridge. “Did you prepare the night tellow?”
“Did I do what?” Tabitha had no idea what a ‘tellow’ was and why she had to prepare the night one. It was the middle of the day. The pain pills were probably fogging up her mental processes.
“Did you do what?” His head came back into view, his arms laden with jars and cheese.
“What?” She was now completely lost. “What did you ask me?”
“When?”
“Huh?” She waved a hand. “Forget it, I’m loopy.”
“I asked, ‘do you prefer white or yellow?’”
She looked at him to see if he was jesting. He wasn’t. She burst out laughing. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed this much, whether she was on drugs or not.
“What’s so funny?” Her humor was contagious, but she could tell Jared had no idea why he’d begun to chuckle.
“I thought you had asked me if I had prepared the night tellow.”
“What’s a night tellow?” Jared dumped the contents of his arms on the table.
“That’s what I was trying to figure out.” She smiled at him and grabbed at a runaway orange heading for the edge.
Lunch was pleasurable, surprising her. Even with her friends, lately Tabitha felt removed from every conversation. But, maybe because she felt she owed Jared or maybe because it was just the two of them…well, and that damned dog. Where was that dog anyway? Tabitha looked around but couldn’t see him. Hopefully he was hiding.
It really was sad to her. She loved animals and animals usually loved her, but because this beautiful but deadly dog had attacked her, she didn’t feel as though she would ever be comfortable around him. And Jared loved him so much.
Tabitha snapped back to reality. What was she thinking? She was acting as though there was some kind of future to be found here.
The phone rang, breaking through her erratic thoughts with a jolt. Jared interrupted his dish cleaning activities and smiled at her, wiping his hands off on a kitchen towel. “Guess the phone’s working again.” Tabitha realized that she had just taken for granted that the electricity was back on and had been throughout the day.
He picked up the receiver, made a couple of curt grunts and monosyllabic answers and hung up. He came over to where she still sat pressed up against the table.
“That was Travis. The Weather Channel just showed another wave of thunderstorms bearing down on us. Looks like we’ll have to wait until tomorrow before he can get to the car.” He moved to the window and scanned the heavily burdened skies. From her viewpoint over his shoulder, it didn’t look good.
What did look good were his shoulders. He had on a light colored T-shirt that molded to his V-shaped back and a pair of loose-fitting jeans. The natural slope that brought the vision line downward had her scrutinizing his rear end in no time. The jeans accented his small waist, slender hips and taught butt. He even sported the dents she adored so much in the derrieres of physically fit men. She was still admiring it when he abruptly turned around.
Tabitha shoved her eyes downward to hide her embarrassment and focused on wiping minute amounts of crumbs from the table onto her palm.
“If you would like to call someone and let them know what’s happened, I have no problem with you making a long-distance phone call.” He handed her the cordless phone. “I’ll be right back.” She knew he was giving her some privacy, but who would she really call anyway? Her parents? Hell no. Not yet. Tabitha stared at the phone trying to figure out if it would be worth it to call her best friend, Kristen, or not. She would get a kick out of the mess Tabitha had managed to land in but it probably didn’t justify ringing up a significant charge on his phone bill. Kristen could talk like no other.
Tabitha decided she should at least let her know everything was going to be fine. On the second ring, Kristen picked up.
“Hey, it’s me.” Tabitha said, bracing herself for the conversation.
“Hey! How’s work going today? I was so worried last night, knowing you were plowing through those storms, but what a trooper! You made it just fine. I tried calling last night, but all I got was voice mail. Did you get my message?”
Tabitha wanted to laugh and insist Kristen take a breath. “Um, my phone’s not working. The battery has no juice. About the job…” There was an expectant silence on the line that made Tabitha more uncomfortable. “I had an accident last night and – ”
“What?! Oh good Lord, are you alright? Where are you?” Kristen’s voice had risen to a shrill octave and she was yelling into the phone.
Tabitha grimaced and pulled the phone away from her ear. “I’m alright.” Kristen kept barreling questions at her. “Kris, I’m okay. Hey, calm down and let me explain. No! You are not driving out in this weather to check on me. I’ll be okay.”
“What do you mean you’ll be okay?” Kristen sounded belligerent. God, Tabitha loved having a friend care so much.
“Let me start from the beginning. I was driving out here on 290 and my car blew a tire. It ended up in a ditch, well half in a ditch and half around a pole, and I had to walk to a nearby house to get help.”
“Oh God, Tabby, you had to walk when you were all banged up from a serious wreck?”
“No, I wasn’t hurt from the wreck. The car kind of slid into the pole, so I may have a bruise or two but nothing else. It was the dog that chewed me up.”
“Dog? What dog?” Kristen was frantic.
“Jared’s very large, very scary watchdog. There were signs posted at the beginning of the drive warning against a guard dog, but what choice did I have? Tornadoes were breaking out all over the place and I wasn’t about to huddle outside in the rain or hide in my accordion of a car.”
“Jared?”
“Yeah, he’s the guy that owns the house I stayed at last night.”
“Tell me where you are, I’ll come get you right now. You’re not staying with some strange guy who let his dog attack you.” Now Kristen was playing the big sister role. Tabitha stifled a giggle.
“He didn’t let his dog attack me. In fact, by the time he got to us, he was protecting Sam from me.”
“Sam? You’re calling the ferocious dog by name?” Kristen let out an exasperated sigh. “So how bad are you hurt? And what about the job, weren’t you supposed to start today?”
“Hold on, you’re getting ahead of me.” Tabitha tried to remain calm, but the truth was she was dying to begin squealing like a teenager with the dramatic recantation of her tale. “I have some stitches in my leg and arm, and I look a whole lot worse than I feel. But that’s probably because of the pain medication Jared gave me.”
“Whoa. You took prescription drugs from some stranger?” Kristen’s voice sounded close to hysterical again.
Tabitha thought it best to answer her friend’s question in due time. “I managed to keep the job because of Jared. He called for me and explained the whole situation to my boss, about how my car is wrecked and I can’t walk for at least a week. Mr. Parker said that the job would be waiting for
me when I got better. Isn’t that great? So, as bad as it seems, there’s a small silver lining on this perpetual dark cloud of mine.”
“Some man you don’t know saves you from his attacking dog, gets you to a hospital for a little skin sewing, takes you back to his house for the night and manages to smooth things over at your new job? Why is this not computing in my brain, Tabby?”
Tabitha let out a laugh at Kristen’s synopsis of her tale. “I forgot to mention he’s a doctor. Well, surgeon, actually. He stitched me up here because the weather wouldn’t let us out the front door. And that’s how he managed to save my job for me. He told Mr. Parker that he was my doctor and would not allow me to work for a week.”
Kristen expelled a breath into the phone and then began to giggle. “Only you, Tabby. Only you. So, what does your knight in shining armor look like? Is it a total fairy tale, with prince charming being more handsome than humanly possible?”
At any other time, under more isolated circumstances, Tabitha would have blathered on to her life-long best friend about how physically beautiful her unbelievable host was, but this wasn’t the time or the place. “He’s nice enough. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay him. If I have to add him to the list of bills to pay off, it’ll be years.”
“You totally dodged my question. I get the hint. Are you going to call your parents?”
“No.” She didn’t even have to think about that answer. Her mother and father assumed she was at a campsite, making money for a change, and would be home in eight weeks. She was supposed to write her mother, but that could wait another day or two.