Falling In Love: A Sweet Traveling Romance Novel (All Roads Lead To Love Book 2)

by Vivian Porter

  "I was told my husband is here,” she cried out. “His name is Frank Hobbs. Where can I find him?"

  She was frantic when Clay approached her. "Mrs. Hobbs? I'm Clay Wright. My partner and I brought your husband here by ambulance."

  She clutched his forearms, and he noticed her hands were trembling.

  "What happened? Is he all right?" she asked.

  Clay motioned to two empty chairs beside the wall in the corridor, and he put his arm around her waist and helped her walk to them once she finally released him. "He was involved in a car accident on Denson Springs Road. I don't know the specifics, but his left leg was trapped beneath the dashboard, and the fire department was called to get him out."

  Her hand flew to her mouth, and when she started sobbing, Clay put a hand on her back to try and comfort her. "He was conscious when we got to him, but his X-rays revealed his right lung was punctured by a broken rib, and he's currently in surgery. I'm afraid that's all I know right now, but I can tell you he's in good hands."

  They talked a few more minutes until he was satisfied she was in a calmer state of mind. Since he was still new and didn't know his way around the remainder of the hospital, he asked one of the nurses if she would mind taking Mrs. Hobbs to the waiting room, and she obliged.

  "Thank you so much for your help," Mrs. Hobbs remarked before giving him a quick hug, which took him pleasantly by surprise.

  "You're welcome. I'll call later and see how he's doing."

  She nodded and smiled as the nurse led her away, and Clay stood there a moment, feeling helpless like he hadn't done enough and worried over Frank's outcome. A movement to his right caught his attention, and he turned to find one of the doctors standing near an observation unit, talking to a nurse. His heart leaped to his throat when he caught her staring at him, but she looked away as soon as their gazes connected.

  Clay went back to the nurses’ station to finish filling out his paperwork, but every so often, he glimpsed over his shoulder at the nurse. She had the most beautiful long, curly blond hair he'd ever seen before, and her smile lit up the room. She and the doctor finished talking, and his pulse raced when she looked his way and started walking in his direction. Part of him was so nervous, he could barely breathe, but an even bigger part was thrilled she had him in her sights.

  Chapter 6

  Jenny

  As soon as Jenny caught the tall, dark-haired stranger standing alone at the nurses’ station, she knew she had to meet him. She'd stood by, tending to another patient, when he ran through the double doors with his patient in tow, and she was struck right away by his take-charge attitude and the way he handled himself under pressure. And, yes, to be honest, she was drawn to his good looks too.

  "Hi. I'm Jenny McCaw.”

  She held out her hand, and when he shook it with his firm grip, the heat from his touch almost made her knees buckle. She was also mesmerized by his light green eyes, which were a sharp contrast to his jet-black hair.

  "Hello. I'm Clay Wright. It's nice meeting you."

  His name sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember where she'd heard or seen it before. Jenny leaned against the desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "I hope you don't mind me saying so, but I admire the way you handled yourself a little while ago, not only with your patient but with his wife too." She blushed. "I'm sorry. I was eavesdropping."

  He smiled, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the small dimples in his cheeks.

  "Thank you," he replied. "I try to put myself in a family member's shoes and treat them the way I would want to be treated."

  His answer made her swoon, but she tried to act professional.

  "Wait. Are you the Jenny from East Rankin High School?" he asked.

  She was surprised. It wasn't every day someone asked her such a question.

  "My sister was here a few weeks ago. Her name is Aubrey Wright," he explained. "She said her attending nurse was a Jenny from East Rankin High, but the comment she made about the long, curly blond hair is what made me think you may be the Jenny she was talking about."

  Jenny's gaze widened. "Yes! That's where I remember your name from too—from Aubrey. I've thought about her so many times she since left. How is she doing?"

  He turned back to his paperwork for a fleeting moment, and she didn't miss the way his smile disappeared and a worried expression crossed his handsome face.

  "She has her good days and bad days. I moved back home from Oregon to take care of her, but she's very independent, so we clash a lot."

  Jenny was moved to tears. It wasn't uncommon to hear of patients who were forced to use a home health care service because they didn't have family members to help them or family members who wanted to help them. It was a sad situation, so listening to someone talk about how they picked up their life and moved from another state to take care of their loved one was a breath of fresh air.

  "I've worked with several patients with MS, and it can be a struggle for them when they have to rely on someone else, especially if they're strong-willed and independent. Just hang in there with her. Is she still seeing Dr. Emily Harding?"

  He nodded. "She has another appointment with Dr. Harding tomorrow afternoon."

  Before she could rationalize it in her head, Jenny reached out and grasped his hand. "I can promise you she's in the best care possible. I've known Emily a long time, and she's an amazing doctor. I think it’s wonderful what you've done for Aubrey. Not many people would make such a sacrifice."

  His face reddened, and her heart thumped a little faster when he lightly squeezed her hand.

  "She's the only family I have left, and you do what you have to do for family,” he replied. “I wouldn't have it any other way."

  She smiled at him and released his hand, but the warmth that flowed through her body with his touch never left, and she was momentarily tongue-tied. After a few awkward seconds, he closed the clipboard in his hand and gave his paperwork to the nurse behind the desk.

  "My partner is waiting for me outside, so I should probably get back to work. It was nice meeting you, Jenny. I hope to see you again soon."

  She felt almost giddy inside. "Oh, I have a feeling you will. Please, say hello to Aubrey for me."

  His face flushed again, and he gave her a little wave as he backed away and started walking to the exit. When the doors closed behind him, she was already longing to see him again.

  "Seriously, could you be any more obvious?"

  Startled, Jenny turned to find Kelly standing behind her with a big grin on her face. "What do you mean?"

  Kelly grabbed her hand and gave her a seductive look. "Oh, I have a feeling we'll see each other again real soon," she repeated in a deep voice.

  Jenny laughed as she jerked her hand away. "Stop it. I don't sound like that, and I was just being nice."

  Kelly smirked. "Whatever. I'm going to the cafeteria before I clock in. Are you hungry?"

  Jenny walked behind the desk and retrieved her purse. "Sure. I was just fixing to leave, but I'll eat dinner with you before I go. Give me a second."

  Kelly waited in the corridor while Jenny clocked out, and as they walked the hallways together en route to the cafeteria, Jenny could tell she had something on her mind.

  "So, who was that guy anyway?" Kelly asked. “He was really cute.”

  And there it was.

  Jenny grinned like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "That was Clay Wright. He's Aubrey's sister. Remember her, the patient I had a few weeks ago with MS?"

  They arrived at the cafeteria and stood in the food line behind the other hospital workers.

  "I remember. So, that's the elusive brother who lives out of state?" Kelly replied.

  Jenny shook her head. "Not anymore. He moved here so he could take care of Aubrey. Isn't that awesome? Not many brothers would do that for a little sister."

  Kelly laughed. "Careful, you're drooling all over the place."

  Jenny playfully pinched her side. "I'm serious. You know a
s well as I do how fortunate she is for him to step up to the plate like that."

  The line moved slowly as they made their way to the checkout counter. Jenny grabbed a salad and some french fries while Kelly stuck with her usual meal consisting of a cheeseburger and onion rings. When they paid for their dinner, Jenny followed Kelly to an empty table in a corner of the cafeteria.

  "I know what you're saying," Kelly responded. "She is very lucky. It would take an act of Congress for my brothers to help me do anything." She rolled her eyes and took a bite of her burger.

  "At least you have siblings," Jenny retorted. "I don't know what I would do if my parents were gone and something like that happened to me."

  Kelly smiled. "I would drop everything and take care of you myself."

  Jenny dipped a couple of her french fries in the puddle of ketchup on Kelly's plate. "Well, aren't you the sweetest thing? I take back what I said about you being overly dramatic on our hike the other day."

  Kelly squinted. "You didn't say anything like that."

  Jenny gave her a wink. "Oops. I must've just thought it."

  Kelly moved her plate out of Jenny's reach. "Just for that, you can't have any more of my ketchup."

  "Speaking of hiking, we should really make that a weekly thing,” Jenny commented. “When you do want to go again?"

  She wasn't surprised when Kelly gave her a spiteful look.

  "When pigs fly and the Devil wears ice skates," she replied.

  Jenny snickered as she pushed the lettuce around her plate with her fork. "You can deny it all you want, but I know it helps you in the long run. It's the getting started part that's so bad."

  Kelly took a sip of her tea. "I suppose you're right. Okay, enough about exercise. What do you think about Clay?"

  Jenny put down her fork and leaned back in the chair. "I think he's handsome, kind, a wonderful brother to his baby sister, and I found out today, he's a great paramedic."

  Kelly tilted her head. "And?"

  Jenny shrugged. "And what?"

  Kelly put down her drink and pushed her plate away so she could prop her elbows on the table. "And is there a chance you'll ask him out on a date?"

  She thought for a moment. It was a tempting idea. She'd been so busy with work the past few months, she hadn't been able to go out much. Plus, she was tired of hanging with the same group of people when she did venture out, like the coworkers she saw on a daily basis. Kelly was the only exception.

  "I'm not sure," she replied. "We'll see how it goes."

  Kelly cradled her head in her hands and gave her a wistful look. "I admire your adventurous spirit. You love doing things out of your comfort zone, and that terrifies me. I don't think I could ever ask a guy out."

  Jenny picked up Kelly's last onion ring and dipped it in ketchup before taking a bite. "Yes, you could, and I think you should start practicing too. Timothy from the fourth floor is the perfect guy to start with."

  Kelly groaned. "No way, no how. I found out he still lives with his parents and his mother packs his lunches for him. I don't need a momma's boy."

  Jenny laughed and nodded. "That's true."

  Kelly checked her watch, and they stood to leave when she saw it was almost time for her to clock in. When they reached the corridor outside the cafeteria, they hugged and parted ways, and as Jenny left for the exit that would take her to the employee parking lot, she pondered what Kelly had said.

  Perhaps she should ask Clay for a date. What was the worst that could happen? True, he could always say no, but at least she would've taken the bull by the horns and given it a shot. The realization that he might also say yes made her pulse quicken and strengthened her resolve. Now, if she could just work up the nerve to go through with it.

  Chapter 7

  Clay

  "If you don't stop hovering, I'm running away from home," Aubrey said.

  Clay gave her a skeptical look as he increased the speed on her treadmill a tiny bit. "You said that every other week when we were kids, and you never did, so I don't believe you.”

  Aubrey tightened her hold on the hand grips on the treadmill. "Would you please sit down and relax? I've got this."

  He didn't want to, but Clay sat in his dad's recliner since it was the closest seat to the treadmill, but he sat on the edge, ready to react quickly if Aubrey had problems keeping her balance. Over the past week, the stiffness in her joints had worsened to the point where it was difficult walking even short distances. Dr. Harding recommended a daily walking regime to keep her muscles and joints limber, but Aubrey didn't enjoy venturing around the neighborhood because there were too many hills and slopes, so Clay had purchased a treadmill. Today was her third day exercising with it, and so far, it was working out except for the whole hovering part.

  He couldn't help it. He was fiercely protective of her, and that had started long before her MS diagnosis and would never change. She was stubborn, though—a well-known Wright family trait—and he had to keep reminding himself she wasn't a child anymore and she didn't need his constant supervision, which was easier said than done.

  "Do you remember when we were teenagers and I used to make you hike with me in the mountains almost every Sunday?" she asked.

  Clay smiled. "I remember not wanting to go and you waking me up every Sunday morning with your pleading little puppy dog eyes. I don't think it was you making me go more than it was Mom and Dad insisting I take you."

  Aubrey laughed. "Those were good times."

  Clay glanced around the den at the multitude of framed pictures of him and Aubrey that his mother had placed on the bookshelves and tables. "What I remember most is you grabbing onto me every time you heard what you thought was a mountain lion, a bear, or some other kind of creature out to get you."

  Aubrey smiled as she pressed a button on the treadmill to lower the speed. He saw her wobble a bit when she let go of the hand grip, but he managed to curtail the urge to pounce into action and stand right beside her. As soon as she keyed in the speed she wanted, she grabbed the handrail again to maintain her balance, and Clay breathed easier.

  "Yeah, I'm surprised the biggest thing we ever came across was a rabbit," she responded. "I don't believe I've ever thanked you for those Sundays in the mountains, so … thank you. Those are some of my fondest memories from our childhood."

  Her gratitude tugged at his heart and made it ache. "We'll go again someday. Those times aren't over."

  Aubrey cast a leery sideways glance in his direction. "I never said they were. I have no doubt I'll climb those mountains again. You're the pessimistic one."

  "Not pessimistic,” he balked. “I’m just overly cautious."

  Aubrey rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "If you say so. Can I stop now? It's been thirty minutes."

  Clay checked his watch. "Are you sure you don't want to go forty-five minutes today?"

  Aubrey cocked a brow. "Only if you jog in place beside me until I finish."

  Clay chuckled as he stood to power down the treadmill. "Okay. You can stop."

  He put an arm around her waist before he turned it off so she wouldn't lose her footing when it stopped moving. Once he was certain she was steady on her feet, he helped her step down and returned her walking cane.

  "Good job," he commended. "Now, how about a protein shake for breakfast?"

  Aubrey followed him to the adjoining kitchen and sat on one of the barstools at the counter.

  "Yuck. How about some scrambled eggs, french toast, sausage, bacon, grits, and coffee instead?" she asked.

  Clay smiled. "How about we compromise and I fix you some scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, and decaf coffee?"

  Aubrey scowled as she propped her cane on the barstool beside her. "You're worse than Coach Barrett."

  He laughed at her reference to their old high school health teacher as he opened the refrigerator and removed a carton of eggs. "You know I'm just following Dr. Harding's instructions, right? And I'm eating the same stuff, so I'm suffering right along with you."
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  Aubrey folded her arms on top of the counter and rested her head on top of them. "I know, I know. I'm just having a hard time getting used to all these changes."

  He understood what she meant. As a paramedic, he knew the importance of a proper diet and exercise, but he wasn't very strict with it when he lived in Oregon. Since he lived alone, it was easy to talk himself out of getting up early and running around the block a few times and even simpler to talk himself out of replacing the doughnuts he normally kept in his refrigerator with a protein shake. Now that he had someone else's well-being to consider, he tried his best to be a good influence and motivator. Clay grabbed a skillet and went to cooking while Aubrey watched and kept him entertained with her latest shenanigans.

  "Okay, all joking aside," she said. "Tell me what's been going on with you at work. Have you met anyone interesting? And when I say anyone, I mean women."

  Clay felt the heat crawl up the back of his neck as he whisked some eggs and skim milk together in a glass bowl before pouring the mixture into the heated skillet. "The only interesting woman I've met so far is the Jenny McCaw from the hospital you were telling me about not too long ago. She was in the emergency room last week when I brought a patient in, and we talked a bit."

  Aubrey's jaw slacked. "Get out! Seriously? Why are you just telling me about this now? What did you think about her? Did you ask her out?"

  Clay shrugged as he stirred the eggs with a wooden spatula and sprinkled them with a dash of salt and pepper. "I thought she was nice—pretty too. If you hadn't described her to me, I probably wouldn't have made the connection. She asked about you."

  Aubrey flicked a hand in the air like she was shooing away a pesky fly. "That's nice, but did you ask her out?"

  While the eggs were cooking, Clay put some bread on to toast and filled two cups with the decaf coffee he'd brewed earlier that morning. "No, I didn't. I told you I don't have time for a social life right now."