“Will he be able to walk?”
“Yes. But he has sustained significant damage. He’ll have to go through extensive physical therapy.” He reached out and touched Deuce’s forearm lightly. “He’s going to be in some serious pain as he works through this. It’s possible that he’ll have a limp.”
“Will that go away?”
“It may. It all depends on how hard Jake works and how quickly we can get him into therapy,” Brody said honestly.
Deuce laughed softly. “Jake is going to be a stubborn bastard in this, Brody,” he said finally.
“I’m counting on it,” Brody said, smiling. “That’s what’s going to help him get through this.”
Deuce nodded, looking back down at the pale figure before him. Despite the injuries and the paleness of Jake’s complexion, he looked as strong and as forbidding as he always did. Jake was a powerhouse of strength despite his sleek, muscular frame. The brothers often ribbed him about being the smallest brother at six feet three inches tall, but there wasn’t a man alive who would dare to question Jake’s strength or defy his dominant nature. He was a hard worker, a fair boss at the construction company that he ran with his brothers, and he never asked anyone to do any job that he wasn’t willing to do himself.
Jake was also a kind man who had a compassionate side that the family and their friends saw every day. He was a caring man who loved each of them fiercely. The way he loved Luke’s little boy Robbie was evidence of his gentle nature. Jake may growl and snap and generally be a royal pain in the ass, but each of them knew that there was nothing Jake wouldn’t do for them to keep them safe and happy. Deuce knew that his brother was a family man through and through. He was going to be a terrific father.
“Jake isn’t going to have a choice in his therapy. Not if he wants to get back to full strength. I’ve been thinking a lot about it, and I have an idea that may be good for Jake,” Brody offered quietly.
Deuce looked up at him with hope in his blue eyes. “What, Brody?”
“I know a woman who has been volunteering here at the hospital. She’s applied to work as an aide and is going to school to become a massage therapist,” Brody told him. “Her name is Claire Hamilton.”
“Claire Hamilton? Do I know her?” Deuce’s brow furrowed as he tried to concentrate. The name sounded very familiar.
“You probably know of her mother Irene,” Brody said, his mouth tightening in anger at the mention of Claire’s mother.
“Irene Hamilton!” Deuce nearly bellowed at the mention of the horrible woman’s name.
“Don’t judge Claire by her mother, Deuce,” Brody cautioned him. “Claire is a very kind and compassionate woman who’s been victim to Irene’s abuse for a long time.”
Deuce was immediately concerned for the young woman. “Tell me about Claire,” he said finally.
“I’ve known her for a while. She’s a good person. She’s a hard worker. She just has some issues.”
“What kind of issues?”
“She has a hard time being around a lot of people,” Brody explained. “She’s never really told me why, but I can see the stress that fills her whenever there are too many people around her.”
Deuce thought about it for a moment. He wasn’t going to question Claire’s behavior. Too many unique things occurred on and around McKade land. The Great Spirit had a hand in everything. Deuce was not going to second guess what might be in store for his youngest brother, but he had a feeling that Claire might be crucial to whatever it was. Deuce was certain that the Great Spirit was the one guiding it to happen.
“She can be his personal companion during his stay here. She’s a trained nurse’s aide, and she’ll be able to do what needs to be done to physically take care of Jake,” Brody said quietly. “Her status is supposed to change from volunteer to paid employee this week. I’ll arrange with the shift supervisor to have Claire assigned to Jake exclusively.”
“You can do that, Brody?”
“I can.”
“Okay. You know what’s best,” Deuce said finally, knowing he could trust his cousin’s judgment.
“I believe that Claire will also be able to help Jake emotionally,” Brody added.
“You do?”
Brody nodded. “I’ve seen her with patients, especially with kids, who are here at the hospital. She has an ability to soothe them like I haven’t ever seen before. I believe she’ll have the same effect on Jake,” Brody added.
Deuce laughed softly. “She’ll be the first one to be able to do that if she does,” he said, knowing how tough it was for his brother to relax and let go of his anger. “When can you set it up for Claire to be assigned to Jake?”
“I’ll make the arrangements with her today. Hopefully, she’ll be able to be with him starting tomorrow.”
“Okay. Thanks, Brody.”
Brody checked Jake’s vitals one last time then left the room. He headed straight to the administrative offices to settle Claire’s assignment. He knew he should probably wait until after he spoke with Claire to put the assignment in place, but something about his decision felt right. He was going to go with his instincts. His instincts had never failed him before. He knew that Claire would be the perfect person to help Jake.
There was a light bounce to his step as he walked through the hospital corridor. He knew that having Claire help Jake was going to be the best thing for the both of them. He knew that sometimes two people could have their hearts healed when they were healing another person’s. He also knew that Claire was going to be a loving companion and friend to Jake. He just hoped that Jake wasn’t too damned stubborn to accept her help.
Deuce watched Brody leave and sighed as he sat down in the chair beside his brother’s hospital bed. He reached out and held Jake’s hand carefully. He needed the connection. He thought that if maybe he could hold on to him, Jake wouldn’t give up on life. Sending his strength to his brother, Deuce’s blue eyes flashed with determination.
“Please, Great Spirit,” Deuce whispered. “Help my brother. He needs someone in his life who will show him that life is worth living. He’s a good guy. He’ll be a loving mate and a good father. I know Jake wants everyone to think he’s tough and he doesn’t allow himself to get close to anyone, but we know that’s not true. It’s not good for him to keep himself closed off. He needs someone to love him just as much as the rest of us do.”
The soft beeping of the machine monitoring Jake’s heart was the only sound in the room. Looking down at his brother, Deuce saw the strong man that Jake was. But he also saw the gentleness of his heart—something that Jake didn’t allow many to see. He could actually be a real control freak sometimes. Deuce laughed softly at his thoughts. Jake wasn’t alone in his needs. Deuce believed that every one of the McKade brothers was a naturally dominant man, and Jake was no exception.
“Well, baby brother, it looks like you’re going to have a constant companion for a while,” Deuce told his brother softly. “I hope she’s tough.”
Chapter 2
Claire Hamilton walked down the busy hallway of Denver Memorial Hospital, concentrating on the room numbers. The emotions and the pain of the people around her were making her shake. She had a moment of panic as she realized that she was going to be sick to her stomach. No one knew what being around others really did to her. Only her mother and her sister knew of her ability to feel what others felt. That empathic ability had made her life hell.
Over the years, she had become more and more isolated from the world around her. She loved the quiet solitude of the open land and the mountains. She often found herself alone in order to find peace. When she was around too many people, the pain and the emotions that bombarded her were just too much for her to bear. The only time she felt any relief at all was when she held a young child. Babies were beautifully innocent and were filled with such calm. Claire ached with love for each baby that she held and was thankful for the quiet blessing of peace that each one gave her.
She wanted children of
her own and a man to love, but she doubted that would ever happen to her. How could it? She couldn’t relax around anyone, let alone a man who might want to share that ultimate intimacy with her. The thought of it made her sad. She ached for love, but she knew that it was not a possibility for her.
The pressure in her mind was suddenly too much. She needed to get away from the onslaught of emotions that surrounded her. She had to remove herself from the main hallway of the hospital. She had to escape the constant barrage of pain and sorrow that was attacking her. If she didn’t, she was certain she was going to be violently ill.
Spotting the room numbered 2565 directly to her right, she reached out and pushed open the door to step inside the hospital room as quickly as she could. When the door closed silently behind her, it muted the emotions of the outside world somewhat, but not nearly enough to give her complete peace.
Looking at the silent man who lay in the bed before her, she felt immediate concern for him. Stepping toward the hospital bed slowly, she saw the myriad of tubes and wires that led from the large man. His face was bruised and there was a breathing tube in his mouth, but she could see that he was a handsome man. He had black hair that was thick and long enough for her to run her fingers through it.
“I can feel your pain,” she whispered as her empathic ability connected with him.
The quiet beeping of the monitors answered her. She looked down at the sleeping man and smiled. Even if Doctor Brody Walters hadn’t told her the name of the patient that he wanted her to help, Claire would have recognized him. She had often watched him as she was growing up. She had secretly wished to be a part of his family. They were all such good and kind people. His parents were the best. Her heart ached for the loss of them.
“I’m so sorry for the loss of your parents, Jake,” she said quietly. “They were good people. Just like you and your brothers are.” When Jake didn’t respond, she realized that he couldn’t hear her. She hoped that he was okay. “Sorry to intrude on you. Brody said it was okay to come in here and see you. Besides, I needed to escape for a few minutes. Hope you don’t mind.”
Before she could stop herself, she pushed aside her shyness, reached out, and touched the stray lock of black hair that fell across his forehead. When her fingertips touched his cool skin, a sense of complete peace and quiet filled her.
“What the hell?” Claire gasped, taking a step back and plastering her back against the wall beside the hospital room door.
Her breathing was quick and labored. Fear filled her at the completely foreign feeling that had encompassed her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on taking deep, even breaths. In just seconds, the emotions of the others within the hospital corridor seeped into her once again.
Opening her eyes, she took a tentative step toward Jake McKade. She had known about his family and how kind they were since she had been a little girl, but she had never met them or spoken to them. She had often watched them from her hiding place in the attic of her mother’s house when she had been locked away in punishment for some made up infraction or another.
She used to love to watch the five brothers and their friends John and Tim ride their horses by her home. They had always looked so happy, and they had always gotten along so well that Claire had often reached out her empathic ability to them just to experience their happiness. It was the only time she had ever searched out other people’s emotions. When her ability had touched the feelings of each of the men, she had experienced what it was truly like to have real love and family.
Reaching up, she touched Jake’s hand carefully, slowly wrapping her hand around his and holding it gently. The sense of peace enveloped her immediately once again. She smiled, completely at ease for the first time ever. She felt relaxed. She felt happy. And she felt desire.
Leaning forward, she placed her face close to Jake McKade’s ear. She didn’t know if he would hear her, but she had heard that patients that were unconscious or in comas were often affected by sounds. It was said that speaking to a person in a coma helped to ground them and draw them back to the waking world. She had the sudden need to do just that. She didn’t want Jake to fade away. She wanted him to open his eyes and smile at her. She wanted to finally know a man’s friendship and love.
She didn’t know if that was even a possibility with this man, but she knew that she had already experienced a miracle with him. Because of him, she was able to block out the world’s pain. She was able to feel just her own thoughts and emotions. She was also able to feel everything that Jake was feeling, and she was worried about the anger and the pain that filled him.
Even though she could feel his pain, she wasn’t overwhelmed by it. Instead of it crippling her, it made her feel closer to the man. She wanted to help soothe his hurts and loneliness. She could feel the deep need he had to hold on to something or someone. She could feel the agony of love being ripped away from him, and the fierce need he had to control and dominate.
She could feel his need to grab on to love and hold it with all of his power. The pain within him that everything that he loved had been taken from him was deep. She felt his devastation at the loss of his parents. She felt his fear that his brothers would also be taken from him. And she felt his worry that he would never find a woman who would understand his need to love her completely and have her love him in the same way. She saw into his soul and knew exactly what he needed and what he feared at the same time. He needed to know that his woman would never leave him to his world of loneliness. He feared that no woman would ever accept his dominance or enjoy that part of him.
She smiled at this. How many times in her life had she thought how wonderful it would be to have someone love you so completely that they wanted to take care of you, protect you, and never let you go? More times than she could count.
She laughed suddenly, the sound startling her since it was so foreign to her. She knew in her heart that this man was her perfect soul mate. Not only was he her shield against the world, he was exactly what she needed to feel safe and loved.
She sensed his hesitation to get close to any woman. She could feel the worry in him. She saw the part of himself that he kept hidden away behind a veil of blue. The beautiful shade of the blue told her that what he was hiding was not evil. It was kind. Pushing aside the veil, she stepped forward into Jake’s hidden mind and smiled as she saw and felt his need to be in control. She saw that his dominance was not meant to hurt, ridicule, or rule. It was a way of keeping his loved ones safe.
She could feel that he feared that this side of his nature would frighten away any potential mate. He didn’t have to worry about that with her. It seemed that what was basic to his nature was exactly what she wanted and needed. Maybe she was meant to be his mate, after all. Maybe the Great Spirit had destined them to be together. She found that she liked that idea—a lot.
She would be able to get to know Jake without the constant pain in her head or in her heart that usually happened when other’s feelings invaded her mind. Jake’s thoughts and feelings were definitely strong, but they were not overwhelming or painful to her. She could also sense that this man had a gentle side that she could tell he was trying to hide.
“You won’t scare me off, Jake McKade,” she told him softly as she leaned down and rested her cheek against his temple. “You might try, but it won’t work.”
Pressing her gift deeper into Jake’s mind, she floated closer to the man who hid behind the veil. She stopped as she saw the beauty before her. There was no need to delve further. What was displayed before her was the crux of this man’s personality, his desires, and his needs.
Jake was standing before a huge arched window looking out at the beautiful land that had to be part of the McKade Ranch. He was wearing jeans and a white cotton tank top that displayed his muscled arms and torso. Everything about the man screamed strength. He was incredibly sexy. He was handsome in a rugged way that made her heartbeat speed up. But what made Claire’s breathing stop, was the tiny baby that he held so ten
derly within his arms.
The baby couldn’t have been more than one month old and was snuggled against his chest as one of his hands held the baby’s tiny bottom and the other hand patted the baby’s back lightly. She watched as Jake rubbed his cheek against the top of the baby’s head and breathed in the scent of the tiny life that he held so carefully.
Seeing the black hair of the child, Claire sensed that she was seeing the baby that Jake wanted as his own. She watched as he hummed a soft tune to the baby and swayed gently from side to side. Turning slowly, Jake faced her and gave her the most beautiful smile that she had ever seen directed at her.
He whispered a hello and started to walk toward her. Claire held her breath as her gift took on a new ability. She was in Jake’s mind experiencing his thoughts and feelings, but she was also participating in the experience. Jake was definitely looking directly at her and speaking to her.
He reached out and embraced her with his right arm, drawing her against his body so that the small baby was pressed gently between them. It was the most incredible feeling that Claire had ever experienced. She could actually feel the warmth of the baby against her chest and the quiet strength of Jake’s arm as he held her firmly.
“Jake,” Claire whispered to the sleeping Jake, seeing that he didn’t even stir at her touch or her voice. “Help me to understand.”
She returned to the connection in her mind, looking up at the Jake of the dreamscape and smiling as she saw him looking down at her. His blue eyes were sparkling with happiness and desire.
“Do you feel up to a little lovemaking once I put our precious baby down for the night?” he whispered to her.
Claire was shocked to hear Jake’s words so clearly. She didn’t know if she should answer or even how she could answer. These were Jake’s thoughts, not hers. She didn’t have control over them or the ability to influence them. Did she?
Jake's Angel [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 2