Mountain Ambush

by Hope White

  The sting from his insult must have shown on her face because he put out his hand in a soothing gesture.

  “Wait, that didn’t come out right.”

  “Spence! Maddie! Open up!” Chief Walsh called from the living room.

  She removed the chair from the door and flung it open. “Good to see you, Chief.” With purposeful steps, she crossed the living room to the kitchen.

  Just a paramedic? He made it sound like she had an insignificant job in a small, boring town.

  The doc’s tone reminded her of when Waylan tried talking her into quitting her job claiming she could do so much better. Really? So much better than helping people who were in crisis? She might not be a doctor like Spence or a software engineer like Waylan, but she felt like she was doing God’s work, both medically and emotionally, when she was called out on an emergency.

  “Maddie,” Spence said.

  She ignored him, still steaming over his comment.

  Ryan, her cop brother, raced into the cabin. “Maddie, you’re okay.” He hugged her and she welcomed the embrace.

  “Did you find Red?” Nate asked Ryan.

  Ryan broke the hug. “Sorry, sir. I’ll go help check the property.”

  “I found him,” a voice said through the chief’s and Ryan’s shoulder radios.

  Maddie gripped the kitchen counter, bracing herself.

  “How is he? Over.” Nate said.

  “Disoriented and confused from a knock to the head. And he’s missing his gun.”

  * * *

  As Spence cracked open his eyes the next morning, he focused on remembering where he was and how he’d ended up here. Wrestling with a disturbing, groundless feeling, he took a few deep breaths to help him recall what had happened.

  That’s right, Nate made him pack a bag last night and they’d moved Spence to a one-bedroom guest cabin on Echo Mountain Resort property. Spence’s own cabin was no longer safe due to broken windows and the fact the attacker could return.

  Spence swung his legs off the bed, planted his feet on the floor and glanced around the rustic room with wood-paneled walls. Rubbing his temples, he remembered how things slipped out of his mouth last night past his internal censor—a side effect of his concussion no doubt—so he decided to stop talking. He’d answer direct questions when asked, but otherwise he kept his thoughts to himself.

  He remembered the look on Maddie’s face when he’d referred to her as just a paramedic. That comment certainly didn’t come out the way he’d intended. What he’d meant was she wasn’t a trained bodyguard and shouldn’t have been put in the position of protecting Spence physically against a man twice her size.

  Then again, perhaps her misinterpretation of his comment would make her angry enough to keep her distance, because ordering her to leave hadn’t worked.

  He stood slowly, breathing through the pain of a headache, and slipped into a sweatshirt and jeans. Opening the door, he wandered toward the kitchenette and flipped on an electric hot water kettle. As he glanced out the window over the sink, he remembered the broken windows at the cabin.

  “Need to call someone to fix the windows,” he muttered to himself.

  “Already made the call.”

  Startled, he spun around and spotted Maddie sitting cross-legged in a thick-cushioned chair with a book open in her lap in the living room. The gas fireplace glowed next to her. She’d gone to battle for him last night and could have been seriously hurt.

  “What are you doing here?” The words escaped his lips before they passed through his internal filter. He sounded irritated even to himself, although a part of him was relieved to see her.

  She offered a pleasant smile. “Good morning to you, too, grouchy Gus.”

  He rubbed his forehead. “Sorry. I... I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

  “The chief asked if I could meet him here to discuss what happened last night. My brother spent the night at my place because I saw the guy’s face and he was worried about me. Your protective detail is parked outside. Aiden let me in to wait for the chief. I hope that’s okay.”

  It was more than okay. Not good.

  “Is Nate on his way?” He needed her to give her statement and leave as quickly as possible.

  He wanted her to stay.

  “Nate should be here in about twenty minutes.”

  “How’s Officer Carrington?”

  “Concussion, but otherwise okay.”

  Another person assaulted because of Spence.

  “That’s not your fault, either,” she said.

  He turned his back to her, frustrated that she knew what he was thinking. He’d been an expert at masking his feelings and thoughts with a bright smile and friendly demeanor. It was important to keep the mask firmly in place because the confidence in his eyes eased his patients’ fears.

  Masking his feelings also gave him a sense of control, which right now he desperately needed.

  He reached for a mug on the rack and noticed his hand was trembling. Clenching his jaw, he grabbed the mug and placed it on the counter. He wrapped his fingers around the cool ceramic, hoping to stop the trembling. What was the matter with him?

  “Tea’s up on the left,” Maddie said.

  He opened a cupboard.

  “Your other left,” she teased.

  He frowned at his own mistake. He knew his left from his right, but felt like he was under a microscope with her watching his every move. A moment later she stepped up beside him.

  “I could use a fresh cup of coffee.” She pulled a single-serve cup off a carousel and plopped it into the coffeemaker. “These cabins have all the comforts of home.”

  When she pressed Brew, he noted such delicate fingers on the woman who’d defended him with a hiking stick. He’d never noticed that before, nor had he noticed the faint freckles dotting her nose.

  She cocked her head and focused her curious green eyes at him.

  “What’s that look?” she said.

  What could he say? That he was noticing things about her he shouldn’t? That he felt vulnerable and appreciated her presence more than she could know?

  “I’m hungry.” It’s all he could come up with.

  “Okay.” She half-chuckled as if she knew that was not what he was thinking. She opened a drawer and pulled out a paper menu. “I’ll order room service.”

  Spreading the menu out on the countertop, she nibbled at the corner of her lip as she ran her forefinger down the list of breakfast options. “They’ve got lighter fare like fruit or muffins, or heartier items like oatmeal, or egg scramblers with your choice of meat, veggies and cheese. Oh, and check out the Monster Mash skillet—potatoes, meat, veggies, the works.” She cast him a sideways glance. “I’m thinking you’re a Monster Mash kinda guy.”

  “Sounds good.” He turned to go sit at the table and she touched his shirtsleeve. Warmth trickled up his arm to his chest. He wished she wouldn’t do that.

  “You’re not done,” she said. “You have to pick ham, sausage or bacon, then cheddar, Swiss, or Colby jack cheese, and there’s a list of seven veggies to choose from.”

  “Too hard. Toast is fine.”

  He went to the table and sat down, releasing a sigh of tension. Making all those decisions first thing in the morning was stressing him out. It shouldn’t, should it? He pressed his fingertips to his temples.

  A few seconds later, her grounding hand touched his shoulder. He glanced up. She actually smiled at him. “Do you trust me?”

  Trust a woman? What a joke. Yet this wasn’t Andrea, it was Maddie McBride, closet ninja, dedicated paramedic and...

  Amazing woman.

  “You shouldn’t have to think that hard, Doc.” She frowned.

  “I... Sure, you’ve saved my life. So, yes, I trust you.”
/>   “Good, I’ll order for you.”

  He nodded and closed his eyes. She didn’t take her hand off his shoulder as she made the call. “This is Maddie McBride in the Juniper Cabin. I’d like to place an order. One Monster Mash with ham, cheddar, spinach and mushrooms, and a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and walnuts. Oh, and a side of toast with jam. Great, thanks.” She squeezed his shoulder. “It’ll be here in thirty to forty minutes.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll get your tea.”

  “You shouldn’t be waiting on me. You shouldn’t even be here.” That was uncalled for and so unlike him. She was only trying to help.

  He needed to keep his mouth shut.

  She slipped her hand off his shoulder and went to get their drinks.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m not usually this irritable.”

  “You’re suffering from a head injury, lack of sleep and assorted other aches and pains. You’re doing a lot better than I would be under the circumstances.”

  She returned to the table and placed the mug of tea in front of him. “I hope green lavender is okay.”

  “It’s fine.”

  She carried her coffee to the chair in the corner. He wished she would sit at the table with him, yet he’d been a jerk again, told her she shouldn’t be here. In truth, he’d snapped at her because he hated being damaged in any way, shape or form, and letting her wait on him only drove home how fragile he must seem to everyone.

  “What’s the book?” he asked, hoping to engage her in conversation.

  “Something I found on the shelves.” She motioned behind her to a built-in bookcase. “It’s a mystery about a woman who buys a bed-and-breakfast, finds a will in the basement and when she investigates, someone tries to kill her.”

  “Right, because you don’t have enough of that in real life,” he said.

  “Hey, your sense of humor is coming back. Bravo.”

  “I guess.”

  “But?”

  He shook his head and glanced down. She continued to study him.

  A few awkward moments passed as anxiety circled around in his gut.

  “Spence?”

  When she spoke his name he could hardly ignore her.

  “What if...?” he started, fingering the rim of his mug.

  Don’t say it.

  “What if, what?” she prompted.

  “What if I can no longer practice medicine?”

  “Because of your head injury?”

  He nodded, a ball forming in his throat.

  “Hey, the MRI showed a mild concussion, that’s all. The swelling will go down and you’ll be back to normal soon.”

  “You and I both know head injuries aren’t that simple.”

  “Maybe not, but you have to think positive. The MRI could have looked a lot worse.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “Right, because I’m just a paramedic.”

  He snapped his attention to her. “That came out wrong last night.”

  “Then what am I not smart enough to understand?”

  “It’s not about being smart, which we both know you are. It’s about...me.”

  “A little more, please?”

  He sighed. “Without medicine I’m...nothing.” Spence’s voice cracked.

  She stood and crossed the room. He had to look away, didn’t want to see the pity in her eyes.

  “Look at me,” she said, placing a gentle hand against his cheek.

  Glancing into her sparkling green eyes, he found himself holding his breath.

  “Don’t talk that way,” she said. “First, you’re going to be fine, and second, you’re worth a lot more than your job.”

  He couldn’t rip his gaze from her sincere, determined expression. How had he never noticed this woman before, never noticed her natural radiance and positive energy?

  Because you weren’t in the market for love. Not then, not ever.

  “A lot more,” she said, her voice taking on a husky edge.

  Was she feeling it, too, this arc of emotional connection sparking between them?

  Pounding on the cabin door shattered the moment. Maddie snapped her hand away from his face as if she’d nearly gotten it caught in a trap.

  “Dr. Spencer!” a woman called.

  He started to get up, but Maddie stopped him with a firm hand against his chest.

  “I’ll get it.” She went to the door. “Who’s there?”

  “Nia Sharpe. It’s an emergency!”

  Maddie opened the door to the resort’s concierge. The patrolman assigned to protect Dr. Spencer hovered beside her.

  Nia, who was also Aiden’s girlfriend, motioned to Spence. “You’ve got to do something. It’s Aiden. He can’t breathe!”

  FIVE

  Spence’s hesitation worried Maddie. It was like his brain was slow to kick into gear.

  Maddie snapped into action. “Nia, did you call 9-1-1?”

  “Yes.”

  “What happened?” Spence asked. He motioned for Nia to lead them to Aiden.

  “I found him in the barn,” Nia said, heading across the property. “He fell or was pushed.” She touched Maddie’s arm. “Do you think it has something to do with—”

  “Let’s focus on one thing at a time,” Maddie said. “Did you see him fall?”

  “No, I was late. I was supposed to help him reorganize the loft, but when I got there he was on the ground, gasping for air and looking at me like...like...”

  “Like what?” Spence pressed.

  Nia glanced at Spence, tears welling in her eyes. “Like he was scared.”

  Aiden, scared? Maddie had grown up in her cousin Aiden’s house and had never, ever known him to be afraid. Of anything.

  Then again, when people were injured and felt vulnerable, they were often overcome with fear, like the fear that had taken hold of Dr. Spencer repeatedly over the past eighteen hours. Fear that his head injury was more serious than it looked; fear that he’d never practice medicine again. Maddie’s heart ached for the man.

  When they reached the barn, Maddie rushed to Aiden’s side. “Aiden, can you hear me?”

  He gasped for breath, his blue eyes widening with panic. Dr. Spencer knelt on the other side of him. The police officer assigned to Spence stayed close.

  “What do you think, Doctor?” Nia asked.

  When he didn’t respond right away, Maddie said, “Let’s rule out the obvious.”

  Spence glanced at Maddie.

  “Diaphragm spasm,” she said.

  “Of course,” he agreed.

  “What does that mean?” Nia said.

  “Simply put, he got the wind knocked out of him,” Maddie said.

  She and Spence pulled Aiden’s knees up to his abdomen. Maddie watched her cousin’s reaction.

  “What are you doing?” Nia said.

  “Trying to relax his abdominal muscles,” Maddie explained. “Aiden, can you breathe slowly in through the nose and out through your mouth?”

  He did as ordered and she found herself pretending he wasn’t her cousin because the look of panic on his face was making her stomach twist into knots. She could definitely understand why Nia, who’d fallen deeply in love with Aiden, was so upset.

  “You think that’s all it is?” Nia said, directing the question to Dr. Spencer.

  “We can’t be sure until he’s checked out at the hospital and they take some X-rays,” he said.

  Good, a professional, doctor-like answer. Maybe Spence was coming around and remembering everything that he could do.

  “I’ll check his pulse.” Dr. Spencer pressed his fingers to Aiden’s wrist and glanced at his own watch, another sign that the fog was lifting.<
br />
  “Aiden?” Maddie said. “Breathe in slowly, buddy, that’s it. And then out...” she coached.

  The sound of a wailing siren cut through the tension.

  “Nia, go get the paramedics,” Maddie said.

  Nia raced out of the barn.

  “It’s 110,” Spence said.

  It could be high due to anxiety. Spence must have thought the same thing.

  “Aiden, you’re doing great, buddy,” Spence said. “We think you’ve had the wind knocked out of you. Keep breathing with Maddie.”

  Aiden looked at Maddie.

  “You heard it from the doc,” Maddie said. “Breathe and relax.”

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” Rocky said, rushing into the barn with the cute paramedic named Vivian pushing the back end of the stretcher. Rocky’s smile faded when he saw Dr. Spencer.

  Rocky knelt beside Maddie. “Pulse?”

  “A hundred and ten,” the doctor answered.

  “We got this,” Rocky said in dismissal.

  Dr. Spencer stood slowly with an odd expression on his face. Was he offended that Rocky was taking over? Or relieved? Sometimes he was hard to read.

  Nate rushed into the barn. “What happened?”

  “We don’t know,” Nia said. “He fell or was pushed—”

  “Pushed?”

  “He’s the most coordinated person I know,” Nia said. “He wouldn’t have fallen off the loft.”

  They glanced up at the fifteen-foot drop.

  “I got here as soon as I could.” Scott Beckett, the resort’s security manager and Bree’s boyfriend, joined the group. “How is he?”

  Rocky glared at Maddie. “Really?” he said, irritated by all the people hovering over him.

  “Let’s give them some space.” Maddie herded the group toward the exit. She realized she was missing one. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed Spence still standing by the paramedics.

  “Spence?” she said.

  “But...” He hesitated, watching Rocky and Vivian tend to Aiden. “I’m a doctor.”

  Rocky shook his head, offended by the comment.

  “You’re off duty,” Maddie said. “Come on, let them do their job.”

  Spence didn’t move for a second. A cold chill skittered across Maddie’s shoulders. She didn’t want to think it, but couldn’t help herself—the doc’s brain injury was, in fact, more serious than anyone suspected. What else would make him seem so lost?