Mountain Ambush

by Hope White

  “But why kill Dr. Danner?”

  “He was going to mysteriously leave town and we couldn’t have that. An investigation of his disappearance would have exposed our operation.”

  “Danner was a part of this?”

  “He discovered what we were doing so we paid him off. But he grew a conscience, the fool. Then your girl went poking around in hospital files and found potentially damaging information. We set up Danner to take the fall. Anthony was supposed to deal with him. He beat Danner up pretty good, but Danner got away. You’d think I would have learned to do things myself.” Cal shook his head.

  “So this was about money?”

  “Money, and the fact I wouldn’t enjoy prison food.”

  Spence continued to stroke Maddie’s soft hair. “And Ruth?”

  “Ah, my beloved wife. She came up with the idea.”

  Spence couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Cal...”

  “What?” he shouted. “Don’t use that condescending tone on me, Dr. Perfect Spencer.”

  Silence stretched between them. Cal had the power, the control. Spence glanced at Maddie, unconscious in his arms. There was no way he’d trust Cal with Maddie in this defenseless condition.

  “So what now?” Spence said.

  “You take this.” Cal placed a medication bottle on the floor and toed it with his boot. The bottle rolled to Spence. “It’s an easy way to go. You were so despondent about Maddie that you killed yourself.”

  Spence glared at Cal. “You’re going to kill her?”

  “No, but she was missing and presumed dead so you lost all hope,” Cal shrugged.

  Spence stood. “Take her to the hospital and I’ll do whatever you want, after I get proof that she’s been admitted.”

  “Who do you think you are?” He aimed the gun at Spence’s chest.

  “Those are my terms,” Spence said. He loved Maddie and had to fight for her...to the end.

  Suddenly Maddie started seizing.

  Spence turned and dropped to her side. “What did you give her?” he shouted at Cal.

  “A mild sedative, hours ago.”

  Spence thought he saw Maddie wink.

  Cal stepped closer.

  Spence spun around and tackled Cal.

  * * *

  The low rumble of men’s voices awakened Maddie, but something told her not to open her eyes. She shoved back her anxiety and listened intently.

  She heard Spence’s voice, and then another familiar voice.

  Cal Carver.

  “Who do you think you are?”

  “Those are my terms,” Spence said.

  She’d heard enough to know Cal was the kidnapper, and he was threatening their lives. She had to do something to distract Cal so Spence could get the upper hand.

  Pretending to have a seizure seemed like the best option.

  Spence knelt beside her. She hoped he saw her wink, then...

  He spun around and charged Cal.

  A gunshot rang out.

  There was nowhere to go, no place to hide in the one-room cabin. The men crashed to the floor beside her.

  Another shot rang out. She pinched her eyes shut.

  Pounding vibrated through the cabin. “Police! Open the door!”

  “He’s got a gun!” she shouted.

  The police pounded again.

  Cal and Spence continued to roll and punch.

  The gun slid across the cabin floor. Scrambling for the weapon, she grabbed it and jumped to her feet, wavering.

  “Stop!” she shouted, but the men kept fighting.

  Due to the effects of hypothermia and the quick movements of the men, she couldn’t get a clear shot off.

  Nate, Ryan and Red burst into the cabin. Her gun was still aimed at the two men swinging at each other.

  Ryan and Red pulled them apart.

  “Red, cuff Cal and get him outta here,” Nate said.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Maddie,” Nate said. “You can put the gun down.”

  She glanced at him through watery eyes.

  Ryan nodded that it was okay. She lowered the weapon and Nate eased it out of her hand.

  “Spence?” Nate said. “Whoa.”

  Maddie snapped her attention to Spence. Blood oozed down his jacket sleeve.

  “No!” She stumbled across the cabin and collapsed beside him.

  “You’re okay,” he said, blinking those soft blue eyes at her. “That’s all that matters.”

  Then, with a slight smile on his face, he closed his eyes.

  SIXTEEN

  Someone was humming.

  Spence didn’t know the song, but it didn’t matter. He recognized her voice, even when she hummed.

  “Maddie,” he said, his voice raw.

  “Hello there, Dr. Sleepy.”

  He turned toward the sound of her voice.

  She smiled, a full-blown, uninhibited smile that warmed his heart.

  “You’re okay,” he said.

  “I am. And you’ll be okay, too.”

  “What... Was I shot?”

  “In the shoulder. The bullet went right through you.”

  “The police...how did they find us?”

  Nate stepped up beside her. “I had Red keep an eye on you after Adam took you to the resort. Red saw you leave and kept you under surveillance.”

  “I wanted to tell you.”

  “It’s all good. I’m glad we got there in time.”

  “What took you so long?” Maddie asked.

  “We found Ruth’s car in the parking lot, but weren’t sure which trail to follow. Your brother figured out how to track Spence.”

  “What about Ruth?” Spence said.

  “Arrested, along with Cal, Anthony and even Theresa,” Nate said. “Apparently her flirtatious demeanor was meant to determine what you knew about the fraud scheme.”

  “So this wasn’t about a personal enemy out to get me?” Spence said.

  “No, sir,” Nate said. “You happened to ask the wrong questions and they thought you were figuring it out.”

  “Tell him about Lucas,” Maddie said.

  “Right, the local teen who ran away from military school has been back in town for weeks,” Nate said. “Broke into his parents’ house and stole money and food. He was picked up at Camp Lakemont hanging out with friends.”

  “I’m glad he’s okay,” Spence said.

  “Needless to say, his parents aren’t pressing charges,” Nate said.

  “Nor are they sending him away again,” Maddie offered. “I heard they’re going to try counseling instead.”

  “That’s good news. How’s Gwen?”

  “Back home with her mom,” Maddie said.

  “I didn’t order that drug,” Spence defended.

  “No, but someone made it look like you did,” she said.

  “My guess would be Ruth,” Nate said. “She also treated Cal’s gunshot wound, which is why he didn’t show up at a hospital.”

  “I still can’t believe she was involved. And I had no clue,” Spence said.

  “You were focused on more important things, like saving lives.” Maddie squeezed his hand.

  That’s when he realized they’d been holding hands. The warmth of her skin drifted all the way up his arm and uncoiled the tension in his chest.

  “The feds are building the fraud case,” Nate said. “Still hard to believe how it all played out. We’re glad you’re okay.” He nodded at Spence.

  “I’m glad you put a tail on me.”

  “I guess I know you better than I thought. Let me know when you’re up to giving an official statement.”

  “I can do it now.”
He shifted in bed.

  Spence wanted Maddie to leave. He needed time to process what should happen next, and come up with a logical reason that they should end their relationship.

  “The painkillers might impede your memory,” Nate said.

  “I’d like to give it a try.”

  He slipped his hand from Maddie’s. Her eyes widened for a second, then she smiled. “I guess that’s my cue to leave. I’ll check in later.” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “Love you,” she whispered.

  She left the room and he released a heavy sigh.

  “When did you figure out it was Cal?” Nate said, pulling up a chair.

  “Not until he showed up at the cabin. I got instructions where and when to meet him. I found Maddie unconscious and tended to her the best I could. Then Cal shows up spouting nonsense about me uncovering the fraud, about Danner finding out and them paying for his silence. I was stupefied. I mean, Ruth?”

  “She’d do anything to keep the hospital in the black. Not that it excuses her behavior, but she put some of the money back into the hospital.”

  “She had to know she’d get caught.”

  “I guess she thought she was smarter than the rest of us. What was Cal’s plan for you and Maddie?”

  “I’d kill myself because I was so despondent about Maddie being kidnapped. But she pretended to have a seizure to distract him.”

  “That Maddie, she is certainly special,” Nate said. “The way she cares about people.”

  “Yeah, she almost died because she cares about me.”

  “That’s not your fault and you know it.” Nate stood. “Get some rest. I’ll check in tomorrow.”

  Spence nodded and closed his eyes.

  No matter what anyone said, a familiar pit grew in Spence’s stomach: guilt, shame and remorse. It was his fault that Maddie had been drugged and kidnapped.

  Love you.

  When she’d spoken the words, his heart cracked a little bit more because he knew he shouldn’t act on his feelings for her. He couldn’t rip her away from her Echo Mountain family. She belonged here, but Spence...?

  With all of his possessions destroyed, his home burned to the ground and his job gone, he didn’t feel like he belonged anywhere. And he certainly didn’t have much to offer Maddie.

  No, he had depended on her enough, and he’d even fallen in love with her. But if he truly loved her, he’d accept that she deserved someone better than him, someone without all the baggage he carried around like a fifty-pound weight.

  He’d stay in town long enough to help with any loose ends of the case, and then he’d quietly leave without fanfare or attention. After being checked out by a doctor, he’d get cleared to practice medicine again and start someplace new, someplace where they didn’t know about his tumultuous history.

  Your problems will always follow you and God will always forgive you.

  She was probably right, but he couldn’t think about that now. He needed to do what was best for Maddie.

  Maddie needs you, a voice whispered.

  He disregarded the voice, because if he listened he didn’t stand a chance of getting out of town with his heart intact.

  * * *

  The next day he convinced Nate to let him speak with Ruth, who was sitting in lockup. Spence needed closure, an explanation, something. How could such a remarkable woman get sucked down such a dark path?

  “You sure?” Nate said, gripping the door to the city’s two cells.

  “Yes. Is Cal with her?”

  “He’s in the conference room being questioned by the feds.”

  “Good.” Some part of him wanted to believe it had been Cal’s idea, and his wife went along with the plan because she loved her husband.

  Nate opened the door and Spence entered the lockup area. Ruth glanced up from her position sitting on the cot. She shook her head and buried her face in folded arms across her knees.

  “Two minutes,” Nate said, and left them alone.

  “Ruth?” Spence said.

  She glanced up with desperation in her eyes, yet oddly not remorse.

  “Why?” he said.

  “There’s a lot of pressure running a hospital, Spence. You have no idea. The board expects financial results and patients expect quality care and...” She paused. “Things just happened.”

  “And hiring me?”

  She cracked a sad smile. “That felt like the one good thing I did. I hired a doctor who cared more about patients than the bottom line. Then you discovered what was going on, and our perfect doctor became a liability.”

  “But I didn’t.”

  “It seemed like you had with all your emails and questions about billing. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. It’s over.” She sighed. “And ya know? I’m relieved.”

  “I had no idea you were under so much pressure. I wish you would have—”

  “What? Asked you for help? Really? Get out of here, Spence. You’re making it worse with your platitudes and compassion.”

  He struggled to process how this could have happened, how he had no clue his friend was cheating the system.

  “Go on,” she said. “Go be perfect somewhere else.”

  Spence left the cell area and spotted Maddie’s brother, Ryan, waiting in the hallway.

  “Chief wants me to take you to the farm,” he said.

  “Okay, thanks.”

  With no place to live since his cabin had been destroyed, Spence asked to stay at the resort, but the McBride clan had a better idea; they invited him to stay at Margaret’s farmhouse.

  Ryan took Spence to the superstore on the way so Spence could buy clothes and toiletries. Spence was starting all over again. He’d done it before, but it felt different this time. He felt...melancholy.

  “You sure I’m not putting your aunt out?” he asked Ryan.

  “Nah, she lives to serve. Kind of like Maddie.” Ryan shot Spence a side-glance. “So...?”

  “So, what?”

  “You and Maddie? You’re going to dump her, aren’t you?”

  “That’s a little harsh.”

  “Then you’re staying around to date her?” Ryan asked, hopeful.

  “I’m going to let her get on with her life without me.”

  “Sorry, Doc, but that’s a lame excuse.”

  A few seconds of silence passed between them.

  “Look,” Ryan started. “I know my sister can be stubborn and bossy but she’s a great person.”

  “You don’t have to convince me of that.”

  “Then what’s the problem? She really cares about you, and I sense you feel the same way.”

  Spence glanced out the window. “She belongs here, in Echo Mountain with her family. I don’t.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since the fraud, the kidnapping, the random assaults. My reputation has been destroyed and I can’t expect the people of Echo Mountain to get past that.”

  “Come on, you know how forgiving these folks are.”

  Spence closed his eyes, withdrawing into his thoughts. Was Ryan right? Was Spence making excuses because he was afraid of being hurt again?

  * * *

  When they arrived at the farmhouse, Spence actually thought Maddie might be waiting with her bright smile and wry sense of humor.

  Instead, the house was quiet. Margaret led Spence to an upstairs bedroom and encouraged him to relax. She said sweets and coffee would be available whenever he came down.

  He stretched out on the bed, careful not to jar his arm. The splint reminded him not to exert himself in order for the gunshot wound to heal.

  He finally felt safe, although emptiness consumed him.

  Hours later he awakened to the sound of muffled voices drifting through the floor. He wa
shed up in the private bathroom and cracked open the door to the hallway. It sounded like a party was going on downstairs. He shut the door and pressed his forehead against it. How could he face people after everything that had happened, after he’d been manipulated by someone he trusted? They all probably lumped him into the mix with the Carvers and Dr. Danner.

  As a criminal.

  Glancing at his suitcase, he was tempted to escape down the back stairs. Instead, he opted to greet the visitors. When he reached the front entryway, he could hardly believe his eyes. The living room was packed with local residents enjoying refreshments and laughter.

  “There’s Dr. Spencer,” Margaret said, clapping.

  The group broke into applause. Spence froze, unsure what to do.

  Margaret approached him. “They randomly started showing up. But if you’re too tired to visit...?”

  “No, it’s okay.” He strained to see if Maddie was among them.

  Her auburn hair didn’t stand out in the crowd.

  “Dr. Spencer, good to see you on your feet.” Board president, Vince Brunson, approached him and extended his hand.

  “Mr. Brunson.” They shook. “I need to apologize—”

  “No,” he interrupted Spence. “I’m the one who needs to apologize. I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Chief Walsh told me what was really going on. I’m sorry the board took our frustrations out on you. To that point, we had an emergency meeting this morning and would like to offer you your job back.”

  “What? Wait, but my head injury, my erratic behavior...”

  “Some of which was orchestrated by Dr. Carver. Besides, I’d like to think I’d be brave enough to run into a burning building to save innocent people.” He smiled. “When your shoulder heals and you feel ready to return to the rotation, get cleared by an MD and your job will be waiting.”

  “Hey, buddy,” Nate said, joining them. He nodded at Vince as the board president went to greet SAR member Sam Treadwell.

  “This feels like a dream,” Spence said.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d be up for company, but when folks in town get an idea in their heads, well, it’s hard to talk them out of it.”

  That’s when Spence noticed a Congratulations sign hanging across a window.