“I’m sore and bruised. It’ll be worse tomorrow. Then I’ll start to heal.”
“You should be staying off your leg. How were you injured? Unless you’re not allowed to tell me.”
“It’s okay. We were doing a high altitude, high opening training dive. We call it a HAHO. Everything went great. Took us about sixty minutes to reach the ground, and I landed just the way I was supposed to until the wind caught my chute and carried me off target, dragging me along. I tripped over one rock, crashed into another, and got a little banged up. Nothing’s broken, but the bruising is coming out in Technicolor.”
She grimaced in sympathy. “Oooo! It smarts to even think about it.”
He grinned. “I’ve had a few colorful things to say about it at the time and since.”
She laughed.
“I’m sorry you were hurt.”
“Thanks.” He leaned forward in his seat. “It would make me feel much better if you’d go out to dinner with me, or for coffee or a drink.”
She hesitated. She studied his strong, square jaw. “I don’t know if it would be such a good idea.”
His smile folded, to be replaced by a frown. “I didn’t ask if you were married or committed.”
“Neither. I mean—other than to my work here. But to date one of our clients…”
“I’m not really one of your clients since I don’t own Gracie. Or actually, I’m only a temporary customer until she goes home to her owner.”
“You seem to have a way with her. She responded to you from the first.”
“We had several big dogs while I was growing up, and I’ve missed having one.”
“Why don’t you get one?”
“I’m a SEAL. We have to go wheels up at a moment’s notice. And we train a lot, which means long hours and sometimes weeks away from home. It wouldn’t be fair to the dog or cat to be left alone like that. This way I can enjoy Gracie for a few weeks while she and I are laid up, and return her when it’s time.”
His job sounded like it didn’t leave him very much time to date. Then again, she hadn’t had time, either, since starting vet school. Starting a business and working didn’t leave much time for anything but sleep. And even if she’d had time there’d been…the fallout from David. And Lester. No, she wasn’t going to go there. “And if you get called up?”
“I don’t think it will happen in the next four or so weeks, but, just in case, my sister Kathleen said she’d take her. She loves dogs, and she’ll be good with her.”
“If she can’t take her, I’ll keep her until Mr. Flynn gets out of the hospital. I have a golden retriever named Trouble. I’m sure they’ll get along.”
He smiled amused at the name. “Trouble, huh?”
“Yes, and he still is at times, but for the most part he’s pretty well behaved nowadays.”
Tiffany, the evening receptionist, came to the door. “We have a woman with a sick cat. I’ve put her in room four.” She stepped in to lay the file on her desk.
Piper rose and picked up the folder. “Thanks, Tiffany.”
Zach stood with some difficulty. The urge to help him had her pausing on the way to her office door. Once on his feet, he ran his fingertips down her forearm and cuffed her wrist in a light grip. His dark green eyes had interesting yellow flecks around the iris. But beyond the color, the hungry look she read there arrowed down into the pit of her stomach and lower. “I’ll be back tomorrow to see Gracie. In the meantime, why don’t you think about my dinner invitation?”
The man could barely walk and he was asking her out. But she couldn’t go out with him. She’d just bring trouble to his door. Although she hadn’t seen Detective Lester around since she moved back. She was keeping a low profile, and there was no reason for him to know she was back in San Diego.
If he ever discovered she was… Her throat tightened and her heart raced. If they started dating and Lester came around…Zach deserved better than to have to deal with her stalker cop. She came with far too much baggage for any man.
Why couldn’t she have a normal life?
An idea suddenly occurred to her. “Did you shave and get a haircut…?” she let the question drift off.
He smiled. “Yeah. I wanted to make a better impression.” He brushed the newly cut hair back from his forehead. “When I’m working a lot, those things are low on my to-do list.”
She’d been impressed with his focus and skill during Gracie’s X-rays. His patience and care. He looked younger clean-shaven, but she rather liked his long auburn hair and the scruff.
The close shave did leave the clean lines of his jaw and lips bare. “I imagine you make an impression wherever you go, Zach. But I’d better get to my patient.”
She didn’t want to. She wanted to sit with him, listen to the hint of New England in his accent, and continue to resist the temptation. It had been a long, long time since she’d been on a date. Or even been attracted to someone.
The temptation was strong.
The threat of Lester stronger.
“You rest your hip, now.”
“Roger that. See you tomorrow.”
Chapter 7
‡
Kathleen watched Cal pace across her living room and back. His anger stood like a clenched fist between them. Not that he’d ever raise his hand to her. He might with a man, but never a woman.
She was always amazed by his ability to walk so flawlessly on his prosthetic, but anger made his quick movements choppy. It had been some time since she’d seen him this upset, and he hadn’t as yet spilled why, but she could see it was affecting his whole body.
“If you tell me what happened, I might be able to help you work through it,” she suggested.
“It’s my fucking selfish asshole brother. I want to beat the fucking shit out of him.”
Whoa. Cal rarely cussed in front of her. Even so, it wasn’t the words that shocked her. It was the passion with which he delivered them.
“He wants me to see a lawyer and sign over control of my part of the business to him in case something happens to Dad.”
Shock held Kathleen silent for beat. “You’re kidding.”
“No. It’s what this trip was all about. Dad had a heart attack and isn’t working, and right now he’s supposed to do nothing but rest and avoid stress until they finish the tests.”
“So Doug is marking his territory. He thought you’d move in and try and take over.”
Cal laughed for the first time since arriving. “Marking his territory?”
“It’s what you guys do, isn’t it?”
Cal shook his head then sat next to her on the couch. “Yeah, I guess we do.”
Now he was sitting down he was more approachable. Kathleen rested a soothing hand on his thigh. “He’s doing this without your Dad’s knowledge, isn’t he?”
“Yes. When I called Mom, he acted like someone had driven a stake up his ass and wouldn’t look at me, so I don’t think Dad knows. Why would he think I’d give up my job and move back to Texas to try and take over? I’m making more money than he is, and he’s part of the business.”
She understood why Cal was hypersensitive about issues with his family. He’d gotten a raw deal from his father after returning from Afghanistan. “There’s no reason to get worked up unless your Mom or Dad call and say you need to go home and sign paperwork.”
“Doug waited until tonight to tell me. He acted like it shouldn’t matter to me that he wanted to cut me out.”
She couldn’t even imagine how much it must hurt to be treated like this by a brother. It was taking sibling rivalry to a whole new level. “You did the right thing by leaving and coming over here before things escalated to more than an argument. But it might be time to go to San Antonio for a visit and check on your dad.”
Time to heal this chasm between father and son before something happened and they never got an opportunity to fix it. Cal carried enough guilt without adding any more to his burden.
“Don’t allow your brother to infl
uence the way you feel about your father. These are two completely different issues, Cal. Your father has nothing to do with how Doug behaves.”
He made a sound in the back of his throat, filled with bitterness. “Doug doesn’t shit without asking permission from my father. And he doesn’t have a thought of his own without Dad putting it in his head first. Dad’s attitude toward me has led to all of this.”
She leaned into his shoulder and rested her head there. She wanted to wrap herself around him and protect him from further hurt.
He was the same way about her.
His body relaxed and he drew her in against his side. “I’m sorry. I’m being an asshole.”
“As long as your assholery isn’t directed at me, I’m good,” she replied.
He laughed. “Is that a real word?”
“Probably not.”
He was easing up about it, but it would take days for him to get over this last bout with his brother.
“If I make a trip home, will you go with me?” He breathed against her temple. “I want my mom to meet you.”
Did she want to go? Would she end up being a buffer between Cal and his father? “When would you want to go?”
“We could take a long weekend next week, just an extra day or two, and fly down and back.”
“I’m finishing up on a project right now, and I won’t be done for another week at least. It would have to be the end of next week before I’d feel comfortable asking for a couple of days off.”
“Okay.”
“I’m not sure you should wait, Cal. If your brother is talking control of the company, he must think things are serious. You could go on ahead of me and I could fly in later.”
Cal’s cell phone rang and he reached for it. After looking at the screen he vacillated, then, with a grimace, finally tapped it and answered the call. His expression changed from controlled anger to grave concern after listening to only a couple of words.
“I’ll call the airport to see if we can get a flight out and call you back.”
Kathleen knew before he ever said the words, and everything in her wanted to reach out and hold him.
“Dad had another heart attack and is in the hospital. It happened right after I talked to Mom.” He rubbed his hands over his close-cropped hair. “It looks like you were right. Doug and I will try to get a flight out tonight.”
Chapter 8
‡
The pain woke Zach at zero seven hundred. He rolled out of bed with a groan he’d have chewed back if anyone had been there to hear him. The bone-deep ache didn’t let up. Every move twisted it higher. He needed to use heat on the injury and take some meds.
He limped into the kitchen, swallowed two of the pain pills dry, then reached into the refrigerator for a bottle of juice. He lay on the couch, and after twenty minutes the medication kicked in, and the tension the pain had triggered eased.
The silence of the apartment was a welcome relief most of the time. Much of what the team did was noisy. Target practice, weapons training, drills, blowing stuff up, even most of the transports they used were loud. The emptiness of the apartment while he was in pain bothered him. He thought about calling Kathleen, but she’d be getting ready for work.
He lay for a long while, hoping without success to go back to sleep, and finally reached for his cell phone.
Hawk answered on the first ring, and he asked, “Did you find any of Master Chief’s family or friends?”
“Yeah. Team members will be going to the hospital to check on him.”
“I thought I might, too. Let him know about his dog.”
“You’re supposed to be taking things easy and staying off that hip until it heals, Doc.”
“I will. I have a pair of crutches around here somewhere. I’ll drag them out and give it some rest. Sitting here at home watching television isn’t exactly conducive to my mental health. I’ll be batshit crazy by the time I get back to work.”
Hawk laughed. “I keep telling you, you need a woman. They’re a great distraction—among other things.”
Doc ignored him, but he couldn’t ignore the way Piper Bertinelli popped into his head. “Any news coming down the pike?” They suspected a deployment was coming. With ISIS or Daesh actively encouraging terrorist bombings all over the world, Boko Haram kidnapping women and children, and Al Qaeda still wreaking havoc, he’d never be out of a job. Even the drug cartels threatening American borders were a danger to national security.
Hawk’s tone took a turn to serious. “I have a feeling we’ll hear something soon. You need to do what the doc said and get back in peak condition. I don’t want the team to be a man down if we have to go wheels up. We depend on your medical training too much to leave you behind.”
“I’m taking care of business here, I promise.” Jesus, all he could do was wait for the injury to heal on its own.
The sound of a toddler crying came through in the background. “If I hear anything, I’ll let you know. Zoe’s in the shower and A. J.’s just conked his head on the coffee table. Gotta go.”
Zach closed the call then tossed his phone onto his coffee table and stared at the ceiling. “Damnit!” He’d done this to himself. Closed himself off to everyone but his teammates. Because of Patricia. It wasn’t even her fault. He was the one who’d gotten in too deep emotionally. Or had he? He’d been just as lonely then as he was now, and needing to know someone was at home waiting for him.
His family always did, but they were across the country, busy with their own lives. And sometimes he wondered just how much it would affect them if something happened to him. Sure, his mom and dad loved him, he was their child, but the physical distance kept them from having the same emotional closeness they had with the five siblings who lived nearby.
He’d been through two more six-month deployments to the Middle East and a couple of shorter deployments to South America since Patricia. And another loomed, although he didn’t know where yet.
And now he’d met someone he was interested in….
What would be the point of getting involved when he was leaving soon? It wouldn’t be fair to her, or to him. And he couldn’t get in so deep he’d let it screw with his head again, either.
It would be better to stick with the party girls. No-strings-attached sex and a little company.
Piper was more than likely going to turn him down anyway. She’d delayed a decision last night, and that was the first step. If he didn’t pursue it again, she’d let it go. It would be best for them both.
A hollow disappointment settled in the pit of his stomach. He tried to ignore it.
The phone rang and he reached for it. The veterinary office number showed on the screen. He tapped the screen to answer the call.
“Hello, Zach.” Piper’s voice, a little breathy and uncertain, came over the line.
Just like that, he had a boner. He shook his head. Fate was either playing him for a fool or fulfilling a prayer.
“I thought I’d call and give you an update on Gracie’s progress before starting with patients. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
If he were to go by his Grandma’s superstitious Irish beliefs, this would be a sign. “No, I’ve been up a while. How’s she doing?”
“Much better now the anesthesia has worn off. She drank water and has even shifted around in her kennel. I plan to take her out and get her moving today.”
“Great. I’m going by the hospital today to check on her owner. His teammates are going to be there, and if he’s awake, I’ll have to tell him about the accident. He’ll naturally be upset, so if I can tell him about her progress, it might soften the blow.”
“What time are you going?”
“I don’t have a definite plan.” Just whenever he could be certain his hip could stand the walk.
“I work a split shift. I do surgery early morning and see patients until noon, and then don’t come back in until five, so I could go with you after lunch if it’s convenient. It might help to have some backup to reassure him G
racie’s going to be fine.”
“Sure. I’ll come in about eleven. I could help get Gracie moving. She’s a big dog, and if you intend to use a sling to support her hindquarters, it will be easier for me to handle than you.” He’d have to make sure his meds hadn’t worn off by then.
“Have you been researching physical therapy for dogs?” she asked.
“Some.” More than some. Television bored him, so surfing the net seemed more mission-productive. Fuck! Hawk was right, he needed a life outside of work. Piper’s slightly breathy, nervous voice drew him back in. Why would she be nervous around him? Attraction or something else?
“She does well with the female assistants here, but not Tony. I haven’t asked the two male vets we have on staff to approach her, because I don’t want to cause her more distress. You seem to be the only man she isn’t aggressive with right now.” In professional mode, her breathless nervousness seemed to be evening out.
“It could be she’s still traumatized from the attack the other night.”
“Could be. Come at eleven. We’ll just walk her a few minutes to see how she does.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you then.”
He closed out the call, but lay there mulling over things. He’d grown lazy romantically, having dated so many women who were a sure thing instead of someone who expected to be wooed and tempted to join him between the sheets. But two or three weeks wasn’t enough time to do things right. It would be better if they just kept things on a professional level.
*
Piper placed the kitten inside the kennel. The tiny cat remained a little groggy from anesthesia, but was breathing normally and was even purring. The hernia had been small and easily repaired. Now if they could find her a forever home… She gave the sweet animal a gentle rub and closed the door.
She glanced at her watch for the fourth time in an hour. Zach O’Connor would be here any moment.
Why had she called him again? And why was she volunteering to go to the hospital with him? There was just something…so damn sexy and…lonely about him. She was drawn to him, just like she’d been drawn to… No, it was stronger, much stronger. God, this was such a mistake! She had to back away from whatever this was.
Breaking Out (Military Romantic Suspense) (SEAL Team Heartbreakers Book 6) Page 7