He had said everything he had to say, and the rest of the trip was in silence. Eve Douglas called the hospital when they were minutes away, and a gurney was waiting when they drove up to the emergency doors. The kid was whisked inside and he stood with...Eve. They followed a nurse to a desk in front while another rushed Nick into a treatment room.
“That’s a gutsy kid,” he said to break the tense silence. He realized she was barely holding it together.
“Too gutsy,” she said in a trembling voice. “There was someone in Covenant Falls who was bitten last year. She was in the hospital for weeks and lost the feeling in her hand. The doctor said she was lucky to be alive.” A tear trailed down her cheek. “You try to keep them safe,” she murmured, “and you can’t. I told him to stay in the car and...”
And then Josh couldn’t help himself. She was in pain, and he felt responsible. She was a widow, a much too young one, and now she needed someone. His arms went around her and held her close as her body shook with emotion. She had been great when the danger was real. She’d done everything he’d asked, then shot the snake as efficiently as he could have. Almost.
His arms tightened, and then he didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t really comforted a woman before. He’d never stayed with anyone long enough to reach that level in a relationship.
Comfort. That was all he was doing. Offering comfort. A body to lean into for a few seconds. Then she looked up at him and he was lost in those hazel eyes that were misty from tears. There was sheer agony there, and his own personal demons faded. A tenderness he hadn’t known before filled him.
“He’ll be all right,” he said softly. “We got him here fast.”
“He loves dogs,” she said. “He usually obeys, but he can’t resist one.”
“Amos isn’t usually out,” Josh said. “It’s a battle of wills just to take him for a walk. But I thought while I was working... I should have mowed around the porch first.” His thoughts were a jumble, his words nearly incoherent. Where was that coolness his team teased him about?
He felt helpless now. Inadequate. He was saved when a doctor entered. “The blood test indicates a minimum of venom still in him,” he said. “Your doctor did a good job. The suctioning helped. His arm is going to be swollen, discolored and painful for a few days, but then he should be fine. We want to keep him here, though, for a few days, just to make sure.”
The doctor looked at Josh. “Are you his father?”
“A friend,” Eve said before he could respond. She turned back to Josh. “I’m staying here. I’ll call my father-in-law and he can bring some clothes for the two of us in the morning. I know you want to get back and check on your dog.”
Dismissed. Neatly. Well, wasn’t that what he wanted? He didn’t know a damn thing about kids. Or this type of woman. He couldn’t even take care of a dog. He nodded. “You sure you’ll be okay?”
“As long as Nick is,” she said. “Thank you for everything you did. Please keep us posted on Amos.”
He nodded and turned. Nothing else to say. And he did want to see Amos. For a few minutes anyway, Amos had returned to the alert protector he’d once been. He could only hope it was a breakthrough, but hopes and prayers hadn’t been very helpful in the past eighteen months.
This time they had to be. He couldn’t lose Amos like he’d lost his team. He was out the door but looked back. She was still talking to the doctor, her stance rigid as if she was about to shatter. But she wouldn’t. She obviously had a strong core.
He slid into the Jeep. He felt helpless, and he hated that. He couldn’t save the kid, and he couldn’t save Amos. He had to rely on others, and he wasn’t very good at that. He started the vehicle and drove toward Covenant Falls, his temporary place of residence.
* * *
EVE SPENT THE evening in Nick’s room, checking his arm every hour. It was swollen, had turned several shades of purple and he couldn’t move it without whimpering. He was nauseous and didn’t want to eat anything, a condition that was highly unusual. He was also running a slight fever.
He was sedated now, but his body twitched occasionally. She wanted so badly to take the hurt away.
She looked at her watch again. After 1:00 a.m. She had changed from her work clothes to the sweats her father-in-law had brought. His pharmacy assistant had locked the store for him. Jim had stayed an hour, then returned to town to take care of the motley crew and horses. Both he and Abby planned to come in the morning.
Eve had called Stephanie just after Josh left, and asked about Amos. She knew it would be Nick’s most urgent question. Stephanie assured her the dog was doing well and that Josh was on his way over to check on him. Then Eve called Merry to tell her where she was in case of an emergency. As Nick slept, she kept her eyes on him. Oh, Lord, but she wanted to hold him. Never let him go. She put her hand over his. Lightly so as not to wake him. She had lost her heart the moment she’d first felt him move inside her. She remembered the day he was born. He had been a few weeks early, but he still had a mass of black curly hair and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. He’d been a tiny duplicate of his father, who had adored him.
Nick took after his father in other ways, as well. He was a natural caretaker. He loved animals and younger children. He stood up to bullies who intimidated other kids. He was also athletically gifted. And he had Russ’s curiosity. He wanted to know everything about everything. Nick had tottered behind his father as soon as he’d taken his first steps.
Her heart shattered every time she looked at him and knew what he’d missed by his father’s death. She tried to make up for it as much as possible, but she saw the longing in his eyes when he saw fathers and sons together.
He was her life.
If she had not gone to Josh Manning’s cabin, Nick would not be lying in a hospital bed. She’d allowed a momentary attraction to put her son in danger. She should have known he wouldn’t stay in the truck. How could she have been so irresponsible?
She blinked back tears. He was going to be all right. But what if...
She occasionally dozed off but woke at his slightest movement. One time, he whimpered and her hands went around his and rubbed them. She tried not to wake him, but wanted to let someplace inside him know she was there.
She felt alone. She knew Jim would have stayed overnight if she had asked, but then she would have felt the need for small talk, and she didn’t think she could bear that. Maybe she just wanted to keep Nick all to herself. Scare off the demons of fear on her own.
And no matter how much she tried to banish them, images of Josh Manning invaded her thoughts again. She tried to shut them away, but she still felt his warmth and gentleness as he had held her downstairs. She never would have expected it from him, not the tenderness or the quiet competence that had kept her fear under control. His strength had flowed through her, and it dismayed her that she had desperately wanted him to stay.
She didn’t want to care—much less love—again. She couldn’t risk another loss. There was too much pain. For her and her son.
* * *
BEFORE GOING BY the clinic, Josh stopped at his cabin to make sure it—and the gun—was secured after their hasty departure. The cabin, as he’d feared, was unlocked. He changed clothes, grabbed one of Amos’s toys and drove to the vet.
Instead of putting Amos in the kennel cages, Stephanie had spread out a blanket and put him in her office, where she could keep her eyes on him. The first eight hours after a rattler bite were critical, she said.
Amos raised his head when Josh entered and even licked his hand when Josh leaned down to pet him. “That’s the first time he’s done that since Dave died,” he said.
“He licked you before his handler died?”
“Not often, but sometimes. When Dave wasn’t available I would feed him, make sure he had water, and he would give me a little thank-you.”
“Have you ever owned a dog?”
“No.”
“You’re learning. You got him here fast.”
“Then he’s going to be okay?”
“I think so. After biting Nick, the rattler may not have had much venom left. And it’s good that Amos was bit on the leg, not the mouth. He looks good and tried to get up several times, but I managed to convince him to stay down.”
“He might have saved the mayor’s son from a second bite.”
“He’s a hero, and I think he knows it,” she said. “There’s more life in his eyes than when I first saw him. I think he knows he did good.”
“He doesn’t look much different to me.”
Stephanie shrugged. “He licked you.”
“That’s true,” he said with a small smile.
“Oh, you can smile.” Stephanie grinned. “Can’t wait to spread that around.”
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t. It would ruin my obviously dismal image.”
“You work hard enough at it.”
He liked her. She was easy to be with. He suspected she had her own problems in town with her quick tongue. He looked at his watch. “You and Mrs. Douglas are friends, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Can you call and see how her boy is?” He didn’t know why he was reluctant to do it himself. Or maybe he did. Today he had become entwined with the Douglas family, and part of him was fighting it.
“Why don’t you?”
“I don’t have her number.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I talked to her just before you came. The doctors say it looks good. He’s feeling some effects, but the amount of venom in his system is treatable. They will probably stay until Monday. I have her number,” she added with an impish grin.
“Thanks, but you told me what I wanted to know.” He changed the subject. “Have you had supper?” he asked.
“Nope. Been a little busy around here.”
“Is Maude’s open?”
She looked at her watch. “For another half hour.”
“I’ll get us some food. What do you want?”
“A patty melt. Maude has the best ever. I have soft drinks and coffee here.”
“Fries?”
“Why not live it up?” Stephanie said. “You might get a cheeseburger for Amos. He deserves it.”
“A vet recommends a cheeseburger?”
“Only on special occasions.”
Josh made the trip just in time. It took fifteen minutes to fill the order, then he left with his hands full. It was summer, when days were long, but shadows were now falling on the town. Only a few people were visible on the street. The businesses, with the exception of the grocery and Maude’s, were closed. One older man was locking up the pharmacy.
When the man finished, he looked up and hurried to Josh and studied him for a moment. “I’m Jim Douglas,” he said. “Nick’s grandfather. I understand we owe you thanks. Your quick action might have saved my grandson’s life.”
“Mrs. Douglas and Nick were doing just fine without me,” he said.
“Well, we won’t forget it. How’s your dog?”
“Dr. Phillips thinks he will be fine, but she wanted to keep an eye on him overnight.”
“That sounds like Stephanie. I was at the hospital earlier, but now my wife and I are in charge of taking care of their animals.”
“Animals?”
“Two elderly horses, one boarding horse, four needy dogs and a dysfunctional cat,” he replied with a rueful smile. “My daughter-in-law is probably Stephanie’s best customer.”
Bloody hell. He was falling for someone with a zoo. And in-laws. And a son. And a job as mayor. He needed to run for the hills. Sell the infernal cabin. Now.
After Amos was out of danger.
He nodded to Jim Douglas, tightened his hold on the bags of takeout and headed to the veterinarian’s office.
“Welcome to Covenant Falls,” the man called after him.
When he returned, the door to the clinic was unlocked. Dangerous. Even in a small town like this.
What did he know about living in small towns? He crossed the reception area to Stephanie’s office.
“Mmm, I smell it,” she said with a wide smile. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I usually save patty melts for special occasions except for Thursdays with Eve. Then we both splurge.”
“Thursdays with Eve?”
“We meet for lunch and discuss the goings-on in town. We’ve been friends since I moved here.”
“You moved here of your own free will?” That was a surprise.
“Didn’t you?”
“Long story,” he said.
“Here, too, but the nub of it is a divorce. My ex-husband didn’t want a working wife. He wanted one who would help advance his career. I figured he didn’t know me very well, and I hadn’t known him at all. I divorced him and wanted to get as far away from Boston as possible. To make a long story short, a friend told me about this small practice in Colorado, so here I am. I like it. I like large-animal medicine. I like being outside, and I like the mountains. I don’t like the gossip. And the sacred cows.”
“Mayor Douglas said her husband died four years ago.” It more a question than a statement.
Her eyes gleamed for a moment. “Interested?”
He wished he hadn’t said anything. “Just learning the battlefield.”
“Covenant Falls isn’t exactly that kind of battlefield, although there are skirmishes. As for Eve, her husband was a coach with the high school. Coached baseball, football and basketball. He died before I arrived, but from everything I’ve heard, he was some kind of hero around here. Everybody loved him, especially Eve.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “They were high school sweethearts. Never was anyone else for her, not before and not after he died.”
She paused, then continued, “He died suddenly on the football field as he ran with his team before a practice. Some heart defect that had never been detected.”
Josh didn’t know what to say. This was not exactly what he wanted to hear. But then what had he wanted to hear? That her husband drank too much? That he had been careless?
Why did he even care how the man died?
He’d opened the door for questions, and Stephanie walked through it.
She asked a few questions about him but he had even fewer answers. Where was home? “Army bases.” Family? “None.” And a big one: What did he plan to do in the future? “Finish the cabin.”
“You are not a very informative man,” Stephanie said.
“Notice that, did you?”
They finished their food in silence. Amos slept as they ate, and Stephanie said she would give the meat in the cheeseburger to him when he woke. She looked at her watch. “It’s late. Why don’t you go home? I often rest here on the couch when I have a patient I need to watch. You can pick him up in the morning.”
He hesitated.
“He’s breathing normally. I found one puncture but there’s no swelling around it. He got lucky.”
“Then why do you want to keep him?”
“An overabundance of caution,” she said.
“I don’t want to leave him,” he said.
“I’m going to keep him sedated through the night. He won’t know if you’re here or not. He won’t be alone, and you might want to clear the area where you found the snake before you take him home.”
She made sense. At first light he would do just that.
“You will call if there’s any change?”
“Of course.”
He ran his hand around Amos’s ears. The dog didn’t move. “You did good today, Amos. Dave would have been proud.” Then he turned back to Stephanie. “Thank you,” he said, meaning it.
“Glad to have another rebel here,” she replied as she closed the door behind him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE CABIN WAS dark when Josh arrived home. And it didn’t look inviting.
Wasn’t this what he wanted? A place to hide and nurse his wounds.
A broken place for a broken soldier and his broken dog.
He walked in, turning on the interior light as he did. The porch light was broken. Something else to do. It hadn’t mattered yesterday, or the day he arrived. Now, for some reason, it did.
Without Amos, the cabin felt lifeless...empty. That surprised him, considering the fact that Amos had been none too convivial a companion. Maybe it was because he had no one to care for. Loneliness struck him like a mortar round, ripping apart all the protective armor he’d built around himself.
He closed his eyes, willing away the feeling. He had a lot to do, and a good book waiting for him. And tomorrow Amos would be back.
Only then did he realize the enormity of his loss if anything happened to Amos. The dog was his connection to the only life he really knew, to the one friend he knew as well as he knew himself. Except he hadn’t known Dave as well as he thought or he would have known about this cabin.
He went to the cooler he’d filled with ice earlier and took out a beer. He then went out and sat on the steps he’d repaired earlier that day. The midnight-blue sky glittered with as many stars as shone in Afghanistan. But here the air was sweet, not sweltering hot in the day and freezing at night. He could breathe here.
He saw some kids walking along the narrow beach. Holding hands, then stopping to embrace. Pain bored a hole in his heart. He watched like a voyeur until they disappeared, and then he went inside.
* * *
EVE STILL SAT next to Nick as the sun came up and filtered through the window. The swelling in his arm seemed better but the color was just as angry-looking. She wanted to kiss it and make it well, just as she had promised when he was a toddler and fell down.
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