Heal Me (Coopers Creek Book 2)

by Bronwen Evans

  Kate admitted he was the first man she’d had sex with since Phil and he hoped he wasn’t merely being used as a means to find her way back into the dating pool. Lizzie had been keen when they had first gotten together, then very quickly moved on. Mind you Lizzie was young, they both were.

  If any other woman had suggested keeping possessions at her house, he’d have quickly said goodbye to her. However, Kate wasn’t any other woman. She was different. What he loved most of all was she was the complete opposite of Lizzie. Kate was warm, fun, caring—she put others before herself. Lizzie only thought of herself, he could see that clearly now. Kate was also the sexiest woman he’d ever come across. Little by little he was talking himself into taking a chance. A big chance! To open his stuttered heart once again. For one moment he hesitated answering. She was so beautiful, sitting their hope in her eyes. However, every rose has thorns. He knew things could look rosy on the outside but underneath a wasp nest sat ready to sting. He would have to trust that Kate wasn’t kidding herself, and that she had put her past behind her and was ready to move on.

  “Dr. Donoghue, I would love to leave my shaving kit and toothbrush here,” he said in a formal tone.

  Kate’s smile entranced him. “Fantastic. As much as I hate to say it, I need to hit the hay.”

  “Me, too. I’ll go get my stuff,” Ric said.

  “Where are your keys? It’ll be easier for me to get it, gimpy.”

  He scowled at her as he fished his key ring out of his pants pocket. “You’re lucky you’re pretty. My duffel bag is on the front passenger seat.”

  “Duffel bag, huh? You really are sure of yourself, aren’t you?” she asked with a teasing smile.

  “Hopeful, not sure,” he responded.

  “Yeah, yeah.” She made a dismissive gesture and left Ric smiling after her.

  *****

  When her alarm went off the next morning, Kate was startled to feel an arm draped over her midsection. She’d missed the intimacy of these waking moments. Looking to her left, Ric’s face came into focus. His jaw was slack in sleep and his rumpled hair stuck up in spots. Memories of waking up with Phil like this surfaced and she smiled..

  It was one of the things she’d missed the most after Phil’s death. Having someone to cuddle and share the troubles and joys of the day with. He’d been such a sweet, boyishly handsome man, who’d even been pleasant upon waking. It had irritated the crap out of her that he was so happy in the morning, but he’d always helped her start the day in a good mood.

  It took barely a second to realize the pain that usually came with remembering Phil wasn’t there. She loved the memories, pulled them close. They no longer strangled her in grief. She could enjoy them and look back with happiness that she’d gotten to share that wonderful man’s life even if only for a few years.

  She hit the snooze button and relaxed again. Ric never moved and she studied him for a little longer. His rugged handsomeness enthralled her, but his kindness and sense of humor drew her to him even more. For a highflying executive he was down to earth. His small town persona came calling as soon as he shed his designer suits. Her alarm went off again and Ric stirred this time.

  “You have the second most annoying alarm clock ring,” he mumbled, pulling her closer.

  Kate giggled. “The second most? Who beat me out of first place?”

  “Chase. He has a Sponge Bob ring on his for when he really needs to be up. Usually he has beach sounds on it that wake him up gradually.”

  “Would you like me to put Sponge Bob on mine?”

  Ric tickled her ribs and Kate struggled to get away from him. He relented after a few moments and pressed a hard kiss to her cheek. “Good morning, Doc.”

  “Good morning,” she said a little out of breath. “I hope you don’t tickle me every morning.”

  “No, but there’s something else I’d rather do with you every morning.”

  The need to pee hit Kate and she pushed at his arm. “Ric, I have to go.”

  “Go where?”

  “The bathroom.”

  “Oh, sorry. I thought you were being funny,” Ric said, releasing her.

  Kate got up, threw a robe on, and trotted down the hall to the bathroom. Once she’d finished her business, she got in the shower. She’d just put soap on her shower sponge when Ric knocked on the bathroom door.

  “It’s not locked, Ric.”

  He poked his head inside. “I forgot to ask you if you have a downstairs bathroom.”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Well, I need to go.”

  “Oh. Just go here.”

  “Go here? With you in the bathroom?”

  “Yeah. I mean, unless that makes you uncomfortable,” she said.

  “I thought women hated being in the bathroom at the same time as a guy. Emily does. Poor Ty.”

  Kate laughed. “I grew up with three boys and we only had one bathroom.”

  “You have three brothers?”

  “Cousins, but we might’ve well have been siblings. There were times when peeing while one or the other was in the shower was unavoidable. Our bathroom was situated in a way where you couldn’t see the toilet from the tub, just like in this bathroom, it’s almost a separate room.” Kate said. “Would it freak you out if the roles were reversed?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve honestly never gone with a woman present. Or vice versa.”

  Kate opened the frosted shower door and laughed at Ric’s uncomfortable expression. “You’re kidding? Never?”

  “Never.”

  “Well, I’ve lived with a man before, so I’m used to sharing a bathroom.”

  “Yeah, but you and Phil were engaged. This thing with us is still new. Don’t you want to retain the mystery or whatever?” Ric asked.

  “Mystery? Is it really a mystery that I have to pee or anything else? I fart, too. Does that disgust you?”

  Ric shook his head. “Everyone farts. I don’t believe I’m discussing farting and peeing at 5:15 in the morning. Fine. If you don’t care, I don’t, either.”

  Kate went back to her shower while Ric made his way across the bathroom. “What time is your flight today?”

  Silence.

  Thinking that he hadn’t heard her, she repeated her question. Still nothing.

  “Ric? Are you okay? You didn’t fall, did you?”

  “No. Can you not talk to me?”

  “Why?”

  “Apparently, I have a shy bladder.”

  Kate almost doubled over with silent laughter and covered her mouth to muffle any sound that might escape. The toilet flushed and a moment later, she yelped when the water went ice cold.

  “Oh, shit! Why did you do that?” she demanded smacking the showerhead so it faced away from her.

  “Sorry! Again: not used to sharing a bathroom.”

  The water had just warmed up when it went cold again. “What are you doing?”

  “Washing my hands!”

  “Oh, okay. How about you just warn me next time so that I can be prepared. I have nothing against cold showers, I just like to be forewarned,” she said, popping her head out of the shower again.

  His chagrined expression as he came over and sat down on the straight-backed chair was priceless. “This bathroom stuff is going to take a little getting used to, I think.”

  Kate said, “Ric, I’m a vet. I spend most of my life knee deep, or arm deep, in crap and other animal body fluids. To me this is a natural part of living. I know that just because I might not be shy about stuff like that, other people are. No biggie. Do whatever makes you comfortable. There is another bathroom attached to master bedroom. I moved out of that room when Phil died. Too many memories.”

  “Okay. To answer your question, we have a 10 a.m. flight.” He taped a bag over his leg and hopped over to the shower.

  He’d just shut the shower door when there was a noise at the bathroom door.

  “What was that?” he asked.

  “Cinders. I usually leave the bathroom door open
since it’s just me. They like to keep me company while I’m getting around.”

  Actual knocking sounded on the bathroom door then.

  “That’s no dog,” Ric said.

  “Hey, Special K! You going running or what?”

  Her eyes rounded when she recognized Robert’s voice. “Oh, no! I forgot that I was going running with Robert. Damn.” Her face turned scarlet at Ric’s incredulous look. “Um, no, not this morning. I forgot to call you last night to tell you. Sorry!”

  “Let me guess. You have company this morning.”

  “Yes. Now, get out of here. I’ll see you at work.”

  “Hi, Ric! Nice to meet you, so to speak,” Robert said.

  Ric glared at the door. “Yeah. You, too.”

  His hard tone said that it was anything but nice to be talking to Robert right then.

  “Now, now, Ric. You’re going to have to get used to the fact that Kate’s best friend is a man.”

  “Robert!” Kate shouted, mortified that Robert was getting cocky at that particular moment. “I’ll see you at work!”

  “Okay. Later!”

  Ric pointed at the bathroom door, his eyes blazing with anger. “Does he come in your house like that all the time?”

  Kate defiantly put her hands on her hips. One slipped off because of her slick skin and she had to put it back. “Yes. He’s my best friend and he has a key to the house. He didn’t know that you were going to be here this morning.”

  “No, but he had to have seen my car. He knew damn well that I was here and he came in anyway just to make a point to me,” Ric said. “Are you sure that he doesn’t have feelings for you?”

  Kate tried not to laugh, but couldn’t quite manage it. “Trust me, Robert is not interested in me. We met on a blind date and when it was over, he said, ‘Kate, you’re a beautiful, wonderful woman, but there is just no spark here.’ We’ve been best friends ever since.” She put a hand on Ric’s shoulder. “If this is going to work, we’re going to have to trust each other. I trust you. Do you trust me?”

  Ric put an arm around her. “Yes, I do.” He chuckled. “I guess I’m the jealous type. It is strange that your best friend is a guy. I’ll adjust. But if he makes a wrong move towards you, I’m going to beat the shit out of him. I’m just giving you fair warning.”

  Kate thought his jealousy was sweet, but she didn’t want there to be any problem between the two men. That kind of tension wasn’t good for a relationship of any kind.

  “Okay, caveman. You warned me, but I promise you that Robert doesn’t have any romantic feelings for me. Phil and him were very close. Give Robert a chance and you’ll become good friends, too,” she said.

  “You’re right,” Ric said. “I’ll play nice.”

  Kate kissed him. “Thank you.” She sighed as she caressed his chest a little. “I have to get going, but call me when you land in New York so I know you made it safely, okay?”

  “I will. I’ll call you tonight, too,” he said, hugging her close.

  “You better.”

  He bit her earlobe. “Sure you can’t stay just a little longer?”

  She shuddered as desire spread through her, but she pushed away from him. “I’d love to, but I have several surgeries today and I don’t want to get behind.”

  He gave her an understanding smile. “Go on then. Go save the animal kingdom.”

  Kate laughed as she exited the shower. “Just lock up before you go.”

  “Okay, Doc.”

  When Kate opened the bathroom door, the dogs came in and the scent of fresh coffee hit her. “Hey, Ric. Robert made coffee before he left.”

  “That was nice of him. I could use some. I’m not a morning person, so caffeine in the morning is a necessity.”

  Kate finished drying off. “Same here. Okay. I’ll see you later.”

  “Bye, honey.”

  As she dressed, Kate listened to Ric talk to the dogs as he showered. Cinders yipped a couple of times and Rocco “talked” to him in moaning whines. It was so nice to have a man in the house again, but that wasn’t the reason she wanted to keep seeing Ric. She wasn’t one of those women who had to have a man around because she was afraid to be alone.

  Kate had always been independent, even when her and Phil had been together, and she wasn’t about to give up her self-sufficiency for Ric. That’s why it was important for him to understand that she wasn’t going to ditch Robert for him.

  Going downstairs, she found that Robert had filled the dog dishes in addition to making coffee. She found a note on the notepad that she left on the counter that read, “I like him.”

  She smiled as she filled her travel mug with coffee and gathered up her backpack. She hurried out to her truck and got underway. As she drove to work, happiness flooded her soul and she thanked God for bringing Ric Stanford into her life.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Late that afternoon, Ric and Tyler were seated in Ric’s office, brainstorming and looking over their presentation for the following day for errors. Their team had also worked on it and they felt that what they’d come up with would reassure and inspire their board and stockholders.

  Tyler sighed and closed his laptop. “I think that about covers it. I could use a drink.”

  Ric finished making a couple of notes and nodded. “Yeah. Sounds good. Where do you want to go?”

  “How about Farley’s place. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to run into a bunch of people we know and have to talk shop. I think a good break tonight would be good for us. Beer, sports, and junk food,” Tyler said. “How does that sound to you?”

  “Excellent.”

  Ric’s Skype notification on his laptop went off. “It’s Chase.”

  Tyler rolled his chair around so that he could see, too.

  Ric hit the answer button and Chase came into view. A jolt of shock ran through Ric when he saw tears rolling down Chase’s cheeks.

  “Chase? What’s wrong?”

  Agony was etched on Chase’s face and his brown eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. He put a hand to his chest and inhaled sharply. “It’s Smiley,” he said in a tremulous voice. “I just got word when I landed that he was…” He broke down for a few moments. “He was in a car wreck when he went out to get lunch. Oh, God. He didn’t make it.”

  Ric and Tyler were rendered mute by the horrible news. Chase went out of sight, but they heard his harsh sobs and the floor of what looked like a restroom floor. Ric knew that outside of him and Tyler, Bruce was Chase’s best friend.

  Tyler cleared his throat as he blinked away tears. “Chase, where are you?”

  Chase came back into view, wiping his eyes with toilet paper. “I’m still at the airport. I just booked the first flight they have back to L.A. I have to get to the hospital and start making funeral arrangements since he didn’t have anyone. He was the first friendly face when I came to LA and I owe him.”

  “Buddy, are you all right to fly by yourself? Do you want one of us to go with you?”

  Chase shook his head. “No, you gotta take care of things there. I’m sorry you have to do it without me, but doing right by Smiley is more important to me than stockholders right now. I’ll be okay. I gotta pull it together for my crew, you know? They’re all just as torn up as me.”

  Ric brushed away tears. “Us, too. He was a good friend and an asset to our firm. Do whatever you need to do. We’re all going to miss him. Call us later when you have more information, okay? Doesn’t matter what time it is. Don’t worry about us.

  Chase took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, guys. Okay. Talk to you later.”

  They hung up with Chase and looked at each other.

  “I can’t believe it,” Tyler said, rubbing his temple. “I’m going to miss Smiley like hell.”

  Ric smiled even though his throat ached from grief. “Yeah. He used to rag on me about Junior being my favorite driver. He made a hell of a cheeseburger, too.”

  Tyler stood up. “Let’s go tell the others. It s
hould come from us. The news might’ve already spread, though.”

  Ric nodded and followed Tyler, dreading having to inform their employees about such a tragic loss.

  *****

  Ric didn’t make it back to Cooper’s Creek for two weeks because he was kept busy putting out one fire after another. Their stockholders’ meeting had been successful, but in the wake of Smiley’s death, it hadn’t been as satisfying as it normally would’ve been.

  Other issues had cropped up, requiring Ric’s full attention, too. He and Kate talked at night and Ric was grateful to her for listening to him. He returned the favor, commiserating with her when she’d had to put a horse and two dogs down in one week. It frustrated him that he couldn’t be there to hold her, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

  Both of them had their separate responsibilities, so they had to put their personal wants and desires on hold for the time being. On the night before he was supposed to fly to Denver, Ric prayed that nothing came up to keep him in New York. His need to see Kate was overwhelming and he couldn’t wait to get home.

  He admitted to himself that his feelings for Kate had intensified even more since he’d been gone. The intense desire he felt for her was a part of it, but more importantly, he missed sitting and talking with her. Communicating over phone and Skype was all right, but he needed to be with her in person.

  Sitting in the living room of the apartment that used to belong to Tyler, Ric suddenly found the place too big and empty for just one person to occupy after having lived with Tyler and Emily for almost a month. He missed Hayley like crazy and talked to her every day, too.

  Since nothing on TV interested him, Ric decided to go to bed. As he undressed, he thought once again about how nice sleeping with Kate in his arms had been. That simple closeness was addicting and Ric craved Kate in more way than one when he got in bed that night. He tried to relax and drift off, but he was wide awake.

  Picking up his phone, he saw that it was 11:30, which meant that it was only 9:30 in Cooper’s Creek. Hopefully, he could catch Kate before she went to bed. He hit her icon and waited for her to pick up.

  “Hey, cowboy.”

  Ric grinned like an idiot when he heard her voice. “Hi, Doc. Were you sleeping?”