Heal Me (Coopers Creek Book 2)

by Bronwen Evans

  She groaned and moaned as Ric gave her a full-body massage, even working on her feet and toes.

  When he finished, he said, “Stay right there. I’ll go let the dogs out.”

  “Okay. I wasn’t planning on moving anyway. I feel like Jello now. I don’t think I can walk.”

  Ric called the dogs to him and Kate listened to them troop down the stairs after him. A few minutes later, she heard the bathtub running. Ric’s bad humming made her smile. His phone went off.

  “Hey, answer me! Chase is calling you!”

  Kate roused and crawled over to it. Normally, she wouldn’t touch Ric’s phone, but she wanted to talk to Chase and she didn’t have his number. She tapped the answer button.

  “Hello,” she said in a throaty purr. “Is this Chase McIntyre, the hottest man in LA?”

  “Why, yes, it is. This must be the luscious Dr. Donoghue,” he responded. “I take it that Rikki-Tikki-Tavi isn’t close at hand.”

  “No, but he has great hands. He just gave me a massage and I think he’s drawing me a bath.”

  Chase laughed. “That was awful nice of him. Are you planning on thanking him?”

  “Oh, I thanked him for a long, long time last night. I prepaid,” she said, giggling.

  “Then he definitely owed you. Glad he’s paying back his debt.”

  Kate chuckled and got out of bed. “I’ll hand you off to Ric, but it was nice talking to you, Chase.”

  “You, too, darlin’. Hit me up on Skype sometime. My ID is chasethedream.”

  “Sure it is,” she laughed. “I might do that sometime.”

  Ric looked over at her from where he stood by the sink. She held his phone out to him. “Chase would like to speak with you, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.”

  He frowned as he took the phone. “Thanks. You just had to tell her, didn’t you?”

  “You even put bath salts in it for me. Chase, he’s a keeper,” she said loudly.

  Ric grinned as she slipped into the tub and sank into the hot water with a sigh of contentment. Closing her eyes, Kate relaxed, only half-listening to Ric. Her muscles loosened even further as the bath salts seeped into her pores.

  “Kate, lift your head.”

  She opened her eyes and did as he asked, smiling when he placed a folded towel behind her head for her to rest it on. “You’re so sweet.”

  “None of your business,” Ric said into his phone even as he winked at Kate. “Hold on, Chase. Elaine is on the other line. I’ll call you back later on. Yeah. Okay.”

  Kate enjoyed watching Ric no matter what he was doing. She thought that he was a beautiful man with all those muscles, sandy blond hair and chiseled jaw. Just looking at him gave her pleasure.

  “Elaine? You’re calling me on a Sunday. You never call me on a Sunday.”

  Kate felt a stab of concern at the way heat crept up Ric’s neck into his face.

  “Those rotten bastards! Does Tyler know? Don’t worry about it. I’ll call him and Chase. You start calling the board members,” Ric said. “I’ll book a flight right away.”

  He hung up and paced back and forth.

  “What’s wrong?” Kate asked.

  “It’s those Lisbon pricks. They’re starting up their bullshit again, going after our stockholders. We’re they’re biggest competition in New York and they want to buy us out,” Ric said. “If they rattle enough investors, they could end up owning 49% which would make our lives hell.”

  “You three would still have control at 51% though?”

  “Yes, but with partners who we might not want to work with. It would change everything.” He came over and knelt by the tub. “I’m so sorry, honey. You know that I wasn’t planning on going back until Monday night, but I don’t have a choice.”

  The dismay and anger in his gaze made Kate’s heart flood with sympathy. “I know that you wouldn’t go if it wasn’t so important. I’m disappointed, but I understand.”

  “I wish you could go with me,” he said.

  “Me, too. But even if I did, you’d still be working and I’d be all alone,” she said.

  “Yeah.” He let out a growl of frustration and rose. “I have to call Ty and Chase.”

  Kate rose and got out of the tub. She dried off quickly and followed Ric into her bedroom to dress. Once she’d pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt, she went downstairs and started making omelets after she let the dogs in.

  Ric came striding into the kitchen in jeans and a white dress shirt. He looked sexy as hell as he sat down at the table and put on his sneakers. His ankle was coming along and he’d stopped wearing the walking boot. There was still a slight hitch in his gait, that physiotherapy was helping, but otherwise, he was fine.

  She set a plate and a cup of coffee down in front of him. “Eat. Doctor’s orders.”

  He smiled at her. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She rubbed his shoulder briefly and went back to the stove.

  “My flight leaves at eleven,” he said between bites. “So I gotta get on the road.”

  Kate filled a travel mug with coffee, added cream to it, and set it on the table. “For the drive. To keep you awake.”

  He finished his omelet in three more bites. “You’re too good to me. You should’ve enjoyed your bath longer.”

  “It was a very nice bath. Between that and the massage you gave me, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, I feel much better,” she said.

  Although she knew how serious the situation with Horizon’s stockholders was, she hated that Ric was leaving again. She missed him already.

  “I’m glad.” He polished off his coffee and brought his plates over to the sink. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t at least eat with you.”

  “Stop apologizing,” Kate said, following him to the front door.

  He said goodbye to the dogs and then took her in his arms. “I’ll call you when we get to the apartment. I love you.”

  Kate’s heart swelled every time he said it to her. “I love you, too. Be careful.”

  “I will.”

  He gave her a long, toe-curl worthy kiss before going out the door. Kate sighed as she closed it and then brightened. Picking up her phone, she called Emily. They commiserated for a few moments and then made plans to go for lunch and mani-pedis.

  Humming, she went back upstairs to change into something nicer to wear to a girls’ day out. Although she’d been looking forward to spending the day with Ric, Kate wasn’t going to sit around and mope because he’d left. Once she’d dressed, Kate grabbed her keys and headed into town to run a couple of errands before meeting Emily and Hayley.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After a bitch of a week, Ric had arrived back in Colorado and was just picking up his luggage at Denver International when his phone rang. He saw that it was Robert and answered.

  “Hey, Robert,” he said. “What’s up?”

  “Where are you?”

  “At the airport. I just got off the plane. Why?” The back of Ric’s neck prickled with warning.

  “Kate’s in the ER.”

  “What happened?” Ric started jogging through the airport to the parking garage. His ankle hurt, but he didn’t give a shit.

  “We went rock climbing this morning with the mountain rescue team and the lead line frayed and broke. I was able to catch her and stabilize her, but her back smacked the rock face we were climbing up,” Robert said.

  “What do you mean the rock you were climbing with the mountain rescue team?”

  “We are part of the volunteer rescue unit. We practice. Didn’t you know? Look, let’s save this chat for later. She needs you.”

  Ric swallowed his fear. “How bad is she hurt?” Ric gained the exit and sprinted for his car.

  “I’m not sure, she’s in radiology right now.”

  “I’m on my way. Just getting in my car now. Call if you have any news.”

  Ric threw his suitcase in the car and got in the driver’s seat. “Thanks, Robert.”

  Ric hung up and took a few moments to calm himself so he could drive. Then
he drove out of the parking garage and got on the exit ramp for the highway. As he sped along, his blood pounded through his veins as he fought back panic.

  His mind went back in time to the night when he’d gotten the call from Tyler that Lizzie was missing. He remembered accompanying Ty and finding the car accident. Both Simon and Lizzie had been high on drugs and booze and had been racing another car. Simon had hit ice and lost control, wrapping the car around a tree. Lizzie hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt and she’d been thrown from the car. The bastards they’d been racing, simply drove away and left them. It was snowing and the snow broke her fall. But with a broken pelvis and leg she’d lain there unable to move and had actually frozen to death while Simon lay comatose in the car not more than twenty feet away.

  Ric had been the one to find her. She’d looked so serene, as if in death she had finally found peace. He would never forget how still she was, and how stiff from the cold.

  Ric’s heart had been ripped apart, left in tattered shreds that had taken a long time to heal. He blamed himself. This was the woman he loved yet, he’d given up on her. He’d known Simon was no good for her and yet he’d put his pride first instead of trying harder. He should have confided in Ty, let him know about the drugs. He just didn’t know how to talk to a woman who thought risk was the word for fun.

  Although his heart had mended, the scars of that pain had remained. Until Kate had come along, that was. She’d shown him that loving someone didn’t mean ‘until something more exciting came along’. A love based on respect and putting another’s feelings before your own could be empowering and uplifting.

  During the time that he’d been gone, his feelings for Kate had intensified. They’d talked every night and had even fallen asleep together over the phone several times. Although they’d spoken briefly about all of the things about their respective professions that were stressing them, they’d mostly told each other more about their lives and gotten to know each other better.

  However, he hadn’t asked more about her rock climbing and other sports. How could he love a woman he barely knew, he didn’t even know she was on a volunteer rescue team. Don’t you usually ask about that sort of stuff? Why didn’t I? Mountain rescue in Coopers Creek was a necessity. He’d never had a desire to climb, roping and football were his loves. Why did it have to be her that risked life and limb climbing?

  And now, the woman he loved with all his heart was severely hurt. For what? You know why—she wants to help people. But who keeps her safe? It seemed so risky to Ric, and reminded him of Lizzie, the thrill before all else, no matter who was worrying about you. He tried to put that out of his mind and keep his attention on the road.

  When he was about twenty minutes away from Cooper’s Creek, Ric called Robert, but there was still no news. Ric thanked him, hung up, and pounded on the steering wheel a few times while a string of profanity spewed forth from him.

  Since he’d vented a little of his frustration, Ric felt slightly better as he pulled into the Cooper’s Creek Medical Center parking lot. He found the nearest parking spot, ran through the ER entrance, and spotted Robert in the waiting room. He sat talking quietly to Emily, who saw him.

  She came to him, embracing him tightly. “We’re hoping that the doctor will be out shortly.”

  Ric hugged her back and released her. “What the hell happened?” he asked Robert as they shook hands.

  “A defective lead line. It started unraveling and wouldn’t hold her weight.” Robert thrust a hand through his dark hair. “We checked over every piece of equipment before we left the house, just like we always do, and it looked fine. No cuts, no frayed places, nothing. We were about forty feet up when it started unraveling.”

  “Forty feet? In the air?” Ric practically yelled.

  “Ric! Shh!” Emily admonished him.

  Robert continued. “As soon as she noticed it, Kate told me and I started hauling ass to catch up to her. I was almost there when the line snapped and she fell. She was hooked to me, of course, but I wasn’t sure if my little nut was going to hold since it was such a small crack.”

  Completely unfamiliar with those terms, Ric shook his head. “What?”

  “The equipment that goes in a crack in the rock face is called a nut. It’s like an anchor.” Robert let out a frustrated breath. “Anyway, I grabbed the end of the remaining line that was still attached to her and between that and my anchoring, I was able to keep her from falling further. But she swung and hit the rock face hard. Her back took the brunt of the impact.”

  Ric put a hand over his mouth for a moment, trying to get a grip on his anger and fear. “How did you get down?”

  Robert shook his head, a mystified expression on his face. “You’ll think I’m crazy, but I swear that Phil was with us. I secured her to my harness and started down. Phil was the best climber I’ve ever seen. He could find hand and footholds when no one else could.

  “I tried not to panic and all at once, I heard Phil, just as plain as day, say, ‘Easy does it, Robbie. See that hold over to your right? Start there.’ And I’ll be damned, but it was right there.”

  A chill ran down Ric’s spine. He’d had a few strange experiences of his own after his mother’s death and he believed in spirits. “Maybe he was,” he said softly. “It wouldn’t surprise me. I’d come back from the dead to save Kate, too.”

  Robert gave a shiver. “Little by little, we got down to the bottom and then I called for help. The cell reception sucked, but I was able to make the 911 operator understand where we were.”

  “Thank God,” Ric said.

  “Yeah.”

  Ric noticed the bandage on Robert’s left hand for the first time. “You okay?”

  Robert lifted his hand. “Yeah. Bad rope burn and some scrapes, but I’ll be fine.”

  Impulsively, Ric hugged him. “Glad to hear it. Thank you for saving her.”

  “She’s my best friend. No way in hell was I going to let her fall,” Robert said.

  Ric nodded as Emily led them over to the chairs. They sat down, just as a nurse came out and asked for Kate’s family.

  Robert patted Ric’s shoulder. “Go ahead.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Just don’t take too long letting us know how she is,” Robert said.

  His magnanimous gesture touched Ric. “Thanks, buddy.”

  Then he turned and followed the nurse back to the patient rooms.

  *****

  Kate’s brain felt fuzzy as she lay on the hospital bed and closed her eyes. She heard the faint sounds of someone walking into her exam room and they touched her hand. Expecting it to be Robert, she was surprised when she opened her eyes and saw Ric. His eyes were filled with worry and his jaw tightened as he looked at her.

  “Hi,” she whispered.

  “Hi. How are you feeling?” he asked, gently holding her hand.

  She gave him a wan smile. “Like I hit a brick wall.”

  “Not funny, Doc. Not funny at all.”

  “Sorry. The doctor said that there’s nothing broken and I don’t have a concussion, but my back is scraped up pretty bad and I’m banged up good.”

  “That’s right.” An Asian man in scrubs came into the room. “Hi. I’m Dr. Zou.”

  “Ric Stanford, Kate’s boyfriend. So, there are no fractures, nothing wrong with her spine?”

  Dr. Zou shook his head. “Amazingly, no. I honestly expected at least a rib fracture, but Dr. Donoghue is one tough woman. She can go home, but no work for a week. I’ll give you a prescription for a low dose of hydrocodone. I’ll send it in with the nurse, along with your discharge papers.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Zou,” Kate said.

  He smiled and left the room.

  “Please help me sit up so I can get dressed,” Kate said.

  Careful of her back, Ric assisted her into a sitting position while she swore and groaned. Her back burned and felt like she’d been pummeled.

  Ric untied her gown and it fell away from her. “Jesus,
Kate!”

  “Looks that bad, huh?” she asked. “Doesn’t feel too good, either.”

  Although he didn’t say more, Kate saw the anger in his eyes. “Why are you so angry?”

  “We are not talking about this here or while you’re in this condition. Where are your clothes?”

  His terse manner was just as bad as if he’d bitched her out, but Kate stayed calm. “They had to cut them off. They had me in a neck and back brace just in case.”

  His face paled even more at her words, but he didn’t say anything. Having grown up around a lot of males, Kate knew that sometimes it was best to remain silent when they were upset. This was one of those times.

  “They’ve given me scrubs to wear home.”

  Despite the fact that he was like a powder keg, ready to explode at any second, Ric was extremely gentle as he helped her dress. By the time they’d finished, the nurse arrived with her discharge papers and script for the pain meds.

  When she went to hand the clipboard to Kate to sign, Ric took it from her.

  “Oh, sir, the patient needs to sign it,” she said.

  “I own this place,” he said. “I guess my signature should suffice.”

  The nurse blinked at him.

  “Ric Stanford. Nice to meet you, Sheila. I sign your paycheck,” he said, smiling faintly as he signed the form. “There you go.” He handed the clipboard back to the nurse and took the prescription from her. “Thanks.”

  Kate thought that poor Sheila looked like she was going to pee herself as she took the clipboard and left the room. “I can’t believe that you just did that. I can sign a paper, Ric. Don’t go all caveman on me, okay?”

  He sighed. “Sorry. I’ll go get a wheelchair.”

  Kate’s temper flared. “I can walk, damn it.”

  Ric gave her his arm and made a broad sweeping motion towards the door with his other one. “Right this way.”

  She skewered him with a hard look and then stood up. Pain shot up her spine and she sucked in a breath and squeaked, “Okay. I’ll take that wheelchair after all.”

  Ric chuckled as he helped her sit back down. “I thought you might.”