He finally reached her, wrapped an arm firmly around her waist, all but carrying her as they headed for the road and the safety of the bank beyond. Fifty sets of eyes were riveted to their progress.
“My shoulder,” she gasped.
“Hang on.” There wasn’t a second to lose.
Chance started toward them, but then he looked past Evan, and his face turned ashen. Evan knew exactly what the other man was seeing—soupy, gray water laced with rocks, tree trunks and branches about to overtake them. It wasn’t humanly possible to outrun it.
Quickly changing tactics, he hauled Angie to the nearest tree. He grabbed her thighs and hoisted her up as high as he could reach.
“Grab on,” he called. “Grab anything.”
“I got it,” she shouted back, using one hand to pull her butt onto a wide branch and scrambling for a foothold.
He was out of time.
The freezing, debris-ridden water engulfed him. He instinctively took a deep breath, closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the tree trunk, holding on for dear life.
The trunk protected his face and body from direct hits, but branches battered him on all sides, scratching his arms, bruising his legs, bouncing off his shoulders and hips.
His lungs were about to burst, when the water receded. He sucked in air.
“Evan!” Angie’s cry seemed high above him.
But then the water closed in again.
This time, he couldn’t fight the cold. It was numbing his fingers, making it impossible to hang on. Deep down in the base of his brain, he realized he was running out of time. Angie was safe, he told himself. At least Angie was safe.
The water receded again, and he drew another breath.
“Climb,” Angie called to him. “Climb, Evan!”
The water was at his neck. He opened his eyes, and his brain registered the chaos around him, foaming water clogged with debris. The sandbag wall had disappeared, as had part of the road. But the sandbagging crew was high on the bank, out of harm’s way.
“Come on, Evan,” Angie shouted. “Get up here.”
He gritted his teeth and reached one arm up. He managed to grasp a branch. It bit into his freezing hand, and it was all he could do to hang on. But he reached up with his other hand, getting it slightly higher. His feet scrambled along the trunk. Then one of them connected with a foothold. He pushed with all his might, grabbing a higher branch, then another and another.
His body finally cleared the water, and he heaved himself onto a broad branch next to Angie.
“Thank God,” she breathed. Her face was wet and pale, her right hand clinging to the tree, her left arm dangling by her side.
“Damn,” he ground out.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Forget me.” He eased his way toward her. “Your shoulder’s dislocated.”
“You nearly died.”
“I’m fine. Dammit.” He knew she had to be in agonizing pain.
She swallowed. Then her teeth started to chatter, and her eyes went glassy.
“I think I can help you.” He reached forward.
“Don’t touch me,” she begged.
“You have to trust me.”
“They’ll come and get me. Chance will have called the medics by now.”
He continued inching himself toward her. People on the bank were calling out to them, and the water continued to roar beneath them. They rain pounded down, but Evan’s focus was completely on Angie.
“I’m going to wrap my arm around your waist.”
“Evan, don’t.”
He did it anyway. “Relax, Angie. If your muscles are relaxed, you’re going to feel better.”
“I can wait.”
“I know it hurts like hell.”
“I’m fine.”
He put his other hand gently on the forearm of her injured side. “Relax,” he whispered in her ear. “Please sweetheart, just relax and trust me.”
“Okay,” she whispered. Then she gave a shaky nod.
“I’m going to move your arm slowly and gently. I won’t do anything sudden.” He kept talking as he worked, hoping to distract her. “You’re right. They are coming for us. Help is going to be here soon, and you’ll be home and dry in no time.” He bent her elbow, pivoting her forearm. “I bet Marlene will make hot chocolate, with whipped cream, and cookies. She’ll have been baking all day.” He eased her shoulder out straight. “I hope she made monster cookies. Oatmeal and pecans, they really stick to your ribs.” He moved her arm higher pivoting the shoulder.
She gasped a breath, but then the shoulder popped back into place.
She gave a small exclamation of pain.
“That’s it,” he quickly told her. “It’s back in.”
Angie relaxed against him, gasping in deep breaths.
“How does it feel?”
“Quite a lot better.”
He gave in to impulse and kissed the top of her head. “Good.”
“You just saved my life.”
“You climbed the tree with a dislocated shoulder. I just gave you a shove.”
She was quiet for a moment.
“Evan?” Chance called, his voice loud and worried. He was as close to them as he could get without wading into the overflowing creek. “You guys okay?”
“We’re good,” Evan called back. “But Angie’s going to need a doctor.”
“What’s wrong?”
“She hurt her shoulder. Nobody’s bleeding. We’re just cold.”
“You’re bleeding,” said Angie.
Evan glanced down at his body. His sleeves and pants were torn, and several deep scratches oozed blood.
“It’s not bad,” he told her.
“I thought you were dead.”
He gave a choppy laugh. “For a second there, it didn’t look so good. But I’m fine. Clearly, I’m tough.”
“You’re tough,” she agreed.
He glanced at the landscape around them. “This is a mess.”
“I’ve never seen it this bad. I guess I won’t be going back to L.A. today. You need a doctor.”
“Not anymore. So, how did you learn to fix a dislocated shoulder.”
He hesitated to tell her. “YouTube video.”
“Is that a joke?”
“It’s not.”
“Weren’t you worried you’d do it wrong?”
“A little,” he admitted. “But I dislocated my shoulder when I was a teenager. So I know how it feels. I was more worried about you being in such terrible pain.”
She seemed to think about it for a moment. “Well, I guess that’s nice.”
“How’s it doing?”
She flexed it a little. “Much better. Maybe you should watch a brain surgery video next, since you learn things so quickly.”
He liked that she was joking. “That way, if my business management gig doesn’t work out, I’ll have a fallback?”
“What’s your business management gig?”
Evan shifted to a more comfortable position in their perch. “Can I trust you to keep it confidential?”
“Yes, you can.”
“You won’t go running to the tabloids like Conrad did?”
“I never talk to the tabloids. Though, maybe we should tell them about this.” She cupped a hand around her mouth. “Hey, Chance!”
“What do you need?” her cousin called back.
“Get a picture of us, will you?”
Even from this distance, Evan could see Chance’s grin. “We’ve already got about a hundred.”
“A picture of all this should keep Conrad satisfied,” Angie said to Evan. “Try to look ecstatic about saving my life.”
“I am ecstatic about saving your life.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“I am.”
“Tell me about your business management gig.”
“Okay. But it really is confidential.”
“I understand.”
“Lex, Deke and I are looking into buying the
Sagittarius.”
The surprise was clear in her tone. “The resort?”
“That’s the one.”
“You’re going to run a hotel?”
“We are.”
“But...I mean, Lex I can see, but Deke? And you?”
“Your confidence is overwhelming.”
“You know what I mean. You don’t have any experience running hotels.”
He frowned at her. “Seriously, Angie? ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ is the thing you want to say to the guy who just saved your life?”
“You know what I mean. You didn’t jump up and buy Lassiter Media. You spent years learning the ropes before you were in charge.”
Evan supposed that was true enough. “And now I’ll learn about hotels. Maybe there’s a YouTube video available.”
“So, you’re using J.D.’s money?”
“I am. I haven’t decided exactly how. I’m thinking about setting up a trust, using the money as a shareholder loan, and then donating the proceeds to a worthy cause.”
“Why not just put it in as equity?”
“Because it feels like a bribe, like your father paid me to mess with your head. I hate that, Angie. I never, ever would have agreed to a scheme like that.”
Sirens sounded in the distance, and flashing lights appeared down the road.
“Looks like the cavalry is here,” said Angie.
“I hope they brought a boat.”
* * *
Angelica felt like she’d been transported back in time to her teenage years. It was nearly ten o’clock now, dark and raining outside, and further cleanup efforts were going to have to wait until morning. In the great room at Big Blue, Marlene was handing around steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Chance was regaling them with stories of action, hard work and heroism, not the least of which was Evan’s rescue of Angelica.
Happily nobody else had been injured in the flood, but several of the area ranches had been damaged. People were coming together to move livestock, drain fields, fix buildings, and make donations to their neighbors. The main road had been wiped out in a couple of places. Construction crews would arrive in the morning so that work could begin as soon as the rain stopped.
After taking an X-ray that confirmed Angelica’s shoulder was correctly in place, the doctor had given her some pain pills and told her to take it easy for a week or so. She felt pleasantly tired and fuzzy as she moved her gaze past Chance to Evan. He had literally saved her life today, risking his own to do it. How did she thank him for that?
“How’s the cocoa?” asked Tiffany, curling into a spot next to Angelica on the leather sofa.
A fire crackled in the big, stone fireplace and the aroma of fresh-made monster cookies wafted in from the kitchen. Rain splatted against the windows,
“Marvelous,” Angelica answered, taking a sip.
“Was it like this while you were growing up?” Tiffany asked, glancing around at the homey atmosphere.
“Just like this,” said Angelica. “I really miss it sometimes.”
Tiffany cradled her own mug of cocoa. “We’re definitely not in L.A.”
“I like them both,” said Angelica.
Though, at the moment, she preferred Cheyenne. She’d love to hole up here for a few more days and think about nothing at all.
“How are things between you and Evan?”
“Okay. Fine. He saved my life, so I guess I might have to forgive him for spying on me.”
“You might,” Tiffany agreed.
Angelica’s memory went back to the moment he’d shoved her into the tree. “Do you think—?”
“What?”
“Well, I mean, do you think he’d have done that for anybody? He really could have died. He almost did.”
While he held her dripping wet in his arms, Angelica had admitted to herself how much she missed him. Soon, once the wedding was over, he’d go off into the world and be somebody else’s hero. The thought made her intensely sad.
“You know him better than I do,” Tiffany answered softly.
“He would. He’d have risked his life to save anybody. He’s that kind of a guy.”
Tiffany put a hand on Angelica’s good shoulder. Her voice was gentle. “Is this getting complicated?”
“It is.”
“Are you going to get hurt?”
“Probably.”
“Okay, but one small point to make here. You’re a little high on painkillers right now. This might not seem as complex in the morning.”
Angelica couldn’t help but smile. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Plus, the man saved your life. You’re probably experiencing some gratitude hormones.”
“Is there such a thing?”
“I bet firefighters and police officers get laid all the time. Or, at least get offers. Though I imagine they’re professionally obligated to say no.”
Angelica could well believe they got offers. In the aftermath of the flood, she’d have hopped into bed with Evan in a heartbeat.
His gaze suddenly caught and held hers from across the room, well out of hearing distance. His smile was slow and tender, and a wave of emotion clogged her chest. Again, she went back in time, to when they were engaged, happy and in love. Those moments had been incredibly precious, yet she’d taken them for granted.
Evan said something to Chance, then crossed the over to her.
“Want me to leave?” asked Tiffany.
Angelica grasped her hand. “Stay.”
“You got it. Hi, Evan.”
“How are you doing, Tiffany?”
“Tired,” she replied. “I haven’t worked that hard in years. Well, maybe never.”
Evan gave her an answering smile. “I don’t imagine sandbagging comes up very often in corporate real estate.”
“I once had to call a plumber to fix a kitchen faucet, but that’s as close as I’ve come to flood control.”
Evan turned his attention to Angelica. “How about you?”
“I’m high on pain killers.”
“So now would be a good time to ask you a favor?”
A flutter of nerves passed through her stomach. “That depends.”
“Don’t look so scared. It’s nothing too painful.”
“But I won’t like it.”
“Probably not. Let me help you with Noah.”
She didn’t even consider it. “No.”
“You’re going to see him again before you leave Cheyenne?”
“I plan to.”
Evan perched on an armchair at the corner of the sofa. “I genuinely want you to succeed, Angie.”
“I am going to succeed.” In case nobody had noticed, she was the CEO. She could, in fact, make unilateral decisions if she wanted.
“I can help.”
Tiffany stepped in. “I don’t think Angie should be arguing right now. She should be resting.”
“You’re right,” said Angelica, taking the opportunity to exit the conversation. “I should go to bed.”
She didn’t want to fight with Evan. But she didn’t want to give in to him either. Though she hated to admit it, at the moment, a little help with Noah seemed like a good idea. And that was clearly a dangerous line of thinking.
She polished off her hot chocolate and rose to her feet.
Saying goodnight to everyone, she made her way to her bedroom. Her shoulder was tender, but she managed to get out of her shirt and bra and into a clean tank top. It was a bit of a chore to wash up and comb her hair, but she managed.
Once she was ready for bed, she sat down to reassemble her cell phone. She’d opened it up and pulled out the battery and SIM card in an attempt to dry everything out. She pressed the On button and was happy to see the screen light up. Satisfied, she set the alarm and crawled into bed.
Her quilt was warm, her pillow soft, and a lighter rain now drummed above her. The pain pills had done their job, and her shoulder was no longer throbbing. She floated quickly into sleep.
What seem
ed like only moments later, her phone rang.
Angelica dragged her eyes open, squinting at the screen to find it was barely after eleven at night. The number was Kayla’s, so she picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Angie? It’s Kayla. You okay?”
“A little groggy. But good, yeah.” Angelica let her head drop back on the pillow.
“We saw the flood footage on LNN. Is Big Blue okay? Any damage?”
“Very little here. We’re just soggy. It rained and rained. In fact, it’s still raining.”
“We’ve booked a flight to Cheyenne in the morning. We’re coming home to help. The Dysons got hit pretty bad, and I heard the hospital is going to need a new generator.”
“The community is pulling together.”
“I know. And we want to be there.”
Angelica understood the sentiment. She was going to have to return to L.A. soon, but she’d stay as long as she could, and Lassiter Media would make a hefty donation to the reconstruction effort.
“I’m sorry to call so late,” Kayla continued. “But I wanted to let you know right away, and to tell you personally.” She seemed to hesitate. “With all this going on. Well, Matt and I were talking, and...it doesn’t seem like the right time to have a splashy, Malibu Beach wedding.”
Angelica sat up, wincing as the movement stretched her shoulder. “What?”
“We’re thinking of postponing. We need to be in Cheyenne, and we can’t be there and still be planning the wedding here. I know how hard you’ve worked.” Kayla’s tone was apologetic.
Angelica scrambled to recover. “It’s not about me. It’s your wedding. You should do what feels right.”
Kayla let out a relieved sigh. “I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sip champagne in a three-thousand-dollar dress while our friends and neighbors back home were struggling to restore power and water.”
“I understand,” said Angelica. She truly did.
“Matt is calling Conrad Norville, and the caterers, and the florist, and the musicians. But can you let Evan know?”
Angelica swallowed. “Sure.”
“Thanks. And thank you so much for understanding. Will you still be in Cheyenne tomorrow?”
“I will,” said Angelica. “For a couple more days, anyway.”
“That’s great. I’ll call you when we get there.”
“Good. Great. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Bye,” said Kayla.
Reunited with the Lassiter Bride Page 13