by Laura Scott
“Come on, let’s try some toast.” Jared gently tugged on her hand, pulling her toward the tiny kitchen table.
“I’m not an invalid,” she protested. Dropping his hand, she moved farther into the kitchen and turned the light on over the sink. She pulled out the bread and dropped two slices in the toaster, hyperaware of Jared’s presence behind her.
“Do I need to apologize?” His softly spoken question startled her.
“No.” She turned to face him. “That kiss shouldn’t have happened, but it’s hardly your fault.”
“Shouldn’t have happened?” Jared’s voice was mild, but there was no missing the dangerous inflection underlying his tone. “Am I missing something? Are you in a relationship with someone?”
“No!” Her denial was swift, and she forced herself to take a deep breath. “I’m saying this badly. I’m attracted to you, but I don’t date. Ever. Tyler is too important to me.”
Jared’s gaze narrowed. “Now I’m really confused. You dating a man is bad for Tyler because . . . ?”
She lifted her chin, not appreciating the way he was pushing this. “Because I won’t have him hurt by a relationship that falls apart. He’s too young to understand. He sees his friends’ parents happily married and automatically will think that anyone I date is potential father material.” When Jared opened his mouth to argue, she held up a hand to stop him. “Besides, this isn’t only about Ty. It’s about me. I’m not ready for this.”
He was silent for a moment. Her bread popped up, and she decided not to tempt fate by adding butter or jam. Nibbling the dry toast, she watched him.
“Because you’re still in love with Ty’s father?”
It was tempting to agree, but she couldn’t lie. Not about this. Not to him. Jared had rushed to her side when she’d called for help. He’d stayed with her, watched over Ty for her. He was a good man, one who deserved the truth.
“No. I’m not pining for Ty’s father. Don’t ask me to explain something I’m not sure I understand myself.” Her gaze implored him to let it go. “Trust me, Jared, it’s best if we go our separate ways. Emotionally, I can’t do this. I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” Jared stood, his lean body within inches of hers. So close she could have leaned against him the way she longed to do. She swallowed hard against a lump of dry toast and averted her gaze. “I’ll stay until your last morning dose of antibiotic is in, then I’ll get out of your hair.”
Perversely, she wanted to beg him not to leave. Instead, she forced a smile. “Thanks for understanding.”
He didn’t return her smile, his solemn gaze capturing hers. “I don’t understand, because your logic is flawed. But I don’t push myself where I’m not wanted. Call me if you need anything else.”
“I will.” Her smile faded because she knew she wouldn’t. Couldn’t. Or she might end up back in his arms.
“I hope so.” His expression was grim as he returned to the living room.
Shelly set her toast aside. Her stomach didn’t feel any better, but she knew the nausea wasn’t related to the food poisoning. It was because of what she’d just done.
Pushed away the one person who could have been a very good friend.
7
Jared lay on the sofa, eyes gritty from lack of sleep. Watching the sun creep over the horizon through Shelly’s living room made him feel helplessly grim, knowing he’d lost something precious. He’d only held Shelly in his arms for a few minutes, but it was enough to imprint the sensation of having her close in his mind, forever.
Enough. He had to stop torturing himself. She wasn’t interested, end of story. Bad enough that he’d taken advantage of her weakened condition, what kind of doctor was he anyway? He should have kept his distance.
He shifted on the rock-hard mattress of the sleeper sofa. It had been impossible to wipe those stolen moments with Shelly from his mind. When had he ever felt such an intense need to be with a woman? Not just any woman, but Shelly. Kate’s pretty smile didn’t hold the least bit of appeal. No, only Shelly had the power to drive him insane. Only Shelly possessed the ability to make him forget all the reasons he was too busy to have a life of his own.
Only Shelly had made him forget about his silent promise to Mark.
He rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. In another hour he could give Shelly her last dose of IV antibiotic. If he were being honest, she was more than capable of giving the medication to herself. Yet, he was determined to see this through. And once he’d given it to her, he’d leave. Today was his scheduled day off, and he had a full day of investigating to do. He should be grateful Shelly had pushed him away. Leigh Wilson was his main priority. Somehow he suspected he would have given up his mission at the slightest encouragement from Shelly.
He hadn’t imagined her response, the way she’d kissed him back. She’d fit perfectly against him, not super-slim, all angles and bones, the way some women were. She was soft and full of curves.
Stop. He couldn’t keep thinking about this. Shelly was off-limits. She’d told him so herself. She wasn’t interested in a relationship, and he shouldn’t be either. He needed to quit acting as if he’d lost a best friend. He didn’t even know Shelly very well. How could he miss her friendship?
Making an abrupt decision, he swung his legs off the sleeper sofa and levered himself upright. The clock on the wall showed five thirty, which was close enough to six. No reason he couldn’t just hang the stupid antibiotic now and be done with it.
Shelly was still sleeping when he tiptoed into her room. He purposefully kept his gaze averted from her relaxed pose, reminding himself he was a professional. The IV pole had been pushed off to the side. He retrieved it and backfilled the mini-bag of medication. When the setup was complete, he held the end of the IV tubing in one hand and sought the arm that held her IV catheter.
Her hands were curled beneath her cheek. The creamy complexion of her skin drew him closer, and his willpower fled as he lightly stroked a finger down the satiny softness. She didn’t stir, looking less like the warrior woman he knew her to be. Her features were relaxed, but when she opened her eyes, the green gaze would flash with intense protectiveness toward her son.
Jared mentally slapped himself upside the head. Mooning over something that would never be was a waste of time and energy. With intense determination, he gently eased Shelly’s right arm out from the covers, thankful she was lying on her left side. Despite the awkward angle, he deftly unwrapped the dressing over her IV, then connected the tubing together. He opened the clamp and adjusted the rate of the medication.
Mission accomplished. Shelly stirred in her sleep but didn’t fully wake up. After double-checking everything was okay, he backed away. With one last glance at her, he retreated from the room, gently shutting the door behind him.
“Mr. Jared?”
He spun around, surprised at Ty’s voice coming from behind him. He’d tried to get Ty to call him Jared, but Shelly had instilled respect for adults into the boy, encouraging the use of Mr. or Mrs. Before their first names.
“Ty. What are you doing up so early?”
“I hafta go to the bathroom, but I’m afraid it’s going to hurt.” His lower lip trembled as he pulled on his pajama shirt, twisting the fabric into a knot.
“Hurt?” Jared had given Shelly and Ty privacy last night, so he hadn’t overheard their conversation in the bathroom. But now he realized he’d missed something. “You mean, it hurts when you go?”
Ty’s head nodded up and down. “Yeah. My mom gave me medication, but I’m still scared it will hurt.”
“I’ll come with you.” Dazed, Jared gestured for Ty to enter the bathroom ahead of him. “What kind of medicine did your mom give you?”
“It’s up there.” Ty gestured to the medicine cabinet, the mirrored door hanging slightly ajar. Jared swung it open and spied a small orange pharmacy bottle with Tyler’s name on it.
Chewable Bactrim was printed on the label. Medication used for bladder infections. Ty suffered from
them? He knew exactly what the boy was going through. He remembered suffering from the same malady as a kid.
Jared waited until the boy had finished going to the bathroom—Ty claimed it still hurt but not as badly—then helped him wash his hands. Despite his vow to leave immediately, Jared ended up making Ty breakfast in the kitchen.
Shelly found them there, an hour later. “Good morning.”
“Hi, Mom. Mr. Jared made scrambled eggs and sausage. Do you want some?”
“Er, no, thanks. I’ll start with coffee.” His heart gave a little pang when she avoided his direct gaze.
“The pot there is fresh, help yourself.” He gestured to the carafe.
“Thanks.” She helped herself to a mug of coffee. “I disconnected the IV because the antibiotic was infused. I, uh, didn’t hear you come in.”
Was there an underlying note of reprimand in her tone? A blind man could have seen how badly she wanted him to leave. Out of her house and out of her life.
He set his half-full cup of coffee on the counter. “I didn’t want to wake you, but now that you’re up, I’ll be on my way.” He didn’t want to go, he wanted to ask about Tyler’s bladder infection. How frequently did the boy get them? Was he having tests? If so, when? He opened his mouth, intending to ask more, but then caught himself. “Goodbye, Ty, see you later. Hope you feel better, Shelly.”
“Thanks again, Jared.” Shelly’s voice was soft, but she didn’t meet his gaze.
He made his escape with a minimum of fuss.
Shelly and Ty were a tight-knit family unit. One, she’d made clear, that didn’t include him.
Jared took the steps to the courthouse two at a time. Although this was his day off, he should have offered to work after spending his entire workday with Shelly the day before, but he refused to give in to the wave of guilt. It was well past time he made some headway in finding Leigh Wilson.
A task proving much easier said than done. He looked through birth records spanning the few years he’d thought Leigh Wilson had been born, guessing she was roughly the same age as Shelly. But his plan of making a list of Wilsons was daunting. There were far too many, even after he tried narrowing his search. He found himself looking for Bennetts instead. Was Bennett Shelly’s maiden name? Or a married one?
Groaning inwardly, he told himself to forget about Shelly and Ty. About how their situation was so similar to that of Leigh Wilson. He debated broadening his search to include all the Milwaukee area suburban cities, but that only lengthened his list.
Several hours later, armed with reams of paper listing various Wilsons, he gave up and headed to the deli for lunch. Setting the pile of papers beside him, he propped his elbows on the table and rubbed his temples. What was his next step? He had no clue where to go from here.
He tried to study the list over a sandwich, but the seemingly endless stream of possibilities was overwhelming. With a frustrated move, he shoved them aside. He needed help. This wasn’t his area of expertise. He was good at keeping kids alive, not at finding lost or missing women and children. He wasn’t skilled enough to do this alone. The last private investigator his dad had hired had failed miserably. But what if he found someone else? Someone here in town where Jared could keep a close eye on his work or lack thereof.
Warming to the idea, he finished his meal and returned home. Using his computer, he searched for private investigators in the Milwaukee area. He spoke to several, doing phone interviews so that the PI would understand his expectations, specifically daily briefings. By the time he got to the last one, the man listened patiently as he explained over the phone about his list of Wilsons in the area and how he’d hoped to locate the whereabouts of Leigh Wilson.
“I understand what you’re trying to do, but I think you’re going about it all wrong,” Brandon Rafter said.
Jared squelched a flash of impatience. None of the other four had told him his methods were off, only assured him that they’d produce results. “Oh really? And just what other option would you suggest?”
“Start with birth records,” Brandon advised. “With a full name and birth date, anyone can be found. But without those two pieces of information, you’re spitting in the wind.”
“I’ve looked for a birth date and can’t find one.”
“Are you sure Leigh is this woman’s real first name? I’ve spent hours searching for someone only to find out that the person goes by their middle name, rather than their given first name.”
Stunned, Jared stared off into the distance. The idea that Leigh might not be Mark’s fiancée’s given first name hadn’t occurred to him. “I’m not sure,” he admitted.
“Look, I’ve found hundreds of people, performed hundreds of background investigations. I’ll give this a shot. I have access to several databases. But I won’t make you any promises. Especially since we don’t know for sure if this Leigh Wilson was born in Milwaukee under that particular name.”
The guy’s honesty cemented his decision. “You’re hired. I’ll pay the initial fee and the balance when you find her.”
“Great, thanks. Give me your email and I’ll send you an invoice.”
Jared rattled it off. “There is something else,” he said, ignoring the sharp stab of guilt that pierced the area of his back between his shoulder blades.
“What’s that?”
“How much to do another background check?”
Brandon named his price. Jared found himself nodding, even though he knew the guy on the other end of the phone couldn’t see him. As much as he didn’t have any right to pry into Shelly’s personal life, he knew he couldn’t focus his attention on Leigh until he’d uncovered the truth about Shelly.
“Okay, that’s fair,” Jared said. “I’d like you to do a background investigation on Shelly Bennett, flight nurse at Lifeline Air Rescue.”
8
Shelly gritted her teeth and paced the length of her kitchen while the pediatrician’s office put her on hold for the third time. Today was Tuesday. Ty was due back home from school any moment, and she still didn’t know if they were supposed to go in for his tests the following morning or not. After what seemed like eons, the nurse came back on the line.
“Ms. Bennett? Dr. Delany asked that your son’s testing be delayed until he finishes his course of antibiotics.”
“But that won’t be until Friday.” And she’d already scheduled her work hours around the testing being done tomorrow, not Friday. She was off tonight but was scheduled to work Thursday night on the 1900 to 0730 shift, which meant she’d be dead on her feet to take Ty in for his testing that morning. “Will two days really make any difference? Is there any way I can talk to Dr. Delaney myself?”
“Not until later tonight, this place is crawling with sick kids. I’ll ask him to call you when he’s finished seeing patients for the day.” Her tone wasn’t encouraging.
“Thank you.” Shelly blew out an exasperated breath and disconnected from the line. If she waited too long and wasn’t able to change the doctor’s mind, then she’d be stuck. There was no choice but to go into work to change her schedule. Maybe she could ask Kate or Jess to switch days with her.
Tyler was doing great on the antibiotics, but she really wanted those kidney function tests completed. She needed to understand exactly what future hardships Ty might face. The not knowing day after day was more difficult than hearing definitive news, one way or the other.
“Hi, Mom!” Ty dashed into the house, dropping his book bag carelessly on the floor as he rushed over to give her a hug. “Guess what? I got a star on my story paper.”
“You did?” Shelly grinned as Ty bubbled over with excitement. “Let me see.”
“It’s in my bag. I’m hungry, can I have a snack?”
Ty was a whirlwind of energy. Shelly knew from past experience to let him eat first, before discussing homework. Not that the kindergarten teacher often gave much in the way of homework, other than the standard nightly reading session that she and Ty enjoyed so much that it hardly c
ounted as work.
She busied herself with setting out Ty’s snack, then glanced at the clock. There was time after Ty’s snack to run over to Lifeline before dinner.
“Can we have Mr. Jared over for dinner?” Ty’s eyes pleaded with her as he dipped his slice of apple into the caramel and took a bite. “Please?”
Shelly was running out of excuses to give him. Ty had apparently grown close to Jared in the short time he’d watched over her son. Five days had passed since her bout of food poisoning, and she’d only seen Jared in passing. Yet, he’d taken up residence in the back of her mind. During the darkest hours of the night, she replayed their kiss over and over again. Sometimes she imagined what would have happened if she’d told Jared she was open to a relationship.
Each time Ty brought up the subject of Jared, though, she knew she’d made the right decision in letting him go. Look how attached her son had grown after a few measly hours. She couldn’t bear to imagine what might happen if she allowed herself to get tangled up with Jared and things ended badly between them.
Tyler would be devastated. Mark had died before Ty had been born, so her son hadn’t felt the acute loss of his father. She had no idea how Ty would react to losing a father figure now that he was old enough to understand and feel the impact of such an event.
“Not tonight, sweetie. I think Mr. Jared has to work. Finish your snack, because I need to run a quick errand.”
“Okay.” Ty gobbled up the apple slices and caramel snack in record time.
In an effort to keep busy, she took Tyler with her to Lifeline to check the schedule. Sure enough, Kate was scheduled to fly the night shift of Wednesday night but was off Thursday. If Kate would switch shifts with her, she’d be golden.
Ty went over to talk to Reese who cheerfully responded to her son’s eager questions about flying while she called Kate.
“Hi, Kate, I need a huge favor. Any chance you’d swap Wednesday night for Thursday? I need to get Ty to the doctor Friday morning.”