by Elsie Davis
“Good point. I’ll remind the team.” He walked away to talk to the man she thought was in charge. Their voices were low enough she couldn’t hear. It didn’t take long before the man returned to her side.
“Captain James thinks it might be better if you’re on the rock with us when we bring him up. You might be our best chance of controlling him. We can switch him to a lead before we take the harness off, and if you can get him into the house before removing his leash, it would be best. Think you can handle that?”
“Yes. Thanks. He’ll listen to me.” Take that Mr. Hot Shot Doctor who wanted me out of the way. I’m needed.
She climbed up the crevice in the rocks to the top. Everyone was busy focusing on the rescue. The rock cut into her foot as she used it for leverage. The pain reminded her this was all very real and all still very dangerous.
The men pulled back on the ropes. Brody was on his way up. Please be okay. Please be okay.
After what seemed an eternity, Brody’s back and head could be seen cresting the top of the rock as he was hauled up. Captain James grabbed the harness and muscled Brody over the final outcropping to keep him safe. The minute Brody’s paws touched the ground, he was jumping and dancing like a maniac. His excited yaps turned into full barks as Gemma rushed forward to hug her baby and latch his leash onto his collar.
Brody kept jumping uncontrollably, trying to get close to her.
Captain James still had a hold of the harness and was trying to help settle him. “Are you going to be okay? Do you think you can handle him? Or do you want one of the guys to hold the leash until we get him off the rock?”
“Maybe it would be best if you kept his leash until he’s down from here and out of danger.” Normally she could handle him, but the adrenaline rushing through his body could make him stronger, and she wasn’t willing to test his strength against her own.
The man shot her a look of respect and nodded. Taking charge himself, he led Brody, pulling and jumping, off the rock. It seemed Brody wanted to be as far away from the cliff’s edge as possible, and Gemma was in total agreement.
“I can take it from here.” She grabbed for the leash and led him toward the house. Better to have him locked inside until he was calm. As she passed the group of onlookers, she could hear the little boy talking.
“Doggie. Doggie. Me want doggie.” The boy’s arm stretched out wide as he pulled his body away from his grandfather, trying to get down to see the dog.
“The doggie’s fine, honey, but I need to take him inside,” Gemma tried to reassure the boy, but her main concern was to get Brody in the house. The child kicked up a fuss, but it was up to his grandfather to deal with the issue.
Maybe if Brody calmed down, she could let the kid come and see him, but right now, there was the danger Brody would jump on the kid and knock him over.
Once inside, she knelt on the floor to hold her baby. Hugging him tightly, she was relieved to have him back in her arms, and even more amazed he was unharmed. He barked in response to her coddling as if he understood her worry and was trying to reassure her that he was okay. Wet doggie kisses slathered across her face.
“Good boy. Calm down.” Gemma stood and walked to the window to see what was happening outside. Chad was being helped over the top edge of the rock. Guilt filled her, knowing she should have been outside watching the rescue team pull up the man. Thank goodness her dad was okay. She wouldn’t have wanted anything to happen to Chad because of Brody. She might hold a grudge against him, but it didn’t mean she wanted him injured on her behalf.
Brody settled down enough for Gemma to head outside, leaving him in the house for safety reasons. A couple of rescue workers helped Chad out of the harness and into the seat next to the hot tub. One of the men pulled a stethoscope out of his black bag and checked Chad’s pulse. Someone handed him a bottle of water. Another man walked up and patted him on the back, smiling.
They would probably harass him for some time to come for having to be rescued. The famous Chad Andrews, pro bull rider, needed a rescue. She could see the headlines now.
Local Hero Rescued.
Gemma needed to make sure he was okay and thank him. She stepped out on the porch just as Dr. Duncan was pulled up over the outcropping of rock at the top. As he stood, cheers and applause erupted throughout the workers and the crowd. The rescue was complete and one hundred percent successful. Everyone was safe.
Gemma stopped to say another prayer of thanks as everyone gathered close.
The mood of the crowd had shifted, and conversation overflowed. She was an outsider looking in. What would it have been like if she and her mom hadn’t moved away? To share in the genuine care and concern from friends and neighbors?
The doctor’s unfriendly attitude toward her was the only thing out of place, but it didn’t matter. She was grateful to him, the rescue squad, and the fire department for saving Brody and her dad. Overwhelmingly grateful. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she stopped to regroup. She didn’t want her dad to see her cry. It wouldn’t do to give him the wrong idea and let him think she was crying for him. Those days were long gone.
Several of the guys stood next to her dad. Others had started to pick up the gear. As she neared, the men’s voices became clearer.
“You must love that dog an awful lot, Mister.” The man closest to her dad spoke, shaking his head as if Chad was certifiably crazy.
“No. I love my daughter an awful lot.” The men standing nearby appeared shocked to hear he had a daughter, their gazes turning her way.
But no one was more shocked at his response than her. But her shock stemmed from an entirely different word he’d chosen. Love. How could he love her when he didn’t even know her? But the words were spoken with deep sincerity. Love my daughter an awful lot.
She wanted to run away, to be anywhere other than here. This wasn’t at all what she expected. And it was impossible to understand. Emotionally, she was hanging on by a thread. The only thing that kept her moving forward was the need to express her thanks to everyone.
The doctor’s expression hardened when she drew near, while the others smiled. Chad turned, his surprise to see her evident on his face.
“Guys, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Gemma.” There it was again. Chad’s introduction carried a note of pride. It was too much.
“We’ve met.” The doctor’s tone a clear indicator he wasn’t impressed.
The others murmured their own variations of hello.
Chad glanced up at the doctor and then at Gemma. Under his gaze, she folded, turning away to run into the house, unwilling to cry in front of the men.
Chapter Four
Jake recognized Gemma the minute she said her name, her face matching the pictures he’d once seen of her. Chad’s prodigal daughter had returned. His friend would be ecstatic, but Jake had no such similar feelings. His friend’s health was more important, and his medical issue would only be aggravated by his daughter’s presence. She hadn’t even been there a day, and already she was causing trouble.
The guys sensed the tension between him and Chad and shuffled off to help the others.
“What was that all about?” Chad leveled him with a hard glare. “I’m trying to convince her to stick around and give me the time of day, and you act like a green bull rider who doesn’t know his way around the ring.”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’ve known you three years, and in all this time, she’s never come to visit. You don’t talk about her much, but when you do, your voice is a dead giveaway to your emotions. Seems to me a daughter who cared, ought to visit her dad.”
Chad was one of the nicest guys he’d ever met, and Jake had nothing but respect for the older man. But his daughter was another story. When Chad spoke of Gemma, his voice took on a faraway, sad quality that left Jake in no doubt his friend was hurting.
“I’ve talked to you as my doctor. I’ve talked to you as my friend. But as of yet, I haven’t asked you to be my shrink. There’s a lot you don’t know, and
things aren’t always what they seem. I reckon I’m a big part of the reason she’s never been around. Blame me if you feel the need, but don’t take it out on her. Trust me on this.”
Jake knew love had a way of skewing one’s perspective. Luckily, he had no such emotion for Gemma, and he could see the effect she was having on Chad. And it wasn’t good.
“As your doctor, I’ve told you to cut out some of the stress in your life. Relax. And you’ve been doing well. But Gemma rolls into town, and the next thing I know, you’re dangling on the side of a cliff and edgier than the bulls you used to ride. I can’t believe you climbed across those rocks to get to a dog.”
“I’m not an invalid.” Chad stood and swayed a bit.
Jake steadied him. “Are you okay? Maybe you should sit down again.”
“I’m fine. My hip just hurts a bit. Quit fussing like an old hen. Everything turned out all right. I appreciate your help, and I knew I was in excellent hands when you arrived on the scene.”
“We were lucky it worked out. If you’d have had one of your spells, you would have fallen into the quarry and died.”
“Well, I didn’t. Thanks to you and the team. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find Gemma. Hopefully, I can convince her to stay for the night. It’s already getting late, and it would give us a chance to talk. Something long overdue.”
“No problem. I need to get Kyle back to the house and feed him his dinner before bedtime. Just remember to take it easy tonight and drink lots of water. You’ll probably be sore tomorrow.”
Jake lifted his hand in farewell and turned to find Kyle, not waiting for an answer. He didn’t see his dad or his son anywhere, but they had to be around because he’d spotted them earlier, standing by the woodpile.
“Hey, anyone seen my dad and Kyle?” There were only a handful of guys remaining, most of them having left with the equipment and returning home to their families. Dinner conversations would be exciting all over town tonight.
“I thought I saw Tom take Kyle in the house a bit ago,” one of the guys answered.
“Thanks.” In the house. Exactly the place Jake didn’t want to go.
He took a deep breath and went inside. Maybe he shouldn’t have been rude to Gemma because Chad was right, he didn’t know the whole story. But what he did know, didn’t sit well. Chad thought mighty highly of his daughter, but Jake knew his friend was suffering from a broken heart because she wasn’t a part of his life.
Yesterday, when he and Chad had lunch at the diner, not one word had been mentioned about her coming. And then out of the blue, she shows up, and it’s as if Chad’s world had righted in a single day. But a daughter who never visited, more than likely would head right back out of town, back to her fancy city life, breaking her dad’s heart all over again.
Her jeans were about the closest thing to country she wore. And the way they hugged her hips would leave most men open-mouthed and kicking up a dusty trail to get her on the dance floor. But that’s where country ended. From her ridiculous red high heels to the silk button-down blouse adorned with pearls to her red lacquered nails and her stylish shoulder-length red hair, everything spelled city girl.
He couldn’t deny that once upon a time, he would have been included in the group of men on the dusty trail leading to the red-haired beauty. But not anymore. Now he kept his distance from all women. All women that is, young enough, or old enough, to be Kyle’s mother.
There was no sense confusing his son by having women parade in and out of his life. He would never subject Kyle to the hurt and heartache that came with rejection when a woman discovered he had a special-needs child. Kyle’s own mother hadn’t wanted him, and there was no reason to believe any other woman wouldn’t walk away too.
Special needs to Jake just meant he needed extra love and attention. And he was more than capable of providing his son everything he needed without any help from a woman who could destroy the new-found confidence his son had recently discovered after getting his new hearing aids and learning to talk. He still had a way to go to catch up in his vocabulary with other four-year-old boys, but he’d been making lots of progress lately.
Jake pulled open the back door and entered the living room, looking around and listening. A gurgle of laughter could be heard from one of the back rooms. Kyle.
He walked toward the sound of his son’s voice, stopping at the doorway to the bedroom to peer inside. His dad sat on the end of the bed while Kyle was on the floor, petting the dog and beaming up at Gemma.
“Me like Bwody. Can he come to my house to play wif me?” Kyle smiled up at her with his slow, sweet request. They were still working on his r’s, the consonant being one of the harder ones for him to form.
Gemma returned the smile with a sweet one of her own. The dog had broken through Kyle’s normal reservation, and Jake hated to break up the fun, but he didn’t want his son to get attached to the dog or the city girl.
“I don’t know, honey. I don’t think so because I’m leaving to go back to Syracuse.”
“Are you a clowwin?” He asked, his eyes were wide with wonder.
“Why do you think that?” Gemma asked, her brow drawn tight in confusion.
“Cause clowwins live at the circus.” It was Jake’s turn to be confused.
“Sorry. It’s not the circus. It’s Sy-ra-cuse.” This time she emphasized each syllable to help Kyle understand the word. “It’s a city in New York, and I live there.”
“But why don’t you live here wif you daddy? I live wif my daddy.”
Gemma brushed Kyle’s hair off his forehead. His son was eating up the attention, a clear signal it was time Jake put an end to their party.
“Kyle, time to go home.” Gemma, Kyle, and his dad looked up to see him standing in the doorway.
“I wanna stay. She’s nice to me.” He pointed at Gemma.
Jake would never correct his son’s grammar in public. They worked on it at night when they read bedtime stories, as part of their special time together. But it didn’t mean he had to give in to his pleas.
“I’m sure she’s very nice, but you need to say goodbye to the doggie and to Miss Gemma, so we can get home to dinner.”
Gemma’s mouth opened and then closed, as if she wanted to say something but then thought better of it. He was glad she’d chosen to remain silent and didn’t involve Kyle in their discord.
“The doggie is Bwody. I like him. Can they eat wif us?” Kyle’s hopeful gaze tore at his heart, but it wouldn’t change his answer.
He’d avoided situations like this ever since he moved here, and he wasn’t about to change his way of thinking. “No. Mr. Chad said she’s leaving soon, and I only made enough for you, me, and Gramps. Come on now. We need to run along.” Jake held out his hand to encourage Kyle to do as he asked.
His dad stood. “I’d be more than happy to eat at home if you want Miss Gemma to eat at your house, Jake.” The old man grinned mischievously.
This wasn’t the first time he’d tried his hand at matchmaking. No matter how many times Jake told him he wasn’t interested in finding a wife or a mother for Jake, his dad would never agree with his decision. But as far as Jake was concerned, he would do anything to protect his son from a world that wanted to treat him differently because of his hearing disability.
“Sorry, Kyle. Your dad’s right. I’m leaving right after I get a chance to talk with Chad.”
Jake frowned. Calling Chad by his first name indicated a cold distance for the man who loved her. He’d only seen the photo album Chad kept of Gemma once when his friend accidentally left it out. He hadn’t seen it since then, but once was enough to know how much Chad cared about Gemma. Picture after picture of her growing up. Pictures taken from a safe distance but telling in the way he captured the little-girl smiles all the way up to her big-girl beauty.
“It was wonderful to meet you, Gemma.” His dad shook her hand.
“Likewise, and I’m glad you brought Kyle inside.”
His son stopped t
o turn back and wave goodbye. “Bye, Miss Gemma. Bye, Bwody.” The pitiful pout tugged at Jake’s heart. He was a sweet kid, and Jake would do anything to make him happy. Including protecting him from that which he didn’t understand yet.
Women.
Gemma was leaving, and for his friend’s sake, Jake needed to try to bridge the gap his rudeness had created. “Have a safe trip home. It was nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too. I appreciate all your help and everything the rescue squad and fire department did today.” Gemma held Brody by the collar to keep the dog from following.
She had a fine way of showing her appreciation. Would it kill her to stick around a few days and make Chad happy? Especially after he risked his life to save her dog. “No problem. Like I said before, I’d do anything to help Chad. He’s one of the best guys I know. Someone who would do anything to help others. And occasionally, we get to help in return.”
* * *
Gemma hugged Brody after they left, scratching behind his ear, one of his favorite things for her to do. Luckily, she’d had time to pull herself together before Tom and Kyle showed up. Kyle’s sweet enthusiasm toward Brody had gone a long way to making her feel better, allowing her to move forward from the fear and tension during the rescue.
But now, left alone, the words her dad said kept repeating in her head as if she were still standing outside. I love my daughter. I love my daughter. What if it was true? Did it change anything? Twenty-four years was too late, wasn’t it?
Too bad her heart and her brain weren’t in agreement. No matter how hard she wanted to stay strong in her belief, nothing could make a difference, those four words had the power to make her crave more. It was the same as taking a bite of sinfully delicious tiramisu. Not on your diet, but unable to walk away from until there was nothing left.