The Renegade (The Rockwell Legacy Book 3)

by Jennifer Bernard

  “Thanks for the last-minute pickup,” he told Draper.

  “Any time, so long as I’m in the neighborhood. Always wondered about this place.”

  “You’re welcome any time, once we finish the renovations,” Isabelle told him. “I really appreciate this.”

  “Might take you up on that.” Draper shook her hand too, then went back to the cockpit.

  Lyle helped Isabelle into the helicopter, murmuring, “For the record, this is because you’re shorter than me, not because you’re a damsel in distress.”

  She fastened the shoulder strap and made a little face at him as he climbed onboard after her.

  The helicopter lifted into the air, giving Lyle that familiar stomach-dropping sensation. He gave Draper the coordinates of the beach, which he’d looked up while Isabelle was fetching her bag. Draper punched them into his GPS, and they fell silent as the magnificent panorama of wilderness spread out beneath them. Lonely highways wending through vast swaths of pristine forest. Snow and spruce and soaring peaks and cozy pockets of mist.

  Small outposts of civilization stood out in the rugged terrain; he recognized the town of Rocky Peak but the next was too far below, and soon they were reaching the foothills, where tracts of houses fed into large towns, and the patches of green were few and far between.

  And he missed the lodge, strangely. Even after staying there only a couple weeks, it had wound its way into his heart with all its quirky charm.

  And its fascinating residents.

  He watched Isabelle sort through her medical bag, making sure she had everything she needed. Her focus was complete. She wasn’t watching the scenery or thinking about the lodge. She was already on task, getting in the right frame of mind for this mission.

  He admired her. It was a little disconcerting how much he admired her. She was…good. She did good things for people. Unselfish things. With all the money he’d accumulated, what kind of impact had he made on the world? In his earliest days, he hadn’t even cared. He’d just wanted to make it to the top. Since then, he’d developed more of a conscience and donated to various causes—but always with an eye to his business bottom-line.

  But real, hands-on help, the kind that Isabelle did every day on the job, that was on another level.

  He remembered the little dig she’d made—“it’s an amazing feeling, you should try it sometime.”

  Did this count? Riding a helicopter on a rescue mission for a baby he didn’t know? It did feel good, that was true. But he could probably thank Isabelle’s presence for that.

  “There!” Isabelle called out.

  They’d reached the ocean, and Isabelle was peering down at a rocky beach, looking for the landmarks Beth had mentioned. She’d left the car, afraid that her husband would come back, and was hiding inside a rock formation.

  The helicopter lowered toward the pebbly surface of the beach. As soon as the skids touched down and it was safe to exit, Lyle helped Isabelle out. He didn’t follow her, not wanting to offend her anti-damsel in distress sensibilities again. Instead he hung back to talk to Draper. “How are you on fuel?”

  “I’m good. This thing has a pretty good range. Where to next?”

  “Not sure yet. Depends on her.” He gestured at Isabelle, who was running across the beach toward a blonde woman who had just stepped from behind a craggy rock as big as a house. She held a baby in her arms, and looked as if she hadn’t slept in days. Lyle wanted to follow, but resisted the temptation. Beth had asked for Isabelle, not some giant intimidating stranger.

  “Who is she?” Draper asked.

  “The woman with the baby? Don’t know her. Name is Beth.”

  “No, I mean the woman you can’t take your eyes off.”

  “Friend,” said Lyle briefly.

  “Uh huh,” the other man said dryly.

  He watched Isabelle talk to Beth. She took the bundled-up baby in her arms and knelt on the ground to conduct her examination. Delicately, she unwrapped the blankets from around her little patient and pressed a stethoscope against his skin. She bent to put her ear to his chest and listened. Beth crouched next to her, twisting her hands together.

  Then Isabelle turned and beckoned to Lyle, and all thoughts of keeping his distance evaporated. He ran toward them, pounding across the beach. It occurred to him that wherever she beckoned, he’d be there. He was at her beck and call, in other words. Christ.

  When he reached them, Isabelle was bundling the baby up again. “Heartbeat’s normal. Lungs are clear,” she was saying. “His arm is uninjured. His non-responsiveness could be a reaction to the trauma of the incident, or it’s possible Colin gave him something to keep him quiet. I can’t test for that here, though. Are you sure you don’t want to go to a hospital?”

  “I’m going to kill Colin.” Beth swiped tears off her cheeks. Her face was swollen from crying, her eyes bloodshot. “I mean…I don’t know, is Tigger okay? Does he need his stomach pumped or something?”

  “I don’t think he does. But you need to keep an eye on him. If he doesn’t wake up soon, you should take him to the ER.”

  “You. You can take him.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Beth scurried back behind the rock formation and came back with a car seat piled with blankets. “You need to take him. Just for a few days. I’m going to call the police now. They can do what they want with me, I just didn’t want them to have Tigger. Will you do that for me?”

  “I—” Isabelle looked up at Lyle. He didn’t say anything, just offered silent support. “Why me? What about family, or Diane?”

  “Diane’s not a doctor. My family might take Colin’s side. It’s just for a few days, Izzy. Please. I need to report all this to the cops and for all I know, they’re gonna arrest me for stealing a car and crashing it.”

  “Do you have a lawyer?” Lyle asked, speaking for the first time.

  “Who are you?” Beth stared at him with hostility, which confused him because he hadn’t done anything. Maybe she was suspicious of all men at the moment; he couldn’t really blame her.

  Isabelle stepped in. “This is my friend Lyle. He’s the one who arranged the helicopter to get here. You can trust him.”

  Her quick glance up at him sent warmth spreading through his heart. Because he saw in her eyes that she was telling the truth. She did trust him.

  Beth squared her shoulders. “No, I don’t have a lawyer. I don’t even have a job and I definitely don’t have any money of my own. I should never have gotten fucking married to that man. Diane warned me, but once I got pregnant…” She visibly gritted her teeth to stop another wave of tears. “Let’s do this.”

  She bent down to collect her baby from Isabelle’s lap. He was still completely out, snoring peacefully, oblivious to the drama taking place around him. She wrapped his blankets more tightly, then showered kisses on his head. “You be a good boy, okay, Tigger? Mommy’ll see you again really soon.”

  Her tears were flowing again as she handed her baby to Isabelle.

  “Take good care of him. Promise me. There’s some formula in the car seat, but he’s already eating soft food, especially applesauce. He sleeps through the night, hardly ever cries. I feel like the lodge is the safest place he can be, cause there’s no way anyone’s gonna look for him up there. Here.”

  She grabbed Isabelle’s phone and found the audio recorder. “This is Beth Wright, giving permission to Isabelle Rockwell to be guardian of Tiberius Tigger Wright until I get back.”

  She shoved the phone back into Isabelle’s hand.

  With a stunned expression, Isabelle adjusted her armload of blankets and baby. “But…what about you? Now what?”

  “As soon as that chopper is gone, I’m calling the police. They’ll take it from there.”

  “Listen.” Lyle couldn’t let her throw herself into the law enforcement system without some kind of support. “Put this number in your phone.” He reeled off a number, which she tapped into her phone. “He’s a good guy, a lawyer I trust, and he ow
es me a favor. Just tell him that Lyle Guero told you to call. If you don’t need him, that’s fine. It’s your choice.”

  Beth bit her lip, tears welling again. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you both. Go now, before I lose my will power.”

  Lyle grabbed the car seat and followed Isabelle across the sand to the helicopter, where Draper was waiting, arms folded across his chest.

  “She going to be okay?” He jerked his head toward Beth, who watched them, phone in hand, ready to make the call that would unleash…something.

  “I sure hope so,” Isabelle said soberly. “She’s tough, but it’s got to be hard just handing over your baby.”

  Lyle took the baby from Isabelle while she climbed into the helicopter. Such a warm, trusting bundle. He glanced down at Tigger’s chubby face, nearly covered by blankets. Poor kid.

  Had this been him, once upon a time? A baby given away by his mother? Had his mother cried like Beth?

  He shook off the thought and handed the bundled-up baby to Isabelle so he could board. Draper closed the door behind them, then came around to hoist himself into the cockpit.

  Isabelle bit her lip as she settled Tigger into her arms. “This is definitely going to be interesting. I’m a doctor, not a babysitter.”

  “That’s why she chose you,” Lyle reminded her.

  “Yes, but … Jim, what should I do with the baby? Car seat or lap?” Isabelle called to the pilot. She turned to Lyle, panic rising in her eyes. “Jesus, Lyle. This is a baby. I have a baby in my lap and I’m supposed to take care of him.”

  Lyle squeezed her shoulder, then spread his hand across her neck, massaging lightly. “You got this. You’re a doctor. You’re a smart, compassionate woman.”

  “But this is a baby. A completely helpless little being. In my lap.”

  Draper turned toward the back seat as he put his ear protection on. He seemed to be biting back a laugh. “You weren’t expecting a baby for Christmas? Surprise.”

  “No. What? Christmas? Oh my God. You’re right.” Her voice rose. “It’s almost Christmas, and now there’s a baby in my lap and I’m totally responsible for his health and wellbeing and how do parents do it? He hasn’t even woken up yet and I’m freaking out. Lyle, this is a disaster.”

  The helicopter’s blades spun. Draper spoke into the comm, connecting with the local tower, and the chopper lifted into the air.

  Isabelle clutched at her throat, hyperventilating. “We should go back. This is a bad plan. Beth didn’t think this through. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

  This called for drastic measures. Lyle unbuckled his seat belt so that he could lean over and cup her face in his hands. It took a moment for her gaze to settle on him, but he waited patiently until it did. Her cheeks were cool under his touch, maybe from the wind on the beach, or maybe from sheer terror.

  “It’s gonna be fine,” he told her. “You got this. We got this.”

  “We?”

  Her breathing slowed, and the panic ebbed from her beautiful green eyes.

  “Yeah. We. There’s something you don’t know about me.”

  “There is?”

  His gaze dropped to her lips, which were parted and slightly chapped. Awareness flashed in her eyes, and suddenly it was just the two of them, flying through the sky on a magic carpet, no baby, no pilot, just them. He brushed his lips against hers, the sensation perfect and exquisite, like an angel wing feather. The softest of sighs came from her lips as they parted even further.

  Her eyelashes fluttered, the green of her irises darkened. Pure happiness flooded through him, something he felt…well, never, really.

  If only they could lose themselves in the world of that kiss, truly forget everything else out there. If only he could use this small moment of vulnerability to reach inside Isabelle’s soul, to make a place for himself in her heart.

  The humming of the engine brought him back to reality, along with Draper clearing his throat.

  “Seatbelts, people. Seatbelts.”

  Right. They were in a helicopter, flying back to Rocky Peak Lodge with a baby.

  He drew away from Isabelle and settled into his own seat, refastening his shoulder strap. “The thing you don’t know about me is that I’m pretty good with kids,” he told her. “Or at least I used to be. Did my share of babysitting for foster families nine and ten. It’s been a while since I was around a kid, but I hear it’s like riding a bike.”

  “Riding a bike?” She looked a little dazed by what had just transpired between them.

  That’s what he wanted. More of that dazed look. More of those soft lips. More kissing. Much, much more kissing.

  Just then the baby stirred and uttered a soft babble.

  Isabelle panicked all over again. “Oh my God. He’s awake. That’s good, that means he’s fine. Responsive. But no, what if he isn’t? I need to do some tests. We need to land. How far away are we from the lodge?”

  “Calm down. It’s all right. Do you need me to kiss you again?”

  She laughed, and seemed to relax. “Can I…uh…get back to you on that?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Progress. Definite progress.

  13

  All of Isabelle’s tests showed that little Tigger Wright was perfectly fine. It probably helped that an entire lodge full of people rushed around to get him what he needed. Renata cooked down some apples into sauce, Griffin drove into town for more formula, Kai hauled out Gracie’s old handcrafted bassinet from the storeroom. Serena made heroic efforts to keep Rogue from licking Tigger’s face every chance he got.

  Even Max did his part by vowing not to smoke a single cigar while Tigger was staying at the lodge.

  Over the next few blurry days, Isabelle was especially grateful to Nicole, who helped her with Tigger’s checkup and with advice whenever Isabelle panicked. Which was often. Nicole’s calm approach was the complete opposite of Isabelle’s. For three solid days and nights, Isabelle barely slept.

  “Maybe you should take him, Nicole,” Isabelle suggested one bleary-eyed morning, after Nicole tapped on her bedroom door to check on her. “I’m a surgeon. Nurses are so much better at dealing with patients.”

  “That’s not always true. I’m happy to take care of him. I could use the practice.” Nicole touched her own belly lightly. “But he seems to want you.”

  It was true. Tigger had latched onto her finger at some point and refused to let go. He had wide-open eyes and gazed at the world with such trust that it just about broke her heart. He didn’t cry, just as Beth had promised. Did he know that his father and mother had fought, that he’d been taken on a kidnapping trip, possibly given tranquilizers, and that his mother had turned herself in to the police?

  Of course not. He didn’t even seem particularly worried or confused about his new surroundings. He liked people, and didn’t seem fazed by the nonstop flow of Rockwells checking on him and oohing and aahing over him.

  “You’ll be fine,” Nicole said firmly. “Besides, I’ve been getting morning sickness at all hours of the night and day and I don’t want to wake him up.”

  “Renata might be good—”

  “No. Renata’s busy enough these days, and she already told me she’ll cook anything Tigger needs, but she’s not a babysitter.”

  “That’s kind of what I said too,” Isabelle muttered.

  “Well, that’s true. You’re not a babysitter, you’re a temporary substitute mom.”

  Aaand, there came the panic again. She drew in a deep breath as Lyle’s face flashed before her eyes, his intent look as he kissed her, as he blew her mind with one simple brush of his lips.

  They’d kissed back in Rome. Plenty. It was all part of that wild crazy night, the compulsive attraction, the nearly naked make-out session, the should-they-or-shouldn’t-they-have-sex debate. But this kiss was different. It was between two people who weren’t strangers. It was a kiss with feelings, with depth, with promise.

  And with a baby in her lap, making it all the more
unusual.

  “Maybe Gracie wants to help out.”

  Nicole gave her a sympathetic smile, dimples appearing in her heart-shaped face. “Gracie definitely wants to help out, but Beth put you in charge. I heard the message she put on your phone. I find it hard to believe she would have given that responsibility to Gracie, much as I love her.”

  But maybe she should have, Isabelle thought. Gracie loved kids. She was still partly a kid herself, after all.

  “Let me guess, you’re having a panic attack.” Isabelle looked up to see Jake lounging in the doorway of her room.

  “Jake! Thank God you’re here. Can you explain to Nicole that this poor baby deserves someone else…like, anyone else?”

  He laughed. “Lyle told me you were freaking out, but I didn’t realize how much. Izzy, take it from your twin, if you didn’t manage to kill me when we were growing up, this baby is perfectly safe.”

  “Not helping.”

  “Really? I worked hard on that one.”

  She shot him a middle finger, then balled up her hand and stuck it behind her back. “Oh my God, you guys, did you see what I just did? In front of a baby? I’m a disaster. When Beth gets him back he’ll be flipping her the bird and who knows what else?”

  Nicole and Jake exchanged a glance, clearly trying not to laugh, and utterly failing.

  “Look, Izzy.” Jake crouched next to Tigger and smiled at him. “If I had a baby, I’d trust you with it. Him. Or her.”

  “You don’t trust me with your favorite mug.”

  “That’s because you threatened to stuff it in the garbage disposal.”

  “I was thirteen,” Isabelle explained to Nicole, whose eyes had gone wide. “Jake had just told the boy I liked that I liked him. He crossed the DMZ line.” She touched the baby’s feather fine hair, marveling at its softness. The baby cooed and brought his hands to his mouth.

  “The DMZ?” Nicole asked, turning to Jake for the answer.

  “Demilitarized zone. From our twin war days. We had a very complicated armistice agreement.”