Texas Heartthrob

by Jean Brashear

  When she returned, his eyes were shut and he was still. For a second, her heart stuttered. Then she saw his chest rise again.

  Calm yourself, Raina. You’ll be no use to him otherwise.

  She dragged in a breath and folded the first cloth, then pressed it hard to his side.

  He hissed.

  “I’m sorry, but it’s bleeding a lot.” She folded another cloth with her free hand, then laid it atop the first. “Can you hold these while I find something to bind them?”

  He placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed. “I’ll be fine.” He tried for a grin and didn’t make it. “You were brave as hell, Raina. You kicked his ass.”

  Tears burned then. “You’re the one who charged to my rescue.” She blinked and pressed harder.

  He gasped.

  “It’s not slowing down, Hal. I have to get you to a hospital.”

  He frowned. “Not…good idea. Don’t want anyone—” His eyes closed.

  “Hal—” She leaned over him. “Hal, don’t go to sleep.”

  He was silent too long.

  “Hal—”

  With effort, he lifted his eyelids. “Raina, there’s something…have to tell…”

  “Don’t talk. Save your strength. I’ll need your help getting you outside.” She bent to her efforts, removing the first bloodstained cloth and replacing it with two more. She tore strips from a sheet and wrapped them tightly around his middle to secure the pads.

  Keys. Where were his keys? She scrubbed her face, yanked at her hair to steady herself. His car was essential—her pickup, even if it didn’t break down, would be miserably uncomfortable. She could make a pallet, and he’d be able to lie down the entire trip in the back of his SUV.

  “It’s all right,” she soothed, even as her hands trembled. “You’re going to be okay. I’ll take care of you.” When she touched his face, he quieted, his breath escaping in a slow, tortured exhalation. “I’ll get you help.”

  Gingerly, she stuck her fingers into one of his pockets, then the others, aware of every minute’s passage.

  No keys. She glanced out the window and saw his car door hanging open. Maybe he’d left them in the ignition in his rush to get to her.

  Tears threatened again. Why had he come back?

  But thank God he had.

  “Hal, are your keys in the car?”

  Silence. Then finally, “Yeah…think so.”

  Relief swept over her at the sound of his voice. “Stay with me. I’ll be right back.” She headed for the door, thinking fast. He was much too heavy, but if she got the car right up to the steps and folded the back down, all she had to manage was the distance from the bed to the last step.

  Oh, yeah. No big deal. Only two hundred pounds or so of dead-weight muscle and bone.

  Raina raced to the car and was relieved to see the keys hanging in the ignition. She stepped up into the plush leather seat and familiarized herself with the setup.

  Expensive sunglasses hung from the visor. When she turned the key, the engine purred like a well-fed lion, throaty and masculine. The console tray held a pack of chewing gum and a map. The CD played Martina McBride.

  Raina snapped off the music. She liked Martina a lot, but she could afford no distractions.

  Carefully, she pressed the accelerator. The big car shot forward. Raina grabbed the wheel with both hands and eased the vehicle around, then backed up to the porch. Leaving the motor running with the heater on full-blast, she opened the passenger doors and fumbled with various levers until she lowered the seats to flat. She rounded to the rear and lifted the hatch.

  Okay. Next, blankets and the pillow. Then Hal.

  When she walked back inside, her heart nearly stopped. He was sitting up in the bed, attempting to rise.

  “What are you doing?”

  His eyes were glassy. “You were gone. I thought—” He lowered his head, his body sinking backward.

  “No—” Raina leaped forward. He’d done half her work; she had to keep him upright, then get him to his feet. “I need you to stand up.”

  “Uh-uh,” he mumbled. “Tired. Cold.”

  “I know. I’m going to get you a doctor.” She managed to sling his arm around her neck and grab one belt loop in front and back. “Stand up, please. Try.”

  “Don’t want—” A violent shiver shook him. “Go ’way.”

  “You can lie down in a minute. Right now, come with me. On the count of three, help me get you on your feet.” She leaned into his body. “One—two—three—” She shoved to standing, gritting her teeth.

  A load of bricks would be easier to lift, but she threw her legs into the task. “Hal—please.”

  “Dad’s not here,” he muttered.

  Raina ignored his ramblings. “Stand up,” she ordered. “Now!”

  “All right, all right.” He straightened his legs at last. “Bossy woman won’t leave me in peace.”

  “You can yell at me when we’re in your car.”

  “Where we goin’?” he slurred. “Wanna go home. Alejandro’s coming…Mom…” He sagged against her again.

  Raina propelled them toward the door through sheer will, then struggled across the porch with him, sweating despite the chill air. Finally, they got to the SUV. She eased him around so that his back faced the bumper. “Okay. Sit down.”

  He sank to the edge.

  “Wait a minute.”

  Too late. He collapsed backward. Groaned.

  As she worked him farther into the vehicle, Raina cast an anxious glance at the widening red stain at his side. She zipped up the porch steps, grabbed her purse, quilts and the pillow, then raced back. Fearing that moving him on top of the bedding would tear the wound worse, instead she placed the pillow beneath his head, layered more cloths on his side and secured them again. Then she covered him up, closed the hatch and ran to the front.

  Once inside, she shifted the car into gear and took off, praying, as she listened to him groan each time she hit a rut, that she could remember her way to the hospital, that soon he would be in good hands—

  And that, if her unskilled care hadn’t killed him, one day he would be able to forgive her for what had happened when he’d come to her rescue.

  A real hero. A champion for a woman who’d done nothing to deserve one.

  An hour later, Raina roared to a screeching halt at the emergency entrance to the hospital in Asheville. She charged inside, her heart pounding.

  “I need help—quick.” She grabbed the first person in scrubs. “I have a man in the back of the car. He’s been stabbed.”

  Chaos erupted then, swallowing her up. In the first minutes, she couldn’t see the organized ballet of it, pelted by rapid-fire questions from people swarming to the car.

  She tried to reach Hal, to comfort him. Instead, she found herself pushed aside as the whirlwind descended on him and she was left behind.

  “Ma’am? Would you come with me? I need you to fill out some paperwork on your husband.”

  Raina faced a woman, round and middle-aged. “He’s not my husband.”

  The woman shrugged. “Boyfriend, then. Do you have his insurance card?”

  “He’s not my—” Raina went blank. Insurance card? Did he even have insurance? She’d gone without for so long that the possibility hadn’t occurred to her, but surely someone who drove a car like that would be covered. “I…don’t know. I’ll have to check.” She tried to peer past the woman’s shoulder, seeking Hal’s location. “Tell me what they’re doing. Will he make it?”

  So much blood. Please let him be all right.

  The woman placed one comforting hand on her arm. “He’s in good hands now, don’t you worry.”

  The warmth of it brought a rush of tears to her eyes.

  Raina blinked them back.

  “My name is Sarabeth,” the woman said. “You want to sit down for a minute before you move your car?” She smiled gently. “This is the emergency entrance, so we can’t be blocking it for long.”

  “Oh�
�” Raina’s gaze swiveled to the door. “I’m sorry, I just—”

  Sarabeth patted her. “Don’t fret over it. You’re scared. I understand that. Why don’t you come over here and rest for a minute.” She nodded toward the entrance, where a security guard was frowning. “You hold your horses, Eldred. This girl is shook up.”

  “No, I—” This woman’s kindness was something new to her. Except for Hal, no one had been kind in so long. She swallowed hard. “I’ll go move it and see if…”

  “You sure, sugar? Eldred could do it for you.”

  Raina found a small smile. “No. Thank you. I’ll just—” Now that Hal was in competent hands, her legs had somehow gone shaky. “I’ll be back.”

  “Okay.” But Sarabeth’s forehead wrinkled. “Somebody might oughta check you over, too.”

  Raina glanced down. She’d thrown on a shirt to replace the one Frank had savaged but had changed nothing else. She touched the forgotten bruise on her face. “I’m fine.” She turned away, covering the distance to the door with measured steps.

  “The police will be here soon.” Eldred nodded as she passed but looked concerned, too. “You can park it right over there.” He pointed.

  Police. Raina stumbled.

  “Positive you don’t want any help?”

  She shook her head. “I—no, I—” She walked away fast.

  Once at the car, she saw the jumbled, bloodstained quilts, and fear seized her again. How was he? What were they doing? He’d gotten so quiet the last few miles—

  She took a deep breath. His fate was out of her hands now. She closed the hatch, pressing her hands flat against it, forehead against the glass as she murmured a silent plea. He’s a good man. Please.

  Then she straightened and rounded to the driver’s seat. The engine was still running, she realized. In a big city, his expensive car would already have been stolen, security or not.

  With care, Raina pulled away and entered the lot Eldred had indicated, then slid the big vehicle into the first space she found. She shut off the engine and collapsed against the soft leather. How could she talk to the police with her history?

  Yet how could she leave until she knew if Hal would make it?

  Suddenly, the adrenaline that had kept her going through Frank’s attack and the long, terrifying trip drained away. She longed to fall asleep right here.

  Raina tightened her knuckles on the steering wheel. She could make it a little while longer before—

  Before what? How could she hang around? She had only a few dollars in her purse and no credit cards.

  It didn’t matter. Leaving wasn’t an option. He had no one else there who cared about him.

  Cared, maybe even…loved. If only he hadn’t been so kind to her. That compassion called to her nearly as much as his strength. How badly she wanted to rest, to quit fighting…to lean on that broad chest and feel the safety of his arms. The intensity of her longing terrified her.

  He’d lost so much blood. Fear sent her scrambling. She had to get back inside.

  Insurance card, Sarabeth wanted. Raina had seen no wallet in the bag she’d packed for him, felt none in his pockets. Maybe it was in the car somewhere. She flipped open the shallow top section of the console—

  A cell phone. Raina stared at it.

  He’d had a cell phone all this time? Why hadn’t he—

  Never mind. Not now. She flipped on the dome light again. Headset, phone charger…no wallet. She fumbled for a latch to open the bottom compartment.

  CDs, more maps, trail mix…Raina felt odd, rifling through someone else’s belongings, but she had no choice. Next would be the glove compartment.

  Her hand touched leather, rounded corners—

  She brought the object to the light.

  A golden brown, glove-soft leather wallet. Her fingers traced to the center, preparing to open it—

  The act felt too intimate. She’d barely met the man, yet she and he had been through so much together. Despite the distance she’d tried to keep, he’d gotten closer to her than anyone had in years.

  Even though she still didn’t know his last name. Good grief. How could that be? Her fingers tensed again, but somehow she couldn’t make herself open it. Maybe she should let Sarabeth—

  Raina slid from the seat, grabbed her purse and the keys, then locked the doors.

  No, she wouldn’t relinquish her responsibility to a perfect stranger, however considerate. She’d face the police, answer their questions. That Hal had gotten involved was her fault; it was up to her to see the process through. As soon as she reached the entrance where the light was better, she’d look for his insurance card herself.

  She nodded to Eldred as she passed through the electric doors, then heard them swish shut behind her. Inside the lobby, a shiver shook her as the warmth chased away the outside chill.

  Raina stuffed her purse under one arm and opened Hal’s wallet, barely glancing at the California driver’s license—

  California? She peered closer at the picture, even as her mind struggled to comprehend.

  She’d seen that face before. Where?

  A glimpse of the name in black print.

  She blinked. Squinted, unable to believe what she read.

  “You found it. Good.” Sarabeth approached.

  But Raina could barely hear her for the roaring in her ears. Mutely, she held out the wallet to the woman, shaking her head.

  “What’s wrong, sugar?” Sarabeth cast a glance at the license.

  And gasped. Her gaze flew to Raina’s. “You’re kidding me. I’d never have recognized him.” She shot a look over her shoulder at the door where they’d taken him. “Eldred, you got any idea who’s in there? Lord have mercy, child, why didn’t you say something?”

  Eldred neared, but Raina’s knees were shaking with a stunned mix of anger and humiliation.

  Sarabeth grabbed her. “What—” She frowned. “You didn’t know?”

  Raina shook her head.

  “Know what?” Eldred demanded.

  “We got us a movie star in there, that’s what.” Sarabeth smiled. “Liam Sullivan, Mr. Sexiest Man Alive himself. Been in the news lately, too, ’cause that girlfriend of his had drug problems, ’member that? Poor man. Not like he couldn’t have any woman he wanted. A pity what happened to her—”

  “What—” Raina could barely find her voice. She hadn’t read a newspaper or seen TV in weeks. “What do you mean?”

  “She killed herself, didn’t you hear? Her last call was to him, then she did herself in.” Sarabeth focused on Raina. “You don’t look so hot, honey.” She turned to Eldred. “Put her in that chair over there while I grab someone to take a peek at her.”

  As soon as Sarabeth disappeared through the swinging doors, still clutching Hal’s—

  Not Hal. Liam.

  Oh, God. Her knees buckled.

  “Miss, you come on now and sit down.”

  Raina could only shake her head as she tried to absorb the magnitude of what he’d done.

  Lied to her. Made a fool of her.

  Made love to her, probably laughing inside the whole time at the pathetic, stick-thin woman who’d begged—

  Show me.

  She had to get out of here. She owed him nothing now, not when he’d—

  Untrue. She owed him everything. If not for him, Frank would have—

  “Miss, you seem peaked. Here now, lean on me.”

  “No—” She resisted Eldred’s grasp. “I have to—” She swiveled her head back and forth, desperate to go where she could think.

  She was furious with him. Horrified. So many images zipped through her mind. I don’t want your food or your money or your body. I’m not that desperate.

  Of course not. Women around the world would prostrate themselves at his feet for a glance, a kiss—

  His kiss. Raina could still taste him, feel him inside her.

  Show me.

  Oh, God. She buried her face in her hands. She’d pleaded with Liam Sullivan to ma
ke love to her—

  And he had. Oh, dear sweet heaven, how he had.

  But he’d done so much more. Images of him tumbled inside her. Chopping her wood. Bathing her, comforting her. Sleeping on the floor of Gran’s cabin.

  My mother would… He’d been raised to be a gentleman.

  But a gentleman didn’t lie with every breath.

  Judge the truth for yourself. It isn’t pity.

  I’m not the right man. I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you, instead.

  She had to escape. Had to make it back to Gran’s.

  Had to think.

  Or not think. She wasn’t sure she could bear to spend another second on memories of the man she’d known as Hal.

  Anyway, there was no reason to stay, now that everyone would realize who he was. He didn’t need her; that was for sure. They’d take special care with someone like him.

  Been all over the news lately.

  The police will be here soon.

  If her past came to light as a result of her part in this fiasco, the press would have a field day.

  No matter that he’d deceived her, he’d done so much for her. The least she could do to repay that debt was to take herself out of the equation to avoid causing him further trouble.

  “Ma’am?”

  She spotted a rest room across the way and nodded toward it. “I have to—”

  Eldred seemed embarrassed. “Oh. Sure.” He peered closer. “You make it on your own?”

  Raina swallowed a building nausea. “Yeah. You go back to your post. I’ll manage.”

  He hesitated, but just then, an ambulance siren sounded. He hurried back to the entrance.

  Raina hid inside the rest room, resisting the urge to be very, very sick. Instead, she watched through a crack in the doorway until the new emergency began its own ballet.

  What could she do for someone like Liam Sullivan, anyway? He could buy anything he wanted, have anyone he wished at the snap of a finger.

  Where was he now? Had he awakened? Was he afraid or lonely?

  Two female hospital employees dressed like clerks made a beeline for Eldred. “Is it true Liam Sullivan is here?” At Eldred’s nod, one of them squealed. “Ohmigod—is he as gorgeous in real life as he is on the screen?” Excited chatter rose.