Promise Her

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  He turned on his cell phone. He had a dozen messages from the family. He called Max.

  “How is Lisa? We’re all crazy with worry, especially Taralyn.”

  “I’ll get to that in a minute. Where is the family?”

  “Donovan took Mom to the hospital to meet the ambulance. Darin and Dugan went to see what they could find out about Lisa’s fall. It isn’t like her to take a tumble. Something or someone made it happen.”

  “Right. Let me talk to TJ.”

  TJ got on the phone. “Douglas, tell me Lisa is okay. Please.”

  “Her heartbeat is good.” Just then Lisa’s eyes popped open. “I think she’s coming to right now. I’ll find out what I can and call you back. I want Max to do something for me and that means you’ll have to stay there alone. Can you do that?”

  “I’m not an invalid, Douglas.”

  She must have handed the phone back to Max because he came on the line. “What do you need?”

  “Get down there with Douglas and Darin and check Sugarplum. Have the vet do a drug test on her. See if you can find out what happened.”

  “Is Lisa going to be okay?”

  “At this point, I don’t know anything except her eyes are open now. I’ll see what she remembers. Just check everything you can.”

  “Done,” Max said and hung up.

  “Lisa, honey. Can you hear me?”

  “You don’t have to yell.”

  “How do you feel?”

  “How do you think I feel? Like I fell off a horse going ninety miles an hour.”

  Douglas breathed a sigh of relief. Her voice was weak, but she was conscious and sounded herself.

  She tried to sit up. Moaned when she couldn’t because of the restraints.

  “Get me out of these,” she demanded.

  Douglas looked at the EMT.

  “I’ll loosen your arms. But don’t try to move,” the EMT warned. “They’ll want x-rays and maybe an MRI when we get to the hospital.”

  By this time, her scraped left arm and leg had been bandaged.

  “How bad is it?” she asked, tried to move her head to look down at herself and couldn’t because of the neck brace.

  “Take it easy, Lisa. You’re going to be okay.”

  “We won’t know if you have breaks or not until the doctor takes a look and runs a few tests,” the paramedic reminded her. “But your vitals are good. From what I can tell you don’t seem to have any broken bones.”

  “Sugarplum?” Lisa asked. “Is she all right?”

  “Darin and Dugan, with Max’s help, are taking care of everything. Don’t worry. Just lie still and relax until we see what kind of damage you did to yourself.”

  “I couldn’t stop, Douglas. I knew it was happening, but I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

  His heart stilled. “What do you mean?”

  “I felt my saddle slip, knew it was going to go. I tried to stop Sugarplum, but it was too late. She was going full-out.” Lisa looked up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. “I must not have cinched it tight enough. But I was so sure.” She grabbed his hand. “Are you sure Sugarplum is okay?’

  Chapter Eight

  The hospital’s Emergency Room was packed. A baby cried, then coughed. A teenage boy had a bloody towel wrapped around his hand. A woman was bent over holding her stomach.

  The Callahan family walked past them to the waiting area. With little seating, they stood around waiting anxiously for the doctor to come out and tell them Lisa’s condition.

  A harried receptionist pointed to a coffee urn down the hall when Donovan asked where he could find coffee.

  Donovan’s son Mark was wide-eyed at the goings-on. “Will Aunt Lisa be all right?” he asked.

  “Of course she will,” his grandmother said firmly.

  Douglas hoped it was true. And continued to pace. Which was what he’d been doing since the moment they wheeled Lisa into the exam room.

  His mother tried to soothe him into sitting down. “You’re making everyone nervous.”

  But Douglas couldn’t sit and wait. He had to do something even if he didn’t know what.

  Most of all, he wanted to be with Lisa.

  Unable to wait any longer, he headed toward the double doors that led to the emergency area. He was about to force his way inside when the rest of the family came in, Owen and Mike in their wake.

  He detoured toward them. The men went to a quiet corner. TJ went to sit with Mom.

  The look of concern on her face, the worry in her eyes said clearly she was deeply upset about her best friend. Mom would give her the comfort she needed. Right now, he wanted answers. “Did you find anything?” he asked the guys.

  “Before we got to the floor, Owen had it figured out,” Max said. “It wasn’t hard to verify. Someone cut her cinch. Sawed it actually.”

  Douglas took a sharp breath, his gaze resting on Owen, who nodded. Lisa was wrong. The accident had nothing to do with what she did or didn’t do. It had been deliberate. “What do the cops say?”

  “They’re all over it.”

  “The rodeo people?”

  “Shocked. Two accidents in less than a week? It’s enough to blow their minds.”

  “It should.”

  Douglas looked at the strong men standing here, concern clouding their eyes. Everyone cared for Lisa in one way or another. Mike and Owen were like surrogate dads, the Callahan brothers' surrogate siblings.

  Only Douglas’ feelings didn’t feel quite brotherly anymore.

  Knowing Lisa had somehow become a target made him fearful.

  A doctor came in, went toward the family. Douglas and the others went to join them.

  “How is she?” TJ asked.

  “She’s a lucky girl. No broken bones, only a slight concussion, and a lot of painful bruises and abrasions. We’ll keep an eye on her tonight just to be sure. If she has someone to take care of her, she can go home tomorrow.”

  TJ had to sit down. Max sat beside her, put his arm around her shoulders, whispered in her ear as she broke down in tears of relief.

  Douglas envied them such closeness.

  His attention went back to the doctor.

  “She’s in a lot of pain right now so I’ve prescribed pain meds. Her left side took a beating. She needs to rest for a few days, then slowly work back into her usual routine. She should be fine. Time and rest are the best prescription I can give her. Like I said though, someone needs to stay with her a few days, maybe a week.” He looked at the family members.

  TJ was back on her feet, listening to the doctor who seemed a little overwhelmed at the number of people standing around him, concerned over his patient.

  When they assured him they would take care of her, he said goodbye and left. Probably glad to get away, Douglas thought.

  Owen and Mike came up to Douglas. “Will you keep us posted? Let us know how she’s doing?”

  Douglas took out one of his cards, wrote his cell number on the back, gave it to Mike. “If I don’t get to you, call me.”

  “We will. Would you tell her we were here? I want her to know we’re worried about her. If there’s anything we can do, let us know. We’ll be there in a heartbeat.”

  “I’ll make sure she knows.” He walked them to the exit. “If you guys see or hear anything, I’d appreciate a call. We have to find the person who cut her cinch. Lisa isn’t safe until we do.”

  Owen’s hand trembled when he took Douglas’ hand. Mike had a look in his eye Douglas wouldn’t want to question. These men loved Lisa and would do anything to help her. She was the least likely person in the world to be involved in something as bizarre as murder and what could be attempted murder. Not one of those who loved her, thought her guilty of anything more serious than being a bit obsessive over Sugarplum. She doted on the animal.

  The family was getting louder.

  “An argument. And I’ll bet TJ is in the middle of it,” Douglas mumbled.

  He hurried to join them. “She’s staying with
us,” TJ said. “And that’s final. I won’t have it any other way.”

  “What are you arguing about?” Douglas asked.

  “Lisa can’t go to her apartment in the condition she’s in. So she’s coming home with us.”

  Seeing the expression on Douglas’ face, Max added, “She’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

  Being former FBI, Douglas was certain Max would and could keep Lisa safe. But that wasn’t an option. “This wasn’t an accident, Max. You said so yourself. You can’t bring that kind of danger into your home and expose your family to possible harm.”

  Max’s eyes narrowed.

  “I didn’t think so.”

  “She can come to the ranch,” Nellie offered.

  “Same problem,” Douglas reminded her. “You have two young children there to think about.”

  “Leaves me and you,” Darin grinned at Douglas. “Dugan can’t take her. He’s got that tiny house the county gave him to live in while he’s sheriff. I’ll take her. It won’t be hard to do.”

  Douglas looked at his family; at the love and concern on their faces.

  “That settles it,” he said firmly. “TJ, gather up the things she’ll need; clothes and stuff, you’ll know what. If you can’t bring them over after I get her home tomorrow, I’ll find a way to pick them up.” He turned to Darin. “Find out everything you can about the investigation. I want to know if forensics found anything: type of knife used to cut the cinch, who was around at the time, who had the opportunity to do this and anything else you can find out.”

  “Damned if you don’t sound like the boss of the world,” Dugan complained. “What about the rest of us? Got anything else you want done?”

  Ignoring his younger brother, Douglas turned to Max. “Lisa’s going to need a bodyguard. Someone we can trust. Someone I can trust to leave her with when I have to be away. Know anyone?”

  Max nodded. “No problem. Anything else?”

  A smile tugged at Donovan’s lips as he exchanged a knowing look with his mother.

  Douglas caught the look and turned his back. But the exchange rattled him. It was if they knew something he didn’t.

  He wouldn’t worry about it now. His only concern lay in a hospital bed a few feet away. Someone had tried to kill her. Anger had him clenching his fists—had him vowing to find who it was.

  “I’m going in to see Lisa before I leave,” TJ said. “Stop glowering, Douglas. I’m not going home until I see with my own eyes that she’s okay.”

  That was all they wanted; to see her alive and awake and if they were lucky, to see one of her beautiful smiles.

  They took turns.

  What took thirty minutes felt like three hours as Douglas paced. Finally, he convinced the family to leave. He would stay and call if anything changed.

  With relief, he opened the door of Lisa’s room quietly. Now, he could think. Could try to figure out how her accident connected to Tempest’s murder. Though he wanted to deny that possibility, he firmly believed this was a direct result of her investigation into Tempest’s husband.

  A nurse came out of the room. “How is she?”

  “We gave your sister a strong pain med. She should sleep through the night. We’ll check on her every few hours.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “She won’t know. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?”

  He stuck his head in the door. “I see a lounge chair. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll bring you a pillow and blanket.”

  He smiled his thanks.

  Going to the bed, he looked down at her. She was still pale. They had changed her into a hospital gown, changed the bandages the EMT’s had taken care of in the ambulance. He picked up the chair and put it close to her bed. “I’m here, Lisa.”

  Nurses came in several times during the night to take vitals and give Lisa more meds. Other than a few moans, and unintelligible words that sounded as if she were asking about Sugarplum, the night was uneventful.

  Around five in the morning, a nurse brought in the tox-screen. Preliminary tests showed it was clean. He thanked God for that. The thought that Lisa had been given a poison the same as Tempest made him weak in the knees.

  The next morning, Lisa was too drugged from the meds to eat breakfast. “Want to go home,” she mumbled.

  By eight, the doctor signed her release.

  The nurse came in to help her dress, but her jeans and shirt were so dirty, the nurse opted for a pair of scrubs.

  When they put her in a wheelchair, Douglas went to get his SUV. He doubted if she knew what was going on. According to TJ, Lisa had to be in a world of hurt just to take an aspirin. The meds had her woozy and off-kilter. Which was okay. The doctor said all she needed was rest and care.

  He’d see she got both.

  ****

  Lisa awoke slowly and tried to get up. Pain pulled her back down. “What in the world?” Why did she hurt so? She shut her eyes, remembered. “Sugarplum?” She had to check on her horse.

  Throwing off the covers, she put her legs over the edge of the bed and pulled herself up. The room swirled around her. She grabbed the headboard as every movement sent a slice of pain through her body. She sat back down. Where was she?

  Then she recognized the room. She was at Douglas’. Why?

  The door opened. Douglas stuck his head in. “Hi! What are you doing up?”

  “What am I doing here, Douglas? And why don’t I remember getting here?”

  “You’ve been out of it. Lie back down and rest. Do you remember the accident?”

  She ignored his instructions and rubbed her forehead. “Too well. How is Sugarplum?”

  “Sugarplum is fine. Just worry about Lisa.”

  “How long have I been here?”

  “You were in the hospital last night, you’ve been here since this morning. Now lay back and let me take care of you.”

  If only!

  It was a fleeting thought as she looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was afternoon. “That long?” She remembered fragments now. Nurses. Wheelchair. Getting into a car. Nothing was clear.

  Gently, he helped her lie back down, propped pillows under her head.

  “You’ve been asleep. I thought you needed your rest so I didn’t bother you. Give me a minute and I’ll bring you something to eat.”

  The door shut behind him.

  She shut her eyes in dismay. She couldn’t stay here.

  Struggling to her feet, she hobbled to the adjacent bathroom and discovered she was wearing green scrubs. Where were her clothes?

  How would she get them on if she had them?

  She looked in the mirror. She didn’t look different. Her face hadn’t been injured, but every muscle ached. And her arm and leg felt like they were on fire.

  As best she could, she struggled to lower her scrubs and use the toilet, then washed her face and hands. By the time she hobbled out, Douglas was there with a tray.

  “I told you to stay put. Now get back in bed and eat.”

  “I can go to the kitchen. Then you can take me home.”

  “You’re staying here while you recuperate.”

  No she wasn’t. She looked into his eyes and saw that determined Callahan look. “I’m going to my apartment,” Lisa said firmly. “I can take care of myself.” She ignored the pain that thrummed through the left side of her body. She might be stiff and sore from this, but she could handle it. What she couldn’t handle was being with Douglas 24/7. No way. It would be total misery.

  He shook his head. “The family agreed this was the best place for you right now.”

  They would, wouldn’t they? But she had to be alone. Maybe in the quiet, she could figure out what was going on, and why someone wanted to hurt her, or worse.

  She couldn’t do it here. Douglas was too distracting. Plus, she didn’t want his pity or his brotherly concern, nor did she want to burden her adopted family.

  If she was going to be miserable, she’d rather be miserable alone. />
  “You have no choice,” Douglas explained. “Mom laid down the law. And you know as well as the rest of us when she does that, we listen. She wanted to take you to the ranch and pamper you.” He held out a spoonful of soup. She allowed him to slip the spoon into her mouth, and despite everything else, felt an erotic thrill at the intimacy.

  “We couldn’t let her. If someone is out to hurt you it would put Donovan’s children in danger. The same with TJ and Max.” He chuckled. “You should have seen TJ when we told her you couldn’t go home with her. She turned so red in the face Max had to get her a glass of water. You’re better off here.” He stuck another spoonful of soup at her. “Besides. I’ll take good care of you.”

  Lisa shut her eyes in defeat. No matter what she said, the family was going to take care of her, and Douglas had been elected to do the job. Bet he loved that.

  Opening her eyes to slits, she watched him as he spooned soup, brought it to her mouth.

  He seemed different in a way she couldn’t define.

  Another spoonful.

  “Enough.”

  “Not enough.”

  She held up her hand. “For now.”

  He put it down. He looked so handsome. For a moment she forgot her aches and pains and just looked at him. His chin jutted in determination, and she knew that until she felt better, she was stuck here.

  “I’m going to be fine, you know.” Despite her aches and pains, she was lucky. No broken bones, no cracked skull.

  “You were almost killed,” he argued.

  “I took a tumble.”

  How was she going to endure this? She’d see him every morning, every night. Just like she'd dreamed. But not like this. Not as a burden, certainly not someone he had to take care of. This was a nightmare she had to figure a way out of.

  She’d get well as quickly as possible. After a good night’s rest, she could go to her own apartment. She swung her legs over the bed and stood.

  A moan escaped before she could stop it. The room spun in circles. Grabbing the headboard, she steadied herself, then slowly sat back down.

  “Take it easy,” Douglas said as he reached out to grab her. “You took a bad tumble. You won’t be on your feet quite this fast.”