Small Town Secrets

by Molly Kate Gray

  Being declared a yellow patient by the triage nurse on arrival at the hospital, she was deemed serious enough to stay in the emergency room corridors and yet not critical enough to demand immediate attention. Since he was the one who’d carried her in, Josh cradled her in his arms on the hard tile floor of the emergency room corridor for hours while the hospital staff attended to the more life-threatening injuries around them.

  “Bryce and I will manage for the time being. Is Tara going to be okay?” His father didn’t mask the concern in his voice. Josh was concerned for an entirely different reason. His dad was relying on his brother? That wasn’t going to end well. Once Josh got home, he was going to spend the next week trying to clean up whatever mess Bryce created while helping their dad. Several words came to mind — none of them suitable for his current conversation.

  Josh sighed and tried to focus on the clock on the wall — almost one o’clock in the morning. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes without feeling any relief. “The surgery took three hours, but the surgeon thinks he repaired all the damage he could for now. She may need a follow up later.”

  “When will you be able to leave?”

  “Maybe tomorrow.” Josh ran his fingers through his hair and gave up attempting to stay on his feet. Dropping into the chair, he flinched as Tara stirred in her sleep. “She was awake long enough to tell the nurses she knew me and give them her brother’s phone number, but we can’t get him on the phone. If you’re sure Bryce is coming, I really don’t want to leave her here alone. This place is insane.” He slumped against the wall and closed his eyes. “I’ll try calling her brother again tomorrow. If I can get him to come here, I’ll get right on the road. I’ll drive as fast as I can. You’re sure you’ll be okay?”

  “I’m tougher than you think I am,” his father said.

  “You like to pretend you are. That’s why we’re in this situation to start with.” Josh turned in the direction of Tara’s bed and was surprised to see her looking at him. “Look, Dad, I’ve got to go.” He ended the call and slid the phone into his pocket. “You’re awake.” He didn’t try to hide his surprise. She was almost as pale as the sheet beneath her tangled hair. With a grave look on his face, the surgeon informed him they’d had to give her five units of blood. She looked as if she could use a few more.

  “Guess I have something in common with whoever you were talking with.” She licked her chapped lips and winced as she tried to reposition herself in the bed.

  “What?”

  She looked at him with bleary eyes. “I’m tougher than I look.”

  Josh nodded in agreement. “I can see that.”

  Tara’s eyes fought to stay open. “Is everything all right? You sounded worried.”

  Josh slid the chair closer to her side and was surprised to see her unconsciously move to put more space between them. He scooted the chair back to its original position, and she seemed to instantly relax. Interesting. Perching his elbow on the armrest of the chair, he held his head in his hand. “You’re going to be fine. You lost some blood. Needed some stitches.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” Tara frowned and shook her head. “Your phone call. You need to be somewhere else.”

  Josh fought back a laugh at the irony of the situation. Tara was worried that he needed to be somewhere else. “No. It’ll be fine. My brother is covering for me.” Slowly, he reached for her hand and tried not to look surprised when she took it. “I can stay till David gets here.”

  • • •

  “Ow.”

  Josh wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep when something woke him, but he knew it definitely hadn’t been long enough. The room was almost completely dark — a nurse must have turned off the main light when she’d last checked on Tara. Only a dim nightlight illuminated the room’s sink. No hint of dawn leaked in through the blinds covering the windows. He sat up and watched as Tara tossed in the bed.

  Hell.

  He was definitely in his own personal version of hell. Josh leaned to the side, trying to work the kink out of his neck from sleeping in the recliner next to Tara’s bed. His palm throbbed with every beat of his heart. Part of him wanted to track down a nurse for some Tylenol or something, but then he remembered the packed emergency room and decided he could handle a little discomfort.

  What else was new?

  Less than six months ago, he’d been on top of the world. The youngest anchor the network news had ever had. Every time he slipped out the doors of the station, he was instantly surrounded by admirers … especially young women. No matter how late the broadcast wrapped, he could always count on the crowd to provide an ample selection for his evening dinner companion.

  And then his dad called. Everything changed. He put his condo on the market; and less than three weeks later, he was here.

  Well, not exactly here.

  Miller’s Grove.

  From network news to the backwater Georgia station. His boss, Ellen, was certain he was committing career suicide. He didn’t disagree. When he announced he was moving from the big desk at WNBC’s headquarters to a tiny station that barely existed, his manager assumed Josh was joking. Sadly, he wasn’t. Things were out of his control. His father’s cancer was at the top of the list.

  He still wasn’t sure how Chuck’s leukemia caused him to end up here, now. When Chuck announced the trip to Orlando, it was supposed to be for a little team bonding. Spending the night babysitting the daughter of the former owner of the station wasn’t on the itinerary.

  But here he was. He rubbed his eyes with his good hand, focusing on the clock on the wall — not even 2 A.M. The last time a nurse came in, it was just past midnight. This was going to be a long night.

  “That hurts.” Tara stirred. She gave a low moan, her nose crinkled and her brow wrinkled against the pain.

  A tear slid down Tara’s cheek.

  He’d never been good with tears.

  Josh didn’t do the knight-in-shining-armor routine. He didn’t need to. The ladies he dated didn’t need a reason to like him. Reluctantly, he stepped to her side. “Tara, do you need me to get the nurse?”

  “Please don’t.” She seemed agitated in her sleep as she struggled against unseen hands. Her face contorted in distress. “Let go of me.” She brushed her hand along her bandaged arm.

  Realizing her words had nothing to do with her injury, Josh tried to gently shake her awake. “You’re dreaming, Tara. You’re just having a bad dream.”

  She pushed his hand from his shoulder. “Stop it! Please!” She cried out through tears as she wrestled against something — or someone. “No! Not like this!”

  Tara’s fear-filled pleas summoned a nurse from the hallway. “Is everything all right?”

  “Get off me!” She kicked the blankets away as Josh stepped back from the bed. “No.” Tara’s voice broke as she dissolved into tears.

  The nurse’s brow furrowed with concern. “Probably a reaction to the pain medicine.” She whispered softly as she smoothed Tara’s hair across her sweaty brow. “Shh. Honey, you’re going to be fine. Everything’s okay.” Gradually, the tension in Tara’s muscles relaxed and she settled back into a peaceful sleep. The nurse looked up at Josh with dismay. “Sometimes they can have reactions to the medication after surgery. They just need someone with them to calm them down.” A loud alarm sounded in the hallway. “I’m sorry. I can’t stay.”

  “I understand.” Josh let out a long breath as the nurse skirted behind him on her way out the door. “I’ll take it from here.” Unsure how he’d gotten himself in this predicament — this morning he’d just hoped they made it home without killing each other along the way — tonight he was the closest thing to family she had. He did the only thing he could think of, so he pulled the chair to the side of the bed and took her hand. “It’s okay, Tara, you’re not alone.”

  • • • />
  “Easy.” Gretchen, the nurse’s aide, took hold of Tara’s good arm as she helped to maneuver her back into bed after changing the sheets.

  Apparently her stubborn streak was amplified when she was in pain, and Tara tried to brush the aide’s hand away. “I can do it.” She shivered as her bare feet touched the tile, and she took a step toward the bed without assistance. “I’m fine.” When she stood fully upright, the room swam in front of her and she clutched the rail of the bed for support.

  “We can all see that.” Josh couldn’t fully hide his laughter as he leaned against the far wall of the room. He’d stayed in the hallway while the aide had assisted Tara with taking a much-needed shower, but he returned just before she was completely back in bed. He shook his phone to draw her attention as she reluctantly allowed Gretchen to take hold of her waist. “Your brother will be here in about an hour.”

  “You got him on the phone?” Tara leaned back on the pillow in relief, wondering when the room would stop spinning around her.

  Josh pushed away from the spot where he’d been leaning against the wall. “Yep.” He stepped to Tara’s side, and he pursed his lips. “You’re sure you don’t need me to stay?” Taking the plastic cup on her tray table in hand, he filled it with water before tipping the straw down to her lips with the practiced manner of someone who’d spent quite a bit of time at an invalid’s bedside.

  “I’ll be fine for an hour.” Tara studied him as he waited patiently for her to finish her drink before she relaxed more deeply into the bed. “Really. You’ve done more than enough.” She cringed at the faint memory of the blood-soaked shirt he was wearing when he carried her into the emergency room. She remembered nothing of the drive from the hotel to the hospital, and she suspected that was fortunate, but she distinctly recalled him picking her up and carrying her through the wind and still-churning debris to get through the plywood-covered sliding doors to the emergency room. “Thank you.”

  “You’re leaving?” The aide’s ponytail bobbed as her head whipped around in Josh’s direction. A faint hint of regret crossed her face. Obviously, she wouldn’t have minded if Tara’s brother had been unable to make the trip. Even exhausted, Josh was a beautiful specimen of a man. Normally clean-shaven, he now sported more than a hint of jet-black stubble, giving him a charmingly rugged appearance offset by the vivid blueness of his eyes.

  “I need to get back home.” He stepped closer to Tara’s bedside and leaned down next to her. Her heart skipped a beat at the conflict in his eyes. “Call me if you need something.” Josh reached out and quickly squeezed her fingers. “Take care of yourself.”

  “I will.” With a hint of regret, Tara watched as the door slowly closed behind him.

  “Was that really Josh Owens? The nurses have all been taking bets. Nancy said it couldn’t be him, but I would recognize those eyes anywhere,” Gretchen asked.

  Tara nodded slowly.

  “I thought it looked like him, but they told me not to ask.” The young woman broke into a wide grin. “My sister’s never going to believe me. I met one of the sexiest men on television.” She gave a tiny squeal and lifted her shoulders in glee. “He really is beautiful. Can you say that about a man?” She turned to Tara, expecting agreement, but was puzzled by the expression on her face. “You’re lucky to have him. My boyfriend wouldn’t have stayed at the hospital with me all night.”

  “That was real?” Tara’s eyes narrowed in confusion as she skipped over what Gretchen just called Josh. The pain medicine had made her beyond groggy. In the middle of the night, she thought she’d seen him sitting in the chair, but she assumed she’d been hallucinating. He was Josh Owens. He wouldn’t sleep sitting up in a chair. Would he?

  “He held onto your hand all night,” Gretchen continued.

  Oh god. It was only getting worse.

  The aide giggled and lowered her head. “You really have been out of it.” She circled the chair and knelt next to Tara. “He absolutely refused to leave. Threatened to do an exposé on the hospital when your doctor threatened to make him go back to the hotel. Every time Nancy came in to check on you, he was right there next to your bed.” She sighed heavily. “He’s so much nicer than I expected him to be.”

  Tara remembered the look of concern on Josh’s face as he watched her hesitantly step from the chair into the bed just moments before. “I guess he kind of is.”

  Chapter Four

  August

  Tara attempted to juggle a cup of coffee and carry her laptop bag while she pushed open the door to the staff conference room.

  “Here. Let me.” Lainey closed the distance between them and wrapped her friend in a cautious hug “It’s so good to have you back.” She nodded to the dark blue sling. “How much longer will you have to wear that?”

  Tara adjusted the strap around her neck. “Not too much longer. Three weeks — maybe four.” She leaned over her chair, wrestled the laptop from its case, and placed it on the tabletop. After powering it on, she tried to arrange her things around her seat before the staff meeting began.

  “Look who’s back! I didn’t think we’d be seeing you again.” Todd stuffed the remains of a sandwich into his mouth as he approached Tara. “Courtney was getting ready to take your place.” He winked at the youngest member of the staff. “I saw her measuring your cubicle last week.”

  A tall redhead walked into the room. Her purple skirt swirled around her knees as she gave Todd a playful shove. “I was not.” She turned her attention back to Tara and gave her a quick one-armed embrace. Courtney smiled down at the smaller woman. “I’m just glad to see you here.”

  “You all caught up on the soaps?” Todd slid into a half-seated position atop the table.

  Ignoring Todd, she slid into her chair. “What do you think?” Tara ran her hand under her hair and draped it over the sling, partially concealing it.

  “Looks pretty good. If I didn’t know it was there, I wouldn’t be able to see the sling at all,” Lainey nodded in approval.

  “You don’t need to hide it.” The assembled group turned in response to Josh’s voice. Already wearing his suit jacket for the evening broadcast, Tara couldn’t help but notice the way his muscles rippled beneath his powder blue dress shirt. The corner of his lips bowed up as he noticed where Tara was staring. He winked and straightened his tie.

  Tara flashed him a look of displeasure. “It’s not exactly camera worthy.” She adjusted the Velcro clasp.

  “The reason you’re wearing it is.” He stepped up behind her, depositing a printed copy of the meeting’s agenda in front of Tara. “You saved that baby.”

  “I’m the reason Kenna was in the foyer to start with.” Tara frowned in annoyance. The Jacksonville City Council had contacted her just the day before about receiving an award for her act of bravery in keeping Kenna safe, but she wasn’t interested. If she’d stayed in the safety of the hallway, neither of them would have gotten hurt. As it stood, Tara was one of thirty people moderately injured in the storm. Thankfully, the storm moved quickly enough to avoid the type of damage traditionally seen with category three storms.

  Josh looked as if he were preparing to argue the point when his father entered the room. Short, blond, and stocky, Chuck Owens bore almost no resemblance to his son. He’d always been fair skinned, but Tara noticed his face seemed almost translucent as he entered the room. “Ahh. I’d forgotten you were coming back today.” He broke into a broad grin. “I’m joking. It’s about time you made it back to the station. It hasn’t been the same without you.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Tara felt her cheeks flush at the unexpected show of affection from her boss.

  Chuck made his way to the head of the conference table almost directly opposite Tara. Shuffling a stack of papers in front of him, he waited for the members of his staff to settle into their seats. “We have the full team back, or at least we should. Wh
ere’s Spencer?”

  Todd spun his chair to get a better look into the hallway. “He was on the phone when I walked by his desk.”

  “Well, somebody go get him.” Chuck took a deep breath and grabbed hold of the side of the table. Tara didn’t miss the pointed looks that flew between Josh and his father. “If that boy’s late to a meeting one more time … ”

  “I’m here.” A breathless Spencer rounded the corner and flew into the room. He leaned over, panting, and braced his hands on his knees. “Really.” He tried to catch his breath, but it was clear to see that the former major league baseball player hadn’t kept in shape after he began his career in the newsroom. “And this is worth it. Wyatt Miller’s moving back to Miller’s Grove.”

  “What?” Tara’s eyes widened.

  “You heard me.” Spencer beamed with pride. “Just got the exclusive news.”

  “But Wyatt’s playing for Denver this season.” Todd bounced his pencil next to the notepad in front of him. “His contract still has three more years.”

  Spencer shook his head as he waved a handful of pages at the members of the news team. “You remember he blew out his knee during spring training?” He waited for the staff to finish discussing the injury among themselves. “He had surgery, but the knee’s just not getting better. He met with the staff doctors, and they’re releasing him from his contract. The team’s holding a press conference tonight at six.”

  “You’re sure about this?” Chuck stared his sports reporter down.

  “Did Preston call you with the news?” Josh didn’t hide the look of contempt on his face.

  Everyone in the station knew the city’s district attorney was a notorious publicity hound, even more than usual now that he was up for re-election. Since he managed to turn up at the site of every major news story being covered in recent days, even when it had nothing to do with his office, Tara didn’t doubt that he’d use his son’s return to town to his advantage. Apparently Josh had the same thought.