by Rhian Cahill
They’d formed a friendship. A solid one where Rylan got invited to backyard barbecues at Gray’s house, to nights at Hooligan’s Bar for beers with Gray’s brothers, as well as other social events involving some of their colleagues and members of the community, particularly from the police and fire departments where Gray’s brothers worked.
“Sorry.” Shaking his head, he said, “I should be thanking you, not grumbling. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me since I arrived in Sunnyville.”
“No thanks necessary.” Gray turned to the waitress as she stopped at their table and placed a glass of water in front of each of them. “I’ll take a burger with everything.”
“Same,” Rylan added. “And coffee.”
“Got it. Back with your coffee in a few.”
Gray waited for the waitress to leave before launching into his questions. “So. Anything to report this week? That DWI crash call you took the other day go okay?”
He knew why Gray asked about that particular call. It was to give Rylan a chance to get anything off his chest that couldn’t be put in the official report. “Yeah, the drunk idiot passed out before he could fight too much about being transported in a chopper. The on-ground paramedics had him strapped down due to a possible spinal injury too, which helped.”
Gray grunted. “Patients like him piss me off.”
“You and me both, but we’re hired to do a job, so we do the job.”
“Yeah, doesn’t stop me from wanting to throw a punch or two.”
Rylan chuckled. “If only. Or maybe not dope them up so much on pain meds.”
Gray smirked and said, “Amazing how a bit of turbulence or a bumpy landing can quiet the most hostile patient.”
“Hmm . . . You would think they’d be happy to have someone trying to help them.”
“Some people just don’t like help.”
“Takes all kinds. Thanks,” Rylan said as the waitress placed a mug of coffee in front of him. “Speaking of help. Any info on the new flight nurse?”
“Alyssa knows her. She’s out of LA, apparently.”
Rylan frowned. “Lord, I hope she’s not a shallow Hollywood type.” He couldn’t stop the hard edge in his voice. Renee had lived in LA when they met. She’d dazzled him with her looks at first, then he’d discovered just what it took for her to look that good. The end of their marriage had shown him how shallow his ex-wife had been. In spite of her constant accusations that he didn’t connect on a deeper level, it was Renee who had been surface only, flash with no substance.
“I don’t think Alyssa would be friends with her if she was. Alyssa is the most down to earth woman I know. Although I am familiar with the type you’re talking about.” Gray’s frown matched Rylan’s. “I’ve dealt with those before.”
Rylan cringed. He didn’t know the full story about Gray’s ex, the mother of his son, but he knew enough to know his comment had probably dredged up bad memories. Hoping to divert his friend from a touchy subject, he changed the topic. “I moved into my house on Monday.” He couldn’t help grinning. It might be too big for him, but Rylan loved that house already.
“Yeah? So the next barbecue is at your place then.”
“Sure. I’ve got the perfect deck for it. I’ll need a grill though. Probably some outdoor furniture too.”
Gray laughed. “I thought you said you’d moved in?”
“Oh, I have, but I didn’t have a yard in any of my previous places, so neither were necessary. And as much as being part of the army is a team thing, I never really socialized outside of the job unless it was in a bar. Plus, I spent a lot of time deployed.” He’d spent the majority of his time deployed. Before and during his short marriage.
“Well, you’re making up for it now.” Gray smiled at the waitress when she put their burgers on the table. “Thanks, Janie.”
“Need anything else?” the teenager asked.
“Nope.” Gray arched a brow at Rylan.
“I’m good. Thanks,” Rylan added, smiling at the young woman. “So, am I up next then?”
Gray picked up his burger. “If you want, but maybe we should let Christian have this one and swap you out for Grant next month.”
“Done.” Taking a huge bite of his burger, Rylan made a mental list of what he needed to buy between now and then. He had a few weeks to get his backyard ready to host his first barbecue so he could take his time finding what he wanted.
He grinned around another bite of burger.
He’d be ready. Couldn’t wait to have his new house filled with his new friends and take another step forward into his new life in Sunnyville.
5
Mazey grabbed her backpack off the passenger seat and got out of her truck.
She was early. Even earlier than the thirty minutes before the start of her shift her boss had asked for.
Taking a deep breath, she slipped her backpack on, hit the lock button on her key fob then headed for the front door of Mercy-Life.
Alyssa wasn’t on today’s rotation but had told Mazey to call if she needed a pep talk or an explanation or just a friendly voice in her ear. With a smile on her face, Mazey pulled the door open and stepped into the dark foyer.
And ran smack into a wall.
Except it wasn’t a wall, and as her ass hit the tiled floor, she couldn’t help the burst of laughter that preceded the air from her lungs.
“Oh shit. Fuck. Sorry.” Two strong hands curled around her biceps and lifted. “Damn it. We really have to stop meeting like this.”
Mazey couldn’t do anything other than match the smile of the man pulling her to her feet. “Yes, yes, we do. Because this seems to be becoming a habit.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” She shook out of his grasp and brushed off her backside. “My backpack cushioned most of the blow.”
“I really am sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Again.”
She smiled up at him. “Maybe you should start watching where you’re going then.”
“Funnily enough, this only seems to happen with you.” He grinned, a sexy quirk of his lips that drew her gaze. “So maybe I’m not to blame.”
Mazey decided to take some blame for last week’s crash but not today’s. Her eyes hadn’t adjusted to the dimmer light inside the building when he’d barreled into her today. “I’ll cop to being half at fault last time but not this time. I couldn’t see anything but darkness once I stepped inside.”
“And that’s what I was heading outside to deal with.”
“What?” Tipping her head, she asked, “What does going outside have to do with this dark foyer?”
He pointed up. “Light’s out.”
Glancing up, her eyes now wholly adjusted to the minimal light, Mazey could see the light fixture had been removed, the bulb socket empty. “Okay.” She still wasn’t sure what that had to do with him going outside. Her confusion must have been written on her face because he grinned and explain further.
“We’re out of that type of bulb, so I’m heading into town to buy some before my shift starts.”
“Shouldn’t that fall to maintenance?”
“Well, yeah, usually. But it’s dangerous as is, and I’m early so I can take the time to go and pick some up.”
Did this kind of thing happen often? She’d never worked somewhere that the staff took care of maintenance, not even a squeaky door. If it needed fixing or replacing, you sent a request.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t the usual way of things. We have a crew who takes care of the building, I’m just helping out because I can, and I don’t want anyone else crashing into a wall.” He winked, the surprisingly sexy act made Mazey shiver and suck in a breath. “Go on through. Assuming you’re the new flight nurse, Cochran is waiting for you. I’ll be back before you’re done with the tour in here, and I’ll take you to the hanger and show you where we keep the medical supplies, plane, and choppers.”
“Is that your job?” Was he in charge of the aircraft, the whole base?
She hadn’t even gotten his name, or given her own, and yet he appeared to know who she was. Sticking out her hand, she said, “Lord, I don’t even know your name. I’m Mazey Novak, but everyone calls me Maz.”
“Nice to officially meet you, Maz. I’m Rylan Conners, Ry for short. I’m your pilot on this shift.”
“Oh.”
“I’m pretty sure we’ll be teamed up permanently. I’ve worked with several of the nursing staff since I got here, but I think that was to get me grounded in the job and because we’ve been short-staffed.”
“That explains why they wanted me to start as soon as possible. Do you like it? The job?”
“Yeah, I like it. It’s a nice change, flying into areas where I’m not getting shot at to pick up patients.”
“Shot at?” What the hell? “We get shot at?”
“Not here!” He shook his head. “Sorry. Previous employment. Army.”
Mazey nodded. Okay, that made sense. Sort of. She wasn’t quite sure she was following this conversation. “You said Cochran is waiting for me?”
“Yes.” He flicked his hand to indicate down the hallway behind him. “Second door on the left.”
“Thanks.” Mazey gave Rylan a smile and stepped around him. She wasn’t sure why, but she had to force herself not to look back. The first time she’d run into him, it had left her with an unsettled feeling for hours—days—and now, after their second collision, she could put a label on it.
Attraction.
She was attracted to him. And while they hadn’t really talked, he intrigued her. She’d like to get to know him, except that hum of sexual arousal made her wary.
The last time she’d gotten tangled up with someone from work, it had ended in disaster. Not that Stuart worked at Anaheim Memorial Hospital, but they’d met there. He was a visiting surgeon on a two-week stay, and she’d been assigned to him as his buddy. They hadn’t gotten together at the time. It was two months later that Stuart had called and asked her out.
Mazey couldn’t stop the emotions that flooded her. The echo of excitement that a man like Stuart was interested in her. The joy and contentment she thought she’d felt during their years together even though they’d lived in different cities. The betrayal and humiliation and anger—the shame—at the discovery of his deception.
It all bombarded her, almost buckling her knees.
No. She wouldn’t go through that again.
Whatever it was she thought she felt for Rylan Conners would have to be ignored.
She wouldn’t—couldn’t—put herself in that position again.
She would never make herself a fool for a man again.
Straightening her spine, she pulled in a couple of deep breaths, slow and steady, and pushed forward.
The only thing she would allow to take her attention was her new job.
She would find her feet in this new environment and be a success.
She wouldn’t accept anything less from herself—for herself.
It was what she wanted. What she deserved.
One man had already sabotaged a career she’d worked years to build. There was no way she would let that happen again.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice definitely wasn’t in her future.
“Mazey! Come in, come in,” Cochran called out as she stopped in the office doorway. They’d met over video call the day he’d offered her the job, but this was their first in-person meeting. “Take a seat. I just need to finish up this email then I’ll be ready to show you around.”
“I’m a little earlier than you asked.” She dropped her backpack on the floor beside a chair and sat in front of Cochran’s desk. “Sorry.”
He waved that off. “No problem. I’m just getting this request off to maintenance before I forget. I don’t think it’s a good use of resources to send one of my highly trained pilots out for light bulbs.” He grinned.
Mazey smiled. “No. I don’t think so either. It’s like having a brain surgeon stitch up a leg laceration.”
“Exactly!”
She watched Cochran thump at his keyboard for a few minutes then moved her gaze around the room. There were a few personal items—some photos, a couple of knickknacks—but otherwise, the room was basic. White walls, steel desk, plastic guest chairs, gray carpet that looked well-worn, and a small, blind-covered window letting in minimal light.
It was a box really. She didn’t think she could work in a room like this. Her office at the hospital had been filled with pieces of her. It had taken her half a day to pack it all up after she’d quit.
“Right.” Her gaze snapped back to Cochran when he slapped his hands together. “I’ll give you that tour. We’ll start with the bathroom.”
“Lead the way.” Mazey pushed to her feet, scooping up her backpack as she did.
“The tour won’t take long. I’ll introduce you to the shift about to clock off while we wander around. By the time we’ve gone through the whole building, your team will have arrived, and when Ry gets back, he can take you out to the hanger to show you around out there,” Cochran explained as they moved deeper into the building.
“I met Rylan when I came in,” Mazey said. She didn’t tell Cochran how they’d met last week or that they’d crashed into each other both times. It wouldn’t do for her boss to think she was a klutz.
“Before you, he was the newbie.” Cochran grinned at her. “Now you get the label.”
“Is there some sort of initiation or menial task the newbie is supposed to do?”
“Nah, you’ll just be called the newbie until everyone remembers your name.” Cochran threw her another grin. “Or until they give you a nickname.”
“A nickname?”
“Yep, there’s a few of those around here.” He pushed open a door. “This is the shared bathroom. You’ll notice the showers aren’t communal. Also, no urinal in here. All stalls and individual shower rooms. Lockers over there.”
Mazey was surprised the bathroom was shared by both male and female staff members considering the age of the building.
“We had a local contractor remodel the bathrooms into one when we had a busted pipe a few years ago. This works better, and so far, no one has complained.”
She must have had a disapproving look on her face. “Oh, I’m sure it works fine, and I don’t have any objections,” she rushed out in reassurance.
“Good. Okay, let’s go see who we can find in the common room.”
Mazey followed, her backpack still slung over one shoulder, which reminded her to ask, “Do I have an assigned locker, or is it grab whatever is available?”
“Grab whatever’s available. We did the assigned locker thing before the remodel, but to save on space, we cut back the number of lockers. There’s a few more than needed each shift, though, so you’ll never go without.”
She nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”
“Ah, it looks like everyone is here.” Cochran clapped his hands. “All right, everyone, this is Mazey Novak. Mazey, everyone.”
As introductions went, it wasn’t the best, but surely she’d work out who was who before too long.
6
Rylan cringed when Cochran introduced Mazey. He’d received a similar one from the man six months ago, so when their boss headed back to his office and left her standing in the doorway, he couldn’t leave her out on that limb.
“Mazey, you already met me,” he said as he moved toward her. “Let me run through everyone else, and they can raise their hand when I say their name to make it easier.”
She gave him a smile, her gaze clearly telegraphing thank you.
“We’ve got Kari, Georgia, Kent, Charles, Grayson, Meg. And then we have Devon, Bex, Tate, and Jack.” He’d spoken slowly so everyone could put their hand up one at a time. “There’s another six who aren’t on shift today. You’ll meet them at changeover tomorrow morning. You’ll get everyone straight soon enough. For now, we’re on with Jack, Tate, Bex, and Devon, he’s with us. Everyone else is heading home.”
; “Hi. Nice to meet you all.”
“Now that that’s done, we can head out to the hanger.” He noticed she still had her backpack slung over a shoulder. “You didn’t put your bag away?”
“No. We barely popped our heads through the doorway of the bathroom before coming in here.”
“Jeez. C’mon, we’ll grab you a locker then head next door.” Rylan had to stop himself from pressing a hand to the small of Mazey’s back. He wouldn’t have the urge to do it if she were a guy. Then again, he wouldn’t be inclined to do it with any other female colleague either. He’d have to be careful to control his impulses around her. Instead of putting a hand on her like he wanted, he swept his arm out. “After you.”
She gave him a quick smile, then led the way into the hall.
“Take whichever empty locker you want,” he said as they entered the bathroom. “I just need to dump my keys in mine.”
Rylan tried not to be pleased by the fact Mazey chose the locker next to his, it wasn’t as though she had much choice, but he couldn’t stop the warm swell of emotion if his life depended on it. He didn’t seem to have any control over his body when it came to her. He couldn’t decide if this was going to be an issue or not yet.
For months he’d been completely uninterested in the opposite sex, and now this tiny slip of a woman had his hormones jumping around like bullets in a firefight. Last week she’d told him she was meeting someone, and he couldn’t be sure if it was a boyfriend or not.
It couldn’t be a husband. She didn’t wear a ring. Then again, who was to say she wasn’t one of those people who didn’t bother with the traditional symbol of marriage. Hell, he’d never worn his on deployment, although he had worn it when stateside and he would wear one as a civilian when the time came. Maybe she just didn’t wear it at work.
“Ready?”
“Huh?” Caught in his thoughts, Rylan turned a questioning look at the woman beside him. “Oh, right. Yes.” He smiled to ease her concern. “Let’s go.”
This time he took the lead. He pointed out the kitchen and storage room as well as the bunk room on their way through the building to the rear door. When he shoved open the door and stepped outside, the mid-afternoon sun almost blinded them.
