by Various
"Sure."
He took out a piece of paper from his pocket, handed it to her and folded her fingers around it. "If you ever need me, call."
Chapter Six
"206 needs you. They’re asking for pain meds."
"Thanks," Catlin said, as she pulled her paper from her pocket. She recently graduated from nursing school and got her first real job. She loved her work, loved taking care of people more than she ever thought she would.
The medication cart sat two doors down from the room who requested her. The hospital where she worked in Denver was huge, but the few patients she had to take care of on a daily basis were her life. She really didn’t have one outside of work or hadn’t in the last couple of years.
Christmas would be here soon and she had to start making plans to go home for the holidays if she didn’t have to work. As one of the newest employees on the floor, she probably would have to. Her parents would understand.
She grabbed the pain medication out of the cart and headed the few steps it took to get to the patient’s room.
"Good morning."
"Mornin’."
"I was told you needed pain medication."
"Yes, ma’am."
"I’ve brought two. Just let me check your armband so I can scan it." Once she checked the patient’s information on his wrist, she handed him two pills in a cup.
"Thank you."
"You’re very welcome."
"Are you from around here?"
"Sort of. My parents have a place in southern Colorado. What about you?"
"Nope. I’ve from Cheyenne or outside of there about an hour north. I came down to visit some friends before I got stuck in here."
That’s where Eli was from. She glanced back at the guy in the bed, noting his blue eyes and dark hair. "What a way to spend your vacation. At least you were near a good hospital to rupture your appendix."
"Yeah."
"Well that medication should take about thirty to forty-five minutes to kick in. You should be feeling better soon."
"Thank you."
"You’re welcome."
She walked back out into the hall and down to the huge windows that looked out over the back parking lot of the hospital. Snowflakes fell in a huge curtain of white. She had begun to hate snow after meeting him a few years ago. Two to be exact. After they’d spent that quick twenty-four hours together, she’d lost all reason to find someone else. Damn the man. He’d turned into her knight in shining armor and then walked out of her life, never to be heard from again. Yes, she’d given him her phone number and she had his, but after one quick phone call to let her know he’d made it home, he’d never called again.
It was for the best. She needed to move on.
But, she couldn’t. He’d ruined her for anyone else.
Not that she hadn’t tried.
There was the one trucker who she’d hooked up with at the diner where she’d worked until she finished nursing school. After they’d hooked up and she’d taken him home, she realized the reason. He looked like Eli. Same dark hair and same piercing blue eyes. When it came time to get down to business, she couldn’t do it. She’d made love with Eli in that bed. Taking someone else there didn’t seem right.
The guy had gotten pissed and stomped out, cussing her for being a tease and slamming the door.
Maybe she was—a tease that is.
No, she didn’t really think so. After all, she hadn’t teased Eli.
She just wished she could move on, but he always seemed to be in her thoughts. Every little thing reminded her of him. The snow falling. Horses. Jeans. A guy in a cowboy hat. Anyone with dark hair and blue eyes.
I’m so screwed.
"Catlin?" She jumped and turned around only to find her coworker, Missy, standing nearby. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just feeling nostalgic I guess."
"Thinking about him?"
The two of them had become fast friends in nursing school and even got to work on the same floor at the hospital after graduation. One night after class, they’d gotten drunk on vodka and orange juice during their study time. The whole story had flown from her mouth as Missy listened intently only offering hugs and words of encouragement to her while she bawled her eyes out for what she’d lost.
"When don’t I think about him?"
"I know what you mean. I just wish I knew how to help you."
"I wish I had the answer to that too. I’ll get over him eventually. For now, I’ll just remember how it felt to be in his arms for the moment and then go back to trying to forget."
Missy hugged her for a moment. "Why don’t you call him? You have his number."
She shrugged as she turned back toward the window. "I know, but I feel like if he wanted to talk to me, he would have called sometime over the last two years. You know? Apparently, our time together didn’t mean as much to him as it did to me."
"If it meant that much to you, why didn’t you call him during the last two years?"
"What? Seriously?"
"Yeah. I mean the guy doesn’t always have to make the first move, you know."
"He knew I wanted more, but he walked away anyway. It would be like chasing him."
"What’s wrong with chasing a little? If he really didn’t want anything more to do with you, he’ll tell you."
"And break my heart all over again? I’m not masochistic."
"Well you sure aren’t happy the way you are."
"I’ll think about it."
"You do that."
Her friend walked back down the long hall toward the nurse’s desk, leaving her standing by the window in contemplation. Should she call him? Wasn’t that totally against everything she thought about chasing a guy? Surely, if he’d even thought about her over the last two years, he would have called, right?
She pulled the phone from her pocket, glancing through her contacts to the spot he occupied on the list. Her thumb hovered over the name for several seconds, but she resisted, putting it back into her pocket without dialing. It was over, done with, finished. Why bring up old wounds. She didn’t deserve the heartache it would bring to call him and have him shut her down with the rejection she knew was coming if she dialed his number.
After a heavy sigh, she walked back down the hall to finish the rest of her shift. Thinking about him did no good, so she might as well get back to work.
* * * *
Christmas music played in the background as Eli stepped through the door to the diner he’d visited so many years before. It still looked the same.
The waitress glanced up with a smile on her red lips and a twinkle of appreciation in her eyes. "Howdy."
"Hi there."
"You can sit anywhere. It’s pretty slow today."
"Much obliged." He looked around before taking the same seat as when he’d met Catlin . "Can I get some coffee?"
"Sure, cowboy."
He started as he turned his head toward her again, squinting just a little as she moved toward him. Nope, it wasn’t her. "Thanks."
"You’re welcome," she said as she slid the menu on the table near his elbow. "I’ll come back in a minute to take your order."
"Actually, coffee is fine."
She nodded and walked back toward the bar.
He’d driven until his butt turned numb to get here on Christmas Eve. Why, he wasn’t sure, but after the last few weeks of wishing he had Catlin near, he’d broke down and drove to Whisler to see if he could find her. Was the connection they had imagined? He wasn’t sure, but he decided he wanted to find out. Thinking about her every time the snow fell was driving him crazy.
"Listen, can I ask you a question, ma’am?"
"Sure."
"Do you know someone by the name of Catlin?"
"Girl who used to work here? Yeah, I knew her."
"She doesn’t work here anymore?"
"Nope. She finished her nursing degree and moved to Denver about six months ago. I heard she was working at one of the big hospital’s there."
>
"Do you know where?"
"Nope. Sorry. You a friend of hers?" she asked, squinting like she was trying to bring him into focus.
"You could say that. We met a couple of years ago and I thought I’d try to look her up."
"You could ask her parents."
"I don’t know her last name."
"You’re friends but you don’t know her last name?"
"It’s complicated."
"I guess so." She cocked the eyebrow over her right eye as she looked him up and down. "Walker is their last name." She pulled open the phone book, skimming down the listing with her fingernail. She tapped on the book, picked it up and brought it closer. "Here is their number. All you can do is give it a try."
"Thanks." He pulled out his phone and dialed. After the second ring, a woman picked up the phone. "Hi there. You don’t know me, but I’m a friend of Catlin’s and I was trying to look her up. I hear she’s moved to Denver. Could you tell me what hospital she’s working at?
"I’m sorry. Who are you?" the woman asked on the other end of the line.
He shifted the phone to his other ear. "My name is Eli Chandler. I’m a friend of hers. I had her number a couple of years ago, but I lost it before I could put it in my phone and I thought I’d look her up while I was in Whisler, but I hear she’s moved to Denver."
"Yes, she has a place there. Where did you say you knew her from?"
"Here at the diner. We met a couple of years ago."
"She never talked about you."
That hurt. "We knew each other for a short time."
"Hmm."
"Please, ma’am. I’d really like to see her."
"How about if I call her and tell her you want to see her. I should find out from her what’s going on, young man."
"I wanted it to be a surprise, but I suppose if you must…"
"A surprise?"
"Yeah. You know, for Christmas."
"I know she’s working today."
"If you tell me what hospital, I’ll look her up there. I promise, I’m not out to hurt her. I just need to see her again."
"You sound like a nice young man, I suppose and I do have your phone number now if something were to happen." She sighed for a minute. "She’s at Denver Regional Medical Center on the fourth floor. She works day shift so she’ll be there right now. She gets off at seven tonight."
"Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate it more than you know."
"You’re welcome."
He clicked the phone shut with a grin and a light heart. He’d see her soon and he couldn’t wait. Once he finished his coffee, he paid the waitress and headed for his truck. Snow came down in big flakes just like the day they spent together, although they weren’t calling for a huge dump of snow this time. He’d make it to Denver in a couple of hours and be able to see her before she left work.
His mind wandered to how she’d greet him. Would she smile and throw herself into his arms? Would he frown, fold her arms across those gorgeous breasts and tap her toe? He didn’t know. After all, he hadn’t called her in two years. But I lost her phone number. Excuses, excuses his conscious thought told him. He could have looked up the name of the diner or something. After all, he made more trips to Albuquerque over the last couple of years, but he never stopped at the diner on his way through. He thought about her so much he almost memorized her face especially the look in her eyes when she came apart in his arms the last time they’d made love.
It didn’t matter how much he told himself they were only fuck buddies, he’d made love to her that day. She’d managed to get under his skin like a burr stuck to a saddle blanket and he hadn’t been able to shake her since.
Maybe seeing her again will do it.
Somehow, he didn’t think so.
He flipped on the radio and tuned in to a country station out of Denver, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove.
What exactly he wanted from her, he couldn’t say, but they sure needed to get together again to work out this heat between them. He couldn’t move on until he did. She’d managed to cloud everything in his life from dating other women to not being able to fuck another woman without seeing her face.
Did he love her? He wasn’t sure. She definitely had him tied up in knots.
By the time he pulled into the hospital parking lot, it was three-thirty in the afternoon. The snow had stopped somewhere around Colorado Springs even though it was deeper in Denver. The snowfall for the year was a good one if the snowdrifts on the sides of the road were any indicator.
The trip he made home two years ago had taken him quite a while. Even though the Interstate had been clear, he’d had to take it easy because of the ice on the roadway. Luckily, his mare hadn’t foaled until he had her home for a couple days and could watch her closely. The foal had made it just fine even though he’d had to keep the stall on the warm side for her. He now had a beautiful paint filly to add to his stable.
The parking lot in front of the hospital looked empty. Saturday afternoon obviously didn’t lend itself to a busy day at the place. Of course, most of the doctor’s wouldn’t be in during the weekend if they could help it, he supposed.
He patted his pocket for the gift he’d bought her for Christmas. It wasn’t a ring, but he thought the diamond necklace might smooth things over if she was mad at him for not calling. Women loved jewelry, right?
Fourth floor. He walked toward the front doors as he adjusted the cowboy hat on his head. Man he hoped she threw herself into his arms and kissed all over his face. He smiled. That would be the perfect way to be greeted by the beautiful woman he remembered.
Once he found the elevator, he pushed the button and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for it to come down to the first floor.
He glanced around the lobby and noticed a florist shop off to the left. He quickly stepped inside. Flowers would be a good smoother, he figured. He found a small bouquet of roses in a vase in the cooler. "How much for the roses?"
"Twenty dollars including tax."
"Wow."
"Sorry. Everything is expensive in a hospital."
"Apparently," he said, handing the woman a twenty-dollar bill.
"Are you visiting a patient?"
"No, one of the nurses. I haven’t seen her in two years."
"Aw, how sweet."
"We’ll see. I haven’t called her or anything during that time either."
"Oh. You might want something besides flowers then."
"I’ve got a diamond necklace in my pocket."
"That might do it." The woman’s eyes twinkled with mirth. "Good luck."
"Thanks."
He walked back to the elevator to push the button again. Man, he hoped she would be glad to see him.
The elevator dinged as the doors opened. He stepped inside and pushed the button for the fourth floor. His heart raced as his palms got sweaty the closer he came to the floor where she worked. What would he say? Hi, I’ve missed you sounded good. Would she listen before she decked him?
The doors slid open revealing a busy area behind a long counter. People rushed in and out, moving past him to the elevators while others sat around laughing or working on computers.
"Can I help you?" A younger woman behind the counter seemed to be addressing him as he made his way closer.
"Uh, yeah. I’m here to see someone?"
"What’s the patient’s name?"
"It’s not a patient, it’s one of the nurses."
The whole group behind the counter stopped talking as quiet descended on the group, and they all turned to look at him.
"Her name?"
"Catlin."
A young blonde woman jumped to her feet and scooted around the corner so fast, he thought she might fall. "Um, I believe she’s in a room. I’ll go get her."
He watched as the woman raced down the long, carpeted hall to the last room on the left. The rest of the group still didn’t talk or move when he switched his gaze back to them. He smiled, hoping to ease the
tension. It didn’t seem to help.
Man, I hope I don’t have to have this reunion in front of the entire staff.
He waited not so patiently for Catlin to show up as the women continued to stare. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. Trepidation skittered down his spine.
What if she didn’t want to see him?
Chapter Seven
"Oh my God! Catlin, there’s a guy at the nurse’s station asking for you."
"What? No, you’re so not funny, Missy."
"I’m not kidding." Missy grabbed her arm. "I think it’s that guy you’re so hot over. Eli?"
"There is no way in hell Eli Chandler would be here. He wouldn’t know where to find me without calling and I haven’t talked to him in two years."
"He asked for you by name."
Her heart started thumping so hard against her chest wall, she thought she might be having a heart attack. "Really?"
"Yes. From the way you described him to me, I swear, it has to be him."
"Why wouldn’t he call? How the hell did he find out where I worked? Maybe he went to the diner and they told him." She tapped her fingers on her lips. "No, they don’t know what hospital I work at. Only that I’m in Denver somewhere." She smoothed her hair back off her forehead where it had come out of the clip at the back of her head. Surely, it wasn’t Eli, but what if it was?
"I’m telling you it’s him." Missy bumped her hip against Catlin’s. "He brought roses."
"He should, the asshole. He didn’t call me for two fucking years."
"Are you going to be mad at him? I mean, he’s even more gorgeous than you described him. If you don’t want him, I’ll take him. All six foot plus of muscle, hell yeah."
"You can have him."
"Okay." Missy headed for the door, until Catlin grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back.
"Oh hell, no you can’t."
"Well, if you don’t go out there and at least talk to him, I will."
"I’ll go. I need to at least see if it’s really him."
"What are you going to say?"
"Hell if I know. I haven’t talked to him since he called to tell me he got home safely."
