Find Me, Save Me

by Barbara Gee

  “Didn’t anyone tell you? Maddy doesn’t know how to complain,” Tuck said.

  “Oh yeah? I just thought she had a real high pain tolerance.” Jolene turned to Maddy. “If I push you too hard, you need to let me know.”

  “I will. I’m going to go upstairs to lay down for a while,” Maddy said. “I’ll come down for lunch.” Her hands were trembling and her whole body was throbbing but she tried not to show how badly she hurt. She started to wheel her chair but Tuck stopped her.

  “I’ll take you up, Maddy.” He moved behind her chair and took control. “Jolene, Kay would like to have you to join us for lunch at one o’clock. She said the more the merrier.”

  “I’d love to. Thanks.”

  Tuck pushed Maddy toward the elevator. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern in his voice. “You look wiped.”

  “I am, but I’m okay. I knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park.”

  His eyes were worried as he studied her in the elevator. “Are you done for the day, or does Jolene want to torture you some more this afternoon?”

  “I have to do another hour, but she said it’ll be mostly yoga stuff. Not weights and the bike.”

  Tuck wheeled her into the bedroom. “Do you want me to tell her you’ve had enough for the first day?”

  Maddy shook her head and smiled as he parked the chair by the bed and came around to her front. “No, Tuck. I trust her to do what’s best. But if you could lift me onto the bed I sure would appreciate it.”

  He bent down and she put her arms around his neck as he lifted her.

  “Ahhhh,” she breathed when she was laying on the wonderfully soft bed. “Maybe I’ll skip lunch and just sleep until three o’clock.”

  “You need to eat. But you have an hour and a half, that’s time enough for a nap.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes, then felt the bed sink as he sat down.

  “Roll over. Let me work out the kinks.”

  “It’s okay,” she mumbled sleepily. “You don’t have to.”

  “Roll over, Maddy.”

  She obediently rolled onto her stomach, tensing when she felt Tuck’s big hands on her waist.

  “Too hard?” he asked, working his thumbs up along her spine.

  “No,” she said on a sigh. “It’s so good.”

  And it was. His hands were magic, moving from her spine to the edges of her shoulder blades, to her neck and out across her shoulders, then back to her waist to repeat it all before moving down her arms, kneading gently.

  “Thank you, Tuck,” she said just before she fell into a blessed, well-earned sleep.

  Tuck decided to catch a quick nap himself, since he was still way behind on his sleep. He woke up an hour later, groggy and stiff, and he remembered why he didn’t normally take naps during the day. After running cold water over his face and head he toweled off and then went back over to Maddy’s room to make sure she got down to lunch in time.

  She was still sleeping peacefully, and he hated to wake her. After watching her for a while, he leaned over and smoothed his hand over her hair. Her eyes opened immediately, but it took a bit for her to focus on him. When she realized he was there she smiled, then started to stretch. The smile disappeared and she winced.

  “Oh, ouch,” she groaned. “Holy cow, I think I hate Jolene. Please, can you fire her?”

  Tuck chuckled, amazed that she was able to keep her sense of humor no matter what the circumstance.

  “We can’t fire her, she’s the best PT around.”

  “I’ll settle for someone mediocre at this point,” Maddy said emphatically. “I feel like I not only got hit by a truck, but it also ran over me a few times for good measure.”

  “You need to tell her when she pushes you too far. She won’t know unless you speak up.”

  “But I want to get back to normal as soon as I can, which means I need to let her push.”

  “Well, you can’t have it both ways, sweetheart,” Tuck pointed out. “I guess you have to decide if the pain is worth it. You ready to go down for lunch?”

  “Sure, I’m starving.” She sat up slowly and smiled at him. “I seem to remember my breakfast being interrupted.”

  Tuck deftly transferred her from the bed to her wheelchair, then leaned down and gave her a brief, hard kiss. “Sorry I interrupted your breakfast, but I’m glad we had a chance to talk. Are you having second thoughts yet?”

  “Nope. Not even close.”

  He smiled and pushed her chair out into the hall. The elevator opened just as they reached it, with Libby inside. She looked at them curiously, then grinned.

  “Never mind. I was going to ask what was keeping you but I think I already know the answer. I take it you two have worked out the complications?”

  “We’re working on working them out,” Tuck said enigmatically. “What’s for lunch?”

  Chapter 28

  Over a delicious pasta dish, Tuck filled them in on how he and his team had finally taken down Jimmy Callahan.

  Convinced that Jimmy was growing more and more desperate to set up a meth manufacturing operation in Kentucky so he could fill the orders of his regular customers and start turning the kind of profit he was accustomed to, Tuck had focused his colleagues on developing as many contacts in Kentucky as they could. That included talking with local law enforcement officers in the territory where they thought Jimmy had moved to, and asking them to be alert for any mention of Jimmy Callahan among their informants and undercover people.

  The tips were few at first, but Tuck knew how Jimmy operated, and he knew it was just a matter of time before he started making enemies in Kentucky. In his home state, Jimmy had been a big deal. He had spent many years building his reputation as a man not to be messed with. He maimed and killed his way to a spot at the top of the lawless pack, and he ruined plenty of smaller operations who dared encroach on his territory. There were many benefits to being the one calling the shots, and Jimmy enjoyed the notoriety.

  In Kentucky, however, it was the other way around. There were others who had earned their positions in that state, just as Jimmy had done in North Carolina, and this time Jimmy was the interloper. As he encroached, zig zagging through the state looking for locations to set up shop, people became aware of his presence and tongues started wagging. The tips coming in to Tucker increased, and a week ago he’d gotten word that Jimmy had laid claim to a piece of Kentucky backwoods that was just a tad too close to the competition. A local sheriff got word that the Kentucky clan was planning an ambush of Jimmy’s group, and he called the FBI with the tip.

  Tuck, Emma, Dan, and Tim had invited themselves to the party, and the result was a huge coup for both the FBI, who got their man, and the local sheriff’s office, who made numerous arrests themselves.

  “Did you get Russ and Abe, too?” Maddy asked.

  “Russ, yeah, but Abe had evidently been cut loose once his technical services were no longer needed. We’re still looking for him, though. Russ is singing like a bird, hoping for a plea, and he gave us Abe’s id. We’ve run him through the system and he’s ex-Army, where he worked in the cyber-security field. He might not be of use to Jimmy any more, but he’s a talented hacker and obviously for sale to whoever can pay him the most, so he’s bound to get up to no good with someone else if we don’t stop him.”

  Virgil pushed his plate back and leaned on the table. “So what comes next, Tuck? Will Jimmy go to trial?”

  “That depends on him. We’ve got so much on him, irrefutable stuff, including the videos he took of Maddy. Plus I have a list of literally dozens of people who will testify against him now that he’s locked up and his whole organization is decimated. If he’s smart, he’ll try to get a plea bargain, because if he goes to trial, he’ll be facing the death penalty, and my guess is he’d get it. But even if he gets a plea deal, he’ll never be eligible for parole.”

  “You did good, son,” Virgil said. “It’s good to know we don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

  “It is goo
d,” Maddy agreed. “But now that I don’t have to worry about Jimmy, my biggest fear is sitting across the table from me.”

  Everyone laughed and looked at Jolene, who wagged her finger at Maddy. “Don’t expect me to take it easy on you,” she said. “But I do have to say I’m amazed by this whole story. Tuck told me when he hired me that you had been abducted and brutalized, but I didn’t realize just how bad of a dude this Jimmy is. I’m glad we have a happy ending.”

  “Proud of you, big brother,” Libby chimed in. “How long can you stay here with us?”

  “I’ll leave tomorrow morning. I need to be back to work Thursday. Lots of loose ends to wrap up.”

  Maddy tried not to show her disappointment at how short his visit would be. If she whined and made him feel guilty about leaving every time duty called, she suspected he’d soon reconsider letting her be a part of his life. Besides, she had no desire to change Tuck—part of the reason she’d fallen so hard for him was because of his loyalty and sense of duty.

  “I’ll take good care of Maddy while you’re gone,” Jolene said. “And thanks again for all the new equipment in the gym. You definitely got all the good stuff.”

  “That’s a matter of opinion,” Maddy said, giving Tuck a sideways look.

  He laughed and told the others that Maddy had called it a torture chamber when she saw it.

  “Maybe I’ll join you two this afternoon,” Libby said. “I hear there’s going to be yoga going on, and I’ve missed that these past couple of months.”

  “You’d be more than welcome,” Jolene said graciously. “I’m happy to spread the love.”

  “Jolene, tell us more about yourself,” Kay requested. “Do you have your own practice, or are you affiliated with a hospital?”

  “I’m a sole proprietor. I do strictly contract jobs, like this one. I also do a lot of volunteer work for a number of organizations. My favorite is working with wounded veterans. I travel to a lot of different camps and retreats for vets who have been released from the hospital, but are facing a lot of physical therapy. We’ve realized that getting their family members involved is key to getting them to stick with their rehab programs long term. And that’s important because those who stick with it are light years ahead of those who don’t. So we involve the families at the retreats, and we have special seminars for them to show why it’s so important that their loved ones totally commit to their PT regimen. We also have hands on workshops where they get tips on helping with PT and other things, like teaching them about prosthetics and such.”

  “Who’s the ‘we’ you work with?” Tuck asked.

  “It varies, but a year ago I formed a small non-profit with four other physical therapists who have a passion for working with the vets. We do so many retreats together we decided it would streamline things to come up with a specific program and then offer our menu of services to the organizations who offer the retreats.”

  “And you stay busy with it?” Tuck wondered.

  “We could do it full time, easily. But we all have to keep our day jobs to pay the bills, so we have to pick and choose, and take turns. Usually two or three of us work an event, and we can only do one or two a month.”

  Tuck sat back and crossed his arms. “Have you had any events at ranches? Where the vets can ride?”

  Jolene shook her head. “No, there are a couple of riding arenas here in the midwest that open to vets on certain days, but none that I know of that have the facilities to host groups for a week, which is usually how long we recommend for the events we participate in.”

  “What are you thinkin’, Tuck?” Virgil asked. “You wonderin’ whether the Full Heart could do something like that?”

  Tucker shrugged. “It crossed my mind.”

  Kay nodded vigorously. “You’re right, Tucker. I think the Full Heart could be perfect for veterans retreats. Virgil and I are too close to retirement to take on such a big project, but I’ll bet that you and Libby could make it a huge success.”

  “Aunt Kay, you’re always scheming to get us to put down roots here at the ranch,” Libby said, laughing. “But I have to say, in this case you just might be on to something.”

  “The retreat center could be located on a more remote part of the ranch, so it wouldn’t interfere with the daily operations,” Virgil said.

  “And you could build the cabins or the lodge or whatever with extra bedrooms so the children could come along” Maddy suggested. “Coming to a place like this would be a dream come true for so many kids, especially for those who live in big cities and have no idea places like this even exist.”

  “Be still my heart,” Jolene said, patting her chest. “I can’t even imagine how exciting it would be to plan a facility like that. It would touch so many lives. That’s the best thing about it—it gives families encouragement and hope, which is the best motivation for the vets to work hard on their recuperation. I can assure you it would be the most fulfilling thing you could ever do.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Libby gushed. “I’ve already got a ton of ideas swirling through my head.”

  “It’s a big commitment,” Jolene said. “And just so you know, it wouldn’t be realistic to view a retreat center as a money making venture if you only make it available to vets and non-profits. You need a lot of generous donors, and even then it can be tough. What a lot of these types of facilities do to make ends meet is to schedule corporate retreats, or things like big family reunions. Those things help pay the bills, allowing them to bring in the non-profits as often as possible in between the paying gigs.”

  “I’m not sure I like the idea of a constant stream of corporate team builders coming onto the ranch,” Tuck admitted.

  “I second that,” Virgil said. “But I think we’re in a position where we could be pretty choosy.”

  “Why don’t all of you give it some thought and talk about it while I’m gone,” Tuck suggested. “Maybe we can do some brainstorming next time I come.”

  “When will that be?” Libby asked.

  “If I work straight through this coming weekend and next week, I should be able to come back next Saturday and stay for a couple of days.”

  “That sounds like a tiring schedule,” Kay worried. “You’re already exhausted, Tucker. You can’t keep pushing yourself like you’ve been doing.”

  “I should be able to work regular days now, Kay. I won’t be chasing after Jimmy in the woods anymore.”

  “For some reason I doubt your ‘regular days’ are nine to five,” Maddy guessed.

  He smiled at her. “No, but even a ten or twelve hour day is a lot better than what I’ve been working. I’ll be caught up on my sleep in no time.”

  Libby hopped up and started stacking their empty plates. “Let’s get lunch cleaned up, and then you, me and Maddy can take Jolene out for a ride in the Gator to show her the charms of the Full Heart Ranch.”

  “As long as we’re back by three o’clock,” Jolene said sternly. “Maddy’s sessions are my priority.”

  “No problem,” Libby assured her. “We just need to make sure Maddy doesn’t try sneaking off on us during your tour. I wouldn’t put it past her, either. Anything to avoid the torture chamber.”

  Maddy laughed. “Good idea, Libby. But I don’t think I’d get very far yet.”

  For the next hour the four explored the ranch, showing an enthralled Jolene the herds of cattle, the tall, wide butte Tucker and Libby had had picnics on as kids, and an old swimming hole in the creek. With talk of a retreat center fresh in their minds, they also scouted out a couple of possible locations for that.

  Maddy could tell that the idea of helping wounded vets had resonated immediately with Tuck, making her curious as to whether any of his colleagues or acquaintances in the Air Force had been injured in the line of duty. She would ask him sometime when she had the chance.

  Back at the house, the three women embarked on a marathon yoga session. Maddy was limited as to how much she could do, but the skilled Jolene had no trouble coaching both her
and Libby as they moved through different routines.

  Kay had announced that she was fixing a special dinner to celebrate Tuck’s wonderful news about capturing Jimmy, and after their time spent outside in the fresh air and the long yoga workout, the women were starving. They dispersed to get showered and dressed, all of them looking forward to whatever culinary masterpiece Kay was working on.

  Maddy showered, then dried and straightened her hair and carefully applied shadow and mascara, which she had to borrow from Libby. Her right arm was weak and shaking by the time she was finished, but she decided the result was worth it. This was the first time she’d actually felt well groomed and put together since before being snatched by Jimmy’s men.

  She dressed in a cute grey and white striped knit maxi dress, because she wanted something dressier than jeans but she was still too self-conscious about her skinny legs to wear a short skirt.

  The dress had cap sleeves and a scoop neck that was maybe a tiny bit on the low side, and it hugged her slim waist and hips. Maddy was naturally slender, but she did normally have just a bit more curve to her behind. Her muscle tone had definitely suffered while she’d been stuck in the wheelchair, but she knew that with Jolene’s help it would come back fairly quickly.

  She was tempted to try to make her way downstairs without the hated wheelchair, but she knew that probably wasn’t smart. Hopefully by Tuck’s next visit she’d be up and around with no problem.

  Her heart beat a little faster at the thought of Tuck coming back so soon, and the still new and exciting possibility that he was ready to find out where things might go between the two of them—well, that pretty much floored her. It was still almost inconceivable that Tucker Simon could actually be interested in her, and yet the electricity she felt between them certainly didn’t seem to be one sided.

  She wheeled herself toward the elevator, her breath catching when the doors opened and Tuck stepped out. He saw her coming down the hall and grinned.