Wild at Heart (Healing Harts)

by T. J. Kline

  Justin assumed his silence was agreement. “I need you to help me convince her to stay.”

  “Me? What can I do? She’s never listened to me before, why would she start now?”

  “You’ve been down this road, seen things she needs to know about. She needs to hear what she’s really getting herself into. Tell her about your time in Oakland, what it was like.”

  “Are you nuts? The last thing she needs to hear is the gory details of what I saw as a cop in Oakland.” He leaned in closer. “And I’m not talking about what happened to Lance.”

  “You don’t have to tell her about Lance, but give her an idea of what she’d be up against and the cold truth about what happens to most of the women you saw. People who don’t know her won’t be as forgiving as what they are here.”

  “Are you asking me to scare her into staying, Justin? Don’t you think that might be going a bit overboard?”

  “She’s going to get hurt, Chase. I know it, and I think you do to. I can’t just stand by and let that happen.”

  Chase could see the frustration and worry in Justin’s eyes. Regardless of his overbearing tactics, Justin loved Bailey and Chase knew he was just trying to keep her safe. Unfortunately that control was the very thing she was running away from.

  “Just remind her what she’s leaving behind.” Justin gave Chase a pointed stare.

  His gaze snapped back to his friend. “What are you getting at, Justin?” Was Justin actually encouraging him to ask Bailey out?

  Justin cocked his head to one side. “Look, you know as well as I do that Bailey had a crush on you as a kid. She looks up to you, she always has. You did what she’s planning to do but you came back. Without going into all the details, explain some of the reasons why. If I try, she’ll just assume I’m trying to manipulate her into staying. She’ll be more open-minded with you than she would with me.”

  “Gee, I wonder why.” Chase finished off his now bitter cold coffee, hating the spark of hope that had flared in his chest. Justin simply wanted his cooperation. “I wouldn’t even know where to start. It’s not like I can just show up at her house and force her to talk about it.”

  “Take her out to dinner, buy her coffee. The rodeo is coming up next weekend. Take her to that and remind her how much fun it can be here. If you have to, use whatever crush she had on you to convince her to stay.”

  Chase sighed heavily. Justin had no idea what he was asking, or what sort of temptation he was dropping into Chase’s lap. How was he supposed to take her out and, somehow, manage to keep his hands off her? On the other hand, how could he refuse Justin after the number of times his friend had pulled him through his darkest nights? “Are you seriously asking me to play with her feelings, just so you can get your way and keep her close?”

  “I need you to convince her to stay, Chase. She can’t end up like her mother.”

  There was a desperation in Justin’s voice that Chase had never heard before. Dread crept into his chest, tightening its hold. He didn’t want to ask for an explanation but it was too late to go back. He couldn’t pretend he didn’t care. “Why?”

  Justin leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Do you remember before you left for boot camp, when Uncle Luke seemed really distracted? Apparently Aunt Becca came back. She said she wanted to stay, apologized, and he was going to take her back, but she was hooked on drugs. He put her in a treatment facility.”

  “Bailey—”

  “Never knew anything about it. Uncle Luke didn’t want her to see her mother that way.” Justin shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. “Then just before she got out, she was offered a role in some B-movie. I guess that meant more to her than Bailey or Uncle Luke.”

  “Damn,” Chase whispered under his breath. “Bailey doesn’t know any of this?”

  “No one does. When I found out Bailey was singing with some guys a few years back, I approached her dad about it and asked him to help me get her to quit. He told me what happened and swore me to secrecy. I thought we had her convinced.”

  Chase couldn’t imagine what Bailey would think if she knew the truth, that her mother had returned but abandoned her twice for her career.

  “It gets worse. When everything went down with Alyssa, her lawyer, Franklin had to make sure there was nothing that was going to affect her divorce, so he hired an investigator. Well, he found Aunt Becca working as an ‘escort’ in Hollywood.”

  “Ah, crap!” Chase hung his head. No wonder Justin was so adamant that Bailey not go to LA, and why he was too scared to let her leave. “Don’t you think this is something Bailey should know?”

  Justin shook his head. “No, and I don’t want anyone else to find out. Her mother filled her head with dreams and then left her behind. I don’t want to see Bailey follow her mother’s footsteps and end up on the same path. I refuse to let her get hurt. I have to do something, Chase, but I’m only making things worse.”

  Chase could hear the anguish in Justin’s voice. The man was trying desperately to protect his cousin and making a mess of it.

  “Fine, I’ll try to talk to her, but I doubt she’ll listen to me.”

  And if talking turned into kissing again?

  He would have to make sure it didn’t. Chase eyed his friend, saw the relief in his eyes, and wondered if he’d feel the same way knowing how Chase really felt about Bailey. Jessie had already mentioned that everyone could see how he felt about Bailey. It would be just like Julia and Jessie to try to find a way to push the two of them together. Knowing Justin, he was so desperate right now that, if he knew it meant Bailey staying close, he might be okay with him dating her as long as it meant keeping his family intact and Bailey safe.

  “Chase, you have no idea how much this means to me.” Justin polished off his coffee and rose from the chair. “I have to head back to the clinic. Lyssa was keeping an eye on it for me while I came in for supplies, but she’s pretty busy with Sam. I don’t want to leave her trying to juggle everything for too long.” He tossed his cup into the trash and headed for the door. “Oh, and Chase?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m trying to protect her. I might be giving you free rein, but don’t let things get out of hand or I’m going to have to geld you. Got it, cowboy?”

  Chase clenched his jaw, refusing to acknowledge the comment. So much for Justin being okay with it.

  Chapter Nine

  BAILEY STRUMMED HER guitar once slowly, making sure it was in tune. “Are you guys ready?”

  A cheer went up from the kids sitting in a semicircle around her. Some were in chairs like the one she was using but most of them were in wheelchairs, several with IV poles. Bailey knew these kids needed a distraction, something that would keep them focused on anything but their frail bodies. That meant finding songs they would enjoy. Rather than concentrating on a playlist, as she did when she sang in bars, she let the kids take the lead, asking for their requests and playing the ones she’d received the prior week.

  “Jimmie, I’ve got one for you,” she said, pointing at one of the wheelchair-bound boys. “You have no idea how hard this song was to learn, but I did it just for you.” Bailey began to play an acoustic version of Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries.”

  She let the music carry her. She’d learned long ago that in order for anyone else to feel the music the way she did, she had to feel it first, to let it consume her and take her to a different place. She watched several of the kids just close their eyes, listening, feeling, letting the song transport them from the confines of the four walls that surrounded them. It brought tears to her eyes as Jimmie smiled and sang along with her, for the first time.

  As much as it broke her heart to watch the kids suffering, she came each week because she could see how much it meant to them. As she finished the song, she looked at the next one on her playlist. It was one she’d been playing almost weekly since it was first requested, and as she strummed the first notes of American Authors’ “Best Day of My Life,” she laughed as the kids sang along, e
ncouraging the nurses and doctors in the back to join in. She caught Blake’s eye and saw him grin, knowing he understood a part of her that no one else would. As much as she did this for the kids, they filled an emptiness in her. They reminded her that she was more than just Wild Hart. She had her own purpose to fulfill.

  “WHEN YOU TOLD me you were taking me out to dinner, I expected something a little nicer than the Feed Lot. You said you were taking me to the Grille,” Bailey complained to Blake as she slid into the tall stool at the pub table, giving a quick wave to two of her friends playing in the band onstage. She frowned as she realized she hadn’t responded to Tucker’s last message about the concert JD was trying to set up. There was something strange going on, and she wanted Tucker to try to talk to a few of JD’s other clients and see if this was the way he normally operated. She pulled out her phone.

  “Put that thing away and quit your complaining,” Blake shot back, grabbing her phone from her hand. “This place has the best steaks in town, and I’m withering without some decent protein in my belly.” He patted the six-pack under his T-shirt.

  Bailey laughed as she took her phone back and their waitress slid two menus onto the table. She caught the way the woman’s eyes moved over Blake appreciatively just before she shot Bailey a jealous glare and headed back toward the bar. Bailey leaned forward so he could hear her over the loud country music the band belted out onstage while a couple danced on the hardwood dance floor. “You know, you could have a regular date anytime you wanted. Our waitress seemed to enjoy the view.”

  He rolled his eyes. “No, thanks.”

  “Either you are the pickiest man I’ve ever met or . . . ” Bailey paused as a sudden thought hit her. “Are you gay?”

  “No!”

  “Blake, there’s nothing wrong with it if you are.”

  “I know there’s nothing wrong with it, but I am most certainly not gay. I just don’t need the complications of dating. I’m only here for another six months or so.”

  She tried not to speculate at his comment when he’d just told her today how much he liked his practice in town. His deep brown eyes seemed to cloud over, and she wondered what he wasn’t telling her. This wasn’t the first time he’d expressed his reluctance to date. Frown lines stood out on his brow for a moment before disappearing as he shot her a cocky grin and winked.

  “I’m really just waiting for you to come to the realization that you love me instead of lusting after a beige uniform.”

  There was more to his adamant refusal to date, but she didn’t want to push him for an explanation. At least not yet.

  Bailey was grateful for the loud music drowning out his comment about Chase. “You need to keep proprietary information to yourself, Dr. Whitmore, or you’re going to be surgically removing my foot from your ass,” she warned.

  “Ouch. Point taken.” He pretended to pull a zipper over his mouth, but his grin promised he’d continue harassing her over their meal.

  Bailey loved their relationship. She was grateful Julia had pushed her to join in during a visit to the hospital with the dogs. If it hadn’t been for that first visit, she’d never have met Blake and returned to sing with the kids on a regular basis, never have gone out on their awkward blind date that had ended with both admitting they didn’t want a relationship, never have enjoyed this easy friendship. He was the male version of herself and the only person she felt she could completely be free to let her guard down around.

  “Don’t look now but we have company,” he warned, jerking his chin toward the door behind her.

  She spun in her seat to see Chase entering the bar area looking good enough to eat. His hair was damp and slightly tousled, as if he’d just stepped out of a shower, but there was a shadow on his jaw, like he hadn’t bothered to shave. His navy flannel hugged the broad planes of his chest, and the lines only accentuated his slim hips and that perfectly muscled rear that just begged to be grabbed. Jeans that probably should have been slightly looser hugged his thighs, and she wondered how he managed to find the time to work out to keep his body looking this good.

  Blake snapped his fingers in front of her face. “You think you might come back to this conversation?”

  “What?” Bailey bit the corner of her lip. “Sorry.”

  “Sweetheart, you’ve got it bad,” he pointed out. “What you need is to have one night of wild sex to get him out of your system.”

  “Are you nuts? He is not the kind of guy to a have a wild anything with. He follows all the rules.” She laughed at the absurdity of the suggestion, even as a blush rose over her cheeks at the thought. She quickly reined in the direction her imagination wanted to take, to Chase in her room, to her hands removing his . . . “What I need is to get the hell out of this town.”

  Blake shrugged. “If you say so. But sometimes, it can be fun to be good, too, Bailey.” He turned to smile at the waitress as she reappeared with two shot glasses of amber liquid and the chips and salsa he’d already ordered. “Thank you. We’ll take another round and order in a few minutes,” he informed her, ignoring the way the woman slid her hand seductively over his forearm.

  Lifting the glass, he waited for Bailey to do the same. “To letting go of the past and to new beginnings.” They clinked glasses in a toast before tossing back the whiskey effortlessly, flipping the glasses upside down on the table. “One down, several more to go,” Blake announced.

  “You know, I still don’t see why you won’t think about joining me in LA when you finish your rotation here.”

  Blake ran a hand over the back of his neck before reaching across the table to take hers. “You’re gonna be far too busy to miss me that much.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “I still have another six months here and anything could happen,” he reminded her. “And what am I supposed to do? Follow you when you go out on tour? I mean, I am your biggest fan, but that might be pushing our fake relationship a little too far. People will start to think it’s real.”

  “Most already do.”

  He grew solemn. “I’m here for a reason, and I need to stay for now.” He glanced behind her and she saw the humor return to his eyes. “Don’t look now,” he warned.

  Goose bumps skittered down her arms even before she heard his voice, and Bailey cursed her body’s response to Chase’s nearness.

  “Hey, Bailey, I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.” Chase’s hand fell on her shoulder possessively, heating the flesh beneath his calloused palm, and her heart rocked against her ribs. “I don’t think I’ve met your date.” His words might have sounded friendly if not for the warning note she detected in his voice.

  Blake held out a hand. “Blake Whitmore.”

  “Dr. Blake Whitmore,” Bailey corrected, hoping Chase would make the connection to their earlier conversation.

  Chase looked at her as his brows shot up on his forehead in understanding. “I see. So you weren’t kidding. Chase McKee.” He reached out to shake Blake’s hand but didn’t remove his other from her shoulder, where his thumb was lazily tracing circles over her skin, making it tingle and burn.

  “Nice dog.” Blake glanced at Gracie seated beside Chase’s leg, her tongue lolled out to one side. “Didn’t know you could bring dogs in here.”

  Chase shrugged. “Not usually but Gracie’s broken up enough brawls in here that the owner doesn’t mind. She reminds people that a cop is nearby, even when we’re off duty.”

  Bailey didn’t miss the veiled warning in Chase’s tone and watched the two men size one another up momentarily before Chase turned his attention fully toward her again. She didn’t want to hear another of his lame apologies. “So she’s your date again tonight?” she asked.

  “Always.” Chase didn’t take her bait but eyed her with a smirk. “I’ll let you two get back to yours but was hoping we could catch up over coffee tomorrow. I have something I need to run by you.”

  If it had been any other man, she might have suspected he was asking her on a date, but with Cha
se, she knew coffee was just coffee. She prayed her acting skills were on point tonight so that she could pull off nonchalant while her heart was pounding in her chest like a drum line.

  “Sure. I don’t have to be to the clinic until ten, so how about nine?”

  Chase’s gaze swept over her, his eyes going dark before his lips tipped up at the corner in a half smile. “Perfect.” He turned back to Blake. “Sorry to interrupt. It was good to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” Blake barely held his laughter at bay until Chase was out of earshot. “Honey, you’re in deep trouble.”

  “What?”

  “That look he gave you.” Blake’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Like you were the best thing on the menu tonight.”

  “Shut up. He did not.”

  “He most certainly did. Hell, if some woman looked at me that way, I’d leave you sitting here with the tab.”

  “Then I should probably take your wallet now since there are no less than three women checking you out and we just got here, you jerk.”

  Blake laughed. “Don’t worry. Since you’re here as my fake girlfriend, I am glued to your every word, unless you need to dump me for your deputy. I have no interest in anything other than a few shots and helping my girl unwind from a tough week.” He looked toward the bar. “That is, if our waitress ever comes back with round two.”

  Bailey couldn’t help the smile that slid over her lips at Blake’s affectionate words, but that didn’t stop her from looking for Chase in the growing crowd at the bar. Her shoulder was still warm from his touch and she’d been trying, unsuccessfully, to will her pulse to slow since he left. Chase turned, just in time to catch her watching him, and shot her a self-assured grin, holding up his beer and tipping his head to one side in salute. Bailey wondered if she shouldn’t bail on dinner now. She had a bad feeling about what tonight might bring.