Falling for Rayne: Book 1 in the Love and Flowers Trilogy

by Shannon Guymon

  Rayne used her elbows against the man’s chest and was glad to hear a loud oomph. She twisted her body and tried to use her knees against him, but he was ready for her. He pulled back his fist and let it fly into the side of her face, hitting her so hard that she saw bright points of light. She moaned in pain and clutched her face, as he hit her again and again. Pain exploded throughout her head sending her reeling.

  The man began dragging her again and she faintly heard the sound of pounding feet. Within seconds, the man’s tight arm around her neck was suddenly gone. She collapsed painfully against the hard sidewalk, tearing up her knees and the palms of her hands. She lifted up her ringing head and saw Garrett with his hand around the man’s neck, practically lifting him off the ground as he looked down at her.

  “Rayne? Are you okay?” Garrett demanded, his voice far away and distant sounding.

  Rayne closed her eyes for a moment and then slumped to her side as she tried to nod. Her face felt like it was on fire where the man had hit her and she was having a hard time breathing so she lay on her side panting, thankful for the coolness of the sidewalk. She opened her eyes for a moment and watched Garrett punch the man in the face and stomach as if she was far away looking through fog. The man was lifting his hands up, begging Garrett to stop, but he was ignoring the man. The man turned and tried to run away, but Garrett ran after him, tackling him and sending him flying to the ground as he continued to punch him in his side and back.

  The sound of sirens cut through her fog and she tried to sit up, but gave up and lay down as Jack licked her face and made snuffling sounds. It could have been seconds or minutes later that she was being gently touched. She blinked her eyes open and stared up at two paramedics who were touching her and moving her face gently.

  “Look at that. The whole side of her face is already swollen. Her legs and hands are scraped up. Let’s get going.”

  As she was being lifted onto the stretcher she felt someone take her hand. “Sweetheart, I’m here.”

  Rayne sighed in relief. Garrett was with her. Of course she’d be fine. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

  Chapter 19 – Superman

  Garrett watched Rayne’s face go lax and he followed the men as they lifted her up into the ambulance.

  “I’m coming with her,” he said and jumped up with him.

  A police officer ran to the back of the ambulance as they were about to shut the doors. “You can’t go with her. We need your statement Sir.”

  Garrett shook his head. “No, I’m not leaving her. You can get my statement at the hospital. Call Tate Matafeo. Tell him I caught this guy beating on Rayne and trying to shove her into his car. He’ll know what to do with him.”

  The ambulance took off down the road and he was glad Becket had been there to take Jack for Rayne. If Becket hadn’t pulled him off that guy, he didn’t know if he would have stopped. Seeing that man hit Rayne had thrown him into a red fog of rage. But seeing her collapse, helpless on the sidewalk had brought him right back. She needed him.

  He stared down at her red, swollen face and ground his teeth. What in the world had she been doing in front of her house? He’d told her to stay away. He shook his head and watched as the paramedics checked her vital signs and started an IV.

  “Is she okay? What’s going on? Why did she pass out?” he asked, looking back and forth between the men.

  The older of the two glanced at him and shook his head. “We won’t know until we get there. She could have passed out from shock and trauma or she could have a concussion if he hit her hard enough. We’ll be there soon. Just hang tight.”

  Garrett leaned his head in his hands and did something he hadn’t done since Iraq. He prayed. He begged God to help Rayne and to protect her and keep her safe. He prayed that she’d be all right and that she’d be able to recover completely. And then he prayed that the man who had done this to her would receive justice.

  They arrived at the hospital quickly and Garrett ran out with her as they pushed the stretcher through the doors and into the hands of a waiting doctor. The paramedic grabbed Garrett’s arm and pulled him back.

  “Dude, you can’t go with her. The doctors will take it from here. She’ll be fine. Head on over to the waiting room and they’ll come and talk to you as soon as they can.”

  Garrett heaved out an irritated breath but nodded his head. “Thanks Man. Thanks for everything you did for her. I appreciate it,” he said, his voice husky with emotion.

  The man grinned and slapped him on the back. “You’re welcome. It’s tough being in love, huh?” he said with a smile and walked off.

  Garrett blinked in surprise and wondered how in the world that man could take one look at him and just know he was in love with Rayne. He walked over to the chairs he’d sat in just a few days before and sighed. He never wanted to see this waiting room again. He took out his phone and called Becket first.

  “She’s here and they’re checking her out. She’s passed out though. It could be a concussion,” he said grimly and rubbed his hands over his eyes. “Could you take the dog back to the house and let Ivy and Cleo know that Rayne is here?”

  Becket agreed immediately and he hung up and called Asher. “Hey buddy, I’m here at the hospital. Rayne was just attacked and I caught the guy pounding on her. I’m here at the hospital, so I’m out for the day. Could you head on over to the Nyman’s? I left my truck over there and Becket is heading over to talk to Ivy and Cleo. Could you take over?”

  Asher burst out into twenty different questions that made his head hurt. “I don’t know Ash, I just don’t know. But when you’re done, head on over. There’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

  Asher said a few more things he promptly forgot and then he hung up. He looked at his newest contact and smiled grimly. He never would have thought that Tate Matafeo would be a contact on his phone, but he couldn’t be more grateful for the man. He tapped the contact and waited for Tate’s voice.

  “Garrett, I’ve been expecting you to call. Leave it to you to bang up our suspect so much that he needs to go to the hospital before we can book him.”

  Garrett smiled at that and sat back in the hard chair, his back already complaining. “Sorry about that but if you saw the woman you love being punched in the face, you’d understand.”

  “Garrett, I have and trust me, it took a while to pull me off the guy. I might be the only man who understands what you just experienced. That’s why I’m giving you a pass. If you see my men bring him in though, stay back or I will arrest you.”

  Garrett grinned. “Understood. I’m here waiting to hear how Rayne is doing. She passed out on me and they’re checking her for head trauma.”

  Tate paused. “We need to question you and Rayne as soon as possible. I’ll be down there in five minutes. Stay put.”

  Garrett agreed and hung up, glad that Becket had the duty of informing Ivy that her sister had been attacked. Ivy looked like she was the tougher of the two sisters but he knew in reality that Ivy was fragile, especially when it came to her sister.

  Fifteen minutes passed before Tate showed up. Right behind him were Ivy, Cleo and Becket. Ivy’s face was pale white and Becket had an arm around her waist as he led her to the information desk. The nurse was trying to calm Ivy down as he walked over and clapped Becket on the back.

  “Thanks Beck.”

  Becket nodded and shook his head. “She’s a wreck,” he said quietly. “I said her sister was hurt and she just crumpled. Rayne better be okay.”

  Garrett nodded his head. “I know how she feels.”

  Tate tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around. “Time to get your statement. Come over here with me so we can talk in private.”

  Tate asked him a few questions about the timing and then he went through it. “I was at the house and talking to a few guys when I heard a woman screaming. I saw two people scuffling behind a car and thought at first it was just a couple fighting, but then she screamed my name so I ran down the
hill and across the road in time to see the man punch Rayne in the side of the head. At that point, I reached the guy and grabbed him away from her. I um, maybe grabbed the guy by his throat. And it’s possible I punched the guy once or twice,” Garrett said, wincing at Tate’s expression.

  Tate stared at him for a moment. “Maybe? Maybe you punched him once or twice. Try around thirty times.”

  Garrett cleared his throat and looked away. “Hmm, I won’t confirm or deny that,” he said, pleased with his response.

  Tate snorted and wrote something down. “We have a seventy year old lady who saw the whole thing from her living room. Who by the way says you deserve a medal for bravery. You’ve got a fan Garrett.”

  Garrett grinned and relaxed a little. “Honestly, I don’t think I hurt the guy that bad. He should be fine to go to jail. Heck, as soon as you can connect him to Graham, the sooner this whole mess will be over and Rayne can get on with her life.”

  Tate rubbed a hand over his neck and shook his head. “Yeah, well easier said than done. Graham called a lawyer in as soon as he saw the way things were going. That’s why I never got around to calling Rayne. He’s still down at the station with my partner.”

  Garrett nodded and frowned. “That doesn’t sound promising.”

  Tate smiled grimly. “It’s not. But we’ll get him. If he hired this guy to attack Rayne, we’ll nail him for it. This guy will crack. The hired help always does. It’s not worth it to them to keep their mouths shut.”

  Garrett sighed in relief. “Then this could be good news.” He waved at Asher as he rushed through the doors of the emergency room but grabbed Tate’s arm before he could walk away.

  “Listen Tate, I just want you know how grateful I am for everything you’re doing to help Rayne. And I’m sorry about everything before. I was a real jerk over Jane and I shouldn’t have punched you that day in the bakery.”

  Tate grinned and punched him lightly in the arm. “It’s all in the past, Garrett. Listen, you should play rugby with us next week. We could use a guy like you. Rob plays and he loves it.”

  Garrett grinned and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you serious?”

  Tate smiled and held out his hand. “Absolutely.”

  Garrett shook his hand. “I’ll play as long as I don’t have to go up against Kam Matafeo. I’ve met your cousin and I’ve heard from Rob how easily he can break ribs.”

  Tate laughed. “He’s a teddy bear.”

  Garrett blinked at the outright lie. “Let me bring my buddy Becket and I’ll be there.”

  Tate nodded. “We take anyone.”

  Garrett watched him walk toward the desk where he began talking to the nurse and knew he would be talking to Rayne as soon as she was able to put two words together. He walked over to Ivy, Cleo, Becket and Asher and was immediately bombarded with a hundred questions.

  An hour later, the nurse approached them and spoke to Ivy. “Your sister can see visitors now. She’s banged up, but she’ll be just fine. If you’ll follow me.”

  Garrett followed right behind Ivy and when they reached Rayne’s room, he took one side of the bed and Ivy took the other. Rayne was holding an ice pack to her face and smiled faintly when she saw everyone.

  “Rayne,” Ivy whispered and picked up her hand and cried silently as she held Rayne’s hand to her face.

  Rayne looked at him helplessly as she put the ice pack down to run her hand over Ivy’s hair.

  “It’s okay, Ivy. Really, it looks worse than it is. I’m okay,” she said in a quiet voice.

  Garrett frowned at the bruise on the side of her face and wished he’d hit the guy a few more times.

  Rayne looked up and saw his expression and shook her head. “Hey you should see the other guy. I was just hit a few times. The guy who grabbed me had to face Garrett.”

  Becket laughed at that. “It took me five minutes to pull Garrett off that guy. I’ve never seen him so determined to pound someone into powder.”

  Asher winced. “I box with Garrett down at the gym. I always go home grateful to be alive and that’s with him holding back. I can’t even imagine what Garrett would do to a guy he was seriously mad at.”

  Garrett cleared his throat in embarrassment. “The point is, I was just grateful I was close by to help Rayne.”

  Cleo shook her head. “The point is, we got the guy. This nightmare is over and now you two can live your lives without fear. This guy has to be the man who shot Ivy. And if they can tie him to your parents’ death too, then all the better.”

  Rayne sighed. “Let’s all pray for a confession.”

  Tate knocked on the door and Garrett looked up with a frown. Now that he was with Rayne again, he didn’t want to leave her for even a second but Tate ushered everyone out and now that he and Tate had come to an understanding, he didn’t want to tick the guy off.

  They left Rayne alone and Ivy and Cleo and Becket went to find the cafeteria. He grabbed Asher before he could take off after them.

  “Hey Ash, let’s go back to the waiting room. We need to talk.”

  Asher frowned but followed him back down the hallway and sat down with him. Garrett glanced around but there were very few people there to overhear. He glanced at his brother and sighed.

  “I ran into Mom and her boyfriend today.”

  Asher sat up straight in his chair and grabbed his arm. “You’re kidding! Here, in Fircrest? What was she doing here?”

  Garrett looked up and bit his lips for a second before answering. “They were cashing the last check you sent them. A check by the way for a thousand dollars. I thought we’d agreed you’d send her two-fifty?”

  Asher reddened and turned away. “She’s my mother.”

  Garrett shook his head. “Biologically, yes.”

  Asher looked at him and frowned. “Garrett, you can’t be so hard. She’s had a rough life. You could be a little more understanding you know.”

  Garrett stared at him sadly, knowing in order for Asher to see the truth about their mother, he’d have to lose the part of himself that saw good in everyone and everything. He wasn’t sure he wanted that for his brother.

  “Let’s just agree to disagree on our mother.”

  Asher smiled in relief and turned toward him. “So what’s she doing here in Fircrest? Did she want to see me? Did she say anything about me?” he asked eagerly.

  Garrett felt his heart break for his little brother and was taken back in time to all the nights after their mother left when he would ask every few seconds for their mom. Every time the phone rang he just knew it would be their mom calling for him. And it never was. Every time the mail man came he’d run to the mailbox expecting a letter from his mom. Not one letter ever came.

  Garrett felt a helpless fury but tamped it down. Asher would just get defensive if he said anything negative so he kept his opinions to himself.

  “No Ash, she didn’t. She was here to get more money though. She was wondering if we wouldn’t mind loaning her and her boyfriend the money they need for a down payment on a house they’re looking at.”

  Asher’s eyes went wide at that and he looked down at his hands. “How much did she ask for?”

  Garrett didn’t hesitate. “Ten thousand dollars.”

  Asher swallowed hard and ran a hand over his hair. “I take it you said no.”

  Garrett shook his head. “I went back in the bank and got them a thousand dollars from my account. So that’s a thousand from you and one from me. But I told her that was the end of it Asher. I told her that I’d give her the money with the understanding that she not ask you for any more money. Ever. She agreed.”

  Asher sighed unhappily and studied his cuticles. “I thought maybe she came up here to see me, to thank me for all the money I’ve sent her this last year.”

  Garrett nodded with a sad smile. “She left as soon as I handed her the cash. Asher, for your own sake man, you gotta let her go.”

  Asher shook his head and stood up. “I gotta go. Tell the others that I uh,
. . . that I had to leave,” he said and walked away.

  Garrett knew better than to chase his brother down. He just needed some time to think. Garrett leaned his head back against the white wall and closed his eyes and thought about his mom. Because of her, he and Asher had grown up motherless and needy. Always needy. Always looking for love that was never coming. Asher, poor guy, was always trying to save every pretty face he came across in the hopes of someday being good enough to be loved.

  He felt his heart ache and hoped that someday Asher would find a woman who could love him so much that every hole their mother had put in his heart would be filled.

  He thought about Rayne and smiled. She was so completely different from the woman he’d handed money to this afternoon that it was almost comical. Rayne was honest and kind and so beautiful and loving. Very loving. She was so loving that it almost scared him. Garrett smiled and remembered when she’d stomped away from his truck and spit on his foot. Yeah, she loved him. But he’d pushed her away and all because of his mother.

  Well no more. Allowing his mother to affect his life and his heart and his happiness was at an end. He’d finally found a woman who would love him as much as he loved her. How stupid would he be if he didn’t tell her how he felt?

  Garrett stood up and walked quickly back to Rayne’s room and opened the door. Tate looked up as he said goodbye to Rayne and nodded to him on his way out.

  “She’s a sweet lady, Garrett. Take good care of her.”

  Garrett smiled and nodded his head. “I plan on it.”

  He walked over to Rayne and sat down in the chair next to her bed before taking her hand. He looked at the bandages covering her palm and frowned as he ran a finger softly over the injury.

  “I’m so sorry you were hurt,” he said and kissed her bandaged hand softly.

  Rayne smiled at him and motioned with her finger for him to come closer. He leaned in and she motioned for him to come even closer. He smiled and stood up, leaning over her bed, bracing his arms on either side of her. She smiled up at him and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him with the lightest touch of her lips.