A Trust Earned

by Diana Castilleja

  “Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to catch you before I left,” he started.

  “How did you find me?” Her gaze was closed now, not entirely welcoming. He offered a rueful smile. “I asked and the personnel department gave me directions, but it took some work. I am sorry for intruding.” He looked around, feeling like an invading army amongst the peacefulness of her little slice of heaven. “I can see how and why you like your privacy.”

  Her expression lightened a little. “I do. You just took me by surprise. The only other people who know where I live are my family.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous? A woman by herself out here?”

  She leaned against the closed front door, crossing her arms in front of her. “I’m not entirely alone.”

  “I saw the dog. It’s beautiful, but not exactly a good defense. It ran.”

  “She knew you weren’t an enemy.”

  His lips twisted at her blunt assessment. “I should have just called, but after Thursday I wanted to make sure you understood I had accepted.” He caught a slight flicker, maybe relief pass before she straightened again.

  “I’m glad of that, Doctor.” She stepped forward stopping at the edge of the top step, her gaze softly wary. “Can I ask how you got them to give you the directions?”

  He knew he flushed at her frank question. “I told them I had already received documents that would transfer my insurability and I wanted to get them to you.”

  Her lips lifted at the ploy, an arched eyebrow shadowing it. “And did you?”

  He knew he’d been caught. “You’re too smart for your own good.” Did he look guilty as he said that? Most likely.

  Forgiving laughter followed her as she moved the rest of the way off the porch to stand before him. His gaze flickered over her white shirt and bleached denim shorts to land on her bare feet. “It’s all right Doctor. All I ask is that you don’t give out the secret.”

  “I was warned you like your privacy.”

  “That isn’t a secret,” she answered glibly. “So when is your flight?”

  “In a few hours. They’re not happy with me back home.” He let his shoulders sag a little.

  “Ah, therein lies the reason. You don’t want to face their wrath.”

  “I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but are you always this astute?” He was getting too comfortable with her, her smile, her laugh, but he still couldn’t make himself turn away and leave. He found himself grinning too much to want to leave.

  “It’s an unfortunate character trait that runs in my family. We’re damnably smart,” she said with a playful wink.

  “Yes, I can see that. Well, I’m glad I at least got to say goodbye before I had to leave.” He reached into his jeans pocket and withdrew a note paper folded in half. “Here are my contact numbers. If you need anything from me, please call. I have a timeline, but nothing ever goes to plan.”

  She stared at the numbers held in her hand. “No, no they don’t,” she replied in a distracted tone. When she lifted her head, his breath hitched in his chest at the way the sunlight glinted in her gray eyes, a turbulent blending of shades drawing him in.

  He’d fought the impulse once, but now there was no one, no nurses, no audience, no reason not to as he started to lean down craving just a single sip, a taste. Her lips had parted, a soft shape that lured him in as her gaze darkened. He’d been wanting to for days he realized, even as he swore he wasn’t interested in women; he was intrigued by this one.

  The shrill cry of the phone from inside her cabin jolted them apart. She took a hurried step back, alarm and something more in her expression. She turned without a word and ran for the house. The phone was answered two rings later. He straightened, shocked to find his breathing ragged and unbelievably, bordering on a full arousal. It was time he left.

  FOUR

  Selene watched out her window long after Bram had driven off. If it hadn’t been for Morgan’s call, she would be in deep water right at the moment, because no matter how much everything about her told her he was the one, she just wasn’t ready.

  Her eyes closed as the picture of him standing in the sunlight of her front yard came to her. Tall, virile and dominant but so very tender. She had sensed the tenderness in him on more than one occasion. His general caring of a person’s welfare, a concern to make the world right. It was in his work, in the way he handled people. The way he handled her.

  She shook her head, letting her forehead fall to the glass pane of the window. Now that he was here and would be staying, she knew her resolve was going to be tested. The secret of her home was only the tip of the iceberg.

  Six years ago, it had been folly to do what she’d done, but her curiosity had been strong, and he had needed help by the last day she’d trailed him. Now, she felt ill-prepared, slightly anxious and incredibly nervous about the way things were going, how quickly they were moving, and now he knew where she lived. When no other soul outside of her family knew of her little cabin, he did. Someone at the hospital had given him directions. That could have been from the faculty file for all she knew. His arrival in her territory was just a first sign.

  The second had been the near miss of his kiss. She still gripped the slip of paper with his phone numbers in her hand, unwilling or unable to release that link just yet. She didn’t know what had possessed him to try to kiss her and she didn’t want to analyze why she was going to let him either. Evidently, six years had not been enough preparation for her to accept. She laid the paper on the table by the phone and went to change for her shift at the hospital.

  ***

  Three weeks later Bram had successfully listed his home, which wasn’t heartbreaking in the least. His resignation hadn’t been taken as well however. They had pleaded with him, offering a better salary, more benefits, anything to tempt him to stay, but they couldn’t offer the one thing that Bend could. A sense of peace that came from doing what he was meant to do. He was done with St. Louis. Done with the demands, the criticism, the around the clock assholes who ran his life like a puppet on strings. He was burned out on what they were offering.

  He had contacted Selene earlier in the week to keep her up to date on his plans since it was taking longer than he’d originally hoped. She’d sounded surprised at first, maybe justifiably fearing that his plans had changed because of the near incident Monday at her cabin when he’d left, and that he wouldn’t be returning because of it, but he quickly destroyed that notion.

  He had rented an apartment the weekend he was there, and had already sent the movers ahead with his things. He was flying out in the morning. He was ready for the challenges ahead as he sat in his hotel room, and excited anticipation flowed through him.

  Ready to start over. Ready to find what he had been missing all those years in St. Louis. Just ready. There was only one last thing to do.

  Rebecca.

  Lifting the phone, feeling a heavy dread, he did what had to be done. He frowned as her voice sliced across the phone line when she reacted to his news. “You can’t mean it, Bram! You can’t!” she cried, stunned into his ear. He yanked the phone away, waiting for a pause.

  “I do, and I have. I’m flying out in the morning and I will be on staff in less than four days.” She should be thankful he had opted to call her at all. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling. Her thinking, however, never would have come to that conclusion though.

  “Where?” The demand was unmistakable in her voice, in that one word. He shook his head, knowing she expected him to relent, to bend. Not this time. Never again. “Out west.”

  He heard as she ground her teeth over the phone. “Why won’t you tell me?”

  “Because we both need the distance,” he replied.

  “But Bram…”

  “Rebecca.” He sighed. “I told you ages ago it was over. Hell, I told you that when the divorce was final. It’s over. You haven’t wanted to hear me. You haven’t wanted to believe me.”

  “Bram, I love you.” She sobbed harder.

  Hi
s mouth tightened, disgusted with her antics. “Rebecca, I don’t love you. Just let it, let us go,” he entreated her.

  He heard the sound of her expected tears and couldn’t even dredge up remorse any longer. “All right, Bram. I’ll miss you.”

  Seconds later he said goodbye. There was nothing left to say. He slid the phone back into the cradle, standing from the corner chair of his room to look out one last time at the city he had called home his whole life.

  As he stared out the window, he thought about the day he was preparing for. Heading for a new job, a new home, a new life, and as his thoughts moved and merged, the weight of the phone call, the chill of his own failures at whatever level, no longer felt so heavy on his shoulders. His mother and Mitchell had both taken the news in stride, his mother probably more aware than his brother at the restless, caged feeling he had felt burdened with the last few years. He had explained the change better to them than he would ever think of for Rebecca, with the exception that his mother had exacted one promise. He had to keep in touch. They were still a family.

  His lips rose as he remembered the discussion with them. His mother had asked covertly about Selene when he’d mentioned her by name, but his attitude had been impersonal, as was appropriate. They would be working together. He’d used the same description she herself had used, keeping his own personal observations silent.

  Like the way her hair had shined in the sunlight, or the way her cloud soft eyes shifted with her thoughts. The way he had been tempted twice to kiss her, when he knew it was the last thing he should have even been considering.

  He did tell them about her work ethic, how protective she was of her staff, how much she and her staff cherished their patients. She was a remarkable woman who had endured a lot, eight months’ worth, and now, in less than a week, he would be working with her.

  Moving from the window he slipped off his shoes to stretch out on the bed. He padded his hands beneath his head. She was remarkable in so many ways. No one on staff had uttered one bad word about her. In fact, the majority had praised her and her ability. Honest, fair, level headed, and no one seemed to even notice how beautiful she was. But he had.

  He had noticed it as he’d neared her in the lab with her head bowed over a medical file cursing about an infection. His lips twitched at the memory, his mind recreating the curve of her shoulder, the arch of her neck.

  His drifting eyes snapped open. Was he attracted to her? Was it possible? He’d all but sworn off women after Rebecca. He was going to be working with Selene now, even though for all the definitions there were, he was pretty sure she was going to be running the show. He shook his head in adamant denial of his feelings. There just wasn’t any way. All things considered, a physical attraction was not only impossible, it was just a bad idea. He shook his head once more in agreement with his decisions as he relaxed again.

  ***

  Four days later he made his way to the nurse’s station carrying a box of items having already spent the morning with personnel. “Good morning. Is Doctor Aiza in yet?” he asked the young dark brunette who had manned the counter during his previous visit.

  The young lady stood and formally introduced herself, stretching out her hand. “Priss by name, and yes, she never leaves, Doctor Benedetti.”

  He chuckled at the affectionate accusation. “I’m here to see that she can.”

  Priss sighed with a grateful smile. “Good. We’re all very glad you decided to join us, Doctor. She needs a break.”

  “Is she in her office?” he asked, already turning in that direction.

  “No, she’s in surgery, but she should be available in about thirty minutes.”

  He shook his head. “Is she a super hero or something?”

  “The ‘or something’ qualifies,” Priss replied grinning easily, walking from around her desk. “I do know which office she was going to offer you though. If you’ll follow me,” she suggested.

  “Sure.”

  A few minutes later he had dropped off his box of notable frames and his name board. It was a regular office, several feet larger then Selene’s he noticed, but knowing how much time he would really be spending in there, space wasn’t of great importance.

  He meandered back out to the station desk. “Do I have a roster yet?”

  “You do, but Doctor Aiza would like to go over it with you, to cover any questions you may have. You’re welcome to make yourself at home,” Priss assured him.

  “Would she mind if I took it and waited in her office?”

  “I doubt it.” He accepted the clipboard, nodding to her inquiry of if he remembered where her office was.

  “I do,” he answered already absorbed in the patient reports under his nose. He sat for a while reading and becoming familiar with his patients. It didn’t take long; there were only six patients today. What a difference from his workload that he usually held. After he had read the reports, he let his gaze wander over her office. She kept it simple, and very neat. There were no loose files on her desk, no lost papers waiting for a home. He was surprised at how organized she was considering the responsibility she alone had carried. He rose to read her degrees on the wall when he spotted the frames, curiosity getting the better of him. He swallowed in disbelief. How did she do all of this? General medicine, a midwife certificate and surgery specialty. There was also a business minor. She couldn’t have done this for her age. She wasn’t that old. He was positive she was much younger than him. Well, maybe not much younger. He was only thirty-two, but it did explain how she had held the hospital together after the previous director had retired. She knew what she was doing, but it didn’t really answer how she had studied in multiple fields. She must have started as a child.

  “Close,” came her amused voice from behind him. Her eyes were laughing at him even though she didn’t do it out loud. “You should close the door if you plan on talking to yourself. Save yourself explanations and claims of insanity later,” she playfully advised.

  He pointed to the degrees. “How?” His confusion showed in the one word. He waited as she moved behind her desk, taking her chair with simple grace. “You were close. I was advanced for my age. I graduated high school at fifteen with honors and entered Berkley with recommendations. I overlapped my courses, at least as much as they would let me. I knew I wanted to come back here, and the sooner the better. I knew what I wanted to do when I was in the womb. At least that’s what my mother has always said.”

  “Amazing,” he told her with a note of awe. “I busted my rump for eons I think.”

  “And look where it got you,” she said a teasing glimmer in her gaze. “A cushy co-directorship, specialist position that most would puke their liver for.”

  He laughed easily as he sat back down into the chair he had claimed to read his roster reports.

  “True.” He lifted the clipboard from the edge of her desk where he had set it. “Is this my roster for today?”

  “Yes, and I can almost guarantee it won’t get any worse than that unless either myself or Doctor Dave is gone. Then you have both lists, but Doctor Dave is just as reliable. There is also Doctor Lin and Doctor Calvin at our disposal. They have private offices. But even with that,” she mentioned pointing at his roster board. “Your day here will be lighter than your average day in St. Louis.”

  “I could get used to this,” he said and couldn’t stop the smile that filled him. He was relaxed, relieved in a way that he had missed. He did have a good spot now.

  “I’m glad you see it that way. I know I’m ready for the extra help.”

  He straightened immediately. “I’m sure you are. When are you leaving?”

  “I’m sorry?” She gave him a bewildered frown.

  “You are to take time and rest. Doctor’s orders,” he insisted as he crossed his ankles and waited. She waved a fluttering hand, letting it drift back down to her desk. “I’m not taking any time off. I’ll be happy if I just get to sleep for more than four hours and take an occasional run,” she told him
in a dismissive tone. “I’ll be fine.”

  He was confident she knew what she was talking about but withheld his opinion for the moment.

  ***

  With Bram on call for the next four nights, Selene and Morgan slipped through the forest searching for the traps that he had found a few weeks earlier. They found six, a lot considering the volume of land they covered. They either damaged them beyond usefulness, or threw them high into the trees where they couldn’t harm any animal or person again. There was little doubt it was the same poacher they thought they had deterred the previous summer when the first traps had been found. With the final one mangled beyond usefulness, the siblings loped back to Selene’s cabin, a night’s work done.

  Once they were dressed and stood in the clearing of her cabin, she asked him if he knew who the poacher was.

  Morgan shook his black-haired head. They were as different as night and day. “I don’t, but I think I’m getting closer. I found his trail three days ago, but I had to let it go and haven’t had a chance to try again.” They walked side by side through her front door, both lost in worrisome thoughts that a poacher was on their lands. It was very apparent he was after a wolf by the bait scent, but there weren’t any wild ones that far west of Yellowstone or the Rockies. That made the problem a lot larger.

  She nodded, her thoughts subdued as they made their way inside when she closed the door behind them. “Well, now that Bram is here, I can help more.”

  Morgan tossed himself with insolent care onto her couch. “Do you still think he’s the one?” he asked her astutely. She walked into the kitchen but still caught his quiet question. Returning from the kitchen with a beer for him and tea for herself, she curled up at the end near his feet. “Morgan, do you remember what Roman said about when he found Delilah? About just knowing?” she asked, her voice as pensive as her thoughts.

  He sipped on his beer as he contemplated the ramifications of what she was suggesting, his eyes closed as he appeared to remember his brother’s reactions to finding his mate. He groaned a sympathetic sound. “Yeah, I do.”