by Laura Scott
“Someone is really mad at you,” she said in a shaky voice, punching the accelerator with enough force to pin him to his seat. “That was no accident.”
No, it wasn’t. And his gut churned with anger as he realized the blond dude he’d seen lurking in the woods near Boyle was likely responsible.
Too bad he had no idea who the guy was or where to find him.
Chapter Three
Katy struggled to relax her white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Every nerve in her body was stretched to the breaking point. The violence that had been taken out on Reese’s truck had shaken her to the core.
She was used to caring for victims of crimes in the trauma room, but knowing that someone had it out for Reese on a personal level made her feel sick to her stomach.
Listening to his one-sided conversation with the sheriff’s deputy wasn’t making her feel any better.
“Take a right at the next intersection,” he said after disconnecting from the call.
She slowed her car for the turn, wishing the wooded highway had bright streetlights like those she was used to seeing in the city. But out here in the middle of nowhere, she only had her headlights to cut through the absolute blackness of the night.
“My driveway is about halfway down the road. See the little red fire signs? I’m number 872.”
“Red fire signs?” She stepped on the brake and peered through the windshield. “You mean those tiny, narrow red and white markers?”
“Yep, that’s exactly what I mean.” He was peering through his passenger-side window, and she was very much afraid he was looking for a glimpse of the person who’d demolished his truck.
“Is this your driveway?” she asked, frowning when she saw the barely there dirt road right after the 872 sign.
“Just drop me off here,” Reese instructed. “No need to drive up to the cabin.”
“I don’t think you should stay here,” she said, slowing to a stop. “What if whoever trashed your truck figures out where you live?”
“I have my dog, Duke, to help keep me safe,” he assured her. “Do you think you can find your way back home?”
“Of course.” She brushed away his concern. “But please don’t stay here. I’d be happy to take you and your dog to the motel in town.”
Reese hesitated but then reluctantly nodded. “Okay, I’ll take you up on your offer. Besides, staying in town will make it easier to rent a car in the morning.”
She shifted the car into reverse to back up a few feet, and pulled into the rutted driveway, wincing as she bounced around in her seat. No wonder he owned a truck.
The driveway seemed to stretch on forever—a good hundred yards, by her estimation—before she could make out a cozy log cabin nestled in a small clearing. As they approached, she heard the sound of a dog barking. A big dog, judging by the deep tone of it.
She stopped her car at the edge of the clearing, and Reese popped out of the car. “Duke, quiet,” he yelled.
Instantly, the dog fell silent, and even though she didn’t know squat about pets, she was impressed.
“I’ll be right back,” Reese promised. “If you see anything out of the ordinary, lean on the horn.”
He disappeared inside the log cabin, leaving her to wonder just what he meant by out of the ordinary. Since he was at home with cougars and bears, she figured his definition was far different than hers.
No reason to be afraid; she was surrounded by steel. Surely a bear wasn’t strong enough to tip over a car. Or was it? The image that flashed in her mind wasn’t reassuring.
Stop it! You’re only making yourself crazy.
Katy took a deep breath and let go of the steering wheel, trying to relax. She repeated the action several times, pretending she was in her yoga class, willing the tension to leave her muscles.
Her hard-won sense of peace was shattered when the back passenger-side door to her four-door sedan opened and a mammoth dog jumped in, stuffing his wet nose against the vulnerable area along the side of her neck.
“Ack!” she cried, shrinking away from what looked like a moose masquerading as a dog.
“Down, Duke,” Reese commanded. Once again, the dog dropped instantly, stretching out along the backseat as if he owned it. Reese set a box, a laptop case and a duffel bag on the floor before shutting the door.
Before she realized what was happening, Reese was tapping on her driver’s-side window. Flustered, she pushed the button to lower it. “What are you doing?” Surely he wasn’t going to leave her alone with his massive dog?
“Why don’t you let me drive?” he suggested. “The driveway isn’t easy to back down, and there are a few stumps in the clearing that might damage the undercarriage of your car.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. Keeping a wary eye on Duke lying across the backseat, she awkwardly crawled over the console and plopped in the passenger side. Reese slid her seat back before climbing in.
“Sorry if Duke scared you,” he said, expertly backing down the winding driveway. He went slowly, but even so, the car bounced and jiggled as they went over the ruts. “There’s no reason to be afraid. He won’t hurt you.”
“I…um, never had a pet,” she confessed. “And he’s really big. Are you sure he’s not a wolf?” Seemed only natural to add wolves to the bears and cougars roaming around the woods.
“I’m sure.” Reese’s white teeth flashed in a quick smile. “Duke is a German shepherd, the breed most often used as police dogs. He’s well trained, and I promise he won’t hurt you.”
“Okay. Good. That’s good.” She gripped the handrest as he turned onto the highway. It wasn’t until they approached Main Street that she realized the Crystal Lake Motel might not allow pets, especially one as large as Duke.
The cute two-bedroom house she’d purchased was located just outside of town, on a small parcel of land with lakefront access. Perfect for a single woman living alone, but not nearly big enough for Reese and his huge dog.
Should she offer to stay at the motel so that Reese could use her house? She shouldn’t have to leave her home, but truthfully, she’d rather stay in the motel than be confined in a small space with Duke.
Reese pulled in front of the motel. “Thanks for all your help,” he said, handing her the keys. “Give me a minute to grab my things.”
“Are you sure the motel will allow you to bring Duke?” she asked, dreading his response.
“Yeah, I’ve stayed here three years ago when I first took the DNR job. It won’t be a problem.”
She took the keys with a sense of overwhelming relief. “Okay, then. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Sure thing.” He opened the door, and she was surprised Duke didn’t move until Reese gave him the signal. “Come, Duke.”
Duke wagged his tail and leaped out of the car, staying close to Reese’s side. Again, she had to admit she was impressed, even though the huge animal had scared her spitless.
Reese left with a wave, striding toward the motel with his duffel and computer case slung over his shoulder and some sort of box tucked beneath his arm. Was that the evidence he’d talked about? Or supplies for the dog?
Didn’t matter, she told herself. It was well past midnight, and she was exhausted. Right now, she just wanted to go home.
But even in her familiar surroundings, sleep eluded her. She tried to blame her bout of insomnia on the adrenaline rush from dealing with the gunshot victims and then finding the badly damaged truck, but she knew those weren’t the real cause.
Her mind kept returning to Reese. Anyone with half a brain would stay far away from him, considering that he’d been shot recently and had his truck smashed to smithereens. He was the kind of guy who lived in a log cabin and protected the wilderness as a DNR game warden. They were complete and total opposites.
So why couldn’t she forget about him?
The next morning, sunlight streamed through her window, waking her from a restless night far too early. She moaned and pulled her pillow over her
head, but it was no use.
With a disgusted sigh, she crawled out of bed, grateful she had the next two days off work. She called the chief medical officer to report Wade Matthews, and then called University Hospital in Madison to check on Marcus Boyle.
She was relieved to hear that Boyle was listed in critical yet stable condition. About fifteen minutes later, her boss returned her call about Wade, promising to talk to him. Satisfied, she filled a cup of coffee and took a seat at her small kitchen table, where she could gaze out over the lake. The events from last night seemed surreal in the bright light of the morning.
It took a minute for her to remember that today was Sunday and that she was scheduled to be a greeter for the midmorning church service.
She finished her coffee and got ready for church. She was early, and as she drove past the motel she pressed on the brake, wondering if she should stop by to see how Reese and Duke were doing.
Wait a minute, what was she thinking? They were fine. Reese was more than capable of taking care of himself, and Duke too. She didn’t even like dogs, although that might partially be because she’d never spent any time with them. Regardless, pets were not welcome in church.
Giving herself a mental shake, she sped up and approached the tall white-steeple church. As always, the minute she stepped inside God’s house, she felt better. Calmer.
At peace.
She greeted the parishioners as they arrived, recognizing many of her former patients, from the occasional bout of the flu to more serious medical concerns such as having a stroke or heart attack.
On days like today, she was glad she’d made the decision to leave Baltimore. And not just because of Steffie, the young patient she’d lost. The ER at Baltimore General was seriously understaffed. The number of patients she’d treated in an average shift was more than double what she cared for in an entire weekend here at Hope County Hospital. And so far, she hadn’t made any mistakes or errors in judgment.
Not yet.
She pushed the sliver of doubt away, determined to keep the nightmares from her past buried deep. The last thing the citizens of Crystal Lake and Hope County needed was for their ER doctor to have doubts about her level of competency.
Katy sat alone toward the back of the church when the service began. She enjoyed Pastor John’s approach. He had a way of preaching that was interesting and engaging, without the fire-and-brimstone attitude that she’d sometimes heard before. The theme of his sermon today was keeping the Lord in the forefront of their minds and not just when they needed his strength and support. Katy knew she was guilty of doing exactly that and made a silent promise to do better from here on out.
When the service was over, she scooted out the back, avoiding the usual chatter that many of the parishioners enjoyed. She always felt a bit awkward in social situations like this, mostly because she knew most of the people here from the hospital, which some folks didn’t appreciate being reminded about.
“Hi, Dr. Katy,” Merry greeted her. “You remember my husband, Zack.”
“Of course. How are you both doing?” she asked, smiling at the young couple. Merry had gone through a rough patch last fall, but things seemed to have settled down for her and Zack. In fact, she knew they were in the process of building their dream house on the other side of the lake.
“We’re good, but you still look tired. We had a long shift last night, huh?” Merry said with a wry smile.
“Yes, but I called Madison this morning, and you’ll be glad to know that our patient is stable.”
“Good to hear,” Merry said, giving her husband’s hand a squeeze. “Zack was all worried about the gunshot wounds we had, but I assured him there was absolutely no danger.”
“There was plenty of danger,” Zack corrected. “You just got lucky.”
An image of Reese’s smashed truck floated in her mind, making her tend to agree with him. But she forced a smile. “I imagine Zack is always going to worry about you,” she said, sidestepping the comment. “After all, you were hurt on the job once.”
“That was different.” Merry waved away the incident as inconsequential.
“Well, take care, both of you,” Katy said, unwilling to be drawn into their good-natured spat. Although watching the way Zack looked at Merry, pure love shining from his blue eyes, made her heart squeeze in her chest, wishing for something she’d never have.
“You too, Dr. Katy.” Merry waved as she and Zack headed toward their car.
She shook off the flash of envy. That was not in keeping with the spirit of Pastor John’s sermon. She walked to her car, not in the mood to go back to her empty house.
Yet she wasn’t going to stop at the motel, either. Besides, she doubted that Reese and his giant dog were still there. He’d planned on renting a car, and even though it was Sunday, Hank, the guy who ran Billy’s Auto Shop, was always willing to open up for a sure sale.
But what if Billy didn’t have a car for sale or for rent? Katy found herself turning left at the stoplight so she could drive past Billy’s Auto Shop.
When she saw Reese and Duke walking along the side of the road, she slowed down and lowered her window. “What happened? Didn’t Hank have a car for you?”
“Hi, Katy,” Reese greeted her. He stepped closer, and Duke followed, staying right by Reese’s side. The dog was almost totally black in color and, if possible, looked more menacing in daylight than he had last night. “No, he doesn’t have one yet but might by tomorrow.”
“Do you need a ride?” she asked.
Reese hesitated, then shook his head. “I can walk to the motel, but I had been planning to drive up to Madison.”
“I called the hospital,” Katy said. “Boyle is in critical but stable condition.”
“I called, too, and heard the same thing. But apparently no one has been up there to collect the evidence.”
By evidence, she knew he meant the bullet. “Really? That seems odd.”
“I know. It might be that the deputies just haven’t been up there yet, but I thought it might be good to see for myself.”
Katy nodded slowly. “I could drive you up there,” she offered before she could talk herself out of it.
Reese smiled, and her heart did a funny little flip-flop in her chest. “Nice of you to offer, but I’m sure you have better things to do with your free time on your day off.”
Sad fact was, she really didn’t. She forced a smile and shook her head. “My only plan was to maybe take a hike, and it’s far too hot for that. I really don’t have any other plans.”
Hope filled Reese’s hazel-green eyes. “Are you sure? I’d be happy to pay for a tank of gas.”
“It’s really no bother,” she assured him. “And this little car gets great gas mileage, especially compared to your truck.” There was no way she was going to allow him to pay for her gas. She was fairly certain DNR game wardens didn’t make that much money, and she had more than enough to spare.
“Well, then, thanks, I’d love a ride to Madison.”
She had to bite her lip when Reese opened the back passenger door for Duke, who nimbly leaped onto the seat. She shrank back, half expecting him to sniff her again, but she needn’t have worried. Duke simply stretched out once again, as if he was right at home.
Was she crazy to drive Reese and his dog to Madison? The drive would take an hour, easily. What on earth would they talk about?
When Reese slid into the passenger seat beside her and clicked his seat belt, she knew it was too late to change her mind.
Katy headed for the highway, trying to think of a safe topic to discuss. “How’s your arm?” she asked. “Do we need to stop and pick up your antibiotics?”
“No worries, I have them right here,” Reese said, patting his pocket. “My arm hurts, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I changed the dressing this morning, and I didn’t see any sign of infection.”
She nodded, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to check his incisions herself, just to be sure. Picking up speed on the highway,
she kept a keen eye out for signs for the interstate. Roughly five miles later, she took the on-ramp and relaxed when she reached freeway speed.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” he asked.
Surprised, she glanced at him. “Of course not. What is it?”
“Last night, when you were working on Boyle, why did you step back and let that other guy finish up?”
She shrugged, secretly glad the question wasn’t too personal. “He’s the trauma surgeon. I’m not.”
“So basically, he should have been there right from the beginning. You sent that nurse to go and find him.”
Reese Webster was far too perceptive for his own good. “Yes. I wasn’t sure if he’d received the page.”
“But he should have,” Reese pressed.
“Yes, but there are a few dead spots in the hospital, so there’s no way to know for sure. Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious. You seemed to have everything under control.”
She was glad he thought so, even though, at the time, she’d been scared to death of making a mistake. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she noticed a large black truck coming up behind her at a rapid pace. “What in the world?” she muttered, quickly switching over to the right lane to get out of the way.
The big black truck switched lanes too.
Realization dawned, and her hands tightened on the steering wheel. For a moment, panic seized her by the throat. What should she do?
There weren’t many options.
“Hang on,” she warned, wrenching the steering wheel to the right and stomping on the brake as she headed off the highway.
Chapter Four
Reese saw the black truck coming up fast and quickly dialed 911 on his cell phone. “This is Game Warden Webster. We’re being chased by a black truck, license plate number TXR 990, five miles from Highway Double X.”
He pressed his feet to the floor as Katy drove off the highway, bouncing over the shoulder and onto the flat grassy area as the car slowed to a stop. Duke yelped behind them, and Reese winced as he heard the dog slide to the floor. He had a crated area in his truck for the dog but obviously didn’t have it in Katy’s car. Reese spared a quick glance to make sure Duke was okay, and in a heartbeat, the black truck zoomed past them, having way too much momentum to slow down and stop.
