by Platt, MJ
Chapter Three
Upon reaching the ranch yard, Mac parked the big machine in front of the steps to the front porch and rushed around to open the cargo compartment door.
“How do you want to handle this?” he asked.
“Let’s get her into the kitchen. The table there is big enough to tend to her wounds. Then we can decide where to go from there.”
Mac carefully lifted her out, still wrapped in her sleeping bag, and carried her into the kitchen. Gently placing her on the table, he stared at her, worried.
“What happened to you, Sage?” he whispered, tenderly brushing the hair away from her face with his fingertips. “Where were you running? Or what were you running from?”
“We won’t know until she wakes up,” stated Two Feathers from behind him. “Hopefully she won’t do that until we attend to those wounds. Help me get her outer gear off. Unless you’d rather my wife, Little Mouse, help me.”
“I can do it. Right now, I don’t think I could bear to have her out of my sight. I’ve helped with the wounded in the field. I won’t faint at the sight of blood.”
“But never someone you loved.”
“In my unit were close friends, brothers,” Mac answered quietly, remembering Rob, one of his best friends. The one who tripped the IED that left Mac with multiple scars. One incident about which he had never discussed with anyone.
They proceeded to strip her down to her bra and panties. Mac smiled to himself at the sight of the lacy under things. That would be Sage. Show a strong, bold front, but underneath was a delicate, feminine being. He drew up a portion of the sleeping bag to cover her lower half.
When Two Feathers removed the bandage from her side, a gasp escaped him. Here was not only a stab wound, but it had been drawn out into a long slice. Someone had meant to cause major damage. He peeled off the bandage on her shoulder to quickly inspect that also.
Anger boiled up in Mac. Who would do something like that to Sage? Had she been mugged somewhere on the streets of San Francisco? A home robbery? Her fiancé? He would like to have his hands on the person. Guaranteed, whoever did this would be one sorry son of a bitch!
“Mac. Mac!” the older man spoke sharply. “By all rights she should be in a hospital. Since there’s no way we can get her there in this storm, we’re going to have to do what we can here. Get the emergency vet kit from the office. I’ve stitched up many a horse, but never a human.”
“We’ve got to stop the bleeding somehow. Sewing a wound closed has to be the same, be it an animal or a person.”
“True. But I don’t have the finesse of a plastic surgeon. It could leave major scars.”
“Better than the alternative,” stated Mac with a grimace, heading out of the kitchen.
Once the wounds were stitched and dressed, Mac washed her and covered her with a clean blanket. It was decided she would have his grandmother’s room that connected to Mac’s via his bathroom. He could leave both doors open to better keep an eye on her. Wrapping the blanket around her, Mac slid his arms under her, prepared to carry her upstairs. She moaned but didn’t waken. He eased her off the table and clasped her tightly to his chest.
Climbing the stairs from the kitchen, he looked down at the face of the woman in his arms and had an overwhelming urge to kiss her. To waken her like the prince in the fairy tales his mother read to him as a little tyke. He couldn’t resist trying. Touching his lips briefly to hers stripped away eight years. She tasted just as sweet as back then. Suddenly he stopped and closed his eyes, berating himself for his actions. He had no right to do what he just did. She belonged to another.
As he placed her on the clean, white sheets of the double bed, he felt it wasn’t right for her to have to sleep in the blood stained undergarments. His mother had stored her mother’s things in the bureau in this room when she passed away. A brief search found a flannel nightgown.
Maneuvering her with care, he removed the offending articles and slipped her into the clean garment that held the faint odor of cedar. He had dreamed of being with her and removing those articles, under different circumstances, and his body tightened in response. He cursed himself for thinking along those lines as he turned her to smooth the gown down her back.
Two Feathers came in bringing her pack and suitcase. Mac pointed to the knee wrapped in the ace bandage. The older man removed the wrapping and Mac drew in a sharp breath through clenched teeth when the bruised and swollen area was revealed.
“I think we’ll leave this unwrapped for now,” said Two Feathers, gently probing the joint. “Doesn’t feel like anything’s broken. Might have dislocated it in the crash, but it seems okay now. We can try hot packs to bring down the swelling.”
Sage’s eyes fluttered open and she looked from one to the other. “Callum? Grandfather Two Feathers?” she mumbled before her eyelids slowly drifted closed.
“Sage!” Mac spoke sharply. He had so many questions he needed answered. But she was again oblivious to the world. “Could she have a head injury? Internal injuries?” he asked, frowning at the man standing beside him.
“I don’t think so. Found these in her backpack and there’s two pills missing.” He pulled a prescription bottle from his pocket and passed it to Mac.
“Jeez! Two of these could take down a mule! She must have taken them when she thought she was safe in the cavern. The level of pain had to be excruciating for her to take two. The script is for one every eight hours as needed. How long will she be out?”
“Another couple hours or so, I’d say.” Two Feathers said. “We need to get moving. Zeb and Nate are waiting for us to take the hay out to the herd. It’s started snowing again. Little Mouse can see to her while we’re gone. There’s nothing more we can do here. She’ll be safe.”
Mac bent down and brushed a light kiss across her slightly parted lips. He couldn’t help himself. She was the only woman who ever called him by his given name, Callum. He liked that.
* * * *
When they returned it was already dark and snowing heavily. Little Mouse was in the kitchen preparing supper.
“She’s okay,” she said, as the men stomped the snow from their boots and shed their coats and hats. “Just beginning to wake up. I unpacked her things and put her pain medication in the cabinet in your bathroom. Told her I needed to start supper and left her a bell to ring if she needed me.”
“Which she’ll never use,” said Mac, his lips set in a firm straight line. “I’ll check on her. Need to get cleaned up anyway.” Slowly he climbed the stairs, wondering what type of reception awaited him. Would she be angry? Scared? Would she accept his help? He felt sure there was more going on than just the plane crash.
He strode down the hall, purposely passing her closed door to enter his room. Not bothering to turn on a light, he stealthily moved across the hardwood floor to stand in the bathroom doorway. A small bedside lamp threw a soft glow over the restless woman. He could see her grimace of pain each time she moved.
“Sage.” He spoke softly as he entered her room so as not to startle her. She turned her head to the left to hide that side of her face in the pillow. “You don’t need to hide from me. It will fade in time.”
“Why didn’t you leave me up there on the mountain?” she asked warily, her eyes not meeting his.
“Because you were in no condition to stay there. And don’t ask me to take you back up. You’re still in no condition to be roughing it,” he said, standing beside her bed, his thumbs hooked in his jeans pockets.
“How did you find me? I thought I covered my tracks.”
“Not well enough. Remember who taught you.”
“You have to take me back up there or I’ll go on my own. He can’t find me here. It would put you and your family in danger.” She struggled to sit up. Her face turned deathly pale and a groan crept out.
Mac reached out and eased her back against the pillows. “No one will find you here. Not for a few days yet. In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a blizzard going on out ther
e.”
“But he always finds me. He seems to know where I’ll be before I do.”
“Your fiancé?”
“What fiancé? After one look at my face, Derek skipped out faster than he came in. He’s probably already got a new piece of arm candy.”
“That doesn’t bother you?” Mac scowled. He was ready to take the man apart for deserting her when she needed him. If he was that shallow, he didn’t deserve someone like Sage. Better she found that out now rather than later.
“No. It was only an engagement of convenience. It benefited us both. There never would have been a marriage. We’ve known each other since we were kids. He’s making a bid for a seat in the state senate. He needed to kill his playboy reputation and I—I needed what I thought would be a safe harbor.”
“Then this Derek wasn’t the one who did this to you?”
“Good grief, no! He doesn’t know how to use a knife except for cutting up the food on his dinner plate.”
“Who did this? Who are you hiding from?”
“Marcos Diego.”
“Why?” He couldn’t understand the degree of fear in her eyes by just saying his name.
“Evidently he prefers to be the dumper, not the dumpee.”
“The whole explanation, Sage. Stop running me in circles. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”
“I don’t want to get you or your family involved. Marcos is dangerous.”
“You already did. You crashed on our mountain. So start from the beginning.” Mac pulled up a chair beside the bed. He didn’t trust himself to sit on the side of the bed. Any show of affection toward her and she’d probably withdraw.
“Later,” said Sage, closing her eyes. “I’m just so tired.”
Mac could see by her expression she was closing him out. She still didn’t think anyone would be there for her. That she didn’t deserve anybody’s help. Or maybe it was just him. Where were her parents? Why wasn’t somebody already looking for her? Was this Marcos aware of her whereabouts? What hold did he have on her, other than the fear the mere mention of his name alone could invoke?
A knock sounded on her door and Little Mouse entered, the tray in her hands giving off delicious aromas.
“Feel up to eating something?” asked the lady.
“I think so, as long as I don’t have to move.”
“It could prove a bit difficult lying flat. Let me sit you up,” offered Mac, standing and moving his chair aside.
“No! Please. I really don’t want to move.”
“Then you don’t have to. You simply relax in my arms and I’ll do all the moving.” Sage eyed him uneasily as he slid one arm under her shoulders and one under her thighs. As he started to lift, she tensed and a moan escaped her lips.
“Relax,” he whispered, his lips brushing her ear. “I won’t drop you. It’s only a few more inches.” He moved her carefully to a sitting position, placing pillows behind her and one under her knee.
“Thank you.” She breathed. “I could have eventually made it myself.”
“By that time your supper would have been as cold as the snow on your windowsill. Don’t be afraid to admit you need help or to accept it. Not from us, Sage. Now, while Little Mouse gets you set up, I need to get cleaned up. See you in a bit.” He figured he better leave before he said more than he should. Whatever happened to her, she was back to being that island he thought they had changed. Why? Did his actions play a part in it?
Mac knew he had been a little gruff with her. But she was the damnedest, most frustrating female he ever met. No matter how hard she tried to push him away, he would not let her face her troubles alone. He smiled with satisfaction now that he knew her engagement was over. Uneasiness set in when he wondered why she would enter into a loveless relationship, a sham engagement. She deserved better than that.
He had zipped his clean jeans and about to slip on his boots when he heard a thud and a muffled scream from the other room. His heart skittered then raced as he dashed through the doorway to find Sage sprawled prone on the floor. He hit his knees beside her, his hands on her shoulders, ready to turn her over.
“What in the devil are you doing?” Mac scolded her.
“Not as much as I wanted to,” answered Sage, tears threatening.
He turned her slowly to her back, clasping her to him when she cried out. “You shouldn’t be out of bed.” He scooped her up in his arms, prepared to deposit her back in it.
“I was trying to get to the bathroom,” she stated.
“Never thought of that,” he mumbled, turning toward that location. He stood her up and held her until she was steady.
“I’m a big girl. I can do this by myself,” she informed him, tilting her chin.
“No doubt. Just wanted to be sure you wouldn’t do another face plant. Too many things in here you could hit that could cause major damage. I’ll be right outside the door.”
* * * *
Sage did what she came in for before forcing herself to stand up. She grabbed onto the safety handholds by the toilet and then the tub/shower as she made her way to the door. Now, if she could make it back to bed without his assistance, it would make her very happy. Being held against his hard, muscular chest took her back eight years. To that night and her foolish mistake. Her face burned with the remembrance. It didn’t help that seeing him again stirred all the old feelings. Feelings that had never gone away. She still loved him.
“Sage, are you all right?” His concern broke through her reminiscence. She squared her shoulders, determined he should never know her true feelings, and opened the door. His frown and the worry in those liquid brown eyes disturbed her.
She took a step toward him and her legs buckled. His arm snapped around her, his hand clamping along her rib cage, his fingertips brushing against her breast through the cotton flannel she wore. His other arm whipped under her thighs and she was again clasped to his naked torso. She shivered, but not in fear.
“Don’t be afraid of me,” he said quietly. “I would never hurt you.” He placed her gently on the bed and drew up the covers. Then he sat beside her and took both her hands in his. “Did you disrupt anything when you fell? You want Little Mouse to check your dressings?”
“Not necessary. I didn’t realize how weak I was until I stood up. Then the pain grabbed so quickly. I’m sorry if I scared you.”
“You in much pain now? You need your pain medication? Guaranteed you’ll get only one pill at a time from now on.”
“I only took one last time. When I thought I was safe in the cavern.”
“But there were two pills missing from the bottle.”
“I had taken one once I was in the air. I thought it would be safe enough. Couldn’t have the discomfort breaking my concentration.”
“I know about the knife wounds,” he said, a flash of anger in his eyes. “What about the knee?”
“Dislocated the patella in the rough landing. Had to fix it before I could get out of the plane.”
“Good God, Sage!” How much had she endured before they found her? “Why did you hide from us?”
“I couldn’t be sure who was coming. I told you. Marcos seems to know where I am every second. I had to be in a place where the advantage was mine.”
“Who is this Marcos? He seems to be stalking you. Couldn’t you get a protection order against him?”
“I went out with him once. It was a date arranged by a friend. He’s supposed to be a PI. Showed me all kinds of surveillance equipment he had in his car. But he turned out to be a real sleaze. Tried to force me into bed on the first date. I refused to go out with him again. He’d call or show up wherever I was. After Derek and I announced our engagement, his calls became more threatening.”
Her hands quivered in his, her breathing became more rapid, the pulse in her throat accelerated, and the fear grew in her eyes. He squeezed her hands firmly, but gently.
“Easy, Sage. Calm down.”
He spoke to her soothingly, as one would
to a frightened animal.
“He can’t reach you here. You don’t have to continue. It’s only causing you more distress.”
“I have to finish it. If only to make you understand why I must leave. I can’t put all of you in danger, too.”
“We are not strangers to danger around here. I’ve seen worse than what one psychopath can do. We can protect you better than if you’re alone.”
“No! I can’t let you! He swore he would make anyone suffer who tried to help me. I was his until he ended the relationship, No woman had had the audacity to end it first.”
“Where did the attack take place?”
“In my bedroom in my parents’ home. I was getting ready to go out. Vanessa and I were meeting a couple other women for dinner, then we were going clubbing. I don’t know how he got in. It’s a gated community. He had me on the bed, straddling me, one hand cuffing my hands above my head. In his other hand he had a switchblade he kept flicking open and closed as he raved about if he couldn’t have me, nobody else would want me when he was finished.”
“Did he…did he—”
“Rape me? He didn’t get the chance. After he drew the tip of the blade down over my face, he used it to cut the straps on my dress, all the time leering and describing how he was going to enjoy my body. Vanessa arrived before he could carry out his threats. When she shouted up the stairs for me to hurry up, I screamed for her to call the police. That’s when he stabbed me and ran.”
“Where were the servants?” Mac’s murderous expression was a black cloud, anger emanating from him in violent waves.
“At the other end of the house. They couldn’t hear me. Vanessa called the ambulance.”
“Where were your parents?”
“Somewhere near Chamonix in the French Alps, opening a new resort. The doctor at the hospital contacted them. When Mother spoke with me, she let it be known I was interfering with the grand opening, which the French Ambassador was attending. Since I was able to talk with her, she judged I was in no danger. So they didn’t need to interrupt something important to fly home. Especially since they had to go from there to open a new hotel in Australia or New Zealand, or somewhere down there, immediately after. It would have thrown a huge glitch in their schedule.”
