The general tone around the station had her so on edge that she was grateful to retreat inside the small medication room a while later—until she saw it was already occupied by Susan, the nurse who’d been gushing about her earlier. Rose had sure managed to shoot down that praise, hadn’t she?
Rose headed to the delivery cupboard to check for medications while Susan busied herself grinding tablets with a pill crusher.
“How did you do it?” the woman asked after a few moments.
Rose flinched and kept sifting through piles of plastic baggies. “Excuse me?”
“Just about every red-blooded female in this place has tried flirting with Dr. Williams. No one’s ever succeeded.”
“I didn’t flirt with him.”
“True. You dumped ice water on him. Wouldn’t have guessed that would do the trick. Maybe that’s where the rest of us went wrong.” She jammed down the handle of the pill crusher harder.
Rose glanced over at the woman, unsure whether she was joking or pissed off. The way she was repeatedly hammering the crusher against her pills wasn’t helping any.
“Some of us were convinced the guy was gay,” she went on. “That’s what they say, right? The gorgeous ones are always batting for the other team.”
Rose pawed through the medication bin faster. “I wasn’t looking for anything to happen. And I don’t want to sound rude here, but considering what we all know I’ve got coming, I’d rather not chitchat about my ridiculously stupid mistake.”
Susan sighed and stopped beating her pills to death. “I’m really sorry, you know. I think you would have been great working here.”
A new lump formed in Rose’s throat. “Thanks. Shay Falls seemed like a really nice place.”
“Where will you go next if, well, you know?”
“I was signed up for a contract in Hawaii in a few months. Now, I’m not sure what’s going to happen.”
The woman actually managed to look stricken, and Rose smiled at the little kindness. Then the med room door shoved open.
“Rose,” Jo all but snipped. “Alice wants to see you in her office.”
Susan’s eyes widened, and her face mirrored the alarm shooting through Rose’s chest.
No one sat in on the meeting in the unit manager’s office, which brought Rose only a marginal amount of relief. She’d half expected she and Stephen would face a tribunal of medical administration with Jo as their executioner. Instead, there was just a well-coiffed woman whose manner and upswept hairdo seemed out of step with the scrubs she wore. A placard in front of her read Alice Statler, RN, MSN. Unit Manager. She remained on the far side of a large, foreboding desk, but had the courtesy to stand and shake Rose’s hand when she was escorted in.
“Close the door as you leave, Jo,” the woman said. So much adrenaline flooded Rose’s system that her heart flailed erratically, and she could barely bring herself to sit in the chair she was offered.
Alice sat across from her and steepled her fingers over the desk. “Why don’t you tell me what happened with Dr. Williams?”
Rose would rather have run naked in traffic. “I’m sure Jo told you everything.”
“I want to give you an opportunity to tell your side. We expect top professionalism in our facility, but we also deal in fairness.”
Rose shoved her damp palms between her knees. “I don’t know what to say, except that I’m very sorry. This was the last thing I planned to have happen. But I did kiss Dr. Williams.”
“There was more than just a quick kiss going on, as I heard it,” Alice said.
Rose was surprised at the lack of judgment in the woman’s voice. Probably how she encouraged prisoners to open up and confess before putting them in front of the firing squad.
“Yes,” Rose admitted, staring into her lap. “It had gone farther than just a kiss.” She glanced up to find the woman’s steel-blue eyes regarding her. “I want you to know how mortified I am. I’ve never done anything like this before.” Pretty much literally, not that Alice would believe it. “You can check my records. I’ve never had a single write-up. Ever since my accident, though, I’ll admit I haven’t been feeling quite myself.”
The woman cocked her head. “Dr. Williams admitted to coercing you. Did you feel pressured in any way? Harassed? Like your job might be threatened if you didn’t go along with his wishes?”
Rose’s jaw fell open. “No. That’s not what he meant when he said he initiated things.” She got up from her chair. “You aren’t going to charge him with sexual harassment, are you?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out. Sit down, please.”
Rose sank slowly to the squeaky, wooden seat. “He wasn’t harassing me. He did follow me into the supply room, but it was because he saw me rubbing my temples. He knew I’d had the concussion, and he was concerned I might still be having side effects.”
Alice sat silent, waiting.
“From there, things just kind of took their own course.”
“Surely you aren’t suggesting it is normal behavior for a physician to express medical concern and then approach you physically.”
“That wasn’t what happened.” Not the way Alice was trying to paint it, anyway.
Rose had been handed a way out of this. If Stephen had harassed her, they wouldn’t fire her for it. He’d be the one to pay—dearly. But she wasn’t about to lie.
“We’d both felt an attraction,” she went on. “I just don’t think we realized how strong it was until we were alone in that room, talking about my headaches. The kiss just happened. He didn’t force it on me.” She shut her eyes with a sigh. “It was stupid, I know. But right then, we weren’t a nurse and doctor, or a doctor and his former patient. We were just two people who gave into a weak moment.”
That statement hung in the air for a long moment. Then Alice withdrew her elbows from the desk. “I see.”
“So you won’t bring any kind of formal complaint on Stephen, I mean, Dr. Williams?”
“He has his own behavior to answer for. You’re here to answer for yours.” She let out a weighted sigh. “And it isn’t behavior we can condone at Shay Falls Community, not even for one moment of weakness. We have zero tolerance for sexual indiscretion here. The contract for your services has been terminated, and your agency has been notified.” She handed an envelope across the desk that Rose took with a shaky hand. “You will, of course, finish out today. Your wages for the shift will be paid according to contract terms. I’m sorry, Rose.”
“I’m sorry, too,” she whispered, and she bolted from the office and went straight back to the bathroom for another round of humiliated, self-flagellating tears.
The remaining hours dragged on endlessly, and while she’d failed to keep her mood from sabotaging Mr. Pierce, she tried not to spread misery to her other patients until she’d finished her charting and given shift report to the night nurse. Darkness had fallen heavily over Shay Falls by the time she wandered out to the parking lot in a daze. So had her outlook on life.
Chapter Seven
The incessant drone of the alarm jolted her from disturbing dreams, and she hit the snooze button with a sigh. She hadn’t slept worth a damn. Five more minutes, then, and she’d force herself out of bed for a morning jog before showering for work.
An empty pint container of ice cream on the nightstand offered the first reminder that things were amiss. A pity party had taken place, and Ben & Jerry had been the guests of honor.
Full reality crashed down within seconds, and her eyes shot open wide. She no longer had “work.” She’d screwed herself by giving into fathomless blue eyes and a seductive pair of lips.
“Shit,” she whispered. Why couldn’t she have remained blissfully ignorant for a few more moments?
After rolling over to deactivate the alarm on her iPad completely, she pulled the covers over her head and tried to decide whether another batch of tears was brewing. There were none left.
She would have to call the agency fast and see if they cou
ld book her another assignment in the area. There was only one hospital in the mountains, but surely there were more down in the valley. In Springton, maybe, or Phillips. She’d have to commute, but at least she’d be able to make use of the remainder of her apartment least. Too bad she was tied in for three months, since different housing would be preferable. There were too many memories attached to this place already, the most recent of which involved Stephen pounding on her door the previous night, insisting that she let him in so they could talk. She didn’t. She climbed into bed with a pint of ice cream and indulged another good cry.
Or maybe, rather than rushing into another job, maybe she should take this as a sign that she needed more time off. Clearly, she wasn’t recovered from her accident. She wouldn’t be making such irrational decisions if she was.
Rose shoved back the covers in irritation. She obviously wouldn’t be getting more sleep. Might as well go out for a run to clear her thoughts and make a game plan.
She pulled on a stretchy sports bra and black running pants with white stripes down the sides. A matching jacket and running sneakers finished the ensemble, and she pulled her hair up into a quick ponytail. Warm-up stretches lifted her mood a little, though not as much as usual. Nevertheless, she was looking forward to this run. She hadn’t jogged since coming to Shay Falls, unless she counted her attempt to run away from the two men who’d factored so heavily in recent disasters. She’d take it easy this time, all things considered. But she couldn’t wait to get out in the clean air and let her body take over.
What struck her first when she went out the door was the smell of the mountains, just as it always did since coming here. The scent of pine filled her nostrils, and she breathed deeply. Pine trees were part of the apartment’s landscaping decor, blending the setting right into the woodsy backdrop. As she took the short, twisting walkway out to the main road, she marveled at the captivating, simple beauty of the place. She thought of her sketchbook and the particular drawing Caleb had been certain existed here in Shay Falls. Maybe she’d plan a hike out to the town’s namesake and see for herself.
A car was approaching as she stopped at the edge of the main road, and she waited for it to pass before setting out. One problem with jogging up here, besides the altitude, was the fact that she couldn’t run against traffic in both directions. The road hugged the mountain in several spots, making her normal safety procedure a no go. She’d have to run with traffic on this leg, listening carefully for cars behind her. The last thing she needed was another accident because a driver was too busy texting.
Somehow, the decision to open her ears wide failed to alert her to a far more hazardous problem, and when he suddenly appeared beside her, she let out a yelp of surprise.
“Caleb!” she said, clutching her beating chest. “Why the hell are you sneaking up on me like that? You scared me half to death.”
“If I was tryin’ to sneak,” he said, lifting up a foot, “I wouldn’t have worn these boots.”
She scowled at the man whose smile was undaunted by her bitchy greeting. The least he could do was to not look so damn appealing. His brown Stetson was paired up with gently faded blue jeans and a red-and-black plaid shirt that clung to every inch of muscle. She blinked away a mental picture of him naked and flat on his back.
“What do you want?” She couldn’t keep the irritation out of her voice, not that she was trying very hard.
“To see how you’re doin’ after everythin’ that happened. I’m real sorry about it, Rose. So is Stephen. He told me he tried to come by and apologize, but you wouldn’t let him in.”
“Save it for someone with a job. I don’t have time to sit around licking my wounds. If you’ll excuse me, I’m in the middle of a jog here.”
Without awaiting an answer, she took off down the road, staying deep into the dirt shoulder. She did a double take when Caleb came up on her right side moments later, pacing her exactly.
“What are you doing?” she said, her words jerky as she increased her stride. “You can’t jog in a cowboy hat and boots.”
“I can’t?” He kept going, matching her step for step. “Seems to me that’s exactly what I’m doin’.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll blister your feet. And I’ve been running for years. You won’t be able to keep up for long, especially dressed like that.”
He gave a sexy little laugh. “Well now, that sounds like a challenge.”
“It isn’t. It’s an invitation for you to go away.”
She was already breathing heavier, but his pointed exhalation was merely a sigh. “I know you’re mad. I don’t blame you. But you can’t run from this. Stephen and I won’t disappear just because someone saw you givin’ into destiny.”
Rose snorted. “Destiny? So it was destiny that got my ass fired? Sorry, cowboy, but I make my own destiny, and that most definitely wasn’t it.”
He fell mercifully silent as they jogged in step, and her annoyance with the man grew larger every time her feet hit dirt. This was hardly the relaxing, thought-clearing jog she’d planned. Her brain fogged more than ever with him so near.
“You look silly, you know,” she said, wondering how to shake him off. “The whole cowboy jogger look doesn’t quite work.”
“Well, you won’t stop and talk to me.”
“I’m running. I can’t stop.”
“Then what else am I supposed to do?”
“I suppose leaving me alone is out of the question.”
“Since the moment you ran me over with your car.”
She glanced at him, but he was staring straight ahead. “I didn’t run you over. I barely grazed you, or else you wouldn’t have healed so fast.”
“I heal fast because that’s my nature.”
“And it’s my nature to stay away from men and excel at my job.”
Now his head turned toward hers. “Correction. It’s your nature to stay away from men who ain’t your mates. That’s instinct. The men you are meant for, well, you’ll find yourself helpless to stay away from them.”
“Because they keep following me into equipment rooms and out on morning jogs.” She was panting heavily now, and words were getting harder to mete out smoothly.
“So, you admit we’re the ones you’re supposed to be with.”
“I admit I was out of my head for a while.” She stopped and stared at him. “How the hell do you do that, anyway?”
He stopped, too, and wandered back to her while shoving his hat higher on his head. “What?”
Using the back of her jacket sleeve, she swiped sweat from her forehead. “Jog like it’s nothing. You’re not even breathing hard.”
“You’d be surprised at some of the things I can do.”
Like completely hypnotize her with those unbelievable violet-gold eyes. She looked away before they seized control of her will completely.
“Thought you weren’t supposed to stop in the middle of a jog,” he said.
She shot him a hard look and started up again. After several feet, he pulled her arm gently to bring her farther off the shoulder. Then he switched places so he was closer to the road.
“There’s a car comin’,” he said to her questioning look.
A glance over her shoulder brought a frown. “No, there isn’t.”
Sure enough, however, the faint sound of an engine caught her attention several moments later. “I can’t believe you heard that so far away.”
“Told you you’d be surprised what I can do.”
The car passed, and then only her heavy breaths and the footfalls of sneakers and boots against pine needles and dirt. Silence pressed heavier on her, and she knew she had to admit the truth to herself. Plenty of men had made plays for her—some rather aggressively. Unlike a certain other woman in her family, she’d become very adept at shooting down male hopes. Obviously, the reason Caleb wasn’t getting the hint was because she wasn’t trying hard enough to thwart him. Part of her was secretly enjoying the attention.
She needed to ge
t over it.
“Look, Caleb,” she said, “I have to be honest about this thing you think we have. The truth is, we don’t.”
“We don’t,” he echoed with skepticism.
“I’m grateful to you, of course. You carried me to a hospital and watched over me—and rescued me again when I ran down the road during a wild delusion. You seem like a really nice guy, and I won’t even bother denying how attractive you are.”
“Mighty kind of you.” The sarcasm was thick and clear.
“But you have to understand that what happened between us, well, it wasn’t real. I’m sorry for the part I played in it. I didn’t mean to.”
A muscle was pulsing in his jaw, but he didn’t reply.
“I let you touch me, and that was entirely my fault,” she went on. “I was completely punch drunk from the accident. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“Maybe you were, and you just didn’t know it.”
“No, I was behaving completely the opposite of normal. And normal is what I need to get back to.”
She stopped again, but kept jogging in place. “It looks like you and Stephen have a good thing going, and I’m happy for you. Really. I’m just not part of that equation.”
“That isn’t true,” he said, and something glittered in his gaze. “Not nearly.”
“Yes, it is. You and Stephen knew I’m a virgin, right? Silly for a woman my age, maybe, but that’s who I am. My actions gave a different impression, but getting fired brought me back to my senses. I’m cured of the need to explore a physical connection with either of you. I’m immune.”
Liar! her thoughts screamed.
Caleb pulled off his hat and ran a hand through sweat-dampened locks. “So let me see if I’m understandin’ this right.” He turned and used his hat to point out a copse of nearby trees. “If I were to take you into those woods right now, you’d be immune to me?”
She halted her jog entirely. “Is that a threat?”
“Not by force, darlin’. I meant theoretically. So let’s say we go off together into those woods.” He took a step closer, and her hammering pulse skipped. “Suppose I pushed you up against one of those trees and looked deep into your eyes. Would you be immune to me then?”
Disobedient Cowboys [Lone Wolves of Shay Falls 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 9
