by Doctor Me Up
He looked worried and haggard. The whole situation had taken its toll on him. Dark circles under his eyes told her he wasn't sleeping well. The almost gaunt appearance to his cheeks told her he wasn't eating like he should either.
A quick look out the window assured her the rain had stopped, giving them a chance to check by the water trough. She grabbed her boots from near the back door to trudge out in the mud as her father picked up the coffee cups and put them in the sink.
"Thanks for getting those, Dad. I was going to do it when I got my boots on."
"I'm used to it, Elizabeth. Your mother, God rest her soul, always left her coffee cup on the table."
"I guess I get it naturally then."
"Yep." He put his cowboy hat on his head, motioning for her to precede him through the back screen door out into the filtered sunlight. Now that the clouds were breaking up, blue sky shone between the wispy puffs of white again.
"It's going to be fun getting out there in this mud."
"Yeah, it's the joys of living on a ranch with cattle and horses. There is always a mud pit around somewhere."
"True," she said, opening the gate to the pasture as her father followed behind.
The closer she got to the red material in the mud, the more worried she became. First a red shirt, blue jean, and then boots made her gasp as they got to what lie on the ground near the trough.
"Shit, Dad. It's a man."
Mitchell bent down next to the body to touch his neck. "He's dead."
"What the hell happened here?"
"I'm not sure, but we need to call the sheriff."
"I have my cell in my pocket," she replied, pulling it out to dial.
Within several minutes, the house buzzed with a few sheriff's deputies as they took notes and the paramedics moved the body onto a stretcher.
"Appears like one of the animals kicked him in the head," Sheriff Monteau said, scribbling in his notebook.
"An accident?" her father asked.
"Looks like it. The animal probably spooked during the storm."
"What the hell was he doing out near the trough in a storm? Its nuts," Elizabeth said, adding her two cents into the equation.
"I wouldn't know. We'll contact the state investigators’ office to make sure they don't want to go through a full investigation before we close this, but I'm ruling the death accidental."
"Thanks, Sheriff."
"You're welcome, Mitchell. I'll call you if I need anything else."
Once the police cars left, Elizabeth and her father stood near where the body had lain. "I'm still suspicious, Dad. Why would he be out here in the middle of a storm? This whole scenario doesn't make sense."
"I haven't the foggiest idea. Maybe one of the gates got left open and he closed it?"
"There aren't any gates close to the trough." She glanced around the area and noticed something next to the base of the metal watering hole. "What's this?" A small plastic vial sat propped up against the tank on the opposite side of where they found the body. The sheriff and his deputy's must have missed it buried in the grass around the trough.
"I don't know. Why would there be something like this out here?"
"You should have the contents analyzed, Dad," she said, handing him the vial. "It could be important. You don't have any of the hands treating the water with anything, do you?"
"No. The cattle get the extra nutrients they need in their feed, not the water supply."
"I don't like this."
"Me either, honey. I'll get this back to the house and have the lab who did the water testing, get right on it."
"Great. I'm going to poke around here a little to see if I find anything else out of the ordinary. Maybe in the barn?"
Her father glanced at the large structure in the distance and shrugged. "Maybe. You never know."
As he trudged off toward the house, Elizabeth checked out the area. Layers upon layers of hoof prints in the mud obliterated much of the vicinity, making it difficult to see anything. Horses and cattle milled about in the distance. A brown mare wandered close, searching for a scratching. She reached her hand to the animal's ears to itch behind the left one. "Are you gonna help me look, sweetheart, because you're in the way right now." The horse shook her head. Elizabeth giggled and pushed the mare away. "Go on with you then."
Sloshing through the mud wasn't her idea of a good time. Unfortunately, it came with the territory of being on a ranch. She couldn't remember how many times her mother yelled at her for tracking mud into the house. Oh Mom, I wish you were here. It sucks not having you to talk to.
A soft breeze blew hair across her cheek and she smiled even though tears gathered in her eyes. Losing a mother at any age hurt like the devil. When hers died tragically in a car accident a few years ago, the pain went heart deep.
She sniffed back the tears and looked down. Something shiny silver winked in the morning sunlight. She bent down to push the mud back. A cell phone? What the hell is a cell phone doing out here in the mud? Maybe it belonged to the guy we found. She brushed the dirt away. "Huh. What a weird thing to find out here. Of course, you don't find dead bodies in the mud very often either." The screen flashed missed call so she flipped open the top and gasped as the number registered in her brain. "Why in the hell would he be calling one of the guys on Dad's ranch?"
* * * *
Marcus stepped outside his office to take a breath of fresh air. The storm from earlier had finally moved off. He hoped it would stay away for a bit. Thunder and lightning were great for cuddle time with someone, but they played hell on his sinuses. The pressure from the high humidity always clogged him up. He sniffed to try to clear his nostrils, which didn't help. But the rotting food stench coming from the diner down the block that shared the same alleyway he did seemed to do the trick. Great.Just what I need to smell when my nose opens up a little.
To erase the disgusting odor, he let his mind drift back to Elizabeth and how their night progressed after she arrived to apologize. With her kneeling at his feet so beautifully, her hair glinting red in the lights of the room, the smell of her perfume drifting to his nose, he remembered the excitement radiating off her skin when he draped her back over the spanking bench. She wanted to be fucked hard. Being taken turned her on. The scent of her arousal stimulated his own sense of fulfillment at having a sub available to him—one who wanted to be there unlike Marie, his ex-wife.
Two women in his life had broken him down, Marie and Julia. Marie wanted him to give up his dominate traits to become the vanilla lover she wanted. He'd tried for a while, but it became apparent early on he wouldn't be able to maintain that way of life. Domination was part of him—something he couldn't turn off like a faucet. The breakup of their marriage some ten years earlier still hurt. Loving a woman who wouldn't even contemplate some excitement in their bedroom life became a burden he couldn't shake.
Then he found Julia. He'd met her at a club one night as a sub looking for a Dom. Beautiful, curvy and blonde, she screamed total submission from her bent head to her kneeling position in the roped off area for the unattached subs. They negotiated to play several times together over six months, but the more he tried with her, the more he realized she wanted a twenty-four/seven slave relationship. He couldn't do it. He wanted a partner in life, not someone he would be required to make all the decisions for. A submissive in the bedroom, but not in their every day life would be the perfect sub for him. Unfortunately, he hadn't found a woman to fit the description in his mind…until now. Elizabeth.
"Love? Is that what this is?"
Everything points to the description of love. You want her. She fulfills everything you need in the bedroom.
"Can I trust her?"
You already do.
"True."
She compliments you in every aspect of your life. She's strong and independent, but submissive in her sexual needs. Her world doesn't revolve around you.
"But how can I say I'm in love with her?"
Listen to your h
eart.
After he thought about it like that, he realized love came in many different packages. The feelings he had for Elizabeth went far beyond anything he felt for other women in his life. The love he'd felt for Marie didn't come close to what his heart held for Elizabeth. He wanted her, yes, but in many different ways. By his side, cooking with him, cleaning his house, enjoying the sunshine, picnics, long walks…babies.
"I do love her."
Seconds later, a sharp crack split the air like the snap of a bullwhip. He grunted and staggered back as a bright red splotch formed on the front of his lab coat. What the fuck? Pain seared through his chest as he dropped to his knees. Please God, don't let me die before I have a chance to tell Elizabeth I love her.
Darkness surrounded him as he collapsed against the warm pavement.
Chapter Thirteen
"I need to see him now. Get me a supervisor," Elizabeth snapped at the nurse guarding the curtained off area where Marcus lay helplessly. The two hour drive to Billings was torture, not knowing what had happened or whether he would live or not. Thank goodness the fire department paramedics knew enough to call for Life Flight.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. The doctor is with him and we're prepping him for surgery."
"Surgery?"
"Yes. He needs surgery now. They have to stop the bleeding."
"Marcus? Ah, hell, Marcus!"
Seconds later, she heard a squeaky, "Elizabeth?"
"See. He wants to see me."
"Let her in nurse, if it will make the patient more comfortable."
Elizabeth dashed around the woman and parted the curtains. Holy shit! Marcus' skin looked milky white except for the large stain on the bandage over his shoulder. "What happened?"
"Apparently, I was shot."
"Why would someone want to shoot you?"
"I wish I knew. I don't think I've pissed off any of my patients lately." He coughed, making the blood seep from the wound.
"Don't coughing. No moving. You have to be okay."
He grasped her hand in his, squeezing her fingers. "I will. They have to stop the bleeding and clean up the wound. The bullet hit some big veins. I'll be fine."
"You'd better be. I don't want the man I love dying on me," she said with tears in her eyes.
"You love me?" he asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
"Yes, I do. I'd planned on telling you tonight with a romantic dinner with all the trimmings, but now you'll be in here for at least a few days."
"We'll put off the romantic dinner, but not the other. I love you too."
"Seriously?"
"Yes." He brought her fingers to his mouth to kiss each one.
"Enough. We need to get this man to surgery."
"I'll be at your bedside when you come out of surgery. You can count on it, so no running off," she said, sniffing in between sentences. She couldn't lose him. Not now. "Take good care of him, will you?"
"We'll do our best, ma'am."
She watched with a heavy heart as they wheeled him out of the curtained off area and down the hall, silently praying he would be all right. The love she felt for this man couldn't be compared to anything she'd felt before. The feelings were all encompassing. Her heart ached and she hugged herself trying to hold in the sobs.
"Liz?"
She sighed before she wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"Liz, where are you?"
Knowing she had no choice but to face Natalie and Cade, she walked out into the long hallway.
"There you are. Where is Marcus?"
"Headed to surgery."
"What the hell happened?" Natalie asked, hugging her. "I heard he was shot? Who the hell shoots people in Red Rock?"
"He took a bullet to his upper chest on the left side right above his heart from what I could tell. It hit some major veins so they are going in to close things up. They have to stop the bleeding." Her entire body started to shake from the shock of finding him like this. "What if he doesn't make it, Nat? I can't lose him now. I love him."
"Does he know this?" she asked, stepping back to link her arm with Elizabeth's.
"Yes. I told him before they took him away and he said he loves me too. God…" She scrubbed her face with her left hand, laughing. "What a way to declare your love for someone, huh?"
"It'll be fine. You've given him something to look forward to now. You'll have the rest of your lives to figure things out."
"Being in love with someone doesn't make everything hunky-dory, Nat. I'm going to be working in this hospital next week. I'll be here for three years."
"Billings isn't far. You'll make things work."
"He needs to get through this before I worry about making anything work or not."
The cell phone in her pocket vibrated and she jumped. She'd forgotten she had put it there after she found it in the mud. Pulling the phone out, she glanced at the screen, recognizing the number. The rat bastard! She flipped the phone open and said, "Hello Ari."
Click.
"The fucking asshole!"
"Who?"
"Armand." She slid the phone back in her pocket. "You know about the dead cowboy we found near the water trough this morning, right?"
"Yeah, Dad told us."
"Well, Dad took the vial of whatever we found back into the house, but I stayed out there to look around the mud for some clues. I found a cell phone. Guess whose number showed up as a missed call?" Natalie's wide eyes confirmed she suspected the same asshole. "Yep, you guessed is…Ari."
"What's he got to do with a dead cowboy?"
"I wish I knew. Whatever it is, it can't be good."
When they reached the waiting room, Cade sat in one of the chairs with Mitchell next to him. They both stood as she and Natalie reached their side.
"How is he?" her father asked.
"They just took him to surgery. There's some bleeding they need to stop and I don't know if the bullet is still in there."
"Who would want to shoot, Marcus?" Cade stuffed his hands in his pockets. "What kind of enemies could a veterinarian have?"
"I wish I knew."
Sheriff Monteau walked in through the doors, approaching the group with a frown on his face. "How is Doctor Melton?"
"In surgery, but they expect him to recover, I think. Have you found out anything about who shot him?"
"We caught the guy."
"You did?"
"Yeah. Someone from the diner saw a car speed away shortly after the crack of the shot. They're the ones who found Marcus in the alley behind his office. The guy is singing like a bird. Appears as if someone paid him to shoot Marcus, although the original plan failed when Marcus turned to go back into the office. They guy caught him in the shoulder instead of the heart."
"The guy meant to kill him?"
"Apparently."
"Did he say who paid him?"
"Some guy from Los Angeles is all I can tell you. We've put out an APB on the guy for attempted murder."
"I hope they get him before he tries again."
"We will. He's some big shot out there. Business owner of some sort. We hope he hasn't skipped the country."
Rage ripped through her. She knew in her gut who was behind all of this, but she didn't know why. "Somehow, I don't think so. If it's who I think it is, he thinks he's untouchable."
"Oh?"
"Yes. He's an ex-boyfriend of mine, but why he'd want to kill Marcus, I don't know."
"Jealousy?" Nat suggested. "He was pretty adamant he wanted you to call him. When you didn't, all of the sudden people are dying or being hurt around you."
"Why? He doesn't know I'm seeing anyone."
"Maybe he does."
"Sheriff Monteau, I know you're investigating the death of the cowboy at our ranch also. I found this," she pulled the cell phone from her pocket, "in the dirt out there. We heard about Marcus right after I found it so I didn't have time to call you to tell you. One of the phone calls today was from a familiar number to me. Armand Listolini. Why he would be calling
a cowboy on my father's ranch, I don't know. If he's behind Marcus being shot, I'll kill him myself if you don't arrest him and put his ass away for a long time."
"We'll do our best, Ms. Weston."
"Good. If you need anything from me, let me know. I could probably tell you where he'd hide out if he tries to disappear. I was his personal assistant before I left his ass."
"We'll be in touch then if we don't get him under arrest inside the next twenty four hours."
"Thanks, Sheriff." After the Sheriff left, the group decided to get coffee and something to eat from the cafeteria at the hospital while they waited for Marcus to come out of surgery. All of the prayers Elizabeth had said as a child went through her brain, while she silently talked to God on Marcus' behalf. He just had to be okay. She couldn't lose him now.
Two hours later, the doctor came out into the surgery waiting room. "Are you with Doctor Melton?"
"Yes, Sir," she said, coming to her feet. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine. The bullet didn't hit anything major but it was still lodged in the fleshy part of his shoulder. It did chip part of his collarbone so he will be sore for some time until the bone heals. We've cauterized, sorry that means burned the ends of the veins so they don't bleed anymore…"
"It's fine, Doctor. I'm a physician. In fact I'm doing my residency here starting next week."
"Oh good. Then you understand. We sealed everything off and stopped the bleeding. There is a hairline fracture in the collarbone. It'll heal in time. He's in recovery now. You can go back to see him if you like. He's been asking for Elizabeth, although he's not fully awake, yet."
"I'm Elizabeth."
"I assumed as much." He motioned to the nurse. "Take this woman back to curtain four, please."
"I'll be back in a couple of minutes."
"You take your time, sweetheart. We know you need to be back there," her father said, kissing her cheek.
"Thanks, Dad."
When the nurse left her at the curtain of the room where Marcus lay, she inhaled sharply and pushed her way through. His skin had more color rather than the pasty white he'd been before. The bandage on his shoulder was clean and dry now. His dark lashes lay against his cheeks, covering up the beautiful blue eyes she'd come to love so much. She moved to the side of his bed to pick up his hand. "Marcus?"
