by Irene Hannon
“Why not?”
“They’ve been running tests. They’re still—”
The door from the treatment area opened, and a fortysomething man in scrubs appeared. “Are you with Alison Taylor?”
“Yes.” Mitch answered in unison with her brothers.
Cole vaulted to his feet. Swayed. Mitch grabbed his good arm as Jake eyed the white dressing and sling on the other, his frown deepening. “What happened to you?”
“Long story.” Cole took a deep breath and straightened up, extricating his arm.
The man approached them and extended his hand. “I’m Dr. Matthews. Let’s sit for a minute. It’s been a long night.” He sized up the three of them. “For all of us, I assume.” He gestured toward a grouping of chairs off to one side, and they followed him over.
Once seated, the doctor didn’t keep them in suspense.
“Ms. Taylor is a very lucky young woman, considering all the trauma she’s experienced in the past few hours. In addition to assorted cuts and bruises, she’s suffering from a slight concussion. Despite her near drowning, however, there’s no water in her lungs. That’s positive news. I understand one of you is to be commended for an exceptional water rescue and some first-class artificial respiration.”
Mitch felt heat creep up his neck as Alison’s brothers looked at him.
“He was a Navy SEAL,” Cole offered.
“You were the right man to have on hand, then.” The doctor acknowledged him with a nod. “We’ll keep her overnight for observation, but barring some unforeseen complication, I expect we’ll release her tomorrow morning.”
“What about the leg she injured in the accident last year?” Cole spoke up.
“We’ve talked with her surgeon and done some additional X-rays. He’ll check them out, but I see nothing to suggest this experience has further damaged that leg nor undermined her recovery. She does have small puncture wounds on that leg, and eight or nine others in the trunk area, but none required stitching.”
Mitch exchanged a look with Cole. One of the patrol officers had called their attention to the stick with the bloody point in the back of the pickup truck before they’d left for the hospital.
Now they knew how it had been used.
“Was she sexually assaulted, Doctor?”
The grim question from Jake jolted Mitch back to the present, and he braced himself. It was the same question that had ripped at his gut since he’d learned of her abduction. And one he would have asked if her brothers hadn’t.
“No.”
He closed his eyes. Exhaled.
Thank you, God.
“She’s on her way back from X-ray now. Would you like to come back to the treatment room?”
“Yes.” Mitch answered for all of them.
The doctor rose, and they fell in behind him. Mitch thought about letting her brothers take the lead. They were family, after all.
But in the end, he claimed the prime spot. Because while he might not be family yet, if all went as he hoped, there was a very strong possibility he would have his own family ties to the Taylor clan in the not-too-distant future.
As the murmur of voices penetrated Alison’s sleep-fogged brain, she tried to rouse herself. She hadn’t planned to doze off, but lethargy had overcome her mind and limbs as they’d wheeled her back from X-ray, and she’d faded into oblivion. They must be giving her some heavy-duty pain meds through her IV.
“She’s really pale.” Cole’s comment.
“Her body has been through a lot. She’ll regain her color soon.” She recognized the doctor’s voice.
“Is there any damage to her eye?” That question came from Jake. So he was back from his mission. Because of her?
“No.”
All at once, she felt her hand taken in a gentle, warm clasp. “I think she looks great.”
Mitch. She’d know that tender, husky baritone anywhere.
Forcing her heavy eyelids open, she smiled up at the man beside her. After the paramedics had taken over by the river, he’d hovered an arm’s reach away while they’d worked on her. Ridden with her in the ambulance. Stayed within speaking distance, just on the other side of the curtain in the ER treatment room while the doctor had examined her. Only when they’d wheeled her away for X-rays had he been forced to leave her side.
And while his hair was disheveled, his clothes were as rumpled as if he’d slept in them for a week, and the five o’clock shadow on his cheeks had burgeoned into full-blown stubble, he looked great to her too.
She squeezed his hand. “Hi.”
He returned the smile and squeezed back. “Hi yourself.”
At the sudden clearing of a throat from the corner of the treatment room, she turned toward her brothers. Jake raised an eyebrow, and she felt warmth steal over her cheeks.
Her older brother’s lips quirked as he addressed Cole. “Her color is coming back.”
The doctor chuckled and edged out the door. “Even faster than I expected.”
As the man disappeared, Jake’s demeanor grew more serious and he took up a position on the other side of the bed, reaching down to touch her shoulder. “You okay, Twig?”
The hoarse question from her big brother, along with the suspicious glint in his eyes, tightened her throat. Jake was the rock in the family. The one who kept his emotions on the tightest leash. She’d rarely seen his control falter; only when someone he loved was hurting or in serious trouble did he reveal his softer side.
“Yeah. I’m fine. How can I not be, with all you guys watching out for me?”
Truth be told, she wasn’t fine. Every inch of her body ached. But they didn’t need to know that. Besides, as her gaze swept over the three men clustered around her bed, she realized Cole looked worse than she felt. “You need to go home and get some rest. What time is it, anyway?”
“It’s 1:15. And Mom will be here in eight hours.”
“You called Mom?” Alison regarded Cole in dismay.
“The story’s all over the news. I wanted her to hear it from me, not some reporter.”
She grimaced. “I’ve given her enough worry over the past couple of years. Now this.”
Jake tugged gently on a strand of her hair. “Don’t start that routine again. When people care, they worry. Live with it.”
“Yeah, I’m not covering for you anymore. If you . . .” Cole stopped and pulled the phone off his belt, checking caller ID. “I need to take this.”
As he turned away, Alison lowered her voice. “Take him home, Jake. He’s about to fold.”
“What happened to him, anyway?”
While she brought him up to speed, Cole finished his call. He swapped looks with Mitch, and she narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing you need to be concerned about.”
“Cole Taylor, don’t you dare treat me like a kid sister! If that call was related to what happened tonight, I want to hear about it.”
After squinting at her for a moment, he lifted one shoulder. “Fine. They found Barnes’s body fifty yards downstream. He got tangled up in some limbs from a dead tree.”
Jake and Mitch didn’t respond in words. But she could read their reaction to the news on their faces.
Good riddance.
She couldn’t disagree. Someday, with God’s help, maybe she’d be able to forgive the man who’d blamed her for all his problems. Who’d tortured her and tried to take her life.
But it wasn’t going to be a swift or easy journey.
Swallowing, she motioned Jake and Cole toward the door. “Go home. Get some rest. And after you pick up Mom in the morning, swing by my house and grab some clean clothes for me, okay?”
“She must be feeling better. Did you notice she’s getting bossy again?” Cole directed the comment to Jake and Mitch but sent a smirk her direction.
“I noticed.” Mitch winked at her, then turned to Jake. “You took a cab from the airport, right?”
“Yeah.”
He dug through his pocket
, withdrew his keys, and tossed them to her older brother. “I’m staying. Take my car. I’ll get a ride from you in the morning.”
“You don’t have to stay, Mitch.” Alison’s eyelids were growing heavy again, and she struggled to prop them open. “I’m just going to fall asleep anyway.”
Her fingers were swallowed in a firm, warm grip. “And I’ll be here when you wake up.”
She thought about protesting. Thought about insisting Mitch go home too. That would be the considerate thing to do.
But as she drifted to sleep, her hand tucked in his, she didn’t say a word. Because selfish or not, she knew she’d sleep better if he was by her side.
As sunlight began to peek through the slats in the blinds in Alison’s hospital room, Mitch took a sip of the coffee the nurse had offered him. It wasn’t much better than the stuff Alison brewed—lucky thing she had no aspirations to be a barista—but he needed the caffeine. Although he’d drifted to sleep a few times during the waning hours of the night, he’d always jolted awake after a few minutes, muscles taut, adrenaline pumping, pulse pounding.
Fortunately, Alison had had a far more peaceful slumber.
He rose and moved beside the bed to assess her, his stomach knotting as he took in her discolored cheek and eye, her swollen lip, the bruises on her arms where Barnes had squeezed her, the abrasions on her wrists. And those were just the visible signs of trauma. There were many other physical—and psychological—wounds he couldn’t see.
She might have slept well in the past few hours, thanks to all the pain meds. But there would be difficult nights ahead. Nights when she’d awake in a cold sweat, trembling with fear. Nights when she’d be alone, with no one to comfort her.
That’s why he intended to extract a promise from her to call him when that happened. No matter the hour.
She stirred, and he sat on the bed beside her as her eyelashes flickered open. Weaving his fingers through hers, he summoned up a smile. “Good morning.”
For a moment, she seemed disoriented. Then her beautiful blue eyes cleared. “You stayed.”
“You asked me to. At the river.”
“That was selfish. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Spending the night with a beautiful woman is no hardship.”
She blushed, as he’d expected. “Is anyone else here?”
“Not yet.” He checked his watch. “Jake’s picking up your mom about now. Then they’re going to swing by and get Cole, stop at your place for some clothes, and come out here. So we have plenty of time for this.” Without releasing her hand, without giving her a chance to realize his intent, he bent and claimed her lips in a tender, lingering kiss.
When he drew back at last, she let out a shaky breath. “Wow. I hope I’m not still hooked up to a heart monitor.”
He chuckled. “You’re safe.”
Squeezing his hand, she locked gazes with him, her expression suddenly serious. “I know. That’s how I always feel with you. Safe and protected. You’re the real deal. True hero material.”
His lips tightened. “No, I’m not. I failed you last night. I didn’t show up at your office when I was supposed to. If I had, none of this would have happened.”
“I suspect there was a very valid reason for that.”
“Yeah. I guess.” He explained what had happened with his father, then stared down into his coffee. “But I should have remembered to call.”
“Hey.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “It was an emergency—and people get distracted in emergencies. It’s called being human. And it’s okay. I’m just glad it turned out to be a false alarm. Now tell me how you found me. It couldn’t have been easy.”
Mitch wasn’t as ready as Alison to forgive his lapse, but he did his best to switch gears, relating the story of the skateboarder, Nicole’s phone message, and the observant citizen’s 911 call about odd activity at the railroad bridge. But most of all he focused on Erik’s role, and how in the wee hours of the morning, he’d kept his promise and awakened the young man with the good news.
“Wow.” Alison’s renewed color faded as she processed the implications. “If any of those pieces hadn’t fallen into place, I wouldn’t be here today. Especially Erik’s piece. I think I owe him a package of supersized Hershey bars.”
“I’m sure he’d appreciate that. But now I want to talk about you and me.” Mitch set his cup of coffee on the nightstand, then brushed some wisps of hair away from her forehead, loving the satiny feel of her skin against his fingertips. “During the past twelve hours, I did a lot of thinking about us. A lot of worrying that I might lose you. A lot of praying that I wouldn’t. And as I sat here beside you through the night, I broke out in a cold sweat every time I thought about how close I did come to losing you.” His voice hoarsened, and he cleared his throat.
“Anyway, here’s the thing. I know we’re just beginning to get acquainted, and we haven’t had the most normal dating relationship. But once you’re back on your feet, I’d like to remedy that. Starting with a lot more trips to Ted Drewes. Because I think we might find God has something special in store of us. What do you think?”
The tenderness in her eyes, and the sweet smile that tugged at her lips, tightened Mitch’s throat and sent his spirits soaring.
“That sounds perfect. But there is one small problem.”
Her caveat tempered his sudden elation. “What?”
“If things develop as I suspect they might, for the rest of our lives we’re going to have to listen to Cole gloat about how he set us up on that first date.”
The tension in Mitch’s shoulders eased and he smiled. “It would be worth it, don’t you think?”
She smiled back. “For a happily ever after? Yeah. I think.” Putting her free hand on his shoulder, she gave a little tug. “What do you say we consider everything up until now a prologue and dive into chapter one?”
Chuckling, he leaned close, his eyes inches from hers, her breath warm and blessedly alive on his cheek. “You’re on. So . . . once upon a time . . .”
And with that, he claimed her lips.
Epilogue
Five Months Later
“I think this is our dance.”
At the husky comment and the touch on her shoulder, Alison tuned in to the background music gracing Jake and Liz’s elegant, intimate wedding reception.
The three-piece combo was playing “Unforgettable.”
Their song.
With a murmured excuse to her aunt Catherine, Alison turned to Mitch, smiled, and held out her hand. “Lead the way.”
He twined his fingers with hers, his touch warm, strong . . . and magic—as always.
The magic was important.
But so were other things.
As he swept her into his arms and they began to move in perfect unison to the music, Alison was struck by the apt analogy. She and Mitch were in sync not just on the dance floor but in all the ways that counted. Especially when it came to values.
For both of them, family was a priority. They shared a passion for justice. And faith was the center of their lives. The latter had always been true for Alison, and Mitch had found his way back to the Lord, too, these past few months. She gave thanks for that every day.
“You know, I think the maid of honor is even prettier than the bride.” The words were spoken close to her ear, followed by a discreet nuzzle of her neck.
“No way.” Savoring the feel of his strong arms around her, Alison snuggled closer and checked out her new sister-in-law, who was enjoying a dance with her groom. Liz was elegant in a long, off-white sheath with scattered silver beads that caught the light as she swayed in time to the music. Her gaze was locked on Jake, her face luminous. “She looks breathtaking.”
“True. But you’re more breathtaking. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you during the ceremony. You were serenely radiant.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “You wouldn’t have said that if you’d seen me yesterday while I was trying to deal with three emergencies a
t work and still get to the rehearsal dinner on time. I was frazzled.”
“I’m sure you handled it all with aplomb. Everything okay with Ellen Callahan?”
“Yes. Now that she’s earned her GED and gotten a better job, her loan went through. She and the children will be moving into their own house next month. I’m glad things worked out for her.”
“How could they not, with you on her side?”
Warmed by his praise, she let out a small, contented sigh and closed her eyes as they swayed, relishing the perfect moment. Wishing it could go on forever.
Far too soon, however, the music wound down. But when the song ended, Mitch released her only long enough to once again take her hand. “There’s a nice garden in back. Want to take advantage of the Indian summer weather?”
“Hmm. A moonlight stroll with a handsome man . . .” She pretended to consider it, then flashed him a grin. “Sold.”
Smiling back, he guided her toward the side door.
As they crossed the room, Alison caught sight of Cole standing by himself, off to one side, a glass of champagne in his hand, looking very handsome in his best-man tux. He raised the goblet in salute, a knowing twitch tugging at his lips.
She made a face at him and nudged Mitch. “Cole has us in his sights.”
“Yeah?” Mitch seemed distracted as he scanned the room for his colleague. “He’s just jealous. Why didn’t he bring a date, anyway?”
“Beats me. He usually shows up with a gorgeous blonde at events like this. A different one each time, mind you. But he seems to be off his stride lately.”
“Maybe he’s finally looking for a more serious relationship.”
“One can hope.”
He pushed the door open to let her precede him, and Alison surveyed the small garden as she exited. Lit by discreet lanterns, it was still perfumed by tea roses in mid-October.
She inhaled the fragrance. “Mmm. This is beautiful.”
“I agree.”
She turned to find him looking at her, not the setting.
Warmth flooded her cheeks at the intimate light in his eyes, and she smoothed the skirt of her knee-length sheath, the bronze silk shimmering in the moonlight. “You’ll make me vain with all these compliments.”
