Still the One

by Belle Calhoune

  Please, don't be alone. Lena's words rang in his ears. She hadn't wanted him to end up by himself, living his life in a solitary fashion. Because she'd known him so well, she'd been aware that there was a strong possibility he'd close himself off to love. In the end, she'd begged him to find another woman to “light up his life.” That had been her expression. Light up his life. That's what Tess had done in so many ways. As his work partner, she'd made the tough days easier. Her indomitable spirit and sense of humor made the sad days bearable. And he couldn't think of anyone he trusted more in a rescue situation. Tess always had his back. Always.

  She was his cornerstone. His anchor. And no matter what happened in his life going forward, he didn't want to lose her.

  *

  Ryder drove the ambulance up to the emergency room doors of Breeze Point Hospital. He watched as his partner met the medical staff at the entrance and handed off the patient. His whole day had been off. He'd been partnered with two other paramedics today, Rocky Sant'angelo and Kim Swain. Rocky was a great guy. At 6’5”, he made the rest of the team look puny in comparison. He was knowledgeable and funny. Kim Swain was a pretty, intelligent young woman. With her mocha skin and corkscrew curls, she was a head-turner. She also happened to be tight with Tess. They'd started working for Breeze Point Medical Transport Services at the same time. They'd learned and grown together, not just as colleagues, but as friends.

  Problem was, neither one of them was Tess. He was so used to being partnered with her that it felt jarring to go a complete day without having her by his side. It was strange to feel this way all of a sudden since he occasionally partnered with other paramedics and he'd never felt the loss so keenly. There was no one to fight him over who would take the driver's seat in the ambulance. There was no one to suggest a ten minute break at his family's bakery. There was no one to rock out with him in the break room to his favorite Indy band. And there was no one to laugh at his corny jokes. No one but Tess.

  He hadn't seen her since the other night. She'd been scheduled to take a few days off work, declaring that she was taking a staycation. She was going to do some local antiquing, hang out with Seth, get her brother situated for his summer school classes and spend some time at Breezy Beach. The idea of popping over to her house kept nagging at him. He'd texted her a few times earlier in the day but she hadn't responded. Tess was notorious for forgetting to charge her phone, so he could easily imagine all his texts going unseen.

  What was wrong with him? He was chomping at the bit to see Tess, so much so that he was planning to do a drive by at her house.

  By the time he pulled up in Tess' driveway it was a little after six. Her car wasn't parked in the driveway, but her front door was open with just the screen showing. He rapped on the door, giving a shout to alert them to his presence. “Hey, it's me. Ryder. Anyone home?” He knocked again, louder this time.

  “Come on in, Ryder. The door's open.” He followed the sound of Seth's voice. It led him to the living room where Seth was sitting on the floor, books scattered all around him on a coffee table.

  “Hey, Seth. How's it going?”

  Seth nodded. “It's going. I'm just looking over my books and giving myself a refresher course. I figure it'll give me a head start before classes begin tomorrow.”

  Ryder was impressed. Just days ago Seth was adamantly opposed to taking summer classes, but now he was making the most of his free time and studying up. He liked Seth's initiative!

  “Hey, is Tess around?” He tried to make his voice sound casual, but the way his insides were flopping around felt anything but routine. For some reason, he felt a pressing urge to see her.

  “She's not home.” Seth shoved his hand through his unruly mane.

  “When will she be back? Do you know?” He could hear the impatience ringing out in his voice.

  Seth cracked open a soda can. The sound of it rent the air with a sharp cracking sound. A smirk was plastered on his face. “Not sure. She's on a date.”

  A date? He felt himself tensing up. He could feel his face making a frown. She'd never mentioned a word about seeing anyone. How could she be on a date with someone else?

  He clenched his teeth, willing himself not to show his anger and disappointment. “Who with?”

  Seth shrugged. “Some guy named Brian. Torson. Towson.”

  “Tolleson.” He spit the word out as if it were poison. He felt his lip curling in dismay.

  “Yeah, that's it. Dude looked kind of boring if you ask me. But he was tripping all over himself to open the door for Tess and to act like Prince Charming.” Seth jutted his chin in the direction of the hallway. “Look. He even brought her flowers.”

  Almost against his will, Ryder turned towards the hallway. A ridiculous amount of red roses sat perched in a glass vase. Some wild instinct inside him made him want to take the roses and throw them in the garbage. The thought shocked him. That wasn't the type of man he was in normal circumstances. Deep breaths. Deep breaths, he cautioned himself. He had no right to feel jealous or resentful of Brian. After all, he'd been the one to introduce Tess and Brian at Blue's wedding. Why had he done that again? He asked himself. He'd practically handed Tess over to Brian. Aaargh. The thoughts racing through his mind were off the wall and petty. And he couldn't seem to stop his mind from racing with images of Brian holding Tess' hand.

  A date with Brian? Huh! It was difficult to wrap his head around it. He hadn't imagined the two of them hitting it off. Even though he'd introduced the two of them at Brian's insistence, he hadn't really thought Tess would go for him.

  Why not? A little voice buzzed in his ear. Because you'd like to think Tess only has eyes for you? Maybe he'd been listening too much to his brothers. They were all convinced that Tess was madly in love with him. For some reason the idea of it wasn't unappealing. Although he knew she might be interested in pursuing a relationship with him, it was a far cry from being head over heels. And just because she found herself attracted to him didn't mean she felt anything more than a crush. After all, they did spend a lot of time together and were constantly thrown in each other's paths. It was normal to feel some level of attraction, he reassured himself.

  He was having a hard time forgiving himself for wanting to knock Brian Tolleson in the teeth. It was difficult to remember a time when he'd felt this knife like twist in his gut. Had he ever in his life battled such strong feelings of jealousy?

  “Hey, want to stay and watch a movie with me? I've got two pizzas here.”

  The way Seth threw out the invitation was meant to sound casual, but he could detect a note of loneliness in his voice. Seth hadn't made any friends yet in Breeze Point, and from what Tess had told him he was dying for some hang time with buddies. “Sure. Why not?” He rubbed his stomach. “I haven't eaten all day, so I'm pretty starved.” The look of relief on Seth's face made his insides clench. He wasn't a bad kid. Just a little messed up and in need of some guidance. Looking at him felt like looking into a distorted mirror. Lord knows he might have found himself in Seth's shoes if he hadn't been adopted by his parents. And he could tell by Seth's apology the other night and his desire to make amends with Tess that he had a good heart.

  Seth served as a pretty decent host as he offered up endless slices of pepperoni pizza along with a side of fries and a soda. Watching a movie with Seth showed Ryder his humorous side. He couldn't stop making fun of the stiff actors or the holes in the plot lines. Even though he was disappointed about not being able to spend time with Tess, he was pleasantly surprised at the good time he was having with her brother.

  *

  Ryder awoke with a start. He was sitting on the sofa with Seth, who was snoring loudly as he slumped over an empty paper plate. They'd both eaten way too many slices of pizza as they watched an old Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. Stretching, he looked at his watch. It was almost eleven o'clock. Tess had been gone for five hours. It made no sense! Tomorrow was Seth's first day at summer school and Tess had to be at work in the morning by eight o
'clock. Breeze Point wasn't that big of a town where dinner out meant lots of time en route to a destination.

  Something prickled his insides. Maybe she was having the time of her life with Brian. A burst of anger flowed through him. Why in the world had he introduced his Tess to Brian Tolleson in the first place? His Tess? Had those words just rambled around in his brain? He wasn't thinking straight.

  A quick glance at his cell phone had him noticing a missed call. Tess' number flashed on his screen. He quickly punched in the numbers for his messages, anxiety filling him as he heard Tess' quivering voice on the line. Although the connection was crackly and he could barely make out the words, he knew she was in trouble. Something about going out with Brian. Her car had broken down. Alone on a dark road. Bay Shore Road. Help. Can barely get a signal.

  Ryder shot up from the couch, pure adrenaline racing through him as fear for Tess' safety and well-being came into sharp focus. He quickly dialed her cell phone back, letting out a groan as he voice mail immediately came on. Perhaps her battery died or there wasn't a cell tower in the area. Grabbing a piece of scrap paper he wrote a quick note to Seth in the event he woke up while he was gone. Something told him Seth was out for the night. After making sure the door was locked, Ryder ran towards his car, revving the engine way too quickly for the car's good, but unwilling to sacrifice even a nanosecond when Tess was out there somewhere all by herself.

  He quickly dialed his brothers’ cell phone numbers. Blue was still on his honeymoon in Capri, so he wasn't available. Brandon had flown to New York to close down his office before moving his company lock, stock and barrel to Cape Cod. With a bum knee, he didn't think Wyatt would be much help. And Nick was at his restaurant. Both Remy and Mac answered his call. After explaining the situation, both promised to head immediately to Bay Shore Road to help out with the search for Tess.

  Bay Shore Road. Of all the roads in Breeze Point Tess just had to be stranded on one of the most isolated roads in the area. Surrounded by woods and marsh, it was uninhabited and as black as the deepest night. Why on earth had she been on that road in the first place? Why had they taken separate cars on the date? And why hadn't Brian done the gentlemanly thing and followed Tess home in his car. Even if they'd taken separate cars, it was Brian's responsibility to make sure his date was safe and sound.

  If he'd taken Tess out on a date he would have picked her up in his Mustang and opened the car door for her and sang along with her to the music on the radio. They would have gone to one of their favorite haunts—a seafood joint maybe—and then they would have walked on Breezy Beach and stared at the stars. And he would have kissed her senseless at her front door and made sure she was safe and sound at home.

  He banged his right hand on the steering wheel. Urging himself to take shallow breaths, he reminded himself that Breeze Point had a very low crime rate. The odds of something happening to Tess were very small. And God help Brian Tolleson if a single hair on Tess' head was harmed. He wasn't a violent man by any means, but he had his limits. Right about now he needed serenity. He needed to call upon the Lord for the guidance and wisdom only He could deliver.

  Lord, please help see me through this. I need to find Tess. I need for her to be okay. I'm scared out of my wits. If something happens to Tess I don't think I'll be able to survive it. Not again, Lord. Not again.

  A rising sense of panic had him by the throat. Where was Tess? The road was dark and she wasn't answering her cell phone. Why wasn't she answering her phone? A hundred different scenarios were rolling around in his head. His breathing was ragged and his throat felt tight. The last time he'd felt this way was when Lena was in her last hours at Breeze Point Hospital. Never in his life had he felt so helpless. And now, again, feelings of helplessness were roaring through him. This was what he'd been avoiding. This feeling of caring for someone more than he cared for his own self. Worrying about someone's welfare and having it be more important than his own life. This is what happened when you cared for someone, this feeling of terror racing through your bones like wildfire.

  As he turned on to Bay Shore Road he turned on his high beams, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of Tess' car. About a half mile from the turn he spotted her yellow Jeep parked on the shoulder of the road. After putting his car in park he jumped out, racing over to the driver's side of the vehicle. Disappointment flooded him as he failed to see Tess in the driver's seat. With his flashlight he looked in the back seat, only to come up empty again. “Tess!” he cried out, sending the beam of his flashlight in all different directions. Silence greeted him as he continued to call out her name. Over and over again he called out to her. With a groan of frustration he headed back towards his idling car, hoping to quickly find her on the road.

  Why in the world hadn't she just stayed by the car? A sliver of fear shot straight through him. What if she hadn't left the car on her own accord? There hadn't been any signs of a struggle, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Was Tess in danger? Had someone taken her forcibly?

  As he continued on the road his anxiety increases as the visibility lessened. The road was pitch-black and the trees obscured the light from the moon. The headlights from an oncoming car alerted him to another presence on the road. Slowing down, he recognized Mac's massive red pickup. There weren't many cars like it in Breeze Point. His brother pulled up alongside him and rolled down his window. Mac craned his neck and looked towards the passenger side, just as he did the same thing to his brother's passenger seat. “You didn't find her?” Mac tossed the question out.

  His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach when he realized Mac hadn't found Tess either. “No, not yet. Have you seen Remy?” His voice was clipped and no-nonsense. There was no time for anything else, not when Tess was still unaccounted for. He could barely breathe as it was.

  “I just passed him about a half mile in the other direction. We decided to go in different directions to increase our odds.”

  The pressure and anxiety of the situation was beginning to build inside of him. He felt like a tightly wound balloon ready to explode. It was close to midnight and still no Tess. “I just spotted her car back there, but she's nowhere to be found. I called out to her and looked in the brush, but no answer. I'm getting worried, Mac.”

  Mac's expression was fierce. “We're going to find her, Ryder, because not finding her isn't an option.” Mac's bold words centered him, allowing him to dig deep down inside of himself in order to keep hunting for Tess. She had to be out here somewhere!

  “You go back in the direction you came from, Mac. You'll probably cross paths with Remy. Maybe he's found her by now. I'm going to head back where I came from and look on the side road.”

  “Done,” he said with a nod. “We've got this.” He roared off, made a quick U-turn, then headed back in the direction he came from, his rear lights blazing like a fire breathing dragon. Inhaling a ragged breath, he made his own U turn and headed back down into the velvet night, his headlights serving as his only guide. In a matter of minutes he spotted Tess' car up ahead. Slowing down, he cast another look inside the car, using his flashlight to illuminate the darkened vehicle. Again, no Tess. A slight noise had him slamming on the brakes. A cry. Was it the hoot of an owl or a coyote? Was his mind playing tricks on him? He parked the car and hopped out, determination filling him as he held on to hope that Tess was out here somewhere in the onyx night.

  “Tess!” he cried out, praying with all his might she'd hear his call.

  “I'm here, Ryder!”

  Tess! Her honeyed voice flowed over him like the sweetest nectar. It sounded a bit muffled, but it was definitely Tess calling out to him. He pointed his flashlight in the direction her voice was coming from. Right by the edge of the wooded area he spotted a flash of white. Tess was sitting on the ground with one of her legs curled up underneath her, while the other was stretched out in front of her. In no time he was at her side. Her lips were trembling and she was shivering in her light sweater. Her teeth were chattering. Without any he
sitation he covered her with the knit blanket. As soon as it hit her shoulders she closed her eyes and bundled into it, letting out a deep sigh of satisfaction.

  “Where were you? We've been looking all over for you. I've been driving this stretch of road for forty-five minutes. Remy and Mac, too.”

  “My car just broke down on my way back home. Then I called you, Ryder. My phone was dying and the signal was bad. I tried to wait by the car for as long as I could.” She winced. “I had to go to the bathroom so I headed a little ways into the brush. I heard you before when you were calling my name, but I was too far away from the road for you to hear me.” She reached for her ankle, her face contorted in pain.

  “What happened to your foot?”

  “I twisted my ankle on some brush and rocks when I ran back trying to catch you before you took off the first time. I think it's sprained.”

  He bent down and examined her ankle, noting the slight swelling and redness. When he gently probed it she let out a sharp, pain-filled cry. “I think you're right. Probably best not to try and put any pressure on it.” Gently, he lifted her up in his arms and pressed her tightly against his chest. Joy, triumphant and strong, flooded him like a rushing river. If someone asked him, he wouldn't even be able to put into words what it felt like to hold Tess safe in his arms.

  “Are you okay? Your cheeks look a little flushed.” Looking down at her he noticed a few dirt smudges on her face, along with brambles and sticks in her hair.

  “I'm good, now that you’ve found me. I was starting to get a little chilly.” She rested her head on his shoulder. She was so close he could almost hear the beating of her heart and the little exhalations she was making through her mouth.