Tangled Hearts (Passion in Paradise)

by Sarah O'Rourke

  “Your purse! Why the fuck didn’t you just say that?” He growled loudly, finally understanding what she was trying to convey as he dove toward her pocketbook. Jerking it to him as soon as he had it in his hand, he turned it upside down and emptied it on the floor beside them. Quickly locating the epi pen that she carried for emergencies amid the load of crap she’d been packing around with her, he plucked the syringe from the clutter on the carpet and ripped off the plastic lid, jamming the needle into her thigh and depressing the plunger in one smooth movement.

  Melody gasped as she felt the life-saving epinephrine hit her system and almost instantly, she began to feel better. “Cal,” she rasped as his strong arms slipped around her, one under her knees and the other behind her lower back.

  “We’re goin’ to the hospital,” Cal pronounced, his arms going tight and rigid as he lifted her against him. “Fuck!” he cursed, his lips against her temple as he carried her out the front door to his truck. “I almost lost you! I almost fuckin’ lost you to a fuckin’ cookie!” he continued to rant as he settled her in the seat and fastened the seatbelt around her waist.

  She wanted to comfort him, but the tremors that the epinephrine caused had started, causing her to quake against the seat. She knew it was a side effect of the medication, but she also knew from the look in Cal’s frightened eyes that he didn’t. “C-cal,” she tried to reassure him through chattering teeth.

  Cal shook his head quickly, pressing his lips to her forehead. “You just hang on, baby. We’re gonna get you some help,” he assured her before pulling back and slamming the car door.

  Despite the harsh tremors wracking her body, her eyelids fluttered as bone deep exhaustion tugged at her, threatening to drag her under. Aware of him climbing into the vehicle next to her, she forced her head to turn in his direction, focusing on his hard, unyielding profile. “I-it’ll b-b-be okay, C-cal,” she chattered, the words taking all her energy as her eyes fell closed before she could hear his reply.

  Chapter Fourteen: Hospitals and Hangovers Make Crappy Gifts

  “Wake. Her. Up. Now,” Callum Valentine insisted through his clenched teeth as his dark gaze went once again to the now still woman lying in the hospital bed in one of the tiny cubicles of Paradise County Hospital’s emergency room. He’d thought the shaking had scared the shit out of him, but the fear this sudden stillness produced was threatening to claw its way up his throat. Fuck, if anything happened to her… he’d never recover.

  “Mr. Valentine…”

  “Thought I told you to call me Cal,” he growled, barely sparing the white-coated doctor a glance as he kept his stare focused on Melody.

  Dr. Cain Turner nodded and offered the other man a slight smile. Cal had called Zeke on the way to the hospital and since Zeke had been eating Christmas dinner with Cain and the rest of the McKinnon brood, Zeke had explained what was happening. Cain had then volunteered to go with Zeke to the hospital and check on Melody. Zeke was waiting in the hall to talk to Cal. “You did. Professional courtesy is a habit for me though. At any rate, Cal, she’s going to be fine. Sleep is the body’s natural cure for trauma. Melody’s body took a hell of a hit this afternoon. Her peanut allergy caused her airway to close, requiring you to administer a heavy dose of epinephrine to her system. The drug opens her lungs back up, but it also causes heavy tremors in the body. Quaking like that requires a huge dose of energy. Now, her energy levels are depleted and she’s working on restoring them through sleep. Zeke and my brother mentioned that you were an army man, right?”

  “Your brother?” Cal asked, lifting an eyebrow as he forced himself to look at the doctor.

  “Abel Turner. Patience’s husband.”

  “Oh, yeah,” he nodded. Zeke mentioned that Abel had a twin,” he recalled, his eyes going back to Melody when she shifted in her sleep on the bed.

  “Yeah, I’m the prettier one,” Cain stated wryly, gesturing at his scarred face. “I was Army, too. It’s how I came by these pretty scars. At any rate, being Army, you’ve seen the same thing Melody is doing when you’ve seen guys after an adrenaline rush. What do they always do, Cal?”

  “Crash,” Cal replied hoarsely, reaching a hand out to smooth the hair off Melody’s forehead. “They crash.”

  “Exactly,” Cain returned with a nod. “This is Melody crashing. She’ll feel much better when she awakes. Thanks to your quick actions, she’ll recover fine. I’ve seen some allergic reactions go a lot worse. I’m surprised, though. Usually patients with food allergies are very careful. Especially during the holidays.”

  “She ate some cookies that were a gift; knowing Melody, she assumed they were safe.”

  “Who were the cookies from?” Cain asked curiously.

  “Her ex’s parents,” Cal replied through barely moving lips as he felt a surge of rage.

  “You think it was on purpose?” Cain questioned, looking from his patient to the man standing protectively at her bedside.

  “Dunno. Gonna find out though; I can promise you that. Just need her to open her pretty eyes for me first,” Cal growled, continuing to gently stroke the back of his fingers against Melody’s hair.

  “Maybe you ought to let me handle that little chat you wanna have with your girl’s would-be in-laws,” a deep voice suggested from the doorway. “Can’t imagine that conversation will go very well if you have it with them. Coulda been a complete accident, Cal.”

  “He’s right,” Cain drawled, dropping his hands in the pockets of his white doctor’s coat.

  Both men turned to look at the Sheriff who was leaning against the doorway as if there was no place else he should be. Cal’s eyes narrowed on Zeke Monroe. “I know I’m new around these parts, but both you boys are involved with McKinnon women, isn’t that right?” he asked, waiting as both men nodded. “So, if this had happened to your Faith,” he said to Cain before his gaze went to the Sheriff, “or if Honor was the one laid up in this bed, would either of you still be saying that?”

  Both men were saved from having to answer because Melody took that moment to stir, her eyes fluttering as she groaned low in her throat before finally opening her dark brown eyes. “Ahhhh,” she moaned, wincing as the bright overhead light hit her eyes, blinding her for a moment. “What the hell?” she muttered, throwing a hand over her face to shield her eyes.

  “Princess?” Cal said worriedly, leaning over her body and blocking out the light. “Baby, say something,” he demanded with one arm on either side of her.

  Grimacing as she tried to move in the bed again, Melody shook her head. “I don’t remember asking Santa for either a hospital or a hangover. How the hell did I end up with both? And why the heck is every muscle in my body so freaking sore?” she asked, offering him a wobbly smile.

  All three men chuckled at her statement, but it was Cain who spoke first as he moved to Cal’s side. “Melody, I don’t know if you remember me or not. I’m Dr. Cain Turner. We went to church together a long time ago and I’m married to…”

  “Faith. You married Faith McKinnon. I remember you, Cain,” Melody supplied hoarsely, her voice scratchy. “Can I have some water?” she asked, looking longingly at the carafe of water on the rolling table on the other side of her bed.

  Cal looked askance at Cain. Seeing the younger man’s nod, he reached out to pour Melody a half cup of water before bringing it to her lips. “Slowly, babe,” he cautioned her as she reached greedily for the cup.

  Cain waited until Melody had drunk her fill before speaking again. “That’s right, Melody. I did marry Faith.”

  Frowning at him, Melody blinked. “It’s Christmas. Why aren’t you with her and your new baby?” she asked, belatedly spotting the Sheriff standing by the door. “And why is the Sheriff here?” she asked with a look up at Cal.

  “I called Zeke; Zeke told Cain since he was there, too, celebrating Christmas. Together, they both showed here at the hospital.”

  “Why in the world would you call the Sheriff?” Melody asked incredulously.

&nbs
p; “Because, I’m gonna need somebody I trust to stay with you while I go find that asshat you were engaged to and his parents and have a little talk with them about nearly killing you.”

  “Huh?” Melody grunted, squinting at the obviously agitated man she shared a house with.

  “You had an allergic reaction to the nuts you ate, Melody. Cal, here, explained that the source of those nuts were the cookies you received from your ex-fiance’s parents. Did they know that you were severely allergic to peanuts and all its derivatives?” the Sheriff asked her gravely.

  “Well,” Melody said, hesitating as she shot Cal a worried look.

  “No bullshit here, Princess. Did those assholes know that peanuts were poison to you or not,” Cal asked impatiently, his deep voice gruff.

  “I’m sure this is all just an unfortunate misunderstanding,” Melody began consolingly.

  “That’s a yes,” Cal spat, his big body stiffening as his eyes flashed at the Sheriff. When he found that spineless little rat, he was gonna rip his spinal cord out through his throat. “I’m gonna beat that fucker’s ass because you can bet Brad is behind this shit.”

  “Cal, no,” Melody denied, catching his hand in hers. “No violence. I’m sure this was just an accident. Brad doesn’t want to hurt me. If anything, he wants me back.”

  “Yeah, and he needs to understand that isn’t gonna happen, either,” Cal retorted, lacing his fingers through hers and squeezing. It’d be over his dead body that Brad weaseled his way back into her life. Fuck that noise. “Whether this shit was intentional or not, it’s time I had a word with Brad and his family and let them know that the more distance between you all, the better off they’ll be.”

  Melody shook her head. “That’s the problem, Cal. I can’t trust you to use your words. I’m too afraid that you’ll enjoy talking more with your fists.”

  “The woman makes a convincing argument,” the Sheriff lazily replied, his dark eyes meeting Cal’s. “Let us handle this.”

  Melody continued to shake her head. “I am so sorry that Cal bothered you, Sheriff. It certainly wasn’t necessary. As you can see, I’m fine. You can both return to your family. I’m sure Faith and Honor are missing you both.”

  “Faith might be lonesome for me, but Honor is another story altogether. I’m pretty sure if she could have gotten away with sprinkling rat poison over Zeke’s helping of the Christmas ham, she would have,” Cain returned with a grin and a wink.

  “Oh, shut up,” Zeke muttered, glaring at Cain before turning his attention back to Melody. “Listen, Melody, we need to get to the bottom of this cookie dilemma. Do you believe that your former fiancé or any of his family would purposefully try to hurt you?”

  “No!” Melody returned forcefully.

  “Absolutely,” Cal declared soundly at the same moment.

  “Brad’s parents adored me, Cal. It’s one of the reasons that Brad is so focused on getting me back; he doesn’t want to disappoint them. They wouldn’t have tried to kill me with a freakin’ cookie.”

  “Why not? It’s almost the perfect crime. They get pissed that you dumped their Golden Boy, so they send you a benign-looking cookie that contained just enough ground peanuts so that you’ll have a fatal reaction to it before anybody can save you. Well, fuck that,” he clipped, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at her. “Not on my watch.” His jaw hardened as she rolled her eyes. It was beyond him why she wasn’t taking this whole thing more seriously. Did she not understand how close she’d come to dying? Because he sure as shit did! He wanted to tear the place apart every time he looked into her pale face.

  Melody ignored him, her eyes going to Cain. “Can I get out of here? I feel much better.”

  Cain nodded. “You shouldn’t experience any lasting effects. The soreness will probably linger for a couple of days since you had some pretty hardcore tremors from the epi, but otherwise, you look good. Just be careful of what you eat from here on out, okay?”

  Melody nodded readily. “Absolutely.”

  Cain grinned. “I’ll send the nurse in with your dismissal paperwork. Take care of yourself, Mel.”

  “I will,” Melody agreed. “Tell Faith and the rest of the girls that I said hello and merry Christmas.”

  “Will do. Merry Christmas,” Cain returned, thumping Zeke on the arm as he walked past him and out of the cubicle.

  Cal breathed a sigh of relief as he stared at Melody. She was still looking a little wan, but other than that, she seemed okay. “You scared the shit out of me, woman. Don’t do that again,” he ordered sternly even as he leaned over and placed a tender kiss in the center of her forehead.

  “I didn’t plan on doing anything this time,” Melody grumbled as Zeke cleared his throat again. “Sheriff…”

  “Call me Zeke, Melody,” the other man directed as he moved to stand at the foot of her bed.

  “Yes, okay. Zeke, then. You can go. I am so sorry that Cal interrupted your meal…”

  “I’m not; if this had gone badly, this guy mighta been the only thing standing between me and a murder charge,” Cal said honestly, squeezing Melody’s hand. “Babe, seriously, when we got here, those tremors were so strong that they looked like convulsions. If I’d lost you…”

  “You didn’t,” Melody quickly interjected. “I’m sitting right here, and I’m going home in a few minutes.”

  “I still need to make a trip over to Knoxville, Melody. Babe, I can’t let this stand. This afternoon could have had a completely different outcome if you’d been by yourself or if you hadn’t made me understand what was happening. If Brad’s parents or Brad himself planned this…”

  “They didn’t, Cal,” Melody persisted. “Honestly, I know Brad’s been a bit of a…”

  “Dick? Asshole? Fucktard?” Cal supplied helpfully as he grinned down at Melody’s thunderous face.

  “I was going to say he was a pain, but those other words work, too. Regardless, he wouldn’t try to physically hurt me, and neither would his parents.”

  “I want to hear that from them,” Cal scoffed, shaking his head.

  “And what makes you such an expert on people’s motivations, huh?” Melody returned huffily.

  “I’m a pretty good judge of character. I fell for you, didn’t I?” Cal countered smoothly, enjoying the blush that crept over Melody’s face as Zeke chuckled.

  “If you’ve got your heart set on visiting Brad’s parents, I’m coming, too. They’re elderly, Cal. I won’t let you bully them.” Seeing him open his mouth to argue, Melody threw up a hand. “Nuh uh. I can rest on the drive up there, but I’m going.”

  “I don’t bully,” Cal defended himself grouchily. “I’m just real serious about getting to the truth.”

  “You’re right. Bully isn’t the right word. You’re more of a steamroller.”

  “Oh, yeah, you two are a match made in heaven,” Zeke muttered under his breath.

  “We would be if she’d quit trying to scare ten years off my life every time I turn around,” Cal grumbled, having heard the amusement in Zeke’s tone. Holding out his hand to the other man, he continued, “Thanks for coming down, man. Apparently, she’s feeling a lot better if she can yell at me like a harpy. The woman’s as stubborn as a mule.”

  “I’ve got my own obstinate filly waiting for me at home,” Zeke said with an understanding nod. “I know exactly what you mean.”

  “You know, I don’t think Honor would be any more pleased than I am to be compared to animals in the equestrian family,” Melody informed both men gravely, the warning clear in her voice.

  Zeke snorted. “Probably not, Miss Melody, but it doesn’t make it less true. You two be careful if you decide to address this with Mr. Weller or his family and call if you need me.”

  “Will do,” Cal agreed, shaking the other man’s hand again.

  Zeke tipped his hat toward Melody and grinned. “Always a pleasure, ma’am. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

  “Merry Christmas, Sheriff,” Melody said with a
half-smile before the other man sauntered out of the room.

  Waiting until the other man was gone, Cal turned to look at where Melody now sat up in the bed, her legs folded up to her chest. “I meant what I said, you know. I think since I met you, you’ve probably robbed me of a good twenty years of life, babe. I don’t like fear. Even when I was on the frontlines in the trenches being shot at, I never tasted terror like what I felt this afternoon.” Everything he said was true, too. He’d faced down bomb laden insurgents that hadn’t scared him as badly as she had.

  “Sorry,” Melody apologized softly with a self-conscious wince. “I should have told you about my food allergy.”

  “You think?” he asked sarcastically. “Are there any other innocuous things out there that could take you from me? Strawberries? Shellfish? Maybe a medication?”

  “Nope, nothing like that,” Melody denied as a woman in bright pink scrubs bustled into the room carrying a sheath of papers.

  “Miss Reardon?” the woman asked as she glanced down at Melody’s chart. “You ready to sign this discharge paperwork and enjoy the rest of the holiday?”

  Standing against the wall, Cal watched the nurse go through the paperwork with his woman. And that’s what Melody was now, he silently thought. His women.

  His to care for. His to protect. His to love.

  His.

  His.

  HIS.

  “Callum!” he heard Melody shout. Jerking his eyes to hers, he distantly noted that they were now alone again and she was dressed and standing beside the bed. “What? What’s happening?”

  “Jeez, he finally speaks,” Melody replied, staring at him. “For a second there, I thought you might be having a stroke. You don’t smell burnt toast, do you?” she asked, slowly approaching him until she stood in front of him.

  “No, but it wouldn’t surprise me if I did. Not kidding when I say, that you are quickly shaving valuable years from my life. Told you that earlier, babe,” he returned, shrugging off the new jacket she’d given him as a gift only hours ago. Somehow, he’d thought to grab it in the mad dash to get her here. Slipping it around her shoulders now, he asked, “You ready, Princess?”