by Rhea Regale
After washing her face and swapping her two-day-old pajamas for fresh flannel pants, a T-shirt, and a sweater jacket, she returned to the room. Mrs. Cabot climbed to her heeled feet, adjusting the silk scarf around her neck.
“I’m goin’ for a walk. If you insist on badgerin’ me, Mother, you can stay here. If you can figure out a way to be decent, then you can come with me.”
To her dismay, Mrs. Cabot lifted her chin defiantly and stepped up to her daughter’s side. Behind the red-painted lips and dark-lined eyes, Brianna saw that her mother was far from over discussing her opinions. “Behave, Mother.”
“My dear child, disdain doesn’t sound good on your tongue.” Mrs. Cabot held Brianna under the elbow. “I stand by my belief that this is one business agenda that does not bode well for you.” She waved her hand. “Whatever boss intentionally sends his employees into a backwoods ramshackle town such as this is not worth your time. Christmas is around the corner. You should be home, with your family. Not driving off roads and lying in hospital beds.”
“Mom.” Brianna paused and scowled at her mother. “I warned you about your naggin’.” She wagged a finger at Mrs. Cabot. “Let me set one thing straight. I don’t go lookin’ for roads to drive off. This is not my idea of fun or productive.”
Mrs. Cabot scrunched her nose. “God, I sure hope not.” She fanned her face with her manicured fingers. “My poor heart can’t take the trauma you’ve put me through.”
Brianna rolled her eyes to the ceiling and started away from her mother. If she ever found out who called the woman after her accident, she’d make the culprit babysit Mother Cabot for a day. See if they think twice before locatin’ hard-to-find kin.
“On that note, I’ll see y’all tomorrow. Don’t be pullin’ those stitches on the likes of those two outlaws.”
Brianna came up short and cocked her head. “That voice.”
Mrs. Cabot let out an exaggerated breath as a man stepped out from a room a couple doors down.
Brianna couldn’t explain the sensations that flooded her the moment the officer’s eyes landed on her. Everything faded. Her aching pain, the beeps and dings from the monitors, the chatter from the nurses’ station. She couldn’t stop staring at the man who stared right back, creating a stir of emotions that erupted from her belly. He was a godforsaken handsome man. A haunted man. The smile he wore when he stepped into the hallway had faded. She grappled for the railing on the wall, clinging to it as a rush of weakness knocked into her knees and her heart jumped into overdrive.
“Brianna, honey, hang on. Don’t you go leavin’ me.”
Her gaze lowered to the silver star pinned to his dark-green uniform. A line of stars decorated his collar. Sheriff.
“Do you know that man?” Mrs. Cabot asked, leaning close to her ear.
She had all but forgotten her mother, and that split-second interruption was enough to sever the strange, compelling trance that held her captive. The sheriff placed his hat on his head and tipped the brim in her direction. He turned only after another brief hesitation, and walked away.
The fluttering in her chest didn’t diminish with the man’s disappearance. She couldn’t wipe his image from her mind as she stood in the hallway, hand on the rail to balance her weakened legs. He had acknowledged her, however simple the motion, but it was the way he looked at her that snatched the breath from her lungs. She had never seen such a storm of emotions in a man’s eyes before. The power of something so potent and raw spun together with something so light and relieving. She barely had a chance to register much besides that look in his eyes before he turned his back, leaving her stunned.
“Darling, do you want to go back to your room? You’re trembling,” her mother said, fingers tightening on her forearm. Brianna shook her head. “You should rest.”
“I’ve been restin’ all week. I’m tired of restin’.” Brianna straightened up on her legs and continued forward, focusing on the door the sheriff emerged from. “I need to get out of this place. I’m behind on my work.”
“For crying out loud, Brianna, your accident should’ve been fatal. You’re lucky to be alive,” Mrs. Cabot groused, her arm supporting Brianna around the waist. Brianna peeled her mother’s iron fingers from her hip.
“I’m fine to walk. When you’re not here, I’m walkin’ laps around this floor without support.”
“If you didn’t leave Sean like you did, he’d be here, taking good care of you. More than I can say about your latest interest. Sean wouldn’t allow for you to push yourself like this. You could cause your spleen to rupture.”
Brianna groaned, twisting away from Mrs. Cabot. She pinned her mother with a stern look. “Please. You’ve been nothin’ but morbid since arrivin’. My spleen isn’t gonna rupture. I’m not goin’ to cause an undetected fracture to split my bones apart. I’m not gonna end up in surgery. I’m not gonna contract some resistant bacterial infection. I’m not gonna suffer some deadly blood clot. I’m fine. And stop with Sean.” She wagged a finger at her mother. “I didn’t tell Jackson sooner because I didn’t want him to worry.”
With an exasperated sigh, Brianna quickened her pace, pausing outside her focused room. She used her frustration toward her mother to give her the gall to knock on the door. A sandy-haired man looked up from several open containers of food spread out over the counter, his smile waning.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
Brianna moistened her lips. “Sorry, but I noticed the officer leavin’ this room.” The man straightened up and was soon joined by another man. This second man held a resemblance to the sheriff. “I–I was wonderin’ his name.”
The second man gave her a slow once-over with stunning blue eyes, his expression revealing no hint to his thoughts. Mrs. Cabot laughed, grabbing Brianna’s elbow. A pretty woman leaned into view from the room’s small couch.
“Please excuse my daughter’s abominable behavior. She’s not feeling well. Lord knows what these doctors are giving her—”
“Mother,” Brianna barked, snapping her arm away. To the men, she pleaded, “I’m tryin’ to find the officer that helped at my accident, and the nurses haven’t been able to tell me much. I want to thank him once I get out of here.”
The sandy-haired man shared a curious look with the second man.
“When was the accident?” the second man asked.
Brianna wrinkled her brow. “Monday. Sometime in the mornin’.”
“Crosslane?”
Brianna frowned. “I’m not from around here. I’m visitin’ a town called Ryder and I lost control of my rental and went off the road. Don’t remember much after that.”
“If you’re the one who went off Crosslane, then the officer who just left was the one at the scene.” The man’s gaze did more than observe. She felt him picking at her brain, trying to find something she didn’t have. “He’s my cousin, Rylan Ryder. May I ask your name?”
“Brianna Cabot.” She stepped back, into the hallway. “Sorry to bother you. I didn’t mean to interrupt anythin’. It’s just…well, important I have an opportunity to thank him. He kept me goin’.”
Her throat tightened. She ducked her head and turned away, heading back to her room with her enraged mother in tow.
“Young lady, you don’t go letting yourself into other people’s rooms like that. This is a hospital. Lord knows what is wrong with that patient and what you may have—”
“Mom, shush. I don’t want—”
“Ma’am?”
Brianna paused and looked over her shoulder. The cousin came up to her.
“Sorry for the poor manners back there. Name’s Carter Ryder.” Carter held out his hand. Brianna gladly accepted the shake despite her mother’s attempt to restrain her. Carter gave Mrs. Cabot an unreadable glance before turning his blue eyes back to her. “I’ll get in touch with him and find out if he responded to your accident. Would it be okay if I stopped by in a little while to let you know?”
A burst of hope exploded in her chest. The s
ting in her eyes was extinguished by a sudden onset of tears. A dull ache spread over her jaw. Mrs. Cabot’s grip on her turned deathly. Her mother’s stern mouth thinned, her chin lifting.
“Young man, my daughter—”
“Mother,” Brianna growled. “Shut up.”
“Brianna!”
The man arched a brow. Brianna broke free of her mother’s arm and turned to her and said in a low, dangerous tone, “Stop before I have the nurse get security up here. I don’t need the pesterin’. I’m a goddamn adult. The only reason you’re here is because you were notified of the accident, not because I wanted you here.”
Her mother gaped before she huffed and brushed by them, her cold gaze lingering on Carter until she had passed him completely. Brianna pinched her forehead.
“I’m so sorry,” Brianna said.
“You’re fine.”
“What you said before. You’d be willin’ to ask him about the accident?” She nodded down the hallway. “I don’t want to impose when it’s obvious you have someone who needs your attention.”
“It’s a call to family. What room are you in?” Carter shot an evident glance in her mother’s stead. “I can phone down to you if that would be preferable.”
“Either way. I really do appreciate your willingness to help me.” She waved toward her room. “Four forty-two.”
Carter bowed his head. “Go get some rest.” He headed back down the hallway.
“Carter?” When the man looked back at her, she gave him a small smile, tangling her fingers together at her belly. “Thank you.”
* * * *
Rylan bounced off the edge of the door, unable to control the sudden weakness that spread through his muscles. He couldn’t anchor down a single thought that explained away the rush, the pull, that woman evoked in his mind. He didn’t need confirmation of the woman’s identity. His heart—his goddamn dead heart—recognized her before his rather logical mind. Seemed his cock wanted to add to the party, and that was downright illogical.
“Adrenaline’s still pumpin’,” he muttered, stepping into the cold afternoon. Two and a half hours had passed since Carter landed a bullet into Ms. Harris’s gut and Rylan placed the woman under arrest. He should’ve been at the office finishing up the report, but his work would never come before family. Carter needed his support. Katie needed his acceptance. If being shot by her own mother wasn’t enough, learning her pa was a Ryder left her uncertain of her place.
The last person he expected to see was Brianna Cabot walking down the hallway, looking unnaturally beautiful under the circumstances. He hadn’t returned to visit her after that first night, and for good reason. She had survived the turn that took Hailey from him. She made him feel something he didn’t want to feel, shouldn’t feel, since Hailey’s death.
He curled his finger around the ring in his uniform pocket and pressed his lips together. A familiar numbness draped over him, desensitizing him from the effects Brianna stoked. He concentrated on his steady steps, the way his heels clicked over the shoveled sidewalk, drawing him closer to his cruiser. He tipped his hat as an elderly couple greeted him in passing.
His cell vibrated through his inner coat pocket. He dug it out as he reached his cruiser and connected the call.
“Ry, somethin’s come up. I’m not gonna be able to meet you later,” Jackson said. The bite in his words caught Rylan’s attention. “I found Bree. Apparently she had a little fender bender and failed to inform me.”
Rylan snickered. He pulled the door closed and started the cruiser. “At least you found her. That would’ve been the next order of business on my agenda.” He guided the SUV out of the parking lot. “Works out, Jax. I’m gonna be chokin’ in reports when I get back to the office. Discovered Carter’s pa’s secret baby. Got a new member of the Ryder clan.”
“Are you serious?” Jackson cussed. “Damn. How’s Carter takin’ it? Who is it?”
“Little Katie Harris.”
“Not sure I know her, but I’ve heard the name. Listen, I’ll call you later. We’re on for breakfast tomorrow.”
“Deal.” Rylan tossed the phone down on the passenger seat and held the steering wheel with both hands. He tried to focus his thoughts on his report following the shooting, replaying the events over and over until he pulled into the station’s parking lot twenty minutes later.
As he climbed the stairs to the office, he shoved the haunting thoughts of Brianna out of his mind.
Chapter Five
“That isn’t Jackson Morrell, is it?”
Jackson glanced over his shoulder. A smile came to his mouth and he turned to accept Carter’s hug. From the corner of his eye, he caught the curious looks the nurses were casting them. Carter stepped back, holding Jackson arm’s length away.
“Cut your hair,” Carter observed. “Looks good. What brings you here?”
“My woman got herself into a little car accident. Checkin’ in to make sure she’s okay,” Jackson said. He nudged Carter’s shoulder with a fist. “Come on. I’ll introduce you. Heard you’ve had an exciting day.”
Carter fell in step with Jackson as she continued down the hallway. “Ry give you the details?”
“Not yet.” Jackson flashed him a wicked grin. “But I’m expectin’ to hear all about it. You’ve got a new half sister, from my understandin’. She handlin’ the cursed news well?”
“She apologized on the ride over, and the entire time the doc was stitching up her wound. Her fucking mother put a bullet in her arm. The woman’s lucky I aimed low when I pulled my trigger.”
“I wouldn’t want the barrel of your gun aimed at me, low or not. Ry said you went overseas.”
“I didn’t need the army to train me in shooting.” Carter hooked his thumbs on his pockets. “We’ve had plenty of practice on the farms. You still shooting the ground?”
Jackson snorted as they came up to Brianna’s room. “That’s why I went into sales and not deer huntin’.” He knocked on the closed door, but didn’t wait for an answer, knowing damn well if her mother was present, he’d be dismissed before he could spit out a single syllable. “Honey?”
“Come in. Make sure you barricade that door before my mother gets back,” Brianna muttered. Jackson chuckled to himself and led Carter past the half-drawn curtain. Brianna gathered a pile of clothes from her bag on the sofa and turned. Her smile dropped and her eyes narrowed. She pointed to Carter. Jackson looked at his friend. Carter crossed his arms over his chest, a curious grin tugging his lips.
“Okay, what am I missin’?” Jackson asked, looking back and forth between Brianna and Carter.
“We met earlier in the hallway. Rylan was at her accident Monday.”
Jackson stared at Carter. Monday? He flew in Monday night. Rylan mentioned an accident…
He spun to Brianna, an invisible rope cinching his lungs. Brianna chewed her lip, her cheeks bright red. “A little fender bender was it? Four days ago? Brianna, your car went off Crosslane?” Jackson pinched his forehead and groaned. “Wait. Carter, where do you come into this?”
“Ry was leaving Katie’s room and this young lady inquired about him. I offered to find out if he was the officer at the accident. I was going to come by in a little while to confirm he was when I saw you walk by.” Carter let out a breathy laugh. “And here I thought Summer was bad for hiding things from me.”
Jackson went over to Brianna and cupped her face in his hands. He held her gaze steady and asked slowly, “What happened to you?”
“I don’t know what happened. All I remember is losing control of my car and goin’ through the guardrail. I woke up here.” She lowered her eyes. “They did some exploratory surgery and kept me in for observations because I had a mild concussion and minor damage to my spleen.” She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth again. “I’m gettin’ the impression y’all know each other.”
“Yes. Quite well, too,” Jackson said. He dropped his hands from her face and eased her into his arms. “Damn, honey, you need to stop
this. You should’ve called me as soon as you were feelin’ well.”
“Jax, you in town for a while?” Carter asked.
“Through Christmas, at least.”
“I’ll catch you later.” He hitched a thumb toward the door. “Summer needs to get back to the shop. Ma’am, take care of yourself.”
“Thanks again, Carter,” Brianna said.
Jackson leaned back enough to catch Brianna’s shuttered gaze once the door closed. He couldn’t shake the fright his woman gave him when she finally decided to call. Brushing her mussed hair away from her cheek, he eased her chin upward and pressed a small kiss to the tip of her nose.
Brianna sighed and shook her head. “I’m really sorry, Jackson. I should’ve called you sooner.”
“That would’ve been nice instead of havin’ me worry over you,” Jackson said, soaking in her soft skin as she pressed her cheek to his palm. His sweet Bree was responsible for the change he caught in his closest friend. He wasn’t surprised. Bree had a way of cinching his heart the first time they met, and now he was hopelessly in love with the woman. “Are you really okay?”
She shared a regretful smile and nodded. “Yes, Jax. I’m really okay.” Her arms tightened around his waist, her shoulders lifting with her hug. He returned the gesture, so damn happy to hold her again. “I’m leavin’ in the mornin’.”
“I’ll come get you.”
“Mom refuses to leave until she knows I’m out of here. Chances are, I’ll be listenin’ to her try to convince me to return to Nashville the entire ride back to the bed-and-breakfast.” Brianna lifted her arms to his neck and pulled up on her toes. Jackson couldn’t resist kissing her and drowning in the love she shared with him. “God, I’ve missed you.”
Jackson quirked a half grin, resting his forehead to hers. “I would’ve been by your side had you told me the truth earlier.” He played with a loose strand of her dark hair. “Guess I’m gonna have to take it easy with you for a few days, huh?”
“Just a little.” She tipped her head enough to press a lingering kiss to his starved mouth. She settled back on her heels. Jackson released her from his embrace and watched her return to packing up the bag her mother must’ve brought. “Have you started on the proposal yet?”
