Ric took another pull from his bottle and nodded. “I know that I have some stuff to figure out.”
“From the sounds of it, it involves more than Kate,” Emily said.
Chuckling, Ric shook his head. “Before I broke my ankle and had to stay with you guys, I was perfectly happy here in New York. You remember how bored I was back in Cooper’s Creek. All I could think about was business, all of the stuff I was going to have to catch up on. Now all I can think about is being back there with all of my family and friends.”
“And Kate,” Tyler said.
“Yeah,” Ric said. “But even if it doesn’t work out with her, I’d still rather be at least in Denver. I’m sorry, Ty, but my heart isn’t in New York now. I only came here because I was running. Stupid of me.”
“Running doesn’t work.” Emily nudged Tyler. “Does it, honey?”
Tyler wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. “Nope. I learned that lesson, too.”
Ric smiled glad to see them so happy.
“Do you want to sell to Lisbon?” Tyler asked.
Sitting the bottle of scotch on the coffee table, Ric said, “Not all of our company, just New York. Look, the fact is that we’ve got our hands full with the hospital and our investment clients in Denver and the West Coast.
“We’ve got plenty of money and we can probably work out something with Lisbon to keep our hand in the game a little here. I think we should diversify somewhat, though. Get into some other markets. We can do that from Denver and L.A. and come to the city when we need to. What do you think?”
Tyler grinned. “I think you’re reading my mind. Lisbon is chomping at the bit so hard that I’m sure we can work out a great deal. Let’s discuss it more tomorrow when we can get Chase in on the conversation, okay?”
“Sounds good,” Ric said. “Thanks for lending me an ear. Goodnight, guys.”
“’Night. Love you, bro,” Emily said.
Ric smiled. “Love you, too, sis.”
He hung up and closed his laptop. After taking a couple more swigs from his bottle, he lay down on the couch and picked up his phone. Bringing up his pics, he started flipping through all of the ones he’d taken of Kate.
His favorites were the couple that he’d taken while she’d been asleep and those in which she was making silly faces. Smiling at the one where she was making an exaggerated model face, he wished to hell that he hadn’t been so overbearing about the situation with her. Damn, but he missed her.
The temptation to call her was almost too much to resist, but it was getting late and he was drunk. Not the right time to talk to her. With a sigh of regret, Ric sat the phone on the coffee table and closed his eyes.
“Come on, Ric the Fixer. How are you going to fix this?”
He needed to figure it out quickly or he was going to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him.
Chapter Seventeen
“Kate, you don’t have to do this,” Robert said.
They stood at the bottom of Elliot’s Peak on Saturday, one of their favorite climbing locations. The view was killer and the climb was always challenging.
Kate checked her equipment one last time. “Yes, I do. I can’t let it beat me.”
Robert put a hand on her shoulder. “You have to be sure, Kate. You can’t go up there with any reservations. You know that a half-hearted climber is a dangerous climber.”
Kate met his eyes without flinching. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Her phone rang and her shoulders slumped. “Now, what?” Grabbing it out of her pack, a stab of surprise and longing ran through her when she saw Ric’s smiling face on her lock screen. “It’s Ric.”
“I can see that,” Robert commented wryly. “Are you going to answer it?”
“We’re supposed to talk this weekend, but I don’t see that there’s anything to discuss. He doesn’t want me to climb, but I love it and I don’t want to give it up,” Kate said. “He said that he can’t—”
“I know all that. Don’t rehash it. Don’t answer that, okay?”
Kate let the call go to voicemail. “What is it?”
Robert leaned on the rock wall. “I don’t like Ric giving you an ultimatum. You know that. But I know that he makes you happy. I love you too much to see you throw away that kind of love without at least talking to Ric more about it. I’m not saying that he’s right. I’m just saying that you should hear him out. That said, he needs to listen to you, too. He was reacting out of fear from seeing you hurt, with a little more time maybe he’ll think a little more rationally.”
“Maybe. I don’t know,” Kate said. “Phil never had a problem with me climbing or doing anything, for that matter. We did everything together. Parasailing, hang gliding, climbing. I didn’t know that this was going to be such a big hang up for Ric.” She hesitated before saying, “Maybe Ric doesn’t love me enough.”
Robert fiddled with his water bottle. “Ric isn’t Phil. Ric has never seen you climb or seen you do any of that other stuff to know how good you are at it. Now that his ankle is healed, you can start doing stuff like that together. Did you ever think about including him?”
It was a shock to Kate to realize that she hadn’t. Why not? Ric was a big, strong guy who liked sports and physical activity. There were bound to be some things that he’d enjoying doing with her. If not rock climbing, there was always hiking. Hadn’t he offered to teach her roping? Was it because she used to do those things with Phil and it had been their happy times? Was she subconsciously holding onto her past?
She shook her head. “That’s not the point. He thinks I’m an idiot for doing a lot of the stuff I like to do.”
Robert laughed. “A lot of people think we’re crazy, but we don’t get angry with them about it.”
“They aren’t trying to make us choose between our hobbies and them, though. That’s what Ric’s doing. Either I quit being an adrenaline junky, as he called me, or he can’t be with me,” Kate said. “I don’t let anyone dictate what I can and can’t do.”
“I’m not saying you should,” Robert said. “I’m saying that you have to be able to reach some sort of common ground.”
“Why is this so important to you?”
“Because you’re important to me. I want you to be happy. A second chance at true love doesn’t come along every day, Special K. Is climbing some mountain really more important than building a life with the man you love?” Robert asked.
“It’s the principle, Robert.”
“So make him see that you’re not going to be bossed around, but don’t be so rigid that you can’t compromise. I think that Ric’s calling right now is a sign.”
Kate laughed. “You’re an idiot.”
“No, I’m not. I’m a big believer in that sort of thing. You need to go talk to Ric instead of climbing today,” Robert insisted.
Robert’s earnest expression convinced Kate that he was completely serious. Maybe he was right. She’d been completely miserable without Ric. It had weighed on her heart and kept her awake. Forcing herself to be reasonable, Kate admitted that at least hearing what Ric had to say was the right thing to do.
She groaned and let her shoulders sag. “All right. Fine. I’ll call him back.”
Robert smiled. “Good decision. I’ll start packing up our stuff.”
Kate’s stomach tightened with anxiety as she walked a short distance away. She hit Ric’s icon and waited.
“Hi, Kate.”
Just the sound of his voice made her feel weak. Kate told herself to remain strong. “Hi. I saw that you called. I didn’t check my voicemail. I just called you back. What’s up?”
“Well, I was wondering if we could get together this afternoon so we can discuss things?”
“I guess. What time?”
“Would it be okay if I picked you up around one?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“Wear something old, Doc. See you then.”
The line went dead and Kate looked at her phone in confusion.
“What are you up to, Ric?”
*****
Kate waited outside for Ric. The sound of a loud motor reached her and she looked down the road. A big-ass camouflaged Hummer rolled up her driveway and Kate recognized the Beast. It came to a stop and Ric hopped down from it.
Her heart pounded at the sight of him in jeans and a Richard Petty T-shirt. He had to be the most delicious man on the planet. The determined set to his jaw and the heated gleam in his eyes made it impossible to look away from him as he walked up to her.
“You’re looking good, Doc.”
Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling like a teenager, Kate looked him up and down. “You look okay, I guess.”
He grinned at her frosty comment. “Ready to go?”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
It was reminiscent of their first date. He’d kept their destination a secret from her then, too.
He held out a hand to her. “Come on. I’ll help you in.”
“I can get in on my own.”
“Humor me. A gentleman always opens and shuts the door for a lady.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
He assisted her into the Beast and her whole body tingled from his touch. She’d missed him terribly. To distract herself from the sensations flowing through her, she looked around the interior of the vehicle.
She’d seen the Beast a couple of times, but she’d never been in it. All of the surfaces gleamed and the gray leather seats were spotless. Emily had told her that Ric was obsessed with keeping the Hummer spotless and in excellent running condition.
Ric nimbly climbed in and grinned at her. “Ready to go have some fun?”
“I thought that we were going to talk?”
“We can do both, can’t we?”
Kate shrugged. “I guess.”
He cranked the engine to life and Kate couldn’t help smiling at the low, throaty growl of the engine.
Ric’s grin flashed again. “Nice, huh?”
“Very nice,” Kate admitted.
He put the H3 in drive and turned it around. “First off, I want to apologize for the way I acted last week. I was an ass and I owe you an explanation.”
Kate said, “I’m listening.”
He sobered as he pulled out onto the main road and headed away from town. “I need you to understand where I’m coming from with the whole climbing thing. You’re a strong, capable woman, Kate. I love that you’re fearless and that you don’t back down from a challenge.
“I’d feel the same way if this was Tyler or Chase going climbing. I actually talked Chase out of skydiving last year because of the same sort of fear I have. You can ask him if you don’t believe me.”
Kate’s expression turned dubious. “You talked Chase out of skydiving?”
“Yeah. You and him will get along really well because you’re so much alike,” Ric said. “He’s always doing something that terrifies me. There are dangerous sports I’m okay with and then there are other sports that scare the hell out of me, like skydiving.”
“Or climbing.”
“Right,” Ric said. “Kate, I’m just tired of losing the people I love. I lost my mom when I was thirteen. She had cancer and watching her slowly die was heart wrenching. My father started drinking because he couldn’t accept Mom’s death and he drank himself to death when I was twenty.
“My Uncle Johnny died overseas in Afghanistan, which is how I wound up with the Beast. Then I lost Lizzie. Last year, I lost one very close buddy to cancer and another when he went deep sea diving. And just last month, we lost Smiley in that car crash. I’m just tired of death and funerals, Doc. Call me paranoid, but I get crazy when the people I love purposely put their lives on the line.”
Her father was the only family member she’d lost but also at a young age, so she understood the pain. Phil’s was the second person close to Kate who had ever died. She was fortunate to still have all of her grandparents and the rest of her immediate family. Ric had lived through seven significant deaths in the space of fourteen years. “I’m so sorry, Ric, but that still doesn’t give you the right to dictate what I do with my life.”
He fell silent as he turned down a road that was really no more than dirt tracks.
“Where are we?”
“We’re going to Muddy’s. She owns Muddy’s Junkyard, but she also has a place where she lets people go boring around. She made an awesome off-road track and you can go on other trails, too.”
Kate couldn’t hold back her enthusiasm. “We’re going mudding?”
“Yep, and you’re going to drive,” Ric said.
“You’re going to let me drive? I haven’t driven stick in a long time. I don’t want to strip the transmission.”
The lewd grin he sent her made her blood heat. “From what I’ve seen, you’re great at driving stick.”
She smacked his shoulder. “Shut the hell up.”
He laughed as they came out of the woods to a huge field. A track with various obstacles and mud pits along its route sprawled across it. There was even a mountain of gravel to climb.
Kate’s jaw dropped. “God, this is fantastic! It’s an off-roader’s dream!”
“We race here a lot,” Ric said.
She hit his shoulder again. “You’ve been holding out on me!”
His laughter filled the cabin as he ducked away from her. “I wasn’t going to let you come out here without me!”
Kate crossed her arms and stared out the passenger side window.
His light touch on her shoulder made her look at him again. “Kate, there are so many things that I want to share with you, but I can’t do that if you’re dead.” The fear in his eyes made her heart squeeze. “I know that I can’t tell you what to do, but as the man who loves you, who wants you in his life forever, I can ask you not to do outdoor climbing anymore.
“I know that you love climbing, and I wouldn’t ask you to give it up completely. There are plenty of great indoor climbing places and I’ll build you a climbing place if you want. It’s the only thing you do that scares me so much. Okay, that’s a lie. Cliff diving is the other thing that freaks me out. Hang gliding doesn’t bother me, though. It sounds like fun. You could teach me.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re trying to negotiate a deal with me? What if I don’t agree to give up climbing or cliff diving?”
*****
Ric had repeatedly asked himself that question and he had come up with one answer. “I will absolutely hate it if you keep doing those things, but I love you too much to tell you not to.” He held up an index finger to keep her silent. “You’re right. I’m trying to come to an agreement that we can both live with. Are you willing to discuss it?”
Her jaw tightened, but the curiosity in her eyes gave him hope that she’d capitulate that much. “Yes. I’m willing to talk about it.”
“Good. If you stop climbing and cliff diving, I’m willing to give up bull and bronc riding for good. I was going to compete this past year, but I got hurt and couldn’t,” Ric said. “If there’s something else I do that bothers you, I’ll quit that, too. I want to be completely fair about this.”
She made a wry face. “As far as I know, there’s only one other thing you do that bothers me.”
“What is it?”
“You have to be away so much. I understand why, but you being in a plane so much terrifies me about as much as me rock climbing does you.”
Ric laughed. “You go hang gliding, but you don’t like flying?”
“I know it’s stupid, but that’s how I feel. But there’s no getting around that,” Kate said.
“Well, actually, there is,” Ric said. “Since you and I have gotten together, my heart is always here with you. New York isn’t my home. It never was. I lived there, but I wasn’t truly happy there. It was hard being so far away last year when Hayley was so sick and you see how hard it is for me to come home when I want to.”
Kate nodded. “Or somet
imes you have to leave on short notice.”
“Right. I don’t want to be in New York anymore. Therefore, we’re working on a deal to sell our New York division to Lisbon. I’m going to run the Denver office and Tyler’s going to oversee things with the hospital. Chase loves L.A., and he’s having a blast with all of the marketing, so he’s staying put.” Ric took her hand. “That way, I can be home most of the time and we can be weekend warriors together. What do you think?”
Ric calmly met her eyes, but anxiety gnawed at his stomach while he waited for her answer.
She chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip and Ric almost groaned with the desire to kiss her. Would she accept or tell him to go to hell? His nerves stretched taut as he awaited her answer.
*****
Kate knew how hard it was to admit that you were wrong about something and she knew that Ric’s apology was sincere. Now that he’d explained his position and why he was so uncomfortable with her climbing and cliff diving, Kate was sympathetic to his feelings. His compromise wasn’t unreasonable. After all, he was giving up something, too.
It showed that he was a man of integrity and that he had a strong sense of fairness. She liked that he wasn’t being demanding like he had been last week. His ultimatum had cut deeply and she’d been certain that they were through. Yet here he was asking her to reconsider and work things out.
Her resistance crumbled and tears filled her eyes as she nodded. “If you truly love me then I accept.”
“I love you more than my next breath, that’s why I reacted the way I did. I couldn’t bear it if I lost you.”
“I love you too.”
“Are you sure?” Ric asked warily.
“Yeah. I’m very sure.”
His arms came around her, pulling her hard against his chest, and his eyes locked on hers. “I’m so sorry, honey, and I’ll never do that again,” he promised. “I love you so much and I need you.”
Winding her arms around his neck, Kate smiled as tears leaked from her eyes. “I accept your apology. I love you, too. And I need you.”
The impulse to kiss him was too strong to resist. She pressed her lips to his sensual mouth and he immediately deepened the kiss. Kate reveled in the hungry way he devoured her lips and lightly stroked his tongue against hers. Need for him rose quickly and she leaned against him harder.
Heal Me (Coopers Creek Book 2) Page 15
