Refilling his coffee, he took a large bite of his egg sandwich, and washed it down with the hot brew. He was itching for a smoke, but had decided to quit. Cold turkey. His body was not at all pleased with the lack of nicotine, but he was determined to get back to the man he was.
That was the only way he had a chance in hell at getting Doc to forgive him.
He wasn’t foolish enough to believe she would actually take him back, but he needed to see her. Explain to her what he had been going through—that he didn’t blame her for what had happened. She was just the one he took out his frustrations on. After all, she was leaving. To him, a clean break was best for both of them.
And he knew from their conversation the best way to hurt her was to make her feel as if she had failed him. And from the look on her face before she told him goodbye—he had accomplished his goal.
If Doc forgave him, well, she would be a bigger man than Conrad was, that’s for sure. Only a weak man would have twisted something told to him in confidence and use it against a person in a fit of adolescent rage.
Conrad’s phone rang. He checked the number, and hit the answer button. “Matthews.”
“Hank Patterson returning your call.”
“Mr. Patterson, thanks for getting back to me so soon.”
“No problem, and call me Hank. So, you’re calling about Georgie? Belgian Malanois? Former Ranger?”
“Yes. I was her handler until six months ago. We were both injured and the Army saw fit to send us our separate ways.”
“Georgie is here—well, not here at my place— “
“But she is still close by?”
“One of my men was fostering her until her adoption went through.”
Conrad’s heart sank into his stomach and he felt nauseous. “So, she has been adopted already.”
“Sorry, but yes. However, she’s still in town. The woman who adopted her lives here. You might be able to convince her to give the dog up, but I would suggest you do it in person. She’s quite attached to Georgie, and I doubt a phone call from you making a prior claim on her dog is going to be productive.”
Conrad had already checked out the Montana town of Eagle Rock and checked flights from Chicago into Bozeman. “I can be there later this afternoon.”
“Perfect. I’ll text you my address. Let me know when you’re leaving Bozeman, and I’ll watch for you. It’s just over an hour drive.”
“Sounds good, and thanks—I appreciate your help.”
“That’s what we do, right? We’re all brothers.”
Conrad ended the call and shoved the phone in his pocket. “Dad,” he called out. “Can you give me a lift to the airport?”
* * *
Julie checked the caller id on her cell phone and the tight fist that had a stranglehold on her chest loosened a bit.
“Hey, Doc. What can I do for you?” Hank asked.
“I was wondering if you had time to stop by the house tonight? I have something I need to discuss with you.”
“Sure, is this about Georgie?”
“No, I may need to employ your services.”
There was a pause on the line. “I can be there at 1830. Will that work for you?”
“Yes,” she released a long, deep sigh. “Thanks, Hank.”
She hung up the phone and grabbed her jacket and wallet and headed for the door. She had pretty much lost her appetite, but desperately needed to get out of the office. Away from the mental vision of Ron Cook standing in her exam room. It had been a couple of years since she had seen him. She could’ve gone the rest of her life never seeing him. Never being reminded of one of her greatest failures.
The other was Conrad.
She had let both men down by deciding what was the most important thing for them. As it turned out she had been wrong about both. If she had listened to Cook—granted his wish to let him die—instead of “playing God”, as he put it, he wouldn’t be a constant threat.
If she had been more diligent with Conrad…not just assumed all the blood was coming from his chest wound, she would have discovered his injured arm and been able to treat it. She had been so hyper focused on the chest wound, and saving him from drowning in his own blood as it filled his lungs, she hadn’t looked at his arm. Of course, he hadn’t really complained about any other pain than his chest, but that wasn’t on him.
She was the doctor. She was the one with training and experience. She was the one charged with knowing what to do in medical emergencies. There was no excuse for the slip up. And Conrad had every right to hate her.
She had taken his career from him.
When she had first returned home, she attempted to call him a few times, but his father always came back to the phone stating that he was unable to take her call. She left messages asking him to call her, but she never received anything. The last attempt was three months ago.
The ball was in his court. If he wanted to talk to her, he was going to have to reach out. The disappointment of not hearing back from him was too much to continue.
She grabbed the handle of the door to the cafe, but someone pushed it open and stepped out. She halted and took a step back, making room for the person. The man looked up, and it took Julie a moment to recognize him.
“Linc,” she said. Her ex-husband, Lincoln Boyd, snapped his head up and stared at her. Just about the last person she wanted to see at that moment. She was still reeling from the visit from Cook.
She hadn’t seen her ex since she came back from Syria, which was a feat in this small town. Not that she was upset about it in the least. The less she had to see him or his whore fiancée, the better. She already had too many ghosts of past failures haunting her lately—she didn’t need the reminder that her husband wanted a woman who was basically the town bicycle—most men in the area had ridden her at one time or another. But Julie’s husband—ex-husband—was the one that tossed his vows to the side and decided to make an honest woman out of the skanky bitch.
Not that Julie harbored any resentment…
Right…
“Oh, hey,” Linc said, and nervously looked over his shoulder into the cafe. “How are you? When did you get back into town?”
“A few months ago. How are you?”
“Fine. Just had some lunch with—” “His face reddened as he stopped himself from saying the skank’s name.
“Aubree?” Julie asked, her eyebrows drawn together. It wasn’t as if she didn’t expect the two to be together.
“Uh, yeah.” He tossed another worried look over his shoulder, as if he was afraid she may come out the door and find them together.
Guilty conscience?
“So, I hear the two of you are engaged. Congrats.” Julie chocked down the bile in her throat. “I hope you will make each other happy.”
Happily miserable for the rest of your lives, you piece of shit.
“Thank you.”
The door opened and a small tornado burst onto the sidewalk. The smell of cheap perfume swirled around Julie’s head, making her gag. She recalled that smell one night on her pillow, and had confronted Linc about it. Of course, he had lied—had been downright indignant at the accusation, in fact. Then the pictures arrived, and the lying sack of shit couldn’t escape his betrayal.
“Oh!” The woman came to stop next to Linc, her cold gaze blazing a trail of ice through Julie. “I didn’t realize you were back in town.”
“Yep, I came home a little while ago.”
Aubree tossed her head back and glared at Julie, as if she was pissed at Julie for something. What, Julie couldn’t imagine. Aubree had been the one to sleep with a married man.
But then, Aubree was always a bit strange.
“Are you planning on staying here in Eagle Rock, now that Linc and I—”
Linc yanked on Aubree’s arm, nearly causing her to topple over in her streetwalker heels.
“I have no plans to leave the area. I grew up here, and my practice is here.” Julie squeezed by them, and opened the door to the
cafe. “I realize Eagle Rock is a small town, but I’m quite certain it’s big enough for the three of us.”
Without waiting for a response, Julie walked in, found an empty seat at the counter, and sat down. What she wouldn’t give to have a liquid lunch of vodka martinis and forget this day had ever happened.
* * *
Conrad knocked on the heavy wooden door. A woman answered and Conrad did a double take. She looked exactly like that actress—what was her name—Sadie McClain?
“Hi,” she said, with a genuine smile on her face. “I’m Sadie. You must be Conrad?”
Conrad nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Come on in.” She moved to the side and Conrad stepped into the foyer. “And you can stop with the ‘ma’am’. I appreciate the respectful nature, but it makes me feel really old.” She chuckled. Pointing down the hallway, she said, “Hank’s in his office.”
“Thank you, ma—sorry, Sadie.”
A baby’s cry came through the walkie-talkie she was holding. She glanced at it, and smiled. “Duty calls,” and she turned and took the stairs two at a time.
Conrad found Hank’s office and knocked on the doorframe. The man was massive, but that was to be expected. All the men Conrad knew and worked with were muscular and fit.
Hank stood and came around his desk, hand out. “Conrad, good to meet you. Looks like you made good time getting here.”
“Not bad, pretty easy drive.” He shook the man’s hand.
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t have any issue driving in the mountains. You should see some of these idiots that come up here in their big, fancy SUV’s, trying to navigate the turns as if they were still on I-5 in L.A.”
Conrad snorted. He knew the type. Chicago had its share of newbies from warm weather states. None of them knew how to drive in snow, either. And the amount of accidents went off the charts for a few years.
“So, as it happens, I have an appointment with the woman who has Georgie. Thought this would be a good time for you to see Georgie, and spend some time with her while I go over a few things with her owner on a separate matter.”
“Sounds great.” Conrad waited for Hank to lead the way out of his office. “Who is the woman who has Georgie?”
“Doctor in town,” Hank said. “Julie Sutton.”
Conrad’s heart came to a crashing halt in his chest, a rush of blood filled his ears.
Well, fuck me…
Chapter 17
Hank’s pick-up truck slowly moved down the dirt driveway toward Julie. She stepped off the back porch, Georgie close at her heels, and walked over to the barn where Hank pulled to a stop. He stepped out, greeted her, and shook her hand. The passenger side door opened. A man walked around the front of the vehicle.
“Hey, Georgie,” he said.
The dog bolted toward the man, tail wagging, tongue licking every available spot on the man’s face.
“Georgie,” Julie called to the dog, reached for her collar, and pulled her back.
The man stood up, his eyes locking on Julie’s. All the blood drained from her body and settled in her feet. She was stuck in place, as if the excess of blood had turned to blocks of cement.
“Conrad?”
He ran his hand through his hair, a small smile played across his lips, and he nervously eyed her. “Hey, Doc.”
She swung her gaze to Hank. “How do you know Conrad?”
“We just met. He found out Georgie was being fostered by Kujo and gave me a call. He just got into town, so I thought I’d bring him along and give him a chance to get reacquainted while you and I talk, if that’s okay with you?”
“Uh, sure,” Julie said. Her heart hadn’t slowed at all since she set eyes on Conrad. She had dreamed of this moment—of the first time she would see him again—but this was never part of the dream. She was unprepared for him.
But here he was, in her yard. Looking every bit as sexy as she remembered him. But his eyes, there was a brief glimmer in them when he first looked at her, but they were sad. And that nearly ripped Julie’s heart to shreds—what little of it she had left.
Did he still blame her for not treating his arm?
Probably. Not even caring for his dog would erase the pain of losing the career and life he loved.
She and Hank stepped up on the porch, and Julie opened the door, allowing Hank to pass by her. “Don’t feel like you have to stay out here. There’s nothing we are talking about that you can’t hear,” she said to Conrad.
He ruffled Georgie’s ears and gazed at her. “Okay, I’ll just play with her for a bit longer.”
Julie nodded and started to turn away.
“She looks good, Doc—” Conrad said. “—seems happy here.”
“I think she was,” she said, and walked inside.
Hank was leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms across his chest. “Sorry to blindside you with Conrad, Doc. He arrived right as I was walking out the door to come over here.”
“It’s no problem,” Julie said, and glanced out the window in the door. “I’m glad he found his way here—for Georgie.”
“You two have history.” It wasn’t a question.
She nodded. “It’s complicated.”
“All the great love stories are,” he said. “So, what can I help you with?”
Julie took a deep breath, relieved he wasn’t going to force her to talk about the non-relationship with Conrad, and walked to the table. She picked up the manila folder and handed it to him.
“I received this a few days ago.”
Hank read it, and looked up at her. “First one you’ve received?”
“No.” She handed him the rest of the folder. He pulled out the stack and read through them.
“So someone has a hate-on for you. Any idea who it is?”
The door opened and Conrad poked his head in. Georgie pushed through his legs, walked into the kitchen as if she owned the place, and took a noisy drink of water from her bowl.
“Okay if we come in?” Conrad asked.
“Of course,” Julie said. She turned back to Hank. “Yes, I’m pretty sure I know the man who sent them. He showed up in my office today.”
“What happened?” Hank asked.
“Just more threats—”
“Someone threatened you?” Conrad’s eyes grew dark and penetrated into her soul.
“Got a name?” Hank asked.
She wrapped her arms around her middle seeking some sort of comfort. “Ron Cook.”
Conrad stared at her. “The guy you told me about?”
She nodded. “You can show Conrad the notes,” she said to Hank.
“So there’s a story behind this…let’s hear it,” Hank said.
Julie pulled out a chair and gestured for the other two men to sit, and filled Hank in on her history with Cook.
“Any idea where he’s staying in town?” Hank asked, pulling his cell phone from his pocket.
“No, I didn’t do much talking except to tell him to get out of my office and leave me alone. It wasn’t a friendly chat.”
Hank pushed buttons on his phone and stood up. “I’ll find him.” He walked past them and entered the family room to have his conversation in private.
Conrad dropped the papers on the table and grasped Julie’s hand. Warmth spread through her, and a calm settled over her when he gave it a small squeeze. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just a little unsettled. I wouldn’t have given the letters a second thought if he hadn’t shown up today, in person.”
Georgie made her way under the table and lay between the two of them with her head resting on Conrad’s foot.
“How do you have Georgie?” he asked.
“I knew the Army retired her, and I heard they put service dogs up for adoption. I tracked her down and asked Hank if he could help me get her here. They approved Hank to foster her since one of the guys on his team is also a former K9 handler. Then I started the adoption process.”
Eyes narrowed, Conrad asked, “B
ut…why?”
Julie swallowed over the lump in her throat and took a moment to get her emotions in check. “I wanted to make sure she had a good home until…” Tears threatened, but she forced them back. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of Conrad.
“Until?” he urged.
She closed her eyes and took in a long steadying breath. “Until you were ready to give her a home.”
Conrad’s head dropped to his chest. He still had a hold of her hand, and she relished the contact with him. It had been so long, and she had missed it. Missed him. More than she had realized until he had come into her life again.
But for how long?
“Damn, Doc…I can’t believe…after everything I did…” His voice was low and gravelly.
“I know how much she means to you, Conrad, and I know things have been tough for you lately—mostly because of me. It was the least I could do for both of you.”
Conrad looked at her and opened his mouth to speak, but Hank stepped back into the room.
“Found him,” he said. “He’s at the motel outside of town. I’m going to have a little chat with Mr. Cook.”
Conrad jumped to his feet. “I’m coming with you.”
Hank quirked an eyebrow.
“Back up,” Conrad said.
“There’s no way you’re packing heat.” Hank said. “TSA never would’ve let you on a plane with a weapon.”
“Packed a blade in my checked bag.” He pulled a knife from a sheath strapped to his leg. “Never leave home without it.”
Hank exhaled and gave a head nod. “Let’s go.”
Conrad followed him out the door, but turned back to Julie. “Lock the door. And Georgie—” he looked straight at the dog, “take care of Doc.”
Chapter 18
Conrad stood off to the side of the door to the motel. He had seen better places in some of the worst shitholes in the Middle East. The door had blue streaks denoting the original color under the dirt and muck that had accumulated over the years. The gun Hank had handed him when they got into his truck was heavy in his waistband at his back. It was comforting, even though he knew if he was forced to use it—it meant things had gone in the shitter in a big way.
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