Love Rescued Me

by Debra Kayn

  She threw the towel down on the floor and stomped out the room. "God, I hate them all."

  Chapter Eleven

  The radio alarm clock beside the bed shone ten fifteen. She tossed the updated immunization record book for her patients to the side. If she was going to be at her best tomorrow, she better get some rest.

  Samantha got out of bed and flipped off the light switch by the bedroom door. She had an early appointment first thing in the morning, and the stress of earlier had wiped her out. She'd have to finish recording this week's information in the morning. She was getting tired, and it would be too easy to make a mistake.

  Cascaded in darkness, Samantha stood, totally blind. She always experienced a certain level of panic after the lights were out and she had to walk back to the bed in the dark; since childhood, she'd had a perpetual fear that a hand might reach out from under her bed and grab her ankles.

  A knock from the clinic below startled Samantha in mid-leap of avoiding the monsters under the bed, and she fell against the edge of the mattress. She held her breath and turned her ear toward the door. Who could be knocking on the clinic's door at this time of night? She didn't have enough patients to offer round-the-clock emergency care yet.

  The knock came again, louder and longer. She turned the bedroom light back on and searched the closet for Parker's old baseball bat she'd unpacked the first night she'd moved here. Parker may have outgrown baseball, but she kept the bat around for these kinds of moments. She had a pretty impressive swing too.

  She crept down the stairs, unlocked the door at the bottom, and peeked around the edge. The clinic's front door was in view, but with the darkness of the night, Samantha couldn't see who—or what—might be standing on the other side.

  "Who's there?" she said in her deepest voice.

  "It's me, Bobby."

  Samantha hurried over and flipped the lock. Her anxiety turned to giddiness as she welcomed him inside. She laughed.

  "Come in," she urged, setting the weapon behind the door.

  "A softball player, huh?" He picked up the bat.

  "Just a wannabe softball player, I'm afraid." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I didn't know..." She launched herself at him and clung to him.

  She straddled his waist, her feet hooked at the ankles, and he carried her up the stairs, right to the couch. His hands roamed around the back of her shirt, and he explored her mouth with his tongue. She met him kiss for kiss.

  He tore his mouth away, panting. "You have no idea how much I missed you today, Sammy."

  "Not as much as I missed you." She held his head in both hands and gave him a long, soul-searing kiss on the lips. "I do believe, Bobby Thorn, I'm falling in love with you."

  He groaned and bent his head to nuzzle her breasts. She wiggled on his lap and fiddled with the buttons on his ranger shirt.

  "Damn, you feel almost too good. You tempt me..." His hands circled her wrist, drawing her attention away from undoing his shirt.

  "I want you, Bobby." She smoothed the hair that hung down the back of his neck.

  "I only have a few minutes. I shouldn't have even come over, but the thought of you snuggled in your bed for the night without me being able to kiss you goodnight killed me." He pulled her against him and cradled her head against his neck.

  "You can't stay the night?" Samantha stuck her lower lip out and squeezed her brows together.

  He shook his head. "Not tonight."

  She got off his lap and sat beside him on the couch. She held on to his hand. "But soon?"

  "I'll call you the moment my shift is over." He kissed her lightly and his gaze warmed. "I wish I could stay. I'd like nothing more than to hold you."

  She sighed. "You can make it up to me next time, and it'll give me time to think of something special we can do."

  He raised his brows. "I like the sound of that."

  She laughed softly. "You're such a man."

  "A man that wants you, over and over." He tugged her hand. "Walk me out?"

  She nodded. "I didn't know the fires were so bad in this area that you had to stay on call at night too." She squeezed his hand. "I was worried about you all day, but it seems extra dangerous at night."

  Bobby tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

  "The fire this morning..."

  "Oh, that! No, it was a false alarm." He closed his eyes and let his head fall against the couch.

  "I'm glad you came over to kiss me goodnight." After dealing with the sheriff earlier, all she wanted to do tonight was wrap herself in Bobby's arms and forget about the rest of the world.

  "Me too."

  After talking for the next fifteen minutes, Bobby finally dragged himself away. She stood up with him, and together they walked down the stairs. She bit back a yawn.

  "You need to crawl back in bed." He pulled her into his arms and rubbed circles over her back.

  "I will. Although, I think I could stand here all night if you keep rubbing my back." She sighed.

  "Lock the door behind me, babe. I gotta head out." He cupped the back of her head.

  She tilted her face up. "I will."

  "Night, Sammy," he murmured against her lips.

  "Night, Ranger Man." She leaned against the door frame and smiled at the back of Bobby. As those long legs of his strode purposefully to his truck, she envisioned them naked and sprawled out beside her in bed. She sighed. She didn't expect him to spend every night with her, but she found herself wanting to know more and more about the man who had stolen her heart.

  "Get inside and lock the door." He waved from the seat of the truck.

  She shut the door, turned the lock, and the flashing of red-and-blue lights outside caught her attention. She leaned her forehead against the glass and shielded her eyes against the door. The sheriff's patrol car pulled up behind Bobby's truck. What in the world?

  Disregarding her Hello Kitty pajamas and old sweatshirt, Samantha hurried to reopen the door. She set out down the sidewalk, wincing in pain at the small pebbles that poked the bottom of her bare feet. Samantha slammed to a halt at Bobby's side, and he reached for her hand and drew her behind him.

  The sheriff's heavyset body lumbered toward them. "Evening, folks." He tipped his hat.

  Samantha leaned around Bobby and gripped his hand tighter. Sheriff Dickerson ogled her. His toothpick dangled from his lip, and he shoved it back into his mouth. She wished he'd choke on the blasted stick.

  "What can we do for you, Sheriff?" Bobby pivoted again.

  "Just keeping an eye out on our town's pretty little veterinarian. I drove by and saw a pickup sitting out front and thought I'd better check it out." The sheriff tilted up his hat and craned his head to get a glimpse of her standing behind Bobby. "Wouldn't want something to happen to our Sammy being that she's new to our area, would we?"

  She stepped up beside Bobby. If he had caught her alone again, she would've walked away, but with Bobby here to protect her, she wanted to punch the perverted creep. "How dare you call me Sammy, and I'm not your little anything!" She stabbed her finger in the air in front of him. "Open your eyes. The truck is owned by the county. Look at the sign on the doors. You knew exactly who it belonged to!"

  Bobby turned his back on the sheriff, laid both hands on Samantha's shoulders, and lowered his head. "Go back inside and lock the door. I'll call you later after I get rid of the sheriff."

  She scooted behind Bobby's large frame and kissed him. She dashed for the safety of the clinic.

  After closing and locking the door, Samantha ran up the stairs, flopped down on her bed, and only then when she was finally alone, let the tears fall down her face. Her chest heaving with sobs, she curled up on her side and covered herself with the comforter. There was something strange about the way the sheriff always stopped by and came up with excuses to talk with her, but for the life of her, she didn't know why.

  Please, God. Don't let him cause trouble for Parker when he finally comes home.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sam
antha laid the white envelope in her lap, picked it up, and laid it back down again. She'd picked up the photos she'd snapped of the wolf from the one-hour developer earlier this morning. After much pleading with the security guard to let her keep them to share with Parker, she couldn't wait to show him what he had to look forward to when he was released. He loved wild animals, especially wolves.

  She sat in the waiting room of the county prison, watching the clock. Tense and impatient, she hoped someone would call out her name soon so she could go back to visit Parker. She ran through everything she planned on telling him. The time on the big, round, black-and-white clock hanging on the wall told her she'd sat for almost two hours. How much longer did they expect to keep her waiting? Surely they'd call her back before visiting hours were over.

  The guard manning the area glanced up from his book. Samantha stood and paced in front of the empty row of chairs, but sat down again at the scowl thrown her way.

  "Dr. James?"

  "I'm Samantha James." She hurried over to the door to the visiting area with the envelope held out in plain sight. The security officer didn't smile and stood immobile in front of the door to the visiting room.

  "I have pictures to show my brother and I already have the approval of the prison warden." She glanced at the clock. Only ten minutes remained of visiting time.

  "I'm sorry, Dr. James, but prisoner number three-one-eight-nine-four has refused your visit." The officer widened his stance in front of the door.

  "What do you mean?" Samantha pressed her hand to her chest.

  "You won't be allowed back to visit the prisoner today." The officer relaxed his stance, and a glimmer of sympathy showed up on his face.

  "I see." Her chin fell to her chest. Don't cry. Do not let him see you cry.

  Samantha turned around. What should she do now that Parker refused to even visit with her?

  "Wait. Please..." She held out the envelope. "Can you give these pictures to my brother, please?"

  "Ma'am, the prisoners are not allowed to have anything in their cells." The guard crossed his arms.

  Samantha knew that. She blinked her eyes to clear her vision and walked out of the room. Why wouldn't Parker see her?

  She planned on returning next Sunday, and every Sunday after that until Parker changed his mind. He must know she was never going to give up on him.

  She threw her purse onto the passenger seat of her car, started the engine, and left the prison without a glance in her rearview mirror. She pulled out onto the highway, cranked up the radio, and rolled the window down.

  "I swear, Parker James, I want to smack you upside the head for not seeing me! You stubborn kid, trying so hard to tough this out on your own. I can't believe you! I am so pissed off at you right now, I could scream!"

  The farther away from the prison Samantha drove, the angrier she grew. She'd write a letter—or three—this week and convince Parker to see her next Sunday. In her heart, she understood why he refused to see her, but she wouldn't give up.

  Samantha arrived home exhausted, agitated, and with an overload of pent-up hostility roaring to come out. She didn't know if she should take a nap, unpack boxes in the apartment, or sit on the couch and cry her heart out.

  Marching to the kitchen for a drink of water, she hit her shin on the edge of a box in her way. "Damn it!" She rubbed her leg. "See what I get for not trying hard enough? I should have demanded that Parker see me."

  Annoyed, she picked up the box, set it on the counter, and tore the tape off it. With gusto, she opened a cupboard and threw the pots and pans from the box onto the shelf. The clanking of cooking essentials motivated her to unload more boxes in the kitchen.

  The more commotion she made, the angrier she became. A broiler pan fell from her hands and slid across the linoleum floor before crashing into the wall.

  "See what I get for doing the right thing and unpacking!" She picked up another box and removed a rolling pin. "Who in the world uses one of these nowadays?" She tossed it behind her, not caring where it landed.

  Samantha stopped examining the items she removed from the box and instead blindly tossed them in the cupboard, letting them land where they may.

  "Hey, there. What are you doing? You're going to end up hurting yourself." Bobby picked up a metal green colander from the floor.

  "What are you doing here?" Planting her fists on her hips, she glared at him.

  She wasn't fit for company, and definitely not ready to see Bobby; hair mussed, face swollen, she must look a sight from all the tears she'd cried.

  "Whoa...did I catch you at a bad time?" He set the colander on the table and raised his hands in the surrender position. "What's going on? What happened?"

  "Yes. No. I don't know...let's just blame it on PMS." She sank down on a chair at the table.

  "Come here, babe." He opened his arms.

  Samantha loved how he accepted and supported her, even when she was being a bitch. She wrapped her arms around his waist and his arms encircled her. This was what she needed.

  It didn't matter that he didn't know about her brother. It wasn't words she needed to hear, but a body to cling to and draw strength from. Sometime soon, she'd have to tell him about Parker. Preferably, a time when her emotions were stable and she could explain without turning into a big baby. With her parents gone and Parker refusing to see her, it dawned on her...Bobby was the only person she could lean on.

  She gave him an extra squeeze and stepped back out of his arms. She ran her hands through her hair and looked down at herself. Her dress clothes were wrinkled and dusty from unpacking.

  "Ack, I'm a mess." She gathered her hair to the side.

  "No, you look great. What were you doing? You didn't hear me knock downstairs, so I hope it's okay that I let myself in. I heard the noise, and became concerned." He ran his finger down the side of her face.

  "No, I'm glad you did. I was only having a little temper tantrum. It must be a full moon or something." She shrugged. "I thought it was about time I put away the kitchen things." She surveyed the area. "I guess I made an even bigger mess."

  "How about I help you?" Bobby bent over and picked up a couple of utensils.

  "No." She pulled his arm "How about you have your way with me instead?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

  Bobby growled and scooped her up in his arms. "Where to, baby?"

  "The bedroom." She nuzzled his neck. "Wait! Stay here."

  "The kitchen?" He laughed.

  She nodded. "There are gadgets in the kitchen." She giggled.

  "Aw, you're a wicked woman, Sammy." He deposited her on the counter.

  She spread her legs to make room for him between them and laid her arms over his shoulders. "And you like it..."

  "Damn right," he growled.

  An hour later, Samantha lay on the table, satisfied and hungry. The naughty things Ranger Man did with a rolling pin, ice cream scooper, and pancake flipper surprised her. The man definitely had talent in the kitchen.

  Willing her legs to support her, she climbed down, stepped over Bobby, who was lying on the floor, and opened the refrigerator. "I have salad, pasta, and some leftover tuna spread for sandwiches."

  Bobby groaned and rolled into a sitting position. "Woman, you need man food around here. I'm starving."

  "Man food? Excuse me?" Samantha nudged him with her bare toe.

  "Hamburgers, chili, pizza..." He ran his hand up her leg.

  "If that's the case, how about we clean up, get dressed, and you can take me over to Luce's for 'man food'?" She lifted one leg over Bobby and sat on his chest.

  "Oomph," he groaned. "Deal!"

  ***

  On Sunday nights, most of the customers at Luce's Café came for the family atmosphere. Samantha didn't mind the laid-back dining experience—it gave her and Bobby a chance to sit and talk without the jukebox blaring or the crowd cheering and jeering karaoke singers.

  The waitress took their order, and Samantha reached under the table for her purse. She withdrew one
of the pictures she had planned to take Parker, and handed it across the table to Bobby.

  "What's this?" He took the photo.

  "Turn it over, silly. It's a picture of the wolf. I snapped it before she left with you. I thought you might like to keep it." Samantha leaned closer. "I thought it was a good picture."

  "It is, and I do want it, thanks. It reminds me of the first time I laid eyes on you." He smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

  She was glad he took the picture. Everything about their first time meeting made her smile. She counted the day he'd brought the wolf to her as a turning point in her life. If only Parker would let her be more involved in his life, then everything would be perfect.

  A woman who had brought a miniature pinscher into the clinic last week came in, and Samantha waved. The poor pup had stepped on a fishing hook and cried something awful.

  "I wonder where Luce is today," Bobby said.

  "She doesn't normally come in on Sundays unless a large group has made reservations." She shook her head. "She works so hard, she deserves to take a day off."

  "You like her." Bobby reached over and held Samantha's hand.

  "Yeah, I do. She actually gave me no choice. She made doughnuts the first day I arrived and has continued to feed me regularly ever since. Luce even sends lunch over to the clinic if I don't show up." She smiled. "She's turned into a good friend to have. I'm glad to know her."

  Bobby's face softened, and he waved over her shoulder. "Looks like Charlene and Darryl decided to eat out tonight too."

  Samantha turned in her chair and waved to her friend to come over. She hurried to collect two more chairs for their table.

  Charlene sat down, and Samantha reached out for baby Cierra. She'd fallen in love with the child the first moment she'd laid eyes on her and loved it when Charlene brought her into work for a visit.

  "Come here, my sweetheart." Samantha hugged the adorable child to her. "I don't know what you do, Miss Cierra, but you get prettier every time I see you."