While Drew started chest compressions, Landon quickly retrieved the unit, then opened the case. One of the other volunteers had shears in his pocket and cut the guy’s filthy T-shirt off. Landon applied the pads to his chest, then waited for the machine to assess his heart rhythm.
Once prompted to stand clear and apply a shock, they slid back a safe distance then Landon pressed the button. His hands trembled as they waited for the computer to analyze the man’s heart rhythm again.
Please, Lord. Help. Don’t let us lose him.
“Still nothing.” Drew frowned, then obeyed the prompt to resume CPR.
Finally, the man coughed and sputtered, then his eyes fluttered open.
Landon heaved a sigh of relief. He wanted to weep.
Sirens wailed as the ambulance pulled up, blue and red flashing lights adding to the chaos. Landon stole a glance over his shoulder. The fire wasn’t out, but the volunteers had managed to contain it.
He stood and moved out of the way as the paramedics approached. Drew gave them the information they needed. A few minutes later, they had loaded the man into a waiting ambulance.
Exhausted, Landon made his way to his truck. Shedding his gear into the truck bed, he took the sports drink Drew offered him.
“Thanks,” he whispered, his throat raw. He twisted off the cap and forced himself to take a sip.
“That’s the worst fire I’ve ever seen.” Drew gasped, his chest heaving as he dropped his firefighting gear then mopped the sweat from his forehead.
Landon nodded. Grain dust, oxygen and a confined space were the perfect ingredients for a fire. All it needed was a spark from a piece of equipment.
The owner of the silos stood a few feet away, talking to the sheriff.
His body still pouring sweat, Landon gritted his teeth and forced in a few deep, calming breaths. Adrenaline hummed in his veins. He was hot and tired and smelled terrible, yet his body still trembled from what he’d experienced.
When the equipment was stowed and the chief dismissed all the volunteers, Landon climbed into his truck and drove home. While they’d saved a life, the silos and their contents were a total loss. He had no way of knowing if they’d lost any wheat from their farm. He clung to the hope that it had already been transported to mills or ports out west. They’d find out soon enough. Just thinking about a devastating financial hit twisted his insides.
The intensity of the fire, Kelsey’s rejection and the dreaded meeting with an attorney scheduled a few hours from now combined to send him into an emotional tailspin. By the time he parked in front of his house, a terrifying, hopeless feeling had taken him captive.
The pills in the glove box. You know you want them.
He white-knuckled the steering wheel and willed himself to be strong. For Adeline. He had to fight his way through this.
You’re weak. A coward who can’t handle pain. Once an addict, always an addict.
The harsh accusations rained down, chased by the smooth, tantalizing lies that had always, always led him astray.
Go ahead. You deserve to feel good.
He didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. Leaning across the center console, he opened the glove box and knocked the truck’s user manual, a flashlight and a box of bandages to the floorboards. A desperate longing surged through his body. Finally, his fingers grasped the plastic bottle.
“Oh, thank you.” He popped open the lid, tapped the edge against his hand until three white tablets landed in his palm. His body responded, aching for respite from the pain.
He hesitated, staring at the pills.
This is the last time. No one will find out.
He squeezed his eyes shut, desperate to silence the lies. Because it wouldn’t be the last time. If he took these pills, he’d slide into an abyss he wasn’t sure he’d ever climb out of. Worse, he’d destroy any hope of a future with Kelsey and Adeline.
He opened his eyes and stared at his palm again. The pills taunted him. Toyed with his mind. Reminded him how quickly the razor-sharp pain would soften. How he’d relish the feeling of floating.
He left his gear in the back of the truck, tossed the empty plastic bottle in the dirt and stumbled into the house. Inside the door, he strode to the bathroom, dropped the pills in the toilet, then flushed them.
There. His head throbbed, and his heart pounded. He sucked in a ragged breath. Dark spots filled his vision as he sank to his knees and went facedown on the hardwood.
Adeline. Kelsey. They were the last people he thought of before his world went dark.
* * *
Kelsey checked the time again. Nine thirty-four. Pacing between the living room and kitchen, she stopped and looked out the window. No sign of Landon’s truck coming down the road. He hadn’t texted or called, either. He was officially thirty-four minutes late. Not that she was in a hurry to get to their appointment with the attorney in Limon. She’d rather go through boot camp again than face Landon and this attorney, but she didn’t have another option. There wasn’t anyone else to take care of Adeline, and she and Landon weren’t going to establish a plan without mediation.
She sighed and glanced out the window again. Nothing. “Come on, Landon. Where are you?”
They had to drop Adeline off at Jack and Laramie’s place first. If they didn’t leave soon, they’d be late.
Adeline crawled across the kitchen, her little hands and knees slapping against the floor as she babbled, “Ma, ma, ma.” It was sweet, really. And Kelsey would probably stop and take another quick picture if she weren’t so worried.
Landon hadn’t missed a scheduled visit or gone back on his word the whole time she’d been in Merritt’s Crossing. Even though she’d doubted and accused him and assumed he’d mess up eventually, part of her had hoped he wouldn’t.
She found her phone and called him again. Straight to voice mail. Texting him was useless, too, because he hadn’t responded to the two messages she’d already sent.
What if something had happened?
She quickly brushed the thought aside. He’d probably forgotten. Or overslept. What if he’d changed his mind and hadn’t called to tell her the appointment was canceled?
Not likely.
She sent Laramie a quick text to let her know she was running late because Landon hadn’t come by yet. Then she tucked her phone in the side pocket of the diaper bag and headed for the door.
“Come on, cutie pie.” She stopped in the entryway and intervened before Adeline put a shoe in her mouth. “Let’s go find your dad.”
Adeline protested as Kelsey picked her up, dropped the sneaker by the door and hurried outside.
After putting Adeline in her car seat, Kelsey stashed the diaper bag on the floor then closed the door and climbed behind the wheel. She tuned the radio to a popular country station and tried to focus on the morning show hosts’ entertaining banter while she drove toward Landon’s house. Anything to keep her mind from imagining worst-case scenarios. A flawless blue sky surrounded her, and she had to squint at the bright sunshine streaming into the car.
A few minutes later, she pulled into his driveway. The sight of his truck parked in front of the farmhouse sent anger sluicing through her veins.
“I knew it.” She pounded her fist against the steering wheel, then parked behind his truck and hopped out. He’d stood her up. She opened the back door, grabbed her bag from the floorboards, then unbuckled Adeline from her car seat.
“Come on, sweetie. Let’s go have a little chat with your dad.”
“Da, da, da.” Adeline offered a toothy grin as Kelsey settled her on her hip.
What was so important that he couldn’t take the time to call or text and let her know he was running late? She strode toward the house. An empty pill bottle lying on the ground beside his truck caught her attention. She halted her steps. Her heart whacked against her chest wall as she stared at
the container.
Oh no. Please, no. She nudged it with her toe, just enough to read Landon’s name and the name of the pain medication on the label. Hydrocodone. She raced toward the farmhouse as quickly as she could with Adeline bouncing in her arms. The sweet baby girl’s giggle floated into the air.
Kelsey pounded on the door. “Landon, open up.”
She waited a split second, then rattled the doorknob. It twisted in her hand. She pushed the door open and hurried inside, nearly tripping over his body facedown on the hardwood floor.
No. She set Adeline on the floor and dropped to her knees beside him.
“Da, da, da.” Adeline patted Landon’s shoulder with her tiny palm.
Hot tears burned the backs of Kelsey’s eyes as she shook him. “Landon, wake up.”
He didn’t move.
Her fingers trembled as she reached out and located his pulse on his neck. It was weak. His skin felt cool and clammy. She leaned closer and noted his shallow breathing. “Thank You, Lord.”
Pushing to her feet, she fished her phone from her bag. She had to get help. Tears blurred her vision as she called 911.
“Landon, why did you do this?” She wished that the empty bottle in the driveway meant nothing, but she was certain that couldn’t be the case. It had to mean something awful. Her worst fears confirmed.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“Possible drug overdose. Please, send help.” Kelsey’s voice broke. “I don’t know how long he’s been like this.”
Adeline sat on her bottom beside Landon’s head and jammed her thumb in her mouth, her blue eyes locked on Kelsey. Oh, she hated that her baby girl had to see this. Even if she was too young to remember, the sirens and paramedics were going to scare her.
“Tell me exactly what happened,” the woman on the phone instructed.
“I—I’m not sure.” Kelsey pressed her palm to her forehead. “I found him like this. Passed out on the floor, and there’s an empty pill bottle in the driveway.”
“Is the victim conscious?”
“No.”
“Breathing?”
“Yes, and he has a faint pulse.”
“Good. Do you know the victim’s age?”
“Um, I’m not sure. Thirty-two?”
“Name and address?”
“Landon Chambers, and the address...” Blood pounded in her ears. She paced the floor, searching for a magazine or a bill or anything with an address printed on it. “I—I don’t know. The big farmhouse next to the—”
“If you don’t know the address, I’ll find it. Are you alone with the victim?”
“No, my—our—baby is here.”
“I want you to stay on the line until the ambulance arrives. Can you do that?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
Every inch of her wanted to pick Adeline up and flee, but she couldn’t abandon Landon. Not now. Not until help arrived.
She rubbed her palm against the tightness in her chest. “What should I do while I’m waiting?”
“Is he lying on his back or his stomach?”
“Stomach.”
“If he vomits or has a seizure, is he lying in an area that’s safe?”
The dispatcher’s question provoked a fresh wave of fear.
“I—I guess.” Kelsey surveyed the scene. “He’s on the floor inside his house.”
“If you’re able, roll him onto his side, because it prevents aspiration of fluid should he vomit. If you can’t, then it’s best to leave him be. Unless you are concerned a bookshelf or a table or anything close by might fall on him. Also, make sure you and the infant are safe.”
“Okay, I’ll try to prop him on his side.” Kelsey switched the call to speakerphone and set it on the floor, then dropped to her knees beside Landon again. She clutched his shoulder and torso with both hands and tugged, but it was no use. He didn’t budge.
She picked Adeline up and held her close. “I can’t move him. My daughter and I are safe, though.”
“That’s okay. Help is on the way. Stay on the line. You’re doing the right thing.” The dispatcher’s gentle encouragement made Kelsey’s throat ache. The whole situation felt surreal. Why did you do this to me, Landon?
A few minutes later, wailing sirens filled the air outside, and Adeline’s eyes widened as she twisted in Kelsey’s arms to see where the noise was coming from. In her rush to get into the house, she’d left the door open. She grabbed her phone.
“The ambulance is here.”
“Excellent. Don’t hang up yet.”
Hurrying to the porch, she waved to the ambulance driver, who stopped behind Kelsey and Landon’s vehicles. Although the driver turned off the siren, the red and blue flashing lights kept blinking in the morning sunshine. Two uniformed paramedics climbed out and hurried toward her.
“Kelsey?” The first, an older man with black sunglasses pushed up on his close-cropped dark hair, led the way.
“Yes.” She stepped aside as his boots clomped up the steps. “Landon Chambers is the victim. He’s on the floor inside. I’m certain he took too much hydrocodone. The empty bottle is still on the ground beside his truck.” She was babbling, but she didn’t care. Wasn’t she supposed to tell them everything she knew?
The second paramedic, a woman about Kelsey’s age, with her strawberry blond hair secured in a neat ponytail, paused and gently squeezed Kelsey’s arm. “Thank you for the information. We’ll take it from here.”
“You’re in good hands,” the dispatcher said.
“Thank you,” Kelsey whispered and ended the call.
Adeline started to cry, and Kelsey struggled to swallow back her own tears. She went down the steps and paced the yard, forcing herself to draw in deep breaths. Adeline kept crying, her little finger stuffed in the side of her mouth while she twisted in Kelsey’s arms to stare at the ambulance.
Fragments of conversation filtered toward her, and their radios chattered with more details from the dispatcher, but Kelsey couldn’t make sense of any of it. Please, Lord. Save him. For Adeline’s sake.
A few minutes later, the stretcher carrying Landon disappeared into the back of the ambulance, then the medics closed the doors. Adeline cried, pointing as the vehicle pulled away from the house.
“I know.” Kelsey kissed her damp cheek while hot tears burned the backs of her eyes. Landon’s poor choices had wrecked her. Now that she knew he was safe, she wouldn’t waste another minute in this town.
Her worst fears had come true. He’d betrayed her and Adeline. Leaving was the only option.
Chapter Thirteen
Kelsey. Adeline. He had to get to them.
Forcing his eyes open, he squinted against the bright light bursting through the vertical blinds.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
Landon slowly turned his head toward his mother’s soothing voice. She sat in a blue vinyl recliner beside his bed. The familiar beep of a machine nearby, boring white paint on the wall behind her and the lingering scent of astringent in the air confirmed his fear.
He was in the hospital. What had happened? Fragmented images replayed in his mind. A fire. The heat making him sweat. Working with Drew to help the guy whose heart had stopped.
The pills. Regaining consciousness in the back of the ambulance.
Oh no. He opened his eyes and slowly surveyed the room. No one else was with them.
“Where’s Kelsey and Adeline?”
His mother’s hopeful expression melted.
No. He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. His throat was raw and scratchy. “They left, didn’t they?”
“Let’s focus on making sure you’re well.”
Why wouldn’t she give him a straight answer? He grunted and pushed up on his elbow, then flung the white sheet aside. “How long ago?”
“Whoa.” Mom stood and grasped his shoulder, gently restraining him. “You need to rest. The doctor hasn’t discharged you. Besides, you still have an IV.”
Landon glared at the tube feeding a clear liquid into his vein. “I’ll rest later. I need to stop Kelsey before she leaves town.”
His mother’s hesitation confirmed his fear. The truth slammed into him. He dragged his gaze to meet hers. “I’m too late, aren’t I?”
She nodded. “She’s gone, sweetie.”
“Where?”
“She didn’t say. I imagine back to her folks’ place in Wyoming.”
“No.” He pushed his hand through his hair, hating the IV that tethered him to the bed. “She can’t. We had a deal.”
“I haven’t spoken to her. Laramie texted her, but Kelsey hasn’t responded. She probably feels your agreement is off since you—”
“Since I what?”
“She found the empty pill bottle on the ground.” Mom rubbed his upper arm. “The paramedics told the doctor in the ER that you’d taken the hydrocodone.”
“But I didn’t.” Blood roared in his ears. “I flushed them. Inside.”
“Oh, thank You, Lord.” Mom pressed her palm to her chest and slumped back in the chair. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m so glad to hear that.”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I have to fix this.”
“I can try to call her.”
“No, I need to get out of here first.” He glanced around the room. “Where’s the nurse or the doctor, or whoever has to sign the paperwork to discharge me?”
His entire body felt like someone had beaten him with a baseball bat, but he wasn’t about to let that stop him. Yeah, he’d almost messed up and taken those pills, but with the Lord’s strength he’d made the right choice. Now he had to make things right with Kelsey. Starting with driving to Wyoming to find her and Adeline.
“Honey, I’m not sure leaving town is a wise decision. Why don’t you give it a couple days? If you’re not still dehydrated, I’m sure they’ll send you home soon. Once you’re fully recovered, then maybe have a sensible phone conversation with Kelsey.”
The Bull Rider's Fresh Start Page 16
