Tina smiled when Dane pulled up at the medical clinic and parked his truck. Chance sat beside her, his muscular arms crossed over his chest, the perpetual scowl decorating his face. She wanted to laugh when Dane refused to take them to the ranch, instead bypassing it and heading into town.
“I don’t need to see a doctor. My shoulder’s fine.”
“And I’ll believe that when Doc Jennings gives you a once over and takes x-rays. Stubborn goat.”
“Jackass,” Chance shot back.
“Sissy.” Dane grinned when his brother tossed the insult back at him. He looked at Tina. “You see the thanks I get? It took me two hours to reach y’all, and does he appreciate it? Nope. Idiot thinks he’s the boss of me.”
“I’ll show you who’s boss—”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re not the one who’d have to answer to Momma if I brought you home hurt. Why don’t I give her a call and let you talk to her?”
Chance leaned his head back and banged it against the headrest several times. “Fine, you win. I’ll let Doc Jennings take a look, but I’m telling you there’s nothing wrong except some bruising.”
“And if that’s the case, we’ll be in and out and on our way back to the ranch in no time. Look, bro, you know as well as I do, sometimes you get caught up in the middle of all the excitement and the adrenaline rush, and you’re hurt worse than you think. I’d rather not take the chance, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Please, Chance, let the doctor make sure you haven’t injured your shoulder.” Tina reached over and laid her hand on his thigh. She’d ended up in the middle of the truck’s cab between the two larger men, and had listened to their light banter all the way back to Shiloh Springs. It was obvious the two brothers not only cared for each other, but they were charming, keeping her entertained all through the hour plus drive back to Shiloh Springs.
The ambulances had loaded their patients and left the scene of the accident by the time Dane had shown up to rescue them. Frank’s tow truck pulled up behind Dane’s truck within minutes of his arrival, and she’d stood by watching as the truck was hooked up to the big red tow truck and rolled away.
It hadn’t taken Dane long to notice Chance favoring his left shoulder. She’d shifted to sit far enough away she didn’t keep bumping into him with every jolt, but she’d watched Chance’s face, the clenched jaw doing nothing to mask the fact he was in pain.
Dane parked the car in front of the clinic, and Chance stepped out and turned, holding his hand out to Tina. She hesitated, thinking maybe she’d sit in Dane’s truck and wait while he got checked out. There was something about visiting a doctor with somebody else that felt so…intimate.
“Come on, sugar, if I’ve gotta let Doc Jennings poke and prod, the least you can do is hold my hand.”
Placing her hand within his, she climbed out of the truck and they headed inside. Dane jogged past them and opened the clinic’s front door, and they stepped through. A wash of heat spread across her skin and Tina sighed. She hadn’t realized how chilled she’d gotten. Dane had run the heat inside the cab of the truck, but it wasn’t the same as walking into a warm building.
“Hey, Julie, is Doc Jennings around? Chance banged up his shoulder and needs to get it looked at.”
A pretty thirty-something blonde smiled at Dane, her brown eyes giving him that all-over look that a woman gives a man she finds attractive. She couldn’t blame her. Dane Boudreau was a handsome man, with rugged good lucks and a muscular build that his Carhartt jacket did nothing to hide. Julie obviously liked what she saw, because she gave him a come-hither smile and sat a little bit straighter, displaying her not-inconsiderable assets to their best advantage.
“Hi, Dane. Doc Jennings isn’t in today. Doctor Stevens is covering. Why don’t y’all have a seat in the waiting area, and I’ll let him know you’re here.”
“Thanks.” Giving her a flirtatious wink, Dane turned and motioned toward the row of chairs to the right of the reception desk. Within minutes a tall, dark-haired man came from the back, an air of confidence and competence surrounding him like a cloak. In his early to mid-thirties, he carried himself with an aura of strength and self-assurance that made Tina immediately trust him.
“Chance, Julie said you injured your shoulder. What happened?”
“Car accident. I banged it on the door. It’s nothing.”
Doctor Stevens grinned. “Let me be the judge of that. Come with me and let’s get an x-ray, so we’ve got a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”
Chance turned to her. “I’ll be right back. If you need anything, Dane will take care of you.”
“No problem, bro. Go get your shoulder fixed.”
Chance followed Doctor Stevens into the back, and Tina took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Is he always this stubborn?”
Dane chuckled. “You have no idea.”
They sat quietly for a few minutes, and Tina nibbled on her index fingernail, hoping Chance’s shoulder issue wasn’t serious. She felt guilty, because if he hadn’t been driving her to the airport, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt.
“Stop it.”
“What?” Looking at Dane, she watched his disapproving stare morph into sympathy.
“You’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. You didn’t cause the cold snap that moved through. Happens at least once each winter, we get some snow, maybe some ice. It’s here and gone in a day or two. Chance volunteered to drive you to the airport. You ask me, he wanted to spend more time with you before you went back to Portland.”
Tina shook her head, the soft locks brushing against her chin. She knew she was due for a haircut, but with everything happening, first with Renee and then with her attack, personal fashion choices took a back seat.
“You’re wrong. Chance probably thinks I’m his responsibility since he’s the one who brought me to Shiloh Springs. I bet he can’t wait to see my plane heading west.”
“You’re a smart cookie, Tina. That’s one of the things I like about you. But it seems like when it comes to Chance, you’re blind. If he didn’t care about you, he’d have let me drive you to the airport. I offered, and he shot me down almost before the words came out of my mouth.”
“Like I said, he feels responsible for me.”
She looked up when she saw Julie sit down behind the reception desk. Worry about Chance had her antsy and she barely refrained from getting up and pacing in the waiting room. Ah, to heck with it. Standing, she walked over to the desk.
“Julie, how’s Chance?”
The other woman looked at her, narrowing her eyes before answering. “I’m sorry, miss, but I’m afraid I can’t give you any information unless you’re family.” Her smirk clearly indicated she knew Tina wasn’t, and her hand itched to smack that smirk right off her overly-peroxided head.
“No, but you can tell me, Julie. I am family.” Dane’s deep voice sounded from behind her, his tone indicating he wasn’t about to take any nonsense from the snippy woman.
She heaved a put-upon sigh, shooting Tina one of those girl-you’re-getting-on-my-last-nerve looks before answering Dane. “Doctor Stevens is with him in the exam room right now. The x-rays didn’t show anything broken. That’s all I know. You’ll have to wait to speak with the doc.”
Dane’s hand on her elbow steered Tina back to her chair, his grip tight enough she knew he wasn’t brooking any protest. Flinging herself down on the hard plastic, she bit back a complaint about how uncomfortable it was. She wasn’t really upset about the clinic’s furniture; she’d just be venting because she hated feeling useless. She wanted to march into the exam room and demand to see the x-ray for herself. Reading an x-ray would be like riding a bike; she’d seen hundreds of them before Jared ruined her life and her career.
“It’s good news. He didn’t break anything.”
“I know.” She smiled at Dane. “I’m afraid I’m not a patient person. I’m all about instant gratification.”
“Well, hang in there. They’re probably almost done, and then we can head back to the ranch. Momma’s going to go nuts when she finds out one of her chicks is hurt. She’s a big mother hen, wanting—no—needing her babies hale and healthy. Don’t be surprised if she spoils him rotten. And don’t take it personally, because she’s likely going to pamper him and baby him, because that’s what she does. She’ll fuss at him for getting in the accident, even if it wasn’t his fault. Next, she’ll blame herself. Yeah, I know it’s ridiculous, but she’s Momma. Then she’ll cook. It’s what she does whenever any of my brothers gets a booboo.”
“It’s a mother’s job to take care of her child when they’re sick or hurt. I’d do the same.” Biting back a sigh, Tina sat back and settled in to wait for Chance.
“Sweetheart, has there been any word?”
Jared’s jaw tightened at the saccharine-sweet voice of his mother on the other end of the cell phone. More and more she’d taken to calling, inquiring about Christina. Closing his eyes, he counted to ten before answering her.
“Nothing yet, Mother. I talked with her aunt again, and she claims she hasn’t heard from Christina. Of course, I don’t believe her. I contacted my man at the assistant district attorney’s office, and he’s going to have her phone calls monitored.”
“Is it possible Christina hasn’t been in touch with her family? She always seemed so close to her aunt and uncle.”
“Trust me, there’s no way my wife hasn’t been in touch with her aunt and uncle. They know where she is, or at least how to get in touch with her. I’m not giving up. I know she left California several months ago, headed north. Knowing her, she’ll head for a big city. It’s easy to hide and get lost where there are lots of people. Strangers in small towns attract too much attention.”
“Of course, honey, you’re right. I want her brought back home. She needs to admit to all those lies she told about you. Of course, I’m not surprised nobody believed her. Who would believe you’d raise a hand to your wife? You adored Christina, worshipped the ground she walked on. You are a saint to want to take her back after all the trouble she caused.”
“Mother, we’ve been over this. Christina has problems. She needs professional help. Her psychiatrist is worried because he doesn’t believe she’s taking her medication. If she’s not, she could become manic—”
“She’s dangerous and she’s a liar. It’s a good thing she’s not a very good liar, or people might actually have believed her falsehoods about you abusing her.”
A wash of rage surged through Jared at the reminder. Christina had a lot to answer for once he caught up with her, including having the insane idea of divorcing him. Unforgivable, and he’d make sure she learned the folly of her actions. His hand squeezed his cell phone tighter.
“It’s part of her illness, Mother. When I find her, I’ll make sure she gets the help she needs. She’ll realize her delusions are simply that—delusions. Getting back on her meds will make things right.”
Jared almost laughed at the whopper he told his mother. He’d embellished it over the months since Christina skuttled away in the dark of night, disappearing without a trace. The year and a half before she left him had been a nightmare, trying to diffuse all the ugliness she’d spewed to her attorney, who’d found a sympathetic judge willing to grant her a divorce. Another strike against her that she’d pay for when he brought her back home. His hands itched to administer the discipline Christina desperately needed to turn her back into a dutiful and loving wife.
“How are your sessions going, darling? All this nonsense about you having anger issues. Poppycock. There’s never been a more even-tempered and loving child than you. I cannot believe the courts mandated counseling. Your father hasn’t been able to get in touch with Congressman Rayburn yet, but once he does, he’ll rain down a world of hurt on those idiots who’ve listened to your wife’s lies.”
“I’ve been going to the mandated sessions. The courts need to see that I’m doing everything they’ve asked. It’ll make things easier when I have to prove that Christina’s accusations were inventions of a fevered imagination and she’s the one in need of professional help. Have patience, Mother, this won’t last long. Christina will be back, tell everyone she made all her allegations up, that they were fabricated, and things will go back to normal.”
Another thing my loving wife will pay for. Idiot judge, thinking I need counseling for anger issues.
“How are things at the hospital, dear?”
“Returning to normal. I’ve had all privileges reinstated and my record expunged. All Christina’s falsehoods and lies were erased after a thorough investigation proved her allegations false. No one believes I’d ever raise a hand to my wife. The gossip has died down, although it’s hard to believe the rumors swirled throughout the hospital for so long. Of course, the people Christina worked with refuse to believe she lied. Misguided loyalty from a few of her diehard friends, but Human Resources quashed it.”
“Excellent. You’re an excellent surgeon, the best that hospital has ever seen. I cannot believe they’d allow the ravings of a lunatic to ruin your career.”
“Mother! Do not call Christina by that offensive label. She’s got a disease that causes her mental issues. I love her and I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.”
“I know, dear. She’s a lucky woman to have someone as special as you love her. Sometimes I think you’re too forgiving.”
“She’s special, Mother. She owns my heart and always will. I just need to make sure she understands her place, and everything will be fine.”
“Well, keep me posted, and let me know if you need anything. Your father and I will support you with whatever you need. Anything you need, consider it done.”
“Thank you, Mother. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Disconnecting the call, he placed the cell phone on his desk and leaned back in his big leather chair. The sounds of the hustle and bustle of the hospital activity drifted through the open door of his office, and he studied the shining placard affixed to it. Jared Webster, MD, Chief of Surgery. He’d clawed his way through the ranks at med school, forgoing a social life to maintain his grades, though it had been a struggle. While he was a magician with a scalpel, doing the class work wasn’t his strong suit, and meeting Christina Nelson had been like a light shining down from the heavens. She’d been better than a tutor, doing his homework, drilling him until the facts and figures stuck in his brain, and helping him ace his tests. The intellect shining in her eyes was the first thing that made him fall for her. Fall hard. And he’d won her, too.
Balling his hands into fists, he contemplated what he’d do when he finally found her again, stood across from her face to face. Images of his revenge played through his mind, and he smiled.
He couldn’t wait.