Chance winced when Dane’s pickup hit a rut in the drive. Doc Stevens assured him neither his shoulder nor his arm was broken, but that didn’t mean they didn’t hurt. Discoloration had already started. Probably by this time tomorrow, he’d look like a kid’s birthday pinata. One that had already been pounded a few too many times.
He barely stifled a groan when he spotted not only his mother’s white Cadillac Escalade parked in front of the Big House, but also his dad’s truck. And if he wasn’t mistaken, Antonio’s brand-new Lexus was parked right beside it. Great, he’d have an audience to his misery.
“What’s Antonio doing here?”
“No clue. Wasn’t here when I left to come get you.” Dane expertly pulled up beside his mother’s car and shifted into park. At the clinic, Tina had peppered Doc Stevens with a hundred questions, everything from his x-ray results to his aftercare instructions and the name of the painkiller he’d prescribed. Once he got over the shock of hearing ‘doc speak’ coming from her, she hadn’t said much the rest of the way home.
Before he opened his door, his father was already on the porch, feet spread apart, arms crossed over his chest. Shadows obscured his face, but Chance had a pretty good idea why his father was home and not at the job site. He shot a frustrated glare at Dane, who simply shrugged, and climbed from behind the wheel, a smirk on his lips.
“Big mouth.”
“Well, somebody’s gotta take care of you, and it’s not going to be me. You’re always a grouch when you’re sick.”
“Am not,” Chance shot back.
“Are too.”
“Boys, play nice.” Tina slid across the bench seat and climbed out of the truck before Chance could help her down. It would’ve been one-handed help, but still, he’d been raised a gentleman.
Walking toward the porch, he tried to keep his shoulder still, because every little movement shot pain through the joint. All things considered, it could’ve been worse, but for the next few days he knew he was in for a world of hurt.
“Honey, are you alright?” Ms. Patti pushed right past her husband, elbowing him out of the way and racing down the steps. “Dane called me from the clinic, said you and Tina were in an accident.”
Chance pulled his mother into a one-armed hug on his uninjured side. “We’re fine. The truck slid on some ice when I tried to avoid another car. A few of us ended up in a ditch off the shoulder of the interstate.” He shot another aggravated glare at his brother. “Dane’s a worrywart, and insisted Doc Stevens take a look at me because I hit my shoulder against the door.”
“What did he say?” His momma continued patting his arm softly, the movements almost timid, as if afraid if she patted too hard, he’d keel over in excruciating pain. During this whole interlude, Tina stood off to the side, isolated and alone, and something about her posture, or maybe it was the closed off, almost distant expression on her face, made him realize once again she’d barely spoken since they’d left town.
Leaning down, he whispered in his mother’s ear, “Momma, do me a favor? Take care of Tina. I think this whole thing has rattled her a smidge, though she hasn’t said anything.”
Ms. Patti stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss against his cheek. “Honey, you head inside and get settled in the living room. Leave Tina to me, I’ll take good care of her.”
“Thanks, Momma.”
His momma walked over to Tina and pulled her close. For a brief moment, she held herself stiff, but finally her rigid posture eased, and she relaxed into his mother’s arms.
“Tina, sugar, are you doing okay? What a horrible way for your trip to end. Although, on a positive note, you get to stick around for at least another day or two.”
“Don’t worry about me, Ms. Patti. Chance is the one who got injured. I simply held on tight while we did an imitation of a carnival ride. Remind me never to get on a roller coaster again.”
Chance watched his father slowly climb down the front porch steps and stop in front of him. His perusal felt like it covered every inch of him, hat to boots, before he gave him a sharp nod, and continued past him toward his wife. Chance breathed a sigh of relief, because with that single nod he knew his dad would rein in his mother’s overexuberant maternal instincts. All the Boudreaus knew Ms. Patti could become a tad overdramatic in her care and feeding of sick or injured family. Though his mother was a good cook, he wasn’t looking forward to bowl after bowl of chicken soup.
Doc Stevens hadn’t insisted he wear a sling, for which he was grateful. He’d ended up in one a long time ago, after falling out of the huge live oak down by the creek and dislocated his elbow. It hadn’t taken more than a day before he’d developed a deep and abiding hatred of that sling.
Dane followed him into the house and headed for the kitchen. He heard water running, and within a minute he handed Chance a glass of water and a couple of ibuprofens. Doc Stevens had called in a prescription for pain medication, but he hadn’t wanted to hang around town until it was ready to be picked up. If he needed it, he’d pick it up later, or have one of his brothers drop it off at the Big House.
Tina walked through the front door, his mother’s arm wrapped around her shoulders as she pointed her in the direction of the kitchen. He smiled, knowing his momma was about to expend some of her maternal instinct on poor, unsuspecting Tina.
“Want to tell me what happened?” His father lowered his massive frame onto the ottoman across from him, his expression filled with concern. “Dane called Liam right after he left to fetch you and Tina. Liam called me, because—well, because he knew how your momma would react. Plus, the job site I was at today was closer to home than his.”
Chance leaned back against the cushion, forcing himself to relax and hoping the ibuprofen would kick in soon. During all the commotion after the accident and helping others, he hadn’t really hurt much. Now the adrenaline had worn off, his body let him know it wasn’t happy. Not much he could do about it, except deal with the pain until the bruising subsided.
“Pretty much what I said. I hit a patch of ice and spun, sliding off the interstate into a ditch past the shoulder. A couple other cars spun out. One rolled. Frank brought the tow truck out and picked up the truck. Dane was closest, so I called him to come get us.”
“Why do I think there’s probably more to it than what you’re telling?”
Chance placed his right hand over his heart. “I swear, that’s all. Except for Dane going all overprotective and driving straight to the clinic, even though I told him nothing’s broken.”
Douglas huffed out a laugh. “I’d have done the same thing.”
“Dad, you should have heard Tina talking with Doc Stevens. Before he’d said more than a couple of words, she was asking him all kinds of medical questions. Wanted details about the x-rays, and specific muscles, strains versus sprains, and she used a whole bunch of anatomical and physiological words.”
“Could be she’s worked with doctors in the past.”
“I wanted Tina to get checked out by Doc Stevens too, but she refused. She swore she wasn’t hurt, so I gave her a break and didn’t insist.”
Chance remembered Tina’s response when Doc Stevens came along with him to update Dane and Tina. He’d been surprised with her extensive knowledge of medicine. Destiny’s report mentioned she’d been taking classes required for premed students, but she hadn’t stayed in school long enough to study medicine. Tina had the brains and the grades, and she would have made a great doctor, but she’d never finished. Then he remembered she’d been married to a doctor. Thinking about her ex made him want to hit something—or somebody. It was none of his business, beyond the cursory report Destiny had done, and he didn’t have the right to dig any deeper into Tina’s background. But he was doing it anyway. If she wanted to change her name every time she changed cities, that was her business, as long as she wasn’t doing anything illegal. Thus far, that seemed to be the case.
“Your momma’s grown fond of Tina. Knowing she helped Renee simply endeared her more in your mother’s eyes.” His dad stared at him for a second, opened his mouth like he wanted to ask something, then stopped and shook his head.
“What? You’ve got a question, Dad, ask.”
Douglas shook his head, a tiny smile playing along his lips. “I know you, son. Pretty sure the minute you brought Tina into Shiloh Springs, you had a full background done on her. You probably know more about her than even she does. Is there anything I need to be concerned about? Because I won’t have your momma being hurt.”
“You’re right, Dad. I had Destiny do a background report on her. Tina has a bit of a mysterious past, but I didn’t see any red flags that she’s done anything illegal or immoral. I think she got caught up in a situation that proved tenuous at best and downright dangerous at worst. She was born Christina Phillips. Moved around a bit over the last couple of years. Married once, ended in divorce.”
“If you wanted to know about me, Douglas, all you had to do was ask. Of course, Chance knows most of this, after our game of twenty questions in the car, along with the dossier he had his hacker dig up.”
Tina stood highlighted in the entryway, his momma standing at her side, a scowl on her usually placid face. Uh oh, he was in trouble. His father stood, proud and unapologetic.
“Nothing personal, but I’d have done the same thing Chance did. It’s my job to protect this family, and while I like you, Tina, I don’t know much about you, other than you helped a family member. For that alone, you’ve earned my sincerest thanks. And I owe you. If you’re in trouble, we’ll help.”
“Yes, we will,” Ms. Patti echoed, reaching out and squeezing her hand.
“I understand. I give you my word, it isn’t my intention to bring any trouble to your doorstep. My issues are—personal. Now that Renee is settled and happy, I can move on with a clear conscience, and head back to Portland.”
“Why don’t you stay? You like it here. You’ve got friends in Shiloh Springs now, and you’ve got us.”
Chance wasn’t surprised his mother wanted Tina to stay. He’d watched them growing closer with each passing day, and he’d watched his mother’s face this morning when they’d headed for the front door. Though she’d maintained her composure for Tina’s sake, he could see the anguish in her eyes at letting her leave.
“I can’t stay. I have a life in Portland. A job.” He wondered who she was trying to convince, his mother or herself.
“I know. I guess I’m being selfish, wanting you to stay.”
“I’ll add my two cents to my wife’s. If you want to stay, we can make it happen.” Douglas moved over to stand in front of Tina, blocking her from Chance’s view. When he tried to lean to the left to see her better, his shoulder’s scream of pain stopped his movement in its tracks. Not a good idea.
“Thank you. I appreciate the offer. Trust me, I wish I could stay, but I—” Tina cut off when her cell phone rang. “Excuse me, I’d probably better get that.”
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her phone and swiped her finger across the screen.
“Hello.”
The next few seconds were a blur, because all of a sudden, his mother was yelling for his father, who stepped forward and grabbed Tina when her knees buckled. As he struggled to push past his father, his dad gently placed Tina on the sofa beside him, giving him a “stay put” glare. Ms. Patti picked up the phone, and Chance could hear an anxious sounding woman’s voice, incessantly calling Tina’s name. Holding out his hand, he waved his mother over, and snatched the phone from her hand.
“Hello? Who’s this?”
“Where’s Tina? Did something happen to her? One second I was talking to her, and the next—”
“Ma’am, slow down. Who are you, and why were you calling Tina?”
“I’m not telling you anything until you assure me Tina’s alright. I want to talk to her right now.”
“Can’t do that, ma’am. How about we start over? My name’s Chance Boudreau—”
“Boudreau? Any relation to Shiloh Boudreau?” The sudden shift from angry and anxious to warm and friendly had Chance’s mind reeling like a ping-pong ball, but he’d play along until he got answers.
“Yes, ma’am, Shiloh’s my brother.” Chance saw his mother startle at the mention of Shiloh’s name.
“He’s such a nice man. I’m Gertie. I own the Roaster’s Roost in Portland. Now, how’s about you tell me what happened to Tina, because I’m getting more than a bit concerned she hasn’t gotten back on the phone.”
Chance paused and took a deep breath, his eyes glued to Tina. His father sat beside her on the sofa, gently patting her hand and urging her to take deep breaths. Her eyes met his, and he read the panic in their deep blue depths, along with a hint of fear. Whatever put it there, he planned to make sure it got taken care of, because he never wanted to see that look in her eyes again.
“Gertie, Tina’s fine. She got a bit…lightheaded when you were talking and needed to sit down for a second. I’m going to hand the phone to her now, okay?” Chance hit the speaker button, and handed the phone to Tina, biting back his chuckle at the glower she shot him.
“I’m here, Gertie.”
“Tina! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset up. Ain’t it just like me to jump right in with both feet without even a hi, how are ya?”
The corners of Tina’s lips curved up at the other woman’s words. “All part of your charm. Gertie, you said someone called asking for me? Tell me again exactly what he said. Word for word.”
“Well, it’s been a crazy busy morning, since we’ve got a cold snap and I’m short my best waitress.” Gertie chuckled, before continuing. “Carlos answered the phone, but you know how he gets. Unless its family calling because somebody lopped off an arm, he doesn’t have time to deal with it. So, I took the call. It was a male voice, very cultured. Extremely polite. Kind of like you hear in the movies, all upper crust type, where they’ve got all the money in the world and everybody else is beneath them.”
If Chance hadn’t been watching her closely, he wouldn’t have noticed the blood drain from her cheeks, making her normally porcelain skin appear translucent. The slight shaking of the hand holding the phone was another dead giveaway that Gertie’s words hit like a hammer blow.
“What did he say, Gertie?”
There was a prolonged pause on the line before Gertie’s voice came back. “He said he’s your husband, and he wants you to come home.”