Читать книгу Resisting Her Rebel Hero - Lucy Ryder - Страница 10

CHAPTER THREE

THE SMALL TOWN of Crescent Lake had been established when traders heading north had come over the mountains and found a large crescent-shaped lake nestled in a thickly wooded area. According to Mrs. Krenson at the Lakeside Inn, it had started out as a rough fur-trading town that had gradually grown into the popular tourist town it was today.

The inn, once the local house of pleasure, had been remodeled and modernized over the years. Rising out of a picturesque forest, with mountains at its back and the lake at its feet like a small sparkling sea, it now resembled a gracious, well-preserved old lady, appearing both elegant and mysterious. At least, that’s what it said in the brochure and what Cassidy had thought when she’d arrived a few weeks before.

Now, with dark clouds hanging over the valley, the lake was nothing like the crystal-clear mirror it resembled in the pictures and Cassidy had to wish for “sturdy” rather than mysterious.

The day had dawned gray and wet and, standing at her bedroom window, Cassidy couldn’t help shivering as she looked up at the mountains shrouded in swirling fog, eerily beautiful and threatening. She wondered if the hikers had been found.

And if she was thinking of a certain someone, it was only because he had no business being out there in the first place. He might be an all-weather hero, but he’d been exhausted, injured and on an edge only he could see. All it would take was one wrong move, one misstep and... And then nothing, she told herself irritably as she spun away from the window. Samuel Kellan was a big boy, a highly trained Navy SEAL. If he wanted to scour the mountains for the next week, it was what he’d been trained for. Heck, he could probably live off the land and heal himself using plants and tree bark.

Whatever effect he’d had on her, Cassidy mused as she closed her bedroom door and headed for the bathroom at the end of the hall, it was over. She’d had the entire night to think about her reaction to him and in the early hours had come to the conclusion that she’d been suffering from low blood sugar...and maybe been a little freaked at finding herself in a jail cell. Maybe even a little awed at meeting a national hero. All perfectly logical explanations for her behavior.

Fortunately she’d recovered, and if she saw him again she’d be the cool, level-headed professional she had a reputation for being. Besides, Samuel J. Kellan was just a man. Like any other.

After a quick shower, she brushed her teeth and headed back to her room to dress. It was her day off and she intended playing tourist. She might have come to the Cascades to escape the mess she’d made of things in Boston, but that didn’t mean she had to bury herself in work. Crescent Lake was a beautiful town filled with friendly, curious people who’d brought her baked goodies just to welcome her to town.

She’d read that the Lakefront Boardwalk housed a host of stores that included a few antiques shops, an art gallery selling local artwork, a quaint bookshop and, among others, a cozy coffee shop with a spectacular view of the lake and mountains.

She hadn’t had a decent latte since leaving Boston, and according to the nurses, Just Java served a delicious Caribbean mocha latte, and the triple chocolate muffins were better than sex.

Just what she needed, a double dose of sin.

A soft knock on her door startled her out of her chocolate fantasy and sent her pulse skittering.

“Dr. Mahoney?” a muffled voice called from the hallway. “Cassidy, dear? Are you awake?”

Shrugging into her wrap, Cassidy fastened the tie and shoved damp hair off her forehead. She pulled open the door as a ball of dread settled in her belly. Her landlady wouldn’t disturb her unless there was an emergency.

Val Krenson’s brows were pinched together over her faded blue eyes and one hand was poised to knock again. “I’m sorry to wake you, dear,” she apologized quickly. “That was the hospital. They found the hikers. How soon can you get there?”

“Ten minutes,” Cassidy said, already morphing into emergency mode. “Fifteen at the most.” She stepped back into the room and would have shut the door but Val held out a hand to detain her.

“John Randal is downstairs, dear. Shall I ask him to wait?”

“That’s okay, Val,” Cassidy said with a quick shake of her head. “I’ll need my car later and I don’t want to inconvenience anyone.” The last time the deputy had driven her anywhere she’d landed up at the jail. So not going there.

“Planning a little down time?” Val asked with a warm smile.

“It’ll have to wait.” Cassidy sighed. “They didn’t say how serious, did they?”

“I’m afraid not, dear. Just that you get there as soon as possible.” She leaned forward. “I’m glad you’re here to help Monty out, dear. He tires easily these days.” She shook her head. “That man should have retired years ago but not many people want to bury themselves in the mountains.”

In some ways Cassidy could understand why. They were a couple of hours from the nearest large town and there wasn’t much in the way of nightlife that didn’t include a few bars, steakhouses and the local bar and grill, Fahrenheit’s.

She might feel like a fish out of water, but she’d been surprised to discover she liked the close-knit community where people knew each other and exchanged gossip with their favorite recipes.

At least here people stopped to chat when they saw you, she thought with a smile, instead of staring right through you as though you didn’t exist, or scuttling away like you were an escaped crazy. Surprisingly she was enjoying the slower pace. It was a nice change to be able to connect with the people she was treating. But long term? She didn’t know.

“It’s a beautiful town, Val, but I’ve only got a short-term contract.”

Val laughed and patted Cassidy’s arm. “Don’t worry, dear,” she said over her shoulder, a twinkle lighting her blue eyes. “I have a feeling you’re going to be around a long time.”

Cassidy uttered a noncommittal “Hmm” and shut the door behind her landlady. She hunted in the closet for a clean pair of jeans, underwear, socks and a soft green long-sleeved T-shirt. Dressing quickly, she shoved her feet into the nearest pair of boots and grabbed a brush that she hurriedly pulled through her wet hair before piling it on top of her head in a loose style that would dry quickly. Foregoing makeup, she grabbed her medical bag and jacket and headed for the door.

Fifteen minutes after closing the door behind the innkeeper, Cassidy pulled up beside the hospital’s staff entrance. Locking her car—which everyone said was unnecessary—she hurried into the waiting room, which was already bustling with chaos and reminded her of a busy city ER.

Her eyes widened. There were people everywhere—sprawled in chairs with their heads tilted back in exhaustion, while even more hovered near the entrance, propping up the walls, slugging back steaming coffee and wolfing down fat sandwiches handed out by a group of women.

Sandwiches? Coffee? And where had all these people come from? It looked like a temporary ops center—or a tea party for big hulking men.

“Good, you’re here.” A voice at her elbow distracted her from the chaos and Cassidy turned to see the head nurse holding out a clipboard.

She accepted the board, feeling a little shell-shocked. “What on earth’s going on?”

Fran Gilbert followed her gaze. “The town’s disaster committee in action,” she explained with a shrug, as though it happened every day.

Disaster—? Oh, no. Cassidy gulped down a sudden sick feeling. Please don’t tell me...! Shaking off her pessimistic thoughts, she frowned at the older woman. “Disaster? How bad?”

Fran frowned in confusion. “Bad?” Then realizing what Cassidy was thinking, she said, “No! God, no. Cassidy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She gave Cassidy a quick hug. “I just meant that the disaster committee responds whenever the rescue teams go out. The junior league ladies take turns providing hot food and drinks. To practice they set up basic first-aid stations for minor injuries. When news came through that the hikers were being brought down, they moved operations here.”

“Oh.” Cassidy let out a whoosh of relief, a little awed at the way the community mobilized when the need arose. Any disaster in a big city was met with looting and rioting.

“They say it’s to practice for a real disaster but I think it’s just an excuse to get out and socialize.”

Cassidy nodded. “Okay, no disaster. What do we have?” she asked, as Fran led her towards the ER cubicles.

“Mostly minor but too many for poor Monty to cope with,” the older woman said, before launching into a rapid-fire report worthy of a busy city ER nurse.

Rebecca Thornton, she told Cassidy, had slipped and fallen off the trail. She’d broken her leg and her husband had climbed down the steep embankment to get to her. He’d slipped near the bottom in the treacherous conditions and knocked himself out. Several others had then climbed down to carry the injured couple out but had found their way blocked by huge boulders. With the gully rapidly filling with water, the group still on the trail had elected to return and alert the authorities. They hadn’t made it back yet and a team was still out, looking for them.

Dr. Montgomery looked up briefly from checking a young man’s bruised and lacerated arm. “Glad they found you,” he said with an absent smile, before turning to give the attending nurse instructions.

Soon Cassidy was swamped, treating a broken leg and collarbone, a fractured wrist and a concussion. There was a bruised and swollen knee that she suspected might be cartilage damage, a host of cuts and scrapes, and hypothermia along with exhaustion and dehydration.

And that was just the hiking party.

Once they’d been examined, treated and transferred to the wards for fluids and observation, Cassidy turned her attention to the rescue crew. Among the expected lacerations and contusions, she diagnosed torn ankle ligaments, a dislocated shoulder and a broken finger. Pretty mild considering the awful night they’d endured, she mused, sending one nurse to the suture room and another to X-rays.

She’d just left Hank Henderson propped up with an ice pack on his foot when the elderly doctor called to ask her opinion about the shoulder injury.

After examining Andy Littleton, Cassidy decided there didn’t seem to be any serious ligament damage that would require surgery. She told Andy to take a deep breath and quickly pulled his shoulder back into place. He went white and swayed alarmingly before throwing up in the kidney dish she shoved at him.

Listing drunkenly while she strapped his shoulder and arm, he made Cassidy swear a blood oath that she wouldn’t tell anyone he’d cried like a girl. Biting back a grin of sympathy, she squeezed his hand, and turned to find Harry Montgomery beaming at her like a proud teacher whose pupil had surpassed his expectations.

“Looks like old Howie’s loss is our gain, eh?” The big man chuckled, his age-spotted hand patting her shoulder awkwardly. “He said you were a bright young thing. What he didn’t say was that you have an easy way with people along with that sharp diagnostic mind.” He studied her shrewdly. “I guess the old buzzard didn’t want to lose you, eh?”

With heat rising to her cheeks, Cassidy looped her stethoscope around her neck. She felt like a new resident under scrutiny. Besides, one didn’t have to be Einstein to pick up the question behind the compliment. The question of why she was treating runny noses and middle-ear infections in a small mountain hospital instead of running her own ER—which was what she’d originally intended.

“He’s a wonderful man,” she replied with a warm smile. “And I loved the daily challenges in ER.” Thrusting her hands into her lab-coat pockets, she chose her words carefully. “But big city ERs are like operating in a war zone, and when you lose count of the number of ODs, stabbings and rapes you treat...” She sighed. “I realized I needed a change—to get back to basics. Howie mentioned Crescent Lake and I thought it might be the perfect place to try out something more community-oriented.”

She didn’t say that hearing it was deep in the Cascades and a continent away from Boston had sounded appealing. She’d been desperate to get away and work on forgetting the career-damaging fallout of treating a real-life hero injured in the line of duty. A “hero” who’d turned out to be anything but.

She shuddered at the memory. God, she’d been stupidly naïve and had paid a very high price. Then again, how could anyone have known the handsome vice cop wasn’t one of the good guys?

The charming wounded-hero act had been just that—an act. He’d used it to lull people—her—into a false sense of security. He’d pursued her with flowers, gifts and romantic dinners then stolen her hospital security card, giving him access to the ER dispensary as well as a stack of prescription pads, which he’d used by forging her signature. In the end there’d been a full-scale police investigation—with her as the prime suspect.

In truth, all she’d really been guilty of had been bad judgment. She’d trusted someone who’d proved to be anything but trustworthy. In hindsight he’d been too good to be true: too romantic and too sensitive for it not to have been a very clever performance from a man who knew exactly what women wanted.

By the time she’d realized something was wrong, the media frenzy had crucified her, calling her professional competence into question. It had been a nightmare.

Fortunately for her, Lance Turnbull had been under internal investigation. One that had involved a dozen other women doctors around the city. Cassidy had eventually been cleared of all charges but the damage had been done. She’d suffered through snide comments and cruel jokes from her colleagues until she’d finally buckled under the stress.

“GP work is pretty boring compared to the excitement of ER,” the old doctor warned, wrenching her from her disturbing thoughts. “Especially here in the boondocks.”

Relieved to focus on something other than her past failures, Cassidy looked around at the controlled chaos and sent him a small smile. “I wouldn’t exactly call it boring,” she said, her smile turning into a grin when his deep chuckle filled the hallway.

“No, it isn’t,” he agreed, “especially during tourist season. But off season gets pretty quiet.”

“I can do quiet. And I’m impressed with the way everyone bands together. It’s wonderful knowing that there are still places where people are willing to step in and help their neighbors without expecting something in return.”

“That’s what’s kept me here for sixty years,” he said, moving to the door. “The warm community spirit. You don’t find that in the city.” He turned and studied her intently. “I’ve watched you over the past two weeks, Cassidy, and you’re a very perceptive diagnostician. We could use someone like you heading up the hospital.” And when Cassidy opened her mouth to remind him that she was only there for three months, he beat her to it with his parting shot, “Think about it,” before disappearing down the hallway.

Cassidy watched him leave. Admittedly she was enjoying the opportunity to practice family medicine in a town where people cared about each other, but Boston was her home. And that kind of decision couldn’t be made lightly.

* * *

It wasn’t until late afternoon that she finally realized she’d been hanging around waiting for something to happen. It didn’t take a genius to realize that something was a certain Navy SEAL and that she’d been waiting for him to come in to have his injuries treated.

Irritated with herself, she’d collected her purse and jacket and was on her way out when the door banged open and there he was, looking like he’d just blown in from a big, bad superheroes convention with his big, bad SEAL attitude.

When her knees wobbled and her head went light, Cassidy assured herself it was simply because she hadn’t eaten anything all day. It certainly didn’t have anything to do with the way his gold eyes latched onto her like a tractor beam.

Gesturing to an empty suture room, Cassidy wordlessly handed her jacket and purse to the receptionist and ignored the jitters in her belly as the sheriff half-dragged, half-carried him down the corridor and through the doorway to heave him onto the narrow bed. And just like that, every delusional thought she’d had in the early hours blew up right in her face.

“You may now stick him with as many needles as you like,” the sheriff announced, shoving his hands on his hips and glaring at his brother. “In fact, that’s an official order. Maybe it will improve his attitude and I won’t have to toss him in jail again for disobeying a direct order.”

“I said I was fine,” the SEAL snarled as Greg, the young deputy who’d helped drag him into the examination room, ducked his head and made a beeline for the door.

Wise move, she thought when a string of muttered threats turned the air blue. She might be relieved he’d made it back in one piece but it had been a long day and an even longer night, obsessing about whether or not she had been imagining things. The good news was that she was sane and not hallucinating. The bad news was, Cassidy thought with a sinking sensation, he was even more dangerously attractive in the cold light of day.

And that was bad. Very bad. Because Cassidy Mahoney was done with dangerous bad boys who made women swoon. She really was too busy getting her life back to deal with two hundred and forty pounds of belligerent male.

It seemed the sheriff was too since he folded his arms across his chest and glared at his brother, clearly not intimidated by the show of aggression. “And if he gives you any trouble, make him wear a pretty pink hospital gown,” he barked, ignoring the way Sam’s lip drew back over his teeth in a silent snarl. “He deserves to have everyone laugh at his ugly butt after the stunt he pulled.”

Cassidy watched the silent clash of wills and her first thought was that nothing about Major Kellan was ugly. She was pretty sure her staff wouldn’t be laughing either. More like swooning from the thick cloud of testosterone and bad attitude that surrounded him.

A fierce golden gaze caught and held hers as though he knew what she was thinking, and Cassidy felt a flush creep up her neck into her cheeks. Besides being grossly unprofessional, picturing him naked wouldn’t do a thing to convince her she’d imagined her earlier reaction to him.

The sheriff raked his hand through his wet hair, looking tired and exasperated. “Listen up, man,” he growled, “I know you’re a big, mean SEAL and everything, but just let the doc check you out, okay? I don’t have time to babysit you or keep you from bleeding to death. You wouldn’t believe the paperwork. It’s a nightmare. Elections are coming up and I can’t afford to have you die and make me look bad.”

“I keep telling you I’m fine,” Sam snarled. “Quit hovering like a girl. There’s nothing Old Monty can do that I can’t do for myself, so get the hell out of my face before I break your ugly mug.”

“Oh, please.” Ruben snickered rudely. “You can’t even break a sweat without help. Now suck it up and let the doc check you out. You look like hell.”

Samuel said something that Cassidy was pretty sure was anatomically impossible but before her eyes could do more than widen, Ruben turned to her with a grim smile. “Doc, he’s all yours, just as I promised. He’s a bit more battered and bloodied but I refuse to take credit for that. He’s a hard-headed pain in the ass so you might consider sedating him.” He sent his brother a meaningful glare. “In fact, unconscious would be a real improvement.”

Ignoring the derisive suggestion, Sam turned narrowed eyes her way. “Doc?” he demanded. “You’re the doctor?” His tone suggested she’d deliberately misled him. “I thought you were the nurse.”

“No,” she corrected smoothly. “You thought I was a stripper.”

“And with that,” Ruben drawled mockingly, “I rest my case.” He slapped his hat on his head and adjusted the brim. “Cassidy, ignore the inscrutable death stares. Underneath all that macho SEAL hoo-yah attitude he’s really quite sweet.”

The SEAL snarled something impolite and with a deep laugh the sheriff sketched a salute and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Cassidy with two hundred pounds of seething testosterone. Sweet wasn’t a word she’d associate with Major Hotstuff, she mused, moving to the supply cabinet for a towel. Just the idea of it made her want to smile. So she frowned instead.

“So,” he said, taking the towel and fixing her with his mesmerizing stare, “you’re a doctor.”

She sent him a cool look then turned to remove disinfectant and a package of swabs from the overhead cabinet. “Is that a problem, Major, or an apology?”

His amused gaze drifted over her face and breasts to the neat row of supplies she’d begun setting out and he drawled, “Only if you’re plotting revenge.”

“Fortunately for you I’m not the vengeful type, Major.”

His mouth curled at one corner and he said, “Uh-huh” into the towel. Cassidy ignored the impulse to bang her head against the wall. She had a feeling it would be a lot less painful than getting caught up in the man’s web.

Fortunately, her little chat with the elderly doctor had reminded her of why she was off men in anything but the professional sense. Flicking him an assessing glance, she decided the sheriff was right. He did look like hell.

“There’s no one to save you from the needle this time, Major.” She opened another cabinet and removed a suture kit and syringes. “In fact—” her voice was brisk as she moved closer “—I can foresee more than one in your immediate future.”

Ignoring the dark eyebrow hiking up his forehead, she stepped close and pushed the soaked parka over his wide shoulders and down his arms. He shrugged and sucked in a sharp breath, before drawling, “Not just beautiful and smart, but psychic too?”

Cassidy bit back a snort and tossed the garment onto the floor, before turning to wash her hands at the small basin. “It doesn’t take a clairvoyant to see that you’re an action junkie looking for trouble,” she replied smoothly, pulling a strip off the paper towel dispenser.

He shrugged. “Goes with the job.”

“For which the free world is eternally grateful.” She dried her hands and dropped the paper into the bin as she turned. She caught his eyes crinkling at the corners as though he didn’t take himself half as seriously as other people did, which...surprised her. She was accustomed to being surrounded by alpha males who thought they sat at God’s right hand. Discovering he could poke fun at himself had something warm and light sliding into her belly. Something that felt very much like admiration.

Telling herself that certainly didn’t mean she liked him, Cassidy focused on his once white T-shirt, now covered in mud and blood. Shaking her head, she pulled it out of his damp waistband and grabbed a pair of scissors off the counter.

With a few snips, his shirt fell away and she quickly unwound the soiled bandage. When the move exposed fresh blood oozing from the loosened dressing, she bit back a curse.

“You’re an idiot,” she muttered, knowing exactly who she was addressing this time. Lifting a loose edge, she pressed her hand gently against his hard belly and ripped it off in one smooth move.

Sam hissed audibly in surprise and pain. “Holy...! Hell and damnation, woman, what the hell was that?” His fingers whitened around the edge of the bed and he looked like he wanted to wrap them around her throat.

“Sorry,” she said, and meaning it. It would have been worse if she’d taken her time removing it. “It’s better coming off fast.”

“For you maybe... Jeez...does the CIA know about you?”

“The CIA?” she asked, sending him a narrow-eyed look out the corner of her eye, fairly certain he wasn’t being complimentary.

“Yeah. Hear they’re looking for interrogators.” Definitely not complimentary. “My CO would recruit you on the spot to torture the tadpoles in BUD/S.”

“Tadpoles? Buds?” she asked, pouring disinfectant into a stainless-steel bowl and filling it with warm water.

“Wannabe SEALs in Basic Underwater Demolition SEALs,” he told her. “Have to knock the cra...I mean stuffing out of them during hell week to sort out the men from the boys. You’d be perfect for the job.”

Apparently he’d managed to survive without having the stuffing knocked out of him. She wondered how he’d managed it. Sheer stubbornness most likely.

She pulled on a pair of latex gloves then ripped off a large section of cotton wool. “I’m good, but thanks anyway.” She pressed a hand to the smooth ball of his shoulder. “Lie flat and lift your arm over your head.”

His scowl turned into a grimace when he realized he was too big and had to scoot down the bed, ending up with half his long legs draped over the end. Growling irritably about “damn midget beds”, he raised his arm and bent it behind his head. With lids lowered over his unusual eyes, he sent her a sleepy look.

“Although if you continue ripping off my clothes and making me lie down,” he drawled softly, “I’ll start thinking you have ulterior motives, Miz Honey.”

“That’s Dr. Mahoney to you,” she said absently, carefully cleaning the area around the wound before selecting another wad of gauze to clean the wound itself. It would take about a dozen stitches to close.

“Yes, ma’am.” His voice was polite and subdued but a quick look caught the irreverent smirk curling his mouth. Cassidy swallowed the impulse to return that impudent grin. Or worse—kiss his battered mouth better. From all accounts he was the kind of man who wouldn’t stop at kissing. From all accounts he was only interested in quick tumbles with the nearest available woman. Probably because being a SEAL precluded any kind of stable or long-term relationship.

She shivered. If she knew what was good for her, she’d shove her libido back into hibernation and stop getting all excited every time he invaded her space.

Dr. Mahoney was back in charge, she reminded herself, and there would be no mixing her chemistry with his. On any level. She was going to patch him up, send him on his way, and hope like hell she never saw him again.