Читать книгу Point Blank - Sandra Robbins - Страница 11
ОглавлениеHannah opened her eyes, but she couldn’t figure out where she was. She felt pressure on her hand and turned her head to see Ben sitting beside her with his hand wrapped around hers. A frown pulled at her forehead, and then the memory of what she’d endured returned.
Noticing her open eyes, Ben leaned forward and smiled. “We’re at the hospital, Hannah. Joe is getting ready to take you into the emergency room, but I’ll be in the waiting room while the doctor examines you.”
She smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Ben. Would you do something for me?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“I had only intended to run a few errands before going home. Valerie is with Faith. She must be worried by this time. Will you call and let her know what happened and ask her to stay with Faith until I can get home?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
“We’re ready to take you in, Hannah.” Joe’s voice from the back of the ambulance interrupted them. “Ben can come back to the exam room as soon as the doctor is through checking you out.”
Hannah smiled up at Ben. “Then I’ll see you later.”
He nodded. “Later.”
Ben looked as if he wanted to say more, but he turned and climbed from the ambulance. Joe and his partner pulled the gurney out, and she caught one last glimpse of Ben before they rolled her through the emergency bay of the hospital.
Inside they were met by a nurse who ushered them to an exam room. As soon as they had her situated in a bed, Joe gave the nurse the information about her vitals and the extent of her noticeable injuries, and then he disappeared into the hallway. The nurse leaned over the bed and smiled. “Hi, Hannah. My name is Cindy. The doctor will be with you in a moment. Are you feeling pain anywhere?”
Hannah touched the cut on her head that Joe had placed a temporary bandage on. “This cut on my head stings, but that’s the worst of it.”
Cindy examined the cut and nodded. “That doesn’t look too bad, but I’m sure it stings. I’ll get that cleaned up before the doctor sees you.”
Hannah winced and bit down on her lip as the nurse began to wipe at the cut. The pain subsided as a cool ointment of some kind was spread across her forehead and then a gauze pad applied. Before either one of them could say anything, the door opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck walked into the room.
He stopped at the side of the bed and waited for the nurse to move out of the way before he smiled and stepped closer to her. “Hello, Mrs. Riley. I’m Doctor Denton. I hear you’ve had quite an experience this afternoon. Are you in pain anywhere?”
Hannah shook her head. “Nothing serious—just some soreness from cuts and bruises.”
“That’s good.” He glanced at the monitors beside her bed and nodded before turning back to her. “Your vitals look good, but you do have the cut on your head. Let me look at it.”
Hannah didn’t move as he pulled the bandage back and examined the cut. “Is it very deep?”
He shook his head and pressed the gauze back in place. “No, it should heal very cleanly. Of course, we need to make sure there aren’t any other injuries you haven’t yet noticed. I’ve ordered a CT scan to determine if you have any internal injuries. As soon as I’ve looked at it, I’ll be back to examine you further. Do you have any questions?”
“No. I did wonder, though, when I’ll be able to see my friend.”
“Sheriff Whitman? I talked with him in the waiting room. He’s very anxious to find out if you’re okay. I’ll let him come back soon.”
For the moment there was nothing else Hannah could do but accept the doctor’s decision. If she’d had her way, Ben would have been with her every minute since she got to the hospital. He was the only person she’d been able to depend on since Shane died. He had been there the minute he heard and hadn’t left her side during the days leading up to the funeral. Since then, he’d done everything he could for her and Faith whenever they needed him. She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve a friend like Ben, but she was thankful for him.
Thirty minutes later, the tests were completed and Hannah was settled back in the bed in the emergency room as she waited for the doctor. He didn’t keep her waiting long. When he walked in, he was smiling, which she took to be a good sign. He didn’t waste time telling her what the results of the tests were.
“Well, Mrs. Riley, the CT scan shows no internal injuries. You’re a very fortunate young lady to have survived a car crash like that with nothing worse to show for it than cuts and bruises.”
“I know,” Hannah said. “I’m very thankful. Everyone here has been extremely nice to me, but I hope you’re going to let me go home now. I have a daughter I need to see about.”
He nodded. “I know. Sheriff Whitman told me. I’m not going to keep you, but I suggest you take it easy for a few days. Come back to the emergency room if you have any problems, though.”
“I will.”
“Now, I’m going out to tell the sheriff he can come back to see you. The nurse will be in to discharge you.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” she said as he turned and walked from the room.
She lay back on the bed and waited for a few minutes, and then she heard Ben’s footsteps in the hallway. She smiled at how she had come to recognize the sound his boots made as he walked. The doctor had left the door open, and Ben stopped before he entered and let his gaze rake over her.
He held the Stetson hat he always wore in his hands, and his fingers clutched the brim. He almost looked as if he was afraid to enter. She pushed up in bed and smiled. “Are you going to stand there, or are you coming in?”
The muscles in his throat constricted as he swallowed. Then, without taking his eyes off her, he walked over to her bed. “How are you feeling?” She smiled and reached for his hand. He wrapped his fingers around hers and held them tightly. “I’ve been going out of my mind in that waiting room,” he admitted. “I was afraid you were hurt badly and they weren’t telling me.”
The rasp in his voice surprised her, and she let her gaze move over his face. She’d known Ben for years, but she’d never seen the look in his eyes that she saw now. It was so much more than just concern. It looked like he had just experienced agony, and her heart pricked. Had he really been that worried about her?
“Ben,” she said as she squeezed his hand, “I’m okay. The doctor says there are no serious injuries. So quit worrying.”
He released a long breath and closed his eyes for a moment. “Hannah, when that car went off the road, I knew if you died it would be my fault because it was my bullet that hit the tire. I don’t think I could’ve lived with myself if I was the cause of you being killed.”
She smiled and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I prefer to think that you saved my life. If it wasn’t for you, that guy would have killed me.” When she was standing in front of him, she put her arms around him and gave him a hug. “Thank you for being there again for me, Ben.”
Slowly his arms encircled her, and he gave her a quick hug before he pulled back. “Anytime, Hannah. All you have to do is call.”
She laughed. “That’s good to know. Now could you do something else for me?”
“What?”
“Take me home. I’m ready to get out of this place.”
He opened his mouth to speak, and then a look of horror flashed across his face. “I can’t.”
She stared at him and frowned. “Why not?”
“Because I left my car out at the crash scene for Luke, and yours is still smashed into that tree. We don’t have a way to get either of us home.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Did it not occur to you to drive your car and let Luke ride back with one of the other deputies?”
He grinned and shook his head. “All I was thinking about was getting you to the hospital, and I didn’t want you out of my sight. So Joe let me ride in the ambulance.”
She placed her hands on her hips and arched an eyebrow. “Well, what do we do now?”
Ben turned his mouth to his shoulder mic. “Officer needs a squad car at the hospital emergency-room door to transport a victim home.”
The radio crackled, and the dispatcher’s voice answered. “Ten-four. Escort on the way. By the way, how is Hannah?”
Ben grimaced. “Clara, this is an official channel. It’s not for personal use. Over and out.”
Hannah couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re going to have to give up on trying to make Clara more professional. From what my grandfather told me, she’s always been the biggest gossip in these hills.”
“I know,” Ben grumbled. “But she doesn’t need to be spreading gossip about you right now. We need to keep you out of the spotlight as much as possible until we catch this guy who kidnapped you. Until that time, I’m going to keep a closer check on you.”
His words startled Hannah, and she gasped. “You think this might have been more than a random abduction?”
“I don’t know, but until we find out one way or the other, you have to watch your back. I’ll be there to help.” He glanced at his watch. “Now let’s go to the emergency-room entrance and wait for our ride.”
Hannah nodded and walked from the room with Ben right behind her. For a moment there she’d felt relief and a sense of security that her ordeal was over. But Ben had just reminded her that it wasn’t.
She frowned as she tried to remember the words of her kidnapper when she’d asked him why he was doing this. Her heart raced as she recalled what he’d said. All you need to know is that it’s payback time.
Payback for what? She hadn’t gotten a close look at his face, just his eyes. They hadn’t seemed familiar in that moment, but now she knew she would recognize them anywhere as she would the sound of his voice.
If someone had a grudge against her, then Ben was right. Her kidnapper wouldn’t give up after one failed attempt. He’d be back, and the next time she might not be rescued as she’d been today.
From now on, she needed to be on guard every minute of the day.
* * *
Ben and Hannah reached the entrance to the emergency-room door just as the squad car pulled into the parking lot. He recognized the vehicle right away. It was the car he and Luke had been in when he received the call about the kidnapping. He frowned and glanced at his watch. It had been only two hours since the car crash. If Luke was back, that meant the search around the crash site was over. Why were they done so soon? Did they have the suspect in custody?
Luke pulled to a stop at the door, and Ben and Hannah stepped outside. As they approached the car, the passenger-side window rolled down. Ben leaned over to peer inside. Before he could speak, he noticed another vehicle driving into the parking lot. It was his truck.
“What’s going on, Luke?” he asked. “Why aren’t you out at the crime scene?”
Luke exhaled and shook his head. “The dogs lost the scent at a road on the other side of the woods. The handlers tried to find it again, but it looked hopeless. We figured he must have had a car waiting there.”
Ben didn’t like the sound of that. If the suspect had a car parked, or a getaway driver waiting, then Hannah’s abduction had been planned in advance. Perhaps the plan had been to drive onto a mountain trail and kill her before escaping in another car that the police wouldn’t be looking for. Chills raced down his spine at how easily that could have happened if things had gone just a little differently.
“So they’ve given up the search?”
Luke shook his head. “No. We may not be able to catch the guy tonight, but there’s still a chance he left some evidence behind—something we can use to track him down. I came into town to get some more equipment for the search. I happened to be at the station when you called in. I’d already told Andy Walker to go back with me to join in the search, so I thought we could drop your truck off here, and he could ride out there with me.”
Ben glanced at the newest deputy on the force as Andy climbed from his truck and walked toward him. “Evening, Sheriff,” he said as he came to a stop beside him. “I left your truck running.”
Ben nodded. “Thanks, Andy.” He turned his attention back to Luke. “I’ll see that Hannah gets home safely, and then I’ll join you out there.”
“Take your time, Sheriff. We’ve got it under control,” Luke said as Andy got into the car.
They waved as they drove out of the parking lot. Ben turned to Hannah and took her by the arm. “Let’s get you home.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Ben. I’m beginning to feel tired.”
He helped her into the truck before he walked around and got in on the driver’s side. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her lay her head back on the headrest and close her eyes. He turned his head and stared at her for a moment.
He remembered the first time he’d seen her. He’d stopped by her grandfather’s ranch to check on him that day, and she’d arrived just after he’d gotten there. She was fresh out of college and excited about her future. He could still remember the blue sundress she’d been wearing and how her eyes lit up when she caught sight of her grandfather. She’d run to him and thrown herself into his arms.
Ben had stood there, watching the reunion, unable to move. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a more beautiful woman, and for a minute he couldn’t speak. Then she’d turned to him, her dimple winking at him, and smiled. “You must be Ben Whitman. Grandfather has told me so much about you. I know we’re going to be great friends.”
She’d been right. Over the years they’d grown close. He’d been there for her when she lost her grandfather, and then again when she’d lost her husband. He’d loved her daughter as if she were his own. But she’d been there for him, too. When his mother passed away unexpectedly not long after Hannah was widowed, she had put aside her own grief to be by his side. Her positive attitude and encouragement had helped pull him through those dark times. The thought that he might have lost her in his life today hit like a punch to the stomach every time he thought about it.
As they approached the turnoff to Tumbling Creek Ranch, she roused, blinked and sat up. “Oh, we’re almost home. I’m sorry I wasn’t better company on the ride.”
“No problem,” he said. “I wish I could come in and see Faith, but I need to get out to Wears Valley and see if the search team has found anything. I’ll check in with you tomorrow to see how you’re feeling.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, but you know it’s always good to hear from you.”
“You be sure and follow the doctor’s orders. You know he wants you to get all the rest you can. So take it easy for a few days. You have Valerie to take care of Faith, and you can turn the horses over to Dusty.”
She nodded. “I’m going to try. It’s good that I have backup I can count on. Valerie’s only been with us a few weeks, but she’s doing a great job as Faith’s nanny. As for Dusty, he was with Grandfather before I came, and he knows how this ranch is run. I was fortunate to have him after I lost my grandfather.”
“Yeah. Then he really took on more responsibilities when Shane died.”
He sensed, rather than saw, her posture stiffen. “I guess you could say that.”
There was a harshness in her tone that he’d never heard before, and he could tell it had something to do with Shane. She must be exhausted—when she was at full strength, she usually kept a tight lid on her emotions whenever she talked about Shane. He’d always assumed that was because it was too painful for her to remember him. The fact that he’d been murdered in Houston one night after teaching a clinic had been a shock to all of them, and he didn’t think she’d ever recovered.
He cut his eyes toward her. “I hope I haven’t brought up some painful memories for you. I don’t want to cause you to go back to that place you were in right after Shane’s death.”
She sighed. “I don’t want to go back there, either. I guess everything that happened today brought it all back to me. When I thought that man was going to kill me, all I could think of was how Faith was going to suffer. She’s already lost her father. If I’d been killed, she would have had to grow up without a mother, too.”
“But the important thing is that you didn’t die. You’re still here for her. You need to focus on being thankful for that.”
She turned her head away and stared out the window. “Don’t pay attention to me. I’m still shaken from what happened earlier. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
The tone of her voice told him that there was something else bothering her. When she didn’t explain further, he was tempted to ask more about what she’d just said. However, her silence made it evident she didn’t want to discuss it. After the ordeal she’d already been through, he didn’t want to upset her any further. He directed his attention back to the road and didn’t say anything else.
Within a few minutes, they had arrived at Hannah’s house, and he pulled to a stop in the circle driveway. He switched off the engine and turned to face her. “Well, here we are. Do you want me to see you to the door?”
She shook her head. “Valerie is here. She’ll get Faith ready for bed, and then I’m going to try to get a good night’s sleep.” She hesitated for a moment and then placed her hand on his arm. “Thank you again for rescuing me today, Ben.”
He swallowed and stared into her eyes. “Hannah, I hope you know I’ll always be there for you.”
She smiled. “I know you will, but I’m afraid I’ve relied on you too much since Shane died. Sometimes I think you put your life on hold just to help me out.”
“You would do the same for me. That’s what friends do.”
She nodded. “I know, but it’s time for me to stand on my own two feet.”
“What do you mean?”
She stared out the windshield for a few moments before she turned back to face him. “I had a lot of time to think after I got to the hospital, and I made some decisions.”
Her tone of voice alarmed Ben, and he frowned. “Decisions about what?”
“There are things that I’ve wanted to do but held off because I didn’t have the courage to tackle them. Shane’s celebrity in the sport of mounted archery has cast a shadow over everything I’ve achieved for myself. I was competing when I met Shane, but after we were married, he discouraged me from continuing. He said I wasn’t good enough to really make it to the top. Every time I brought it up, he would rattle off all my weaknesses that made me an unlikely competitor. He made me doubt my ability, and I gave up the idea I’d ever compete again.”
“I’m sorry, Hannah. I never knew that.”
She shrugged. “Well, it’s not something you talk about. In my heart I knew I was a good rider and an excellent archer, but Shane’s criticisms made me doubt myself so that I became afraid to enter competitions. That all changed when I thought I was going to die. A few weeks ago I was invited to participate in the World Horseback Archery League’s competition, but I’d decided I wouldn’t go. Now I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to do it. I can’t live in the past. From now on, I’m going to make a good life for Faith and me because we’re all the family that either of us has.”
“Good for you. I’m glad you’ve decided to return to competing. Where is the competition being held?”
“Korea.”
He didn’t expect to be stunned by her answer, but he was. “Korea?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He gave his head a slight shake and frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“Because I didn’t think I would go, but now I am.”
“But...but... Korea,” he stammered. “That’s a long way from home.”
She smiled, reached over and patted him on the hand. “Don’t worry. We won’t be gone long. As soon as the competition is over, we’ll come back.”
“You’re saying we, so I guess you’re taking Faith with you.”
“I am. I’ll talk to her teacher, and we’ll work something out. She’s only four and in kindergarten. It’s not like I have to worry about her missing tests or important homework. It will be good for her to see a different culture, and it will give us a chance to spend some time together. Don’t worry. We won’t be gone long.”
He swallowed the sick feeling he had at the thought of Hannah and Faith being away from him and nodded. “Okay. If that’s what you want. I’ll do anything I can to help you finish training and prepare for your trip before you leave.”
She smiled. “I appreciate that Ben. I have a lot to do before I leave. There are passports to get and travel to plan. And I need to find out if we need special visas or vaccinations, but I think this trip is going to be good for us. It will give me a chance to reevaluate my life and see what I want to do in the future.”
Having said that, she climbed from the truck and slowly made her way up the steps to the front porch. Ben sat in his truck for a moment as he thought about the things Hannah had said. He’d sensed a new determination in her tonight that hadn’t been there in a very long time. She wanted a new life for herself and her daughter. If that’s what she wanted, he was going to do everything he could to make it happen. He’d been doing that for years, and he’d keep on as long as he had breath in his body.
Before she could get on with her life, however, there was still the question of why she’d been kidnapped today. If she and Faith were to have a secure future, he had to find out who had a reason to hurt her. From the things she’d hinted at but left unsaid tonight, he realized that there might be a lot of secrets in the past that could hold the answers. If there were, he intended to find the answers.
