One Summerhill Day (The Summerhill Series Book 1) (14 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Ryan pulled out from behind the trooper. The thruway was deserted, which was highly unusual. He passed her car on the side of the road, saw the tire tracks of her vehicle and the one that had hit her.

His hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as he thought of what he would do to the bastard if he ever got his hands on him. Turning to Cait, he grabbed her hand, just now noticing that tears still slid down her cheeks as she stared straight ahead, her breath hitching to keep from sobbing, he guessed. “Cait, you all right?”

She nodded and turned to look at him. “Thank you for coming,” she said in a whisper.

Damn it, he could see the fear in her eyes. The fucker would pay for this. He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, hoping to calm her. Wanting nothing more than to pull over and hold her, though he knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. They had ended their relationship at his insistence, so it wasn’t fair for him to get her hopes up again, not when he wasn’t more prepared to be vulnerable with her than he’d been last week. He’d just have to take her home, check her house to make sure no one was inside, then go home.

But no, there was no way he could leave her alone tonight, not when he’d spend the entire night wondering if the bastard was still after her. The problem was they had no idea who was harassing her. It wasn’t her ex-husband, though he could have hired someone. There were no other obvious suspects, which was maddening.

They rode in silence. He was afraid if he said anything else she would fall apart in the car, and he didn’t want that to happen. Not here, not now, but maybe when they got back to Summerhill.

When he finally reached the right exit, he put his turn signal on, paid their toll, and got off.

“Where are we going?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She stared out the side window, refusing to look at him.

“I was taking you home.”

“No, not tonight. Please?” She gave him a pleading look that wrenched his gut.

His cell phone went off while he waited at a red light.

Jake:
Where are you?

Ryan:
J
ust getting into Summerhill.

Jake:
She okay?

Ryan:
F
ine. Tomorrow

“Okay. Talk to me, Cait. What do you want?” He moved through the light only to pull up on another red. After he pulled the car to a stop, he gazed at her, waiting for her to answer him or look at him, whichever she chose. “Cait?”

Finally, she swung her head around and reached into her pocket of her jeans. “I don’t want to go home. He probably knows where I live. He’ll follow me; I’ll never be able to sleep.”

“Your husband is in Philadelphia, so the driver was someone else. Did you get a look at him?”

“No. I tried, but the windows were too dark. I couldn’t see anything inside.

“It could have just been some wacko out for fun. We’ll have to do some follow-up tomorrow.” He paused, catching a strange expression on her face. “What is it?”

“This.” She pulled one piece of paper out of her pocket and tossed it on the console between them. Reaching back into her pocket, she pulled out two more. “And this.” She threw the second one down. “And this. Who’s doing this? I thought it was Bruce, but I talked to him on the phone, and you’re right… I don’t think it’s him. Who would do this to me?”

The light changed and he made the decision to take her to his place. “I don’t know.”

“Ryan, he followed me to the hotel, he got in my car. The last message was left in my suitcase in my hotel room. How did he get in? Who would have let him in?” Her hands came up to both sides of her head, tugging on her hair. “Oh my God, what is happening to me? Oh my God, oh my God.” She stared straight ahead.

Ryan pulled into the driveway of his apartment building. “You can stay with me tonight. Whoever it is probably doesn’t know anything about me.” He turned off his engine and reached for her hand. “Cait, I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

Picking up the three messages, he took a second to compare them, a fury building inside of him. How easy it was to terrify someone. Three little slips of paper had caused so much fear and uncertainty for Cait. He got out of the car and walked over to her door, which he held open for her. Then he grabbed her suitcase, leaving the box in his car, and led the way into his apartment, the first floor of a two-story house. They entered the foyer, and he led her to the couch, which sat opposite the kitchen in the great room. His bedroom and bathroom were situated toward the back. As soon as she sat down, he said, “Stay here, I’ll check and make sure no one has been here.”

Tossing his keys on the counter, he searched the small apartment, leaving her suitcase in his bedroom before coming back out and taking off his jacket and helping her with hers.

He sat next to her and held his arms out to her. “Come here.”

She fell into his arms and the next thing he knew, his lips found hers as she clung to him. He’d tried to stay away, but he couldn’t fight the way he felt. Not with her here in his apartment, so sweet and scared and beautiful. Not when every inch of him was suffused with relief that she was okay. That she hadn’t been seriously injured or killed. His arms traced the line of her back and moved across her shapely butt, pulling her tight to him. She sighed and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She tasted every bit as sweet as he remembered. Parting her lips for him, she met his passion stroke for stroke as he swirled his tongue with hers. That small moan of hers, the sound he thought about when he was trying to sleep at night, greeted his ears and went straight to his dick, making him hard instantly. Hell, it wasn’t supposed to go down this way, but he just couldn’t let her go.

She fell back onto the couch and tugged him on top of her. Pulling on his shirt, she ripped it off and tossed it aside.

“Cait, slow down, sweetie.”

“No, I want you now. Please, Ryan.” She rubbed her hand across his hard length through his jeans and he groaned. The next thing he knew her sweater flew into the middle of the room, followed quickly by her bra. He sighed, “Cait, you’re so beautiful.” He leaned down and caught her nipple in his mouth, tugging and suckling her until it reached a taut peak.

Her hands were everywhere, on his biceps, in his hair, scraping his nipples, pulling the zipper on his jeans. She slipped out of her pants, and he slid his hand down her belly until he found her core, rubbing her clit until she moaned, then sliding his finger into her crease to make sure she was ready for him.

“Ryan, get your pants off, now.”

Shit, who was he to argue? He stood up and kicked off his shoes and pants.

And she was too fast for him. He still had on his boxers when she reached for him. So hot for her, he wasn’t thinking right when she tugged his briefs down and grabbed his cock with one hand and cupped his testicles with the other.

And she froze.

Fuck! How could he have let this happen? He had vowed never to put himself in this position again. His erection shrank faster than if he’d been submerged in arctic water, and she stared up at him, her eyes wide.

He waited to see her look of disgust, her rejection, but it never happened. Instead, she said the most beautiful words he had ever heard.

“Ryan, I don’t care if you only have one testicle. I want you now.” She caressed his dick and made him hard again, then helped him adjust his prosthesis and settle on top of her.

And he made the sweetest love to her he had ever made to anyone.

***

Caitlyn strained to catch her breath. She struggled to find words to describe the experience they’d just shared: powerful, mind-blowing, and sweet all at once. Was that even possible? She smiled and curled up close to him, laying her hand on his chest so she could feel the pounding of his heart, thrilled by this evidence of his reaction to her.

Then her heart broke a little as she remembered the way he’d looked at her. The fear in his eyes. “That’s why, isn’t it?”

She heard him sigh, so he obviously knew what she meant. “Yes, a large part of it.”

She leaned up on her elbow and gazed down at him. “Ryan, it doesn’t bother me that you lost a testicle to an injury. Did you really think it would?”

“If you were anything like a couple of other women I’ve allowed near me since the explosion, then the answer is yes. My injuries disgusted them.”

“It doesn’t make you any less of a man.”

“I know that, or at least I hope it doesn’t. The doctors told me I only need one to father a child, and my remaining one is healthy.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter to me.” She searched his gaze, wanting so much to convince him it didn’t matter to her. As a nurse, she’d met plenty of people who had been disfigured by accidents, and their self-esteem was often totally destroyed by their injuries.

“Cait, I know you’re a nurse, but even you have to admit it is gross. The bomb left terrible scar tissue. I don’t like to look at it myself.”

She grinned. “Well, if my intended use for it was to set it on the table as a decoration, then maybe it would bother me. But it isn’t something that I intend to stare at. And it doesn’t bother me to touch you. Far from it.”

Ryan laughed. He gazed at her and played with the curls around her face. “You really are special, aren’t you?”

“Besides, at least I know it wasn’t my inadequacies in the bedroom that sent you away.”

“How could you possibly think that? We’re amazing together.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t know what sent you away.” She played with his hair, not wanting to catch his gaze. “What an awful experience for you. That had to be extremely painful.” She settled her head back down on his chest.

“I blocked much of it out. I was obsessed with Chad. I poured all my energy into him, trying to move him, save him, do anything for him.” He ran his hand down her arm, caressing her as he talked. “When I finally realized I had lost him, I started to register the pain…and the expression on Jake’s face.”

“What do you mean?”

“Until then, I hadn’t realized my leg was almost destroyed. I knew I’d been hit there, but I couldn’t feel it. When Jake finally got the chance to take a good look at me, he ran behind a tree to puke.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, he thought I’d lost them both, because he kept saying something about my balls. It really freaked him out. I was too upset about Chad. The funny thing was that we had just been talking about bombs and IEDs, about where they were usually hidden. The next thing we knew the bomb went off and all hell broke loose.”

She didn’t say anything, just held his hand.

“I couldn’t stand the possibility of you looking at me like that…with disgust. I had hardened myself to the fact that my sex life was going to be almost non-existent.”

She pulled herself up and kissed him on the lips. “Not if I have anything to say about it. That was amazing.”

He sat up and pulled her with him. “Yes, it was. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. He stood and tugged her behind him. “Into my big bed, woman.”

Chapter Twenty

Ryan made Caitlyn breakfast after he made love to her one more time. She was still reeling from the whole situation. In a matter of days, her entire life had been turned on its head again. First had come the emotional trauma of seeing all the reminders of her aunt’s untimely death. Then she’d been harassed by a dangerous unknown assailant.

But now she had plenty of reason to smile, too. She and Ryan had spent a wonderful night together, and she felt they were well on their way to overcoming the damage he’d done to their relationship that day in the hospital. He had to be very embarrassed about his condition, and it wasn’t surprising he’d tried to hide it from her.

She hoped he believed her when she said it didn’t matter…because to her, it didn’t.

After breakfast, Ryan drove her to the station.

“Cait, you are aware your ex-husband likes to gamble?” he asked in the car.

“Yes, I know he placed bets. He played Fantasy Football online and bet in small pools. I know he wanted to go to Vegas, but I don’t think it amounted to that much money. Why?” She stared at Ryan, suddenly feeling uncertain. “Or is he in debt?”

“He is.”

“How much?”

“Twenty thousand dollars.”

She gasped. “Oh my God. Twenty thousand? He can’t pay that back. He doesn’t have that kind of money.”

“No, I didn’t think either one of you would have easy access to that kind of money.”

They arrived at the station a few minutes later. Caitlyn was surprised to see Jake inside already working on her case.

Jake stood up when they entered, “Morning.”

“Hi, Jake.”

Ryan said, “Anything new?”

Jake shook his head and sat down again. “Another rental car, another fake name. We have no idea who was in the car. It wasn’t returned to the rental agency, but left down the street. They can’t even describe the guy other than dark-haired white male.”

“You don’t think my ex-husband is behind this, do you?” She glanced from Jake to Ryan.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. “He’s definitely a suspect.”

“But you said he was home in Philadelphia.”

“Right, but he could have hired someone.”

“Hired someone for what?”

Ryan glanced at her, and something in his gaze told her… she gave him an incredulous look.

“No, you don’t think…My own husband tried to have me killed?”

Now she was truly scared. Bruce Dalton always got what he wanted.

***

Mallory picked Caitlyn up on the way to work Friday for a twelve-hour shift. Time went very fast, partly because the bitchy nurse wasn’t working, and Caitlyn felt more acclimated to the department. She was able to do the work she liked—start IVs, give out medication, and take care of the patients. Mallory just helped her out with things like finding supplies, and mastering their hospital support system: who to call in the lab, which doctors to contact, and so on.

When she got home, Ryan was waiting in her driveway in his cruiser. He greeted her with a kiss that made her want to swoon, and then he checked her house for any signs of an intruder.

He kissed her cheek when he was done. “Call me if anything happens. I’ll be on shift until eight, but I’m happy to come over when I’m done if you’re nervous about anything…or if you just don’t want to be alone. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah. I have to get used to sleeping in my house again. I missed my lake view.”

“You look exhausted, Cait.”

“I’m tired. I took care of a lot of patients today. It’s stressful until you get used to it.”

“It’s stressful then, too. I know. I’ve seen my sister looking the same way many times. You’re working tomorrow?”

“Twelve hours tomorrow and Sunday.”

He kissed her until she moaned and leaned into him. “Nope, I know that sound. I’m out of here now before it’s too late.”

She smiled and held the door for him. “Thanks, Ryan. You better go, I’d probably just fall asleep on you anyway.”

She slept like a rock that night and woke up just in time for work. Unfortunately, Lucille was the first person she saw in the locker room. It was Saturday morning, so she decided to be cheerful to everyone, even the resident bitch. “Good morning, Lucille.”

All she got back was a grunt and a slammed locker door.

Caitlyn dreaded spending the day with the woman, but at least she wasn’t in it alone. A minute later, Mallory came into the room.

“Morning, Caitlyn,” she said. “Ready for another long one? It’s the weekend, and we’re usually hectic on Saturdays. Get ready.”

Mallory was right. After seeing four patients with abdominal pain, three with broken bones in various places, two with head injuries, two with heart attacks, one with a stroke, one who was injured in a car accident, and two who were drunks, they finally got the chance to grab something to eat. The day was more than half gone. Caitlyn was following Mallory into the break room when she heard her name. She turned to see Lucille beckoning her into the med room.

Caitlyn knew the hospital required two nurses’ signatures for wasting narcotics and insulin, so she followed Lucille inside. It was a sad statement about medical personnel that too many before her had pocketed excess narcotics instead of throwing them into a waste receptacle as they should, thus requiring someone to witness their disposal.

“Hurry up. I need a signature. I just wasted two mg. of morphine.” She held her sheet up for Caitlyn to sign.

Caitlyn gave her a puzzled look. “Where’s the morphine?”

“I just threw it into the container. I thought you were right behind me. How is it my fault you were slow?” Lucille’s narrowed gaze begged for Caitlyn to challenge her.

She wouldn’t bite, but while she wasn’t willing to argue, she refused to be intimidated by the brute. “Lucille, I’m supposed to see the morphine. I’ll sign it this once, but next time I need to see it first.”

“I was throwing it in the bin just as you walked through the door. Are you blind?”

“Here,” Caitlyn said as she handed the paper to her. “You have your signature.”

“I don’t like your attitude.” Lucille’s cold voice followed her out the door.

She told Mallory what had happened, and all her friend did was whistle and say, “Be careful of her. It’s like I told you, she’ll try and set you up.”

During lunch, Caitlyn told Mallory all about the last couple of days, and that she was seeing Ryan again. Mallory seemed pleased to hear her news. She hoped so.

After lunch, they returned to find a full waiting room. Mallory said, “You know, if we’re ever going to get out of here, we’ll need to take more patients. Do you mind taking three on your own?”

“No problem.” Caitlyn took the next three patients and ran herself until she hit a lull. The waiting room finally emptied and two of her patients had gone off for testing, so she volunteered to help the other nurses on the unit. Mallory’s patients were fine, and another nurse, Jane, didn’t need anything. Lucille’s patient walked out of her cubby at one point and asked for ice chips, so Caitlyn got them for her.

The next time Caitlyn walked into the med room, Lucille was directly behind her. “Didn’t I tell you to stay away from my patients?” she snapped.

Caitlyn spun around. “I only got her ice chips. You were busy with a dressing change, so I thought I’d help out.”

“Well, don’t.”

Caitlyn was incredulous. Really, over ice chips? “Don’t what?”

“Give my patients anything. I train them to understand I’m not going to be around much. You ruin their expectations when you take care of their needs. Stay away. Take care of your own patients.”

Caitlyn stared at her in disbelief as she stalked off.
Trained them?
It was hard to believe Lucille still had a job if that was her attitude.

As soon as Mallory pulled into her driveway, she noticed Ryan’s cruiser sitting off to the side. Mallory just smiled and waved her off, not bothering to speak to her brother.

“Another night shift?” she asked as he opened her front door for her.

“Yeah, it doesn’t happen that often, but one of the night cops is on vacation.”

“Okay. No matter, another night. I’m so tired right now I wouldn’t make good company anyway. Any news on my case?”

“No, sorry.” He kissed her after he searched her house, and she leaned right into him at the door, sighing and resting her head on his shoulder.

He leaned in and whispered, “Cait, I think you are about to fall asleep standing up. I’m leaving before my ego gets damaged beyond repair.”

She giggled and held the door for him. As soon as she closed it, he yelled through the door. “Don’t forget to lock it.”

“I won’t, Ryan.”

“Yes, you will. You’re overtired. I’m not leaving until I hear you lock it.”

She chuckled and turned the lock. “There, happy?”

“Yes, now don’t unlock it for anyone.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fast asleep in about five minutes.”

***

The next day, Ryan strolled into the ER about an hour after Caitlyn arrived. They weren’t busy yet, so he grabbed Cait’s hand and tugged her back toward the break room. “Mallory, I need to speak to your charge,” he called out over his shoulder before they moved into the break room.

There was no one else around, so Ryan grabbed her by the waist and positioned her up against a locker and kissed her with a hunger that shot straight to her core. She threaded her fingers into his hair and said, “I missed you.”

“I know. It kills me to go home alone. I liked you in my bed. I’m finishing my shift, but I wanted to see you first.” He continued to nuzzle her neck. “Call in sick.”

She laughed. “Kind of hard to do when I’m already at work, Ryan Ramsay.”

He kissed her again and his hands skimmed down her back until he found her butt and pulled her close enough to feel his erection.

Just then, the door flew open. Ryan released her and Caitlyn stood up, befuddled by the sudden change in circumstances.

“Nice, newbie. Thanks for making me uncomfortable in my own break room.” Lucille glared at her, then turned around and left, doing her best to slam the door on her way out.

Caitlyn sputtered, wanting to respond to Lucille in some way, but Ryan pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “It isn’t worth it. She’s been here a long time and she’s always been a miserable bitch. Let her go.”

“I know. I’ve worked with other nurses like her.”

“Forget her. When are you working again?”

“Tomorrow. Mallory asked if I could come in.”

Ryan’s eyebrows rose. “Four twelves in a row? Isn’t that a little too much?”

“I know. It’ll be rough, but she wanted to switch with someone so she could have next Friday off.”

“Then it’s the perfect time for me to head to Philadelphia. I’ll head out tonight, after I sleep for a while and watch some football with my dad. I’ll be wide awake since I’ve been on the night shift, and no one will be on the road.”

“What?”

“I’m off tomorrow because I worked all weekend. I want to go to Philly to check out some things with the police department there. It doesn’t take too long to get there. We need to find out who’s bothering you, and I’ve reached a dead-end here. I’ve come up with nothing but your husband.” He nuzzled her ear again.

“Ex-husband,” she scowled.

“Why don’t you give me the name of your lawyer and I’ll stop and introduce myself. And as long as you’re writing, add the names and addresses of your ex and the girl you caught him with the night you left him. I’d love to ask her a couple of questions.”

She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the information. “My lawyer said he received the signed papers. Why would Bruce have signed them if he’s out to get me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll have a better idea after my trip.”

He kissed her on the lips, a sweet kiss that made her forget where she was. “Be careful, Ryan.”

“I’ll text you. Call Jake if anything happens.” He turned and winked at her. “Now I’ll go fall asleep and wake up all sweaty thinking of you.”