One Summerhill Day (The Summerhill Series Book 1) (3 page)

Chapter Three

Two days later, Mallory Ramsay, RN, strode into Caitlyn’s room carrying a bundle of papers. “Are you all set? I see you’ve dressed. Did you get everything you wish to take home with you?”

“Yes, I have everything. I’ll have a seat while you go over my discharge instructions.”

Mallory raised her eyebrows. “You talk as though you understand this process.”

“Yes. I’m a nurse, also.”

“Oh. An RN?”

“Yes, in fact, I spent the last year in emergency room nursing. I loved it.”

Mallory perked up. “You did? Where did you practice?”

“I was in a hospital in Philadelphia. I just moved from there. I was going to relocate to Buffalo, but things were not as I expected there, so I’m actually not quite sure where I’ll be settling.”

“Well, if you’re looking for a job, we have two full-time openings in our emergency room. We sure could use the help. The pay is good, not great, since we’re in a small, somewhat rural community here, but I like it. It doesn’t hurt that we don’t get many gunshot wounds or stabbings. Anyway, we are always looking for good nurses. I’m only on this floor today because they were short and I need the extra money. I pick up extra shifts a lot.”

“Do you have pediatrics here?”

“A little in emergency. We usually stabilize and transfer the kids to the Children’s Hospital in Rochester, so our pediatric floor isn’t usually full. Why, do you like peds?”

“Actually, no. I was afraid your emergency room did both, and I don’t like pediatrics because I don’t know how to handle children. But I’ll give it some thought. Maybe I’ll decide to stay here for a while. My father always loved Summerhill. We used to vacation at the lake when I was little.”

“I’ve lived in Summerhill my whole life, even went to Summerhill College for Nursing. I love it here, but I have a huge family, so my roots run deep.”

Caitlyn’s brow furrowed. “The policeman, Ryan? He told me the same thing. Do you know him?”

“Yep, that’s my brother,” Mallory said with a laugh. “He can be a little overbearing and serious at times, but he’s a good guy. Okay, let’s go over your instructions.”

When she finished all the paperwork and signed her name, Caitlyn said, “Is there a nice bed and breakfast you would recommend here? I think I’ll probably need to stay a few days. I need to locate my car and see what’s going on with it. Your brother said to contact the police department when I was ready.”

“I’ll check with Ryan and find out where it is. Why don’t you find a place to stay, settle your things, then worry about your car? There’s a lovely bed and breakfast just over the hill on the other side of town as you head to the lake. Do you remember the town at all?”

“A little.”

“The next intersection after your accident was Main Street. If you go through that and up over the hill, you’ll see a couple of hotels. The Lakeview Bed and Breakfast is on the right as you head toward the lake, and it has a beautiful view.”

“Would you mind calling a cab for me?”

“No problem, but the cabs are expensive. I’m sure my brother would take you over there if he’s on duty.”

Caitlyn shook her head, not wanting to burden anyone. “Please, just call me a cab.”

A volunteer came along and brought her down to the front entrance, where she was required to sit in a wheelchair until the cab arrived.

Mallory ran over at the last minute. “Here’s the place your car is being kept, according to my brother, and here’s the address and phone number.” She handed her a yellow sticky note with the information.

“Thank you, Mallory, for everything.” She took out her phone and dialed the number right before Mallory came running out again with another sticky note outstretched. “Here’s my cell phone number. If you ever need anything or decide you want to apply for the job, give me a call.”

“That’s very sweet of you. Thanks, Mallory.” Mallory left so Caitlyn talked to the person at the car repair shop while she waited for the cab. Unfortunately, the car wouldn’t be ready for at least a couple of weeks. Maybe that would give her time to think about her situation.

The cab pulled up and the transporter helped her move from the wheelchair into the cab, handing her all her belongings before closing the door.

“Where to, Miss?”

“The Lakeview Bed and Breakfast.”

A few miles through snow-covered streets and an hour later, she stood inside a lovely room with a queen-sized bed, staring at her laptop and trying to decide what to do. It looked like she wouldn’t be leaving Summerhill anytime soon. Fortunately, she had found a nice place to stay, and since money wasn’t an issue for her, she could stay right here and enjoy the beautiful view of the pristine lake.

She refused to go back to Philadelphia. She never wanted to see her husband, Bruce Dalton, again, and she had already quit her old job. Besides, she wanted to find out what had happened to her dear Aunt Margie. Maybe it would help her get answers if she was in New York State, close to where her aunt had lived. It was another reason to stay.

Her decision was made. She would stay in Summerhill for a while. When she felt a bit better and had her car again, perhaps she could find a place to rent on the lake. Yes, that was it. A piece of her father’s heart was here, so why shouldn’t she learn to love it, too? She would make her father smile down on her from his place in heaven.

She would spend a couple of months in Summerhill. All she needed were her belongings from the trunk in her car.

***

Ryan left his apartment on Saturday and headed to the family inn. His stepmother hated for people to call it the inn, but with all the siblings and step-siblings and the size of the place, the name fit. The house sat on a small hill overlooking the lake with enough bedrooms to house his new family of fourteen, if need be. Some of his siblings had their own places, some were at college, and the twins were in the military, but the Ramsay-Grant rule was everyone who could be at the lake house for the Saturday picnic at noon—summer
or
winter—needed to be there. It was a new tradition his stepmother, Lorraine Grant, had started.

At first, it had bothered him since it hearkened back to an older time, when family was seen as a more uniting concept. But now he loved his huge family. This was especially true since Lauren had started researching their ancestry and discovered both families were descendants of great Scottish clans. The Grants were related to the famous Alexander Grant from the Scottish Highlands, while many Ramsays were found in the Lowlands of Scotland. Somehow, the two families had combined in the past just as they had here in the Finger Lakes.

Ryan didn’t mind the Saturday tradition, especially since his stepmother was such a great cook. When he was in the army, he had always envisioned his homecoming would be on a Saturday. He had dreamed of being welcomed home as a hero, just as his grandfather had been before him. Unfortunately, things hadn’t happened that way. Instead of a hero’s welcome, he had come home injured, depressed, and a failure.

Jake had been in the same unit, but he’d been honorably discharged. He had missed the bomb that had caught Ryan in Iraq and been able to finish his tour, so his homecoming had been exactly the way Ryan had wanted his to be. The third Ryan Ramsay hadn’t had a great Saturday homecoming, but at least he had somewhere to go on Saturday so he could forget about his past.

He sighed, angry with himself for being jealous of his brother. He loved Jake, and they had become very close while in the army together. Things didn’t always happen the way you planned, and it was hardly his brother’s fault Ryan had come home in disgrace.

Ryan pulled into the sloping driveway, pleased to see the number of cars that were already there. He parked and got out, walking into the large family room that had been added to the back of the house for the winter picnics. He strolled inside the back door to a chorus of greetings that were delivered as he stomped the snow off his shoes and yelled back greetings of his own. The room had a huge fireplace on one end, but it consisted mostly of windows.

In the summer, the windows were all kept open, or at least the ones facing the lake were. In the winter, the fireplace was usually going. Three different seating arrangements allowed for smaller gatherings and a pool table sat in the corner, the usual place his brothers congregated. A large flat screen television hung on the wall for all the sporting events they loved to watch.

Lorraine greeted him. “Hello, hero.” Tall with dark hair and blue eyes, Lorraine Grant-Ramsay had a warm smile. She had always wanted to be a doctor, but had never made it to medical school. She fell in love and married instead, then married Dr. Ramsay after she was widowed.

He kissed her cheek. “Lorraine, you know I would rather you not call me that.”

“I can’t help it, but I’ll try, Ryan. Like father, like son, as they say.” She smiled and patted his shoulder.

Hero. Hardly a hero in his mind. His father was the hero, not him.

He had to admit, he had never seen his father this happy before. He’d worried his father would never adjust after losing their mother to breast cancer. But Lorraine Grant and her six children had pulled his father—along with the entire family—out of their slump.

“RJ!” his father barked from across the room. He made his way over, carrying a basket of rolls to set on the buffet table. “You survived the snowstorm? I heard it was a busy week for the police department. You must have clocked some extra hours.”

“Yeah, I had over fifty hours this week, Dad. Fortunately, no fatalities.” He brushed his hair off his face.

“Jake said you saved a woman’s leg in a pretty bad car accident near Main Street.”

“I think Jake has an overactive imagination. She just had a gash on her leg.”

“That’s not what Jake and Mallory said, but I’m glad to hear it ended well.”

Ryan waved to his brothers at the pool table, but he passed them to follow his stepmother into the kitchen. He was starving and Lorraine was a great cook, capable of far better meals than anything he could hope to make in his apartment. “Lorraine, anything I can do to help?” He’d do anything to help get that food out so they could get started.

The kitchen was dark wood cabinets with caramel-colored granite countertops. A center island had stools for six to eat when they were in a hurry. The countertop was covered with Lorraine’s many dishes, including chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Ryan grabbed a cookie and popped it in his mouth while his stepmother pretended not to notice. Macaroni salad, tossed salad, cut up watermelon and berries all called to him. But none as much as the Sloppy Joe creation she had simmering in the crockpot.

“Here, dear.” She picked up two bowls and handed them to him. “Why don’t you take the salad out for me? We’ll be eating in a few minutes. Everything alright?”

“Yeah.” He grabbed the bowls and headed out to the family room. This week had been better than most weeks, except for the new conundrum in his life… He had met a fascinating girl who haunted his dreams, but she had left town and he would probably never see her again. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Caitlyn McCabe, though he was sure she was long gone by now.

Mallory came over as he stepped out onto the porch with the bowls. “Ryan, have you seen your friend?”

“Who?”

“Caitlyn, the one in the accident with the leg injury.”

He stopped, but then walked over to the table and set the bowls down before turning toward Mallory. “Why aren’t you worried about your HIPAA laws now?” He glowered at her, recalling the way she had harassed him in the ER.

Mallory’s classic defensive posture of her hands on her hips settled into place. “You already know about her and I didn’t use her last name. Besides, no one else is listening and you are police, not health care, as you reminded me.”

“Why would I see her?” He ushered his sister into a corner away from the table and prying ears, pushing her shoulders a little too enthusiastically. He was not about to let her disappear until she explained herself. “I’m sure she was discharged and has headed back to Pennsylvania.”

A wry grin crossed her face. “Ah, but she didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?”

“Didn’t go back. She’s still in Summerhill.”

And this was the best damn news he had heard in days. “What happened?”

“The transporter came back and told me how sorry he felt for her because her car wouldn’t be ready for two weeks. She asked for the address of a bed and breakfast because she doesn’t have anywhere to stay.”

“Which one?” The weekend held definite possibilities now.

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Interested, huh? She’s at Lakeview.”

“I’m only asking how she is, that’s all. Plus, as soon as her car is ready, she’ll be gone.”

“I don’t know. There’s something going on with her, but I can’t put my finger on it, and I can’t say anymore. HIPAA, remember?” She tossed her hair back and spun around to head into the kitchen.

Ryan couldn’t argue with that statement. There was something about Caitlyn that didn’t make sense…or, really, a few things. For one, he’d checked her license in her purse to verify her identity and her name didn’t match the one she’d given him. Now, he’d find out why.