“We are going to have to cut the seatbelt and turn her so we can slide her out. You with us, Chase?”
“I’ll hold her while you cut the belt.”
He moved with them to slide her onto the backboard and secure her neck with the c-collar once they had her out of the car. She still hadn’t regained consciousness that he knew of and it worried him.
Once the rescuers had her positioned on the gurney and strapped her down, he found a piece of gauze along with some saline and gently washed the cut on her head.
They were about to put her into the ambulance when she opened her bright green eyes. His heart slammed to a stop in his chest when she looked straight into his.
A frown wrinkled her brow for a moment before she whispered, “Josh?”
“Chase, ma’am.”
What do I care if she knows my name?
She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again.
“Thank you for saving me.”
He felt like a fool for standing there with his mouth hanging open when they slid her into the ambulance and shut the door.
Chapter Two
Abby could see him standing outside through the rear doors as they pulled away. Their eyes met briefly, and then he was gone.
He’d been there with her the whole time in the car. She wasn’t completely aware of everything around her, but she could feel him behind her. He had whispered in her ear, and she heard him. She could smell him too, the mixture of horse and man.
Or was it Josh there with me? No, he didn’t smell like horses.
When she opened her eyes, the brightness of the stranger’s blue eyes startled her. Then she saw him—Josh—standing beside the other man in the snow, white light surrounding him as he smiled. She whispered Josh’s name, but the other man had answered.
Chase? Wasn’t that what he said?
She wasn’t sure anymore, and thinking made her head hurt.
“Ma’am? Are you in pain?” Her gaze found the paramedic sitting next to her. He hardly looked old enough to be out of high school, much less a paramedic. She frowned and tried to move a little to relieve the pressure on her shoulders.
“Yes. My head is killing me.”
“Do you hurt anywhere else?”
“My neck a little. What happened?”
“You rolled your car. You were trapped inside, and we had to extract you. We’re headed for the trauma center in Laramie.”
“I don’t remember.”
“That’s not surprising. You were unconscious when we found you.” His gaze moved to the monitor next to him.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Who was the man out there with me? I mean in the car?”
He cocked his head to side. “There wasn’t anyone in the car with you.”
“No, he came later.”
“Oh—you must mean Chase.”
“Yes, I think that’s what he said.”
“Chase Wilder. He owns some land not far from where you wrecked. The Rocking W is his place. He trains horses and volunteers as a first responder for accidents.”
Their conversation ceased when the ambulance rolled into the parking bay and with perfect precision and they hustled her into the emergency room. Doctors and nurses swarmed around her, poking, prodding, sticking her with needles and doing test after test.
One nurse asked, “Is there anyone we need to call, a husband, maybe?”
Abby lifted her left hand and the diamond on her finger twinkled in the florescent light over her head. A tear slipped from her eye into her hair, as she whispered, “No—he died over a year ago.”
Her cell phone in her pocket rang, and she tried to reach it but couldn’t. “Can’t you reach that for me?”
“Sure.” The girl pulled it out of her pants pocket and said, “It says Mom.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Can I answer it?”
“Yeah—here.”
Abby brought the phone to her ear. “Mom?”
“Abigail—what’s happened?”
“Leave it to you.” Air rushed from between her lips in a frustrated sigh. “There was an accident, but I’m okay, I think. They haven’t said exactly.”
“I’ll fly there first thing tomorrow.”
“No, Mom, it’s okay. Let them figure out if there is anything wrong first, all right?”
“What aren’t you telling me, Abigail? I can hear it in your voice.”
“I can’t talk about it right now, Mom. I’ll call you when I know more.”
“Abigail…”
Abby shut the phone with a decisive click.
She’ll be pissed I hung up on her, but I can’t tell her right now.
The nurse returned to her side and said, “We need to take you to CAT Scan.”
“Okay. What exactly is that?”
“We will scan your head to make sure there isn’t any kind of bleed on your brain or swelling. You lost consciousness at the scene of the accident, so this is necessary to diagnose any problem.”
Once the test was completed, they wheeled her back into the trauma bay. “The doctor will be in here in a moment to talk to you about what’s going on.”
They left Abby alone for a couple of minutes, and her thoughts turned to the stranger who had helped rescue her. He appeared to be as tall as, if not a little taller, than Joshua, and the color of his eyes fascinated her the moment they stared into hers. She couldn’t really tell much about his build because of the bulky coat he’d worn, but she remembered the feel of his hands. The calluses on his palms rasped against her skin while he bracketed her neck. A shiver rolled down her back when a stray thought whipped across her mind.
I wonder what they would feel like sliding along the skin of my thigh.
The nurse returned a moment later, bringing her wandering mind back to her present predicament. “I can remove the c-collar. The CAT Scan of your head and neck are clear.”
“That’s good. That thing isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world.”
The girl laughed. “No, they aren’t. Here.” She helped her sit up and slip the collar off.
“Oh man! You don’t know how good that feels.”
The doctor walked between the curtains, and Abby took in his appearance. Blonde haired and brown eyed, at least six feet in height and gorgeous. He appeared to be in his early thirties and muscled in all the right places, and lord could the man smile.
“I’m Doctor Bridges, Christopher Bridges. Everything looks fine. You do have a concussion, but there isn’t much can be done about that. Your neck will be sore. Mild whiplash went along with the concussion.”
“Thanks, doctor. Anything else?”
“Um…no. I think that’s it, Mrs. Carter. I’ll call and check on you in a couple of days.”
Abby smiled. He was very nice looking, but not necessarily her type. The muscles he had were from vigorous gym workouts, not carrying hundreds of pounds of gear up dozens of flights of steps to save a child from a burning building. A frown pulled down the corners of her mouth when Joshua skipped across her mind.
“Something wrong?” Christopher asked.
Her shoulder lifted in a shrug. “No, I guess not.”
“The nurse will be back shortly with your discharge papers. You can call a cab to take you home although it may take them awhile to get here tonight with this weather.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course, that’s what we’re here for.”
His gaze moved over her in a caress before he turned and left the room.
The nurse returned a moment later and went over her paperwork, pulled out the things in her arms, and walked her out to the admission desk.
“Take care, Mrs. Carter, and be careful out there. We don’t want to see you back here any time soon.”
Abby laughed. “I’ll try.”
After signing her paperwork, she turned toward the doors and reached into her purse for her cell phone. Once she found it, she lifted her head only to meet the startling blue gaze of the intriguing stranger.
* * * *
Chase buried his hands in his pockets as he slowly approached. Heat swept up his neck when their eyes met.
What the hell am I doing here? It’s not like I know her or anything.
For some reason, he felt compelled to make sure she was all right.
After following the ambulance to the hospital, he had parked his truck and moved inside the waiting room until he saw her come out.
Damn, she’s got pretty eyes.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” She cocked her head to the side and a smile lifted the corners of her mouth.
Pulling one hand out, he ran his fingers through his hair for a moment before he stuttered slightly, “I’m sorry. I guess I should tell you who I am so you don’t think I’m some kind of weirdo.”
Her green eyes sparkling in the dim light of the waiting room and one shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I’m from New York. I know all about weird people.”
He dropped his gaze to the floor for a moment, and then smiled in return. “I’m Chase Wilder.”
She stuck out her hand and answered, “I know. Abigail Carter, but my friends call me Abby. Nice to meet you, Mr. Wilder.”
Startled, he took her hand in his for a moment, impressed with the firmness of her grasp. “You know?”
“Yeah, I remember you telling me outside the ambulance, but the paramedic in the back told me again.”
She slipped her hand out of his and he had the insane urge wipe his now sweaty palm on the thigh of his jeans.
“Thank you again for helping me.”
“My pleasure.”
“Are you always so helpful and handy to have around as you were today, Mr. Wilder?”
“Chase—please.”
“All right, Chase. You can call me Abby.”
He let a small smile twitch at his lips.
Abby. Nice name.
“Can I give you a lift home? They towed your Jeep to the wrecking yard.”
She grimaced. “Was it bad?”
“Afraid so.”
“I would appreciate the ride, then. I’m sure the cabs aren’t running tonight with all this snow.”
He swept his arm to the left and settled the black Stetson back on his head. “Right this way. I’m parked out front.”
They walked together through the sliding glass doors and out into the snow. The biting, frigid wind hit him in the face, and he noticed her shivering next to him. Her coat and sweater had disappeared, and even though they had managed to save her long johns, she was probably freezing. He slipped his heavy coat off his shoulders and wrapped it around her.
She shrugged out of his coat and held it out to him. “I can’t take your jacket. You’ll freeze.”
He shook his head and helped her settle it back around her. “I’m used to these winters. I was born and raised here. I’ll be fine until we get the truck warmed up.”
Chase ushered her to his truck and pulled open the door. She slid inside, and he shut it behind her. Hurrying around to the driver’s side, he slipped in and pulled his door shut against the howling wind and blowing snow. The diesel engine growled like a cougar on the prowl when he started it and let it idle for a bit, cranking up the heat inside. “It should warm up in a minute. The truck hasn’t been off very long.”
She rubbed her hands together before she put them between her legs. “It’s not really that cold in here, anyway.”
After a few moments, he pulled slowly through the parking lot, plowing through the snow with the front of his vehicle until they made it out onto the street.
“So where are we headed?”
“I bought the ranch house about three miles up the road from where the accident happened.”
His startled gaze swung to her across the cab before returning to the road in front of them. “You bought the Miller place?”
Her shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I guess so, if that’s what you call it.”
“Big stone fireplace in the living room?”
“Yeah.”
“I love that house.”
“You’ve been inside?”
He shook his head and laughed. “Yeah, plenty of times. I grew up with their boys.”
“You must not live far from there, then.”
He chuckled. “You could say that. My land actually is adjacent to yours. The fence along the south end borders both properties.”
“My neighbor?”
He flashed a smile as he looked across the cab. “Yep.”
“Mmm…interesting.”
“So how did you end up in Wyoming, Mrs. Carter?” She scowled and shot him a glance. “Sorry—Abby.”
Abby’s eyes went misty as she turned them out the window. He didn’t think she would answer until she whispered, “I wanted to get away from New York.”
“I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. I’m just curious how a beautiful woman like you ended up in this backwater town.”
She snorted at his off-handed compliment as her gaze rested on
him a moment, then back out the windshield. The rest of the ride was made in silence.
As they pulled up to her house, a light burned in the window. She must have left one on when she headed to town earlier.