Chapter 3

 

Adam saw her before she saw him—or at least he had to think that was why she jogged on by him as he sat on the stoop of the B&B. Getting up and sitting on the rocker, so he could watch her the rest of the way into town, Adam wondered just how many miles a day she jogged. And why she did it.

Her form was beautiful. Ivy’s body was toned so well that he wanted to see if all her muscles were that taut. While her hair was messily pulled into a ponytail, Adam thought that it wasn’t because she was trying to be beautifully mussed, but that she simply didn’t care what she looked like to others. He thought that was what made her more beautiful.

Adam tried to think of all the things that he’d heard about her. She was a surgeon, the best in her field. Hospitals across the world would call her up if she was needed. Ivy even taught a class or two at her local college, but only when she could devote her time to it. She didn’t let anything interfere with her career.

Dylan had said that Ivy had money—enough for her to not work for the rest of her life and never stress about where her next meal was coming from. But Adam knew that she’d not do that—quit—until she had no choice. Her feelings of obligation would keep her employed until she couldn’t do it anymore. And even then, she’d be working at something. When she came up onto the porch where he was, she paused when she saw him there.

“I’m sorry about lunch.” She just nodded, not saying or even giving anything away about what she was thinking. He decided right then and there that he’d never bluff with her. Her face was as unreadable as anyone he’d ever encountered. “I thought that we could talk, I just want to talk to you.”

“For what reason? I’m well versed in what this means. I have plenty of friends that are shifters, and I know that this is a done deal for us. The only thing that I ask of you is that you don’t interfere or try and make me quit what I’m doing.” He didn’t get a chance to answer her when she continued. “Recently I thought about it. Going to an island, lying on the beach all day, soaking up the sun. But I’d never be happy with that decision. I know that now.”

“You do what you want. I’d never do that to you. I can understand having a passion about something.” She was still standing near the steps and Adam was afraid that she’d take off again, and this time she might not return. “Could you come and sit with me?”

“I need to cool down.” Adam sat, hoping that she’d give him at least a chance at this. “You should know that I’m not easy. I don’t mean with sex, but with anything. I like my life just the way it is. I come and go as I please, and I do what I want. Even if I wanted to spend all my money on something foolish, that’s my decision to make. I do not need a babysitter. I’ve been making choices for myself for a long time now.”

“I agree with you. You’ve done well for yourself. Made a name for yourself in a profession that you seem to love. And I like that you have a sister that you can depend on.” Ivy told him that Meghan depended on her too much, but she loved her. “But she does want the best for you, I can tell that. I love my family as well. They’re all I have, and I need them as much as I’m sure that you need Meghan.”

Ivy came to where he was seated. Instead of sitting on the swing where he wanted her to be, she sat down on the chair as far away from him as she could get and still be on the porch. The fine dewiness of her sweat made him want to lick every inch of her. She glared at him, and he had a feeling that she had guessed what he was thinking.

“Dylan, she has this thing about investigating people that have anything to do with what she considers her family. I know a great deal of facts about you, but nothing about your personality. You said that you wanted to do things that you loved. I’d have it no other way. I farm, ranch too, and at the end of the seasons, I find that I wish for it all to do over. But I do enjoy the downtime I have too.” She didn’t say anything, but that was fine with him. “I have money—a great deal of it, as a matter of fact. We’ll share that even if you decide to keep what you’ve earned for yourself.”

“And you expect me to believe that?” Adam nodded, and she laughed, a short harsh one that made him think that she didn’t believe him. “You’d just sign your possessions over to me without a question? As I said, I know shifters, and none of them willingly share with their other half. Many of the people that I worked with, they had hidden stashes all over the place. That isn’t what I want from anyone. There is no mine and whoever’s money or things. It’s all in one pot that we both manage and share.”

“I agree with you.” He could tell that she still didn’t believe him. “If you’d like, I can take you to the bank right now and have everything I own signed over to your name only.”

“No. I’m not saying that.” She looked away, and Adam could see the tears that filled her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m being terribly selfish. I don’t know what to do about this. I never thought to marry, have a mate, or even to have a friend with benefits. People are always out for more than they need. Meghan, to a point, is like that. But if I were to tell her no, and I do on a great many things, she’d not go behind my back to get it. Or try and convince me to give in.”

“I’ll never pressure you into anything. But I would like to be able to give you my opinion on things.” She told him not to be an ass. Laughing, Adam felt better then. “I’m not. I promise you. And this is all new to me as well. I never thought...well, that’s not true. I did think about having someone to love and cherish, much like my parents do. But I also knew that I’d never have a mate that would understand me.”

“In what?” He told her, the best way that he could. “So, you think that a mate, in general, wouldn’t like you for the simple reason that you’re a man that enjoys menial labor. Having the earth give you as much as you put into it is the most noble job that I can think of. You give, I’m betting, as much as you get from it.”

“True. I do that. But also, I have never thought that what I do means as much to anyone else as it does to me. Having you as my mate, my other half—it never occurred to me that I’d meet someone like you, a person that shares, while not the same work as me, a job that you enjoy as much as I do mine.” Adam thought that he was not only understanding her but shared her heartbreak as well as a passion for what they did. “Ivy, I will tell you, on my mother’s heart, I will never ask you to do something that I’d not do myself.”

When she looked away and out to the street, he did as well. Watching the couple walking along with the small child between them while they argued made him feel sorry for their daughter. When they let her hand go to argue more, Adam watched the couple.

When Ivy stood up, Adam did as well. The tension in her body was almost palpable, like he could touch it. Leaping over the railing, Adam saw the car speeding toward the child as soon as Ivy ran into the street and grabbed the little girl.

It was over in seconds. The little girl was cradled in Ivy’s arms even as the car careened off the street and toward the couple on the sidewalk. Adam watched, in horrific detail, as the woman was hit by the runaway car and the man tossed over the top like a rag doll.

Evan, come to Main Street now.

Without question, his brother said that he was on his way. Adam made sure that Ivy and the child were safe before he went to the couple. The man was dead. The woman, pinned between the car and the building behind her, was talking to Ivy. Adam approached them slowly, not sure what he was going to see.

“Call an ambulance.” He pulled out his cell phone to make the call. Ivy was already working with the woman to ascertain what had happened to her body. “My name is Doctor Walton. I’m going to have the driver back up. I’m going to help you. But you’ll be in more pain. Let it take you under, all right?”

The driver was out, his airbag deployed. Ivy asked Adam to back up slowly, like snail slow. Adam was able to reach into the car and put it in reverse to do what she asked. When the woman screamed and slumped across the hood of the car, Ivy got on the crushed hood of it and held onto the woman.

When the car was moved enough for Ivy to work, she did what came to her as naturally as breathing did to him. She was looking over the woman when Adam asked her if he could do anything to help.

“I need my bag. It’s in my room on the floor of the closet. Please bring it to me as quickly as you can.”

He turned to run to the B&B when he saw Michael, son to the owner of the place, rushing toward them with the black bag in his hand. “Thank you very much. Is the ambulance on its way?”

Michael said that he’d called it in. Adam told her that his brother was on his way too. Nodding, Ivy dumped out her bag of tricks, what Evan called his, and he watched her pick up what she needed without missing a beat.

The woman was unconscious but still screaming out when she was in pain. Ivy spoke to her, even though she wasn’t answering her. She told her that she had her, that she was working as best she could and needed for her to fight. Adam looked over at the dead man, the one that she’d been arguing with, and saw his brother, Blake, was talking to the little girl. She’d been unharmed, it seemed to him, and he was glad for that.

By the time Evan and the ambulance showed up, Ivy had the woman somewhat stable. An IV was running, and the worst of her wounds were covered with gauze. She was still bleeding, of course, but Ivy never stopped reassuring her that she had her. Ivy was working on setting her leg so that she could be moved onto the gurney to take to the hospital.

When she stood up, letting Evan move to where she was, Adam saw that she was covered in blood. Her shirt had taken the worst of it, and her shoes had been covered in it as well. Evan was barking orders to the medics as Ivy headed to the man that had been with the woman.

His neck had been broken if the way his head was laying was any indication. His left arm had a bone protruding out from his flesh. The wounds on his face looked like road rash, like when a person hit the pavement during a bike crash. His eyes were open, and that gave Adam the willies.

Pronouncing the man dead seemed to have been unnecessary, but as soon as he thought that, he realized why she’d done it. No one would waste time on trying to bring him back and would be able to work on those that had a chance.

As the man was being loaded up in the first of two ambulances, he asked Ivy again if she needed anything. Shaking her head, she sat on the sidewalk and watched Evan. He looked at him too, wondering why anyone would think that what she’d just done for this family was anything short of a miracle. She had more than likely saved the woman’s life, and the child’s for sure. And in that moment, Adam fell in love with his mate. Ivy was perfect as far as he was concerned, and if he had to work on it for their entire lives, he was going to make her realize that as well.

~*~

Ivy was lead surgeon on this one, and Evan was assisting her. As she scrubbed in, she wondered at the stupidity of people. The man that had hit the family had been drinking, driving, and texting when he’d hit them. And even though there were cautions as well as commercials on television and the news about doing this, he’d still managed to kill one person and critically injure another.

“Are you all right?” She looked at Evan and asked him what he meant. “Honey, I don’t know if you realize this or not, but you talk to yourself. Others, humans I mean, might not hear it, but I have excellent hearing. So again, are you all right?”

“I don’t know, to be honest.” The scrub nurse came to help her gown up, and she was startled to see that it was Mildred, the one she’d been working with since she’d begun working as a surgeon at the other hospital. “Where did you come from? I thought you were set to retire soon.”

“That man there, he talked me into it.” She grinned at Ivy as she helped her into her gown and mask. “He thought that you could use someone in your corner. I was only too happy to come be with you again. Retirement ain’t what I thought it would be.”

“I thought that you could use something familiar to help you work. I know that I need something like that as well. Beethoven is my way to concentrate better.” Evan smiled at her through his mask. “She wasn’t hard to convince anyway.”

“No. I should have made him promise me the world. But I have to tell you, Ivy, it was my greatest pleasure to be working with one of the best there is.” Ivy wanted to hug her, but then they’d have to start all over with prep. Instead, she walked into the operating room with a lighter heart, and happiness beyond what she thought she should feel for what she was doing.

Ivy didn’t know what to say to Evan. He’d done something really nice for her, without bragging about what he’d done or asking for anything in return. She had to turn away from them both, she was so overwhelmed.

The operating room was large, much more so than most of the bigger hospitals had. When the woman—another thing that she strived for was not to know patient’s names—but when she was wheeled into the room with them, Ivy had a small feeling of fear. It took her several seconds to gain control of her emotions and start working. Once she was in the mindset, Ivy moved toward the table and began to work.

The surgery took almost five hours. By the time she stepped back, Ivy felt as if she’d been wrung out and hung out to dry. As soon as she left the room, Ivy made her way to the bathroom. Another thing that she did with nearly every operation was go to the bathroom and throw up. She wasn’t sure where the habit had formed, and it was something that drained her as well. This time, however, was different. Not only did she not feel the urge to toss her cookies, but she felt better knowing that she’d done all that she could.

When she came out of the ladies’ room, both Adam and Evan were there. She didn’t know what to say to the second and wasn’t sure why Adam was there. Ignoring them both, she talked to Mildred about what she wanted, and waited in the scrub room long enough to get her bearings back. Going back into the hallway again, she saw that now there was only Adam. She asked him where Evan had gone.

“I think he’s in post op. Even when he’s not in charge with a patient, he goes to check on them. He said that it covers his ass. I have no idea what would make him worried. He’s been doing this since he graduated from med school.” Nodding at Adam, she told him that she had to shower and change. “I thought as much. I’ll be waiting here for you. I’d like to take you to dinner. It’s been a long and stressful day for you, and I’ve asked the police to wait until you’ve unwound. I know I had to after we left the scene. By the way, Evan said that she was going to make it, thanks wholly to you.”

“I doubt that he was serious.” Adam told her that as far as he knew, Evan had never said anything like that about another doctor he worked with. “I’m sure that he didn’t think that I could have done that without him. He was a great deal of help.” Adam didn’t try and convince her otherwise.

Ivy headed to the doctors’ showers and stood under the spray as soon as she’d discarded her scrubs. She’d have to wear another pair home, as her clothing was covered in blood. But the water was hot and plentiful—something else that bigger hospitals didn’t have. There was no valve that would only give you ten minutes of water, or tepid water that would freeze you before you were finished cleaning up.

When Ivy joined Adam and his family in the waiting room, Evan asked her if they could come to dinner with them. She really didn’t want to go but glanced at Adam for his answer. Ivy noticed that Meghan was with them as well, and she looked too hopeful to not say she didn’t care. Adam said that he’d love for them to all be there, but it was entirely up to her. Ivy nodded and then realized how hungry she really was.

They were seated in a room by themselves and she thought for sure that they were getting special treatment, and that embarrassed her. But Ivy soon realized it was because they were loud. Not just shouting, but their laughter as well as the teasing of each other. Ollie, Adam’s grandfather, sat beside her, and Adam across from her.

“I heard you did a fantastic job in there. You saved that woman and her little girl.” Ivy asked him how the child was. “Faring well. She’s a mite on the frightened side—I guess that car was coming right at her when you stepped in.”

“Yes, well, her parents had neglected to keep an eye on her when they were arguing.” Ollie told her that he was seeing that more and more, where no one was paying attention to their surroundings, and it was scary. “I know that it was nutty to leap in front of that car like I did, but I just couldn’t see her getting harmed. I had no idea that her parents would be hit. Not that I would have done it differently, but she wasn’t going to be hurt. Not if I could do something about it.”

“Of course not. And a right good job of it you done too.” Ivy was charmed by the elderly man. He was sweet, compassionate, and smarter than he let anyone believe that he was. “Have they convinced you to hang around yet? I’m telling you now that if you leave, Adam will be following you, and me too. I love those boys a great deal, but Adam, he had a special place in my wife’s heart, and mine too. I love them all, like I said, but he makes me think of my wife who passed.”

“I’m sorry about your loss. It’s difficult when you lose a loved one. My parents have been out of mine and my sister’s life for a very long time. And sadly, we like it that way. They both have been married and divorced so many times, that it was a nightmare for us to try and keep up with the children they each had. Or got with another marriage.” He told her that she must have been a wee baby when they divorced. “I wasn’t very young. I mean, I was sixteen when they were already married a couple of times. Meghan came to live with me and keep me sane, so I could finish up college. I’d been taking classes there and at high school at the same time. I was working my way through my residency before I finally understood they didn’t leave us but wanted a lifestyle that wasn’t the norm. Whatever that might be, I guess. I hope they’re having a good time, at whatever they’re doing now.”

“What a wonderful thing to say. I bet they’d be very proud of their girls.” Ivy said that it didn’t really matter and looked over at her sister. “She’s smart too, I think, but doesn’t use it much. I’m not saying that she’s dumb or anything but I think that she just doesn’t care.”

“No, she cares, but not in the way that most do. Meghan is stylish, has a perfect smile, a laugh that makes those around her smile. Not that she does that for attention, but she cares about how she is perceived.” Ivy laughed a little. “I’m the one that doesn’t care. I couldn’t care less if I have lipstick on, I don’t even wear it when dressing up. If my hair is messy, I just resort to pulling it into a ponytail. I’ve not worn heels since I graduated from college. And only then because it was a requirement. No, Meghan cares about appearances. But I really don’t know why she worries—she’s very beautiful.”

“And you think that you’re not?” She looked around the table before she answered him. “You can’t believe that, darling. You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”

“Creature?” He told her that they were all creatures when you were a shifter. “Oh. Okay, I get it. But no, I’ve no delusions about what I look like.”

“That’s wonderful, but I think that you’re beautiful.” Adam took her hand into his when he commented on what they’d been talking about. Ollie made excuses about speaking to his son. They were a tight family, so she didn’t have any trouble believing that he really wanted a conversation with Oliver. “Are you all right now?”

“I think so. Thanks for asking.” He nodded and asked if he could hold her hand. “All right, but I don’t have silky hands. Mine are callused and strong. I have to keep them nimble so that I can operate.”

“I think that they’re perfect. And you can see by my hands that I’m just as callused and nimble. Just a few weeks ago, I was rolling hay for the winter and making sure that I had all the equipment put away until spring.” He kissed the back of her hand and looked at her. “I have never seen eyes the color of yours. I’ve been trying since I met you to figure out what color they are. And I love the color of your hair as well. Flaming red, my mom called it.”

“My driver’s license says red. I don’t think there was a choice for flaming.” He laughed, and she felt herself relax more. “As for my eyes, they’re also marked as mundane green, though I was told once that there are emeralds out there that pale in comparison. I think my dad said that to me before.”

“Well, I don’t think he could have been righter.” Their dinner was placed in front of them and she saw that he had an appetite as large as hers. The only difference was, he was a shifter that needed to fill his other needs, and she just burned calories like it was her job. “I’m glad to see that you eat well. I’m not trying to insult you, I promise, but I was watching what your sister ordered. She is sort of finicky, isn’t she?”

Ivy looked at the plate in front of Meghan. There was a salad with no dressing, a glass of water with a lemon in it, as well as no rolls or bread of any kind. She knew that Meghan wouldn’t have dessert, nor would she snack later. Her sister had a very strict diet that she watched. Ivy ate what she wanted when she wanted and didn’t care who said anything. Ivy hadn’t gained an ounce in ten years and wouldn’t have cared if she had.

Eating was fun with Adam talking to her. She wasn’t sure that she could have gotten used to it, having such a loud group around her, but for now, it was all right. When the dessert cart was rolled into the room as soon as they were finished, Ivy took the only thing that she loved more than ice cream—key lime pie with whipped topping. Adam chose lemon meringue pie, another favorite of hers.

Ivy opted to walk home from the restaurant. It wasn’t that far, and she needed to unwind for a little while. She was on call through the night with their patient, and that sort of made for a sleepless night. Adam walked with her. She wasn’t sure what he was going to expect when they got there, but she did allow him to hold her hand.

“I’ve got things coming to the house tomorrow and the next. I bought my grandda’s house when he moved in with my mom and dad.” Ivy didn’t know where he was going with this, so said nothing. “I was wondering if you’d like to come over, see the house, as well as tell me what you think of what I chose. I’ve never been much of a shopper, so I had no idea what to order.”

“I’m sure that it’s fine.” He nodded, then shook his head. “I don’t understand. Did you order something that you know that you’re going to hate?”

“No, it’s not that. I would like for you to tell me what you want in a house. You don’t have to move in with me, though I’d not mind that, but I would like for you to give me your opinion. I loved sitting in my grandda’s chair, but it had a spring in it that would catch me off guard if I wasn’t paying attention.” She laughed when he did. “I think I might still have a couple of bruises from it. I know that you’ve recently lost your home and contents. So, I would also like to take you ornament shopping. I’ve decided to have a tree this year, and I have very few decorations, not counting the ones that my mom has given all of us.”

“To be honest with you, Adam, I’ve not put up a tree for a long time. I’m rarely home, and when I am, I just flop on the bed until I have to go to work.” Shaking her head, she thought about the call she’d gotten from Lily Danger—suitably named—her old boss. “Right now, my former boss is putting me on the schedule to work there, when I’ve told her numerous times that I’m on vacation. I think she feels that she can bully me into it. And since that doesn’t work, she’s pulled out the big guns and told me that patients would die because I didn’t come in when I was needed.”

“She sounds like a person who is used to getting their way.” Ivy told him that he had no idea. “What are you going to do about it? I will do whatever you want, move back or stay here. I just want to be where you are.”

“I don’t know, to be honest. I love working with Evan. He’s brilliant but not pushy. And he’s not opposed to giving me the lead when he thinks I can do a better job.” Ivy laughed. “I’m not sure why he thinks that; other than me being a heart specialist, he’s as good if not better than anyone I know. Including myself.”

“I don’t think he sees it that way. And Evan has always been like that. He was never one to make his point by running over someone else.” She looked at the door, then back at him. “I guess I should make my way home. If you want to come over tomorrow, I can send a car for you. Or I can come into town, we can have breakfast with you, and take you there. I’m pretty flexible until eleven, when they’re scheduled to deliver.”

“I’d like that. But don’t expect me to have any opinions on your home, Adam. I’m taking this one day at a time. I need to do that.” Adam told her that he understood, and she believed him. “Okay, I’ll meet you at the restaurant and then go to your home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

When he walked away, leaving her there, she nearly called him back, to have someone to talk to that didn’t need her to agree with everything they had to say. And to be able to talk about work or what had happened to whomever she was working on. She loved her sister very much, but Meghan hated her talking about work. And she wasn’t happy when Ivy was leaving in the middle of the night or when they had plans. Adam was comfortable.

Going into the widened hall that served as the check-in desk, Ivy made her way up to her room rather than sit with her sister in the dining area drinking tea. Suddenly she was exhausted.