CHAPTER 2
Wylie O’Reilly was the youngest of the five O’Reilly brothers, Carigan being the only girl and youngest of six children in all. Wylie was by far the biggest of the brothers, topping even the oldest, Declan. Growing up the baby
of the bunch, with a name like Wylie Riley O’Reilly
, in a very Irish home full of rowdy Irish boys, did that to a guy. Despite his size and intimidating presence, one glimpse of his mega-watt smile and charming dimples put any stranger at ease.
Today he wasn’t wearing that smile, and his dimples were absent. His handsome mug was drawn and serious with a furrowed brow. Sadness marked his mood, something that didn’t represent the fun loving prankster on any given day. Wylie was named such because he was wily
and mischievous even in the womb, according to his mother. Today though, he was anything but cracking jokes, lighthearted, or cracking smiles. Something was wrong.
Evie’s heart dropped at his appearance. The O’Reilly boys had no idea she or Doc were in town and would only know where to find them if they were sent looking. Sent by someone from home. The unsettled feeling that rested in her gut was starting to stir, as old memories and emotions threatened to surface. She knew this was for her.
Everly lost her parents, as a small child, in a tragic hiking accident. They had been too close to a loose edge, snapping a family picture, when the ground beneath them gave way and they plummeted to their deaths, landing on a narrow ledge below. All but Evie, anyway. She survived the fall.
Nobody knew why, entirely, other than something divine must have intervened. If you asked her, though, she died on that cliff that day too. She waited with her deceased parents, on that narrow ledge for days, until they were finally found, and she was rescued. Having lost her grandfather just years before that, it left just Evie and Granny Lou…the only person that she gave her heart to, and even then, it was well guarded.
“You know, it’s pointless to reserve two rooms if you’re just going to use one,” Wylie teased, trying to lighten the dark mood he knew he brought with him.
“Oh, uh, I just came up to see if Ev wanted to grab a bite later.” Doc was determined to protect their secret – that’s how Everly wanted it.
“Really, Doc? So why are your clothes here too, and suitcase…and I’m guessing toothbrush? I didn’t see any of those things in your room,” Wylie teased.
“Wait, you were in my room? How did you…ah, you’re an O’Reilly. Never mind.”
Wylie grinned and nodded, glad his reputation still held. “Exactly. You know everyone knows, right?” He waved a finger between the two. “The only two who believe you aren’t here together or aren’t together in general is you two.”
Doc cringed. He knew deep down that in a small town like McKenzie, there was no such thing as keeping secrets. Add to that the many medical conferences
they both happened to go on. Everly believed they had a good cover and no one was the wiser, and he had just let her believe her false truth.
“Wylie, what is it. Who…” she asked, her voice cracking in anxious emotion, trying to keep her panic at bay.
“Um, well…I got a call. Blake. I guess they’ve all been trying to reach you and couldn’t so they sent us. Well…me.” Wylie danced around the issue, trying to deliver the blow gently, especially since Everly was already seemingly worried.
She quickly turned, making her way to the nightstand, searching for her phone. When she didn’t find it at the other end of her phone charger, she moved to the small table near the large floor to ceiling window and grabbed her purse. More frantic with every step, she dumped the contents of her bag on the table, most falling to the floor, before finally finding her cell phone in the mess.
She held it up, her face paling. “It’s dead. Oh my God, I…”
Doc came to her side and pulled her close, walking them to the bed where he sat her down. Wylie never took his eyes off of her, sympathy lacing his gaze. Doc knew this was a call for her as much as Evie already knew, too. She reached for the charger and plugged in her phone, dropping it on the nightstand like it burned her hand.
“Ev…I’m sorry, but it’s Lou…it’s Gran. We need to get you home.” He paused, letting her take it in. The sharp gasp she let out was hard to take, he needed a minute too. Gran was loved by everyone; even the rambunctious O’Reilly boys had a special bond with her.
“Is she…?” Everly’s words trailed off, a near whisper, afraid to voice what she really needed to know.
“No. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it seem as if… Shit this is hard. Now I know why those assholes sent me. She had a massive heart attack…she collapsed in Baker’s Bakery this morning. She was in surgery last I heard.”
Doc abruptly stood and quickly made his way to the closet, tossing clothes and shoes in the first suitcase he came across. “I’ll drive you. Hurry, let’s go.”
“No! I mean, we drove separately, we should…”
With a dramatic eye roll, Wylie interrupted, “Beck sent his plane, its already waiting for you. Grab what you need, and we’ll get the rest and your cars over to you.”
Everly shook her head, eyes filling with tears, and started to toss things in a bag. “No, no…that’s too much to ask, I can’t.”
“It’s a five-hour drive, Ev, and there is snow on the pass. Beck’s plane will have you there in less than an hour. We’ll be heading over anyway so bringing the cars isn’t a problem,” Wylie reasoned.
Doc put his hand on her shoulders while looking her in the eye. “I’m still coming with you.”
“No, it’s too…weird. Let’s just stick to…”
“Everly, I’m going with you. Not a request, got it? You aren’t going alone. I don’t fucking care what anyone thinks or what that damn town wants to talk about. Understand?” His stern tone had her attention, leaving her no other option but to agree.
“Okay…yeah, okay.” The tears that had been welling, finally spilled over. Everly didn’t do tears, she didn’t cry. Until now.
Wylie dropped his head, feeling her pain. He gave them a minute together. “I’ll be waiting downstairs, I’m parked right out front. Just come down when you’re…ready.”
As Wylie opened the door to leave, he paused at the sound of buzzing. Everly’s phone had enough charge to come back on, and all of the missed calls and text messages were buzzing and pinging. Everly’s gut wrenching sob was the last thing he heard before the door closed behind him. “Fuck. You can’t do this, old woman. You can’t do this to her.”
Beck McCain was a wealthy man – originally from Seattle where his corporation was, he now resided in McKenzie Ridge with his new bride, Morgan Jameson. He had an accident on her property and suffered memory loss, so he went by Guy until he regained his memory after his best friend turned on him and was set on murder. He and Morgan had the kind of whirlwind love affair that belonged in a swoon worthy romance novel.
Beck had a landing strip on his property in Arrow Springs, the next town over, but they had put one in at Pinecrest Ranch, where he and Morgan lived for convenience. He was the newest addition to their family-like group of friends, but fit in perfectly with his kind demeanor and generous heart.
To Everly’s surprise, it wasn’t Beck who met them at the airstrip, but Blake Cooper. He was the town hunky cop who looked over his close-knit group, albeit from a distance. He had his own secret past and demons to battle, but he put the gang first…kept them safe.
“Doc,” he greeted with a nod and handshake.
“Hey man, you our ride?” Doc questioned.
Blake took one look at Evie, her dark shades not fooling anyone, and pulled her into his strong embrace where she wept. Blake wasn’t one for emotion of any kind, certainly not the affectionate type, but Granny Lou was as important to him as anyone and they shared their grief for a moment.
“You hangin’ in there kid?” He kissed the top of her head before letting her go.
“Yeah. I mean, I guess. I don’t know.”
“It’s going to be okay. She’s a tough broad. All that whiskey has her so well preserved, she ain’t going nowhere!”
Both Doc and Ev chuckled at the somewhat endearing thought before Doc put his hand on Blake’s shoulder, appreciating the effort he made for Everly. “I suppose we ought to get out of here?”
“Yep, I brought the work car…lights and shit. We’ll get through traffic faster,” he replied, pointing at the police SUV parked by the hangar.
“Traffic? It’s McKenzie Ridge…” Doc joked, trying to make light of the situation.
“Yeah, well, if I’m going to drive that fast, I need the lights and sirens. I need to set an example. We’ll call it traffic.”
Doc put an arm around Everly and walked her to the waiting squad car. “Touché.”
A lazy bark came from the front seat, grabbing their attention – Blake didn’t have a dog. At closer inspection, a slight smile came to Everly’s face when she realized who was responsible for the not so intimidating bark. It was a grey and black dapple dachshund, with mismatched eyes and a belly so big you couldn’t see his legs.
Stepping around the rear passenger side door, she went to the front and picked up the obese dog, Gran’s wiener
, as she liked to call it, and said, “Moonshine.”
“I grabbed him on my way here. He can stay with me until we get things sorted. It was…the least I could do,” Blake offered with sympathetic words. He too had a close bond with Louise Shaw. Though she was the leader of the town gossip squad, Blake confided in her with secrets he didn’t share with anyone. Those secrets, as juicy as they likely were, didn’t go any further than Granny Lou.
Moonshine licked her face, enticed by her salty tears, and suddenly she felt a bit closer to Gran and a bit more hopeful. She was glad Blake was taking him, but she didn’t want to inconvenience anyone. Moonshine was a high maintenance pet. He was lazy, but required extra care because he was so lazy.
“Blake, I appreciate that, and I know Gran would too, but Moonshine is a bit of a handful,” she reasoned.
“I’ve had dogs before, Ev…big dogs. Moonshine is nothing but a lap dog…not much of a handful. Besides, you sit him down and he’s usually right where you left him an hour later.”
“Well, that’s what I mean. He can’t be left alone long and you have work, so…”
Blake interrupted her before she could finish. “He’s going with me.”
“To work? Won’t you…you know, get in trouble?” she asked.
“First, I’m the boss. Second, no. And third, I’m putting him in the K-9 program.” He deadpanned that last one. Moonshine in the K-9 program was like feeding a cop a carrot in a donut shop…it just didn’t happen.
“The K-9 program?!”
“Yep. He’s about to get in shape – add some years back to his life. Lou’s going to need him healthy when she gets home,” Blake assured, his expression blank, giving away nothing.
“Oh, well…okay then.” She stroked the dog all the way to the hospital, while Moonshine howled from her lap in response to the blaring siren.
McKenzie General Hospital was a short fifteen-minute drive to the opposite side of McKenzie from Pinecrest Ranch where they started. Blake had them there in just over five. He opened the rear door, grabbed Moonshine from Everly’s lap and placed him in the awkward baby carrier like sling draped across his body. He had Granny’s dog packing sling. She carried that dog everywhere in that thing – because he
needed to go for walks
.
Without a word, Blake turned and walked into the hospital, as if there was nothing odd about his presence. Everly and Doc followed close behind, anxiety running high. As much as Everly wanted – needed – to know how Gran was, she feared that knowledge.
Seeing big, beefy, gun toting, super cop Blake Cooper walking in front of her, with a dog hanging from his hip, like he owned the place, gave her a little sense of normal. The man who hadn’t let go of her hand since hearing the news, standing at her side, gave her comfort and calm.
“Uh, Blake…” a nurse said, confusion in her voice, “that’s a dog.”
Blake turned his attention to Captain Obvious, gave her a tight grin and nod, causing her to swoon.
“Yep, sure is.” And he kept on walking like there was nothing unusual about it at all. That was Blake Cooper.
An elevator ride, and several floors later, brought them to the level that made Evie shudder, Cardiac Intensive Care. This was where the worst of the worst landed to battle the odds of life over death. Being a nurse, Everly had the advantage of field knowledge, which was also the disadvantage – she knew too much.
Sighs of relief, even a few light sobs greeted them in the waiting room of the unit. Warm embraces, and sympathetic greetings were shared among the group. They were all there, every one of them, except Sam Tayler. Sam and Everly grew up the best of friends, as close as sisters. When Sam’s mother wanted to be anything but, Gran and Evie took her in and the girls grew up together.
Sam was a lot like Everly when it came to men and love until life intervened a few years back. She was now a stay at home mom, only volunteering and covering nursing shifts when absolutely needed. She and Dawson Tayler, an EMT, had their own steamy love affair that finally led to a happily ever after.
Scanning the room, she couldn’t find Sam, who was probably the one person who understood how she felt the most. Not only because her love for Granny Lou ran just as deep, but because she was also a nurse. Before she could ask for her, the sterile metal double doors swung open and out walked Sam and Doctor Drake Sterling, a well-known Heart Surgeon – the best in the State. He serviced McKenzie General a few times a month, and consulted remotely, but he resided in Portland at the state’s largest hospital.
It was unusual for him to be here at the end of a week, this time of the month. Beck. The man had money, power, and influence. Everly met his gaze, and the smile and nod he returned told her what she already knew. He brought Doctor Sterling here for Gran, for her.
As Sam and Doctor Sterling got closer, their low toned conversation came into range. With Sam’s emotion drawn face telling part of the story, it was her words that set Everly Louise Shaw into a dark abyss.
“She didn’t make it?” Sam choked. “Oh, God, I just can’t believe she’s gone.”
“NO!” Everly cried out before losing her legs beneath her, while the room spun around her, taking her to the ground in a total state of darkness…Gran was gone.