CHAPTER TWO

 

Austin stared at the ceiling in his hospital room, hoping the nightmare would end. The moment he was ushered into the emergency room, he was put into a room where he was poked, prodded, and asked to remove his clothes. He was confident there was nothing wrong with him. He’d inhaled far more toxic fumes when he was on assignment in the military. He just needed a long hot shower to rinse the grime off his face and a good night’s sleep.

There was a light knock on the door, and then it opened. It was Peyton.

She rushed over and gave him a hug. “Are you OK?”

“I’m fine.” He gave her a squeeze back. “Nothing to worry about. Did you hear anything about Angela?”

“She’s in a room down the hall. I didn’t get much information except that they’re working on getting her lungs clear. Alex can fill us in when he gets here. He was in a meeting, but he’s on his way over.”

“He doesn’t have to do that.”

“That’s what friends do. And no worries about the truck. I had the spare set of keys in my purse, so I drove it over here and parked it in the lot.”

“Thanks, darlin’.” He glanced at the door, frowning. “I wonder what’s taking them so long. I hate hospitals.”

She fluffed his pillow. “Yes, you detest hospitals, granola, and when Grayson refers to himself in the third person. Especially on poker night. You said he does it to rattle your concentration on the cards.”

Peyton did know him well. He’d been friends with a lot of women, but she was the one he’d had a true brother-sister bond with. Thankfully his friend Alex understood that bond.

“You know me so well.” He smiled. “We can still get to the Lazy L for those chicken wings when I'm cleared to leave.”

“Are you nuts?” Peyton glared at him as she moved around the room tidying up. “You need to go home and get some rest. We can pig out on bar food another time.”

“I want to get out of here as soon as I can. But until this glorified prison releases me, why don’t you tell me how it went with Noah and Chloe’s grandparents.” She’d been nervous about meeting Alex’s first wife’s parents. They were breaking the news that they’d gotten engaged.

“It went pretty well. They’re really nice people.”

A blond-haired guy wearing a lab coat and a stethoscope draped around his neck bounded through the door. “Mr. Holbrook. I’m Dr. Warner.”

“What’s the prognosis?”

“You suffered some minor smoke inhalation.” Dr. Warner glanced over the chart. He lifted his stethoscope. “Let’s have a listen.”

Austin frowned. He wanted to hear something more substantial after being stripped and put into a silly cotton gown for apparently no reason.

“Take a deep breath.” Dr. Warner moved the diaphragm around. “Now breathe regularly.”

Austin complied. When Dr. Warner finished, he scribbled some notes on the chart.

“When can I get sprung, doc? I have to get back to the ranch.” He’d intended on checking the inventory in the stable feed rooms when he returned from his date with Peyton so he could place an order the next morning.

“Things sound pretty good. But you’ve had a traumatic experience.” Dr. Warner glanced up from the chart. “I’m not so sure I want you leaving here tonight.”

That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Not at all. “I wasn’t in the building that long. Angela bore the brunt of it.” He paused, some of his growing frustration replaced with concern for her. “How is she, by the way?”

“You know I can’t divulge another patient’s medical status.” Dr. Warner continued scribbling on the chart.

Peyton put her hand on her hip. “Even if he’s the rescuer?”

“Yes. If I made a special exception for everyone who made general inquiries, I’d be violating HIPAA laws all day long.”

“He didn’t ask for her T-cell count,” Peyton fired back. “He asked if she was OK.”

“Peyton.” Austin took her hand. “Dr. Warner is right. He’s just doing his job and protecting the hospital.”

“Don’t worry,” the doctor assured them both. “We’ll get Harper Grove’s resident cowpoke back on his feet as soon as I feel he’s ready.” He smirked. “I think the nurses look forward to tending to you.”

Austin’s jaw ticked. This guy was an ass. Either he didn’t know the definition of a cowpoke or he’d just assumed Austin was lazy. He’d bet money that this doctor’s knowledge of country life was derived from watching old spaghetti westerns and occasionally listening to contemporary country western songs. There was more to being a cowboy than that. It was a balance of being rough-and-tumble, elegant, chivalrous, respectful, and kickass on horseback.

Just then the door opened. It was Alex and Grayson.

“Is it my fault my professional opinion is sought after no matter where I go?” Grayson asked Alex as they moved further into the room. “When someone asks my opinion about getting a breast augmentation, I’m going to give them a straight answer. I don’t care if I’m in line at the supermarket.”

“You’re delusional.” Alex rolled his eyes. “Austin. The man of the hour. How are you feeling?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but Dr. Warner interrupted.

“Dr. Popovich. Dr. Grayson. It’s good to see you.” Dr. Warner put his hands on his hips. “Well, well. I didn’t know there was a board meeting scheduled in this room. I’ve been meaning to get some face time with both of you. It’s an honor to be working with esteemed surgeons.”

“Well, I think our friend Austin wants your time and attention right now.” Grayson shot him a look and perused the chart.

“We’re off the clock,” Alex added. “Austin’s a good friend.”

“Oh. I was just telling Mr. Holbrook that things are picking up.”

“But not good enough to be released,” Austin said.

“Everything looks good. Vitals are good, little smoke inhalation. His lungs sound clear,” Dr. Warner said. “Normally I’d like to have the patient stay overnight as a precaution. I was just telling him and his girlfriend that we’re simply taking necessary safety measures. I know things like this will be considered in my six-month review.”

“Peyton is Austin’s best friend. She’s my fiancée,” Alex replied, a warning in the tone of his voice. “Yes, it’s prudent we observe patients, but you also have to avoid being overly cautious. The alternative is having an ornery patient in the hospital. It’s bad for morale.”

Peyton looked at Alex. “Babe, how’s Angela?”

“She’s stable. Angela’s a fighter, I can’t see anything keeping her down.”

“Thanks for telling me.” She glared at Dr. Warner. “That was informative without violating her privacy.”

“What’s going on?” Grayson put the clipboard down. “Everything looks OK to me.”

Dr. Warner picked up the metal clipboard and tapped on the edge of the bedframe so hard it was beginning to rattle it. “Mr. Holbrook. I think in this case we can let you go home.”

“Great.” Austin flashed him a toothy smile. Dr. Warner looked like he was trying to keep it cool, but he could tell his attempts to impress Alex and Grayson had gone down the tubes.

“But we do have to get you to fill out the release papers.”

“Fine. I’d add my name to the Declaration of Independence if it will get me out of here tonight.”

“Good.” He nodded. “Doctors. I’m off to check on Angela again.”

“Good call,” Grayson replied.

As soon as the door closed, Austin let out a chuckle. “I’d say that was a healthy slice of humble pie.”

“Levi Warner, he’s the new triage doctor. He’s good, but a little full of himself.” Alex sighed.

“I hate when those hotshot newbies try to suck up,” Grayson groaned.

“Who are you kidding?” Alex mused. “You love torturing them.”

“Thanks for the assist in getting me out of here,” Austin said.

“It comes with strings.” Alex held up a hand. “If you don’t go home and rest, one of us will come stay the night with you.”

Grayson grinned. “I would come keep vigil, but I have a date.”

“We can come by with the kids.” Peyton fluffed his pillow again. “I hope you don’t mind Chloe practicing her flute.”

“It’s not necessary.” Austin laughed. “Thanks for the concern, but I have all of your numbers on speed dial. If I need help, I’ll reach out.”

“We’ll let you get dressed.” Peyton smiled. “I’m so glad you’re OK.”

As they filed out of the room, he couldn’t help but get a warm feeling inside. It felt good to know he had friends who cared about him. For so long he’d felt like a loner in Harper’s Grove, and then one day he met Peyton. A short while later he befriended Alex and Grayson. They were good friends, and he felt like they were a second family. He loved Alex’s kids, Noah and Chloe, to pieces.

Austin hopped out of bed, took off the hospital gown, and looked around the room for his clothes. Peyton had put them in a neat file on a chair across the room, and his boots were underneath. Since the Lazy L was out, he’d go home and heat some leftovers in the fridge after he checked the feed inventory.

There was a knock at the door. It must have been one of the nurses with his discharge papers.

The door opened before he could say a word. “Mr. Holbrook I’m—”

“Where do I sign?” he interrupted, turning toward the door. “I’m ready to get out of here—” He stopped talking. The woman at the door was definitely not one of the nurses. It was a beautiful brunette woman wearing a hip-hugging pair of jeans and a tan leather jacket. She had a full figure and full breasts. Those red-colored lips were begging to be kissed. She looked like a sultry adventurer of some sort, with a camera dangling around her neck. She looked the kind of woman that men would do anything for just to be with her.

“I’m afraid I’m not here to give you your freedom,” she said.

He grinned. “No worries. How’s your bedside manner?”

 

 

Savannah hadn’t been able to get any information from the nurses except that Angela was being examined, but she did step back and observe her surroundings. The nurses were giggling at the desk about Austin Holbrook and which of them would get to go in and discharge him. A little eavesdropping and she’d even learned what room he was in. She’d snuck past the nurse’s station and started searching for his hospital room. When she found it, she knocked and pushed her way inside.

Now Savannah couldn’t help but blink at the spectacle before her. The man was standing there in nothing but his boxers, holding a pair of jeans in his hand. The nurses weren’t exaggerating in their description of him. Sexy dreams were made of rugged, earthy men like him. He was gorgeous in a rugged way, right down to the bedroom eyes. But that was just the beginning. His good looks were not to be overshadowed by the chiseled hard body, strong corded thighs, and a tight, round ass that you could bounce a quarter off. Not to mention the badass tattoo he had on his upper arm. Keep your eyes on his face, she reminded herself to resist the urge to get another look at the impressive big bulge in the front of his boxers when he turned to face her.

What was she doing? Salivating over a man she’d just met? Yeah, it had been a while since she’d had sex, but she was a professional reporter for heaven’s sake. She’d seen a man before. It had been an eon since she’d seen a specimen like that but she wasn’t there to leer. She had a job to do.

“My bedside manner is just fine, thank you very much.”

He looked her over. “You’re not a nurse.”

“Or a doctor.” She squinted at him.

“My apologies.” He held up his hand. “Not a nurse or a doctor, but you do have a camera. Are you some kind of pervert?”

“No.” Her eyes drifted to his tight six pack abs then flew back to his face. “I have a great reason for the camera.”

“Well. Let’s hear it.”

“Savannah Brewster.” She dug into her jacket pocket for her press pass. “Harper’s Gazette.”

“Austin Holbrook.” He pulled his jeans over his hips. “Now back to my question. Why are you here, Ms. Brewster?”

She locked in again on the tattoo on his upper arm but was too far away to read it. Perhaps her optometrist was right about her needing glasses. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I hear you were the one who pulled Angela out of the fire. I’d like to get some information for the newspaper. You know for a small town like this, its big news what you did.”

“No.” He put on his shirt, finally hiding those sexy abs from her, and she tried not to be disappointed. “No interview.”

“I promise it will only take a few minutes of your time.”

“Fine. I saw the restaurant on fire. I heard a call for help. I went in and retrieved Angela. End of story.” He sat in the chair and reached for his boots.

“You sure know how to tell a story.” She rolled her eyes. “You could probably condense the retelling of WWII onto a pamphlet.”

“I could get it all down on a cocktail napkin.” He grinned. “I don’t like to waste words or my time. No matter how lovely the company may be.”

The knock on the door came just in time. She trying to think of a snappy comeback, but it was hard when he looked at her like that.

A nurse entered holding a clipboard. “Mr. Holbrook. I have some release papers for you to sign.”

“Thank you, Bernice.” He took the pen and began to sign.

“Don’t forget if you feel nauseous or dizzy, please come back to the emergency room immediately.”

“I promise.” He scribbled next to the line where the nurse pointed. “Angela still doing all right?”

“Well, I’m not supposed to divulge another patient’s status, but…” The nurse looked at the door then turned back. “She’s doing much better. She’s resting right now. Of course she may be here a few days. Now you’re free to leave.”

“You sure he doesn’t need to stay longer?” Savannah asked. Getting him in back into bed would mean he’d stay put and she could coax him into an interview.

“No, Dr. Warner said we could release him.”

Damn it. Levi was on duty tonight after all. She had to keep her head down. She really didn’t want to see her ex-boyfriend.

“Thank you for taking such good care of me, Bernice,” Austin said. “Please pass along a message to Angela that I’ll be back tomorrow to visit her.”

“I sure will.” Bernice flashed a big smile and floated out the door.

Savannah gave him the side-eye. “So I take it this flirty shtick works for you?”

“That depends. Is it working on you?”

“Not even close.”

“Too bad.” He picked up his hat. “You have a good night, Ms. Brewster.”

He was out the door before she could utter a word. Since when was she tongue-tied like some shy schoolgirl around a man? He may have been curt, but she did get enough to put together a rough quote. The rest she could fluff up to give it some meat.

Since Levi was the attending on duty, she thought it best to beat a hasty retreat. She didn’t need to experience another awkward moment with her ex-boyfriend while trying to do her job.

She hurried into the corridor and was making her way toward the elevators when she heard his booming voice in the distance. It was definitely time to get out of Dodge. But it was too late. He’d spotted her and waved his hand to signal to her. She turned around and walked quickly down the hall as if she hadn’t seen him, but it was too late.

He ran up behind her. “Savannah, Is that you?”

“Levi.” She plastered on a smile and turned around.

He looked her over. “What a pleasant surprise! You look amazing.”

“Thanks.”

“I guess you got my text about getting together for coffee. I wasn’t sure you’d gotten it. You haven’t responded to my texts for over a month.”

“I’ve been busy.” She hadn’t responded to his texts because she hadn’t wanted to have coffee with him and she knew it would drive him crazy. Levi hated to be ignored. “But I’m not here for you. I’m on official newspaper business.”

“Really? The Gazette actually covers town news?”

“Of course they do. Believe it or not, life does occur outside this hospital.”

“I’m glad you’re here. I’ve missed you.” He took her hand and gave her a once-over again. “You really look good. Have you been working out?”

She pulled her hand away. “I’ve developed a health regimen that works for me.”

She’d always been a voluptuous woman and took pride in her appearance. She and Levi had been together three months before he started making subtle comments about her weight. It had become so exhausting trying to be perfect for him until she realized that men like Levi were always putting expectations on women because they weren’t happy with themselves.

Her break up with Levi had sparked a whole lot of crying, and she went back to crappy eating habits. One day she’d decided to put down the bag of chips and soda and go for a jog, and it did wonders for her. She’d even bought herself a fancy exercise machine after watching an infomercial one night. She got fit for herself, and she liked her new look. And if men like Austin Holbrook flirted with her, it was icing on the cake but not validation of her self-worth.

“You didn’t like to work out when we were together,” Levi continued.

“And you thought exercise was a religion. I like to do it without the stress of someone yelling at me like a psycho personal trainer because I can’t do a push-up.” She scowled at him.

“All great instructors yell passionately when they believe in something. And I believed all you needed was an extra push to lose the weight.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “It was more like verbal abuse. Just like trying to shame me because I wanted ice cream after dinner. Or pinching my stomach with salad tongs.”

“I thought I was motivating you.” He looked at his watch. “I can take a few minutes for that coffee. How about we have dinner one night next week?”

“I’ve been pretty busy. My schedule is packed for the foreseeable future.”

“Then I’ll text you until you say yes.” He grinned. “How’s Blue? I’ve been meaning to stop by and visit him. Maybe we could take him to the park together? I miss him, and I’m sure he misses his dad too.”

“He seems fine. Coming around may confuse him again.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Do you know where the fire victim is? I’d like to get a quote from her.”

“Angela’s in no shape for visitors after the night she’s had.” He raised an eyebrow. “You sure you didn’t come here to see me?”

A blonde nurse walked by and smiled at Levi. He tried to be inconspicuous, but she could see the interest in his eyes.

“Latest conquest?” She motioned to the nurse as she sashayed down the hall in her blue scrubs like she was wearing an evening gown.

“What? No.” He scratched at his five o’clock shadow. “We’re just friends.”

“You have a lot of just friends.”

“Let’s not do this. It was your paranoia that broke us up.”

“No, it was you coming home smelling like another woman’s perfume that split us up.”

“I told you—”

“Let’s not do this again. I’m over it.”

“You don’t mean that. I know you still miss us. It’s no reason to keep our boy away from me. You want to get back together. Why else would you have gone and given yourself a makeover?”

“Excuse me?” Levi’s toxic, me-first energy had always been a specter looming in their relationship. He was good-looking, brilliant, and a gifted doctor. The confidence he first exuded when they met was intoxicating until she realized that was also his biggest flaw. She shivered when she thought there was a time when she’d wanted to marry him. “Whatever I did to myself, I did for me. I could have used some moral support from you when we were together. But I know now I never would have gotten what I needed from you.”

Another nurse approached with a patient’s chart in her hand. “Dr. Warner, we need your authorization to do the blood work up on the patient in room five.”

“I gotta go,” Levi said. “But I really do want to get together for that dinner.” He kissed her on the cheek and walked off.

He never listened to her. He should have walked away defeated or at least taken back by her words. And worse, he was still trying to convince her that she was imagining things. The look the nurse had given him was subtle, but Savannah could read the signs. She’d spent many a day watching him being flirty with other women.

Savannah took a deep breath and forged on toward the elevator. She would come back tomorrow and see if she could get an interview with Angela. She hadn’t accomplished anything she’d set out to do tonight. Both interviews were a bust, but she did get to see Austin in his boxers, so it wasn’t a total loss. She stood back as two nurses exited the elevator. They were so busy chatting, they almost ran her over.

“Did you hear about the fire? Austin Holbrook rushed in and saved and the day,” the red-headed nurse with the ponytail gushed. “It’s too bad he got released. I would’ve loved to have shown him my bedside manner.”

“I was hoping he’d need a sponge bath,” the blonde with the cropped hairstyle cooed.

“I signed up for horse-riding lessons at the Southern Comfort. They have a waiting list.”

“You already know how to ride.”

“I know.” The pony-tailed nurse giggled.

Savannah tried to control her gag reflex as she got on the elevator. Apparently, Austin had quite an effect on the ladies. Funny how she’d never run into him in town, but she’d bet he spent a lot of time on that ranch of his. The way the general public swooned over him, it was no wonder the man had a reputation as a ladies’ man. They eagerly lined up waiting to be his next victim.

All she wanted from him was an interview.