“I need my clothes,” he growled.
He had to get out of this bed, this room, and find Dianna. He needed to make sure she was okay. He hated being away from her, not knowing if she was in pain.
“Mr. MacKenzie,” a young male doctor said as he stepped forward, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He didn’t have time for this bullshit, for meeting any more doctors who wanted to ooh and ah over his injuries. The bullet had barely grazed his thigh. He was fine.
“What happened to my clothes?”
The doctor chuckled. “They were pretty much shredded beyond recognition.” Tapping on the chart he was holding, he said, “You’ll be happy to know that you passed your CT scan with flying colors. No breaks. No ruptures. How are you feeling now?”
“I feel fine. As soon as I get some clothes I’m out of here.”
The nurse looked helplessly at the doctor. The man shrugged, “I’m afraid we can’t let you leave quite yet, but we can try to get you some clothes.”
“I don’t know if I can find anything that will fit him,” the nurse said, blushing profusely as she gestured to Sam’s muscular shoulders and broad chest.
“Dr. Keyes has a similar build. Why don’t you go see if he’s got an extra set of clothes he could lend Mr. MacKenzie?” Turning back to Sam, he said, “Before I go, could you tell me how you did it?”
“Did what?”
“Lived through your fall. You could have died a dozen different ways. But you didn’t.”
Dianna had needed him. He’d needed to get back on the trail so that he could save her and April—and marry Dianna. That had been his motivation, plain and simple.
“I had unfinished business to take care of.” And a woman he loved waiting for him on the other side.
And then a woman walked in carrying a handful of clothes, but it wasn’t the nurse.
It was Dianna.
———
Dropping the clothes, she ran to Sam, burying her head in his chest. He wrapped his strong arms around her and stroked her hair.
Even though she’d managed perfectly well by herself for ten years, she was no longer afraid to admit to herself that she needed him.
His strength. His confidence. His love.
When she was with Sam, she finally felt safe.
“I was so worried about you,” she said softly. “Are you okay?”
He smiled into her eyes and she’d never seen anything more beautiful than his scruffy tanned face—cuts, bruises, and all.
“Never better. Why aren’t you in bed? You’ve got to be exhausted.”
She laughed. Here he’d been hit by a bullet and he wanted to know why she wasn’t resting.
“This time you’re the one who needs to rest,” she said, pressing a soft kiss on his lips. “You’ve spent so long taking care of me and everyone else. Now it’s finally my turn to take care of you.”
“I’m fine,” he insisted, but she wanted to make him understand.
“For so long, I told myself I didn’t need anyone to watch over me, that I wasn’t going to wait for some guy to swoop in and save me. But I was wrong. It’s not about being saved, it’s about knowing there’s someone out there who will always have your back, no matter what.”
She leaned in close to kiss him again. “You’ve always been the strong one, Sam. You’ve always been the one who had my back. This time, let me take care of you.”
Cupping her face with his hands, he kissed her so sweetly, her lips were a direct line to her heart.
“How can a guy argue with that?”
Smiling, she said, “I told the doctors I’d work my special powers to get you to see reason.”
“Tell them to throw their pills away. You’re the only medicine I need,” he said, before asking, “How’s April doing? Have you seen her yet?”
“I was just in her room. She’s going to be fine. And we talked, Sam. Really talked for the first time.”
“I’m glad,” he said, smiling. “I can’t wait to meet her to tell her what a great big sister she has.”
And then he grew serious again, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “Who was that guy on the trail? Why was he after you? Did he hurt you?”
As if on cue, there were two sharp raps on the door. The two police officers from the campground walked into Sam’s room.
“Ms. Kelley, Mr. MacKenzie, if you don’t mind, we’ve got some questions to ask both of you.”
Dianna’s heart jumped, but Sam’s hand on hers helped calm her down. Never having been nearly as comfortable on the other side of the interviewer’s chair, she wanted to get her part over with as soon as possible. Speaking quickly, she summarized the situation as best she could for the cops. Talking about the stranger’s revenge plot, she felt as if she were watching herself from a distance.
When she finished recounting her part of the story, the police turned their attention to Sam.
“So you admit to lighting the fires, Mr. MacKenzie?” one of the officers asked when he was finished recounting his part of the story.
Sam’s steady gaze didn’t waver. “Yes.”
He’d already explained his reasons, that creating a smoke signal was his only chance to be seen beneath the thick canopy of trees. He didn’t give excuses or make apologies.
Now more than ever, Dianna saw that he’d risked everything for her. His career and his life.
“Did the hotshot crew put the fires out yet?” Sam asked.
“Yes, but we’re still going to have to write you up for arson.”
“Understood.”
The police closed their notebooks and stood up, but Dianna had no intention of letting them leave before she got her questions answered too.
“Who was he?”
The taller cop with the gray hair answered. “His name was Graham Taylor.”
She could tell they wanted to leave it at that, but she, Sam, and April had all nearly died at his hands.
“What was that place he took me to?”
The officers looked at each other, the older one giving a quick nod to the younger one, who said, “A meth lab. We’ve been looking for him for the past few months, but all trails led to his twin brother. We were still gathering evidence and hadn’t yet questioned either Jacob or Graham.” Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m sure we’ll be back in touch by phone in the near future.”
He had to get out of this bed, this room, and find Dianna. He needed to make sure she was okay. He hated being away from her, not knowing if she was in pain.
“Mr. MacKenzie,” a young male doctor said as he stepped forward, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He didn’t have time for this bullshit, for meeting any more doctors who wanted to ooh and ah over his injuries. The bullet had barely grazed his thigh. He was fine.
“What happened to my clothes?”
The doctor chuckled. “They were pretty much shredded beyond recognition.” Tapping on the chart he was holding, he said, “You’ll be happy to know that you passed your CT scan with flying colors. No breaks. No ruptures. How are you feeling now?”
“I feel fine. As soon as I get some clothes I’m out of here.”
The nurse looked helplessly at the doctor. The man shrugged, “I’m afraid we can’t let you leave quite yet, but we can try to get you some clothes.”
“I don’t know if I can find anything that will fit him,” the nurse said, blushing profusely as she gestured to Sam’s muscular shoulders and broad chest.
“Dr. Keyes has a similar build. Why don’t you go see if he’s got an extra set of clothes he could lend Mr. MacKenzie?” Turning back to Sam, he said, “Before I go, could you tell me how you did it?”
“Did what?”
“Lived through your fall. You could have died a dozen different ways. But you didn’t.”
Dianna had needed him. He’d needed to get back on the trail so that he could save her and April—and marry Dianna. That had been his motivation, plain and simple.
“I had unfinished business to take care of.” And a woman he loved waiting for him on the other side.
And then a woman walked in carrying a handful of clothes, but it wasn’t the nurse.
It was Dianna.
———
Dropping the clothes, she ran to Sam, burying her head in his chest. He wrapped his strong arms around her and stroked her hair.
Even though she’d managed perfectly well by herself for ten years, she was no longer afraid to admit to herself that she needed him.
His strength. His confidence. His love.
When she was with Sam, she finally felt safe.
“I was so worried about you,” she said softly. “Are you okay?”
He smiled into her eyes and she’d never seen anything more beautiful than his scruffy tanned face—cuts, bruises, and all.
“Never better. Why aren’t you in bed? You’ve got to be exhausted.”
She laughed. Here he’d been hit by a bullet and he wanted to know why she wasn’t resting.
“This time you’re the one who needs to rest,” she said, pressing a soft kiss on his lips. “You’ve spent so long taking care of me and everyone else. Now it’s finally my turn to take care of you.”
“I’m fine,” he insisted, but she wanted to make him understand.
“For so long, I told myself I didn’t need anyone to watch over me, that I wasn’t going to wait for some guy to swoop in and save me. But I was wrong. It’s not about being saved, it’s about knowing there’s someone out there who will always have your back, no matter what.”
She leaned in close to kiss him again. “You’ve always been the strong one, Sam. You’ve always been the one who had my back. This time, let me take care of you.”
Cupping her face with his hands, he kissed her so sweetly, her lips were a direct line to her heart.
“How can a guy argue with that?”
Smiling, she said, “I told the doctors I’d work my special powers to get you to see reason.”
“Tell them to throw their pills away. You’re the only medicine I need,” he said, before asking, “How’s April doing? Have you seen her yet?”
“I was just in her room. She’s going to be fine. And we talked, Sam. Really talked for the first time.”
“I’m glad,” he said, smiling. “I can’t wait to meet her to tell her what a great big sister she has.”
And then he grew serious again, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “Who was that guy on the trail? Why was he after you? Did he hurt you?”
As if on cue, there were two sharp raps on the door. The two police officers from the campground walked into Sam’s room.
“Ms. Kelley, Mr. MacKenzie, if you don’t mind, we’ve got some questions to ask both of you.”
Dianna’s heart jumped, but Sam’s hand on hers helped calm her down. Never having been nearly as comfortable on the other side of the interviewer’s chair, she wanted to get her part over with as soon as possible. Speaking quickly, she summarized the situation as best she could for the cops. Talking about the stranger’s revenge plot, she felt as if she were watching herself from a distance.
When she finished recounting her part of the story, the police turned their attention to Sam.
“So you admit to lighting the fires, Mr. MacKenzie?” one of the officers asked when he was finished recounting his part of the story.
Sam’s steady gaze didn’t waver. “Yes.”
He’d already explained his reasons, that creating a smoke signal was his only chance to be seen beneath the thick canopy of trees. He didn’t give excuses or make apologies.
Now more than ever, Dianna saw that he’d risked everything for her. His career and his life.
“Did the hotshot crew put the fires out yet?” Sam asked.
“Yes, but we’re still going to have to write you up for arson.”
“Understood.”
The police closed their notebooks and stood up, but Dianna had no intention of letting them leave before she got her questions answered too.
“Who was he?”
The taller cop with the gray hair answered. “His name was Graham Taylor.”
She could tell they wanted to leave it at that, but she, Sam, and April had all nearly died at his hands.
“What was that place he took me to?”
The officers looked at each other, the older one giving a quick nod to the younger one, who said, “A meth lab. We’ve been looking for him for the past few months, but all trails led to his twin brother. We were still gathering evidence and hadn’t yet questioned either Jacob or Graham.” Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m sure we’ll be back in touch by phone in the near future.”
