A Knight for Nurse Hart (11 page)

“Grizz, it's so good to see you,” his father crooned, lavishing the dog with attention. “Did you miss me? Huh? Do you miss me, boy?”

Caleb was very glad Raine had arranged the visit. When she came up to slip her arm around his waist, leaning lightly against him, he realized why his father kept trying to find someone to share his life with. Because it was nice to share everything, good times and bad, with someone.

He'd only been in kindergarten when his mother had taken off, but he was ashamed to realize he hadn't really looked at the situation from his father's point of view in the years since. His father had been abandoned by his wife. And he'd had a small son to care for while trying
to run a veterinary practice. Could he blame his dad for wanting someone to share his daily life with? For wanting help in raising a son?

Was it his father's fault he'd picked the wrong women? His father deserved better. He suddenly he couldn't stand the thought of his father being alone.

“Have you thought about patching things up with Shirley?” he asked abruptly.

“Shirley?” His father's face went blank for a moment, and then the corner of his father's mouth quirked upward. “You mean Sharon?”

Oops. Damn. “Yeah, that's it. Sharon.”

Raine scowled. “Wait a minute—Sharon? What about Marlene Fitzgerald? From the shelter?”

“Marlene?” His father's cheeks turned a dull shade of red and suddenly every iota of his father's attention was focused on Grizz. “We're just friends,” he muttered.

“Just friends?” Raine's brows hiked upward. “Really? Because she looked devastated when she heard you'd had emergency open heart surgery.”

She had? Caleb was exasperated to discover Raine knew more about his father's recent love life than he did.

“She came to visit, but I sent her away.” His father frowned. “A woman wants a man who'll take care of her, not an invalid like me.”

Caleb hid a wince, because he could certainly understand. Starting a relationship so soon after open heart surgery probably wasn't a good plan.

“That's not true,” Raine protested, going over to kneel beside his father's wheelchair. Grizz licked her cheek, but she didn't take her imploring gaze off his
father. “A woman wants a man to be her partner. And the whole point of a partnership is taking turns helping each other.”

Caleb stared at her as the full impact of her words slowly sank into his brain.

He'd been an idiot. Like his father, Raine didn't want to be an invalid. She'd said as much, hadn't she? She didn't want him to take care of her, the way he'd been trying to do since he'd discovered she'd been assaulted.

His gut clenched in warning. He'd asked for a second chance, but he knew that a big part of his reasoning had been because he'd wanted to help Raine through her ordeal. To support her.

But obviously that wasn't at all what she wanted from him.

A
COLD
chill trickled down his spine. Could he be a true partner for Raine? Could he put aside his doubts for good? God knew, he wanted to.

Just minutes earlier he'd watched her hug Bryan, the young security guard, and instantly the old familiar doubts had crept in.

He wanted a second chance with her—but if he blew it this time, he knew there wouldn't be another.

“Maybe you're right,” his father said, giving Raine a half hopeful, half uncertain look. “But I can barely get around. I'll wait to talk to Marlene until after I get back on my feet.”

“I think you should talk to her sooner rather than later,” Raine mildly disagreed, scratching Grizzly behind the ears. “Unless you think for some reason she won't get along with Grizz?”

“The dogs at the shelter seem to like her well enough, and she's not afraid of them. I'm sure Grizz will like her, too.”

“Well, that's good, because you certainly wouldn't
want to call on a woman who doesn't get along with your dog,” Raine lightly teased.

“Sharon was afraid of Grizz,” his father said. “I should have known that was a bad sign. I think Grizz could tell, too because he growled at her. And he never growls at anyone.”

Raine laughed, a light-hearted sound that reminded Caleb of the wonderful times they'd spent together. She'd told him she wasn't the same woman she'd been before, but he didn't agree. The old Raine was still there, and given enough time and healing she'd return. “Definitely not a good sign. Spice hissed at Caleb, too,” she confided.

He put a lid on his troublesome thoughts. “Guess that means I don't have much of a chance, huh?” he asked in a light tone.

Raine glanced over her shoulder at him and raised a brow. “I don't know. I'll think about it.”

His father glanced between them with a knowing smile, looking a hundred times better than when they'd first arrived. “What plans do the two of you have for today?”

“Nothing special,” Raine said with a shrug.

“Why not go to the state fair?” his father persisted. “It opened on Friday and goes all week.”

“The fair? I haven't been on the Ferris wheel in ages,” Raine murmured. But her eyes brightened with interest, and Caleb knew his father had presented the perfect solution.

“I haven't been to the fair lately either, but I'm up for it if you are,” he said, hoping she'd agree.

Her smile widened. “I'd love to.”

“Have fun,” his father said, shifting in his seat. He glanced longingly at the dog. “Do you think the nurses would notice if Grizz stayed with me in my room?”

“I think they might become a tad suspicious, especially when he needs to go outside,” he said wryly. “How much longer will you need to stay in the hospital?”

“They're talking about sending me home in a day or two, depending on how well I can walk,” his father admitted.

“Well, I guess you'd better get walking, then.” He made a mental note to talk to Steven Summers for himself. “I'll be happy to move in for a while to help once you're home.”

“Thanks.” The older man leaned over to give the dog one last hug. “See you soon, Grizzly,” he murmured.

Caleb felt bad leaving his father at the hospital, but they needed to take Grizzly home. “Good idea, bringing Grizz in for a visit,” he said to Raine as they walked with Grizzly outside.

“He really perked up, didn't he? And I bet Marlene would be willing to help your father, too, if he'd only give her a chance.”

“Maybe he will.” Caleb didn't want his father to be alone, but he also didn't want his father to rush into anything.

He wanted his father to take his time, to find the right woman to partner with.

And as he glanced at Raine he knew it was time to take his own advice. Raine wasn't Tabitha. She was a hundred times better than Tabitha. If he couldn't trust Raine, he couldn't trust anyone.

 

Thrilled with the idea of going to the state fair, Raine could hardly maintain her patience as Caleb took care of Grizz. She hadn't been to the fair since going with her older brothers, years ago.

When Caleb was finally ready to go, she nearly skipped with anticipation. The sounds and scents of the fair reminded her of happier times.

“There's the Ferris wheel,” she said, clutching Caleb's arm with excitement.

“Do you want something to eat first? Or after the ride?” he asked.

“Eat first, but I don't want any of that weird fried food on a stick,” she said, grimacing at the people in front of them who were eating deep-fried Oreo cookies on a stick. “I'm sorry, but that looks disgusting.”

“Okay, nothing on a stick,” he agreed good-naturedly.

They settled on burgers, and then wandered down the midway. She remembered the Ferris wheel as being huge, but now that she was an adult the ride wasn't nearly as impressive.

But Caleb had already bought their tickets, so she stood in line beside him. When it was their turn, she felt like a giddy teenager, sliding into the seat next to him.

Caleb put his arm around her and she leaned against him contentedly as they began their slow ascent. When they reached the top, she gazed down at the fairgrounds, amazed at how far she could see.

“Look at all the people,” she said in a low whisper, suddenly struck by how much more crowded everything looked from up here.

“Check out the lines of people streaming in through the entrances,” Caleb pointed out. “We must have arrived well before the rush.”

She leaned a little closer to Caleb, abruptly glad to be up in the Ferris wheel, far away from the crowd. She'd never been enochlophobic before, but she was feeling apprehensive about going back down amidst the masses of people.

“You're not afraid of heights, are you?” Caleb asked, as if sensing her fear.

“No, not at all.” And she wasn't afraid of crowds either. She was determined not to let anything ruin her day.

“Good.” He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her mouth.

The ride was over too soon. When their car came to the bottom of the Ferris wheel and stopped, she stepped off with reluctance.

She led the way back down the midway, but people were pressing against her, and she must have muttered “Excuse me” a dozen times in her attempt to get past.

When a particularly large man shoved her backward, a rush of panic exploded. “
Let me through!
”

“Raine?” She could hear Caleb calling her name, but couldn't see him. And suddenly she wasn't standing in the midway of the state fairgrounds any more.

The music of the After Dark nightclub was deafening. Her feet ached from dancing, but suddenly she just wanted to go home. But where was Jamie? And the rest of her friends?

Sandwiched between two guys, she tried to brush
past, but their large frames held her captive. Yet despite the close contact, she wasn't alarmed.

“Hey, you're not leaving already, are you?” the one guy asked, taking hold of her arm. “I thought we were celebrating? I just bought you a drink.”

She'd recognized two of the rugby followers they'd danced with earlier. The one guy talked a lot, but the other one just looked at her. “Just a soft drink, right?” she'd clarified, before accepting the glass.

“Yeah, just a soft drink.”

The brief memory faded away. That had been the last thing she remembered before waking up the next day, feeling extremely hungover. Her body had ached in places it shouldn't have but it hadn't been until she'd found the white stain on her sheets that the sick realization had dawned.

She'd been drugged and raped.

“Raine!” Caleb's worried face filled her field of vision, his hands lightly clutching her shoulders. “What happened? Are you all right?”

She tried to nod but realized her face was wet with tears so she shook her head. “I need to get out of here,” she whispered. “Can we leave now? Please?”

Caleb's expression turned grim and he nodded, tucking her close. “Excuse us,” he said loudly, using his arm as a battering ram as he barreled through the crowd. “Move aside, please.”

It seemed like an eternity but they eventually broke free of the worst of the mass of people. “What happened?” he asked in a low, urgent tone. “Did you see someone who looked familiar?”

She shook her head, unable to speak. He worried that she'd seen someone from that night, and she had, but only in her repressed memories. Caleb must have understood, because he didn't push for anything more but simply tucked her under his arm and led the way out of the fairgrounds to the street where they'd parked their car.

Safe in the passenger seat, she slowly relaxed. “Thanks,” she murmured.

His gaze was full of concern. “I'm sorry. I didn't realize the crowds would get to you.”

“Neither did I,” she admitted. “And it wasn't just the crowd, it was being in that crush that brought back memories of that night.”

Caleb started the car and pulled into traffic. “Do you think you could recognize him?” Caleb asked.

“Maybe.” But she wasn't completely certain. For one thing, there had been two guys and she was sure only one of them had taken her home. But which one she had no idea. They'd claimed to be friends of one of the rugby players, but which player? “The nightclub was really crowded, and it was hard to move, just like it was on the midway. Two guys bought me a soda, but unfortunately, that's the last thing I remember.”

“It's okay. They'll catch him,” Caleb said with a confidence she was far from feeling. When he reached out to take her hand, she grasped it gratefully. She was relieved when he let the topic go without pressing for more details.

“Sorry we didn't get to see much of the fair,” she said, feeling slightly foolish now that the initial panic had faded.

“It doesn't matter, Raine. I was only interested in
spending the day with you.” His sincere tone made her believe he truly didn't mind. “I'm sure Grizz is lonely. I'll cook you dinner at my place instead.”

“Really?” she couldn't remember him ever offering to cook for her when they'd dated before. She had to admit she was impressed with his willingness to start over. “Are you sure you don't mind?”

“Of course I don't mind. We'll have to stop at the grocery store, though, to pick up a few things.”

“Okay.” When they stopped at the grocery store, located not far from Caleb's house, they bought more than just a
few things
. Caleb started with thick ribeye steaks and fresh mixings for a salad, but somehow their entire cart was soon full of other goodies before they made their way to the checkout.

She'd never grocery shopped with a man before, other than with her brothers, but in her experience with the men in her family she knew the food they'd purchased today would be lucky to last a half a week. Less, if she stayed with him.

Not that he'd invited her to stay, she reminded herself. This was their second chance, and there was no rush.

Pushing the longing aside, she focused on spending the rest of the day with Caleb, without being affected by the shadows of the past.

 

Caleb tried to remain nonchalant after Raine's meltdown at the state fair, but he couldn't help sending her worried glances when she wasn't looking.

The frank fear etched on her face would remain seared into his memory for a long time.

He was stunned she'd remembered something from the attack. He'd wanted to press for more information about that night, but had forced himself to back off, grimly realizing the details he'd wanted to hear would only hurt her.

And he didn't want to hurt Raine, ever again.

He watched her play fetch with Grizzly out in the back yard; the dog had been ecstatic to see them when they'd returned home. Being with Raine seemed so right. As if she belonged here. Although in his scenario she'd be playing with her own dog, Rusty, instead of Grizz. Not that he wouldn't have minded keeping Grizz either. But clearly his dad needed Grizzly more than he did.

As he put the groceries away, he wondered how to broach the subject of her staying here with him overnight. The thought of letting her go home to face the night alone made him feel sick to his stomach. No matter how he tried, he couldn't get over feeling protective of her.

But he'd do his best to be a partner, like she wanted.

He made a quick call to his father's surgeon, verifying that indeed his father would likely be discharged on either Monday or Tuesday. He then made arrangements to be off work for a few days so that he'd have time to help his father make the transition home.

After that, he made two salads, cutting up the ingredients and putting everything in the fridge for later. He went outside, to find that Raine had dropped into one of his wide-backed Adirondack chairs, exhausted after her romp with Grizzly.

“Let me know when you're hungry, and I'll throw the steaks on the grill,” he said, taking a seat in the chair next to hers.

“I'm ready whenever. I'm glad we came back, I think poor Grizz has been lonely.”

“Yeah, I'm sure he'll be much happier when my father is finally discharged from the hospital.” He reached over to scratch Grizz behind the ears. “I talked to Dr. Summers and he told me to plan on my father coming home tomorrow or Tuesday.”

“That's wonderful news. I'm sure it will take a while, but your father will feel much better now that he's had the surgery.”

“I hope so.” He stood and walked over to light the charcoal sitting in the bottom of the grill. “Guess dad won't be eating steaks for a while,” he mused.

She let out a quick laugh. “Nope, guess not. Good thing we're having them tonight, then, isn't it?”

He tried to make sure the atmosphere between them stayed relaxed and companionable as he grilled the steaks, sautéing some fresh mushrooms on the side. He brought out the salads and two TV trays so they could eat outside. He thought about offering to open a bottle of Merlot but, remembering Raine's preference for water, decided against it.