23
Wade parked his truck in front of the office. He should have been soaring like he was drag racing down a deserted highway. Driving again had been his final goal to achieve post-accident.
Until now.
He strode into the silence of the office. Emma and her gorgeous smile were gone. He missed her presence and her friendly greetings. He even missed her reminders for physical therapy. Hourly, he kicked himself for firing her and then sending generic good-bye flowers. Man, he’d been scared, confused, and out of the dating scene too long. Sam had told him to look for an opening with Emma, but he had sealed any cracks with sticky silver tape. What a jerk he’d been. Panic set in after talking to his attorney. All he could think about were the years of sweat and strife his family had gone through to finally meet success. Why couldn’t he have focused on protecting the company and the beautiful woman God had placed in his life? His laser focus on the business had hurt Emma and cost him a future with a woman that was camping out in his thoughts.
He sat and stretched his arms in front of the main computer.
Clasping his hands, he began to pray. “Lord, I messed up. Please help me make things right with Emma. Give me wisdom on how to fix the mess I made by firing her. Help me reach out to her and ask forgiveness. Amen.”
As he placed his phone on the counter desk, it rang. Cole’s name flashed on the screen.
He didn’t feel like talking to his little brother, but Cole was a link to Emma. He swiped to answer.
“Hey, Cole.”
“Are you driving?” Cole wasted no time with his inquisition.
“Not now. I just got back from the bank.”
“Good.” Except Cole sounded nervous like he was using the word and didn’t mean it. “I don’t know how to say this, so I’m going to spit it out.”
“Okay, but you’re taking a long time to spit.” Wade didn’t have much time before the office phone started ringing.
“I’m on my way to Whispering Creek. Sam’s hysterical.”
That didn’t sound like got-it-all-together Sam. Wade’s heart rate quickened.
“That woman.” Cole cleared his throat. “Ron’s assistant. She showed up at Sam’s place.”
Wade leapt to his feet. He paced in front of the computer feeling as if he had been doused with a cooler full of ice.
“There was a struggle.” Cole’s recounting of the incident raced through the phone. “Emma threw a cactus at the woman and fought to get the gun. She got shot.”
Bracing a hand on the counter, Wade shivered at the mental image of Emma fighting off a killer. “Where did Emma get shot? How bad is it?”
“In the leg, I think. Sam was rambling.” News flash. Cole was rambling. “I’m on my way to Memorial Hospital.”
“In Whispering Creek?”
“Yeah.”
Wade grabbed his jacket and keys. “I’m on my way.” Would Emma even want to see him? He had to take the chance because if he didn’t go now, the door to a relationship would disappear.
“You’re coming? It’s a weekday?”
Wade didn’t have the energy to explain his reasons, or his feelings, to Cole. A thunderous pounding boomed in his head. His blood pressure boiled at the thought of someone hurting his sweet Emma.
“Yes, I’m coming, and I’m staying at your place.”
Before his little brother could say another word, Wade ended the call. He wished he could fly straight to Whispering Creek or snap his fingers and be in the same room as Emma.
Okay, Lord, I’m diving in, and I’d really appreciate my presence at the hospital to be rewarded with a smile and not a slap. And I’ll go ahead and say it, selfishly. I would like our reunion to end in a kiss, or two, or three…
Wade had to end that line of thinking.
I need You, Lord, ’cause I’m worried about Emma, and I won’t be granny driving .
~*~
Emma lay in her hospital bed staring at her exposed leg. The emergency room doctor had cut off her legging at the upper thigh exposing the wreckage of Annette’s bullet. The round had evaporated the cloth and seared Emma’s skin, removing the flesh on contact. The doctor tried to clean her wound as gently as possible before wrapping it with loose gauze, but even with deadening medication, every movement of the doctor’s fingers unearthed the sizzle of a flaming piece of coal. When her scream split the sound barrier, they gave her a dose of a giddy, floaty-feeling narcotic to calm her tremors.
She stroked her silver tortoise charm. Why couldn’t everything in her life be solid and secure and comforting? Replaying the appearance of Annette sent a steady trickle of fright through her veins. So many things could have gone wrong. What if Annette discovered the flash drive was different? What if Sam had returned and been murdered? What if the bullet had struck Emma’s knee or worse, an artery, or her heart? Hadn’t her heart suffered enough damage?
The green line detecting her heart rate sped across the screen. Great. If her vitals continued to be elevated they may not let her go home. The cozy word pummeled her chest. She and Sam couldn’t go to her place tonight because it was a designated crime scene. Either the government or Zach was paying for a motel in town. Correction, if Zach was paying, she was paying. Good thing she had no place to be in the morning like a job. Her eyes stung while the sensation of hovering a few inches above the mattress enveloped her body.
The nurse entered by pulling the privacy curtain open. “Where’s your friend? I thought the poor thing would have a breakdown.”
Sam had held her hand and shared childhood stories while the doctor initiated the flamethrower cleaning session. Sam had been her rock. No, Jesus had been her rock. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. God had protected her from Annette and even though there would be a scar on her thigh, Emma would be walking around in no time. If only she had some job where she felt worthwhile. If only Herbie had survived to be placed on her desk. If only a handsome electrician cared. If only….
The nurse widened her eyes. Oh, right. She had asked a question.
“Sam and her boyfriend went to grab something to eat. They’re going to bring some food back for me. I think. I can’t remember if I gave them my order.”
The nurse checked the display. “You shouldn’t be here too much longer. The doctor is working on discharge instructions. Your activity will be limited for a few days. Do you need a doctor’s note for work? Or do you work from home?”
Why did everyone have to ask about employment? She grabbed the bed sheet and pulled it over her healthy leg. Her annoyance was being sprinkled with drug-induced glitter dust.
“I don’t have a job at the moment.”
“You do if you want one.” Wade stood in the doorway and strode toward the foot of her bed. He held a square white box decorated with a heart sticker. Her own heart kicked up a notch awarding her with a loud beeping from the stat machine. This wasn’t a hallucination. Wade was actually in her room looking too good in jeans and a dark green shirt. Did he realize he resembled a Green Bay fan? Best to keep that thought to herself.
She couldn’t stop smiling. “Wade. You came.” Her smile stuck on exuberant. “Wade.” She turned to the nurse. “He’s my um…” How did she explain her relationship with Wade to a stranger?
“I’ll let you two have some privacy after I remove your arm wrap and pulse meter. Otherwise, you might have a rush of staff in here.” Her eyebrows shot upward as she removed the Velcro sleeve. A knowing smirk strained the nurse’s face as she left the room.
Wade stepped closer and held out the white box. “I brought you a peace offering. And I wanted to see how you were doing. I was worried about you. Driving the speed limit was almost impossible knowing that you got shot.”
“You drove all the way out here for me?” Her heart softened like marshmallow cream.
“I care about you, Em.”
She would have cried, but the meds were messing with her reactions. “Is that why there’s a heart sticker on the box?”
His grin was way too sexy. “Yes.”
That one word had her shifting in her bed and patting the mattress. “Come sit by me. I want to see my gift.”
He handed her the box. “I think I remember how to take down the side rail. He bent and in an instant there wasn’t any barricade between them.
“Are you sure you want me next to you?” He cast a glance at her bandaged thigh.
“Positive.” Her brain shouted sit, sit, sit as she followed his every move.
Wade rested his left arm over her shoulders and nestled beside her on the bed. She had to resist the urge to burrow into his chest and stay there forever.
She opened the box, breaking the pink heart sticker into two pieces. Inside was a chocolate cactus with pecan and caramel flower pods on its limbs. “Oh, it’s an edible Herbie.”
“Do you like it? I was warned to avoid flowers. The gift shop woman looked at me funny when I said I needed a cactus made out of fudge and pecan clusters. But then you’re the only woman I know who can apprehend a criminal with a cactus.”
“I love it.” She snapped off a piece of the chocolate and popped it into her mouth. The smooth, sweet, cocoa taste made her groan. She offered Wade a piece of his chocolate creation, and he obliged.
Her heart was flipping and flopping in Wade’s strong, yet gentle embrace. He’d driven all the way to Whispering Creek after recently getting his medical release, and he brought her a chocolate Herbie. This guy was a keeper. How could she show him his presence meant the world to her? He meant the world to her.
She absorbed his affectionate gaze. “You have something on your lip.”
“I do?” He shifted ever so slightly. “What?”
“Me.” She pressed her lips into his. Wowza! Lip sparklers were lighting up the room. She broke for air. “If I was out of line, I’m blaming the drugs.”
“Girl, you couldn’t have fit more perfectly into those lines if you had tried.” His smile was bigger than she had ever seen. This wasn’t boss man Wade, or Cole’s brother Wade, or the Wade she had prayed for. This was simply the Wade she knew with broad shoulders that supported the company and his family, and he was holding the door open for her to come inside his world. “Now, it’s my turn. May I reciprocate?”
Yikes! “Yes, Sir.”
His kiss was sweeter the second time around even without chocolate and caramel.
Voices filtered in through the doorway.
Sam and Cole entered with drinks and sandwiches.
“We brought your dinner.” Sam’s mouth gaped. “Oh, Wade. You made it.”
The look of shock on Sam’s face was endearing.
Emma inwardly laughed at her friend. “We were in the middle of dessert.” She displayed the chocolate cactus.
“Well, you know, practice makes permanent.” Sam bit her lip attempting to stifle a laugh. “We’ll come back in a few minutes.”
“Wait, what?” Cole held up the tray of drinks.
“Listen to the teacher, little brother.” Wade tipped Emma’s chin so all she could see was his wonderous smile. “Where were we?”
“Beginning our practice.” She was floating, and this time it was real.
She began to make a list of all the ways that Wade was an excellent kisser when someone shuffled into the room and cleared their throat. Really. Was a neon green enter sign posted outside of her room? She broke the kiss and noticed Jedediah hovering near the door. Too bad Sam hadn’t closed the curtain.
Jedediah held up his hands in a defensive posture. “I’m not here to ask you any questions. Your attorney has placed everyone on notice that anything you say with drugs in your system is inadmissible in court. Though, we pretty much have everything on camera.” Jedediah lowered his hands and crossed his thick arms over his black bulletproof vest. “I came to see how you were doing. My parents probably won’t let me in the door if I don’t check on you and Sam.”
Wade nuzzled near her ear. “Who is this guy? Want me to make him leave?”
Wade’s protectiveness made her want to give him another kiss.
“Jedediah saved my life. He’s an FBI agent and the son of Sam’s neighbors.” Wait. Was that the truth? “You are Gretta and Ernie’s son, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I’ll claim them.” Jedediah grinned. “And I am an FBI agent, but I wasn’t here to work on the Runyard case. It seems God had me in the right place at the right time.”
“You’ve got my thanks for saving my girl.” Wade winked at her and sent a zing to her heart.
“Hold onto that thought,” she said to Wade before returning her attention to Jedediah. “You were the first one through the door. How could you not be involved?”
Jedediah motioned to a chair stationed in the corner near the bed. “Do you mind if I sit?” He ambled over and engulfed the chair kicking out his black boots. “I was planning to come to Whispering Creek soon enough since I had just finished a case in Florida. Before I had finalized plans, my dad called and told me about a guy out in front of Sam’s place. Dad said you were in town and that you’d been scammed. I put two and two together when Runyard’s name came up. My boss knew I was returning to Whispering Creek, and he told me to keep my eyes open. I had an alibi to be in town.”
She shifted in the bed to get a better look at Jedediah. “I’m glad you were here. Thank you. I was scared out of my wits.”
Wade massaged her shoulder. Bless him.
“The team assigned to the Runyard case had tracked Annette.” Jedediah made loose quotations with his hands. “From Wisconsin to Michigan and then to Toronto. They had no idea she was in Tennessee.” Jedediah shook his long head of hair. “It must have been a God thing because I left to go into town this morning, and I noticed a Michigan license plate near Main Street. I called it in to my boss, and the car had been rented in the name of an old alias that Annette had used. We scrambled to get a team together ASAP.”
Wade broadened his shoulders. “Why’d they let that woman get so close to Emma? I’ve been praising God that she’s not in surgery or worse.”
“Annette shouldn’t have gotten that close to Emma.” Jedediah pressed his hands together almost like saying a prayer. “I’m sorry.”
She cast a glance at Wade, and they shared a knowing look.
“I don’t understand what went wrong, but we’ll find out. Your attorney will make sure of it. That guy’s a jackal.” Jedediah scratched his short beard. “I owe my mom big time since I had her call Sam to get one asset out of harm’s way. I was sure the intercept of Annette would happen before she got to the shed.”
Emma closed her eyes and willed all the horrible memories of her encounter with Annette to disappear.
“When I turned around and saw that gun pointed at me, I almost peed my leggings.”
“I almost peed mine, too.” Jedediah’s eyebrows rose. “Well, my pants when they let the perp get too close to you.” He stood. “Like I said, I’m sorry. We can talk later if you want. I’ll let you two get back to what you were doing.” Jedediah’s lips flattened as if he was holding in a laugh.
Her cheeks flamed.
“And don’t worry about the fallout.” Jedediah shoved his hands in his pockets. “I have it on good authority that in the rental car was a flash drive with some type of peeps software on it. A source says that it belongs to you. How Runyard and Annette got so sloppy is beyond me.”
“It’s beyond me too.” Emma swept her bangs behind her ear. “I guess that’s another God thing. Although next time, I am going to petition that God’s will won’t involve guns and gangsters.”
“When you’re feeling better, I’m sure my mom will have y’all over for pot roast and cheesy potatoes.” Jedediah did a weak salute and exited the room.
Her stomach rumbled at the thought of potatoes, butter, and melted cheese. Chocolate was nice, but she couldn’t fill her whole belly with it. At least, not at the moment.
She gazed into Wade’s eyes and dove into the mesmerizing sea of blue.
“Praise God that He watched over you, Emma. I would have missed you.” His voice cracked with emotion. “Really, really missed you.” He kissed her all serious, and deep, and wonderful.
She gasped for air. “Just to be clear. I’m not working for you, right? Because after that kiss, if I wasn’t fired, I’d have to fire myself.”