Chapter 13
Katherine couldn’t be sure if Ollie didn’t mind her holding Cody’s hand because he was okay with having the other man around or if he was too distracted to notice. Either way, she would enjoy every second of this time together.
The canopy of leaves overhead blocked out the sun, but her long-sleeved shirt was enough to keep her warm. Especially at the brisk pace they kept as they traversed the uneven patch that snaked through a sea of trees.
“Slow down a little, bud,” she called.
Ollie stopped for a second, glancing over his shoulder before taking off again, the leash he held tight from Bailey straining against it.
“That kid,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Looks like we need to hurry up.” Cody tugged her along.
“So much for a leisurely stroll through the woods.” A break in the trees allowed beams of sunlight to shine through. She tilted up her face and let the warmth hit her skin. “I can almost believe that everything is right in the world. Almost forget the reason we’re here.”
“Let’s pretend the only reason you and Ollie are here is to enjoy a day off. Thinking about all that other stuff will just bring us down and cause you to worry. It will all be there waiting for us when we’re ready to dive in.”
“I like that idea.” She stared down the narrow trail. Ollie was nowhere in sight, and a beat of trepidation pulsed along with her heartbeat. “Is there anything around that bend I should be worried about?”
“Not for another mile or so, but we should catch up with Ollie before we get to the waterfall. It’s a ways off the path, but I’d hate for him to try and get to it without us.”
“You and me both.”
Together, they hurried along the trail. A squirrel hopped from branch to branch overhead, and a chipmunk scurried around the forest floor beside them. The sound of the wind whistling through the leaves better than any symphony she’d ever heard.
With Ollie still not in view, she walked a little faster.
Frantic barking announced Bailey’s distress seconds before the dog sprinted in their direction. The end of her purple leash bounced behind her.
“Oh my God,” Katherine said. “Where’s Ollie?”
She sprinted forward.
Cody shot out in front of her, grabbing hold of Bailey’s leash as he ran. “Take me to Ollie, girl.”
She didn’t question if the dog had the ability to show them where her son was. She trusted Cody’s instincts, and she knew that dog would only leave Ollie’s side if she’d had no other choice.
Bailey barked and pressed her nose to the ground. She tugged at the leash, leading Cody off the dirt and into the woods.
Katherine stayed glued to him, scanning the area for signs of her son. “Ollie!”
“Mommy!”
Her heart raced and sweat dotted her hairline. She shouldn’t have brought Ollie out here. Should have stayed locked up in Cody’s house where no one could get them. If that sick sonofabitch who was after her got his hands on her child, she’d hunt him down and kill him.
Cody skidded to a stop on a patch of fallen leaves. He held out an arm to keep Katherine in place. “He’s down there.” He pointed toward the bottom of a steep slope.
“We need to get him!” Katherine lunged forward, but a strong arm around her waist locked her in place. “Get off.” She slapped at Cody’s hand.
“Mommy, my leg hurts,” Ollie said, his voice a mere whimper. “I can’t walk.”
Cody clamped a palm on her shoulder and forced her to face him. “Just wait a second. He’s scared and injured. You don’t know this terrain, and I do. We don’t need you to get hurt, too. Stay here with Bailey.”
She didn’t want to stay and wait. She wanted to charge down the ravine and get her son. But Cody was right. She didn’t know this land like he did, and even once she got to Ollie, she’d struggle getting him back up the steep hill.
“Fine but bring me back my baby.”
“I will.”
She took hold of Bailey’s leash and kept her focus trained on Ollie. “Cody’s coming to get you, honey. Just stay right there. Don’t move, okay?”
“I can’t move,” Ollie whined. “It hurts.”
Bailey returned his pleas with whines of her own. She sat by Katherine’s side, her feet pawing at the ground in little spurts as if she just waited for the signal to rush forward and help.
Katherine ran her fingers through her soft fur. “It’s okay, girl. Cody’s got him.” She wasn’t just uttering words to make the dog—or herself—feel better. She really meant it. There were few people she trusted her son with, and in a short time, she found Cody at the top of that list.
Time crawled by as she watched Cody pick his way down the hill. He maneuvered around fallen trunks and upturned roots. The space between him and Ollie grew shorter.
Katherine held her breath. Ollie didn’t seem to be in distress, but there was no telling what could be wrong.
When Cody finally got to Ollie, a bit of relief loosened the tightness in her chest.
Cody cradled Ollie in his arms and trudged back up the hill.
Ollie clung to Cody, burying his face in Cody’s neck. His leg hung at an awkward angle.
It didn’t take a nursing degree to know something was seriously injured. Something that she couldn’t fix at home.
Cody’s mouth was set in a firm line, his face a mask of determination. He reached the top of the hill and kept on walking. “He needs a doctor. We should take him to the emergency room.”
Panic swirled in her belly, but she called on all her training to stay calm. “Is it your foot or your leg?” she asked as she stayed in step beside Cody.
“I don’t know,” Ollie said between sniffles.
“Looks like his ankle, but I could be wrong. Nothing we can’t fix, right buddy?”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I know I was supposed to stay on the trail, but Bailey ran after something, and I didn’t want her to get lost. I held on real tight to the leash but then tripped and fell down the hill.”
“It was an accident, honey. Just like the water,” Katherine said. “Now we’ll work together to fix it.”
He responded with a pitiful cry. Guilt gnawed at her. This was a lot more serious than an overturned dog dish. Her son was injured and she couldn’t fix him, which meant leaving their safe space.
She just prayed that getting Ollie the help he needed didn’t lead them straight into more danger.
The feel of Ollie’s little body in his arms was imprinted in Cody’s brain.
But now his arms were empty as he stood outside the room where the doctor examined Ollie.
He wanted to be in there. Holding his hand. Supporting Katherine. But it wasn’t his place, and she hadn’t asked. Better to stand guard and make sure no one lurked in the hallway, waiting to attack.
Heavy footsteps pounded on the linoleum floor, drawing his attention down the hall. A trio of pissed-off Wells men marched his way, Mike leading the pack.
Cody braced himself for impact.
“Where the hell’s my grandson?” Mike barked.
“In the room, being examined.”
Mike made a move to shove past Cody, and he took a step to block the door.
“Boy,” Mike snapped out the word. “I suggest you get out of my way.”
“And I suggest you take a seat in the waiting room until the doctor’s finished and Katherine’s ready for you come in.”
Owen took a step forward. “Excuse me?”
Unintimidated, Cody lifted his chin. “Ollie’s scared and his leg hurts like a bitch.
Katherine’s struggling to keep a brave face.
The last thing either of them need is the three of you getting them upset.
Give them a minute. Let her know you’re here, and when she wants you to come in, she’ll tell you. ”
Tommy rested a hand on Owen’s shoulder. “Dude, calm down. Cody makes sense. Katherine would be pissed if we just barged in there while the doctor was seeing to Ollie. Text her, give her a heads up we’re here, and just relax. Both of you.”
Appreciation relaxed Cody’s rigid stance a fraction. At least he had one of them on his side.
Mike huffed out an irritated breath. “Well at least tell us what happened. All Katherine said in her text was Ollie might have broken his leg. You were supposed to keep them safe.”
“We went on a hike. Ollie fell. It could have happened to anyone.” He’d repeated the same thing to himself a thousand times, but he still didn’t completely believe it.
Maybe it’d been a mistake for Katherine to stay with him. If she’d gone to her father’s, Ollie would be laughing and playing, not sitting in a hospital room with a possibly broken leg.
Owen wiped a palm over his face. “Damn it. That’s the last thing the poor kid needs. Why would you take them outside the house? Out in the freaking woods? My God, anyone could have been out there.”
“Nobody was in my back yard,” Cody snapped back. “We took my dog for a walk. I didn’t send him flying over a canyon on a damn motorcycle. What were we supposed to do? Keep Ollie under lock and key until this all blows over?”
“No,” Owen said, his voice low and taking a step forward. “But maybe do enough to keep my nephew out of the hospital. I wouldn’t think that’s too much to ask. Or maybe you were too busy panting over my sister to care about her kid.”
It took every ounce of self-control to stop Cody from planting his fist in Owen’s face. He didn’t care if he was his boss or not. The bullshit spewing from his mouth was insulting not just to him, but Katherine as well.
The door behind him squeaked open, and Katherine squeezed through the sliver of space. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but you all need to lower your voices. The last thing Ollie needs is to hear arguing.”
Contrition pulled down the lines of Tommy and Owen’s faces. “Sorry,” they mumbled in unison.
Mike stood tall with his arms crossed over his chest. Anger and irritation and fear pouring off him in waves. “We wouldn’t be arguing if Deputy Hogan would have let me in to see my daughter and grandson.”
“Did you ever consider if I asked him to make sure no one came inside?” she asked, matching his defiant stance with one of her own. “That I wanted to focus on Ollie and only Ollie? Not managing everyone else’s emotions when it’s hard enough to regulate my own?”