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The last thing he remembered was driving along the highway and...
He searched and searched, straining to recall something, anything. His cell phone beeped and the beeping continued to drone in his ears. The sound grated on his nerves and then it hit him. It wasn’t a phone at all. He fought to open his eyes but lost that battle. His eyes fluttered like a baby bird’s but ultimately remained shut.
And then a delicate hand covered his. So soft, so gentle. The single touch comforted him in inexplicable ways, soothing his distress, taking away some of the pain. He’d never felt anything softer or more welcome. His skin responded immediately to those fingertips, feeling life again, feeling brightness where there had been only darkness.
“You’re going to be all right.” A woman’s lilting, angelic voice seeped inside him, her tone as sweet, as memorable, as the hand that still held his. It hurt to move and his eyes wouldn’t open, but that gentle voice gave him hope. Actually more than hope: he believed her. That serene voice wouldn’t lead him astray.
“You’ve had an accident. I rode with you in the ambulance and now you’re in the hospital. They are taking very good care of you.”
He was relieved to know an angel sat by his side. Who was she? He had no clue, but she’d been with him at the accident scene and, man, he wished he could remember what had happened. The incessant beeping rang in his ears. Now he knew he was hooked up to a monitor and those beeps meant breath and heartbeats and all good things.
Jared remembered being attached to wires on a hospital machine once, after he’d been tossed off a wild stallion on the ranch. His father had told him not to go near that horse, but the daredevil in him had decided dear ole dad was being overprotective. And at the age of twelve, he took on that wild stallion and...lost. Nearly broke his neck trying to tame Balboa. He’d been unconscious for a little while, but he’d wound up walking away from that ordeal with big purple bruises all over his body, a slight concussion and wounded pride.
His dad had sold Balboa the very next day.
That had hurt more than his injuries.
Now, Jared tried to acknowledge the woman with the melodious voice by nodding his head. But the dizziness it caused shut down his attempt.
“Don’t worry,” she said softly. “I won’t leave you. I’m here for as long as you need me to be. You were very lucky.”
He didn’t feel lucky. Every movement he made caused some sort of pain. But he clung to the angel’s words.
I’m lucky.
I’m lucky.
I’m lucky.
* * *
Bella opened her eyes as thin streams of sunlight filled the hospital room. She’d asked for permission to visit the patient last night and the staff had been lenient, letting her since she’d saved his life. But she had fallen asleep in the chair by his bed at some point. Stretching out her arms and gently swiveling her head back and forth on her shoulders helped remove the kinks. She rose, ran her hand through her long hair and stopped midway when a thick wad of gauze got stuck in the strands. The right hand she’d used as a battering ram last night was bandaged past the wrist and partway up the arm. She’d almost forgotten how she’d broken that window to drag the man to safety.
She was certain everything underneath the bandage was bloodied and black and blue. She wiggled her fingers and felt the blood return to them, but she was pretty sure her knuckles would never be the same. It was a small price to pay. Last night the nurses had made a big fuss, insisting she have her hand x-rayed. They’d found out the patient lying in the bed nearby wasn’t the only one who’d gotten lucky last night. Her hand was not broken. Hallelujah!
She grabbed her cell with her left hand and read a text from Amy.
Sienna is sleeping soundly. Not to worry.
Her baby was in good hands. Amy loved her dearly and Sienna was smitten with her mommy’s best friend.
After the paramedics showed up at the accident scene, Bella had taken one look at the patient lying on the gurney and decided the man whose life she’d just saved wasn’t going to the hospital alone. He had to know someone was there for him. When Paul died, he’d taken his last breaths alone. It had gutted her.
She’d asked Amy to put Sienna to bed for her. Her baby was a solid sleeper. Thankfully she hadn’t inherited her mother’s insomnia.
Now, in the light of a new day, she studied the man lying still on the bed. His forehead was bandaged, as were both arms. She’d overheard talk of broken ribs. She hoped the chest compressions she’d given him hadn’t caused the damage. She hadn’t heard or felt any breakage, but then she’d only been focused on getting the man to safety. All else had sort of blurred in her mind. Tests done last night showed no sign of internal bleeding. That news was gratifying. He would survive the terrible crash without any permanent damage. And, the nurse had assured her, no matter the broken ribs, her fast action had saved his life.
The man was handsome, almost to a fault. The dark bruises under his eyes and along his chin did nothing to hamper how striking he was. His jawline was angular and strong, covered by a light dusting of dark blond scruff. He was tall and lean, his arms muscular.
Just then, the patient moved, rustling the bedsheets. Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes fluttered open. Eyes that were intense and captivating and ocean blue. Eyes that at the moment appeared completely confused.
“Hello,” she whispered. “I’m glad to see you’re awake.”
“You’re the angel,” he said, his voice weak and barely audible.
She smiled and shook her head. “I’m...not an angel. I’m very real. And happy to see you’re better.”
He winced and pain reflected in his eyes. “Not sure about better,” he whispered. “Feels like I was hit by a bus.”
“Well, I didn’t see a bus. But something like that.”
“What happened to me?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I was driving along the interstate and saw your car in flames quite a distance from—”
“Jared, my God. You had us scared half to death.” A blond man strode into the room looking too much like the patient not to be related. Up until this point, she had no idea of his name; the hospital wasn’t sharing that information.
But...Jared? That was a good name for a strong man. It fit.
The man walked straight up to Jared, looking like he wanted to crush the patient tight in an embrace and at the same time rip him a new one. “Hey, bro.”
“Yeah, hey, bro.”
The man peered at the bandages covering Jared’s body and shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. It was a touching scene and she felt like an outsider. She was ready to slip out of the room now that Jared had his brother here to look after him. “Sorry I wasn’t here sooner. The authorities had trouble tracking me down. But, man, you almost died last night. You have no idea how close you came to buying the farm.” He inhaled and paused, as if regrouping his emotions. “Are you in a lot of pain?”
Jared nodded gingerly. The movement was probably too much for him right now.
“You have two broken ribs and some contusions, but honestly, bro, if it wasn’t for this young lady, you wouldn’t be here right now.” He turned to her and put out his hand, finally acknowledging her presence. “I’m Cooper Stone. Jared’s brother.”
“I’m...Bella.” She gave him her uninjured hand.
“I understand you pulled my brother out of the car and got him to safety.”
She nodded.
“And the car was on fire at the time?”
She nodded again.
“Thank you. You were very brave,” he said, his eyes misting up again. “And you were injured, too.” He glanced at the bandage on her right hand.
“It’s nothing. Just some scrapes.”
“You did that?” Jared’s voice was a little stronger now. It contained a hint of disbelief. “You pulled me out of the car?”
She understood his surprise. She stood five feet five inches tall and wore a size five dress. Hardly a match for such a big man. “How?” he mumbled.
She shrugged, her face warming from Cooper’s and Jared’s awed expressions. She couldn’t go into the whole Paul thing or the fact that she couldn’t have left him to die in that car without trying to help. Her conscience wouldn’t have allowed it. “Protein, every day.”
Cooper smiled.
Jared tried to smile, too, but pain seemed to grip him and he frowned instead. “Thank you,” he managed.
“I’d better let the nurses know you’re awake,” Cooper said. “Excuse me for a second.”
Bella waited until he was gone before walking over to Jared. His eyes were clear and locked on her. Having his full attention gave her the good kind of chills, and she ignored them because the bond she had with Jared Stone would be broken now. He no longer needed her.
She covered her hand with his, careful not to cause him further pain, and gave him a smile. “I’m glad I was able to help you.” She nibbled on her lower lip, thinking of Paul and somehow feeling that she’d evened out the score, in a way. Jared Stone would survive. “But since your brother’s here...well, I’ll be leaving you in good hands.”
“You stayed because I had no one else.” It was a statement not a question.
“Yes, and to make sure you’d survive.”
“I did, thanks to you.” He applied pressure to her hand, the squeeze only slight but enough to convey his emotions. Fatigue pulled the lines of his face down and his eyes began to close.
“I’ll be going now. Have a good life, Jared.”
She wasn’t sure if he’d heard her goodbye. Yet when she walked out of his hospital room, an odd sensation stirred in her belly. As she approached the nurses’ station, she noticed Cooper in a discussion with a floor nurse.
Looking out the window, she saw a news van from a local Dallas station pulling up to the hospital. It wouldn’t do to be here when the journalists started doing interviews. She couldn’t afford to be recognized. She slipped past Cooper without being noticed and then exited the hospital.
Two (#ulink_99544370-4c71-58f8-950c-cf29f8c626d0)
Sienna sat in the middle of Amy’s living room, stacking colorful plastic blocks on top of each other. “I make castle,” she announced.
“It’s beautiful,” Bella said. The formation tilted far to the left, and as soon as Sienna’s chunky little hand attached the last block—shaped like a blond-haired princess—the whole thing toppled over.
Sienna broke out in giggles and Bella laughed along with her. “Oh, no!”
“Do again, Mommy. Do again.” Sienna’s wide green eyes beseeched her.
“Okay, sweet baby. We’ll do it again.”
Bella took a seat beside her daughter on the floor and helped gather up the blocks.
Amy came out of her bedroom and plopped down on the sofa. Her home was the epitome of class and elegance, with its white furniture, glass fixtures and beautiful light-slate flooring. Amy had worked hard since their days at Berkeley, becoming a successful real estate agent. Bella could fit her small rental home where she’d lived with Paul twice over into this big luxurious condo. Yet, she’d never minded living on Paul’s salary alone. Her father’s form of punishment in withholding her funds had backfired on him. She’d actually loved living on a budget, as long as she and Paul were together.
“No luck on that job interview, I’m afraid,” Bella told her, grabbing a few blocks and starting to build again. “I won’t be the new sous chef at the Onion Slice.”
“Did you do as I said?”
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t cover up my bruises with makeup. It wouldn’t have worked anyway. They would’ve seen right through it. Literally.”
“I bet you didn’t tell them the truth, either. That you got those scrapes from saving a man’s life two days ago.”
“The subject didn’t come up.”
“You’re too modest.”
“I just don’t see how telling them about the accident has anything to do with my culinary skills. If they don’t think I’m qualified for the job, then I’ll find someplace that does. I have another interview tomorrow.” She placed a pink block over Sienna’s lavender one.
“Good for you. With Christmas coming, I’m sure the restaurants are busier than usual. You’ll find something. But you know you can stay here as long as you like. I love having Sienna and you here for as long as it takes. Makes this big place feel more homey.”
“I do know that. You’ve been wonderful. But I need a job. I need to get back on my feet.” What she really wanted was to open a restaurant of her own. She’d worked toward that goal for a while. Now that dream had to be put on hold until she could make sense of her life.
“Have you heard any news of your father at all?”
“No, thank goodness. I didn’t leave a forwarding address with anyone I know in San Francisco and I have a new cell number. Your place is so brand-new that even if he wanted to find me through you, he wouldn’t be able to. He’s a stubborn old mule. And Yvonne is no help. She’s probably grinning from ear to ear that we’re out of Marco’s life now.”
“The evil stepmother.”
“Hardly a mother. She’s only thirty-eight, ten years older than me. The thought of that woman ever raising my daughter makes me sick to my stomach.”
“Your dad would never take Sienna away from you,” Amy said. “It’s an idle threat, Bella.”
“I don’t know that for sure. He was eager to accuse me of having a mental breakdown when Paul died. I did my best to hang tough, but it was difficult for me.”
“You were grieving. That doesn’t make you unstable,” Amy said. “And you bounced back, for Sienna’s sake.”
A sigh blew from Bella’s lips. “We’re better off now. Starting fresh. Starting over. At least I won’t have to worry about Dad announcing my engagement in the society page to a man I’d barely dated. That was the last straw.”
“That was pretty underhanded,” Amy said, lifting up the Dallas Tribune. “But it seems like you made the newspapers again, Bella. I found this last night on page three and thought maybe you’d like to see it.”
Amy handed her the newspaper. The black-and-white photo of the accident scene jumped out at her first. It pictured what was left of the hot red Lamborghini and next to it was an image of Jared Stone. She skimmed the article, learning that the victim was an entrepreneur and rancher who lived on Stone Ridge Ranch quite a few miles outside the city limits. It went on to say that Jared Stone had multiple holdings and companies in and around the Dallas area and shared his ranching business with his brother, Cooper. The piece hinted at a privileged lifestyle, portraying a man who courted danger with fast cars, racing boats and motorcycles.
“Seems like your guy has a need for speed,” Amy said, grinning.
“Yeah, well. Hopefully he’s learned his lesson. When I think about what could’ve happened to him, I get flustered.”
“Oh, yeah, that was a pretty gruesome scene. But you pulled it off. That guy doesn’t know how darn lucky he was that you were driving on that road at that exact moment. There’s a mention of you in there, but they didn’t print your name. You’re the brave mysterious woman who pulled him to safety and saved his life.”
“Yeah, well, I ducked out of the hospital before the news crew arrived, I guess.” She tossed the newspaper aside. “I don’t want to think about it anymore. I have enough trouble sleeping at night.”
“Oh, man, Bella. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was keeping you up.”
“It’s nothing new. I’m a terrible sleeper. I envy people who can lay their heads down and fall asleep. That’s so not me.”
She helped Sienna put the princess block on the very top of the castle and this time it didn’t topple over. “Yay! You did it!” She clapped her hands and Sienna mimicked her.
“I did it, Mommy!”
She hugged the baby to her chest. Sienna was growing up way too fast. She deserved a good life in a place she could call home, with a dog or a cat or a goldfish, and a backyard instead of a high-rise elevator.
But for now, they had to make do living in Dallas.
* * *
Jared leaned against Cooper, his brother bracing him under the arm as they strode into the house. He was banged up pretty badly, but after two days in the hospital, he refused to enter his home in a wheelchair. He’d make it under his own power, with a little help from Coop, and that was that.
