Scott Worth The Wait (Crystal Lake Series, #4)

1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9894139-8-5
Verlag: Laura Scott
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 149 Seiten

Reihe: Crystal Lake Series

Dr. Katy Reichert left her high stress job on the East Coast to start over in Crystal Lake Wisconsin, but she soon realizes she's underestimated the rural tourist town. Especially when she treats DNR Game Warden Reese Webster after he's clawed by a bear and then suffers a gunshot wound. She's even afraid of Duke, his highly trained German shepherd.

Reese knows that Katy is way out of his league, but when she narrowly escapes being run off the road, he realizes he's inadvertently dragged her into harm's way. Reese is determined to protect Katy, even if that means sacrificing his life-and his heart.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Scott, Laura

Leseproben

3
The next morning, sunlight streamed through her window, waking her from a restless night far too early. She moaned and pulled her pillow over her head, but it was no use. With a disgusted sigh, she crawled out of bed, grateful she had the next two days off work. She called the chief medical officer to report Wade Matthews, and then called University Hospital in Madison to check on Marcus Boyle. She was relieved to hear that Boyle was listed in critical yet stable condition. About fifteen minutes later, her boss returned her call about Wade, promising to talk to him. Satisfied, she filled a cup of coffee and took a seat at her small kitchen table, where she could gaze out over the lake. The events from last night seemed surreal in the bright light of the morning. It took a minute for her to remember that today was Sunday and that she was scheduled to be a greeter for the midmorning church service. She finished her coffee and got ready for church. She was early, and as she drove past the motel she pressed on the brake, wondering if she should stop by to see how Reese and Duke were doing. Wait a minute, what was she thinking? They were fine. Reese was more than capable of taking care of himself, and Duke too. She didn’t even like dogs, although that might partially be because she’d never spent any time with them. Regardless, pets were not welcome in church. Giving herself a mental shake, she sped up and approached the tall white-steeple church. As always, the minute she stepped inside God’s house, she felt better. Calmer. At peace. She greeted the parishioners as they arrived, recognizing many of her former patients, from the occasional bout of the flu to more serious medical concerns such as having a stroke or heart attack. On days like today, she was glad she’d made the decision to leave Baltimore. And not just because of Steffie, the young patient she’d lost. The ER at Baltimore General was seriously understaffed. The number of patients she’d treated in an average shift was more than double what she cared for in an entire weekend here at Hope County Hospital. And so far, she hadn’t made any mistakes or errors in judgment. Not yet. She pushed the sliver of doubt away, determined to keep the nightmares from her past buried deep. The last thing the citizens of Crystal Lake and Hope County needed was for their ER doctor to have doubts about her level of competency. Katy sat alone toward the back of the church when the service began. She enjoyed Pastor John’s approach. He had a way of preaching that was interesting and engaging, without the fire-and-brimstone attitude that she’d sometimes heard before. The theme of his sermon today was keeping the Lord in the forefront of their minds and not just when they needed his strength and support. Katy knew she was guilty of doing exactly that and made a silent promise to do better from here on out. When the service was over, she scooted out the back, avoiding the usual chatter that many of the parishioners enjoyed. She always felt a bit awkward in social situations like this, mostly because she knew most of the people here from the hospital, which some folks didn’t appreciate being reminded about. “Hi, Dr. Katy,” Merry greeted her. “You remember my husband, Zack.” “Of course. How are you both doing?” she asked, smiling at the young couple. Merry had gone through a rough patch last fall, but things seemed to have settled down for her and Zack. In fact, she knew they were in the process of building their dream house on the other side of the lake. “We’re good, but you still look tired. We had a long shift last night, huh?” Merry said with a wry smile. “Yes, but I called Madison this morning, and you’ll be glad to know that our patient is stable.” “Good to hear,” Merry said, giving her husband’s hand a squeeze. “Zack was all worried about the gunshot wounds we had, but I assured him there was absolutely no danger.” “There was plenty of danger,” Zack corrected. “You just got lucky.” An image of Reese’s smashed truck floated in her mind, making her tend to agree with him. But she forced a smile. “I imagine Zack is always going to worry about you,” she said, sidestepping the comment. “After all, you were hurt on the job once.” “That was different.” Merry waved away the incident as inconsequential. “Well, take care, both of you,” Katy said, unwilling to be drawn into their good-natured spat. Although watching the way Zack looked at Merry, pure love shining from his blue eyes, made her heart squeeze in her chest, wishing for something she’d never have. “You too, Dr. Katy.” Merry waved as she and Zack headed toward their car. She shook off the flash of envy. That was not in keeping with the spirit of Pastor John’s sermon. She walked to her car, not in the mood to go back to her empty house. Yet she wasn’t going to stop at the motel, either. Besides, she doubted that Reese and his giant dog were still there. He’d planned on renting a car, and even though it was Sunday, Hank, the guy who ran Billy’s Auto Shop, was always willing to open up for a sure sale. But what if Billy didn’t have a car for sale or for rent? Katy found herself turning left at the stoplight so she could drive past Billy’s Auto Shop. When she saw Reese and Duke walking along the side of the road, she slowed down and lowered her window. “What happened? Didn’t Hank have a car for you?” “Hi, Katy,” Reese greeted her. He stepped closer, and Duke followed, staying right by Reese’s side. The dog was almost totally black in color and, if possible, looked more menacing in daylight than he had last night. “No, he doesn’t have one yet but might by tomorrow.” “Do you need a ride?” she asked. Reese hesitated, then shook his head. “I can walk to the motel, but I had been planning to drive up to Madison.” “I called the hospital,” Katy said. “Boyle is in critical but stable condition.” “I called, too, and heard the same thing. But apparently no one has been up there to collect the evidence.” By evidence, she knew he meant the bullet. “Really? That seems odd.” “I know. It might be that the deputies just haven’t been up there yet, but I thought it might be good to see for myself.” Katy nodded slowly. “I could drive you up there,” she offered before she could talk herself out of it. Reese smiled, and her heart did a funny little flip-flop in her chest. “Nice of you to offer, but I’m sure you have better things to do with your free time on your day off.” Sad fact was, she really didn’t. She forced a smile and shook her head. “My only plan was to maybe take a hike, and it’s far too hot for that. I really don’t have any other plans.” Hope filled Reese’s hazel-green eyes. “Are you sure? I’d be happy to pay for a tank of gas.” “It’s really no bother,” she assured him. “And this little car gets great gas mileage, especially compared to your truck.” There was no way she was going to allow him to pay for her gas. She was fairly certain DNR game wardens didn’t make that much money, and she had more than enough to spare. “Well, then, thanks, I’d love a ride to Madison.” She had to bite her lip when Reese opened the back passenger door for Duke, who nimbly leaped onto the seat. She shrank back, half expecting him to sniff her again, but she needn’t have worried. Duke simply stretched out once again, as if he was right at home. Was she crazy to drive Reese and his dog to Madison? The drive would take an hour, easily. What on earth would they talk about? When Reese slid into the passenger...