Crashing Into Tess (The McGreers) Read online

  “Tess, you have a head injury,” he said gently. “I don’t want to upset you, but if its serious, every second counts.” Still dazed, her gaze wandered. Trying to make eye contact, he said, “Tess, I feel some responsibility here. Why not let the crew take you to the hospital for some tests?”

  Her blue eyes turned to him, glistening with unshed tears. “How will I get back here, Jake? I haven’t seen my place yet, I don’t know my way around, all of my stuff is here in the car. . .What about Rhiannon?” Her voice broke. Dropping her eyes, she bit her lower lip, struggling to keep it together.

  “Look, nothing is as important right now as making sure you’re okay,” he said softly, taking her hand. Her fingers were still ice cold. “Your dog is in my truck, she’s fine. If you take the ambulance to the hospital, I’ll follow your car to the tow yard to make sure your stuff is secure, and Rhiannon and I will come to Salida right behind you. I can give you a lift back here when you’re finished with the doctor’s. How’s that sound?”

  “I’m not sure . . .” Their eyes locked for a moment, until Tess looked down. When she met his glance again, she looked annoyed. “Look, honestly, Jake, I don’t know you. At all. And you just hit me. I mean, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. . .” she sighed, “I just didn’t ask for any of this.”

  The paramedic jerked her thumb towards Jake. “My cousin went to school with this character. Believe it or not, he usually knows how to drive. Why don’t we take you in, and let him bring you back? He’s a safe bet, I promise.”

  “C’mon, Tess, this is really important. Even Ron the cop will vouch for me, and he hates me. We need to be sure you’re okay,” Jake said gently.

  Tess looked around. The emergency crew all nodded encouragement. She put her hand to her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut. “Okay, if you promise this guy is cool to drive me back here, I’ll go to the hospital.”

  “That’s a good move, hon,” the medic said, laying a hand on Tess’s shoulder. The crew wheeled a stretcher around. Jake watched Tess swipe at tears, and felt a tug in his chest. She’s tough, just like Cassie. “Where’s your cell phone, Tess?” he asked.

  She dug into the little bag at her hip and handed it to him. After the crew had strapped her on the stretcher and tucked a blanket over her, Jake bent to her. “My number is under Jake and I called myself, so I have your number, too,” he said, putting the phone in her hand.

  “Thank you,” she half-winced, trying to smile. Her head and neck were in a head stabilizer, her pupils dilated with pain.

  “I guess the crew has contact information for your parents?” he asked. The medic nodded confirmation. He turned back to Tess, touching her shoulder. “I’ll see you when you finish with the doctors, okay?”

  “Yup,” she nodded, sniffling. He squeezed her cold fingers as the crew hoisted the stretcher into the ambulance.

  “And don’t worry. You need to get checked out, but I’ll bet you’re okay.”

  The ambulance took off, bright red lights flashing against the black sky. Ron Karachek glared from the patrol car. Rhiannon’s whining turned to muffled yelps. In his truck’s warm cab, Jake waited for the rollback, stroking Tess’s dog to quiet her. Once the smashed car was locked in the tow yard, he headed back to the highway, starting for Salida. 2:33 am. I sure won’t be worth much when morning rolls around.

  2

  “Rescue Me” Motionless in the neck cuff and head stabilizer, Tess watched the lights on the ceiling blink as the ambulance bumped along the highway. Mom and Dad are really going to freak if they find out about this one.

  After the CAT scan, she waited on a stretcher in a busy emergency room, an ice pack under her neck, another against her head. The nurse bustled over. “Good news, Tess. Your scans check out fine, nothing broken, no internal bleeding. Doc wants to put sutures in your head, so I’ll just shave a little around the cut, okay? Don’t worry about how it will look, Hon. You’ll be able to flip your hair over, to cover the scar.”

  “Uh-huh, I’ve got plenty of hair,” Tess volunteered weakly.

  “That’s the spirit.”

  As the electric razor buzzed, she closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, waiting for the pain medication to take effect. The nurse patted her arm. “Doc will be here any minute.”

  “Okay.”

  She floated in and out of a haze, drowsy with pain and fatigue. Then she looked up, and a doctor was peering down at her. Tall and bald, he had kind eyes and a silver mustache. “I’m Doc Verwey. Tests are clear. How’s your pain, Tess?”

  “Still pretty intense.”

  “Headache?”

  “Sharp and throbbing. My neck hurts, too.”

  “It’s going to be tender and bruised for awhile yet,” he said, probing gently. “I’ve diagnosed you with neck strain and head injury, whiplash in common terms. You have a concussion. You’re going to be sore for a few days at least. Once I’ve sutured your head, we can let you go, but you’d better take it extra easy for awhile.”

  “I start a new job on Monday.”

  “Oh really? Well, you should plan to rest all next week, and follow up with a family doc. Your employer will have to be sympathetic. This is going to sting, now.” He injected lidocaine near the cut. “What are you doing for work?”

  “I’m a vet. I finished school in June, and came out west to join Doc Harnes’ practice in Green Junction. This is my first real job.”

  “A rural vet, serving ranchers? That’s hard work, young lady. Very physically demanding.” Tess felt pressure as he tugged the sides of her cut together with sutures. “What led you down this path?”

  “I’ve spent my whole life fascinated by anything with four legs.”

  “Where did you study?”

  “University of Pennsylvania. I worked with the large animal surgical team at New Bolton as a resident this past summer, and left Philadelphia on Tuesday morning.”

  “That must have been an adventure, driving crosscountry and all.”

  “It ended with a real bang.”

  The doctor chuckled. “Well, you haven’t lost your sense of humor, anyway. You’ll need that the next few days. Here’s a prescription for pain reliever. Good Luck, Tess.”

  A busty young orderly helped her into a wheelchair, pushing her out into the dingy waiting room. Increasingly ill at ease, Tess glanced over the orange plastic chairs, the torn linoleum. What if Jake’s not here?

  A stringy-haired, skinny woman in a fuzzy bathrobe and slippers sat next to a huge man in a Harley jacket. She glanced at Tess, and looked away.

  In the far corner, a lone figure stretched out in a chair in front of a dark window, cowboy hat tipped over his face. Muscular arms, cloaked in a faded cotton duck jacket, crossed his broad, flannel-shirted chest.

  Nervously, she glanced over the man’s long, denim clad thighs, the expensive-looking brown boots on his feet.

  “S’that him?” the orderly asked, snapping her gum.

  “I’m not sure.” Tess stood up. She felt dizzy, her hip pinched with pain. She bit her lower lip and sat back down. This is super awkward. Crying now would be lame, so just keep it together.

  The man shifted in his seat, pushed his hat back, and looked at her sideways. He had high cheekbones and a narrow jaw, rough with almost-beard.“Tess?”

  “Hi, Jake,” she answered, relieved.

  Red-faced under his tan, he came towards the wheelchair, appraising her with an anxious smile. “You okay? You look better.”

  “The CAT scan is clear. I have a concussion and whiplash,” she told him.

  Jake looked younger than she remembered, less sure of himself. He held his hat in his hand, his contrite eyes liquid brown. “I feel real bad about the accident. Sorry I wasn’t able to avoid you.”

  She shrugged. “I lost control of the car. The tires are probably junk.”

  His eyes flashed regret. “It’s a hell of a welcome to town for you, though.”

  “I came for an adventure, but this wasn’t quite what I
bargained for.”

  “I guess not,” he winced.

  “Look, you made me come to the hospital. And you’re here now, Jake. I appreciate that.”

  A slow, friendly smile spread across his face. Tapping her knee, he said, “I’ll bring the truck around.”

  Tess checked Jake out as he strode out the door. If I had to drop into a tailspin and land in Oz, at least the Lone Ranger came to rescue me. A Lone Ranger with a really, really cute butt.

  A big green truck with a single headlight appeared at the curb, its engine humming loudly. The sky was still dark, but she could see Rhiannon leaping around the cab, wagging her whole body.

  Snapping her gum, the orderly jerked the wheelchair through the door. Holding her ice packs in place, Tess stood up, catching her breath at the pain in her head and hip. Jake was just coming around the hood of the truck.

  “Hey, I was on my way in for you,” he said, grabbing the slipping ice packs, opening the truck’s passenger door. He held her elbow as she climbed into the high bucket seat. Excited, the retriever licked her face. Tess swiped dog spit from her cheek. “Ugh, hi, Rhiannon.”

  Jake laid an ice pack at her neck, then helped with her seatbelt, his sturdy hand over hers. “All set?” he asked, searching her eyes. In the dark, the bulk of his square shoulders was distracting.

  “I’m okay,” she smiled. Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” played softly from the CD player. His truck was new, the heated bucket seat cozy and warm. It smelled of leather and tobacco. She settled back as Jake slid into the driver’s seat, slamming his door. As he pulled onto the highway, she said, “Thanks again for coming for me.”

  “I just wish an air bag had gone off. I feel real bad about the accident. Where am I taking you?”

  “349 East Chambers Street, in Green Junction. Do you know where that is?” she asked anxiously, sliding her fingertips to her hip pocket, feeling for the key.

  “Sure, the old Sherman place.”

  “What’s it like?”

  “The house? It’s a big white Victorian, built before the turn of the century by a man named Carson Sherman. Green Junction is a rail transfer hub for wheat and cattle, and the Sherman family operated the rail yard.”

  She liked the friendly twang in his voice. He sounds like a cowboy. He continued, “The last surviving Sherman sold the old house to Elmer Freethy about ten years ago, and he cut it up into rental apartments. There’s a yard in front, lots of windows. Plenty of room, but it’ll be drafty come winter. The neighborhood is quiet and safe. My daughter and her mom live right around the block.”

  Tess ran her hand down her dog’s back. “I hope the landlord won’t have a problem with Rhiannon. I picked her up on the highway, in eastern Missouri. She’s come this whole way with me.”

  “Rhiannon put up a fuss when the ambulance pulled away, didn’t you girl?” he asked, scratching between the dog’s ears. “She’s real attached to you already. Elmer probably won’t mind Rhiannon, if nobody complains. Run it by the other tenants in the building first. Where are you working?”

  “At the vet clinic. With Doc Harnes.”

  Jake’s brow wrinkled. “Last I heard Doc was going to sell the practice, and retire to Florida.”

  Her chest pinched. “Nobody said anything about that. I’ve been counting on this job, at least until spring. Doc’s wife Bea found my apartment and Alice, the woman who works there, helped me with everything else over the phone.”

  “Alice is a friend of mine. She works days at the clinic, and helps her husband Lotts out with their bar downtown. Maybe I heard wrong. If Doc brought you on board, he’ll likely be around for awhile yet. He’s a good man, and a great vet. Where’d you come from?”

  “Pennsylvania.”

  He glanced over at her skeptically. “Girl, you’ve come a long way for a job in a vet’s office.”

  . He doesn’t know I’m a vet, yet. But if things work out, I’ll see him on ranch calls. Stroking Rhiannon’s pale silky coat, she let Neil Young and the hum of the diesel engine distract her from a throbbing headache and worries about her new job.

  The barest glimmer of eastern light was just visible above the jagged mountaintops when Jake took the Green Junction highway exit, carefully navigating the tight curve.

  Ugh. She saw a ribbon of black rubber tread marks as they approached the stop sign, criss crossing the road. “It’s where we met,” she blurted.

  Clearing his throat, Jake tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “Are you always this funny, or does it have to do with the head injury you sustained last night?”

  Quirking her lips in a half-smile, she raised an eyebrow. “What head injury?” Jake grinned back, flashing teeth that were even, and very white.

  Rosy morning light shone on a fresh row of well-kept brick Victorians, with fancy gingerbread porches as the truck crossed the intersection, starting down a residential street. At the next intersection, he paused. “Tess, the body shop doesn’t open until seven. I know you need your stuff, but the tow lot’s still locked. It’ll be another hour at least.”

  As his voice trailed off, she heard the nervous staccato of his fingers on the steering wheel. He turned to her. “You want breakfast? The diner’s open.”

  ***** Two blocks from the diner, Ron Karachek heard tires crunching gravel outside the Green Junction Police Station. Hastily, he tucked the auto accident report into a folder, stuck it in the filing cabinet and poured a cup of fresh coffee.

  The back door swung open, and Sergeant Fuller came in, fifteen minutes early for the morning shift. When Ron set the mug on his boss’s cheap brown Formica desk, the Sergeant said, “So Jake McGreer hit a girl out near the interstate last night, huh?”

  “Yup,” Ron said, trying to hide his smile. “On his way home from the pool tournament, just after midnight. Musta been tipsy.”

  Fuller’s brow furrowed as he shuffled papers on his desk. “Tipsy, you say? That’s not like Jake, especially with all the nonsense over his daughter. He’s a careful guy, with a lot to lose. You’re sure about this?”

  “I’ve got the printout from the breath-lyzer right in the file, next to the report. Says .038, darn close to the legal limit. He shouldn’ta been at the wheel of his truck,” Ron gloated. Sergeant Fuller eyes met Ron’s dead on. “It’s all in the report,” Ron insisted.

  Fuller set his jaw. “I better double check the calibration on the darn thing. How’s the girl?” “She blacked out, guess you heard that on the scanner last night. Has a Pennsylvania driver’s license, but she was in a rental car. Ethel and the crew got her to Salida for a CAT scan. Seemed like Jake was going to bring her back, when they finished with her at the hospital. Don’t think she has any family ‘round here.”

  Looking over his ledger, Fuller picked up his phone. “I’ll do some digging, find out how she made out.”

  Ron shuffled into the hallway to clock out.

  Sergeant Fuller raised his voice, to make sure Ron heard him. “And I’ll ask Alice what Jake was drinking, last night.”

  “You do that,” Ron called, nodding to his boss as he headed to the locker room to change for his day job.

  ****** Tess sopped a last bit of egg with her whole wheat toast, flashing Jake a flirty little smile. He blushed and slid his hat on his head, looking away. Judging by the way people here are checking us out, he hasn’t been seen around town since his divorce.

  All through breakfast, he’d glanced her over worriedly, asking if she was okay, assuring he’d help her get settled. She hadn’t mentioned her parents were attorneys. The waitress took their plates, refilled Jake’s coffee and laid a check on the table. Tess snapped it up. “I got it,” Jake insisted, grabbing for his wallet. “C’mon, Tess, you’re hurt. Let me get breakfast.”

  “No way!” She dug out her credit card out and slapped it on the bill. “You spent all night taking care of me, and now I’ve guilt-tripped you into helping me with my errands. The least I can do is buy your bacon and eggs.”

  Jake ra
ised an eyebrow in disapproval as the waitress scooped the check up. His tanned face crinkled around his eyes. “Well, then, Nancy gets a real good tip.” He laid a ten on the table.“You want to order something for later, since you won’t have anything to cook with?”

  “Very thoughtful of you,” she smiled. “After we check out my apartment, I plan to hit the Goodwill. I hope to have pots and pans and dishes by lunchtime.”

  Amused, Jake slurped his coffee. “There’s no Goodwill in town, but we do have a thrift store on Third Street, pulls from all five churches. It’s too far to walk, in your condition, and with any luck, you’ll have a load to haul back to your place. I’ll take you there after groceries.”

  “Thanks!” Standing, she grabbed her blood stained hoodie from the hook at the top of the booth. He stood up to help with her sleeves, the rough stubble of his cheeks close. She smelled leather and soap. Her brow crinkled. “I really shouldn’t tie up your whole morning. Should I call a cab, or something?”

  His face burst into a grin. “A cab, in this town? Fat chance, Tess, there’s not a taxi service outside of Denver.” His grin widened as he pushed the diner door open for her. “We’re surrounded by ghost towns out here. Where did you say you’re from?”

  “Pennsylvania,” she hedged. “Where, in Pennsylvania?” he asked pointedly, as they crossed the parking lot.

  She winced as he opened her door. “Philadelphia?”

  His grin widened. “Hah, I thought so. You’re a city girl. Not for nothing, but what made you pick Green Junction?” “I wanted something different,” she said, lifting her chin. It was hard to admit to a real cowboy she’d wanted to escape the suburban bubble she’d always felt swaddled in.

  “A challenge?” He didn’t even try to hide his amusement.

  “The work Doc has for me seems interesting,” she said defensively, climbing up into the truck with as much dignity as she could muster.

  “Oh, it’ll be a challenge, girl,” he agreed, moving around to open his door. He turned the key in the ignition. “Winter’s are cold here, and this town can feel really isolated once the snows come. I hope you’re not disappointed,” he said, glancing her way.