“So the bastard can act.”
A woman turned to glare at him and he realized he’d said the words out loud. “Sorry,” he said to the woman, and she looked away.
The reporter said Cara had bought a used car in Tacoma, and Nick’s heart sank. How much time did they have before her husband found her? She was in no shape to fight anybody now, especially the man who intended to lock her up.
<>
Cara woke slowly and glanced around. The nurse checked her IV and inspected her leg. “Dr. Taylor did a good job on your leg,” said the nurse. “We’re giving you IV antibiotics now, and when the bottle is empty, your husband can take you home.”
Husband? Oh, God, not Lance.
“My husband is Italian, too.” She was talking about Nick, Cara’s pretend husband. The nurse didn’t recognize her. Nobody recognized her, or if they did, they didn’t say anything.
Still groggy, Cara closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. When she woke again, Nick was there, holding her hand and joking with the nurse. “She was checking on the neighbor’s house when the quake hit,” he said. “The foundation failed and the thing caved in with her inside. Thank God she didn’t die in there.”
As the nurse talked about some of the people she’d seen, Cara realized how fortunate she was to be alive and to have a leg to operate on. If not for Nick, she’d still be under that beam, because she never would have gotten out on her own.
<>
Hours later, the boat brought Nick and Cara back to the neighbor’s dock. Nick had mixed feelings about bringing Cara Andrews back to his little house, but what else could he do? She had enough money to find another place to live, but he couldn’t turn her loose while she was so sick, especially with that muscle-bound jerk after her.
Tony met the boat. “Hey, Nicky, everything all right?”
“We went to the hospital. Tony, this is Max. Max, this is my cousin, Tony Donatelli.”
“Hi, Tony.” Cara reached up to rub her forehead with her left hand. Her right arm was in a sling.
Nick helped Cara up the steps and into the house, and Tony followed. “I put those clothes in the back bedroom, and there’s more water and stuff in the kitchen.”
Cara kept turning her face away from Tony, and Nick realized she was trying to hide her face so he wouldn’t recognize her. He motioned for Tony to come outside with him.
“You look kinda funny,” said Tony. “Something wrong?”
Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, Tony, I appreciate you coming down here and bringing all that stuff, but Max needs to rest. She was up half the night with a high fever, throwing up.”
“What about her family?”
“I don’t think there is anyone. I’ll take care of her until she gets better, and then she’s on her own. Bring Angelo down tomorrow, if he’s around. She needs a haircut. I had to whack it off to get her loose.”
Tony trudged up the hill and waved, and Nick walked inside to find Cara standing in the kitchen, looking through the food on the counter. She put her hand on her stomach. “I’m hungry. Can you make something hot?”
“Sure. Sit down.” She sat in the recliner, and Nick put the leg rest up and tucked a pillow under her left leg. She looked better. The antibiotics were working already.
Setting the frying pan on the woodstove, he added a slab of butter and put a sandwich in to brown. She’d probably never eaten anything greasy like that in her whole life. And he fed her peanut butter and canned chicken noodle soup. He was embarrassed to look at her.
“Nick? Is something wrong?”
He shook his head. He didn’t know what to say.
She sighed. “You looked through my purse, didn’t you?”
“When you said your husband was trying to steal your estate, I thought you meant a house or a little money.” He turned to look at her. “You’ve got more money in that purse than I earn in a year. In two years.”
“I emptied my bank accounts before I left Seattle.
A woman turned to glare at him and he realized he’d said the words out loud. “Sorry,” he said to the woman, and she looked away.
The reporter said Cara had bought a used car in Tacoma, and Nick’s heart sank. How much time did they have before her husband found her? She was in no shape to fight anybody now, especially the man who intended to lock her up.
<>
Cara woke slowly and glanced around. The nurse checked her IV and inspected her leg. “Dr. Taylor did a good job on your leg,” said the nurse. “We’re giving you IV antibiotics now, and when the bottle is empty, your husband can take you home.”
Husband? Oh, God, not Lance.
“My husband is Italian, too.” She was talking about Nick, Cara’s pretend husband. The nurse didn’t recognize her. Nobody recognized her, or if they did, they didn’t say anything.
Still groggy, Cara closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. When she woke again, Nick was there, holding her hand and joking with the nurse. “She was checking on the neighbor’s house when the quake hit,” he said. “The foundation failed and the thing caved in with her inside. Thank God she didn’t die in there.”
As the nurse talked about some of the people she’d seen, Cara realized how fortunate she was to be alive and to have a leg to operate on. If not for Nick, she’d still be under that beam, because she never would have gotten out on her own.
<>
Hours later, the boat brought Nick and Cara back to the neighbor’s dock. Nick had mixed feelings about bringing Cara Andrews back to his little house, but what else could he do? She had enough money to find another place to live, but he couldn’t turn her loose while she was so sick, especially with that muscle-bound jerk after her.
Tony met the boat. “Hey, Nicky, everything all right?”
“We went to the hospital. Tony, this is Max. Max, this is my cousin, Tony Donatelli.”
“Hi, Tony.” Cara reached up to rub her forehead with her left hand. Her right arm was in a sling.
Nick helped Cara up the steps and into the house, and Tony followed. “I put those clothes in the back bedroom, and there’s more water and stuff in the kitchen.”
Cara kept turning her face away from Tony, and Nick realized she was trying to hide her face so he wouldn’t recognize her. He motioned for Tony to come outside with him.
“You look kinda funny,” said Tony. “Something wrong?”
Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, Tony, I appreciate you coming down here and bringing all that stuff, but Max needs to rest. She was up half the night with a high fever, throwing up.”
“What about her family?”
“I don’t think there is anyone. I’ll take care of her until she gets better, and then she’s on her own. Bring Angelo down tomorrow, if he’s around. She needs a haircut. I had to whack it off to get her loose.”
Tony trudged up the hill and waved, and Nick walked inside to find Cara standing in the kitchen, looking through the food on the counter. She put her hand on her stomach. “I’m hungry. Can you make something hot?”
“Sure. Sit down.” She sat in the recliner, and Nick put the leg rest up and tucked a pillow under her left leg. She looked better. The antibiotics were working already.
Setting the frying pan on the woodstove, he added a slab of butter and put a sandwich in to brown. She’d probably never eaten anything greasy like that in her whole life. And he fed her peanut butter and canned chicken noodle soup. He was embarrassed to look at her.
“Nick? Is something wrong?”
He shook his head. He didn’t know what to say.
She sighed. “You looked through my purse, didn’t you?”
“When you said your husband was trying to steal your estate, I thought you meant a house or a little money.” He turned to look at her. “You’ve got more money in that purse than I earn in a year. In two years.”
“I emptied my bank accounts before I left Seattle.
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