“ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?” Aaron asked.
“Yes.” Izzy sat slumped at the kitchen table. “You’re way bossier than I remember.”
“You were gone a morning. How could you possibly forget anything?”
“I didn’t have to take notes before.”
“You couldn’t see the paper before.” He tapped on her yellow pad. “Chop-chop.”
“You did not just say that to me.”
“Want to arm wrestle for dominance, honey?”
Izzy laughed. “That’s okay. Back to brainstorming.”
They were talking about ways to make more use of the ranch.
“So far we’ve got renting out the facilities without staffing them,” Aaron said. “I like that. Groups can come in and do their thing, then leave. Our expenses will be minimal. We’ll charge them a cleaning fee, so there’s the insurance issues and wear and tear. And I like your idea of expanding the obstacle course.”
“I think we should talk about having kids here longer than a weekend,” she said. “What about a week at a time?” Her plan was eventually kids would take over for the whole summer, but she doubted Nick was ready to hear that.
“What additional staff would we need?” Aaron asked. “A nurse? Counselor?”
“Maybe. What about a school counselor? They have the summer off. We could invite a counselor and his or her whole family. They’d get a free vacation, we’d get the expert we need?”
Aaron eyed her. “You’ve been thinking about this?”
“Some. I saw what the time here did for Heidi. That was only three days. In a week-”
“We’re not doing weeks.”
The statement came from behind her. Izzy turned and saw Nick standing in the kitchen.
“What are you two doing?” he asked, not sounding or looking happy. She’d never seen him frown before. Or the ice that seemed to invade his eyes. “You’re supposed to be working on logistics for our fall retreats.”
“We’ve done that,” Aaron told him, unfazed by the obvious annoyance. “We’re brainstorming ways to make your life better.”
“My life is fine the way it is.” He left.
Izzy rose and went after him.
“What’s your problem?” she demanded as she hurried to catch up with him. “We’re helping. You need to be starting the conversation with thank you.”
He stopped in front of his office and faced her. “This doesn’t concern you.”
Had he been this much of a jerk when she’d been blind?
“Excuse me? I should just shut up and do my job? I don’t think so. What’s wrong with you?” She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Getting the most use out of the facilities makes financial sense. Expanding what you offer will bring in more clients. The more corporate sessions you book, the more money for the real work with the kids. Although if you ask me, you need to completely change the schedule to do corporate stuff from fall to spring and have kids all summer. Aaron and I were talking about having one-week sessions for them that-”
“No.”
Nick didn’t speak loudly or harshly, but there was a finality to the single word that silenced her.
They stared at each other.
“Just like that,” she said. “Only you get to decide? There’s no team here? What is going on with you? Why are you acting like this?”
“This is how it has to be.”
She knew he had a gentle, caring side. She’d seen it. She’d experienced it firsthand. But apparently that part of him was on vacation.
“Is this about the guilt?” she asked.
The ice thickened. “I’m not having this conversation.”
“Actually, you are. That’s why we’re both angry.” She drew in a breath. “I understand you have issues.”
“I don’t have issues. I’m responsible for the death of three innocent people. That is fact, not emotional baggage.”
“True, but because of those other people, children are getting a second chance. That girl who was here before. Denise. She’s going to be a doctor. She’ll spend her entire career saving lives. There are people who will still be living because of her. People who otherwise wouldn’t make it. And she’s doing that because of what you did.”
“Nothing makes up for what I did before.”
“All the more reason to have the kids here longer.”
“No.”
He stepped into his office and closed the door behind him.
There wasn’t a lock. She could have followed him inside. But that wasn’t the point. He was trying to shut her out and he was doing a heck of a job at it.
So much for the romantic homecoming, she thought sadly as she walked away. So much for thinking there was something between them. It was as if Nick was trying to push her away.
And he was doing a damn good job.
NICK STOOD in the center of his office and wanted to throw something. He knew he should go apologize to Izzy, but he couldn’t. Not without telling her what was wrong. And to tell her that was to admit the truth about Garth.
He would have to tell her eventually. The longer he waited, the bigger the risk that she would find out from Garth directly, and Nick didn’t want that.
But he also didn’t want to lose her.
He knew the second she found out the truth, she would stare at him as if she had no idea who he was. Because she would believe he’d betrayed her. That he’d sold her out from the beginning. And he wasn’t sure he could explain well enough to change her mind. She wouldn’t be able to forgive him just like he couldn’t forgive Garth, despite the continued calls from his former friend.
Just another day, he thought. One more day. One more night. Then he’d tell her.
What tonight was supposed to have been, he thought grimly. Them together. He’d blown that.
He crossed to his desk, but couldn’t relax enough to sit. If only he’d met her another way. If only they didn’t have Garth between them. Would that have made a difference? And why did he care? It wasn’t as if Izzy was a significant part of his life. She was a friend. He respected her, but in a few weeks she would be gone. He wasn’t looking for anything permanent.
Connections were impossible. What if he got so happy he forgot what he’d done? What if he stopped making payments on his debt to society?
He’d never thought to ask the question before. Izzy claimed peace could be found, or maybe made. But he didn’t believe her. Life wasn’t that easy. He’d been wrong and he had to pay. There was no way around it. However much he might want that to be different.
THE EARLY MORNING WAS cool and clear, with almost no humidity. Practically a miracle, Izzy thought happily as she drove with Aaron to the guesthouse to set up for their corporate retreat. Norma had spent most of the previous day working with the caterers on food prep, the housekeeping service had been through to get the rooms ready and boxes of folders, pens and notebooks had been delivered.
“I want to be outside,” Izzy whined when they came to a stop in front of the large guesthouse building. “Don’t make me stay inside.”
“Work this morning, play this afternoon,” Aaron told her.
“I want to play now.”
He got out of the Jeep and looked at her. “You sound like you’re five.”
She got out, raised her arms so they were level with her shoulders and spun. “I want to see things, do things. I’m not blind anymore, Aaron. Give me a break.”
“Putting together the notebooks is doing something. Don’t make me use my stern voice. You won’t like it.”
Izzy slowed and looked at him. “If I’m bad, will you spank me?” she asked, mostly to make him squirm.
Aaron wrinkled his nose. “I am so the wrong person to have that conversation. Didn’t Nick tire you out last night?”
“No. I slept alone.”
“While I want to hear all the details, I have a very busy morning.” He pointed to the back of the Jeep. “Take those boxes inside to the conference room and set everything up. We have thirty people due here at ten-thirty. We are going to be ready. Don’t make me get crabby.”
“All right.” She sighed heavily, then started taking boxes into the conference room. At least she would spend the afternoon outside, demonstrating the rope bridge. She couldn’t wait to see how it really was and what it would be like now that she could see everything.
She went inside the conference center. There were several smaller rooms and one large one with tables set up in a square so everyone could see everyone else.
“Very corporate,” she murmured as she opened the boxes and began setting out a notebook filled with very technical financial information, a pen and a pad of paper on the desk in front of each chair.
When she was done, she went exploring. The so-called media room was more of a theater, with raised seating, an industrial-size popcorn maker, a huge fridge and a remote control to turn down the lights. Heaven forbid anyone should get up and actually walk to the switch on the wall.
She went upstairs and looked at the guest rooms. They were all beautifully decorated-a lush combination of upscale hotel and cozy B and B. The baths were spacious and well stocked and light filtered in from large windows.
She returned downstairs and made her way to the kitchen, where Norma was hard at work directing the catering staff.
“Nice place,” Izzy said, glancing around the restaurant-size kitchen. “It inspires me to cook.”
Norma barely looked up. “Don’t even think about it. I’m having enough trouble as it is. Did you see what was delivered? They’re not going to care if I serve them steak or dog food.”
Izzy looked in the corner. Cases and cases of beer sat ready to go in the massive refrigerator.
“There’s only thirty guys,” she said. “They can’t drink all that in three days.”
“I guess they’re going to give it a try. Can you put those in the refrigerator? At least as much as will fit on the bottom two shelves. We already have three cases on ice in the main living room and two more out back.”
Izzy admired dedication to a cause, but this was too much even for her. “Somebody’s going to be really sick by the end of the day,” she said.
“Just what we need. A bunch of finance guys puking all over the furniture,” Norma muttered. “Why didn’t I become a plumber? That’s what my mom always told me. People always need plumbers, you can overcharge folks who annoy you and are mostly out of the heat. But did I listen? Of course not.”
Izzy hid a smile. “You’re a fabulous cook. Aaron worships your biscuits.”
“I know. He’s a good boy.”
Words that would make him shudder, Izzy thought.
When Izzy had finished with the beer, she went outside. It was after ten and cars were already pulling up in front of the main building.
There were three and four guys to a car. They were all in their twenties, most wore glasses. They looked smart and geeky and the first words out of their mouth were, “Where’s the beer?”
“What company is this?” she asked Aaron as he walked by looking nervous.
“One who won’t be using these facilities again. They’re already annoying me. Did you see how much beer there is? They’ll be drunk by noon. I can only hope they all fall off the rope ladder.” He waved toward the building. “Go be flirty. Keep them busy and away from me.”
Izzy turned back, only to feel a prickling along the back of her neck. She searched until she found Nick by the back of the building. He was walking toward her, looking far too handsome and sexy in the sunlight.
She knew there were other guys around and under other circumstances she would be cruising the group to pick out any who interested her. But not right now. Maybe not for a long time. There was only one man who occupied her thoughts these days. Unfortunately, he was the most annoying person on the planet.
He walked up to her.
“You were a serious jackass yesterday,” she said by way of a greeting. “We were only trying to help. I’ll accept that everyone has issues, but we shouldn’t have to pay for yours. And it’s fine if you want to keep on punishing yourself for what happened in the past, but not having kids here more is punishing them and they don’t deserve that.”
He stared at her for a long time. His eyes were an impossible shade of green. Dark and rich and more appealing than she could have imagined. His mouth was even more tempting. Looking at it made her want to kiss him, which she couldn’t. Not until he was done being a jerk. It violated her principles. Oh, but she was tempted.
“You about done?” he asked.
“Maybe. Are you willing to admit you were wrong?”
“Maybe.”
She smiled. “Someone needs to beat you with a stick.”
“It would take several someones.”
“You think you’re so tough?”
“I know I’m tough.”
“Want to prove it?”
Fire flared in his eyes. “When and where?”
Here and now seemed like a good answer. Except…“You haven’t said you were sorry or that Aaron and I were right.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes. Admit it. My point’s a good one. It’s one thing to beat up yourself, but keeping kids from getting better is not the road to recovery.”
He didn’t say anything, but then he didn’t have to. She knew what he was thinking-that there was no road to recovery. But she didn’t deal with that. Instead, she waited, hoping, believing he would see that she was right. That helping other kids, more kids, was the best thing to do.
“I’m sorry,” he said slowly. “And having more kids here makes sense.”
She grinned. “See? That wasn’t hard. Just accept that you can’t resist me and your life will be much easier.”
“Thanks for the update.”
His mouth twitched as he spoke. She had a feeling that he was doing his best not to smile.
“About that when and where,” she said. “Tonight?”
“Your room or mine?”
“I’ll come down to your room.” She turned to leave, then glanced back at him. “Don’t piss me off between now and then.”
“I’ll try not to.”
“As you’re a man, I guess that’s the best I can hope for.”
IZZY LOVED EVERYTHING about the rope ladder, except the harness Ethan, Nick’s mountain-climbing friend, had insisted she wear.
“But I’m not blind anymore,” she whined.
Ethan, a fortysomething tanned hunk, shook his head. “Until you can prove you bounce when you fall, you’re wearing a harness.”
“But it takes away from the experience.”
“What my seventeen-year-old son says about condoms. Do I look like I care?”
“Fine,” she muttered and started to climb.
The afternoon was warm, there was a slight breeze and if she ignored the very drunk finance guys and their tacky comments, she was fine.
“Baby, I’ll catch you if you fall,” was acceptable, but “Nice ass” made her want to practice a nice knee-to-the-groin move.
She reached the ladder. Ethan was already on the other side, waiting for her.
“I can do this,” she called, walking across without slowing. It was a whole lot easier with actual vision. She loved being level with the leaves on the trees and watching birds fly by.
“Can I go again?” she asked when she reached Ethan.
“I doubt it’s going to be a problem. They’re all too drunk to climb.”
“Maybe they’re afraid of heights and it was their plan.”
“You’re giving them too much credit.”
Izzy made her way down the tree. Nick stood with the manager of the group, probably explaining they wouldn’t be testing their courage anytime soon.
Sure enough, Ethan was already down and putting away harnesses.
She walked toward Nick.
“…take them for an easy hike,” he was saying. “They can burn off the alcohol.”
“They work hard. They deserve to party.”
“No one needs to party this much.” Nick sounded frustrated.
Izzy moved closer. “I’ll go on the hike with you,” she said. “I can make sure there aren’t any stragglers.”
The manager looked unconvinced. “They’re fine.”
“For guys at a frat party,” Nick said. “I want everyone out of here by sundown.”
“What? We’ve paid for the whole weekend!”
“You’ll get your money back. We don’t want a group like this around.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m cutting off the beer as of now. They have five hours to sober up, then get out of here.”
The manager muttered something Izzy couldn’t hear, then stalked off.
“Now what?” she asked.
“We wait until they stop acting like idiots. If they want to continue without the beer, they can stay. Otherwise, I’m throwing them out. I need to go see Ethan. I want him to stick around and help me make sure no one does anything stupid.”
“What are the odds of that?”
“Tell me about it. You okay?”
“I’m fine. They’re harmless. I’ll stay out, too. Maybe I can shame them into better behavior.”
“Interesting plan.”
He headed toward Ethan. Izzy did a quick head count to make sure everyone was still in the area, then frowned as she realized four guys were missing.
She hesitated, trying to figure out which way they’d gone. She heard male laughter off to her left and walked in that direction.
“Get it! Get it!”
“You get it. Man, look at it.”
“It’s pissed, bro. You are so dead.”
Izzy couldn’t begin to imagine what the four guys were up to and she didn’t much care. She would herd them back to the main group and count the hours until they were gone.
She stepped around a bush, only to find four very drunk men had trapped a rattlesnake between a tree and a fallen log. They were taunting it by jabbing it with sticks. The snake was fair-size, maybe six feet long, coiled, rattling its tail like mad and, from the crazed look in its little snake eyes, out for blood.
“Are you insane?” she yelled.
The guy closest to the snake dropped his stick and leaped back when the snake lunged.
“Jeez, lady,” the guy complained. “You nearly made me drop my beer.”
“And what a shame that would have been.” Izzy kept her attention on the snake, telling herself not to panic. While she wasn’t technically afraid of snakes, she didn’t have any as close friends. “Step away from the rattler and head back to your group. No sudden moves, just a general easing back.”
“We’re not afraid,” a guy said, poking the snake again.
“Then you’re really stupid.”
“I’m wearing boots. It can’t bite through boots.”
“Great. Did you know rattlers can jump nearly as far as they are long? Hmm, let me think. If that snake took a flying leap, by my calculations it would hit your balls. You wearing boots there, too?”
The men moved back.
She drew in a breath. Everything was going to be fine. She just had to stay calm and speak firmly. Pretend the guys were actually four-year-olds, although in her opinion the average four-year-old showed a whole lot more sense.
“All right, gentlemen. If you’ll follow me.”
“You think you’re so smart,” one of the guys said and grabbed her arm. “Let’s see how you like the snake.”
Before Izzy knew what was happening, the man was drawing her forward, between him and the snake. The creature’s fury was palpable. It coiled tightly and lunged.
The next few seconds were a blur. Izzy screamed. Something hard slammed into her, pushing her out of the way. The snake made contact with someone, although she was pretty sure it wasn’t her. Then she was falling.
The ground was as hard as it looked. All the air rushed out of her, but she forced herself to roll onto her side, gasping. Even as she sucked in air, she saw the snake slithering back into the underbrush, the guys scattering and Nick standing next to her, two clear bite marks on his left forearm.
Izzy scrambled to her feet. The phrase blind panic suddenly made perfect sense because it didn’t matter if she could see. Nick was going to die, right here, in the semiwilderness and she didn’t know what to do.
“Don’t scream,” she said as she rushed to him. “Don’t scream.”
“I wasn’t planning on screaming,” he told her.
“I was talking to myself.”
“It’s all right,” he said calmly. “I’m going to move to this tree and lean against it. Send Ethan to get Aaron to drive the SUV as close as possible. Then bring back the first-aid kit.”
Her heart pounded so fast, she thought she was going to pass out. The bite marks were deep. Blood oozed out of them. “There’s antivenom serum in the first-aid kit?”
“No. A bandage. You’re going to wrap my arm, then we’ll drive to the hospital.”
As he spoke, he walked to the tree, then leaned.
“Should you sit down? You need to sit down. How can you be so calm. Is it the venom? Is it already in your brain?”
“I don’t want to move around. Lack of movement keeps the venom localized.” He stared into her eyes. “Izzy, you can do this.”
She wanted to run in a circle screaming. She wanted to wring her hands and beg the universe to fix him. She wanted to sit down and cry, then lose herself in panic. Instead she knew she had to take care of business.
“Okay,” she said and took off to find Ethan.
Five minutes later she was back with the first-aid kit Ethan had handed her. She brought it to Nick, who told her to open it.
Easier said than done, she thought as her hands shook. “What kind of bandage?”
“Gauze to put over the bite marks, then an Ace bandage to wrap my arm. See if there’s a sling.”
She didn’t bother reading the contents. Instead she dumped everything on the ground and rapidly searched through it until she found what she needed.
“I’m going to throw up,” she muttered as she grabbed everything and raced to his side.
“Just don’t get any on me.”
“Shut up. Tell me what to do.”
“I can’t do both.”
She looked at him. “I am hanging on by a thread, Nick. I swear, why couldn’t you catch the damn snake like they do in the movies?”
“So this is my fault?”
There was actual humor in his voice. As if he thought the situation was funny. As if he wasn’t going to die.
“Did I tell you not to piss me off?” she asked.
“I hate to disappoint you, Izzy, but we’re not having sex tonight.”
“Yeah, I got that. Tell me what to do.”
He walked her through covering the wound, then wrapping his arm. The work was difficult, what with her fingers shaking and the sense of impending doom sending waves of panic through her. Knowing his life depended on her, she kept going. Slowly, carefully, she secured the sling around his arm and helped him anchor his arm against his chest, his wrist and hand higher than his elbow.
“Go wait for the car,” he told her.
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You’re not leaving. You’re checking on the car. Go on, Izzy. I’ll be right here.”
She hesitated a second, then raced to the clearing. The corporate guys were gone. She hoped Ethan had bullied the hell out of them and thrown in a few threats for good measure. She planned to call the sheriff just as soon as she knew Nick wasn’t going to die, but right now she didn’t care about anything but getting him to the hospital.
“Hurry,” she said aloud. “Hurry.”
Seconds later Nick’s SUV raced down the road and slammed to a stop just beside her. Aaron jumped out.
“Where is he?” he yelled, his arms waving. “Oh, God. A snake? A rattlesnake? Is he dead? He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“Not yet. Come on.”
She grabbed Aaron’s arm and led him back to Nick. He was still leaning against the tree, looking calm. But she saw the sweat on his forehead and noticed the tension in his jaw.
“You all right?” she asked.
“Fine. We’re going to walk to the SUV. Aaron, I’ll lean on you.”
“Yes, yes.” Aaron sounded as shaky as Izzy felt.
He looped Nick’s free arm around his shoulder and they moved the few feet down the trail. Nick wanted to go slowly, stepping carefully. His breathing was steady. She told herself that was good. It had to be.
When they reached the SUV, she helped him slide into the backseat, then closed the door behind him.
“Are you driving?” she asked Aaron.
“Yes.”
“Do you know where the hospital is?”
“Yes. I’ve already called and told them we’re coming. They’re ready.”
“Good.”
She climbed into the passenger seat, buried her face in her hands and burst into tears.
NICK LAY in the hospital bed. Morning light filtered in through the blinds. His arm hurt like a sonofabitch, but he could deal with the pain.
He glanced over at the woman curled up in the big chair in the corner. No matter how he’d ordered, yelled and pleaded, Izzy had refused to leave. She’d spent the night fussing over him, talking to him when he couldn’t sleep and getting him ice for his water.
Slowly she stirred, then straightened and groaned. “Not exactly comfortable,” she said as she stood and straightened. Then she looked at him. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.”
“You sure?”
“You heard the doctor. I’m going to be fine.”
“He said you were lucky. It was a big snake.”
“I’m a big guy.”
“And you knew what to do. I would have freaked and made everything worse.”
He didn’t want to think about her being hurt. The memory of seeing that guy dragging her toward the rattler would haunt him forever.
She crossed to the bed and put her hand on his forehead. “Not clammy anymore.”
He grabbed her wrist. “You should go home. Get some sleep. Take a shower.”
“Are you saying I’m not at my best?”
“I’m saying I’m okay. You don’t have to monitor me.”
“Maybe I like monitoring you.”
There was a knock at the half-open door, then Lexi and Skye entered.
“Hi,” they said together.
“How are you feeling?” Lexi asked as she hugged Izzy.
“You look pretty good for a guy who wrestled a snake,” Skye told him.
“Thanks. I’m fine. I was telling your sister she can go. I don’t need her hovering.”
Lexi and Skye exchanged glances, then turned back to him.
“Poor man,” Lexi said. “You don’t actually think she’ll listen, do you? Have you met our sister? She’s fairly stubborn.”
They were both carrying tote bags. As Lexi talked she pulled out a large plant and a colorful blanket she spread across his feet. Skye removed two big boxes from her tote.
“A robe,” she said. “I got blue because it’s a traditional guy color. And these are cookies. Erin and I made them last night.”
Lexi put the plant by the window. “They’re chocolate chip. I could smell them the whole way here. Torture.”
There was another knock, then Dana entered with a tall, thin man.
“Hi,” she said. “This is Sheriff Rogers. He’s going to take your statement.”
“We’re pressing charges,” Izzy told him. “At least I am.”
“There’s no law against being an idiot,” the sheriff said as he shook Nick’s hand. “But we draw a line when an idiot hurts someone else. How you doin’, son?”
“Good,” Nick said, a little stunned by the invasion.
Skye and Dana disappeared for a few minutes, then reappeared with more chairs. The sheriff was eating cookies and talking with Lexi. Izzy stood next to him, holding the hand on his uninjured arm. Apparently no one was leaving anytime soon.
“Oh, Aaron called while you were asleep,” Izzy told him. “He’s taking care of everything. Steve came by to help. The corporate guys are very subdued and following orders. The beer is locked away and everything is good. But we’re still pressing charges.”
He didn’t know what to make of what was going on. He’d never had family before, and while Garth had been his friend for years, neither of them ever fussed over the other.
The Titan women fussed. Even as they spoke to him and each other, his blankets were straightened, his pillows fluffed. They discussed his meals, his color and asked him if he needed to use the bathroom. When the sheriff was ready to talk about what had happened, they sat in the corner with Dana, talking quietly, constantly glancing at him as if to make sure he was all right.
It felt good and at the same time made him feel like crap. Because Izzy wasn’t going to be the only one hurt by the revelation about Garth. They would be devastated, as well.
He had to tell her, and quickly.
He looked at the women. He would tell Izzy as soon as they had a moment alone. He had no choice-he was running out of time.