Healing the Lawman's Heart Read online

  Zach rattled off the number. Tanner heard him hit the siren before he disconnected, and the sound of an approaching ambulance or rescue vehicle told Tanner help was on the way.

  He dialed her number and waggled his cell phone for her to see.

  She looked startled when her phone rang, groped for it, then shook her head, dismayed.

  She can’t find the phone.

  He tried again, hoping the ring tone would help her locate the cell. This time she zeroed in on the noise, stretched, and when she sat back up, the look of triumph on her face said she had the phone.

  Yes.

  He dialed again and she answered quickly. “I’m stuck.”

  The nonstressed tone of her voice said he wasn’t dealing with a typical accident victim, and the look she sent his way, an almost comical look of pleading, said she’d wait for him to rescue her without hysterics.

  He liked that.

  “Make sure your locks are disengaged from inside.”

  “I did that. Everything’s unlocked. Or should be.”

  “Try again. Electrical systems can get whacked in an accident.”

  He saw her hit the button to disengage the locks. She frowned at the door and hit the button again. “It’s not responding.”

  She glared at the console, firmed her chin and stabbed the unlock button with vengeance.

  Click.

  Tanner caught her smile of success. He spoke into the phone but kept his gaze trained on hers to make sure she understood. “I’m going to climb on top and pull the door. Gravity and the wind will fight me. Are you trapped or can you move to climb out?”

  “I can move.”

  “Okay, when I pull the door, you push it up as hard as you can from inside. Okay?”

  “Roger that.”

  “We don’t use radio talk on phones, Julia,” he teased, wanting to match her mood. “Every newbie knows that.”

  “I’m taking it under advisement,” she told him. “Umm, I think you should hang up the phone now and rescue me.”

  “Agreed.”

  He climbed up the front of the car, moved into position, then reached down and gripped the door handle. He squeezed hard and pulled.

  The wind fought him.

  The almost upright angle and weight of the door made his task difficult under good conditions. In frigid temps, it was almost impossible.

  He wanted her out of the car and in a warm, safe place, fast.

  The door moved up.

  He clenched tight, bracing himself, because if he lost his grip while Julia climbed out and the door slammed back down, he could seriously hurt her.

  He heard a voice, and then he saw gloved fingers, grasping the back side of the driver’s door frame. First one hand, then two.

  A wind gust buffeted him, jerking him to the left. His foot slipped on a slick spot, but he held tight. Come on, Julia, grab hold. Climb out. Hang on.

  An arm followed. And then the second arm, grabbing hold of the back door handle, pulling hard.

  Her head appeared, then disappeared for long, slow seconds.

  That meant something wasn’t right. A caught leg, a foot turned wrong.

  She disappeared back into the car while Tanner struggled to hold the door open.

  The hands appeared again. Then the head, her blond hair whipping in the wind.

  This time she made it through the opening, onto the car and slid down into the snow, free.

  He let the door down easy, not wanting to rock the car over, then slid down into the snow next to her.

  “You’re hurt.” He stood quickly, hauled her up and pulled her toward his car.

  She tried to say something, but the storm stole her words. He tucked her into the front seat of the warm cruiser, circled around and climbed in next to her as the rescue vehicle came into view. He paused, letting heat seep into both of them. “Let me see your face.”

  “Scratched, banged and bruised, but otherwise unscathed,” she assured him, but he reached over, grasped her chin gently and turned her face his way.

  * * *

  He’s got gorgeous gray eyes. The kind a girl could get lost in if she had a mind to. Fortunately, I have no such desire.

  Hat-matted, snow-flecked hair. Was it dark? Light? She couldn’t tell because the dampness made it look dark in the uneven light of the police cruiser.

  Square-jawed. Fierce, almost taut features, but as he examined her for damage, the look in his eyes said this warrior had a soft side he hid well.

  And that was a relief, because she’d come close to giving him a good, swift kick back in the future pregnancy center.

  His broad hands were chilled but gentle. His gaze probed her eyes, and for just a moment she wondered what it would be like to have Trooper Tanner locking eyes with her when he wasn’t searching for signs of concussion.

  “Headache?”

  She shook her head, then shrugged. “Well. A little.”

  “This hurt much?” He touched the side of her face with the pad of his thumb.

  “Ouch. Bruised, I expect.”

  “Oh, yeah. You’re gonna have a nice shiner with that one.” His smile offered sympathy tinged with sarcasm, a kind of fun mix. “And this?” He sent a light touch over her left eyebrow and seemed happy when she didn’t react.

  “Should I ask how I look?” She made a face, and he responded with an overdone cringe as if afraid to tell her. She dropped her head back and sighed. “That bad?”

  “Two bangs and a bruise. Not too bad. But wrecking two cars in one day? I’m glad I don’t have to pay your insurance, Julia.”

  “The other one wasn’t my fault,” she protested. “Parked, I tell you. No way can you pin that one on me.”

  “And this one?” Tanner slid his gaze to the upended car in front of them.

  She sighed out loud. “That one’s all me.” She started to make a face, but wrinkling the muscles made her temple bruise hurt more so she stopped. “And Zach’s going to have a field day because he warned me to handle the car differently.”

  “Yup.”

  “Do you have siblings, Tanner?”

  “One sister. Neda. She lives in Erie. Just far enough away that she can’t remind me of the dumb things I do too often.”

  As the ambulance crew reached the car, Julia grimaced. “My advice? Keep it that way.” She shot a look of chagrin toward Zach’s approaching car and winked at Tanner. “Because I’m never going to live this down.”

  Chapter Two

  “I do believe I said no when asked about going to the emergency room.” Julia frowned at her watch, then at her brother an hour later. “I have two kids and an overgrown puppy waiting for me at Dad’s. And I’m on call for the next forty-eight hours.”

  “Protocol says head wounds get looked at.” Zach aimed one of those brotherly looks her way, the kind that should get him smacked except she was too tired to put up much of a fight. “And you’re not on call anymore. I called Dr. Salinas. She’s taking calls tonight to give you time to rest.”

  “You what?” Julia lifted her brows, surprised. “You can’t have her do that. She’s got a lot on her plate right now. I’m fi—”

  “You’re not fine,” Tanner reminded her. He scanned her face with a mix of sympathy and amusement. “Although I have to hand it to you, you’re one tough cookie. And no driving for twenty-four hours. You heard the doctor. How were you expecting to answer calls?”

  Great. Just what she needed. Another bossy cop, and he wasn’t even related to her.

  She was determined to be patient because like it or not, they would be working in the same area, and Julia knew it was way better to have the police on her side. “The doctor didn’t mean it.”

  “I did mean it.” The ER doc strode back into t
he room, handed Julia a container of pain meds, then faced her. “I had them fill this upstairs because the local drugstores are closed due to the storm. Use them if you need them, Julia.” His tone and expression said he doubted she would, but should. “I wasn’t messing around. No driving for the next twenty-four hours. Go home and rest.”

  She frowned as she slid off the examining table. Zach held out her coat. She shrugged into it, then turned and stuck her hand out to Tanner. “Thank you for the rescue. I appreciate it. Seeing your lights come across that overpass made me real happy.”

  The sympathy in his gaze deepened. “Anytime.”

  “Don’t say that,” Zach warned. “She’s going to be working under your nose in that new clinic, and Julia’s not afraid to lasso people into helping her. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Reddington.”

  “I never do.” The promise in his voice pulled Julia’s attention up to his eyes. “Call me if you need me, okay?”

  Tenderness. Kindness. Warmth. All in a to-die-for package, and when he smiled down at her, the tingle of her palms had nothing to do with a concussion and everything to do with attraction, which couldn’t, wouldn’t and shouldn’t happen. She had a mission to accomplish and despite how broad-shouldered and good-looking Tanner Reddington was, she’d read his dismay back at the clinic. He didn’t want her there, and she’d washed her hands of negative men after her ex-husband cheated on her for the second time.

  She pulled back, blinked the emotion away and smiled at Zach. “Are you my ride home?”

  Zach’s radio cued him. He listened, responded and hooked a thumb toward Tanner. “I’ve got a call across the lake. Tanner, can you get Julia home?”

  * * *

  Tanner saw a shadow of reluctance in Julia’s gaze. About riding with him? Going home? He had no idea, but the quick look surprised him. “Glad to. Where’s home?”

  “I’m on Upper Lake Road, just beyond the Lodge.”

  Tanner pulled out his hat and gloves, realized Julia had left hers in his cruiser, and handed them to her. “I’ll pull my SUV up to the ER entrance so you don’t have to walk out in the snow. But wear these until you get to the car because the windchill is wicked.”

  “But—”

  He ignored her protests as he strode into the storm. Five minutes later, he was at the ER door, waiting for her. She climbed in quickly, set his hat and gloves on the space between them, and settled into the seat.

  She looked exhausted.

  And pretty, despite the banged-up face. The way she sat back, as if allowing herself time to relax didn’t happen often, told him Julia Harrison looked after others first, and then maybe took time for herself.

  “So, Julia, what do you do, exactly?”

  “I’m a midwife and women’s health practitioner.”

  Tanner’s fingers tightened around the wheel.

  “Our practice was awarded a state grant recently,” she went on. “We bought the strip mall location about eight months back. Now we have the approvals in place to get it ready. Once the cleanup work is complete, we’ll set up three exam rooms, a waiting room and reception area—”

  “With bulletproof glass,” he muttered as he made the turn onto Upper Lake Road.

  “It’s a tough area,” she acknowledged, “but I think you run a risk anytime you set up an outreach like this. It didn’t stop Mother Teresa, and it didn’t stop Jesus.” She shrugged. “I like to think this clinic will reflect James’s teaching in the Bible. He said faith without works is dead. And while I love our practice, a lot of women don’t have the money or insurance to come to our main office, or they shy away because they’re afraid they don’t fit in. This way, they don’t have to do without needed care. And the area isn’t as bad as you make out,” she added with a pointed look in his direction.

  “No?” He wouldn’t argue with her because she was fresh out of the hospital, but the lower end of Kirkwood Lake bordered some tough areas of Clearwater. Still, everyone deserved medical care. He believed that. But the thought of a pregnancy center, run by a midwife, right under his nose...

  Was this God’s idea of a joke? Considering his loss, it felt more like a stab in the back to have Julia Harrison and her health care ideas parked in front of him.

  “I think people will be pleased by the idea of medical care at the interstate entrance,” she continued. “That way we’re only a few minutes’ drive for folks in the hills...”

  The rural poor of northern Appalachia was a documented fact, a problem that had existed for generations.

  “And the people who’ve fallen on hard times in Clearwater are close, too.”

  “Plenty of those, unfortunately. The loss of jobs messed up a lot of folks.”

  “It did.” Julia puffed out a breath of air, then turned his way. “But I’ve always felt that each step we take toward making things better has some good effect. Even if we don’t see it.”

  Was she right?

  Tanner wasn’t so certain. Was that because of his work, his past? Or was he a negative jerk who always looked at the dark side because he’d been surrounded by that kind of environment as a child? Lately, he wasn’t sure. “You’re an optimist.”

  “I hope so.” She motioned up ahead. “That’s my place on the left, with the red reflectors at the bottom of the driveway.” He made the turn up the snow-filled drive, pulled to a stop and she climbed out before he had a chance to get out and open her door.

  Her actions said she liked her independence. Five hours ago he might have considered those undesirable qualities in a woman, but seeing how calmly she reacted to the scene at the clinic, then the accident and the hospital—

  Maybe a strong, independent woman wasn’t a bad thing.

  She quirked a grin his way and gave him a quick salute as she grabbed her purse and medical bag, the only things they’d retrieved from her rental car. “Thank you again. I’m sure proximity will mean we see more of each other, and I’m going to hope for two things.”

  “And they are?”

  “First, less snow and ice.” She made a face into the driving storm. “And second, if I do run into that trouble you’re expecting, you and my brother are around to save me. Again.”

  Tanner knew that sector as well as anyone. Trouble would find her, no question. Would he be hanging close by to make regular runs to a pregnancy center?

  Most likely not, but he didn’t need to share that at the moment. “Get inside. Get warm. And good luck finding someone to rent you another car.”

  She laughed as she dashed up the rest of the driveway and through the garage door.

  Lights clicked on inside, behind pulled-back lace curtains.

  He considered that as he backed around to pull out of her sloped driveway.

  He wouldn’t have tagged her as a lace curtain girl. As he drove south toward the interstate, he wondered what else he might have gotten wrong about Julia Harrison.

  He pulled into the barracks lot, parked and went inside to complete required paperwork and file his report before he headed home. He didn’t want to think about babies and midwives, old dreams and harsh reality. He wanted justice and explanations.

  But right now, he wanted a good night’s sleep. Restless dreams messed that up. Convoluted images of children and families floated through his brain. Each year he dreaded the double anniversaries. The day he lost his wife, and the day after, when his son took his last breath.

  The shift commander called him late morning. “Johnson’s out with flu. Can I put you in for an extra afternoon shift today and an overnight tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely.” He didn’t say he’d longed for a call like this. Only the commander in Jamison knew his history, and Alex Steele wasn’t the kind to betray a confidence. But Alex could empathize because he knew what it meant to bury a wife. “I’ll be there by two.”


  The work respite pushed him into gear. He’d made it a habit to follow up on accident victims, which meant a quick call to Zach’s sister. Mixed emotions rose as he dialed her number on his way to his car. Julia the person was intriguing in multiple ways.

  Julia the midwife? Not so much. But that was his problem, not hers. She answered on the second ring. “Julia Harrison.”

  “It’s Tanner Reddington, Julia. I wanted to check in and see how you’re doing today.”

  “Before or after the tree fell on my house during last night’s storm?”

  He stopped walking, certain he’d misunderstood. “What?”

  “A tree. Fell on my house.”

  Was she serious? “Are you okay?”

  “Fine. But my house isn’t looking all that good right now.”

  “What happened?” Thoughts of her in danger made his pulse speed up. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

  “No, I’m fine, really. The tree hit one end of the house and I was in the other. But it will be boarded up for weeks while they do repairs, so I’m staying at my dad’s with my two little boys and a somewhat ill-mannered and huge puppy. They’re having the time of their lives helping on the farm. The boys, not the dog. He’s not exactly mature enough to be farm friendly.”

  “I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”

  “Even though I’m building a clinic in the middle of the ‘hood’?”

  “I wouldn’t call it the ‘hood,’ but it’s not what we’d call a welcoming neighborhood, either.”

  “Rehabilitation starts one step at a time,” she replied. “And even if we only help save one baby, one woman, it’s a job well done.”

  One baby. One woman.

  His belly clenched.

  She made it all seem possible, and maybe it was, but then why did he have to face the impossible? His lawyer had emailed him that they needed a conference call to talk about the malpractice suit he’d filed two years before. He’d ignored the message because talking about settlements and money on the anniversaries of his losses made him cringe.