He lifted his head. Her father looked tired and worn. His typical tough, no-nonsense rigidness, softened by the exhaustion clinging to the lines covering his face. “I’m here.”
Carrie Ann peered around the cold white room. Her gaze lingered down her body making sure all of her pieces were intact. She stretched and shifted. Nothing was broken.
“Why am I in the hospital?” Before he could utter a word, her body lurched upright, adding in a voice of distress, “Where’s Summer?”
“Shh, it’s okay. You’re fine. He’s here. He just went to get coffee.”
A small bit of relief traveled through her rigid limbs and she sank back into the hard crinkly mattress. Her father scooted the small chair he sat in to the edge of her bed. He closed a hand around hers.
“Why am I in the hospital?” she questioned again.
“Do you remember being at the gym?”
Carrie Ann surfed her memory, but had zero recollection. Meeting her father’s gaze, she saw wetness clinging to his lashes. Fearing the worst she swallowed hard, whispering, “Did something bad happen to me?”
“No, no. Nothing happened. You got lucky.” Her dad seemed to be registering her reaction, unsure if he should go on. “Jason, found you…”
“Yes, yes. I remember seeing him at the gym. We argued…sort of. Did he drug me again?”
“He saved you.” Summer’s deep voice filtered through doorway.
Tears sprung in her eyes, obscuring the silhouette of his tall, muscular frame moving toward her. The edge of the bed dipped as he sat beside her, pulling her into his arms for a full embrace. She hid her face in the crook of his neck, letting him hold her. Easing back, he cupped the sides of her neck, swiping the pads of his thumb over her damp cheek.
“Love you, Red.”
Their eyes locked. Those were the only words that mattered. “Love you.”
“You remember seeing Jason at the gym?” Summer stated.
“Yes.”
“He was sitting in his car getting ready to leave when he spotted you staggering out to your car. He was going to see if you were alright. That’s when he saw the bartender approach you. Do you remember?”
“Not really. Maybe. I remember feeling woozy, like I’d worked out too hard.”
“Do you remember a man approaching you? The bartender? He worked for Take Your Best Shot the night of the auction.”
“That’s right.” She shifted uneasily. “He was there…at the gym. He rode the bike next to me. That’s the guy who drugged me?”
“Yes.”
“Are you positive?”
“We’re positive.” Summer’s jaw was set so taut, the muscles near the hollow of his cheek twitched. He remained outwardly calm, but she could feel his hands shaking as he combed his fingers through her dark hair, placing a kiss to the top of her head. His heart thumped so loud, it echoed between them. Summer looked away momentarily, making a brief but monumental connection with her father.
“We’ll talk about the details later.” Her dad remarked coolly. All traces of color washed from his face. “You don’t need to worry, honey. He won’t be getting out of jail in this lifetime.”
Inundated with a strong need to apologize and tell him thank you, she questioned, “Where’s Jason?”
Another shadow of concern passed between the two men. “They released him last night. I’m sure you’ll be able to talk to him soon.”
“Released? From the hospital? What for?”
“Carrie Ann, he was stabbed during the altercation. Don’t worry. Doctors were concerned about a concussion, but he’s going to be fine. He got lucky, the knife only grazed his side, but it required fifteen stitches.”
“Knife?” She heard herself ask in an unnaturally high voice. “He had a knife?”
“We’ll talk about everything when you’re totally alert and the drugs are out of your system. For now, you just need to rest.”
Carrie Ann didn’t have much choice, she could barely keep her eyes open. The next time she awoke, she was more alert. Her throat was sore and she suffered from a pounding headache. Thankfully both began to subside after eating a small bowl of homemade chicken soup that Summer had delivered for breakfast.
“The doctor said you’ll be released this morning.” Summer stated.
“Good. I just want to go home.”
Her father cleared his throat roughly, drawing her attention. “Summer, would you mind giving Carrie Ann and I a few minutes?”
She scowled. “Dad, whatever you have to say, you can do it in front of Summer.”
Summer pulled in a deep breath, exhaling a long drawn-out sigh. His amber eyes warmed to the color of cognac and were full of reassurance as he tilted forward brushing his nose to hers. “It’s okay, Red. I need to make a phone call. I promised Shayla I’d keep her informed.”
Leaving the room, Summer paused in front of her father. He stuck out his hand, locking eyes with her father as they shook hands. Both men gave a curt nod, acknowledging some sort of mutual truce.
Sitting at the edge of her bed, Carrie Ann couldn’t help but notice her dad looked older, drained from being at the hospital all night. The glow of fluorescent overhead lighting adding a greyness to his skin accentuating the dark bruising shadows beneath his eyes.
“I rushed judgment, accusing Summer too quickly.”
The muscles near her mouth softened detecting what sounded like an admission of guilt or an apology. Either way, it was a first. “I suppose we did the same, assuming it was Jason.”
“I’m hoping that you won’t judge me too harshly,” he paused. “When I say what I need to tell you.”
A shiver ran down her spine, hearing the unmistakable regret riddling his tone. “What do you have to tell me?”
“We all make mistakes. I’ve definitely made my fair share. I thought that boy was bringing you down. Holding you back from a vast future of possibilities. When he came to the house…I thought I was protecting you from a lifetime full of struggle and heartache. He was a rough-neck by California standards, no couth, no class, no future to speak of. He was sliding down a dark hole and I’d be damned if I was going to let him take you with him. You deserved better. I always thought your mother deserved better too. I never understood what she saw in me.” The last few bits, washed in recollection.
Searing heat climbed up her neck, turning her words to a near whimper. “What did you do?”
“It never entered my mind that you truly loved him. Or that he’d be able to give you a good life.”
“Those aren’t things you get to decide, Dad.”
“I know that now. He came to me that day,” His tone softened. There was no need to explain, she knew which day he referred to. It was the day she lost their baby. “I’d heard you crying, telling Shayla the whole story. I’d be damned if I was ever going to let him near you again.”
The tiny muscles of her nose twitched as wetness struck her hot cheek. She asked again firmly, “What did you do?”
“When he showed up wanting my blessing to ask for your hand in marriage, I threatened to kill him. Undeterred by loss of limb and life, I bribed him to stay away.” His words, appalling and inexcusable, wrenched and twisted her gut, pummeling her with a wave of queasiness. “When he refused to take the money, I threatened to cut you out of my will…out of my life.”
Her heart thundered painfully. “How could you?”
“I was desperate.” He reached for her hand, but she recoiled, placing it in her lap. “All I can do now is ask for your forgiveness.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy, Dad.” A frigid warning clung to her voice. “Is there anything else?”
“I guess you should know that Summer came to see me when you got back from Montana. He wasn’t asking for my blessing, but he wanted me to know that he planned on marrying you.”
“And what did you tell him?”