Mistaken Identity. Shirlee McCoy
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Название: Mistaken Identity
Автор: Shirlee McCoy
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современная зарубежная литература
isbn: 9781474064538
isbn:
“I’m okay,” she said as if he’d asked.
“Our ideas of what okay means are vastly different,” he responded.
“I’m alive. I’m moving. I’m...” She couldn’t think of any other positives.
“Freezing?” he supplied.
“I’m too cold to know for sure, but it’s a good possibility.”
She thought he chuckled but she might have been mistaken. Her ears were as cold as the rest of her.
“They’ll warm you up when you get to the police station. Hot coffee. Blankets.” He steered her through the woods without any hesitation. Obviously he didn’t need a compass, a guide, a helping hand.
“I’d rather go to the hospital,” she responded.
“You’re hurt?”
“I’m worried about the deputy who was shot.” That was true. She was worried, but she also thought she’d have a better chance of walking out of a hospital than she would the sheriff’s department. Aside from trespassing, she hadn’t done anything wrong. She knew that but she wasn’t sure the sheriff did, and she was certain Mason didn’t. She needed to find a place to go to ground, contact her brothers and get some help. Otherwise she might end up spending the night in a jail cell, being held on a trumped-up charge designed to keep her close until the sheriff and Mason could figure out what was going on.
“He’s going to be fine. He had a Kevlar vest under his shirt. Might have a few bruised ribs and a lot of bruised ego, but he’ll recover.”
“I’d still like to see him.”
* * *
Mason was sure she would.
He was also sure she was hatching an escape plan, trying to come up with a way to keep herself out of the sheriff’s office. That could mean she had something to hide or it could mean she was afraid.
“Good idea,” he said, and she stumbled.
He tightened his grip, his hand curved around her narrow waist. She was small but muscular and he figured she could move fast if she needed to.
He wasn’t going to chance a foot race. He could catch her, but maybe not before she led them both into more trouble.
“You think me going to the hospital is a good idea?” she asked. From the tone of her voice, he’d say she was surprised by how quickly he’d acquiesced.
“Yes. You can get checked out, make sure you’re not hypothermic.”
“I’m going to the hospital to make sure the deputy is okay. Not because I need medical attention.”
“I’m sure your family would want you to see a doctor.” He’d shot an arrow in the dark, wondering if it would hit its mark. She seemed like the kind of person who’d be all about family and friendship and love. He wasn’t sure what it was about her that made him think that. Maybe her story about traveling six hundred miles to help a friend.
“What do you know about my family?”
She stopped short and looked him straight in the eyes, and he knew he’d been right. She was all about family.
“Not much. Yet.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You told me a story about why you’re here. It makes sense for me to check it out.” He took her arm again, leading her back toward his house.
“By checking out my family?”
“Why not?”
“Because my family has nothing to do with this. If you want to confirm my story, call Bryn Laurel. She’ll tell you about Henry’s diagnosis. She’ll explain how upset she’s been, how desperate to give Henry some kind of ho—”
“We can discuss it at the hospital,” he cut in. He wouldn’t ask again, wouldn’t let her give him more of an explanation. Not about the woman with the son who had cancer.
He could imagine the mother.
He could imagine the kid.
He could imagine getting pulled into their tragedy, and he didn’t want it to happen. He’d been down that road before and it had nearly broken him. He’d seen a lot during his time in the army. He’d said goodbye to way too many comrades, but the hardest thing he’d ever done was watch his daughter suffer and then die.
Ten years ago, but it still hurt.
His relationship with his ex-wife, Felicia, hadn’t survived. They’d been too different. He knew that now. Then? They’d been high school sweethearts, and he’d been joining the army. Marrying her had seemed like the right thing at the right time.
Until it wasn’t.
Until months of separation and countless arguments and a beautiful baby girl who was suddenly sick and dying and gone.
He was a different man now. Older. Hopefully smarter. The past couldn’t be changed, though, and he couldn’t go back and offer Felicia the support he should have given her. He couldn’t try to grieve with her instead of leaving her to grieve alone. He wasn’t sure that would have saved the marriage. Felicia had been seeing someone else for months before their daughter’s diagnosis. Maybe, though, it would have helped him move on without the boatload of guilt he carried.
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