It Had to Be Fate (An It Had to Be Novel Book 3) (9 page)

Mandy said, “Here are your clothes. Not that it looks like you’ll be needing them right away. I’ll let you two get back to it.” She dropped the clothes onto the couch and turned to go. “Oh, I almost forgot. The boys were looking for you earlier, Zane. They said you were going to help them look for something. But I told them you were sleeping and not to bother you, so they said they’d just go on without you. Whatever that meant. See you.”

Zane’s stomach dropped. They went out to the mine alone? “How long ago was that, Mandy?”

She shrugged. “About an hour ago, I think. Bye.”

After Mandy left, he grabbed the clothes from the couch and quickly started dressing.

Casey asked, “What are you helping the boys find?”

When he glanced over his shoulder he caught Casey checking out his bare ass. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you. But I’m worried they went out to that collapsed mine on their own. They’re looking for those barrels of whiskey. I’ll go find them.”

Her eyes widened in surprise for a beat before they narrowed in anger. “We’ll both go. I specifically told them to stay away from that mine. Why would you ever agree to help them do that, Zane?”

He tugged up his pants, threw a T-shirt over his head, and then grabbed his cell. As they ran out the door, he said, “I didn’t want them to go alone. I thought if I went along I could keep them safe.”

Casey led the way to her car while she called Meg and her brother Ryan, filling them in on the situation. She beeped the locks and then yanked open her car door. “Those two are going to be so buried under new chores they won’t know what hit them. What were they thinking?”

“Does Caleb or Eric have a cell phone we could call?” Zane opened his door and slid into the passenger side of Casey’s SUV. As soon as his seatbelt was clasped, they took off at breakneck speed.

“No. I promised Caleb one for his birthday if he kept his grades up first semester.”

He’d already spilled the beans, so why not tell her all of it. It might make her go easier on the kids. “Your boys are doing this for you. They want to sell the whiskey and give you the money because they think you need it. After they buy themselves new bikes, that is. And Eric wants to use his cut for college.”

Casey glanced his way. “They told you I’m broke?”

He nodded, still wondering how much trouble he was in. “I told them you could have my cut too. I’d be happy to buy them new bikes, Casey.”

She grunted then turned and focused on the road ahead again. “They wanted new bikes at the beginning of summer and I told them no because theirs were perfectly fine. We can’t afford to buy new ones every year. Their father keeps me in court perpetually, so I do have to watch the budget a bit. But I’m certainly not in dire straits. I make good money, so thank you for the offer of the bikes and your share, but
no thanks
. We’re not charity cases for you to save, Zane.”

Okaaay. He was definitely in trouble too. Probably best to keep his yap shut. But he was glad they weren’t really struggling.

They pulled off the winding paved road just out of town and onto a path with two dirt vehicle tracks surrounded by tall pine trees on either side. When they got to a large clearing and spotted three bikes, Casey stopped the car and jumped out.

He followed behind her as they jogged toward an old chain-link fence half buried by rocks and dirt. Casey pointed toward the rubble. “That’s where the opening used to be, before the cave-in a few weeks back. Eric said the barrels were on a lower level, so everyone thinks there must be a back way or an old loading dock around here somewhere.”

She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out for the boys. When there was no answer, they started down a steep bank on the side of the collapsed opening. Casey had on girly sandals that made the climb down slick for her, so he circled an arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. When they hit the bottom, Casey said, “Thank you,” but then quickly pulled away from him.

The forest was thick with trees and pinecones, but a barely discernable worn path lay ahead of them. Rushing water sounded somewhere to their right as they headed deeper into the woods.

Caleb suddenly appeared through the trees ahead. “Mom! I was just coming to get you. Hurry. Ty’s hurt. This way!”

Casey didn’t take the time to ask what was wrong. She just took off running. But she couldn’t keep up in her sandals, so Zane ran past Casey and caught up with Caleb. After weaving through trees, he spotted an old, thin bridge spanning a rushing river. They stopped at the edge of a tall drop-off overlooking the bridge and the water below.

Must’ve been an old railcar system, but the wood was rotted out. Eric turned and greeted them, but Ty was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s your brother, Caleb?”

Caleb had tears in his eyes as he pointed. “Down there. The wood broke under him. His arm is hurt so he can’t climb back up. Eric stayed to keep Ty calm while I went for help.”

Zane moved closer to the edge and peered over the side of the embankment. Ty was wedged in a cross section of wood from the old trestle bridge a few feet below the tracks. Memories of his father falling to his death warred with Zane’s struggle to stay focused and calm. A little boy’s life might depend on him.

He called out, “Hang on, Ty. I’m coming.”

Casey caught up. “Maybe I’d better go, Zane. I’m lighter.”

“No. I’ll go.” He felt responsible for the boys being out there alone in the first place.

“I’ll call my brother and ask him to bring some climbing gear.” Casey was clearly trying, but unable, to keep the fear from her voice.

He couldn’t blame her; he could barely draw a deep breath. What if Ty fell into the rocky water below? Could he swim with his injuries?

Tamping back his fear, Zane stepped carefully onto a cross section of wood. It cracked under his weight, so he quickly moved to the edge. Like a tightrope walker, balancing and swaying with his arms extended, he slowly made his way to the middle. The bridge creaked and groaned underneath his feet, threatening to give way any moment.

When he finally reached the section Ty had fallen through, Zane lay on his belly and reached down. “Can you grab my hand, Ty?”

Ty extended his left arm as high as he could, but still couldn’t reach. His right arm was bent at a strange angle that could only mean it was broken. Zane slid closer to the gaping hole and strained for the extra few inches they needed. But it wasn’t enough. He could jump down to get Ty, but he wasn’t sure how they’d get back up. Maybe he’d have to wait for a rope.

“Hurry. It’s cracking!” The fear in Ty’s eyes was identical to Zane’s father’s right before he’d slipped on the edge of the cliff. And died.

No time to wait for a rope. The cross supports were giving out. They’d never hold both of their weights. It was probably only an eight-foot drop into the water below. But the rapid river was filled with large boulders.

Zane lowered himself down the hole, feet first. “Can you grab my legs, Ty?”

“A little lower.”

Zane’s arms shook, mostly with terror of Ty falling, as he lowered himself as far as he could. But then a loud crack sounded, and Ty fell, just as the wood beneath Zane’s hands disappeared too. He fell into the river right behind Ty.

Ty screamed as he hit the water. The kid would never be able to swim with a broken arm. Zane hoped he’d missed a rock when he landed.

The cold water stole Zane’s breath as he flailed underneath the surface trying to get his bearings, straining to find Ty. After Zane broke the surface, a chunk of the still-falling bridge landed on his forehead and forced him under again. The blinding pain made his vision turn white.

Pushing off the sandy bottom, he broke the surface again and spotted Ty floundering a few feet down the river. Black dots danced before Zane’s eyes as he swam as hard as he could. Barely hanging on to consciousness, Zane grabbed Ty’s shirt and pulled him against his chest as they were thrown from rock to rock like the little metal ball in a pinball machine. Zane’s strength waned and he could barely keep their heads above water. “I’ve got you, Ty.”

He had to hold it together long enough to get Ty to the shore.

With the last bit of effort he could muster, Zane kicked and changed their direction, cutting a new path against the current. The sides of the river were rocky with little shoreline, but he’d not make it much longer, so he couldn’t be choosy.

The little black dots turned into big ones as they approached the edge. When the water became shallow enough, he let Ty down and they trudged to the rocky shore. Ty flopped to his knees on the ground as he struggled for air.

Zane dropped right beside him and then the dots won—everything went black.

C
asey held Ty’s uninjured hand as her brother Ben finished casting her son’s broken arm. Ben beamed one of his big movie-star smiles at Ty and said, “Now you can have all the girls in your class sign your cast on Monday when school starts.”

“No way.” Ty frowned. “Except for maybe Heather.”

Heather Grant? Casey glanced at her brother and shared a secret grin with him. Their father would flip his lid if he knew his grandson was falling for a dreaded Grant. Like Ben had in high school. Kline Grant was the only woman Ben had ever loved. He’d never been the same since their breakup in college.

Ben said, “Maybe if you look really pathetic she’d give you a kiss too.”

Tyler made a gagging sound. “That’s gross. Heather’s good at sports so we let her play basketball with the guys at recess, that’s all.”

“I think girls who play sports are hot.” Ben scribbled something down on his pad and then tore the page off and handed it to his nephew. “You’re all good to go. But you’ll need this.”

A big grin formed on Casey’s son’s face. “Awesome.”

Casey waggled her fingers for the prescription and she read it. “A huge bowl of ice cream every day for a week is so
not
happening. You and Caleb are going to be on restriction for a very long time after that stunt. Meg said Eric was getting the same.”

Ben patted Ty’s leg and did a bad job of concealing a contraband sucker. “I tried, buddy. Gotta go check on Zane. Promise me you’ll take it easy for a few days, okay?”

Ty nodded. “I will.”

Ben pulled off his gloves, aimed, and then landed a two-pointer into the trashcan. “Casey, can I see you in the hall for a minute, please?”

“Sure. Don’t move until I get back, Ty, understood?”

“Where else am I going to go?” His shoulders slumped. “I’m on
restriction
, remember?”

“Keep it up and you’ll add another week to it.”

Casey joined Ben in the hall. “How’s Zane?”

Ben pulled another lollipop from a pocket in his white lab coat and offered it to her. When she shook her head, he unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth. “He has a whopper of a concussion, and is pretty much bruised from head to toe. He’s going to be in a lot of pain for a few days, but he’ll be all right.”

She’d held it together for the last hour, but hot tears finally won the battle. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if Zane hadn’t been there today.”

“Hey. There’s no crying allowed in my clinic.” Ben wrapped her up in a tight hug. “If Zane hadn’t been there,
you
would’ve been the one with a concussion and bruises from head to toe. You’re the bravest woman I know. I would’ve totally let you play basketball with us nasty boys at recess too, if you’d asked when we were kids.”

She chuckled and gave her brother a hard squeeze back. He had always been her rock. And her defender.

She wiped away her tears. “Gee, thanks. But the truth is you wouldn’t have, because I was always better than you at basketball. And we all know how you hate to lose.”

He leaned away and cocked a brow. “You’re probably still in shock so I’m going to give you a free pass on that delusional remark—just this once.”

Her older brother, tall, lean, with a pretty smile, perfect teeth, and never-a-hair-out-of-place do, was the delusional one. The girls in school used to say he was like a Ken doll. One who preferred flirting with the girls in the stands, rather than actually playing sports. “Seriously? You’ve never hit a three-pointer in your life.”

He took the sucker from his mouth and pointed it at her. “Name the time and place and you’re on. I guarantee I’ll kick your butt.”

She rolled her eyes. Even as adults, her brothers never changed. Always looking for a competition. “Never mind.”

“Chicken.”

Changing the subject, she asked, “So if Zane has a concussion, does that mean he can’t go to sleep?”

Ben popped the sucker back in his mouth and mumbled around it. “The not sleeping is an old wives’ tale. He needs to sleep. But he also needs to be woken up every few hours to make sure he hasn’t gotten worse. You’ll need to ask him his name and the date, things like that. If he appears confused, call me.” Ben started down the hall to Zane’s room.

“Me? What do you mean?” She caught up and tugged on Ben’s elbow to stop him. “Aren’t you keeping him here tonight?”

“Nope. It’s Saturday night. I can’t cancel on my date
again
.” He patted her arm. “You’ll be fine. I’ll have Joyce get Zane’s paperwork and prescriptions ready so you can take him home.”

“What’s this flavor-of-the-week’s name?”

“None of your business. I’ll come over and check on you guys tomorrow. Afternoon, if things go as planned tonight.” Ben hitched his brows.

“Serial dating with no commitment has to be getting old. When are you going to find a nice girl and settle down, Ben?”

“When I find a pretty one who can beat me at basketball—nag.” Ben chuckled and walked away.

Kline could have. She’d earned a basketball scholarship to college. Ben never missed one of her games back then.

His idea of avoiding commitment to prevent heartache like he’d had over his breakup with Kline was going to leave him alone and miserable if he didn’t meet the right woman soon. She and Meg needed to put their heads together and find her for him.

Casey went back to the exam room to retrieve Ty. “Ready to roll?”

He nodded and hopped down from the table. “I’m gonna call Dad tonight and tell him how I almost
died
.”

That was the absolute worst thing Ty could do. Tomas would probably find a way to use it against her. Especially if Ty told Tomas that Zane Steele saved him. “Don’t you think it would upset your father to hear that? Especially when he’s so far away? Maybe it’d be better to just tell him you fell, have a broken arm, that you’re fine now, and leave it at that.”

“I guess. But I
did
almost die.”

“No kidding.” Casey wrapped her arm around his bony little shoulders and gave him a hug. “You scared ten years off my life today, Ty. And poor Zane is in a lot of pain because of you guys. I’m so mad at you boys, but I love you. You know that, right?”

He nodded. “So maybe if we just apologized to Zane, we don’t really have to be on restriction?”

“Nice try. But not happening. Let’s go find Zane and get him settled. He’s going to have to stay with us for a night or two.”

Ty beamed a big smile. “That’ll be fun.”

Maybe for Ty and Caleb, but she was going to have to play nurse on top of all her regular duties. She owed the man her son’s life, though, so she’d just suck it up. “Not when I have to sleep with you tonight, Mr. Bed Hog.”

The kid slept sideways half the time. After Tomas had abandoned them, Ty couldn’t sleep unless she was right beside him at night for almost a year because he was so afraid she’d leave him too. It’d be a long night.

“We’ll put Zane in my room, so he’ll have his own bathroom, and I’ll bunk with you. But you and Caleb will have to be at his beck and call tomorrow. Got it?”

He nodded as they walked down the hall to Zane’s exam room. “I still think it’ll be fun. And I bet he’ll sign my cast.”

“I bet he will.” How nice to be eight and have the ability to bounce right back after a harrowing experience like he’d just had. She’d have nightmares about it for months.

Zane grimaced as Casey helped him into her bed. He hurt everywhere, even with all the pain meds he’d been given. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Casey stuffed pillows behind his back, brought him a pitcher of water, and then laid the remote on the nightstand beside him. When she sank to the side of the bed, he had to withhold a grunt from the pain. Every little movement killed him.

But then she smiled at him, and the pain didn’t seem quite so bad.

“I haven’t had a chance to properly thank you, Zane.” She leaned closer and laid a soft kiss on his cheek. “You are officially my hero.”

“Then I think I deserve a better kiss than that. And I’d rather be your date—but not until next week, when I can get out of bed on my own.”

“I can see you’re going to be a demanding patient.”

She laid her soft lips on his and gave him the sweetest kiss he’d ever had. He closed his eyes and deepened it way beyond sweet.

She let out a soft sigh and moved closer. When she eventually leaned away, he blinked his eyes open and whispered, “That’s more like it.”

“Well, don’t get the wrong idea. Because before all of this happened I was going to explain why I can’t have a relationship with you, Zane.”

“But now that I’m your hero, you can, right?”

“You know I’m attracted to you, but I have my kids to think about. They have to come first in my life.”

“I get that. I’d never ask you to put my needs before your boys’. But please don’t make up your mind about us until I can take you on that date.” He yawned as his latest round of meds started to kick in. “And when I’m not so tired I can’t come up with a good rebuttal.”

“We’ll see.” She pulled the blanket over him. “Get some rest. I have to wake you every so often so I’ll be back to check on you soon.”

“You can ask Mandy to take the night shift if that’d be easier.”

She stood and shook her head. “Nope. It’s no trouble. I owe you, big time. And the boys are going to be your personal servants so make them work.”

He smiled and closed his eyes. “Okay. Thanks, Casey.” He couldn’t hold off his fatigue another second and drifted into a deep sleep.

Much later that night, quiet rustling across the room made Zane crack an eye open. The bedside clock showed 2:15 a.m.

Casey pulled a blanket from the top shelf of her closet then quietly slid the door closed. The softly lit hallway outside the bedroom let in just enough light to show she hadn’t put on her robe like she had on previous visits. The skimpy pair of gym shorts, tight tank top, and messy ponytail were incredibly sexy. “Cold?”

“No. Tired of getting kicked. I’m going to bunk on the couch.” She crossed the room and sat on the opposite side of the bed. “Sorry to wake you again so soon after the last time. How are you feeling?”

“About the same.” He patted the pillow beside him. “Why don’t you sleep in your own bed instead of the couch? Between waking me up and Ty’s kickboxing in his sleep, you must be beat.”

“That’s a tempting offer, but it’s the tempting part I’m worried about.”

“You’re safe with me. I feel like I’ve been run over by a Mack truck.”

“Who said anything about
you
? Maybe it’s me I’m worried about.” She sent him a sexy grin. “I’ve been told I’m a serial cuddler in my sleep.”

He threw the sheets back on the other side of the bed in invitation. “I think I can fight you off if you get too frisky.” Or maybe he wouldn’t. It’d probably be worth the pain to have Casey’s long body wrapped around his.

“Maybe just for a few minutes. I
am
beat.” She lay down beside him, snuggled into her pillow, and let out a contented sigh. “On second thought, maybe I’ll just stay until it’s time to wake you again, then I’ll move to the couch. I don’t want the boys to see us sleeping in the same bed.”

“Okay.” He slid his hand over her delicate one that lay beside her pillow and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Sweet dreams.”