Quite the Catch (2 page)

Tina
attempted to row the boat upriver to see if the man had surfaced, but fighting
the current proved difficult. She had almost given up on him and was about to
head downstream when she spotted his head above the water.
He’s in trouble,
she thought,
he’s
struggling.

Moments
later the current slammed him against the boat with such force she thought it
might knock him unconscious. Instead, he managed to grasp the edge of the craft
and hang on to it. Tina moved to help with such speed that the boat rocked and
for a moment, she thought it would pitch over. It didn’t and she grasped his
shoulders to pull him aboard. She managed to haul him into the bottom but
within moments his eyes rolled backward as he passed out. Tina stared at him,
horrified as he shook with chills. As he shivered, she noted blood seeping from
beneath his sodden clothing.
He’s cold
but he’s hurt too.

“Whoever
you are, you’ll die from hypothermia if I don’t hurry,” she said aloud. Tina
fired up the
Evinrude
motor and propelled the boat
forward with speed. Until now, she hadn’t used the engine, savoring the quiet,
but time mattered.

He
roused within minutes, wild-eyed and skittish. When he tried to sit up, he couldn’t
quite mange so Tina slid an arm around him. “Here,” she said. “Let me help.”

“
Th
-
th
-thanks.”
His teeth chattered as he spoke and she wished she had a blanket or something.

“No
problem. Are you in trouble?”

In
spite of his shivering and obvious injuries, he managed to shake his head ‘no’.

She
considered the situation. She knew little about him but her instinct wanted to
trust him. “Sure you’re not a fugitive?”

With
effort, he managed to answer. “I – don’t – think – so.”

Something
about him made her believe he wasn’t. He wore his hair short, cop style, and
even propped up in the boat, he carried himself with an aura of danger. His
straight black hair, dark eyes, and bronze skin spoke of a Native American
heritage. She suspected he might be a law enforcement officer or a military
man. “What’s your name?”

Tina
strained to catch his whisper. “Joshua.”

“Hang
on, Joshua,” she told him. “We’re almost back to land and then home.”

At
the landing, Charley stood up at her approach. By the time she arrived, he had
the trailer backed up to the ramp and walked out in waders to help secure the
boat. He glanced down and frowned. “Who’s this?” he asked. “Catch of the day?”

“Joshua,”
she said, as if she had known him all her life. “He’s a friend.”

Charley’s
eyes narrowed. He could always spot her lies but he nodded. “All right, if you
say so. How’d you reel him in?”

“Would
you believe he jumped into the boat?”

“Probably not.”

“Then
don’t ask any questions. Just help me get him to Gramps’ truck, would you? He’s
well on his way to hypothermia if he doesn’t have it now.”

Her
cousin reached in and pulled Joshua to his feet. Joshua’s head rolled backward
so Tina stepped forward to support it. “Is that blood?” Charley asked.

“Yes.”
Charley parted his lips and she shook her head to keep him quiet. “I’m a nurse,
remember? I can handle it. Just put him in the truck and don’t ask questions.
Please.”

With
a muffled curse, Charley slung Joshua over one shoulder in a modified fireman’s
cay and hauled him to the vehicle. After he’d loaded him into the passenger
side, he glared at Tina. “Honey, you used to bring stray dogs and cats home to
nurse back to health but this one, he’s trouble.”

Head
held high, she replied, “I don’t think so.”

He
used his thumb to rap beneath her chin. “I hope you’re right,
cuz
. Take care and if you need anything, holler.”

“Give
me a hug.” Charley enveloped her in his broad arms and she leaned against him
for a long moment. “Thanks.”

“Yeah,
don’t mention it.”

Tina
hauled out a musty blanket from behind the seat,
then
she climbed behind the wheel of the 1968 Chevy truck. When she cranked the
ignition, she turned the heater on full blast. When Joshua roused a little, she
patted his damp knee. “Don’t worry. Home’s not too far.”

Tina
gunned the truck down the two-lane highway, and then bumped down the back road
leading to her grandfather’s old cabin. By the time she cut the headlights and
climbed out, Joshua had his eyes open. He acted a little dazed and weak.

“Can
you walk?”

“Don’t
know,” he said. “I’ll…try.”

His
body trembled with cold and he became less responsive by the moment. Tina put
an arm around his waist and supported most of his weight. Together, they
managed to climb the few steps to the A-frame cabin and make it through the
door. Once inside, she deposited him into a rump sprung recliner, then shed
Gramps’ old coat and boots.

In
a series of deft, swift motions, Tina lit the fire already laid in the hearth
and coaxed it into flame. She grabbed her medical basket of supplies and used
the shears to cut off Joshua’s wet clothing. There wasn’t time to remove them
intact. Beneath her fingers, his body remained cold, and Tina had no doubt that
his temperature had dropped dangerously low. She towel-dried his hair, then
inspected the source of the blood.

After
a quick examination, Tina decided a bullet had grazed his left side but hadn’t
entered. She smeared some antibiotic cream over the wound, the best she could
do for the moment. Hypothermia presented a more serious and immediate risk. When
she poked him, he didn’t respond. His breathing had become shallow so she
pulled a throw from the couch and tossed it over him.

“Joshua,”
she said, then sharpened her tone. “Joshua, wake up. You need to listen to me.”

After
she’d called his name several more times, his eyes opened, mere slits. “What?”

“I
need to get you to bed so you can warm up,” she told him. “Come on, try to walk
with me.”

His
movements were lethargic but with her help, he managed to lean his dead weight
against her. Tina dragged him into the downstairs bedroom, maneuvered him into
bed, and piled on blankets. She pulled up a chair so she could monitor his
breathing and waited.

After
twenty minutes, most of his shivering eased. In an hour’s time, he breathed
deep and even. Tina tucked the covers tight around him and relaxed, a little. Once
she was certain he slept, she picked up his ruined clothing and tossed it in
the trash. Then she got the digital thermometer and checked his temperature,
which remained below normal.

He
needed more heat and fast. The fire spread warmth but it would take time to
reach the bedroom. As a nurse, she knew better than to use an electric blanket
so there was just one way. Tina removed everything but her bra and panties,
then she crawled beneath the covers. Joshua lay on his back so she cuddled
close to his right side, her arm spread out over him. His naked skin remained
cold to the touch but after a long time, she began to feel the heat spread to
him, from her body to his. Cautious, she remained beside him until evening
shadows gathered in the corner of the room. Tina extricated herself and when
she did, he stirred enough to moan.

Tina
adjusted the blankets. She pulled on her jeans and blouse, unwilling to make
him aware they’d lain skin to skin. Then she tucked the blankets around him
tighter and sat down to wait.

Chapter Two

Awareness
crept back in slow stages. He basked with warmth, so comfortable he didn’t want
to move or open his eyes. As he roused, pain struck. His lower left side burned
with sharp discomfort and his body ached. So did his head—he owned the mother
of all headaches and he struggled to recall why. He didn’t think he’d been
drinking but something had happened to land him in bed. Maybe he’d fallen sick
or been injured but he couldn’t remember.

He
opened his eyes and frowned. The strange room offered coziness in a rustic
fashion. The pine-knotted paneled walls, the plain white muslin curtains at the
window, and the colorful patchwork quilt over him lacked any familiarity.
Where am I?

Before
he could collect his thoughts, someone spoke, a woman from beside the bed.

“Hi,
how do you feel?”

“I
hurt like hell,” he told her. He didn’t think he knew her until he caught sight
of her wide, beautiful blue eyes. Somewhere, sometime he’d seen those before.

“I’m
sure you do, Joshua.”

Joshua?
The name failed to ring any bells.
“Who?”

She
frowned. “Isn’t that your name?”

His
lips parted to tell her it wasn’t but he paused, uncertain. Nothing came when
he tried to summon his name from his brain. “I don’t know.”

“You
told me it was when I fished you out of the river.”

“What
river?”
Shit.
He didn’t know the
answers to anything. The woman offered him a smile.

“Poteau River.
Apparently you don’t remember. Don’t
worry about it. You hit your head on the boat pretty hard so temporary amnesia
isn’t uncommon But you’re north of Poteau and south of Spiro at the moment.”

Maybe
not, but the idea scared the bejesus out of him. He tossed back the covers to
get out of bed and search for his clothing. When he did, he realized he wore
nothing but skin. But somewhere he must have a driver’s license or wallet or
something.

The
woman frowned and flipped the blankets over him. “You’re not getting up until
we get your core temperature back to normal. Let me get the thermometer.”

Before
he could process any of it or respond, she whipped out a device and loomed over
him. “You’re not sticking that in my mouth,” he told her.
“No
way, lady.”

“Tina,”
she said. “My name’s Kristina but everyone calls me Tina. And, not to worry,
that’s not where it goes.” She thrust the device into his right ear and used
her free hand to hold his head still. After the thing beeped, she pulled it out
and looked at it. “You’re getting warmer but it’s still just 96.5.”

Digital,
he thought,
the damn thing is digital.
“What’s my temperature got to do with
anything?”

“You’re
suffering from hypothermia,” Tina said. “I treated it first because it was the
most critical but you’ve got a lot of other injuries. Like I said, you banged
your head pretty hard. You were wounded in the left side, more of a graze than
anything, although I imagine it hurts. And you’re bruised all over your body
from your wild trip down the river, not to mention your fall from the railroad
bridge.”

Either
he had lost his mind or she had. For now, he didn’t believe any of it. His body
hurt, yeah, but more like he’d gotten into the losing end of a bar fight. “I
don’t think that’s what happened.”

Tina
shrugged. “Well, it is. Now, I have no idea why you were running or who was
chasing you, but I saw you jump from the trestle and hit the river myself. Otherwise,
I probably wouldn’t believe it either.”

Joshua
glared at her. Her blue eyes met his, open and candid. He liked the way her
dark brown hair tapered around her face, chin length and straight.
Damn, but she’s pretty for a crazy gal.
“I don’t remember any of that and I’d think I would.”

“You
should, within a day or two. If you don’t, we’ll deal with it then. Do you want
something to help the pain?”

“Yeah,
what’ve you got?”

“I
have some Darvon or Vicodin. If you’d rather use something not as powerful,
I’ve got all kinds of OTC pain relievers.”

She
rattled off the selection like a pro. “Vicodin will do,” Joshua said. “What are
you, a drug dealer or something?”

Her
laugh exploded. “No, sweets, I’m a nurse who took care of her terminally ill
grandfather. I know
,
I know I should’ve gotten rid of
the meds but I haven’t, and this is an unusual situation. Would you like some
herbal tea to wash them down?”

He
made a face. “Coffee would be better.”

“No
caffeine until you get warmed up,” she said. “Maybe you’d rather have ice
water?”

“Yeah,
water’s fine.”

Sitting
up proved to be both painful and difficult. If Tina hadn’t helped him, he
doubted he would have managed. She propped him against a bank of pillows and
kept the covers snug, topped by a quilt. “Do you think you can manage a little
soup or something?” she asked. “It’s probably better if you don’t take the
pills on an empty stomach.”

Joshua
finished most of the bowl of chicken and rice soup, with Tina’s help, and it
was then that he realized his situation seemed rather surreal. He’d awakened in
a strange place, in bed, tended to by a pretty woman, and he had no idea how
he’d landed there. It smacked of strange, of something out of the sci-fi novels
he sometimes read. Then he wondered how he remembered his taste in novels when
he’d failed to know his name.