Rescue Me (a quirky romance novel about secrets, forgiveness and falling in love) (27 page)

"But you said it in the heat of the moment?" he finished for her.

"No, that's not it." She looked at him as she carried a cup of coffee, sugar and spoon and set it down. Confusion marked her expression, her brows huddled, her face strained. She bit her bottom lip.

"What's holding you back from making a commitment to this? To us?"

She carried the pan to a plate on the counter and spooned out the eggs. Starving, he watched, his mouth salivating.

She stared out the window. After a moment of silence, she whispered, "I want to."

"Will you move to Michigan?"

"Yes, I will." She smiled, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye.

"That's great!" His heart took flight. He could shout from the rooftops. He leapt from his chair and held her tightly. She would be near. She would be his. "Now, how can I help you get ready to come back home?"

"Home?" Her head raised a tiny bit, and her neck and shoulders stiffened. "This is where it gets complicated. I mean, I want to do the right thing for Pete. I can't dump the shelter on him. He's semi-retired. He doesn't want the work every day. And we still haven't settled the marine rescue. The contributors must be contacted. What about my house? I need to find a job, a place to live." Her shoulders slumped. "I hate moving!"

He palmed her cheeks. "I'd like to help--If you want."

She smiled. "I think I've finally learned I can't handle everything on my own. But if you push--"

"I won't. I promise." He rested his chin on the top of her head, relished the way her body fit with his.

"God, I hope I'm not making a mistake!"

"You're not." He squeezed.

"If I do this--take this chance with you, with my life-- and it doesn't work out, I don't know what I'll do."

"You think too much. One thing at a time. One day at a time."

She snuggled closer. "Yeah, yeah. So I've been told."

He kissed the top of her head and chuckled. "So, what do we tackle first?"

"The rescue. I need to find someone to buy my shares, a person who would enjoy the day-to-day work," she mumbled into his chest.

"Any ideas?"

"None. It's weird. Less than a month ago, I was ready to expand--open the marine rescue. My dream come true, it was the most important thing in my life. When I learned our land deal was in jeopardy, I knew it would be tough to get things up and operating, but figured I could still pull it off. Then our biggest contributor ran into trouble, and we lost a huge donation, but I still thought I'd find a way to get what I want. But now..."

"Now it's all a trap."

"I guess it is. But that doesn't make me feel better. In fact, that scares the crap out of me. That's exactly how I felt before--when I hurt Heidi. Can't I ever be content?"

"I think you can. What I see is a woman who has learned what's most important in life. You've been second-guessing your goals for some time--longer than you're admitting."

She shrugged. "Maybe."

They sat and ate in silence. He didn't bother hiding the tension skating up and down his spine. Although the food was good, and he was starving, he hurried through the meal, anxious to help her work through her problems.

While she showered and dressed, he made phone calls, looking for a friend with a house to rent, a job, anything to help. No one was able help him. He hadn't been able to solve a single problem for her.

Later that day, he watched her pretend to be busy cleaning the kitchen, knowing she was moving more out of nervous energy than out of the need to clean. The room sparkled, not a crumb anywhere.

"Hailey," he called out.

She turned, acting surprised, like she hadn't expected him to speak.

"Come. Sit with me for a minute. If you scrub that counter anymore, you're going to take off the laminate."

She smiled, her expression cautious, and slowly sat, keeping her eyes on him as she moved. The corner of her mouth trembled. "You can't help me, can you?"

He hated to say the words, couldn't stand the sound of them. "No. I can't." His heart fell to his feet.

She nodded, and lowered her head. "I'm going to hurt Pete. I can't." Tears spilled from those gorgeous eyes--the ones that had captured his heart.

Hailey glanced at her watch and ran to her car. As she wrenched the key in the ignition, she wished Rainer had been able to stay in town for a few more days. She could use the moral support.

No sooner had she gotten on the road, knowing she would be late unless she took the side streets at seventy miles per hour, than her cell phone rang. Darn. Pete was calling.

One hand on the steering wheel, she rummaged through her purse for the phone, then punched the talk button. "Hello?"

"Hi Babe."

Her heart skidded. "Rainer! I wish you were here. I'm late. I'm supposed to meet Pete at eight, but I slept in. This isn't going well!"

"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine.

"I love you. I'm there for you--wish I'd been able to stay longer," the regret was clear in his voice.

"I know. Me too. I love you, too."

"Remember, we agreed you'd do everything possible to get out of that business deal with Pete, even if it meant leaving it all to--"

"I never agreed to that!"

"Damn, it was worth a try."

She smiled, despite the misery tugging at her soul and siphoning her strength. "Nice try. I'll call you when I'm done. I'm almost there."

"Okay. Bye."

She shut off the phone, pulled into Pete's driveway, and forced herself into the building.

"Good morning!" Pete said, letting her in the front door. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up."

"Sorry. It's been one of those mornings."

He led her upstairs, and motioned toward the couch. She sat, her stomach clenching and unclenching. Good thing she hadn't eaten breakfast. She was sure it would be decorating his area rug by now.

Pete sat next to her, his eyes boring into hers. She could hardly meet his gaze. "What is this all about?"

She stood. Pacing the floor wasn't enough to spend the nervous energy buzzing through her body.

But it was enough to annoy Pete. "Would you stop that?"

"I can't. I'm nervous as hell."

"I can see that," he said, still sitting and watching. "What's the problem?"

"I just want it all to end!"

"What to end? Stop running laps and talk to me."

She stopped pacing and shook her head. "So much has happened, and I haven't told you a word. I'm so sorry. I'm a terrible friend." He was her friend. Her mentor. He was loyal, giving, loving. How could she do this to him? "I need to ask you--" she started, then stopped.

"What? What do you need to ask me? This is worse than pulling teeth."

"I know."

He sighed. "Why can't you be honest with me?"

"I'm trying."

"Then say what you came to say."

"Damn it, Pete! This is hard." She sighed. "I need to get out of our partnership. Sell my shares."

He looked dazed, completely taken by surprise. "Really?"

"I know you don't want to run the shelter full time. I know you wanted to be a silent partner--you did this for me. I owe you more than this."

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure it out. Is it because of your health? Are you sick?"

"No. It's my family."

"I understand. You should be with them if they need you. Go. Do what you need to. I'll be fine."

"I want to help you find someone to take over my duties."

"I said I'll handle it."

"No. I won't leave it all to you. I'll interview--"

"Damn it, you're stubborn!"

She stepped back, crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah. But that shouldn't come as a surprise. You've always known that about me. But you love me anyway, right?"

"Right."

Their gazes met. For the first time, Hailey didn't feel trapped by Pete's inquisitive stare. "It's my sister," she said. "Cancer. The surgery wasn't for me. It was for her. Bone marrow transplant."

"I'm sorry."

"We haven't been close recently. I need to spend some time with her. Make things right. I never meant to do this to you."

"I know that."

She sighed and plopped onto the couch, letting the worn cushions envelop her. "You've been such a great friend. I haven't been nearly so kind to you. And now, there's this. How will you manage? With the clinic and Paws and Claws. And the marine rescue. We owe those contributors their money...This is what I did to my sister. Ran away and left her with all the responsibility. I don't want to make the same mistake again."

"Hailey, I've always suspected this day would come. Don't worry. I can handle it. Amy is an eager beaver. I'll get her to cover more hours. She's more than capable--"

"Oh, my God! That's it!" she clapped her hands to her cheeks.

"What?"

"Do you think Amy would like to take over? Would you like her as a partner? I know you've grown fond of her. I don't know if she has the money, but we can work that out..."

"She's like a daughter to me."

For the first time all morning, her mood lifted. "What do you think? She's smart, excellent with the animals--"

"I think it's a good solution."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything."

"Yes you did. More than you'll ever know."

"Feeling like the weight of an elephant had been lifted from her shoulders, she drove home and prepared for her move to Michigan. For the next several nights, she packed her life into cardboard boxes. Days she helped Pete at the shelter, and finalized the sale of her half to one thrilled and grateful Amy. She sold it to her for a song, happy to give Amy the chance to own a business.

Throughout, she kept in contact with Rainer, not only to make arrangements for the long drive to Michigan, but also to inquire into her sister's status. Although still serious, her prognosis was no longer grim. Hailey had learned enough, though, to know that didn't mean much. Heidi's condition could deteriorate at any moment. For that reason, she enlisted a local real estate agent to sell the house and made hasty work of wrapping up the final issues. Days were gold. She didn't want to miss anymore with Heidi--or with Rainer.

Before she departed that cool fall morning, she sat on the living room floor, facing the wide bay window, and while admiring the view one last time, she called Rainer.

He didn't answer.

She tried to picture where he was. Slurping coffee as he drove to work? In an examination room with a patient? She couldn't wait to see him. If she drove as many hours as possible, she'd probably make it in seven days. Seven long, lonely days.

As she walked to the truck, a taxi pulled up. Andrew climbed out and, with a suitcase in his hand, ran toward her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, eyeballing the beat-up luggage as he tossed it on the ground.

"I'm going with you."

"You're what? You can't leave Pete and Amy. They'll need your help."

"Pete gave me the go-ahead. I've been wanting a change of scenery for a while. Now seems like a good time to go for it."

"But Michigan? Do you have any idea what you're doing? You hate cold weather and snow." Even as she tried to convince him he was making a mistake, she was grateful for his offer. The thought of driving across country by herself petrified her.

"I've always wanted to wear one of those huge ski jackets. You know, the kind that make you look like a linebacker, even if you’re the size of Pee Wee Herman?"

She wrapped her arms around Andrew and squeezed him tight. "Thank you," she whispered.

He squeezed back. "You're welcome." Then he shoved her back and grinned playfully. "I'm really likin' this new you, Hailey."

"Yeah. Me too. Now, let's get going! It's a long drive.

As she started the truck and gave it some gas, a second taxi pulled up. A familiar form emerged, and Hailey's heart leapt. She jumped from the driver's seat and ran, collapsing into Rainer's arms and kissing every inch of his face.

"You came!"

"I couldn't resist the thought of seven days in a truck with you."

Hailey stiffened against the cool wind blowing off the distant mountains. "God, this is gorgeous!" She snuggled deeper into her jacket until the lifted collar covered her nose.

"Get your ass in here, outta the cold," Andrew called to her from the truck's driver side window. "We can't have you catchin' pneumonia."

"I'm coming. It's a shame there aren't any mountains in Michigan."