“She looks like you,” Helena said, studying the little girl’s sweet brown eyes. Mischief danced in them. “Your sister does, too.”
“The Garrisons are handsome devils,” he said.
That was true. Emma and Chloe were both adorable. Helena glanced across the room, where the young mother was napping in a rollaway hospital bed. Mateo hadn’t left her side. “What do you think about Mateo?”
“I think he’s a superhero.”
She smiled at this high praise. “What do you think about him and your sister?”
“What do you mean?”
Helena was surprised he hadn’t noticed. For the first time ever, she’d picked up on an emotional undercurrent that Josh wasn’t aware of. “He didn’t find her on the trail, you know. They’ve been traveling together for days.”
Josh couldn’t dispute this fact. Mateo had been carrying a backpack with diapers and toys for Emma. The book had been in it. “So?”
“He likes her,” Helena said.
Josh studied the young man with suspicion. He was sitting in a chair by Chloe’s bed, watching her sleep. “Hmm.”
“You don’t approve?”
“It’s not that,” he said, frowning. “I don’t care who she dates. I just don’t want her to get hurt again.”
Helena’s chest tightened at those words. If she hadn’t already fallen for him, his love for his sister and niece would have tipped her over the edge.
The moment he’d run into the clearing, risking his life for them…done.
“You can’t protect her from everything,” Helena said.
“I can try.”
“She’s a grown woman.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “She had braces and pigtails a few years ago.”
“She had a baby of her own a few years ago.”
“Mama,” Emma said, pressing the tiger button.
Josh fell silent. He had some fresh scrapes on his elbows, his shirt was dirty, and his pajama pants were ripped at the knee. He was lucky he hadn’t been mauled by Zuma. So was Helena. She was still wearing her zoo tank top and pajama bottoms, along with a jacket. One of her sleeves hung in bloody tatters, revealing her bandaged arm. They looked like a couple of escaped mental patients.
She smiled at the thought, moving her gaze from Josh’s dirty clothes to his scruffy face. Despite his disheveled appearance, he was achingly handsome. He flipped the page for Emma and pressed a button to make a bird chirp. There was a tenderness in his expression that Helena found irresistible.
He glanced up from the book, noticing her perusal. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“You seem upset.”
“I’ve never been in a helicopter before,” she said. “I’m terrified.”
“Ask them to give you a valium.”
“I don’t want to go.”
A crease formed between his brows. “I can’t stay here with you. I have to help my sister and take care of Emma.”
Maybe splitting up would be the best option. She needed time apart to gain some perspective, pull herself together. Mooning over him while he held a cute baby wasn’t the cure for these runaway feelings.
“The entire hospital is evacuating, and you’re injured,” he said. “You’d rather walk to a rescue center alone and worry everyone?”
He was right. She hated it when he was right.
“Don’t make me call your mother.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.” He issued this challenge with a smile, only half-serious. Teasing her was second nature to him. “It’s a short trip to L.A.,” he added. “You’ll be fine. But if you want someone to relieve your tension, I’m available.”
“You’re holding a baby.”
“I can multitask.”
She laughed at his silly joke, raking a hand through her hair. Getting back to civilization meant a hot meal and a shower, cold drinks, a comfortable bed…and Mitch. When she imagined his reaction to her infidelity, she felt sick. He didn’t like to lose. She hoped he wouldn’t be too angry. Maybe he’d been waiting for an opportunity to break things off with her, and he’d be relieved by the news.
She didn’t ask for a sedative, and she regretted this decision as soon as they boarded the helicopter. It was a large military craft with enough space for more than a dozen passengers. She sat down and put her headphones on, trying not to panic.
The L.A. hospitals were all full, so they headed to a facility in neighboring San Bernardino. Although the flight was short, as Josh promised, Helena suffered the duration with clenched fists and a tight stomach. Emma wasn’t a fan, either. She cried the majority of the time. Josh and Mateo attempted to quiet her, to no avail. Chloe looked miserable. They were all glad to reach their destination.
The hospital was bursting at the seams with patients in greater need than Helena. Chloe went into surgery for her injured leg. The rest of them took turns playing with Emma in the waiting room. They all sent texts on Josh’s cell phone.
Helena bit the bullet and messaged Mitch. She updated him on her condition and location, saying “we need to talk.”
It was late afternoon when a nurse practitioner called Helena’s name. Josh left Emma with Mateo and accompanied Helena to the cafeteria, which was being used as a treatment area. She had to remove her jacket and tank top. While she sat at a lunch table in her bra, clutching a surgical towel to her chest, the nurse cleaned her wounds and injected a numbing agent.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes, after that takes effect,” the nurse said.
“You don’t have to stay,” Helena said to Josh.
“I want to be here for you.”
She adjusted the surgical towel over her breasts, uncomfortable. The hospital had run out of gowns, as well as beds. Although it was a little late for modesty, there was a big difference between whipping off her top during a whiskey-fueled sexual encounter and this. She felt emotionally naked, pinned by his gaze.
“You were great with the tranquilizer gun today,” he said. “Quick thinking to pop Zuma in the neck.”
“I had to do something.”
“She would’ve killed me.”
“Yes,” Helena said, her throat closing up.
He took her by the hand and brought her knuckles to his lips. Tears filled her eyes at the romantic gesture. She was torn between pulling away from him and dragging him closer. The idea of letting her guard down completely and surrendering to these new feelings scared her. Before she could respond, a disgruntled voice interrupted them.
“What the fuck is this?”
Oh, God. It was Mitch.
He must have flown in from Denver after the earthquake. She didn’t know how he’d found her in this madhouse of a hospital, but here he was. He looked back and forth between her and Josh, incredulous.
Josh didn’t let go of her hand or move away from her. He shifted into a protective stance, giving a clear signal of possessiveness.
Mitch’s eyes narrowed at the sight. He was an intimidating figure, broad-shouldered and square-jawed. His clothes were wrinkled and fatigue lines marred his forehead. He hadn’t shaved in several days.
“Why don’t you leave us alone to talk?” Helena murmured to Josh.
“Yeah,” Mitch said, brimming with anger. “You should run while you can.”
Josh didn’t budge an inch. “I don’t think so.”
The nurse returned with the suture materials a second later. “Is there a problem?” she asked warily.
“We can take it outside,” Josh said to Mitch.
Helena made a sound of protest, but Mitch loved that idea, and the nurse nodded her approval. Helena couldn’t follow them and lose her chance to get treated. She could only watch, helpless, as they walked away, hyped up on testosterone.
The nurse placed a stainless steel tray on the table, offering Helena a tired smile. “Man trouble?”
Helena extended her numb arm, miserable. “I prefer animal trouble.”
The woman laughed, snapping on a pair of gloves. “Looks like you’ve had more than your share of both. This is a lucky wound, though.”
“It is?”
She wiped the area with disinfectant solution. “A few inches higher, and I’d be tagging your toe instead of stitching you up.”
***
J
OSH DIDN’T REMEMBER
Mitch being so…big.
Or animated.
In his mind, Helena’s boyfriend had been a cardboard cutout, a tall statue in the corner. Expressionless and bland. He rarely deigned to attend their work parties. When he did, he didn’t interact with anyone, not even Helena. He was a nonentity.
Now that they were up close, Josh had to reevaluate his opinion. Mitch was a flesh-and-blood man, more than capable of showing anger. He was older than Josh by at least five years. He had severely short brown hair, thinning on top, and a nondescript style. He looked like he lifted weights.
Josh didn’t lift weights. For all his military training, he wasn’t a tough guy. He didn’t want to fight Mitch.
And yet, here they were.
Josh had suggested going outside for a couple of reasons. If Mitch was planning to take a swing at him, he’d rather defend himself in an open space. Fighting inside a hospital was rude. They had personal issues to discuss that strangers didn’t need to overhear.
Josh also had Helena’s welfare to consider. She was injured and in distress. He couldn’t stand the thought of Mitch yelling at her or calling her names. Josh was happy to step in and bear the brunt of Mitch’s wrath.
He was also happy to be alive, to be honest. He was happy that Helena was alive, along with Chloe and Emma. This dispute with Mitch didn’t matter much to him. If Helena decided to reconcile with her boyfriend, Josh would be heartbroken, but he’d have no regrets.
They passed Mateo and Emma in the hallway. Josh didn’t pause to explain. He walked through the main doors and out to a courtyard, where a few dozen people were milling around. There was no private space to conduct their business, no secluded corner. When he reached a grassy area underneath a tree, he stopped and turned around. Mitch already had his hands clenched into fists.
“I just want to talk,” Josh said, raising his palms.
“You think I came out here to talk?”
“Give me a chance to explain, and then you can take a free shot.”
Mitch wasn’t interested in this deal, judging by how fast his fist flew into Josh’s face. Josh’s head rocked back and pain exploded in his jaw. He stumbled backward, rattled. Mitch had a hell of a right cross.
Damn. Josh was already getting his ass kicked.
“Okay, that was your free shot,” Josh said. “The next one won’t be.”
“Good.”
“I didn’t mean to take her away from you—”
Mitch punched him again. It wasn’t a direct hit, because Josh got wise and sidestepped. He also lowered his shoulder and drove it into Mitch’s stomach, taking the fight to the ground. Josh was lighter on his feet than Mitch, but Mitch was a better wrestler. They traded a few more blows, tumbling across the grass. After Josh’s run-ins with various wild animals, Mitch’s heavy fists felt like hammers on his skin.
Josh maneuvered Mitch into a choke hold, breathing hard. When Mitch finally broke free, they were both winded.
Mitch socked Josh once more in the gut, for good measure. But it didn’t carry the same heat as his first strike. Josh moved out of range and sat upright, holding a hand to his aching stomach. Mitch didn’t come after him again.
It was a draw.
“I remember you,” Mitch panted. “I’ve shaken your hand, motherfucker.”
Josh couldn’t deny that they’d met before.
“You’re that…
security guard
.”
Josh was a certified law enforcement officer, not a security guard. It rankled that so many people had contempt for his profession.
“You knew about me,” Mitch said.
“I knew you left her.”
Mitch’s mouth twisted at this charge.
“I’ve always had a crush on her,” Josh admitted. “I asked her out once and she said no. Did she tell you that?”
Mitch squinted into the distance, uncertain.
“It was a long time ago,” Josh said. “The important part is that she wasn’t interested because of you. But then you moved away, and the earthquake hit, and…things changed. We’ve been through a lot in the past few days.”
Mitch closed the distance between them, grabbing Josh by the front of the shirt. “There’s only one thing I need to know. Did you fuck her?”
Josh didn’t want to lie. He
had
fucked her, whether he’d used his cock or not. Admitting it might be a game changer for Mitch. A lot of men wouldn’t take back a woman who’d had sex with someone else. Even so, Josh was reluctant to share the intimate details. He couldn’t betray Helena’s confidence.
“I’ll tell you this,” Josh said. “I love her.”
Mitch let go of Josh’s shirt, appearing stunned. Mitch seemed to realize that this was the bigger issue. He might be able to forgive a sexual affair, but Helena’s feelings for Josh were paramount. Would she continue to deny them?
“I haven’t told her yet,” Josh said. “If she picks you over me, I’ll walk away. I won’t interfere in your relationship.”
“You won’t interfere in our relationship, really? That’s great, man. You’re a real saint.”
Josh revised his opinion of Helena’s boyfriend again. He wasn’t a robot. He was more of a sarcastic prick.
Mitch got up and dusted off. “If we weren’t surrounded by injured, suffering people, I’d beat you to a pulp.”
“Be my guest. Just don’t lay a finger on Helena.”
“Fuck you,” Mitch said tiredly. “Fuck you for even saying that.”
After Mitch left, Josh rose to his feet. They hadn’t drawn a big crowd, but there were a number of curious onlookers. It was pretty embarrassing. Josh crossed the courtyard, his jaw aching. There was nothing more he could do to prove his love to Helena. Fighting with Mitch hadn’t solved anything.
She had to make her own decision.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
H
ELENA GRITTED HER
teeth as the nurse placed the final few sutures.
Although the local anesthetic had numbed the affected area, the lacerations on her shoulder went deep. She could feel the needle piercing her skin and the sutures pulling through her wounds. It was uncomfortable, to say the least.
Mitch returned to the cafeteria without Josh. He didn’t look much worse for the wear. His clothes were dusty and he had a red mark on his left cheekbone. She was irritated with Josh for suggesting they go outside, and with Mitch for taking him up on the offer. It was pointless. She wasn’t a prize to be bandied back and forth.