Healing Her Spirit (Serenity Springs Book 2) (2 page)

One year later

Clinton Brody winced as pain sliced through his chest when he sat up in the hospital bed.  He had been shot three weeks before while saving the life of a child at Serenity Springs Elementary where he was a teacher.  Some crazy bastard had snuck into the school threatening the staff and children with a gun.  Clint had picked the little girl up to get her out of the classroom just as the man pulled the trigger.  Clint took the shot but ended up dropping Mindy in the process.  From what he was told, she was doing fine now after the scare of a concussion.  However, three weeks after his surgery, the doctors still would not let him go home.  Clint knew he had almost died.  The doctors had to revive him twice on the operating table.  However, he was done lying around in bed all day.  He hated hospitals and wanted out of there now.

“Now, Mr. Brody,” a nurse said as she walked into his room.  “Just lean back and rest.  You know you aren’t supposed to put any stress on those stitches.”

“I am getting the hell out of here,” Clint snarled as he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed.  Grimacing at the effort it took just to get his feet on the floor, Clint paused, grabbing hold of the bed rail.  Maybe this wasn’t the smartest idea after all.  His breath came in rapid pants as sweat beaded up on his forehead.

“Sir,” the nurse insisted as she rushed to his side, “You need to lie back down and wait for the doctor.” 

Clint glared at her when she would have reached out to help him back in bed.  “I’m not waiting on the fucking doctor,” he growled.  “I want out of this hospital now.  Bring me the discharge papers and I’ll sign them.”

As the nurse’s eyes widened in shock, Clint heard a quiet voice say from the doorway, “It’s okay, Nurse Brewer.  Go back to your station.  I’ll handle this.”

Clint’s hand fisted in the sheet as Lacey Donovan’s soft voice washed over him, calming him like nothing else could.  Hanging his head, he closed his eyes and let her presence flow through him.

He stiffened when he heard the nurse huff, “I will do no such thing, Ms. Donovan.  I will see to my patient before I leave.”  Wait for it, Clint thought, as a grin threatened to appear.  Lacey may appear soft and gentle, but the woman had a backbone of steel. 

He did not have to wait long.  “Well you don’t seem to be doing a very good job of it right now,” Lacey responded sarcastically.  “It looks to me like your patient is about to fall on the floor.  Of course, if you would like to stick around to take credit for his face plant, I’m alright with that.  I saw Dr. Adams making his way down the hall just a couple of minutes ago.  He stopped in a patient’s room, but should be here soon.”

With an irritated sniff, the nurse said flippantly, “Fine, you can have him.  With a mouth like his, I can’t believe he teaches little children on a daily basis.” 

Clint heard the door swoosh shut behind the nurse, shutting him in the room alone with Lacey.  Crap, he thought as his body started to shake.  He was about to embarrass himself in front of the woman he had been lusting after ever since he first laid eyes on her the year before.  Clint tried to push himself back on the bed, but his legs started to slide out from beneath him.  He was slipping, and would have fallen, if Lacey had not rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him.  She caught him under the armpits and lifted him back with all her might.  With her lifting on his upper body, he pushed back on trembling arms and just managed to stop himself from falling on his ass.  It was definitely not one of his finer moments.

While Clint lay back against the bed breathing heavily, he closed his eyes to try and block out the pain that raced through his body.  “Thanks, Lace,” he grunted softly as he fought against the bile that rose in his throat.  That was all he needed, he thought.  He would really impress her if he threw up all over himself next.

Clint froze when he felt soft fingertips lightly trace over his forehead and down the side of his face.  Shit, Lacey was touching him.  Fighting his reaction to her was useless, so he quickly bunched the covers over his rapidly rising erection.  Clint groaned out loud when he accidentally grazed the tip of his cock.  Why the hell was this happening to him?  What was she doing there?     

“Are you alright?” Lacey’s gentle voice asked as she ran a hand down his arm.  He stiffened when she lightly squeezed his bicep, and then continued down to gently squeeze his hand.

Clint’s eyes sprang open when he felt Lacey reach over to help him reposition the covers.  “I got it,” he told her roughly as he pushed away her hands.  “I’m fine, Lacey.  Back off.”   He cringed at the hurt look that filled her eyes, which she quickly masked.  When she went to move away from him, Clint grasped her hand in one of his.  “I’m sorry, Lace,” he said gruffly.  “I just hate being stuck in this damn hospital.”  His eyes met her beautiful green ones that were full of confusion and uncertainty.  What the hell did she expect from him after everything?  “Sit down and talk to me,” he told her, swiftly changing the subject.  “Distract me from this place.”

Tugging her hand from his, Lacey turned and walked over to stand by the window.  His heart skipped a beat when she looked back in his direction.  She had always had that effect on him.  “Why won’t you take the pain medicine the doctors prescribed you?” she demanded.  Damn, he loved the fire in her eyes.

Narrowing his gaze, Clint asked, “How do you know I’m not taking them?”  She was right, he wasn’t.  He had not touched them after the first few days.  He hated the way they made him feel groggy and loopy.  He needed to be in control of his body and his actions.

“You wouldn’t be hurting the way you are now if you were taking something for it,” Lacey answered as she turned to look out the window.  “Men can be so stubborn sometimes.” 

Watching Lacey, it hit Clint hard that he had somehow lost any chance he had of showing this amazing woman how he really felt about her.  Clint had spent the majority of the past year pursuing Lacey.  It started out with having a cup of coffee at the diner one morning when he went to school early.  After the first couple of times sharing a booth with her in the crowded diner, it had become a habit.  Then Clint happened to see Lacey with her son, Ethan, at the park one evening while out for a jog.  He spent the next hour talking to Lacey while Ethan played on the playground.  Running into each other at different places became somewhat of a game to them.  If they happened to see each other, they would start a casual conversation which would end up in an hour long discussion. 

Lacey had become his obsession until just three months into their relationship, if you could call what they had shared a relationship.  One night while sitting on the park bench, Clint had made the mistake of picking up Lacey’s hand, lightly running his fingers over her palm.  Looking at her, it felt like he was drowning in her heart-stopping gaze.  Thinking it was finally the right time to show her how he really felt about her, Clint leaned in and lightly brushed her lips with his own.  When she gasped in surprise, he pulled back and froze at the shocked expression on her face.  As Clint watched, Lacey gently pulled her hand out of his and stood.  Calling to Ethan, she told Clint goodbye quickly before leaving with her son. 

Lacey had suddenly changed her normal routine and stopped appearing in the same places around the same times like she normally did.  The one time Clint had seen her at the diner, she got up from the table when he walked toward her to sit down, acting as if she didn’t see him.  The lost, dazed look in her gaze surprised Clint but when he tried to get her attention, all he got was a trembling smile. 

Confused as hell, Clint had finally stopped trying to spend time with Lacey.  He had thought he was giving her time, but then he heard a couple of months ago that she was dating one of the x-ray technicians at the hospital.  It had broken his heart, but he’d tried to move on thinking it obviously was not meant to be.   

Now, here she was, standing in his hospital room.  Clint just did not have the energy to deal with this right now.  He was weak, exhausted, and just plain angry.  Heaving a huge sigh, he rested his head tiredly against the pillow and rasped, “What are you doing here, Lacey?”

Her eyes widening at his abrupt tone, Lacey put her hands on her hips and responded, “I’m here to check on you, obviously.  The same thing I have done every day since you were admitted into the hospital.”

Eyes narrowing, Clint growled, “Bullshit, Lace.  I haven’t seen you once the whole time I’ve been here.  You have made it perfectly clear over the past few months that you don’t want to be with me.  So, just get the hell out.”

Lacey stared at him in stunned surprise.  Clint couldn’t blame her.  In all of the time they had known each other, not once had he ever spoken to her the way he was now.  But, dammit, he was hurting.  Not only physically, but his heart hurt too.  He loved Lacey, and she obviously did not feel the same.  He just wanted her to leave so he could try and find the strength to crawl out of bed, put on some clothes, and go home.

“Clinton,” her voice broke through the pain-filled fog he was in.  “I have looked in on you every single day.  Today is just the first day I said anything.”  Walking forward, she reached out and placed a gentle hand on his arm.  “I’m so sorry, Clint,” she whispered.  “I never meant to hurt you.  I’m going through some things in my life and I needed some distance.”

Struggling to keep his eyes open, Clint asked hoarsely, “You didn’t trust me to help you with whatever it is you are going through?”  Covering her hand with his he said, “I would have been there for you, Lace.  Instead, you chose to ignore me.”  Letting his eyes drift closed he whispered, “And now you are dating Carl.  Why?  Why choose Carl over me?”

As Clint drifted off into sleep he heard Lacey respond softly, “Because he was safe.  I didn’t have to worry about falling for him.”

Lacey slowly ran a hand through Clint’s short, light blond hair, a tear slipping down her cheek unnoticed.  It had been so long since she’d touched him.  Too long since she had felt his skin against hers.  She missed him so much.

What they had shared months ago was something Lacey had never shared with anyone else.  Her mother was not the kind of person who worried about anyone except for herself.  There was no emotional mother-daughter bonding.  No tucking her daughter into bed at night and reading her a bedtime story.  Hell, Lacey was lucky if her mother even came home.  She had never met her father.  Her mother kept a steady stream of men moving in and out of her life, and she could not even remember half of their names.   

The only thing Lacey knew about Ethan’s father was his name, Tyler Reynolds.  He was a one night stand from the only wild night Lacey had ever allowed herself to have.  She did not regret it, though.  Ethan was her life.  She lived and breathed for her son. 

When she met Clint, she finally realized what she was missing out on.  As much as she loved Ethan, she craved that companionship she got from Clint.  The time at the park when he kissed her was her most treasured memory.  The soft, gentle pressure of his lips on hers was nothing like the harsh, bruising sex she’d had with Tyler.  He had taken her virginity roughly, not stopping when she cried out in pain and fear.  When he was done, he’d stood up, pulled on his pants and sneered, “Thanks for the lay, bitch,” before walking out the door.  Lacey lay curled in a ball, crying for several minutes, before finally gathering the courage to crawl out of Tyler’s bed.  After quickly slipping her clothes on, Lacey had snuck out of the house praying no one saw her. 

When she found out she was pregnant, Lacey did not tell Tyler.  She knew he would not want anything to do with being a father.  She was proven right when she found out Ethan had cancer.  Deciding Tyler should have the right to get to know his son if he chose to, and knowing Ethan could use the support of a father, Lacey went to Tyler’s house and told him about their child.  Tyler would not even contemplate the idea that Ethan was his.  He told her there was no way he was the father.  He had only fucked her once, and even if the child was his, he wanted nothing to do with a sick kid.  Lacey tried three more times to change Tyler’s mind, but to no avail.  She had finally given up, but had made sure Tyler signed away all rights to Ethan.  Tyler did not even want to contact an attorney.  He just signed the document and was out of their lives for good.       

Clint was the only person who had ever taken the time to get to know Lacey.  He was kind, compassionate, and caring.  He treated her with respect and showed his affection in many different ways.  Unfortunately, Lacey had screwed up the beautiful beginning of their relationship.  Sighing deeply, Lacey leaned forward and kissed Clint gently on the lips.  Her heart ached when he whispered her name softly in his sleep.  After brushing her lips across his forehead, she stepped away from the bed.  “I’ll be back tomorrow,” she promised quietly. 

Glancing at her watch, Lacey saw that it was almost 2 p.m. and she still needed to eat lunch.  She had a bad habit of forgetting to eat, which caused her to feel faint and to sometimes get migraines.  Leaving the room, she quickly made her way out to her car.  Stopping at Mac’s Diner, a small diner in town, Lacey ordered a turkey, bacon, and ranch sandwich to take back to her office.  She would eat while she worked on paperwork. 

Later, after her lunch was gone and the paperwork was finished, Lacey decided to stop in the police station on the first level of the building.  Locking up her office, she made her way down two flights of stairs and smiled when she heard Sheriff Creed Caldwell bellowing from behind the station door.  He was obviously pissed about something, and did not care who knew it. 

Pushing open the door, Lacey walked into the middle of chaos.  The receptionist, Claire, was on her hands and knees picking up papers that had evidently been thrown all over the place.  Katy Caldwell, one of the deputies, stood glaring at one of the town councilmen, hands on her hips.  Creed stood by his office door, listening intently to someone on his cell phone. 

“Look,” the councilman, Wesley Wallace, said as he backed slowly away from Katy.  “This is a unanimous decision made by the council.  It is not just me.  Now, you have two months to get this problem fixed, or we will find someone who can.”

Turning, Wesley walked past Lacey, making her skin crawl when he made it a point to brush her shoulder with his. “Ma’am,” he said as he leered hungrily down at her breasts before opening the door in front of him and leaving the station.

Shivering in disgust, Lacey turned to Katy when he was gone and asked, “What’s going on?”

“I don’t give a shit!” Creed yelled into his phone.  “I am handling it on my end.  You get that council under control, Clayton, or find yourself a new fucking sheriff.”  Hanging up on the town mayor, Creed swung around to look at Katy.  “I don’t know who those little pissants think they are, but nobody threatens me,” he growled through gritted teeth.   Turning around, he walked into his office, slamming the door shut behind him. 

Looking at Katy, Lacey grinned.  “Trouble in paradise?” she joked as Katy slowly smiled back.

“Give my brother a break,” Katy laughed as she motioned for Lacey to follow her to her office.  “He hasn’t gotten laid since Sloane was shot.  He’s a bit…frustrated.”

Sitting in the chair in front of Katy’s desk, Lacey waited until Katy sat down in her own chair before responding lightly, “Sucks to be him.”

Raising an eyebrow, Katy asked with smirk, “Does that mean you and that nurse at the hospital are getting hot and heavy?”

“Carl is an x-ray technician, and no, it does not,” Lacey replied as a blush stole over her cheeks.  “We actually aren’t seeing each other anymore.” 

“You aren’t?” Katy questioned incredulously.  “But he’s such a nice guy.  At least, that’s what I’ve heard.”

Wondering what her friend would think if she admitted that her relationship had never gone beyond friendship with Carl, Lacey shrugged.  Picking at an imaginary piece of lint on her dress, she said, “He is nice.  Carl is a wonderful person, very sweet and caring.  He’s just not the man for me.”

“Oh, really?” Katy pushed, her eyes sparkling with mirth.  “And just who is the man for you then?  Maybe a certain sexy teacher?”

Blushing furiously now, Lacey tried to change the subject, “What did Wesley the weasel want?  He sure had Creed upset when I got here.”

Shaking her head, Katy whispered, “Chicken.”  When Lacey refused to rise to the bait, Katy laughed again.  “Wesley was just informing us that we need to hire at least two more deputies, along with a few other things the council came up with, to keep the town safe from any future terroristic threats.”

“How did one man storming the school turn into a terroristic threat?” Lacey questioned in surprise.

“I have no idea,” Katy responded.  “Little does he know, we already have some feelers out for more deputies.  It’s hard to get someone to move to a small town, though.  Hopefully we will hear something soon, but until then, it’s a waiting game.”

Nodding, Lacey stood when she noticed the clock on the wall said 3:15.  “I need to go get Ethan from school,” she said.  “I don’t want to be late.”  As she was leaving, Lacey paused at the door.  Looking back at Katy, she asked, “How’s Justice?”

Katy’s eyes darkened, her facial muscles tensing.  “I honestly have no idea.  He doesn’t talk to any of us.  He spends all of his time either in his apartment above the garage or out with the animals.  He didn’t even come to the grand opening for Sloane’s bookstore Saturday.”

“Do you think he needs to see a therapist about his time in captivity?” Lacey asked in concern.  Justice Caldwell had been reported missing in action by the military a year ago.  Then, just three short months later, they declared him deceased.  He was recently found by some navy seals somehow, but no one knew the details.  The mission Justice was on at the time of his captivity was classified, as was the rescue mission.  All they knew was Justice had been rescued and brought home, spending the first couple of days in a coma at a hospital in D.C.  After waking, Justice recovered quickly from his ordeal.  A couple of weeks later, he had flown back to Texas with his family. 

“I think he needs a swift kick in the ass,” Katy snapped, “and I’m just the girl to do it.  I don’t know what his problem is, but he’s starting to really piss me off.”

“Back off, Kat,” Creed said from the doorway.  “We have no idea what Justice went through at the hands of the enemy.  Just let the man be.  He needs to get his head on straight before the Army claims him again.”

“What do you mean?” Lacey asked in confusion as a feeling of unease swept through her.  Justice could not leave again.  Not this soon.

Leaning back in her chair, Katy told her, “Justice still has nine more months in the military.  Until his enlisted time is up, they own him.  Right now he’s on leave, but I don’t know how much longer that will be.  Besides, Justice is a lifer.”  Katy’s eyebrows narrowed in concern.  “At least, he was, before he was taken hostage.”

Shaking her head in denial, Lacey whispered, “No.”  Dammit, she could not be this close just to let it all slide through her fingers. 

“Lacey,” Creed said quietly from beside her.  “Is everything alright?”

Looking up at him blankly, Lacey nodded.  Gulping, she replied, “Everything’s fine, Creed.  I need to go get Ethan.  I’ll see you both tomorrow.  Have a good night.”  Not waiting for a response, Lacey quickly walked past him and out of the front door.  Leaving the building, she paused outside, looking up at the darkening sky.  Black storm clouds were moving in from the east.  Great, she thought.  The weather matched her mood perfectly. 

Letting out a groan of frustration, Lacey walked quickly to her car and got in just as the first rain drop struck her.  She had to hurry so she wasn’t late.  She did not want Ethan waiting out in the rain.

Pulling up to the school, Lacey parked behind another mother in the pickup lane and leaned her head back against the seat.  Closing her eyes, she thought about her brother.  He had been so quiet and reserved when their mother was around, but the minute she was gone, he was full of laughter.  His dark brown eyes would light up, and a mischievous grin would cross his face.  He and Lacey would play for hours outside in the park by their apartment.  Both of them hated to be cooped up.  He was always a little daredevil, even at the age of five.  It would seem he still was, if his present occupation was anything to go by. 

Sighing, Lacey opened her eyes and gazed around the school grounds searching for Ethan.  She smiled when she saw him walking toward her with a couple of his friends.  After a mad man with a gun had shot up the school several weeks before, the board had decided to close the building for two weeks.  This was the first week back for the students, and she hoped it was going well for them.  She still thanked God daily that her son had not been in school on that fateful day.  His kindergarten class had been on a field trip to the zoo.  Ethan would not have to live with the terror a lot of the other children were still experiencing in their dreams.  She would though. 

Lacey squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she remembered the horror of finding out Clint had been shot.  She had managed to hide her feelings from everyone else, but she could not hide them from herself.  She loved Clinton Brody.  She had never loved another man in her life, but she loved Clint.  He was a good, kind, honest man.  One that would stand behind the woman he loved no matter what, devoting his life to her.  But she had deprived herself of him.  The day after Clint had kissed her was the day she had been told Justice was dead.  It had thrown her life into turmoil.  Justice…her brother.  She had found Justice, only to lose him again.  She had not even had the chance to talk to him. 

It had been weeks before she was able to crawl out of the misery she was in.  She had tried to put on a smiling face, fighting to hide her feelings from everyone, but she had known there was no way she could keep it from Clint.  So, instead of trusting him with her secret, she pushed him away.  It was a decision she was afraid she would regret for the rest of her life.  Now, Justice was back.  He was not dead as the military had claimed.  He had returned home, but Lacey was so intertwined with his family, the guilt she felt at keeping her secret was weighing her down.  She did not deserve Clint’s love or devotion.  She had lied to everybody since the day she’d moved to Serenity Springs.  How could he love her when he couldn’t trust her?  It would have been so easy to explain to them who she was and who Justice was to her, but the more time passed, the harder it became.  She was afraid they would turn her away.  She had withheld the truth from the people who mattered the most to her.