Love Redone (5 page)

* * *

Watching the scene unfold in front of him, Nick was numb, frozen to the spot.  So knocked for a six was he at having run across Shannon that he had lost his self-assured and in-charge manner.  He watched mutely as Ned took that role, leaning over her, quietly asking questions, comforting her as she sat up on a hay bale, rather than sprawled on the hard ground.  She was in clear distress, and it was that realization that zapped his brain back into gear.

As if suddenly coming to his senses
, Nick pocketed the cell phone and strode forward purposely. He needed to do something. He just couldn’t stand there anymore. As he approached and saw the look of enigmatic confusion on Jules’s face, he made a note to ask her about it later, but right now he needed to focus on Shannon.

As he came upon the scene
, Nick could hear Ned reassuring Shannon that they were about to get help for her. Without hesitation, Nick reached down and scooped her up into his capable arms as if she weighed absolutely nothing, saying to Ned and Jules as he did, “I’ve got this.”

With that
, he simply marched on down the hay-strewn path towards the parking area, his back ramrod straight, Shannon draped over his strong forearms, her injured bare foot and the other still booted in soft brown suede dangling down his frame while one arm had instinctively wrapped itself across his broad shoulders for safety.  At least that’s what she told herself instead of admitting that her hold on him was more for security and reassurance than safety.

As he strode away with Shannon safely held in his arms, she looked back over Nick’s shoulder to see Ned comforting a very upset-looking Jules
, who was wringing her hands in uncharacteristic dismay.  Jules’s face was ashen, and the way she looked at them as they made their way along the scenic path gave Shannon pause.  Her head and the steadily increasing staccato of drumbeats banging behind her eyes sent that thought to the side for now, but Shannon had a feeling something more was going on here than met the eye.

Who was Nick Temple?
No
, she corrected herself again, remembering to use his real name. Just who was Nicholas Barrett to Ned and Jules Stewart, and why had they all seemed so familiar with one another?  She’d have to ask she supposed, but right now her voice seemed to have deserted her, and probably for the best.  Instinct told her that silence was her best hand until she had more information and until the blasted thrumming that had begun in earnest in her head stopped.

To make matters worse, the feel of his rock-hard chest against her side was making her exquisitely aware of how small and feminine she felt cradled in his arms. She wasn’t exactly a petite woman and had some serious curves to boot, but he was just so large and so commanding that he made her feel no bigger than a pocket doll.  She shivered slightly in delicious awareness of how turned on that thought made her feel
, although she knew she shouldn’t.

Glancing up at his profile as he pounded out a steady rhythm with his boot
-clad feet on the crunchy straw-covered path, Shannon noticed immediately that he seemed to be grinding his teeth, evidenced by his mouth locked in a tense line with noticeable tension all around his jawline. 

Where her breast and side crushed up against his chest
, she could make out the strong
thump-thump-thump
beating of his heart and wondered if he was aware how out of control her own heart rate was.

This close to him, she was surrounded by his unique scent, something spicy and bold that had permeated her senses once upon a time and which
had washed over her in the ensuing years during times when her guard was down or she was feeling especially vulnerable.

She’d found his smell sexy and absorbing, just like the man himself
, and here and now she allowed herself a second or five to drown in that intoxicatingly erotic tang, wishing she could lean in closer so she could press her face against his neck and simply breathe. He had a tiny, almost imperceptible scar on his slightly stubbled chin that seemed to call her tongue forth so it could touch that spot and make him shiver all over as she’d used to do in their most intimate and private of moments together.

But that time was gone, when she thought she knew this man better than anyone else on the planet
, and she belatedly brought herself in check by recalling that he had chosen money and power over the promises of love she had foolishly thought they were making to each other.

His words came crashing down on her melting senses
.
A rich man’s folly
was how he’d crudely described their time together in that awful final conversation when he’d crushed her dreams and told her in no uncertain terms that, while he’d had fun, he always knew he’d return to another life that could never include a young man’s fling. A short period of carefree enjoyment before his real life took over. She’d been a welcome distraction while he’d been off pretending to be something other than a spoiled, wealthy heir to millions if not billions of dollars.

As they approached the parking area
, Rory, also decked out in full cowgirl regalia, appeared out of nowhere and exclaimed with alarm, “Shannon, what happened? Oh dear, are you alright?” This last said as she eyed Nick’s formidable take-charge presence with obvious alarm.

Before Shannon could get a single word out, Nick started barking commands in a voice that any reasonable person would recognize meant business and which had best not be ignored.

“She’s taken a fall and sprained her ankle,” Nick bit out, followed a second later by, “Who are you?” as he continued to stomp along like a most determined man on a mission.

Seeing her boss being carried away by a veritable giant dressed in black jeans, boots
, and a crisp white cowboy-style shirt threw Rory for less than a second before answering his bark in a business-like and professional manner.  “I’m Rory, Shannon’s assistant.  What can I do?” she asked as she hurried toward them to help in any way she could.

“Have the valet bring the black SUV next to the garage over here, quickly,” he answered
, “and help me get Shannon settled.  I’m taking her to the clinic Mr. Stewart recommended.”  With that Rory bolted off in the direction of the valet stand while Nick continued pounding his way along the path and into a clearing where his car would pull up.

Shannon tried to focus on this flurry of activity on her behalf
, but the slight pulsing in her head that she at first thought was a result of having been whacked on the temple was now developing into an increasing migraine, thereby complicating her determination to retain her composure no matter what.

As his vehicle appeared on the scene and Shannon got a good look at what he was driving
, she groaned inwardly.  What was she getting herself in to?  She’d known he was wealthy, but the size and luxuriousness of the massive hybrid SUV that pulled up was incontrovertible evidence of the world he lived in.  Shannon thought of her own dependable car, a bland but reliable sedan with a couple of extras but certainly not the temperature-controlled seats and on-board satellite system she spied the minute she’d been eased into the front passenger seat.  Best she remember the two completely opposite worlds they lived in and once again how he’d consciously chosen all this over her.

* * *

As Nick leaned into the car and reached across Shannon to buckle her seat belt, he knew he was being ridiculous, for she was a grown woman and capable of doing it herself.  That her hands were all scraped up and probably painful was the excuse he used to whitewash over his need to get as close to her as possible. 

From this vantage point, leaning in and reaching across her torso
, he could see the rapidly intensifying rise and fall of her bosom as she took in lungfuls of air. He couldn’t stop himself from adjusting the shoulder belt so it didn’t cause any discomfort, and in doing so he felt the soft mounds of her lush breasts across the top of his hand as he slid it down the belt to ensure her safety and comfort. 

She stopped breathing.  So did he.  With their faces only inches apart, he drew back from his ministrations
and struggled with the need to slide his fingers inside her adorable cowgirl blouse to cup her breast with his big hand and stroke the puckering nipple he hoped would greet his caress. 

Nick
drew back remembering how she had recoiled from him in apparent disgust when she’d realized into whose arms she’d fallen. Well, that thought sobered him up right quick.

When he quickly backed away and went to shut her car door, the Rory person stepped forward to speak with his passenger, giving Nick his best retreat so he could scurry around the front of the car to reach the driver door being held open by the obviously concerned valet.

As he got in and belted himself, Nick reached for the GPS to enter the information he’d need to guide them to the private clinic where they were headed.  He noted that Shannon spoke quietly to her assistant, although why she had an assistant and what she was doing here he did not know.  Now that he thought about it, however, Ned had just told him, when he’d arrived on the scene after Nick had texted for help, that Shannon was their party planner.  Looking around quickly at the cowboy tableau playing out all around them, Nick’s normally sharp brain finally started putting two and two together.

Shannon Reynolds. 
Shannon at his sister’s home.  Shannon was a party planner and Dominic’s birthday was something she’d created.  The spiky-haired, thin-as-a-rail person who’d identified herself as an assistant and who was presently determinedly tapping instructions into her smartphone was Shannon’s helper.  Shannon.  Shannon was hurt and they had to go, like
now
.

“We have to go
,” Nick growled a second before Rory had the good sense to firmly shut Shannon’s passenger-side door.  Putting the vehicle in gear, Nick carefully pulled away from the bustling parking area and headed for the main road.  There seemed to be horses with costumed cowboys and children with laughing adults dressed in Wild West gear all over the place, and only then as they were leaving did Nick see with eyes fully aware how big and over-the-friggin’-top the party had actually been.  Glancing toward his injured passenger and noting that she seemed stable and properly secured, Nick eased the behemoth vehicle onto the road and headed to the clinic as the voice-command GPS led the way.

Maybe he’d calm down a bit and get his senses under control once he got her some help and could be assured that the ugly bump on her head was not more serious than it looked and that her ankle had been properly attended to.  Yeah, right.  The way he felt, Nick doubted he’d ever calm down again.  Hell, right now he doubted his grasp on reality.

In the confines of the closed car, Shannon continued to be assaulted by the shimmering awareness lighting up each and every one of her brain cells due to the presence of the only person who had ever made her feel alive but who had also carved out her heart one autumn afternoon and fed it back to her on a sterling silver tray.

W
ith the blinding realization that even after all he’d done and said, after all the years of sadness and solitude, he still stole her breath and made her wish for things which could never be she had to ask herself,
How stupid could one woman be?

When Nick abruptly stepped back after having awkwardly touched her while adjusting the seat belt, Shannon knew a blast of embarrassment at her pitiful response so profound as to make her blush from top to bottom.  He’d obviously found it distasteful to be this close to her and probably resented having to come to her assistance.

A beautiful, sunny Southern California day moved past the tinted windows of his SUV as they slowly made their way through the normally intense traffic patterns around Los Angeles.  She didn’t know where they were going, but she was sure it would be exclusive and world-class, something else to remind her of the distance that lay between her normal, middle-of-the-road life and the world of the super-wealthy who never had to worry about paying bills or whether they had the funds to cover an unexpected medical emergency.

She was being ridiculously critical
, she admitted, for she could take care of herself and, if truth be told, would admit to a tidy savings that was nothing to sneeze at, and a hefty retirement plan.  Shannon’s personal financial portfolio included well-thought-out and low-risk investments and even a top-drawer medical plan, which having been gifted with good health, she rarely made use of.  Was she judging him and the advantages having money could bring when she herself wasn’t exactly living paycheck to paycheck?  Well, probably, but he damn well deserved that discrimination and her harsh judgment.

Feeling like she was being a shrew for no good reason, Shannon tried to straighten slightly in the deeply lush leather seat that she found herself in.  She barely managed to squash a slight gasp before it made its traitorous way out of her throat when her scraped palms pushed against the arm rest
, reminding Shannon that at least for now she was all but helpless. 

Between the bump on her head
, the way the migraine that had been hovering nearby had descended, making her even more uncomfortable, the throbbing, swelling foot that felt ten times its normal size, the scraped and bruised hands, a painfully scraped knee that she had yet to bring to his attention, and the bleeding gash at her shoulder, Shannon was at his mercy and completely overwhelmed.

At the first stoplight, Nick looked over at her but Shannon just plastered a
less-than-friendly expression on her face and stared at him intently. Obviously noticing that she was shooting daggers at him with her eyes, Nick broke the silence by clearing his throat and told her in a calm tone that they’d be at their destination in just a few minutes

Pursing her lips together in a clear frown, Shannon shook her head in acknowledgment
, and then deciding that the headache was getting the better of her, she gently lay back on the headrest and closed her eyes.

“Are you alright, Shannon?” he pressed when she intentionally closed him out.

Feeling a little guilty, she answered, “Yes, my head just hurts a bit. Thank you for driving me to the doctor, Nick.” The last was added in perfect politeness, almost as an afterthought.

“Of course, Shannon. You’re hurt. My fault. Just let me get you taken care of and then we’ll talk,” he growled out.

She wanted to argue with him that her being injured wasn’t his fault, mostly just for the obvious cause of wanting to argue with him, but her own good sense stepped in when he’d said
my fault
with such gravity as though he meant far more than just having bumped into her on a path.

* * *

The entire car trip to the clinic, although realistically only about 15 minutes long, was like fingernails on a chalkboard for Nick. He got things done—it was what came naturally to him. Nicholas Barrett, the man who could make almost anything he desired happen,
he who could solve anything
, but right now he was feeling completely powerless.

In the confines of the luxury car he had rented for the duration of his stay in Southern California, the realistically ample space seemed excee
dingly small due in large part to the helpless, injured female in his passenger seat.

Navigating the Los Angeles roadways was frustrating enough at the best of times, so congested was this area with traffic, but add to that the distraction of the alluring smell of the subtle perfume she wore, something
that had haunted him lo’ these past eight years, plus the palpable force field that their combined energies seemed to be creating, and it was all he could do to keep his mind on the road. 

He supposed the man
-of-action persona that he identified with was a direct result of having been thrust into a position of absolute power over a global enterprise when he was in his mid-twenties. Well educated and seriously capable, he was definitely old enough to assume that role, but also young enough that every old, business-hardened division head, desperate sycophant, and hungry newbie had challenged his every word and thought that first year after he’d been forced by the whims of fate into a leadership role. In his mind, having personally paid quite heavily for the dubious honor of being one of the business world’s wealthiest and most influential CEOs, he had license to be laser like in his focus and determination to have his will met without question, without comment, without censure.

And yet here he was, clammy hands gripping the leather
-wrapped steering wheel of a vehicle that quite frankly practically drove itself, finding himself barely able to contain his frustration and anxiety at not being able to simply snap his fingers, demand everything be all right from this point forward, and expect that it would be so.

The feisty female grimacing in the passenger seat next to him, her foot swelling by the second, a large bump on her head
, and God only knows what else, had the formula to render him blank apparently. He almost laughed out loud because he realized that she was his very own, personal kryptonite.

Struggling to maintain his businesslike grasp on things, he realized that this woman seemed to shift everything in his world into neutral. He didn’t want to use the word impotent, as that would make any guy cringe, but the way he was feeling right now
—
yeah
, impotent, helpless, naked in the wild, pretty much summed up where he was coming from.

Glancing at the GPS and navigating the vehicle through a series of turns, getting them closer to their
destination and some help for Shannon, he saw on the display that they were almost at the clinic.

“We’ll be there in a minute or two
, so you might want to prepare yourself to be moved,” Nick gritted out from between clenched teeth, sounding like a stern principal scolding a naughty student.

He realized then that clammy hands, grinding teeth, enough adrenaline running through him to supercharge an entire football team, and an ever
-increasing and insistent warming around his heart and in his groin—these things were going to be his companions in whatever came next.

* * *

“Ned will have called ahead and alerted the clinic staff that we are en route. Try to hang in there a little while longer, little one, and we’ll get you comfortable, he murmured with an edge of tenderness that cut its way through Shannon’s discomfort and anxiety, touching her emotions in a way she wished she could ignore.

This was the second
time he had called her by that old, affectionate nickname, something that on the one hand seemed so natural to hear and yet was also completely surprising. The man who had ruthlessly turned away from their relationship because it meant nothing to him, or so he said, would not be using that term. It seemed so out of context in light of all that had transpired between them at the end. And yet he spoke it to her as if he’d been saying it every single day of the eight years they’d been apart. Shannon just didn’t know what to make of this.  Between the throbbing ankle and an ever-increasing headache, she was feeling decidedly vulnerable to her own thoughts.

Not really being able to do anything more than just sit there
, she mentally prepared herself for their arrival at the clinic and tried gathering her thoughts so she could contribute information rather than just being weak and incapable of doing anything more than moan and fight back tears.

The injured foot was killing her
. Looking down, she saw her two scraped hands, palms up, laying feebly in her lap while her hair, which had escaped the cowboy hat she’d had it tucked into at the moment she’d collided with the wall that ended up being Nick Barrett, was hanging in wild bunches of unruly curls all around her shoulders.

Feeling a mess and frustrated that she couldn’t even smooth her hair into some sort of semblance of order because of her mangled hands, Shannon was not overjoyed to realize she was feeling like a typical female in the presence of
this particular man, a very sexy and desirable man at that. The fact that she was sitting there in a cowgirl outfit just seemed to give a surreal air to what was already an extraordinary turn of events.

Of course
, the fact that he looked like a damn movie star in his bright white cowboy shirt, silver Western-themed belt buckle, boots and a pair of black jeans that fit him probably a little too well didn’t help the situation. She felt like the quirky girl from down the street who showed up to a costume party in a thrift-shop hand-me-down making her look ridiculous next to his heartthrob good looks and brain-melting masculinity. Okay, where had that thought come from?

God, they couldn’t get to the clinic fast enough. She needed to put some distance between herself and him. Never in her wildest dreams had she believed she’d ever really see him again
, and yet here she was sitting in his car after a chance encounter, which affected her as if a bomb detonated in her life.

Okay, maybe in her wildest dreams she did indeed entertain deep, dark, secret thoughts about him riding in on his white horse to rescue her from a life of loneliness and isolation once he damn well came to his senses and realized she was the one for him. Oh,
shit
, did she actually think that in conscious terms?  Was she really romanticizing this situation? She needed to get out of his car fast. Nick’s very presence was seriously rattling her cage. Enough!

Thankfully that was the moment he flipped on the turn signal and
, in the next heartbeat, whipped the steering wheel to the right so they could pull smoothly into the driveway and up to the clinic entrance.

* * *

As they pulled up to the wide front entrance to the clinic and Nick eased the large SUV to the curb, the businessman inside him was carefully assessing the people who stood by ready to attend them. It was no different than evaluating a rival, a business situation, or any one of a number of challenges that came regularly in his role as the Barrett tycoon. Nick rationalized that in the absence of being able to do anything else he was just making sure that only the best of the best would be attending to Shannon.

As he exited the car and stepped around to the other side to help Shannon into
a waiting wheelchair, Nick was relieved when he did a cursory inspection and was glad to see that some color had returned to her cheeks.  He hoped this meant that her injuries, specifically the head injury, were not more serious, because he felt sure that she might’ve been in shock. The color burst in her cheeks and her clear-eyed glance his way did much to assuage some of his anxiety.

The medical personnel were greeting him and letting him know that Mr.
Stewart had indeed called ahead and that they were ready for Ms. Reynolds in an examining room. Stepping forward without any hesitation, Nick reached into the car and gently scooped Shannon before ever so slowly lowering into the wheelchair. Once she put down her injured leg, however, Nick saw her grimace in pain and grip the arms of the wheelchair.

Oh hell no,
he thought. There was no way she was sitting in that chair if it was going to cause her to moan in pain. Without a second thought, he swooped in and bundled her back up. “Show me to the examining room right now!” he barked, then marched forward with long, determined strides toward the entrance of the clinic.

The team of medical personnel, looking slightly shocked at his take-charge manner but understanding they were in the presence of serious authority, immediately recovered and scurried along behind him facilitating his entrance into the clinic. The lead nurse gently guided him down the hallway to an examining room where she opened the door and instructed him to put Shannon on the bed.

Before too long, a team of serious-minded medical professionals efficiently moved around the room with electronic tablets on which to record Shannon’s information. Having no choice but to get out of the way, Nick removed himself to the other side of the room where a hi-tech tinted window looked out over what appeared to be a small outdoor patio.