Sniper Fire (Love in the Crosshairs) (15 page)

For a second, she thought she’d pushed him too far. The frostiness on his face made her shiver inside. If he ever looked at her like that and meant it…

He leaned forward, very deliberately, and picked his cane up from where she laid it on the floor. Then he stood. No hesitation, no straining, no clumsy movements. Just a smooth rising to his feet.

“You,” he said, never taking his gaze off her, “are an inch shy of stepping over the line. You and Joshua both. You can tell him for me, I am not going back to the VA. I’m through with that shit. No more doctors, no more hospitals, and definitely no more damn surgeries. If I lose my leg, so be it. It won’t be anyone’s fault but my own. Not Joshua’s, not some nameless doctor’s, and damn sure not yours.”

Farrah swallowed, not daring to believe him. Of course he’d blame her. Why wouldn’t he? Despite his aggression, she made herself stand her ground. The anger rolling off him washed over her in nauseating waves. She wasn’t about to let him bully her into going away before she was good and ready. If she left him alone, he’d have no reason to face his foolish decision to give up.

“In that case…” She reached around and snagged the folded paper from her back jeans pocket. “You need to sign this form giving me access to your medical records.”

She couldn’t believe it was possible, but his scowl darkened. “What the hell for?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You may not want to go back to the VA, but you’ll still need to see a doctor to tell you when that leg needs to come off to keep it from killing you. Infections can crop up overnight, you know. You don’t want to let them get out of hand.” She wrinkled her nose. “Gangrene is such a nasty condition to deal with. So many complications.”

Some of the tension left his shoulders. He ran a hand through his hair. “Why you?”

“Don’t be dense, Kyle. I’m the only doctor in the valley, remember?” She slapped the paper against his chest. For a second, she thought he wouldn’t catch it as she lifted her hand away, but he did. He glared at her. Then, growling like a grumpy bear, he jerked into motion, limp-stomping around her to the desk in the corner. Since his back was to her, she let herself smile. Ah, the growl of a frustrated male.

She strolled over and propped a hip on a corner of the desk as he scratched his name on the paper, almost ripping it with the last flourish. He threw the pen down.

“There, you happy now?” Without waiting for her to answer, he stalked past her again, this time heading for the kitchen.

“It’s a start,” she said, folding the paper and putting it back in her pocket. She supposed with Joshua’s connections, she really didn’t need the signed release. Still, it wouldn’t hurt as a backup in case problems cropped up. “It will take a day or two to get the files.” He didn’t need to know Joshua already had them on the way. “I’ll call you after I’ve had time to study them.”

“Fine. Whatever. Doesn’t mean I’m coming to your precious clinic.”

He’d snagged a beer from his refrigerator and popped off the cap. Farrah was about to launch into a lecture on drinking too much when a knock sounded at the door.

“Now what?” Kyle grumbled, shooting her an accusing glare, as if the person at his door was her fault.

This time when his back was to her, Farrah tapped into her own inner three-year-old and stuck her tongue out at him. Impossible man. He could give lessons to grouchy bears.

She heard the door open. There was a brief pause, then, “Kyle. Good to see you home.”

Oh, dear, she knew that voice. Was she late? Farrah glanced at the clock on Kyle’s kitchen wall. No, it wasn’t quite time to meet the sheriff at her clinic to check his arm. Yet, here he was, tracking her down. Or was he?

“Shoot!” she muttered, heading for the front door. The sheriff was here to warn Kyle about Craddoc. Kyle Fagan wasn’t dumb. He’d realize Craddoc was the one she’d mistaken him for last night. No doubt he’d launch into another scolding about her traipsing naked around Joshua’s house with a felon on the loose. It wasn’t the scold she minded so much as the fact she didn’t want any audience participation. As soon as Penwell heard what she’d done, he’d add his own brand of chewing out. Two against one was lousy odds. It was time to leave.

****

Kyle opened the door at the same time he remembered his ruined leg was on full display. Damn woman. She had his mind so screwed up he couldn’t think straight. “Sheriff,” he said, knowing he could do nothing but tough it out. “What can I do for you?”

He had to give the man credit. Dan Penwell barely glanced at the leg encased in the brace before meeting Kyle’s gaze again. His expression didn’t change either, which really wasn’t all that surprising. That inscrutable mask of his had been a part of Penwell’s uniform for as long as Kyle remembered.

“Well—” the sheriff started.

“Excuse me.”

Farrah’s voice, sounding way too innocent and perky, preceded her arrival in the foyer. She eased past Kyle, not pausing or looking at him even when her breasts brushed against his arm. As if the slight touch didn’t jolt through her like it did him.

“Sorry to run, Kyle,” she said, giving him a quick glance and a quicker smile, “but I need to go open up the clinic. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon at three, okay? Hi, Pen. You going to make your eleven o’clock appointment today?”

Kyle eyed the sling cradling the sheriff’s arm. He’d wondered about that. No cast, but there was a slight bulge around the biceps, straining the sleeve of the sheriff’s uniform shirt. A bandage?

Penwell nodded. “I’ll be there, Doc.”

“Good, see you then. Bye, guys.” She didn’t look Kyle’s way again, walking swiftly to her car. Only when she was inside and pulling away did she meet his gaze, her relief clearly apparent.

Kyle narrowed his eyes at her rapid departure, wondering what she was running from. Couldn’t be him, since she’d already proven she could stand her ground no matter how much he growled at her. That didn’t mean he’d just fall in with all her plans, however. He was in no mood to be poked and prodded. She’d eventually find out he had no intention of showing up at her clinic. As for checking his grafts, he’d seen enough festering wounds in his line of work that he could tell when one was going bad. He’d have plenty of time to find an MD in the next county if it came to that. Someone whose mere touch didn’t set his body on fire and tempt him into the unthinkable. He might be only half a man, but that man desired Farrah Hastings with his whole heart. Always had. Not that he’d ever poach on Joshua’s turf, but, damn, how much temptation was a man expected to resist?

“Did you say something?”

Kyle blinked. He was still standing with the door open, the sheriff waiting patiently on his stoop. He stepped back. “Sorry, Sheriff. Thinking too hard, I guess. Come on in.”

The sheriff shot a glance at Farrah’s retreating taillights. “Yeah, I can guess the direction of those hard thoughts. Have to say, I didn’t know our Dr. Hastings made house calls.”

Kyle pointedly ignored the remark. No sense giving the man more ammunition. He turned and led the way into living room, leaving the sheriff to close the door. Motioning to the couch, he said, “Have a seat.”

“Thanks.”

Kyle lowered himself into the recliner as the other man sat on the edge of the sofa. Not staying long, Kyle decided. Good. His headache hadn’t gone away yet. Rubbing unobtrusively at his temple, he tried to remember where he’d left the bottle of aspirin.

“I’ll get right to the point,” Pen said, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. “I don’t know if Farrah told you yet, but we have a fugitive in the area.”

Pen’s words drove all thoughts of his aching head and misplaced aspirin from Kyle’s mind. “No, she didn’t mention anything about a fugitive.” And he’d be having a little conversation with her about why not. The sheriff wouldn’t have stopped by to talk about some guy dodging a traffic ticket. “Is he local?”

“No. Russell Craddoc’s from the Nashville area. His rap sheet goes from petty theft all the way up to assault and battery. Last arrest included a charge of attempted murder. We picked him up on a traffic stop two days ago and found out he has an outstanding warrant for that one. Nashville wants him back, so we set up a transfer night before last.”

Penwell paused, disgust creeping in and making his voice sharp. Kyle got the feeling that if they’d been outside, the sheriff would have spit.

“That’s when Craddoc managed to snatch a gun from one of my new deputies.”

He tapped the bandaged area on his arm. “Nicked me before he escaped, but I managed to pop him once, too.”

A cold wave passed over Kyle. He was starting to put the pieces together and didn’t like the picture one bit.

“Where’s he wounded?” As if he needed to ask. Farrah had more to explain than not sharing important information.

“Right leg. Not sure how bad it is. There was a blood trail to begin with, but we lost it right after he made the woods.”

Damn!

“We’ve warned all the residents in the valley to keep an eye open,” the sheriff continued, “but to leave the guy alone if they see him. With Craddoc armed, we don’t want anyone taking chances trying to confront him.”

“You think he’s still in the valley?”

“Probably. We slapped check points on all the roads the first hour after he escaped. No one’s seen him.”

“That leaves a lot of real-estate unmonitored,” Kyle reminded him. Several sections of forested mountain that weren’t that hard to navigate on foot immediately came to mind.

Pen grunted. “True, but Craddoc’s a city boy. Hiking out won’t appeal to him, especially if he’s injured. Sooner or later he’s going to either knock on some unfortunate soul’s door, or flag down a driver to steal their car.” He pointed a finger at Kyle. “I’m telling you what I told everyone else. If he shows up here waving that gun around and demanding a ride, you give him the keys and smile while doing it. Even if it’s that prized truck of yours. Your life’s not worth a hunk of metal and rubber. No one’s is. Understand?”

Kyle’s fist tightened on the knob of his walking stick. Not one to lie to an officer of the law unless he had to, he settled for a nod. Yeah, he understood. But would he turn his custom built Ford F150 over to some two-bit punk just because the guy had a gun? Not bloody likely.

He would, however, be paying a visit to the oh-so-practical Doctor Hastings. He remembered her saying she thought he was someone else last night. Someone with a limp—like a man who’d been shot in the leg. He couldn’t believe she’d attacked him in nothing but a damned towel, all the while thinking he was an armed criminal. The little fool. Hadn’t she got her fill of brushes with death eight months ago? Just the thought of what could have happened last night, what he might have found if Craddoc had shown up at Josh’s before him, gave him a bad case of the shakes.

No, on second thought, he wouldn’t be going to see the good doctor right away. Not until his temper cooled. If he went now, he’d do something stupid, like take her in his arms and kiss the living hell out of her. Yeah, that would teach her not to put her life in danger.

Chapter Nine

Farrah glanced at the clock on her office wall. The little hand was just past the four and the big hand was almost on top of the three. An hour and fifteen minutes past three o’clock. No doubt about it. Kyle wasn’t coming.

She tapped her fingers on the thick stack of medical reports and x-rays on the corner of her desk. The two-inch file had arrived by courier that morning. It had taken her all day between appointments to sift through the mountain of information. Now she wasn’t sure what to do next. She’d known Kyle might refuse to come, but it hadn’t kept her from hoping. Evidently, the I-don’t-care attitude she’d adopted hadn’t worked. True, he’d signed the paper giving her legal access to his medical information but, apparently, that was as far as his cooperation went.

…Assuming she let him get away with it.

Pressing her lips together, Farrah pushed back her chair and stood. If Kyle Fagan thought he could just ignore her, he had another think coming. She removed her white doctor’s coat and hung it up before going to the door.

“Mary?” she called down the hall.

The older woman appeared at the far end. “Yes, Dr. Hastings?”

“We don’t have any other appointments today, right?” She’d tried to keep this afternoon free so she wouldn’t have to rush Kyle’s visit. That didn’t mean she’d turn away a mother with a sick child, or something equally urgent.

“No, ma’am. Your schedule’s still clear.” Mary’s eyes widened slightly. The forty-something R.N. was a tall, stern looking woman. She had a kind heart but at the same time was quite capable of intimidating a difficult patient when necessary. Now, however, she looked almost playful. “You’re going after your missing patient, aren’t you.”

A statement, not a question. Farrah responded anyway. “Yes, well, as his doctor, I can’t very well allow him to ignore his health.”

“Good,” Mary said, lips spreading into a wide smile that warmed her face. “Without Joshua to keep him in line, no telling what mischief that boy will get into. I’d offer to go with you and help drag him in, but considering how he feels about you, I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” She winked and disappeared back around the corner before Farrah could form a reply.

Farrah shook her head as she closed the door to her office.
Considering how he feels about you?
Now, what could she have meant by that?

She let the thought go as she retrieved her purse from her desk drawer and left the clinic by way of a private exit. Twenty minutes later, she turned the last curve and headed up a steeply slanted driveway. Kyle’s neat little house was perched at the top on a tiny patch of ground gouged right out of the side of the mountain. Trees closed in on all sides. Their limbs and crowns hid the house from view right up until her car topped the rise and the driveway leveled out. Only then did Farrah release the breath she’d been holding. As much as she cared for Kyle, she absolutely hated the trip to his house. Even once here, there was barely enough yard to park, much less turn around.

Farrah made sure to set the parking brake before she got out. She wasted no time looking out at the magnificent view of the valley spread out behind the house, but marched right up to the front door.