Czytaj książkę: «Rescued By The Farmer»

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Okay, it was official. She was lost.

Sighing in frustration, Bekah Holloway squinted through the branches alongside the isolated country road she was currently on, hunting for a sign to tell her where she was. It was probably intended to be two lanes, she complained silently, but considering the washed-out sections and complete lack of a shoulder, it was more like a lane and a half. That made it tough for someone who had no clue where she was going to keep the small hatchback out of the wide ditches on either side.

It sure was pretty out here, though, she had to admit as she drove beneath massive oak trees whose leaves were in the midst of changing colors for fall. It was almost October, and some were still green, but most had gone over to various shades of gold and red, giving her the impression that she was driving beneath nature’s own archway.

And it was so quiet, she could actually hear her own breathing. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been able to do that, and she drank in her peaceful surroundings with sincere gratitude. It was a far cry from the traffic jams and crammed sidewalks she’d left behind her less than a month ago. Breaking away from the only life she’d ever known had taken a huge effort on her part, but now that she’d managed to gain her freedom, she’d rather die than go back to her old ways.

That thought had just flitted through her mind when something hit the windshield with a force that jerked her back to reality with a startled yelp. Before her eyes, the already chipped upper right corner of the glass spider-webbed into a large crack. She let out a dejected sigh. Repairing the radiator a few days ago had taken the last of her meager cash. There was no way she could do anything more until she found herself a job.

A fluttering at the side of the road dragged her attention away from her pity party, and she realized that whatever she’d hit was still alive. She wasn’t exactly a nature girl, so she wasn’t sure what to do, but she couldn’t leave an injured animal alone and helpless in the woods, suffering until it finally died. Moving slowly to avoid scaring it any further, she eased the driver’s door open and crept to the edge of the gravel lane. There, in a wallow filled with mud, lay the most incredible creature she’d ever seen.

A hawk with striking white-and-rust-colored feathers lay on the ground, clearly stunned but still conscious enough to watch her through one dark, mistrustful eye. The other was half closed, and from the odd angle at which its wing rested, Bekah assumed it was broken. The poor thing was breathing so fast, she couldn’t have kept up without hyperventilating. It seemed to her that it was waiting for her to finish the job her windshield had started.

“Please, don’t be scared,” she cooed to the terrified bird. “I want to help you.”

When she moved closer, it began flapping its good wing in a panicky gesture that made Bekah instinctively stop in her tracks. She wanted to help, but she didn’t know how.

“Hey there,” a deep voice murmured. “Need a hand?”

Terrified by the unexpected sound, she whipped around to find a tall man behind her. Dressed in running attire, he was obviously out for a jog, which explained why she hadn’t heard him coming. Apparently, he sensed her fear, because he held his hand out to her with a friendly grin. “Drew Kinley.”

Shocked into silence, at first she couldn’t make herself respond. He patiently kept his hand within her reach until she managed to reply. “Bekah.”

She didn’t shake his hand, and out of habit, she stopped short of adding her last name. Either he didn’t notice, or he didn’t care, because he skirted around her and assessed the injured animal from a safe distance. “Looks bad. What happened?”

“I’m not sure. One minute, I was driving along trying to figure out where I am, and the next, blam! I ran into this poor hawk. I feel terrible,” she added in a near whisper. She’d had enough pain inflicted on her in her life to know how it felt, and she knew all too well that being all alone only made the problem worse. Knowing she’d caused this beautiful creature so much pain made her nauseous.

Unfortunately, her confession brought Drew’s gaze back to her. His light brown hair was damp from his run, and it occurred to her that his eyes were a unique blend of green and gold she’d never seen before. When they focused on her, she watched as idle curiosity shifted to concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” When she realized he was staring at her cheek, she lifted her palm to cover the healing bruise. “This happened a while ago.”

Darkening like thunderclouds, those eyes took on a fierce quality that made her backpedal in self-defense. When he noticed her motion, he put on a smile that looked forced but much less menacing.

“I’m sorry, Bekah,” he told her in a soothing Kentucky drawl. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just hate seeing a woman hurt that way is all.”

Why did he even care? she wondered. She was a complete stranger, and he’d interrupted his morning run to help her. This sort of innate kindness was so far beyond her experience, she didn’t know what to say.

After waiting several seconds, he seemed to understand she wasn’t going to respond. “So, back to your friend here,” he said in a chipper tone. Unzipping his hoodie, he asked, “Do you have a box for us to put this hawk in to keep him from struggling?”

“You can tell he’s male from way over here?”

Looking a little puzzled, Drew shrugged. “Not really. I just assumed.”

Typical guy, she huffed silently. “What’s wrong with assuming she’s female?”

“Good point,” he conceded with a sheepish grin. “Do you have a box to put her in?”

“Um, no. But I have a big duffel bag.”

“That’ll do. Why don’t you empty it out, and I’ll try not to scare the poor thing any more than we have to.”

Relieved to finally have a plan, she opened the rear hatch and took out the bag holding all her clothes. She dumped them on the floor of the car and offered the bag to Drew.

Cocking his head, he gave her a half-grin. “Yeah, that’s not gonna work. I’m gonna have my hands full of angry hawk, so you’ll need to hold the bag for me to drop her into.”

Backing away, she shook her head in protest. “I don’t think so.”

“I can’t do this by myself,” he reasoned. “There’s an animal rescue center not far from here, but I need your help to get her there. Otherwise, I could end up hurting her worse.”

That did it for her. Feeling responsible for the poor animal being wounded in the first place, Bekah knew that the least she could do was help Drew get her to someone who could care for her properly. Screwing up the tiny bit of courage she still had in her, she grasped both edges of the bag and followed him to where the bird lay.

“Now, I’ll cover her with my sweatshirt to keep her from going nuts. Once her eyes are blocked, she should settle down some, and you can catch her in the bag.” Giving Bekah a bracing look, he asked, “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Good. I’ll make sure to get a solid hold on her, so she won’t hurt you.”

That he was concerned about her safety touched Bekah in a way so unexpected, she didn’t know how to process the emotion. In the few minutes she’d known this tall, good-looking man, he’d rattled her thoroughly more than once. And not in the bad way she’d grown so accustomed to.

Yanking her errant thoughts back to the matter at hand, she waited while he spoke reassuringly to the bird, edging closer when she calmed and pausing when she seemed to be growing unnerved by his presence. Finally, he was close enough to wrap the hawk in his jacket, and Bekah stepped up with the duffel bag to enclose the frightened animal.

Cradling the bundle, she felt the bird’s frantic heartbeat as if it were her own. She knew how it was to feel powerless, and she cuddled the hawk to her chest hoping to make her feel safer. “It’s all right, baby—you’re safe now. We won’t let any more bad things happen to you.”

The struggling eased a bit, and Drew opened the passenger door for her. When she understood what he was suggesting, she took a large step back. “What are you doing?”

“You’ve got her calmed down, so I figured I’d drive us to the rescue center. Is that okay?”

Not in a million years.

She was more or less comfortable with holding their patient, but the idea of allowing someone else to drive her to an unknown destination filled her with a terror so deep, it was threatening to choke her. That kind of blind trust had caused her no end of trouble in the past, and she wasn’t keen to set herself up for that again.

Then logic kicked in to remind her that it would be impossible for her to drive while holding the injured bird. Not to mention, she had no idea how to get to this rescue center he’d referred to. So, undone by necessity, she let out a quiet sigh and nodded. “I guess.”

Once she was settled in the passenger seat, he quietly shut the door and hurried around the front to get behind the wheel and start the engine. He pulled his cell phone from a cargo pocket on his shorts and put it on speaker before pulling onto the road. A pleasant voice on the other end answered, “Oaks Crossing Rescue Center. This is Sierra, how can I help you?”

“Hey, it’s Drew. I’m coming in with a badly injured red-tailed hawk. Thought you’d like a heads-up.”

“Get it here as fast as you can,” the woman replied in a crisp, efficient tone laced with concern. “I’ll be waiting.”

Drew tapped the screen to shut off his phone and tucked it back in his pocket before glancing over at Bekah. “How’re you ladies doing over there?”

“Still breathing.” Bekah peeked into the bag to check on their passenger. The hawk was coiled like a spring, but at least she’d stopped wriggling and trying to get loose. Either she was calming down, or she was fading fast. Since she knew next to nothing about birds, Bekah realized she had no choice but to hope for the best. “She’s really scared, though. I wish there was something more I could do.”

“It’s not your fault she got hit,” he assured her as he took a sharp curve like a pro. “We’ve got a lot of red-tails around here, and they like to hunt at the edges of these woods. They get so focused on their meal, they don’t check for cars, so most likely she ran into you instead of the other way around.”

“Where did you learn so much about hawks?”

“I grew up here, so that’s some of it. The behavior stuff I’ve learned from the folks who rehab wildlife at the rescue center. You’d be amazed what kind of critters end up there.”

“Really? Like what?”

It was very unlike her to prolong any conversation beyond the absolute basics, so the curiosity she heard in her voice surprised her. Apparently, her dramatic bird encounter had unsettled her even more than she’d realized.

“Skunks, orphaned bear cubs, last week an entire possum family. Then there’s the usual dogs and cats, rabbits, stuff like that. My family and I run Gallimore Stables on the other side of the property, retraining retired racehorses for new owners.”

The mention of horses got her attention, and she couldn’t help being intrigued by this outgoing man who’d interrupted his morning to stop and help out a complete stranger and a hawk. Feeling some of her reluctance seeping away, she took a deep breath and blurted, “My last name’s Holloway.”

“Pleased to meet you, Bekah Holloway.” Sliding her an easygoing grin, he added, “What brings you to Oaks Crossing?”

Despite her lingering tension, she laughed. “So, that’s where I am. I was trying to get to a job interview in Rockville. The receptionist gave me directions, but I got turned around somewhere and couldn’t find any road signs.”

“Worked out well for me.” When she gave him a puzzled look, his grin widened. “If you hadn’t gotten lost, I never would’ve met you.”

She’d known more than her share of smooth talkers, and she recognized a line when she heard one. Normally, she would have let it pass since she’d never see him again. But something inside her raised up its head and pushed her to nip his subtle advance in the bud. Maybe she still had some of her dignity, after all.

Not wanting to sound rude, she came up with a polite way to set him straight. “And without you to help her, this hawk would be in major trouble. Right?”

He seemed to pick up on her meaning, and he nodded. “Right.”

They made the rest of their trip in silence. While that was what she’d had in mind, Bekah was almost disappointed. Drew struck her as a genuinely decent guy willing to lend a hand where it was needed, even if it was inconvenient for him.

Unfortunately, she’d run across too many people who seemed good at first and turned out to be anything but. It had left her jaded and, by necessity, leery of—well, everyone. It was really too bad, she thought as she stared out the window at the trees flashing by. If she was someone else, she might have considered finding a job here and staying a while. A long string of personal disasters had soured her on serious relationships, but based on their quick connection, there was a chance she and Drew might have become friends.

She’d grown weary of constantly traveling from one place to another to hide her tracks, and always being an outsider was disheartening, to say the least. Now that summer was over, she’d love nothing more than to spend the winter in a nice little town way off the grid and catch her breath. The trouble was, she knew she hadn’t come close to shedding her past, and she didn’t have the luxury of becoming complacent. She’d have to settle for finding a reasonably safe harbor until her well-honed survival instinct warned her it was time to move on again.

It wasn’t the life she wanted, but it was the one she had to live. And there was nothing she could do about that.

* * *

Bekah Holloway was a puzzle wrapped in a mystery.

To Drew, it looked as if she’d been living in her car, and the condition of it told him she was pretty hard up for money. As if that wasn’t bad enough, her skittish behavior made it obvious to him that she was running from something—or someone. Slender but clearly stronger than she looked, her auburn hair and vivid blue eyes accented a pretty face with freckles sprinkled across her cheeks. In truth, she reminded him of the pixies in the stories his mother used to read him when he was a boy.

That observation drifted through Drew’s mind as he snuck a glance over at her. Completely engrossed by soothing the wounded hawk, she seemed oblivious to Drew’s presence. That was a new one for him, and he couldn’t keep back a slight grin. Most of the time, women flirted shamelessly with him, and he obliged them by flirting back.

Being from good Irish stock, he’d always believed friendliness was in his DNA. Life was short, and he couldn’t see the point in keeping anything back. Of course, that philosophy had landed him in trouble more than once, and a couple of years ago, the woman he’d loved enough to build his future around had chosen her dream career over him. With tears in her eyes, Kelly had turned down his proposal and headed for San Francisco, leaving his heart in so many pieces, he still hadn’t found them all.

He wanted the strong, loving marriage his parents had enjoyed until his father’s death a few years ago, and he kept trying to find the woman to build it with. His older brother’s wedding the year before had gotten him thinking about the future even more lately, but as he crept toward his thirtieth birthday, he’d started to wonder if he was destined to spend the rest of his days as everyone’s favorite uncle.

He didn’t really want to be stuck in his tiny hometown for the rest of forever, but his family’s struggling farm needed every pair of available hands to keep it out of bankruptcy. Gallimore was more than the Kinleys’ business—it was their home. Leaving to pursue his own dreams sounded good in theory, but the reality of it was he’d never be able to live with himself if his family lost the farm, and he hadn’t done everything in his power to stop it.

His brooding was cut short when they reached the sign marking the Oaks Crossing Rescue Center. Turning into the lot, he parked next to a dusty two-door that was the only other car there.

Going carefully to avoid scaring either of his passengers, he got out and went around to open Bekah’s door for her. She looked up at him with fearful eyes, and he smiled to reassure her. “Sierra’s here, and she’s the best. Your little friend will be in good hands, I promise.”

A flicker of something akin to hope passed over her features. “I guess I have to trust you, don’t I?”

She made it sound like a real stretch for her, which made him wonder what had happened to turn this intelligent young woman into a scared rabbit. Since he didn’t have a clue how to answer her question, he walked ahead and opened the entryway door for her.

“Good morning,” Sierra Walker greeted them in her characteristically chipper tone. “I’m set up for our new guest in back, so come on through.”

As they walked, he introduced the two women, who traded quick nods before getting down to business. Bekah rested her bundle on an exam table, and Sierra carefully opened the soft cocoon. Seeming to anticipate a struggle, she held the bird still, talking in a singsong voice he’d heard her use with dozens of other animals.

“Hello there, beautiful,” she crooned, running expert hands over the hawk. “You’ve had a tough morning, haven’t you?”

“I’m so sorry,” Bekah apologized, anguish clouding her eyes. “I never saw her until I hit her.”

“I’d imagine Drew explained it was probably the other way around.”

“Well, yes, but I thought he was just trying to make me feel better about hurting her.”

“Actually, that’s the way it usually happens, so you’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. They get this laser focus when they’re hunting, and they don’t notice anything else except their prey. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?” she added to the hawk.

“So she really is a girl?” Drew asked. When she nodded, he chuckled at Bekah. “Guess you were right about that.”

“And you were wrong,” she retorted with more than a little venom in her tone. That set off more alarm bells in his head, warning him to steer clear of this obviously troubled young woman. He preferred sweet, uncomplicated girls whose biggest problem was choosing what outfit they were going to wear on Saturday night. Bekah, on the other hand, had already proven to have more twists than a steep mountain road. Between long days at the farm and pitching in at the center most weekends, he had plenty to deal with already, he cautioned himself. The last thing he needed was a challenge.

Still, there was something about her that reached out to him in a way he’d never experienced before. Maybe it was that she needed him, or that he’d gained enough of her trust that she’d finally gotten the nerve to share her last name with him.

Or maybe it was something else altogether. That possibility bothered him more than he cared to think about right now.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he replied smoothly, adding a grin to show there were no hard feelings on his part. She gave him an odd look, but he stubbornly kept the smile in place. He’d never let a woman get the better of him before, and he wasn’t about to start now. After all, he had a well-earned reputation to protect.

“Okay, here’s the deal,” Sierra interrupted in a crisp way that said she meant business. “It looks like our girl has some broken bones in her left wing, so we’ll wrap it to keep it stable while they heal. She also has what appears to be a decent concussion.”

“Is that why her one eye isn’t open very far?” Bekah asked.

“Yes, but it responds to light, so that’s a good sign. Judging by her size, I’d say she’s a couple of years old, strong and healthy up till now. That means that if she gets the right care, her chances of recovering and being released back into her natural environment are excellent.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! I can’t tell you how grateful I am to hear that.” For the first time, Bekah smiled, her eyes lighting with pure joy. Pretty as she was, the fragile-looking runaway was absolutely beautiful when she smiled.

“It’s what we do,” Sierra told her. “Our certified wildlife rehabilitator is on her way over, and she’ll know exactly what needs to be done. I set up a cage in back for the hawk, so if you bring her in, we’ll get her settled and rustle up some breakfast.”

“Does that sound good to you?” Bekah asked the hawk as she scooped her up from the table with more confidence than she’d shown earlier. “You probably can’t wait to get out of this bag.”

Once they had her safely tucked into an oversize birdcage, their patient hobbled around the papered floor, checking out her new digs. Apparently satisfied, she settled down and let out what struck him as a very human-like sigh of relief.

“She needs a name,” Bekah commented in a thoughtful tone. Then, blushing as if just realizing she’d spoken out loud, she turned to Sierra with a questioning look. “Is it all right to do that?”

Normally, they only named animals who were staying at the center because they couldn’t find a home or go back into the wild. Drew caught Sierra’s eye and gave her a subtle nod. Bekah had clearly been having a rough time, and it seemed to him that naming the hawk might give her spirits a much-needed boost.

“Sure,” Sierra replied. “What did you have in mind?”

Bekah studied the resting bird intently for a few moments, then smiled. “With all those pretty burgundy-and-white feathers, I think she looks like a Rosie.”

“Rosie it is.” Grabbing an index card and permanent marker, Sierra wrote down the name, date and her estimate of the age. When she was finished, she asked, “Would you like to help me get her breakfast together?”

“That depends,” Bekah hedged. “What are you planning to feed her?”

“Raw chicken and water for now. When she’s feeling stronger, we’ll move on to live meals, but that’ll be a while.”

“Chicken and water I can handle.”

With that decided, she held Drew’s sweatshirt out for him. When he saw the condition it was in, he chuckled and held up his hands. “That’s okay. She can keep it.”

“It’s my fault it got ruined, so I’ll buy you a new one.” It was a sweet offer, but he could tell by the hesitance in her eyes that she really couldn’t afford it.

“Not necessary. I’m happy to give my shirt to a lady anytime.” As soon as those words left his mouth, he realized they could be easily misunderstood to mean he went around handing his shirts to random women. Feeling foolish, he quickly added, “I mean, if she needs it for some reason.”

What was wrong with him? It wasn’t like him to lose his cool and just blurt things out that way. A strong dose of caffeine was probably in order, he reasoned. Not to mention a shower.

“Okay.” Bekah gave him a long, suspicious look, then a tentative smile. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He caught Sierra studying him with a curious expression, and he brushed it off with a grin. “Need anything else while I’m here?”

“I’ve got twelve kennels to clean before we open, and I still haven’t fed all of the wild babies yet.”

It was a common problem for them here. As a nonprofit clinic, they relied on donations and grants to keep everything going. That meant they couldn’t pay the staff much, and consistent volunteers were hard to come by. They’d recently lost their veterinarian, and animals of every species kept pouring in from the surrounding area every week. Shorthanded didn’t come close to describing the situation, and Drew made it a point to lend a hand whenever he could spare the time. “I’ve got an hour before anyone will miss me in the barns.”

“That would be awesome. Thanks.”

To his complete surprise, the timid woman he’d met less than an hour ago piped up with, “Are you looking for help around here?”

Sierra flashed him a questioning glance, and he shrugged to say it was her call. Bekah had astonished him, too, but he couldn’t help noticing how she was now looking Sierra directly in the eye. Standing up straighter, too, instead of trying to make herself as small and invisible as possible.

After a few seconds, the clinic’s manager replied, “We’re always looking for help. Mind if I ask what kind of job experience you have?”

“I’m not trained for anything in particular, but I’m a hard worker, and I learn fast. I was working at Jennings’s farm stand until last week when they closed for the fall. Mr. Jennings said I could use him as a reference.”

“He’s an old friend of the family.” Drew added his two cents without hesitation. “He’s pretty hard to please, so if he likes your work, you’re a keeper.”

That got him another, slightly warmer smile from Bekah, and then she turned to Sierra. “I’ll work a week for nothing, so you can check my references and make sure I’m right for the job.”

The desperation in her voice was impossible to miss, and it took all of Drew’s self-control not to pull rank and tell her she was hired. Technically, the Kinleys owned the center, and Sierra worked for them. Realistically, she was in charge of the clinic and its operation, and they’d never stepped in to tell her what to do. He wasn’t keen on changing that arrangement, but something about Bekah made him want to go a few extra steps for her.

While the two women talked about what the position involved, one of his late father’s favorite lines drifted through his memory.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Drew recalled hearing that more than once growing up, when his quick temper got the better of him, and he ended up fighting with one of his brothers or a kid at school who was pestering him. Mike was the oldest, and Josh was the youngest, so they had it easy. Erin was the only girl, which made her the princess. As the middle son, Drew had learned early on that he had a simple choice: he could either live up to his big brother’s solid example or overcome it and be his own person.

He was still wrestling with that one, and he often wished Dad was still around to give him advice. Whether he’d follow it or not was up for debate, but he would’ve appreciated the input. Unfortunately, now it was too late.

Shrugging off his suddenly melancholy mood, he refocused on the conversation that had continued along quite nicely without him. Bekah’s delicate appearance had thrown him at first, but the spirit he saw glowing in her eyes had drawn him much closer than he normally would’ve gone after such an odd first meeting. The fading bruise on her cheek infuriated him, and he honestly hoped he never discovered who was responsible for it. It wouldn’t go well for the monster who’d struck her hard enough to leave such an ugly mark behind.