The Mighty Quinns: Rourke (13 page)

“I’m already on my way,” Rourke said. “I should be there before dawn.”

“Good. Maybe you can talk some sense into her. She doesn’t seem to want to accept help—from anyone.”

“Thanks for calling, Betty. I appreciate it.”

He hung up the phone and swore to himself. This was exactly like the day he’d found her. And this was exactly why she should not be living all alone on Freer’s Point. Like the day he found her lying in the rocks, her head bloody and her body cold, she’d managed to put herself in danger.

“That’s never going to happen again,” he muttered. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

9

A
NNIE
STARED
AT
the tray of food the aide had brought her for breakfast. Dinner last night had been some type of chicken with pasta salad and limp green beans. At least breakfast was food she could eat. Yogurt and granola and fresh fruit. She wondered if they’d let her order breakfast for every meal.

“How are we feeling this morning?” the nurse asked as she breezed into the room. “I thought I could help you to the bathroom if you’re ready. You haven’t gone since just after dinner last night.”

“Actually, I have,” Annie admitted. “I really don’t need help. I was able to make it on my own.”

“Miss Macintosh, the doctor does not want you moving around on your own. We’ve got a physical therapist coming in this morning to teach you how to get around on crutches. Once you’ve been cleared, then you can move around on your own. If this is a problem with you, we can always put you back into traction,” she warned.

“I don’t think that would help,” Annie said.

“I see. And who are you going to have at home helping you.”

“No one,” Annie said.

“No one? I think you should call a family member or a friend. You need to rest. You’ve just had surgery.”

“There’s no one I can call,” Annie said.

She’d been tempted to call Rourke all week, but after two days, she’d grown so frustrated with herself, she’d thrown her phone into the ocean. Annie had considered it a sign of weakness that she’d needed him so much. What had happened to her? Before he’d shown up, she’d been a strong, capable woman. Now, after a couple weeks together, she couldn’t seem to survive without him.

“No one?” the nurse asked.

“No one,” Annie said softly.

“Then I’ll send in our home-care coordinator. She’ll arrange for a visiting nurse to check in with you several times a day. And she’ll help you find someone to work around the house, too.”

“I don’t—” Annie snapped her mouth shut. Maybe she ought to accept the help. Some of the folks in town had already offered to give her a hand when she got home. It seemed Sam Decker had spread the word about her injury. Having a stranger around was much easier than asking people she knew for help.

If Rourke were here, she could— Annie fought a surge of emotion. Ever since the surgery she’d been so weepy and all of the tears had been for Rourke. The doctor had said that was normal and that some patients experienced depression after hospitalization. But any hint of emotional weakness was enough to frighten Annie.

She had to be strong, she had to fight off the impulse to fall into self-pity. Though she wanted to believe that Rourke would come back, she knew that the pull of the city and his former life would be strong. Yes, he’d told her that he loved her, but it hadn’t come naturally. She’d asked him for the sentiment.

Reaching for the carton of yogurt, Annie tried to ignore the empty spot deep inside her. She didn’t feel complete anymore and she wondered when that void would disappear. Unlike food and water, sex—and Rourke—were not necessary to sustain life. It was possible to get along without him.

A knock sounded on the door and she sat up and caught sight of Sam Decker waiting outside. “If you want to get out of bed, ring the call bell,” the nurse said.

As she left, Sam took a few steps inside. She hadn’t seen him since he’d brought her—and Kit—to the hospital. A wary smile curved his lips and Annie returned the smile “Hi,” she said.

“How are you doing?”

“Good,” Annie said. “How’s Kit?”

“He’s doing fine. He’s staying over at the station and riding around with me on patrol. He likes sitting in the front seat and sticking his nose out the window.”

“Thank you so much for taking care of him. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”

Sam chuckled softly. “I never thought I’d hear you say something like that. You’ve never needed anyone’s help, Annie.”

She felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Sam. I’m sorry that I wasn’t the kind of girl you needed. And I’m sorry if I took advantage of your feelings for me. That was wrong.”

“You didn’t take advantage,” he said. “It’s all my fault. I should have understood. The things that happened in the past didn’t stay in the past.”

“But they should have. You’re a good man and I know that. I shouldn’t have continued to judge you by things you’d done as a kid.”

“I hope you always judge me, Annie. I hope you hold me to a higher standard than anyone else I know. And I want to live up to your expectations. That’s what a good friend does.”

“I hope we can be friends,” she said.

“I’d like that.” He paused. “I heard that Quinn is gone.”

Annie nodded. “Yeah.”

“Is he coming back?”

She shrugged, her gaze dropping back to her breakfast tray. “I don’t know.”

“I could always call him for you,” Sam said. “If he loves you, Annie, he should be here with you.”

“I know. I’ll think about it. I really will.” She drew a deep breath. “The doctor says I can go home later today, once they teach me how to walk on crutches.”

“I’ll come and take you home,” Sam said. “Just ring the station and they’ll get a message to me.”

“All right.”

“Hey, I better get going. Kit is down in the cruiser. He’s already figured out how to turn on the siren. That dog is smart.”

“Are you parked out front?” Annie asked. “Will you drive past so I can see him?”

“Sure. I’ll see you later, Annie. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

After he left the room, Annie threw back the covers of the bed and slid her feet to the floor. She wore a heavy plaster cast on her right ankle, making it hard to balance when she was standing. Searching for handholds, she hopped across the room to the window, then waited, staring out into the early-morning light.

A few minutes later, she saw Sam exit the hospital and waved at him. He caught sight of her and then jogged out to his cruiser, parked in a nearby emergency lane. When he opened the passenger-side door, Kit jumped out and circled excitedly around Sam’s feet.

Annie laughed as Sam tried to get him to do a few tricks. Then he waved and they both got into the cruiser and drove off. Though he wasn’t the man for her, she hoped that Sam would find a nice girl who’d appreciate him.

As she stared out the window, another figure caught her attention. She recognized the long, easy gait and the dark windblown hair. Her breath caught in her throat. “Rourke,” she murmured.

She turned quickly and took a step toward the bed. But she lost her balance and pitched forward. The tray table was the only thing within reach and she grabbed for it. But she pulled it down on top of her, her breakfast dishes crashing to the floor with a loud clatter.

“Ow,” she said, brushing a splatter of yogurt off her cheek.

A pair of nurses appeared at the door and she recognized the one who’d stopped by earlier. “What are you doing?” the nurse said, hurrying across the room to help her.

Annie forced a smile. “I really need you to help me to the bathroom. I have to get this yogurt out of my hair.”

“We’ll get you a shower,” the nurse said.

“No! There’s not time for that. I have to get back into bed. Can you grab me a towel?”

* * *

R
OURKE
STOPPED
AT
the nurses’ station and asked for Annie’s room. The nurse pointed to his left and gave him the number, and he hurried down the hallway. He was anxious to make sure she was all right.

When he found the room, he knocked on the door, then slowly pushed it open. She was lying on the bed, her hair falling around her face, her leg encased in plaster.

A riot of emotions whirled in his head— frustration, relief, anger, elation. Anger came out first. “Why the hell didn’t you call me? I find out you’re in the hospital from someone else? Jaysus, Annie, I thought we were in this together. I thought we had something.”

“I—”

He held up his hand. “I know you have a hard time trusting people, but it’s me we’re talking about here. The guy who loves you. The guy who wants to spend the rest of his life loving you. I think you could at least make an attempt to trust me.”

“I—”

“I don’t want to hear any silly excuses. If we’re going to love each other, then this kind of behavior has got to stop.”

“I—I do,” Annie said.

“What?”

“I do trust you,” she said. “And—and I do love you. And I’m sorry. You’re right. I should have called you. As soon as this happened.”

For a long moment, they stared at each other. Then, suddenly, emotion overwhelmed her. Maybe it was a reaction to the last of her walls tumbling down. Or maybe his anger had taken her by surprise. But she burst into tears, covering her face with her hands. Rourke hurried to the bed and gathered her in his arms.

“Hey, what’s wrong? I’m here now. Everything is all right.”

“I—I didn’t think you were going to come back,” she said.

“I called. Every day. Twice a day. Didn’t you see my number on your display?”

She looked up at him through runny eyes. “I threw my phone in the ocean,” she said.

“Why would you do that?”

“I was angry. Frustrated that I missed you so much. I didn’t like how that felt.”

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, his lips lingering over hers, his fingers brushing the tears from her cheeks. “I told you I’d be back.”

“I—I know.”

“Annie, if I say I’m going to do something, I’ll do it.” He pulled her into a fierce hug, pressing another kiss to the top of her head. “Are you all right?”

“Aside from being chronically weepy, yes, I’m fine. I broke my ankle.” She paused, then frowned. “How did you know I was here?”

“Betty Gillies called me. She heard from Sam Decker. Let me tell you, I’m not so happy that he was the one who rescued you this time.”

“You don’t have to worry about Sam,” she said. “We’ve come to an understanding. We’re friends, nothing more.”

“And he agreed to that?”

Annie nodded. “He did. And I think he finally accepts it.”

“I’m not sure I do,” Rourke said. “Maybe you can explain it to me.”

“It was something that Sam said to me. He said if he could change, then why couldn’t I? I think I have changed—inside. But I just haven’t allowed myself to believe in those changes. I haven’t allowed myself to be honest with you. I’ve been keeping something from you.”

His expression turned cloudy and she reached out for his hand, weaving her fingers through his when she captured it. “I’ve always been afraid,” she began. “Afraid that someday I’d turn out like my mother. And it’s stopped me from living my life.”

“Annie, just because—”

“Let me just say this,” she interrupted. “I need to get it all out.”

Rourke nodded, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her wrist. “All right.”

“If we spend our lives together, you have to understand that it might happen. My mother was bipolar. Manic-depressive. I may have inherited my mother’s illness.”

“And I may have inherited my father’s heart disease,” Rourke said. “I hope that doesn’t change the way you feel about me.”

“Of course not,” Annie said.

“For better or worse. In sickness and in health,” Rourke said. “Isn’t that the way it goes?”

Annie drew a ragged breath, her tears threatening again. “Are you sure?”

Rourke slipped his hand around her nape and drew her into a long, lingering kiss. “Absolutely,” he said.

“What does that mean?”

“That means I’m staying on the island. That means I intend to spend the rest of my life taking care of you—if you’ll let me.”

A smile broke through the tears and Annie laughed while another flood began. She waved her hand in front of her face. “Sorry, sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Annie. I’m here for the good times and the bad.” He looked down into her eyes. “I love you. This time I’m saying it without prompting. I love you. And I’m ready to start a life with you here on Cape Breton.”

She flung her arms around his neck. “I love you. I do. I know it. I feel it in my heart.”

“When are you getting out of here?”

“This afternoon.”

“Good. I’m taking you home to my place. If I have to play nursemaid, I’m going to do it with electricity and running water. And...” Rourke paused, frowning. “Where is Kit?”

“Sam has him. We can call him and he’ll bring him over.”

“Good. I’m not going to be happy until we’re all together again.” Rourke smiled down at her. “You are so beautiful. And I promise, even if I have to go away again, I’ll always come back. And if you don’t believe that, then I’m thinking we might want to get married.”

Annie gasped. “Married?” She contemplated his offer for a long moment. “We’re going to have to talk about that. I just want to spend the next few months in bed with you. We can leave those big decisions until later.”

“Actually, I have to go to Ireland and meet my great-aunt. She just gave me a half-million dollars. And if I go visit her, she’ll give me another half million.”

Annie looked at him in disbelief. “Ireland? When?”

Rourke nodded. “Soon. But I promise to make it quick.”

“No,” Annie said, shaking her head.

“No?”

“No, don’t make it quick. I—I want to go with you. I think I need to see a little more of the world. And I really don’t want to let you out of my sight for now. So I guess we’re going to Ireland?”

“We are,” Rourke said.

“Could we wait until I have this cast off my leg? They’re going to put a lighter one on in a few weeks.”

“I think that could be arranged,” Rourke said.

She smoothed her hand across his cheek. “You look tired.”

“I drove straight through. Sixteen hours. I’m beat.”

“Why don’t you close that door and we’ll have a nap,” Annie suggested.

“A nap? You know what happens when we take a nap.”

“Of course I do. That’s why I suggested it.”

Rourke did as he was asked, then kicked off his boots and crawled into the narrow bed with her. This was all he really needed out of life. This sweet, intoxicating woman in his arms, their life together just waiting for them. And all of this because of some quirk of nature that put a storm in his path.