A Matter of Trust(104)
“I like it,” Brette said. She grinned, but Ty couldn’t help but notice sweat breaking out on her forehead. Without asking, he touched it with the back of his hand. She felt warm.
Maybe the tests had to do with an infection of some sort. “I need to get her back to her room,” Ty said. He looked at Gage. “See you back at the house?”
Gage nodded.
He wheeled Brette back to her room. And she didn’t protest when he lifted her into her bed.
“You’re not feeling well, are you?” he asked, sinking down into his chair.
“Just a headache. And oddly, my stomach still hurts.”
“You just had surgery.”
She made a face. “Yeah, you’re right.” But she held out her hand. “Would you be willing to stick around until I fall asleep?”
He took her hand. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
Ella knew this man. The one who smiled for the cameras as he wheeled her back to her room. The one who ordered her pizza and brought it to her bed, shared it with her and her mom.
The one who patiently explained every detail of the rescue to her father.
This man who then went in search of a boy named Hunter, who apparently needed a hero after shattering his femur on the slope.
Pete Brooks had stopped in about then to check on her, and her father cornered him. “Thanks for all you did to help Oliver and Ella.”
Pete seemed like a nice guy, and offered her father an “aw, shucks, I was glad to help” kind of response.
“I did some checking, and apparently you have your FEMA incident commander certification,” her mother added.
Ella glanced at her, frowned.
“I’m on the board for the National Red Cross. Any interest in helping out nationally?”
Pete was a handsome man, with shoulder-length blond hair that he held back with a bandanna. Probably a lady-killer with that soft smile, the twinkle in his eyes. Her mother’s suggestion seemed to make him pause. “Maybe, yes, ma’am.”
Oh, her mother was a goner for men who called her ma’am. “I’ll be in touch.”
Pete turned to Ella. “I saw Gage down the hall, talking to that kid we brought in from the Blackbear. I thought I’d peek in, say hi.”
She glanced at the wheelchair, which was still in her room, and Pete seemed to read her mind. He brought it over and helped move her into it. “I’ll take good care of her,” he said to her parents. “No four-wheeling.”
Her mother laughed, and Ella knew he was a shoo-in for the job.
She stayed at the door to watch as Pete knocked, then entered Hunter’s room. Gage sat on the kid’s bed, talking with him about his descent down Heaven’s Peak, giving him some pointers and encouraging him to keep listening to his dreams.
Pete met the boy’s parents, and gave the kid a high-five.
A couple of heroes, comfortable in their own skin. For Gage, at least, it was a long time coming.
A fist bump, a handshake with the family, and Ella saw Gage’s future.
Maybe a champion freerider again, but more likely a man who continued to save lives.
She was trying to push herself away when he came out of the room.
“You’re not that fast, Senator.” He caught up to her, said good-bye to Pete, and wheeled her back to her room. Her parents were gone, probably to check on Oliver, who was now out of recovery.
He scooped her up to transfer her to the bed. She held on just a little longer than necessary, ran her hand along his whiskered chin as he set her down.
“Getting a little handsy there, aren’t you, Miss Blair?” But he grinned, cupped her chin in his hand, bent down, and kissed her.
Soft lips, tender, urging her mouth open. A sensuous kiss, one that ignited a simmer of desire through her. When he backed away, meeting her eyes, she saw the promise of more.
She scooted over, patted the bed next to her. “Let’s see if the news has a replay of your epic entrance.”
She picked up the television remote.
He slid onto the bed beside her and put his arm around her. She settled her head against his chest. “This is so much better than sleeping in the snow.”
He laughed, a low rumble that she felt through her entire body.
“You were a hit with the press. I heard that brunette asking you for an exclusive.”
“That’s Tallie Kennedy. She’s a local reporter who’s done a few features on the PEAK team.”
The television played a lineup of the evening’s shows, including a special news spot on local missing persons.
“I was really worried you were going to tell them about . . . well, the case, and Dylan and—”
“I was.” She looked over at him. “I wanted to scream the truth, and if my father had kept accusing you, I would have. But then you showed up, and . . .”