Solitaire

“Mr. Kincaid?”

Sam Kincaid nodded. “Doctor? How’s my girl?”

“I’m Dr. Scott,” he said, extending his hand. “Cathy is in serious condition, Mr. Kincaid. She’s suffered two broken ribs. She’s extremely dehydrated and we’ve got her on two I.V.s to restabilize her.”

Slade closed his fist. His voice was strained. “And her head injury, Dr. Scott?”

Scott’s narrow face became impassive. “Severe concussion. She keeps lapsing in and out of consciousness.” His brow furrowed. “Is your name Slade?”

“Yes. Slade Donovan.”

“Cathy is asking for you. We need to try and keep her awake. I want to keep her from going into a coma.”

Inez Kincaid’s thin face grew still. “A coma, doctor?”

“Yes. If I can keep Slade with her, she might rally enough to fight back and stay awake. We’ve got that portion of her head packed in dry ice to reduce the swelling.” He looked up at Slade. “Let’s get you cleaned up a little, son, and then, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to remain with Cathy for a while.”

Slade nodded. He followed Dr. Scott down the immaculate hall to a lounge. A nurse gave him a green surgical shirt and a pair of trousers to replace his filthy clothes. Slade took a quick hot shower and fought the deep drowsiness that tried to claim him. It wasn’t yet time to sleep off the past forty-eight hours he’d been awake.

The nurse, a petite blonde with blue eyes, smiled once he emerged from the lounge. “Now you look like a doctor, Mr. Donovan. Follow me, please.” She took him to the intensive-care unit, where each patient’s room was enclosed on three sides with glass panels. Cathy looked dead. She matched the color of her sheets. Her hair had been washed clean and an ice pack placed carefully against her skull. The sigh of oxygen and the beeps of the cardiac unit made Slade grow wary. So many machines to monitor her fragile hold on life, he thought.

The nurse drew up a chair alongside Cat’s bed. “You can sit here, Mr. Donovan.”

Slade thanked her, but moved to the bed. He reached out and slipped his hand across Cat’s limp, cool fingers. They had washed her free of all the filth.

“You look a little on the thin side, Mr. Donovan. They said you and the Kincaids worked but didn’t eat. I’ll have someone run down to the cafeteria and bring you dinner.”

Slade smiled, grateful for the nurse’s thoughtfulness. “Thanks,” he replied. Then he shifted his attention to Cat. Funny, Slade told Cat silently as he cupped her fingers between his to warm them, you were a stranger to me three days ago. A lump rose in his throat. What is it about you that touches me so?

Perhaps it was the vulnerability of her features. Or the lips that reminded him of a lush, exotic jungle orchid he’d seen in Brazil–cherry red, even now in her present condition. Or perhaps it was her heart-shaped face, or the wide cheekbones that gave her eyes an almost tilted look. A smile eased the taut planes of Slade’s face as he followed the coverlet of freckles from one cheek across her broken nose to the other cheek.

Slade reached over, lightly tracing the bump on her nose. How did she break such a pretty nose? And when had she broken it? He had so many questions to ask her, so much he didn’t know about her that he wanted to know. “Cat?” he said softly. “Can you hear me? It’s Slade. I’ve come for you. I want you to fight back.” His fingers tightened against hers as he reluctantly straightened up. He blinked. Was he imagining things, or had her lashes fluttered in response to his hushed request?

* * *

When Cat awoke, she was clear at once as to where she was. The murmuring of the equipment caught her attention first. Then she forced open her weighted lids. She became aware of the broken snore of a man nearby. And then she felt the warm, callused fingers that enclosed her hand. Despite the pain, Cat turned her head to the right. Her eyes widened. Slade Donovan lay slumped in a chair, snoring, his chin sagging toward his chest and his hand gripping hers. A flood of warmth coursed through her and Cat closed her eyes. She was alive. Slade had dragged her back from the depths of the mine.

Her voice cracked when she tried to call his name. Cat used what little strength she had in her hand and squeezed Slade’s fingers. She watched him awaken from the heavy sleep. Her heart wrenched as she saw the darkness shadowing his red-rimmed eyes. His face was gaunt and she saw the stress plainly carved on the stubbled, angular planes of his face.

Slade blinked, his hand tightening on her fingers. “Cat?” He whispered her name unbelievingly. Standing, he leaned over the bed, one hand cupping her cheek as he gazed disbelievingly into her barely opened eyes. “I’ll be damned, you’re awake.”

She gave him a weak smile. “I-is this a dream?”

Slade laughed unsurely, his blue eyes burning fiercely with happiness. “If it is, sweetheart, then we’re dreaming together.” He reached over and pressed a buzzer to alert the nurse’s desk. “Hold on, there’s a whole passel of doctors who are anxious to see you awake.”

Cat was thirsty, her mouth gummy. “What about my family?”

“They’re here, waiting for you to open those beautiful emerald eyes of yours.” He pressed a kiss to her cool, damp brow. “Welcome back to the world of the living. This calls for one hell of a celebration.”

* * *

In the next two days, Slade was absorbed into the Kincaid clan. He ate with the family and shared rooms with them at a local motel. At breakfast on the third morning, Sam Kincaid sat with his family, a frown marring his features.

“Dr. Scott says Cat will need a place to recuperate. He’s worried about her concussion and thinks she ought to be under some kind of supervision for at least eight weeks.” Sam gave his wife a tender look. “With your hip operation coming up in two weeks, we won’t be able to give Cat the care she needs.”

Rafe’s mouth twisted. “I’ve got the room; it’s just the timing, Dad. We’ve had these Bureau of Land Mines investigations going on for the past few months, and they’ve thrown off our schedule for a while. Family comes first. I’ll take Cat in; she’s more important. If I made the time for the BLM, I can sure as hell make time for my sister.”

Slade suddenly brightened. “I can help. I think, under the circumstances, Cat would be better off with me.” The corners of Rafe’s mouth turned down and Slade knew instinctively that Rafe felt this was strictly a family matter; outsiders weren’t needed. Slade directed the remainder of his proposal to Rafe to win his approval, knowing the family would then agree to Cat’s staying with him. He folded his large hands on the table. This reminded Slade of poker games. Some he had lost; others he had won. This time, the stakes were high, and he had never wanted to win more. Slade didn’t question why he wanted Cat on his ranch to recuperate. Since the beginning, Cat had touched some inner chord of his. He wanted–no–demanded the opportunity to get to know her. His reasons for meeting her in the first place would take secondary importance. He put on his most serious expression and spoke in a low voice.

“I know you’ve only been allowed fifteen minutes at a time to visit with Cat. And she may or may not have been conscious enough to mention our relationship. I have a small ranch in southwest Texas. Del Rio, to be exact. In addition, my next-door neighbors, Matt and Kai Travis, can be of great help, if we need them. Kai’s a physiotherapist and a nurse for the local grade school. I have a qualified nurse three miles down the road from my ranch and the perfect place for Cat to stay.” Slade’s voice dropped. “I think Cat’s going to take a lot of attention in order to get back on her feet. I’ve been in three mine cave-ins myself and I know what they do up here,” he said, pointing to his head.

“I care a hell of a lot for Cat. Those hours spent with her while she was buried were some of the worst of my life.” He felt a tinge of guilt for implying that he and Cat had a relationship. But it wasn’t a total lie, he rationalized. “Having been buried myself, I’m in a pretty good position to help Cat.” His voice grew tight with undisguised emotion. “I can help her. I can get her up and over some of the reactions she’s going to have because of this experience.”

Rafe rubbed his recently shaven jaw. “Kinda like falling off a horse and getting scared to mount up afterward?”

Slade nodded, sensing the subtle shift of acceptance to his proposal. “Yes, only worse. Cave-ins affect everyone differently. Nightmares are common, and with her concussion, someone is going to have to monitor her closely so she doesn’t sleepwalk or something. And that does happen.” He looked at father and son. “I realize this is a family matter, but in this case, I think I can provide the type of care Cat is going to need.”

Sam glanced over at his son. “Why don’t we let Cat have a say in this before we decide for her?”

Slade held up his hand. “I really don’t think that’s necessary. I’m positive Cat will want to come home with me. Besides, I’ve got my twin-engine plane at the airport ten miles from here. I could fly her back in comfort while you’d have to make an awful lot of special arrangements to try the same thing. I’m sure Cat would like to be with me. I know how close she is with the family, but each of you have a lot of things going on right now. Hell, I’m between job assignments. And even if I wasn’t, I’d drop what I was doing to come and take care of Cat.”

Rafe looked hesitant, but shrugged his powerful shoulders. “Sounds like it may be the best thing for Cat, and that’s the most important thing right now, Dad.”

Sam Kincaid stared at Slade for a long time, mulling over the request. “It’s settled then. Cat will go home with you, Slade.”

Slade felt heat rise in his cheeks as he grasped the rancher’s hand. “Thanks, Sam. None of you will regret your decision, believe me.” A fierce wave of protectiveness nearly overwhelmed Slade as he rose from the table. He was shocked by his offer to care for Cat, yet nothing he’d ever done had ever felt so right. Gratefully, he shook each man’s hand.

* * *

Inez kissed her daughter’s cheek. Cat had been transferred to a private room and the entire family, minus Millie, who, since the baby wasn’t allowed in the room, was in the lounge, stood around her bed.

“You take care, honey,” Inez said. She patted Cat’s hand gently.

Cat blinked up at her mother. “You’re all leaving?” There was a catch in her voice. She saw Rafe nod, his cowboy hat clasped between his roughened fingers.

Slade went to the other side of the bed and grasped Cat’s left hand, while giving her a devastating smile meant to neutralize her questions. He hadn’t talked to her about the arrangements and he knew the Kincaids hadn’t either. Cat wasn’t even aware of the agreement, but in all honesty, Slade felt Cat would thrive in the environment he could provide her. His initial reason for contacting her had been to offer her a lucrative business deal. Now, that all seemed unimportant.

“Everything’s been taken care of, Cat. All you have to do is just lie there, look beautiful and heal up.” He patted her hand, giving her a conspiratorial wink. Her green eyes widened as she stared blankly up at him.

Rafe leaned down, kissing her hair. “I’ll be in touch, Cat. Slade’s given us your phone number and I’ll give you a call every couple of days to see how you’re coming along.” He smiled. “I’ll keep you posted on what Goodyear and Nar are up to. They’ve had a lot of run-ins with each other lately.”

Sam Kincaid was next, giving his daughter a slight smile. “You’re in the best of hands, Cat.”

“But–”

“Now, now,” Slade soothed, “just relax, Cat.” He wished they would hurry through their farewells and leave before Cat upset his carefully constructed applecart. Dal and Jim Tremain came over, saying goodbye.

“Slade promised us you’d be in good hands,” Dal told her sister. “We’d love to have you stay with us, but I don’t think you’d get any rest with the baby around. I hope you understand.”