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He didn’t know if he was coming or going, but one thing he did know. As soon as she healed, he’d accept his brother’s offer to come to Montana and take her. They’d sit on the porch, breathe in the fresh air, and bask in the sun, the two of them. It’d be like heaven, divine.

  “What the hell?” Trina’s father’s gravelly voice boomed.

  He groaned.

  Mr. and Mrs. Lovett never considered him worthy for their princess, since he didn’t have the heritage or the education. He breathed in Trina’s scent once more. Knowing Mr. Lovett would evict him, he kissed her forehead and rose to a sitting position on the edge of the mattress.

  Anger didn’t reflect in Mr. Lovett’s stern mien as he had expected. No, it was something different. Compassion?

  “Son, you don’t belong here. This situation is for family.”

  My bad. Why in the hell did he think Merrill Lovett could show empathy?

  “Bradley Lovett told the security guard he was part of the family,” a female voice said from the corner, near the sink.

  He hadn’t noticed the nurse filling a basin of water. A fresh towel and washcloth rested on the counter.

  “My son doesn’t know his own head from a hole in the wall,” Mr. Lovett said with an impassive laugh.

  “Oh, excuse me.” The nurse’s wide eyes revealed her awkwardness. She dried her hands on the towel. “I’ll come later to give Miss Lovett her bath.” The nurse left.

  A female’s gasp filled the room before Mrs. Lovett’s tight bun popped around the door. “Oh, heavens,” she said. “Mr. Carson.”

  Mr. Lovett pressed his lips together and approached the bed. He rested a hand on Trina’s ankle and stared at where he touched his daughter. Slack, dull eyed, drooping shoulders, the man was whipped. “Matt.”

  For her dad to call him by his given name touched him in an odd way, as if they’d connected. In a way, they were. They both loved someone who in their present state couldn’t love them back.

  “The doctors say there’s no hope.” Mr. Lovett sucked in a deep breath. “Son, you’ve already been through so much. Losing your parents at such a young age, the leg—” He bobbed his head toward Matt’s artificial limb and dragged a hand across his nose and mouth. “What I’m—”

  “What he’s saying,” Mrs. Lovett broke in moving closer, “is it’s time for you to move on, find happiness. She could stay in this state for years.”

  “You don’t know. She might wake up,” he said, his voice cracking. “I heard her speak.”

  Mrs. Lovett’s eyes welled with moisture, and she cupped his cheek.

  Her parents had never shown him any form of affection.

  “I think I hear her speak, too. Like, ‘I love you,’ ‘I’m okay.’” She lifted a shoulder. “Those words live in my fantasies. What I hope she says.”

  “Son, there’s someone out there for everybody. I may be impetuous at times.” Mr. Lovett lifted the corner of his mouth and sneered. “I have to be to get as far as I have, but I’m saying this with as much respect as I can, you need to move on. This Trina fantasy you have will destroy you. Let her go. Find someone new.”

  “She has,” Mrs. Lovett said.

  A gunshot wound couldn’t have had more impact than the reminder that she had another man in her life. Once he learned she’d been hurt, he’d rushed to the hospital. Using the mattress for support, he straightened. “Where is he?”

  “Where’s who, dear?” Mrs. Lovett clasped her hands in front of her, her attention targeted on him.

  “Where’s the fiancé?”

  Mr. and Mrs. Lovett glanced at each other before Mrs. Lovett checked out the floor, and Mr. Lovett focused on him.

  “I wouldn’t know,” Mr. Lovett said. “I don’t keep the man’s schedule.”

  Their expectant faces, the weariness, and sadness etched new lines around their eyes. Sensing they’d been through the ringer, he wondered if he should trust them. “I can’t leave.”

  Mr. Lovett moved a step closer. “I’ve asked all I can. Without any more hesitation, I’m telling you to leave.”

  Damn, he was a dumbfuck to think they’d changed. Even at the side of their daughter’s hospital bed, they still were vile human beings. “I don’t take orders from you.”

  “No, you don’t,” Mr. Lovett said slowly. “A guard has directions to stand outside her room and not let anyone in except for the names on the list.”

  Matt fisted his hands at his sides. He wanted to grab Mr. Lovett by his throat and let loose the rage suppressed inside him. Let loose the fury plunging him into the darkness.

  “This is for your own good,” Mrs. Lovett said, her voice syrupy sweet. “You can’t live like this.”

  Matt’s cell buzzed. Thank goodness for a distraction. If he stayed another minute, he’d punch someone. “Excuse me,” he said, taking the opportunity to exit the stifling room and answer the call. “Carson.”

  “How ya holding up?” Travis’ voice rose above the noise of tires traveling the pavement.

  “I’m coping,” he barked and moved out of hearing range from the security guard.

  “How is she?”

  “I’d rather not talk about it.” Telling his brother would push him further to the edge of losing control.

  “Okay. I’m packed and heading to Montana. Come visit.”

  Some of Matt’s fury released. “I will,” he said with more control. “I’ll be in touch in a couple of days.”

  Travis disconnected.

  He propped his shoulder against the wall. All this time, he thought she didn’t try to contact him after their argument at Molly’s, not so. She lay in a hospital bed while he carried on with a pity party.

  What would he do? Leaving wasn’t an option. Yet he couldn’t help but think, what if the Lovetts were correct. What if she didn’t wake up? Would he wait forever? Of all the tight spots he’d endured, this one was by far the worst.

  Mr. and Mrs. Lovett exited the hospital room and closed the door behind them.

  “This isn’t about you,” Mr. Lovett said, nodding at the guard. “We had to hire someone to keep out the scavengers. People like to sneak into patient’s rooms and steal their belongings.”

  Truth or paranoia?

  “We’ve been at this hospital every day for weeks,” Mrs. Lovett said. “It’s time our family takes a break.”

  “I’ll watch over her.” He would do anything for her, even fight the Lovetts.

  “No, son. You can’t. Go live your life.”

  Live his life? “Trina is my life!”

  “See, that’s where you’re in a dream. She isn’t coming out of this. You know it, we know it. You go along, find a life. Floundering will lead you to dark waters, and trouble no man needs to become acquainted with.”

  Mr. Lovett shifted his weight from one foot to the next. “Tell me, do you want to end up a hermit? A fighter? Look at your face. You’re already scrapping.

  He didn’t bother with telling the pompous man a tree gave him the battle scars. Mr. Lovett wouldn’t believe him.

  Think about this hard, son. Losing your leg, my daughter rejecting you, and now this,” he said with a wave toward her door, “has put you in a situation you won’t recover from if you’re not careful. You’re a decent man who deserves a respectable life.”

  “I—”

  The guard stood. Sitting, the man was large; standing, his physique gave the impression he could pound a nail into a cinderblock with his fist.

  Matt shook his head. “This isn’t right.”

  “You’ll thank us one day,” Mrs. Lovett said. “You’ll see.”

  The nurse rushed by them into the room. “The bath won’t take long.” She closed the door, insinuating for everyone to stay out.

  “Don’t forget she’s engaged to another man,” Mr. Lovett said, slipping a nail into his heart.

  Icy tendrils of dread wrapped around Matt’s throat. Her parents would never let up. For him and Trina to have a future, she’d have to confront them and somehow convi
nce them to stop their meddling. That is, if she wanted him. If she did, then he had no doubt she’d seek him out. In his soul, there was no question if she’d recover, he believed she would. The question was, whether or not he was the man for her. For now, he had no choice but to go after the new life Travis offered in Montana. Feeling like a chump, he followed the length of the hall and stepped onto the elevator. With a heavy heart, the doors closed on the woman he wanted and the pleased look on Trina’s parents’ faces.

  Chapter Seven

  A tear slid down Trina’s cheek. Its path from below her eyes to her jaw warmed a streak on her face. How could her parents be so cruel?

  Anger heated her stomach and upward. The beeps on the monitors increased. The smell of betrayal drifted in the form of her mother’s perfume and her father’s aftershave.

  She wanted to yell. Tell them to leave her alone, to stay away from Matt. She fisted her hand and slammed it on the bed. “How dare you?” The words came out weak and croaky, but she spoke. She spoke! She did it! Her brain finally sent the necessary commands to let her move.

  Eyelids heavy, crusty even, as if someone had thrown sand in her face, she dragged the sides of her fingers across her lashes to clear her vision. Shadows formed. She squinted from the sunlight beaming in the window and looked at her brother sitting in a chair.

  “Trina!” Bradley’s shell-shocked tone revealed his surprise.

  Sun-tipped, light brown hair hung wild on his forehead. Greenish-blue eyes brightened when they met hers.

  “Hi,” she managed to whisper around a lump filling her throat.

  “Oh, thank God. My baby,” Mom gushed racing past Dad at the foot of her bed to stand beside her. “You’re awake. I’ll be right back.” She kissed her cheek and darted out the door.

  “Baby girl.” Dad’s tight voice about melted her into a puddle. He kissed her forehead. “Welcome back.”

  Bradley rose from his seat, stood close to her bed, and squeezed her hand. “You’re a sight.”

  She smiled at the unusual feeling that continued since her brain engaged. Her body moved when she told it! What a feat! “My body is listening,” she said with a scratchy voice. Sand didn’t just go into her eyes, it went in her mouth. “Water,” she rasped and rested a hand to her neck.

  Bradley set his coffee on the hospital tray and lifted a rose-colored cup with a lid and a straw sticking out the top. “Want me to hold it?”

  “No. I got it,” she said and held the first thing for who knows in how long. Bradley covered her hands, securing her grip. The cool water eased the burn, and her stomach growled from the fresh aroma of coffee.

  Her mother rushed into the room with a woman following in purple scrubs.

  “Hello. I’m so glad to finally meet you,” the nurse said in the sweet voice she’d heard so many times. “I’m your nurse, Brittney.”

  The dark-haired, blue-eyed woman gazed upon her with the same sincerity and caring that had filled Brittney’s words when she’d spoken to her. A comfort she had grown used to and expected. “You’ve been an angel to me.”

  Brittney grinned. “You’ve enjoyed our talks.”

  “I did. Unfortunately, you couldn’t read my thoughts to know you didn’t have a one-sided conversation.”

  Brittney touched her arm. “I thought you heard me. I have to ask you some questions. Can you tell me your name?”

  Bradley took her cup, set it on the tray, and grasped her hand. She beamed, loving his support, and eyed the nurse pushing buttons on the monitor. “Katrina Lovett.”

  “Do you remember what happened?”

  “I was in an accident.” The memories flooded, slammed her as if she lived it again. Her heartbeat tripped, and her breathing quickened.

  “That’s okay.” Brittney patted her arm. “You don’t need to say anymore.”

  She let out a breath. In college, she’d learned retelling what happened helped the recovery. “The car I rode in crashed into a wall.”

  “That’s right.” Brittney’s face stayed placid and her pitch even, but she could tell something bothered her.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Why don’t you relax while I take your vitals? The doctor will order a battery of test. Until then, I need you to rest.”

  Brittney slipped a thermometer in between her lips before she responded. “Your heartrate is beating a little fast. Would you take a couple of deep breaths and release them slowly?” She put a blood pressure cuff on her arm.

  Trina filled her lungs with air. For the first time, she truly believed she’d make a full recovery.

  “Much better. Your vitals are stronger.” Brittney removed the thermometer and cuff and raised the bed to a forty-five degree angle.

  “Thank you,” she said and shifted a little in bed. The muscles in her neck and body resisted with an ache. “How long have I been here?”

  “Four months,” Bradley said.

  Coldness crept in, dug into her core. She lost months of her life. A terrible anguish of shock numbed her as she digested reality. “Did they find the driver of the SUV who caused the accident?”

  He dropped his gaze to his lap and gave a slight shake.

  Weeks of her life stolen.

  “Oh, honey” Mom pressed the back of her hand to Trina’s cheek, the touch snapping her out of her bitter thoughts toward the reckless driver. “Everything will be okay now that you’re with us.”

  Brittney braced a hand on the bedrail, forcing her mother to move, and put her back toward her parents. She gave Trina a solemn look. “Given what I overheard a few minutes ago,” she whispered. “And what I’m sure you have heard while in the coma, I have to ask them to leave. I can’t take the chance of them upsetting you.”

  She referred to the awful things they said to her best friend. Heat rose from her stomach and covered her face. Today, she wouldn’t confront them and doubted she’d be able to tomorrow, but soon, when she felt stronger, she would call them out on their hatred and dishonesty. “Okay.”

  The nurse walked to the door. “Until tests are run, I have to ask you to leave until the doctor evaluates and clears her for company.”

  “Is that standard procedure?” Mom asked.

  “In her case it is.” Brittney opened the door and held it open.

  Bradley squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek. “I won’t be far.”

  She smiled and looked at her mother and father standing at the end of the bed. They gazed at her like lost people, trying to find their way out of a maze with one entrance and no exit. “I’m okay. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  At once, they approached each side of the bed and kissed a cheek then followed Bradley out the door. Brittney winked and closed the door behind her. The quiet felt strange, yet welcoming. She was alive and very, very tired.

  A whole week had passed without any visitors. She’d fed herself, brushed her hair, and went to rehab every day. Thoughts of Matt kept her company, and on the days the nurse took her to visit the hospital’s flower garden, her thoughts turned to dreams of when she and Matt would be together in their own backyard surrounded with flowers. He inspired her. His courage to overcome his handicap gave her the strength she needed to push forward.

  A loud knock on the door startled her, and she set down her hairbrush. “Come in.”

  “Honey, how are you?” Mom rushed over and grasped both sides of her cheeks. “Are you doing okay?”

  “I am.” She touched her mother’s hands a second before she dropped them to her sides.

  “The doctor said more tests have to be run.” Bradley claimed the chair beside her bed before her parents could. “They gave us the green light to come see you.”

  “I missed you, darling,” Dad said, and kissed her forehead.

  “I missed all of you.” While the last few days had been extremely productive with her concentrating on recovery, the time had come for her to straighten out the issue plaguing her—them trying to live her life for her.

  “Everything
will be okay,” Mom said, as if saying it would make it come be true.

  With her parents’ constant pressuring to make her succumb to their every wish, she didn’t know if things would be okay or not. She was done. Done with them threatening her with their money. Done with their snobbish behavior. Given a second chance to live life to its fullest, it didn’t involve them telling her what she could or couldn’t do. Those days were gone. “It will be soon.”

  A dark-shadow flicker crossed her parents’ features. One she’d seen one too many times when they tried to figure out how to justify their actions. They were so guilty of screwing with her life that she didn’t even have to clarify what she meant. They knew. “Don’t! Don’t avoid eye contact. You’re not fabricating some lame excuse for what you did.”

  Bradley’s eyebrows crunched. He glanced between them and focused on her. “What am I missing?”

  “Matt,” she said, her voice weak.

  Bradley groaned. “What do you mean Matt? Mom and Dad said his brother called and he had to leave.”

  “Not true,” Trina said, barely able to speak. “They made him leave.”

  He nailed their parents with a glare. “You didn’t.” A muscle jumped in his jaw, and he bolted out of his chair. “You forced him to leave? You lied to me.”

  “Now look here, boy,” Dad said. “I did not raise you to speak to us in a disrespectful tone.”

  “No, Dad, you didn’t. You said in order to deal with people you had to treat them like a horse. You hold the reins as you direct them where you want them to go.”

  “That’s right, son. While this conversation may be beneficial, the timing is wrong. We need to celebrate your sister’s well-being.” Dad thrust a hand in her direction to emphasize his point.

  “Agreed. As soon as I find Matt,” Bradley said, his tone firm.

  She loved the newfound courage her brother used to challenge Dad.

  Dad raised a hand, palms forward. “That’s not possible. What’s done is done. Let him go.”

  Heat covered her face. A vice-like sensation banded her head. “Stop!” Her voice quaked. Standing and stomping her foot at Dad to make him see reason wouldn’t help, and she doubted she had the strength. “Bradley, let it go.”