The Maverick Who Ruled Her Heart

Refusing to give him the satisfaction of him knowing that he’d rattled her, she’d acted as unaffected by him as she’d been able. He’d completely ruined her plans for a relaxing evening. Wishing he would leave, she’d given up at dusk and packed her belongs. She had been grateful that he hadn’t been sitting close enough to see her hands shake when she’d risen.

Had she heard “Good night, Kelsey” drift on the wind?

“Hey, you going to get in or daydream all morning?”

She blinked then focused on him. “I’m going to get in.”

At the beep of the door being unlocked, she climbed into the vehicle and settled into the large comfortable seat. Jordon effortlessly took his spot behind the wheel. They didn’t speak as he backed out of the drive and drove toward town. As they passed the blue house about a mile up the road Jordon commented, “I used to know a family that lived there. They were the Davises. Are you any kin to them?”

A sick feeling went through her. So he did remember. But there was no point in lying. “Yeah. Their daughter.”

He jerked his head around to look at her.

“You might want to watch the road,” she said.

“So you’re one of Chad’s sisters.” He sounded utterly amazed.

“I am.”

He nodded as if in thought. “Which one are you?”

She’d hung on his every word as a kid. She’d thought he’d been the be-all and end-all and he couldn’t remember which one she was. That stung. “I’m the youngest one,” she made herself say in a strong voice.

He pulled to the side of the road and turned to look at her. “So have you known all along who I was?”

“I recognized you while we were dancing.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

She suddenly felt the need to defend herself. “I didn’t even know your real name until you came into my class. You were always J-man to me. We need to get going or we’ll be late.”

He pulled the SUV back onto the road. “J-man. I’ve not been called that for years.”

“Why did you move back?” Kelsey asked. There had to be something in particular to make anyone want to come back to Golden Shores.

The only indication he gave that her question might have disturbed him was the tightening of his hands on the steering wheel.

“It was time to make a change.”

“But why here, of all places?”

“Because this is the last place I remember feeling like I belong,” he said matter-of-factly.

Kelsey huffed. “And it’s the one place I wish I didn’t belong.”

This conversation had gone way past a simple ride to the hospital. Kelsey was relieved when Jordon pulled the SUV into the hospital parking lot. She had to get out of there.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said, opening the door of the SUV before Jordon had turned the engine off.

“Kelsey—”

She closed the door and headed for the employees’ entrance, refusing to look back.

Answering questions about her family wasn’t how she wanted to start her day. Jordon couldn’t help but bring back unhappy memories. She missed Chad as much today as she had then. If she only knew if he was still alive.

Jordon watched as Kelsey entered the hospital and disappeared behind the metal outside door as if she’d pulled up the drawbridge. So she was Chad’s sister. That sister. The one that he had wished he’d be around to see when she got older. Did she remember him as fondly as he remembered her?

Did she know where Chad was? Kelsey acted as if she didn’t want to talk about anything having to do with her family. She’d not even looked at her parents’ house when he’d driven by. He and Chad had been two unhappy teens who’d bonded and fueled each other’s frustration. Leading up to his parents’ divorce and afterward, he had been angry. Whatever his father had said, he’d done the opposite.

He’d started hanging out at the park with the wrong crowd, more to irritate his father than liking the kids who had been there. One night Chad Davis had shown up. He was a year younger but they’d seemed to hit it off. They’d started hanging around with each other at school, ditching classes together and otherwise becoming best friends. That had been until the night they’d been caught by the police, smoking dope.

Jordon climbed out of the SUV and slowly made his way inside. Did Kelsey know her brother was in the state prison not an hour away? When he’d visited Chad on the way to Golden Shores and told him about moving here, Chad had made Jordon promise that if he ever saw any of his family he wouldn’t tell them where he was. At the time it was no big deal to make that promise. But now how long would he be able to honor that request? But trust, giving his word meant everything. Jordon wouldn’t break his.

He’d certainly not wanted to discuss way he’d decided to move back to Golden Shores, with Kelsey or anyone else for that matter. Those events had been too painful. Shown how easily he’d been duped by someone he’d cared about. That had happened one too many times in his life. He would be careful about who he let his guard down to from now on.

In his office, he checked his messages. He was asked to be at a staff meeting at ten in the cafeteria. What was going on? Was some dignitary coming to town? He’d find out soon enough. There was just enough time to make rounds.

It was five minutes past ten when he entered the cafeteria. The room was packed so he stood against the wall. He hadn’t been able to get there any sooner because Martha had kept asking him questions and telling him stories when he’d checked on her.

The CEO stood at the front of the room. “Most of you have been through this before, many of you more than once. Still, I want you to review your emergency procedures. In a few minutes you can get with your teams and update your contact numbers. The weather service isn’t calling for the storm to hit here but we need to be prepared if it takes a turn our way. It’s our job to work calmly and efficiently. Our community expects us to be here for them and we will be.”

So they were preparing for a hurricane. Maybe he should have been watching the news instead of Kelsey last night.

“Dr. King?” He looked around the room.

Jordon gave the CEO a wave. “Here.”

The CEO nodded in Jordon’s direction. “I hate to put you on the ground running so quickly but you’re to take over Dr. Richards’s team. Everyone previously on Dr. Richards’s team, please get together with Dr. King when we adjourn. I think that’s all, folks. Check in with each other and keep your phones charged. On a positive closing note, we are going ahead with the hospital-wide low country boil picnic Saturday, unless the weather says something different.”

Hospital picnic? He’d never been to one. The hospitals he’d trained in had been in metropolitan areas and far too large for such things. Another perk of living in a small town. A low country boil did sound good. He’d not been to one of those in a long time.

Having no idea who was on his team, he waited until he was approached by someone. Talk about being a fish out of water.

“Dr. King?” a balding man wearing a tie asked.

Jordon nodded. “Please, make it Jordon.”

“I’m Jim. I work in the business office. I’ll be handling the paperwork, communication and be your runner.”

Jordon offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Jim. So we are preparing for a hurricane?”

“Yeah, around here it isn’t if we will have a hurricane but when.”

“How many more are on our team?”

“Two more. Josh Little and Kelsey Davis.”

Jordon almost groaned. She wouldn’t like that any more than he did.

A tall man, dressed in nursing scrubs with golden hair and biceps that said he spent time in the gym daily, joined them.

“Hey, I’m Josh Little. I’ll be your nurse.”

The two men shook hands.

“I’m going to depend on you to keep me straight. I’ve never done this type of thing before,” Jordon said.

“Nothing to it. Kelsey will be the boss,” Josh said with a smile.

“Sorry I’m late. I was all the way across the room.”

Jordon knew the voice that came from behind him.

He turned to look at her. She didn’t appear any more enthusiastic about seeing him than he was to see her. “Glad you could join us, Kelsey. I understand you’re the one who will tell me what to do.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Our team does triage. You tell me which ones are the most urgent and I tag them. Josh handles care until you can see them. Jim will record everything.”

“So where does this all happen?” Jordon looked at the group but the question was addressed to Kelsey.

“Our designated area is in the hospital lobby.”

“What about supplies?” he asked.

“All that is taken care of. Housekeeping sets up and has the space ready to go if or when needed,” Josh offered.

Jordon nodded his understanding. “Great. So all we need to do is exchange numbers?”

Kelsey said, “That’s it.” They all went through the process of telling each other their phone numbers.

“Who is responsible for doing all the calling?” Jordon asked.

“I do that,” Jim stated.

Jordon looked at him and grinned. “So the plan here is to hope that I don’t hear from you.”

Jim smiled back. “That’s the plan.”

There was a buzz. “I’ve got to go. E.R. is paging me,” Josh said.

“I’ve got to go too,” Jim added.

As Kelsey turned to leave Jordon said, “Hey, Kelsey, will you tell me about the hospital picnic?”

She didn’t look like she wanted to but she stopped. “It’s held at the state park down on the beach. Food is provided and there are games. You know, the regular family stuff.”

“You planning to attend?”

“I usually do.”

“That didn’t answer my question.”

She looked at him for a second then said, “I haven’t missed one in five years so I don’t think I’ll be missing this one.”

“Mind if I tag along with you? I don’t really know anyone.”

It took her so long to answer he started to think she wasn’t going to. Suddenly there was a look of triumph on her face.

“I have to be there early to set up. I’m on the committee.”

“I don’t mind going along and helping out.”

“Good. I’m going to take you at your word. I’ll pick you up a seven a.m. on Saturday. No, let me change that. You drive. You’ve got a bigger vehicle.”

“Why do I think I’ve just been had?”

Kelsey grinned then walked off.

The weatherman had said the storm had stalled in the Gulf and wouldn’t be coming ashore until early the next week. Saturday dawned sunny with a light breeze. The picnic was still on. Jordon pulled up into Kelsey’s drive promptly at seven in the morning. He and Kelsey hadn’t had much interaction in the last few days other than brief encounters over patients.

The door to her place opened. She stepped out and waved, indicating she needed him to come inside. He climbed out of the SUV and she called, “Hey, did you plan to sit there while I do all the work?”

“Sorry, I didn’t know I was needed.” He strolled toward the door. Kelsey had already disappeared inside again.

She pushed the door open and handed him a large box. “This needs to go, then come back and help me with the ice chests.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Having stowed the box, he returned. The door wasn’t open so he knocked and called through the screen door, “Kelsey?”

“Come on in.”

She didn’t wait for him to respond, disappearing down the hall.

Jordon entered. The interior was arranged very much like his place. The only thing different was that this bungalow had a feminine feel to it. Candles were arranged on the counter, bright throw blankets lay over the furniture and pictures of flowers adorned the walls.

“The coolers are next to the bar in the kitchen. I’ll be there to help in a sec.”

True to her word, she stepped into the room a few minutes later, wearing a tight T-shirt with something sparkling around the scooped neckline that gave him a hint of cleavage and cutoff jeans that showed off her legs to their best advantage. There was something raw and inviting about her. A woman who stood out in a crowd. He could see a touch of the young girl there too that he known so many years before.

Kelsey reached for a handle on one end of a large box cooler and he took the other. Together they carried it out. When they got to the rear of the SUV, they set it down while Jordon opened the doors.

“I’ll take it from here.” He lifted the cooler into the vehicle. “What have you got in this thing? Rocks?”

“Water balloons.”

“Water balloons!”

“I’m in charge of the water-balloon fight.”

“I’m glad I’m not signed up for that.”

“You’re too old,” she quipped.

“How’s that? My hair’s not even gray yet.”

“It’s for the teenagers. That’s how we get them to come to the picnic each year.”

Jordon pushed the cooler further into the SUV. “Makes sense. Is that it?”

She turned toward the house. “Nope. There’s another cooler.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Together they brought another cooler out to the SUV. “Just how were you planning to get these to the park if I hadn’t come along?”

“Aw, I would have gotten one of the guys at work to help me.”

That he wasn’t shocked to hear. She seemed to always have some guy hanging around. Right now he wasn’t much different but he’d keep his distance, if not in the physical sense the at least on an emotional level.

“Anything else?”

“I just have to get one more small cooler and a couple of bags. And my cake.”

“Was I supposed to bring something?”

“No. Someone suggested we have a cake auction to raise money to help redecorate the children’s wing. I was roped into baking one.”

“I’ll help you with the bags and you can handle the cake.”

Ten minutes later they were in the SUV, headed toward town.

“Do you know where the park is?”

He gave her an incredulous look. “Yes. Remember I used to live here.”

“That’s right. I keep forgetting.”

Something about the way she made that statement made him believe that wasn’t true.

As he drove past her parents’ home he watched out of the corner of his eye to see if she looked. Her focus remained straight ahead. He wanted to ask her if she knew where Chad was, what had happened after he’d left town, but today wasn’t the right time. It would wait.

CHAPTER THREE

THE PARKING LOT already had a number of cars in it when they arrived.

Kelsey pointed. “See the white tent over there. If you could back up to it, we can unload easier.”

Jordon did as instructed. Kelsey was out of the SUV and opening the back door before he moved the gearshift into park. A couple of guys he recognized came to help them. After unloading, Kelsey was still busy issuing orders as Jordon moved the SUV to a parking spot out of the way. He was locking up when he saw Kelsey’s cake sitting on the floor of the passenger seat. She must have forgotten it. He picked it up and walked back across the parking lot to where she was helping set up tables.

“Kelsey,” he called, “where do I need to put your cake?”

More than one person stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

A red hue covered her face and by the thrust of her chin she left no doubt she was not pleased with his question.

“Kelsey, you baked a cake?” one woman asked.

“The last one you put salt in instead of sugar,” another commented with a grin.

“I thought you’d just buy one and put your name on it,” the guy helping Kelsey put chairs around a table said with a chuckle.

Kelsey took a proud stance. “Hey, look, I can bake with the best of them I just choose not to on most occasions.” She tossed her head and went back to work.

“I think we need all the cakes we can get for the auction,” another woman offered. “Maybe the fact that the winner of the cake gets to share it with the baker will make Kelsey’s the highest earner.”

“Thank you, Carolyn. You’re a true friend.” Kelsey said, then looked around at the crowd. “Unlike everyone else.” Kelsey put the last chair around the table, stalked over to Jordon and all but snatched the cake out of his hands. “Thanks,” she hissed.

“I didn’t know you were hiding it,” he said, for her ears only. “Sorry.”

“Forget it.”

Jordon had no idea her baking was such a sore point. Where she was concerned, he kept making mistakes. “Can I help with something?”

“We still need to put up the tables for the games.” She pointed toward a woman with a blue ball cap on her head. “Pam over there will tell you what to do.”

Jordon was a little disappointed she was fobbing him off on another person, but he didn’t need to be spending any more time with her than he presently had. He’d had to fight the urge to jump in and defend her baking skills. She wouldn’t have appreciated that and he was even more perplexed by the idea that he thought he should.

The hours flew by as he helped first Pam then Max and finally Roger to get the large burner and pots ready to cook the meal. At around ten, cars began arriving one after another. It was a family event, so kids showed up in all shapes and sizes. As the morning went on he only caught glimpses of Kelsey from a distance but he seemed to search her out every so often as if she was his to watch over. Which she certainly wasn’t.

One time he saw her hugging a petite woman with shoulder-length brown hair. Kelsey smiled at the tall man who had a possessive arm around the woman’s waist. Something about the interaction indicated these people were important to Kelsey. Who were they?

“Hey Jordon, how about helping us with the cooking? We need some muscle,” Roger, who Jordon had learned worked in the lab, asked.

“Sure.” Jordon knew nothing about cooking a low country boil but it was nice to be asked and included. Plus it kept his wandering mind off Kelsey.

At around twelve-thirty he, along with half a dozen people, helped pour buckets of corn, new potatoes, onions and shrimp over newspaper-covered tables. There were plenty of paper towel rolls available and everyone took their places at the picnic tables and dug in. With his job done, he looked for Kelsey. She was sandwiched between Josh and some other guy Jordon hadn’t seen before.

One of the nurses from the E.R. called to him and moved down enough that he could join her table. The food was excellent and the conversation lively. He was glad he’d attended.

Before the first table could finish their meal and leave, the CEO stood and said through a bullhorn, “I’m glad you all could make it today. I’d like to say thanks to the picnic committee headed by Kelsey Davis for this fine event.”

Kelsey had said nothing about being in charge. She’d implied she was only helping.

The CEO continued, “The games are about to begin. Please don’t forget to go by and check out the silent cake auction. As an added bonus you get to share the cake with the cook. And the money goes to a good cause.”

Jordon spent the next half hour making a circle around the area to see what was happening. There was apple bobbing, bingo and three-legged racing through the sand that brought smiles and laughter from everyone. A beach volleyball game was beginning when he walked up.

One of the nurses from the geriatric unit called his name and waved him over. “Come on, Jordon, we need another player.”

“Sure.” He took his place on her side of the net. He’d played some volleyball in the early years of high school and had been pretty good at it but his skills were rusty. What he might lack in ability he more than made up with height. Two volleys later he was able to return the ball over the net for a point, which built his confidence.

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