Along Came Merrie (3 page)

Leo was waiting for him in the ER bay and Braden gently laid her on the table. Her head listed to the side, exposing her bruised and battered face, the overhead light making it look ten times worse.

“Who’s this?” Leo demanded, looking at the woman on his table. He turned stunned eyes toward Braden.

“I found her on the southern road,” Braden told him as he arranged the woman’s limbs.

“Braden, she needs a hospital, not a veterinarian!”

“I don’t think I can take her there,” he said. “I think she’s in trouble.”

“That’s obvious, but I treat animals with four legs, not two.”

“No, Leo, I mean it. She was conscious long enough to beg me no police and no hospital. She said
he
would find her and kill her.”

“He who?” Leo demanded. “Her boyfriend? Her husband? Her pimp?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is she dangerous?”

Braden’ shot his eyebrows up. “Does she look dangerous?”

“I meant is she involved with dangerous company. Damn it, Braden—”

“Look,” he interrupted, waving his arm around. “You can take X-rays, you’ve got plaster, medicine and you’re a fucking doctor. I just have this gut feeling she needs protection. So please, do me this favor.”

Leo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “All right. But if she’s a fugitive or some kind of con artist, I’m calling the cops and kicking your ass. Got it?”

Braden held his hands up in an
I give up and agree
gesture. Leo reached for gloves and slipped them on to begin his examination. He tilted the woman’s head this way and that before grabbing a pair of bandage scissors.

“I think she was out in the woods all night,” Braden said, as he watched his brother treat her. “Probably went through the river.”

“We need to get her on an IV and X-ray that wrist,” Leo stated. “Hopefully that’s the only broken bone she has. Help me take her clothes off.”

Braden grabbed gloves as well and they both slowly cut her clothing away, revealing bruises over most of her body. Purple contusions covered her side, as well as her hips with more mottling down her legs. Leo probed her ribs and listened to her lungs then gestured for Braden to cover her with a blanket.

“Get the saline on that shelf over there to clean up the dried blood,” Leo ordered. “Find all the cuts that require stitches.”

Braden did as he was told while Leo started an IV drip in her left wrist. As Braden washed her, he realized that the woman was young, probably in her early twenties, with curly brown hair reaching halfway down her back. Of course, leaves and sticks matted her hair, but he’d tackle that job later.

Most of her cuts were minor, needing only antibiotic ointment and Band-Aids. She had only two that seemed deep enough for stitches—one on her thigh and one on her shoulder. He pointed them out to Leo, who left to get a package of suture, gloves and a sterile medical kit. Braden had helped Leo a couple of times in the lab so he snagged some povidone-iodine to clean the area as his brother used a clamp to grab the curved needle which had the thread attached at the tail. Leo sewed with finesse, his concentration focused solely on his work. When he finished, he slipped off his gloves to bandage the two areas, careful of her wrist, before rewrapping her in the blanket.

“Let’s X-ray that wrist,” Leo said. “I want one of her torso too, although I didn’t feel any other broken bones or internal swelling when I palpated. But I must stress that it would be better if she could have a CT scan.” Leo glowered at him.

“Noted, Dr. Leo,” Braden said as he unhooked the safety from the table wheels. The X-ray machine sat in another room behind protective radiation shielding. They laid a small lead vest around her neck to protect her thyroid then moved behind the protective sheeting as Leo activated the machine, snapping several shots of her hand, followed by a couple of her chest. When they were done, Braden removed the neck shield.

“Well, this is good,” Leo said as he looked at the pictures. “No internal bleeding or broken bones that I can see. The break on her radius is clean and the carpus cluster looks fine, which is relief. Of course, I would feel better if a hand surgeon took a look at these.”

“Do you know a hand surgeon?”

“No,” Leo answered. “But I could call over at Riverton and see if they have one there. I know I’d feel a helluva lot better if I didn’t have this on my conscience.”

Braden rubbed his jaw, thinking. “No. Not until we talk to her.”

“Ah hell, Braden. What’s up with this girl? You’re such a levelheaded guy and yet you’re acting crazy right now. Think!”

“You weren’t there, Leo. You didn’t hear her pleading with me, scared out of her mind. Since I don’t know what she witnessed, I can’t take the chance of someone recognizing her if I take her to the hospital. I have to protect her. Now, please…just put a cast on her wrist.”

Leo glared at him. “What if I’ve missed something? What if she needs surgery on her wrist? The decisions we make right now could seriously affect her prognosis.”

“I trust you, Leo.”

His brother gave a fed-up groan, turned and stormed away.

Braden strode back to the woman and caressed her cheek. Although pale and fragile-looking, she was pretty. Protectiveness surged through him and he touched her curls, letting one swirl around his fingers. He’d only talked to her for a moment, but he couldn’t get her terrified expression out of his mind.

“I…won’t tell…w-what I saw.”

“Shh. I’m going to call the police—”

“No! He’ll find me! He’ll kill me! He said…the cops are bad. Please…help me!”

Who was this man who had terrified her, beat her black and blue and left her wandering at night in the forest? A lover? A stranger? Whoever he was, it didn’t take a genius to figure out she was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time and had witnessed something that put her life in danger. Her escape was a testament to her courage, since she’d spent the night running for her life while in terrible pain.

Yet he knew Leo was right. As he wheeled the table back into the lab, he decided he’d give the unconscious woman two days—unless something medically threatening happened. Later, if she played him or if he sensed she wasn’t being truthful, he’d take her in and let the police deal with her.

Chapter Three

Merrie blinked her eyes open, although the lid on her left side barely fluttered. It seemed swollen but as she reached up to touch it, pain flared through her shoulder. She moaned and let her arm drop onto the bed.

“It’s going to be okay,” a man’s soothing voice said.

She flinched in surprise, looking in the direction of the voice. A cowboy leaned on the doorframe. Big and muscular, he sported a pale blue button-up shirt tucked into tight-fitting jeans and boots. He took off his hat as he stepped inside the bedroom, revealing a head full of dark hair threaded with silver and in need of a cut.

Bedroom? Merrie darted her gaze around, taking in the sunny room. A vanity stood in the corner and a mirror showed her a horrifying sight. A bruise marred her usually creamy complexion and there was a cut on her cheek that appeared raw. Now she knew why heat and tightness riddled her face.

But the bigger question was—where the hell was she? The last thing she remembered was being in the woods, terrified out of her mind that she would stumble across Axe or the tattooed man who had driven her car.

“W-where am I?”

“You’re on my ranch.”

She winced as her chapped lips cracked. She didn’t even have enough saliva to wet them with her tongue. Water would be heavenly.

“There’s a glass of water on your nightstand,” he said, with a nod to her left. “If you don’t mind, I’ll help you to sit up.”

Merrie tried to move herself, which was a stupid thing to do since the small shift sent off an explosion of pain through her whole body. There wasn’t one place that didn’t hurt, including her hair. She felt as if a truck had run her over then someone had strung her out to dry.

“Okay,” she said, biting back a moan.

The cowboy set his hat on the bedpost as he moved to her left side. He slid his big hands slowly under her arms and she rested her one good hand on his shoulders as he gently lifted her into an upright position. She realized she wore a very large T-shirt and nothing else. When he let go, he snatched the pillow and fluffed it before sliding it between her back and the headboard. The whole effort took only a couple of minutes, but sweat broke out on her forehead and Merrie felt as though she’d run a marathon.

“My name is Braden McClintock.” He picked up the glass of water and handed it over.

She accepted it gratefully. In a few big gulps, she’d drained the glass.

“More?” he asked.

“I’m okay for now.” She closed her eyes for a moment and took in how she felt. Now that she’d rested, the pain had subsided into one big, aching mess. “I’m Merrie. Merrie Christmas Walden.”

“Really? That’s your name? Were you born on December twenty-fifth or something?”

“No,” she said with a sigh. She’d been answering that question all her life. “My mother just liked the holiday.”

He offered her a ghost of a smile. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

She glanced at the cast on her right arm. “Yes. Did you take me to the hospital?”

“No, you begged me not to.”

Merrie let out a sigh of relief she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Thank you.”

“Are you in trouble? Because you’re a mess and I had to fight with my brother about not taking you to the hospital. He’s a vet.”

“As in the military?”

Braden shook his head. “As in veterinarian. He treated you.”

“Oh. Tell him thanks.”

Braden gestured to the bed. “May I?”

“Sure.”

He sat and stared hard at her, his blue eyes seemingly searching for answers. She didn’t know what to tell him or if she should tell him anything at all. Would he be in danger if she explained what had happened to her? Somehow she didn’t think he’d let her simply gloss over the details.

“I’m on your ranch?”

“Yes,” he said. “Well, mine and my brother’s. His name is Leo. He’s out on a call right now but he’s going to be back soon, wanting answers, so why don’t you start with what sort of trouble you’re in.”

Her gaze fell to the cast on her arm. “I was moving—heading to Cheyenne—and got lost. I’ve never been very good with navigation. Finally, I decided to stop at this bar I saw and call for directions.”

“Route 18?”

“I don’t know. I guess it’s a biker bar since the parking lot was full of motorcycles.”

Braden nodded. “It’s the local hangout for the Demon Devils.”

Fear shot through her. “Y-you’re not part of them, are you?”

“No,” he replied.

She relaxed.

“Did they do this to you? Did they…hurt you in other ways?”

She shook her head. “I wasn’t raped. I wanted to use the payphone I saw, because my cell was dead. I thought if I called the police, I could get some help or directions.”

“Christ,” he muttered. “The Demon Devils are an outlaw gang.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“It means they operate outside of the law and the last thing they’d want is the police showing up on their doorstep. Tell me, Merrie. Tell me everything.”

So she did. She probably should’ve kept quiet since she didn’t know if she could fully trust him, but she’d never been the type of person who could keep everything bottled inside. Braden had taken her in, had patched her up, and she was so damn grateful just to be alive that her emotions practically bubbled over.

When she was done with her tale, Braden rubbed the back of his neck as he contemplated her. She didn’t know what she’d do if he asked her to leave. She had nothing. She’d left her purse in her car, along with her money, clothes and the rest of her possessions.

“You should talk to the police,” he finally said. “I know Givon Halloran, the sheriff. Believe me, he’s not part of
that
club.”

She widened her eyes in fear and shook her head adamantly. “No, he said the police were their friends. I can’t. No, I just can’t!”

“Okay, Merrie—”

“I just want to move on and forget this happened!” she continued, as if she hadn’t heard him. “I need to get away from here, away from Wyoming. I was moving to the city but I could easily just leave the state.”

“Merrie—”

“I’m close, aren’t I? I’m close to that bar, right? I walked a long time last night but not far enough. He’ll find me!”

Braden placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she instantly calmed down. He was a big man, tough, with a resolute look about him that made it seem like he would be a mountain to move. Even if it was an illusion, she sensed she was safe with him.

“No one is going to hurt you, Merrie. You begged me to help you and I plan on doing just that. You’re pretty messed up and from what I can see, you don’t have any ID or… Look, why don’t we take one day at time and you work on healing? Let the bruises fade, let the bones in your wrist set then we’ll decide what to do next.”

She took a deep breath and nodded. He was right. Logically, she knew he was right, but she couldn’t seem to completely ignore the fear lurking inside her. Those vicious men were still out there and they were close.

He gave her a small, tentative smile.

Outside, a vehicle pulled up. An engine turned off and the sound of a door snapping shut reached her. A door opened somewhere far away and the sound of boots moving across a floor, the echo coming from below, immediately reached her. She realized she must be in a two-story home. Merrie tensed.

“It’s okay,” Braden told her. “That will be Leo. He’ll want to come and talk to you about your injuries. Okay?”

She nodded again. He rose and picked up his cowboy hat as he walked out of the bedroom. Self-pity washed through her, brought on by helplessness. What was she going to do? Maybe, once she was better, Braden would drive her to Casper or Laramie, somewhere big where the Demon Devils couldn’t touch her.

Maybe she should just get out of Wyoming altogether—head to some place like Salt Lake City or Denver. She could disappear in a big city, so as long as she never saw the biker, Axe, again.