Rescue My Heart (7 page)

Hack closed his phone, his
heart heavy. His mother had early onset Alzheimer’s. Seeing Hack
and Felicia together brought animation to her face. He remembered
the vivacious, sweet, loving mother she had been when he was
growing up. Now, that person he adored was gone, lost in the morass
of what was left of her mind. He missed her—her support, her
laughter, and the way she made him see that every life crisis
wasn’t the end of the world.

Her positive outlook had helped him
through broken love affairs, school anxieties, and low times in his
life. Now, it was his turn to help her. But he was only
thirty-four. Too young to lose his mother.

He mourned her being gone mentally.
The pain was intense, but he couldn’t deny her the pleasure of
seeing him and thinking he’d marry Felicia, a childhood friend.
Corinne Roberts and Jocelyn Adams had been best friends. From the
time their children were in strollers, the two women had planned
for them to marry.

When Corinne got sick, the dream she’d
had for Hack and Felicia was something she retained, despite her
deteriorating memory. He couldn’t bring himself to tell his mother
the truth. His father begged him to continue with the charade, and
Felicia seemed content to play along. Hack bought her an emerald
ring. They had been childhood friends, but Felicia cozied up to
him, trying to turn the bogus relationship into something real. Or
so he thought.

If it made his mother happy to think
about their wedding, how could he tell her it wasn’t going to
happen? He vowed to keep up the pretense as long as his mother was
alive. After all she’d done for him, he figured, it was the least
he could do. While Hack liked Felicia well enough, he wasn’t about
to get hitched to a woman he didn’t love, even for his beloved
mother.

The fake engagement to
Felicia put a crimp in his social life, as she kept behaving as if
it was real, even though they weren’t even sleeping together. For
the time being, he was content to see her from time to time, work
hard, and ride his bike. The sacrifice left Hack lonely, yearning
for a true partner he could share his life with. It also left him
horny as hell. Determined to keep his mom calm, he promised himself
he’d find happiness one day.

After a busy two weeks at the clinic,
he took a breather by the front desk to down a bottle of water and
chat with Mary. A strange man entered the clinic. “Dr. Hack
Roberts?”

Hack nodded. The man handed him a
folded piece of paper. “You’ve been served.”

Hack opened the paper and began to
swear. Mary shot him a questioning glance.

“
That bitch is suing
me.”

Chapter Four

“
He was speeding and
reckless on that bike…” Rory spat out, leaping to her
feet.

“
The bike got out of
control…I couldn’t help it. The bike malfunctioned,” Hack returned,
standing to face her.

“
The bike? Hah! It was
you!” she yelled, pointing her finger at him.

“
Me?” he hollered
back.

“
Order! Quiet! Quiet!” The
judge banged his gavel.

“
But he…” Rory’s lawyer
tugged on her arm, pulling her down.

The judge raised his
voice, “Settle down, or I’ll find you in contempt of court!”
Sullen, Rory slumped down onto her chair.

“
Your honor, I’ve been
railroaded here…” Hack’s lawyer motioned for him to sit.

“
Sit down, Doctor Roberts!
The same applies to you.”

Hack’s face registered
shock.

The judge tapped on his desk with his
pen. “Attorneys, please control your clients. This trial has become
a circus. This is a court of law. Disrespectful,
out-of-control…outbursts will not be tolerated. I’ve had enough.
Now, you’ll both listen to me…and the first one to open his…” The
judge looked at Hack. “Or her…” He turned to glare at Rory. “Mouth
is going to jail. Is that clear?”

Hack and Rory nodded.

“
Now! I believe I have the
facts straight here. Officer Maloney’s testimony made it clear. I’m
ready to make my ruling. This is the third case of reckless bicycle
riders in the park in my court this month. I’m sick of such
arrogant behavior. Dr. Roberts, you have injured Miss Sampson to
the point where she can’t make a living. So, you’re going to pay
her rent for three months.”

“
What?”

“
Watch it, doctor!” The
judge warned, pointing the gavel at Hack. Hack’s lawyer, put a hand
on his client’s shoulder.

“
And that’s not all. Ms.
Sampson is also a writer. She cannot type with a broken arm. I
believe you come from the Roberts real estate family, am I right,
doctor?”

Hack nodded.

“
Good. Now, I could make
you pay for a typist to come to Miss Sampson’s house every day. But
that wouldn’t be punishment enough. That’s a walk in the park–if
you’ll pardon my pun–for you. You’ll make restitution
personally…feel it enough so you’ll never be careless on your bike
again. So, I’m directing you to show up at Miss Sampson’s apartment
Monday through Friday from ten a.m. until three to type her
book.”

“
But Your Honor…I work.
I’m a vet.”

“
You
personally,
Doctor Roberts. You either survive without working for two
months or...you can go to jail for a year.”

“
But Your
Honor…”

“
I could make it three
months…”

“
No! no!”

The judge banged his gavel. “Okay, you
want three months. You got it.”

“
I’ve got to have him in
my house for three months!” Rory exclaimed, rising out of her
seat.

“
One more word, Ms.
Sampson, and I’ll cite you for contempt. You wanted help. Now,
you’ve got it. Court is adjourned.”

As people filed out, Rory sat glued to
her chair, staring straight ahead. Hack, his head in his hands,
didn’t move either.

“
You’ve ruined my life,”
he moaned.

“
Me?” She turned to look
at him. “To have your arrogant, lascivious ass breathing down my
neck…”

“
I’d almost rather go to
jail.” His eyes were hard.

“
After a week with me,
you’ll wish you had.” She stuck out her chin and narrowed her
eyes.

The two lawyers pulled and pushed
their clients out of the courtroom. “Want to get cited for
contempt? Let’s go,” advised Rory’s attorney.

“
I’m going, I’m going.
What about him?” She nodded in Hack’s direction.

“
He’ll leave too. See? His
lawyer is urging him to get up.”

“
Hmpfh,” she huffed,
turning away from Hack.

“
Bernie, what about my
practice? What are my partners going to say?” Hack stood
up.

“
Shoulda thought of that
when you rounded that curve, buddy. I did what I could.”

Stopping in the doorway, Rory wore a
triumphant sneer.

He walked up to her, barely inches
from her face. A nasty grin spread his lips. “I have to be there,
but I don’t have to be nice, or good, or efficient, either.” His
voice was low and threatening.

The gleeful look melted off Rory’s
face. “You’ll follow orders, or I’ll report you to the
judge!”

“
Oh, I’ll be there.” He
leaned against the wall. “But you’ll wish I wasn’t.”

Anger boiled up inside her. “You
obnoxious, spoiled brat! Someone should give you a
spanking!”

“
Care to try? I could drop
my pants right here.”

“
You wouldn’t dare! The
judge’ll haul your sorry ass to jail so fast… You’re mean, you know
that?” She blinked back tears. “You hurt me. Do you have any idea
how my arm aches? How hard it is to sleep? You take away my ability
to work, and then pout and carry on about helping me. You’re a
piece of work.” She shook her head.

His smug expression dissolved. She
turned away from him. Hack put his hand on her shoulder. “Hey,
look. I didn’t mean to mess you up. I was only getting some
exercise. I’ve been riding in the park a million times and never
mowed anyone down before.”

“
Well, you have now. The
least you could do is be sorry and want to help. Instead, you’re
arrogant, thinking only about your own inconvenience. What about
me?”

“
Well, I…I mean, I
didn’t…”

“
Miss Breadstick can have
you. Does she know what she’s getting? So selfish…I wouldn’t take
you for a million bucks.” She sloughed off his hand and joined her
lawyer. Together, they headed for the door before Hack could
speak.

* * * *

When the buzzer sounded,
Rory was struggling to put on a tank as quickly as possible with a
broken arm. She pressed the button admitting Hack. The knock
sounded before she was decent.

“
Just a minute. I’m
coming.” Knuckles rapped again. She could hear his impatience
through the wood. Finally getting her cast through the armhole, she
pulled down the ribbed top and yanked open the door.

“
You
couldn’t wait a damn…” She looked up. Dr. Hack Roberts filled the
space. His husky, six-foot two-inch frame leaned against the
doorjamb. He wore the arrogant look she had seen before. His eyes
were a soft brown, his jaw square. He had enough stubble to be
attractive and his lips…well, they were perfect.
So, he’s good looking. He’s an asshole.
Something about him made her tingle. She wanted
to run her finger down his cheek.

“
You knew I was coming.
Couldn’t you be ready on time? I hate women who are late,” he said,
stepping across the threshold.

“
It’s not easy to get
dressed with this…this thing on my arm.”

“
So start earlier.” He
walked in and stopped, his gaze perusing the room. “Let’s get this
started. I have other things to do than babysit you. Where do I
sit?”

“
You’re here until three,
right?”

“
So the
judge said.” She didn’t know whether she wanted to smack the bored,
annoyed look off his face or kiss him.
Kiss him? Never!
Rory pushed the
thought out of her mind, but couldn’t tear her gaze off his mocking
brown eyes, kissable lips, or thick, brown hair.

“
Here,” she pulled out a
chair at her tiny desk, only big enough to hold her
laptop.

He turned to face her, his gaze
resting on her breasts then on the chair. “You expect someone my
size to squeeze into this tiny space for five hours every
day?”

“
I
expect you to do what the judge said.” Her mouth closed into a
tight frown, her arms folded across her chest. His cell rang. It
played the Swedish Rhapsody.
Intriguing.
He likes classical music.

“
Felicia,” he
said.

“
Ah, Miss Pencil calling.
Well, don’t keep her waiting. Pussy-whipped,” she said. He glared
at her. Rory lounged on the arm of the sofa, sipping tea from a
pink-striped mug, listening to his conversation.

“
I’m here until three,
Felicia. What? No. No, I can’t. That’s what the judge said.” There
was a long silence. “You want me to get my ass slapped in jail? I’m
sure Rory wouldn’t agree to that. No. Three months. Get over it.”
He closed the phone.

Laughter bubbled up in Rory’s chest.
“Leash too long for Miss Splinter?”

He scowled. “None of your
business.”

“
Tell
The Twig not to call. While you’re here, you’re mine…my prisoner.
To do with as I wish.” She licked her lips.
I wish? What am I saying? He’s the enemy.

“
What?” He cocked an
eyebrow.

“
I mean for typing.” She
turned away to hide the heat in her cheeks.

“
So, where’s the stuff?
What do you write again?”

“
Asked and answered.
Mystery...some romance. Not a good listener, are you?”

His face colored in a deep blush. “I’m
going to be typing sex stuff?”

“
Did I say
sex?”

“
No, but romance and sex
go hand-in-hand, right?”

“
Hand-in-hand? I might not
put it exactly like that…maybe hand and uh…something else.” She
giggled.

He blushed furiously at her joke and
shifted to face the desk.

“
Okay,
let’s get started. Let me open the document.” She stood behind him
and leaned over. His masculine scent mixed with the smell of his
freshly ironed shirt. Her breast brushed his shoulder, and a shiver
went through her.
Damn!
Her regular sex life had stopped when Bruce took
a powder. She didn’t realize how much she had missed physical love
until she was so close to Hack. Her senses jolted awake at the
slightest pressure of his body against hers.

There was no way to lean over without
making contact. Rory tried to focus on getting the document open,
but her growing desire to run her palm over his shoulder or down
his chest made it difficult. Finally, she got it to the right
page.