The Rescuer

  Stephen looked over at Meghan to see that she’d stilled in her brushing of Blackie’s coat. “If you have the time.”

  She glanced at her mom and then back toward him. “I’ve got the time.”

  He waited as she gathered her items together and held the door for her. The sun warmed his shirt as they walked along the path that ran between the two properties. “It’s a blue sky today with a few white clouds. I like this arrival of spring.”

  Meghan leaned her head back as she walked, seeking the direction of the sun. “Beautiful. I love lazy days where you can curl up and enjoy the warmth of the sun and take a nap.”

  He reached to take her hand, felt her start, and smiled as he waited for her to get comfortable. “It was nice of your mom to invite me over. She’s one incredible cook and a great hostess. You’ve got great parents.”

  “I think so.” She shifted her hand on Blackie’s harness. “What were you and Dad talking about for so long?”

  “He wants me to take an EMS job with the county.”

  Her steps slowed. “I’m sorry he pushed, Stephen.”

  He stroked his thumb across the back of her hand. “Don’t be. This town needs a paramedic on call who actually lives here rather than the next town over. He was right to ask. I said I’d think about it, and I agreed to be a backup in a crisis. I like the work, Meg. A lot of the problem in the past was the fact that the job consumed every hour of my life. There was never any margin.”

  “If you’re sure. There have been a few close calls in the last year where it would have really helped to have you around.”

  “You’ll add my phone number to your speed dial?”

  She laughed. “Yes.”

  He led the way around the pond.

  “Any buyer’s remorse for having locked yourself in to this place?”

  “None. In fact Kate is already wondering if she’ll ever get me back to Chicago. I don’t miss it at all.” Stephen pulled out his keys. “Why don’t you and I take a drive after I help Ken unload this lumber?”

  “Can we make it another time? JoAnne and I are looking at options for my bathroom wallpaper this afternoon.”

  Schedule collisions… “I can see our respective fix-up projects are going to be a challenge to manage so they don’t step on higher priorities.”

  “If you’re going to live here for the next decade, I’m sure we’ll eventually have time free at the same time.” She turned to walk back along the path to her parents’ home. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Count on it,” Stephen called after her. He might have to settle for a friendship, but he still wanted the groundwork laid for something more.

  She waved back at him and kept going.

  In the shadow of Ken’s windmill, Stephen leaned down and retied his shoelaces before beginning his climb. Above him Ken was already at work. He had done Stephen a favor bringing the shipment of lumber over two weeks ago; now he was returning the favor. He climbed, careful to get a good grasp on the rungs. Stephen could make out the Mississippi River through the hazy humidity on the horizon. He clipped his safety line to the top crossbar and moved from the ladder to the narrow walkway. “Do you ever do things halfway, Ken?”

  “Not if I can help it. When you grow up in a small town, sometimes you have to make your own excitement.”

  Stephen reached for the rope, which stretched down to the ground, and tied it to the crossbar. He’d secured the case at the other end before beginning his climb. He began hand over hand pulling the case and its well-cushioned microphone up to their perch. He held the equipment in place while Ken bolted it down.

  “If I could talk JoAnne into moving to Oklahoma, I’d study the big storms and twisters. But since it’s doubtful I’d ever get her to move from Silverton, I’ll settle for figuring out how to predict where rain will fall.” Ken ran a test strip on the humidity gauge. “Everyone should have a hobby that lasts a lifetime.”

  “Does Meghan still go out with you on storm chases?” “We get out at least once a month. She can hear the hail long before I can. Come along on our next storm chase. You’d enjoy it.”

  “I’m game to try it once. Give me a call.”

  “You got it.” Ken climbed up two more rungs on the ladder to check the rain gauges. “I hear you’re stocking your pond next week.”

  “I’m thinking sunfish and some bass. Bill suggested I expand the pond into his land and the two of us would make it a real fishing attraction. Maybe co-op the costs for those who want to fish in it and have them pay based on how much they catch and take out so we can keep it restocked.”

  “I’ll take a charter membership in that co-op,” Ken offered. “When you fish, it’s nice to actually catch something.”

  Stephen swung around to the other side of the equipment platform and started work on securing the wind gauges. “Any idea where I can find someone who has sheep?”

  Ken leaned around to see him. “I thought you were planning for some cattle.”

  “Actually, I’m leaning toward a petting zoo. Meghan would enjoy it.”

  Ken laughed. “Nice idea. I’ll ask around for you.” He mounted the protective hood on the microphone. “I admit I’m a bit curious about the two of you. Back in the days when she first moved here, Meghan used to talk about you. It was Stephen this, Stephen that. Then one day she didn’t mention you anymore.”

  Stephen was glad the safety harness had him securely held in place. He didn’t need any surprises, like a former boyfriend. “When was that?”

  “About the time you started going out with someone named Caitlyn? JoAnne fixed Meghan up with Jonathan that summer, and we were a foursome until he moved on to study his music with more prestigious musicians.”

  Stephen had heard the name before. “Jonathan’s the piano player?”

  “Concert pianist, if you please. I’ve heard him play. He’s good, if a bit arrogant now that he’s famous.”

  “What’s his full name?”

  “Jonathan Peters.”

  “You know, I think Meghan sent me some of his stuff on one of those tapes at Christmas. He is good. Isn’t Meghan taking piano lessons from the person who taught him?”

  “Mrs. Teal. You’ll like her; she’s basically the town grandmother.”

  Stephen finished his task and slipped his hammer back on his belt. “Was Meghan serious about Jonathan?”

  “For a while. He was more serious about his music. I never did understand that priority, but you can’t argue with his success. Mrs. Teal says he’s playing in Chicago this summer. If JoAnne and I can get tickets, do you and Meghan want to come?”

  Stephen liked the way that was phrased. “Sure.”

  Meghan had dated Jonathan Peters, yet she never mentioned the name to him. What else had been going on in her life that he didn’t know about? As far as he knew he was the only guy interested in dating Meghan who happened to still be in Silverton. He needed to press that advantage before it was too late. He moved over to the ladder to descend to the ground. What would be his next best move?

  Sixteen

  FRIDAY, APRIL 12

  SILVERTON

  Stephen picked up a piece of pine Ken had brought over. Maybe use it for a display case? He moved it to the stack of wood being set aside for furniture. A month of hard work had finally made it possible to turn his attention from clearing the outbuildings and gutting the house to getting his workshop put together. Stephen brushed away a bug. The barn doors were open and the midday sun made it comfortable working out there. The stacks of wood barely made a dent in the work space; this barn was huge.

  Once the wood was sorted, he started to look at what he wanted to do for a workbench and shelving. Neil had built up one area of the barn under the loft with a wooden floor, workbench, and good electrical connections and lights. By raising the wooden floor from the concrete, Neil had taken the first steps to make this a year-round workroom.

  Stephen tugged on the shelving to see how sturdy the joints were and could barely nu
dge it. This unit was not going to be taken apart. And it would be best used over by the door. He thought about the weight to move, accepted that it had to be done, and went to get the dolly. Jack, where are you when I need

  a helping hand? The shelves weighed enough, even with the straps and wheels providing leverage, that it still took everything he had to move it to the door.

  The wall behind where the shelves had stood was coated with cobwebs and dust. Stephen batted them away with a paper towel as he struggled to catch his breath. He used a hammer to rip out the two nails exposed and bent to see what shape the electrical outlets were in.

  He found a couple spots on the wooden floor that gave under his weight. The board looked solid enough until he stepped down and realized the joist beneath it must have worn away. Probably mice, termites, or both. He tapped with the hammer to see where flooring might have to be replaced. He pulled up the floorboard, expecting dirt, decayed wood, and sawdust. He found that—and more. Stephen tugged out a leather pouch nestled between floor joists.

  The leather, dry and stiff with age, cracked at his touch. The brittle drawstring broke as he loosened it. It must have been down there over a decade. He tipped the pouch and out slid a ring. The gold band and the stones had dulled. He carried it to the door to look at it in the afternoon light. It was a square-cut diamond of good size with two smaller diamonds and an emerald in a rather ornate setting. The band itself was etched. He lifted it to try to read what was engraved inside. The initials T. R.

  Why had Neil hidden an expensive ring under the floor in his barn? Stephen polished it with the corner of his shirt. The stones looked real. Why hadn’t it been in the safe at Neil’s store? It would spend tonight in that bank vault, for Neil owned it. Stephen slipped the ring back into the leather pouch and zipped it inside his pocket.

  His pager went off. Stephen unclipped it to read the number. Bill needed him. It had been silent for so long he’d begun to wonder if the pager worked.

  He called the dispatcher as he dug out the keys to his truck. “I’m on my way.” He had a possible heart attack at Neil’s jewelry store.

  Meghan picked up the clinic mail as she passed through the reception area. Blackie nearly tripped her as they wedged through the doorway into her back office. “Easy, boy.”

  She would have to get him in to see a vet. She was afraid his bruised back leg was still causing him problems. He’d stopped her from falling into a ditch Wednesday, and as a thank-you she managed to fall on him. Blackie curled up on his big pillow, and she knelt beside him to tug out several biscuits from the box in the cabinet. “How are you doing?” He licked her hand in answer. She laughed and gave him a back rub.

  She squeezed between the corner of the desk and file cabinet to reach her chair. They would have to move the clinic to a larger facility soon. Meghan placed the first letter on the scanner and the software read the return address aloud. She filed it with bills to be paid that month. Dad was making rounds today, and it was her chance to get caught up on the office paperwork.

  The door chimes rang.

  “Meghan?” JoAnne sounded out of breath.

  “In the office.”

  “Your dad needs you at Coffer’s jewelry store. It looks as if Neil is having a heart attack. Bill said to make sure it’s been called in and to bring the blue and red cases.”

  Meghan reached for the radio behind her and requested the county EMS to send the ambulance. “The cases are in the cabinet by the door in the receptionist area.” Meghan snapped her fingers for Blackie and swiftly slipped on his harness. She joined JoAnne and pulled on her jacket. “Who found him?”

  “The FED-EX driver brought packages and saw Neil in the front of the shop on the floor.”

  That didn’t help much to narrow down the time of onset. Neil would have had nitroglycerin tablets with him. If he’d been able to take them, maybe the attack had been arrested in time. “Was he conscious?”

  “Yes.”

  Meghan took JoAnne’s arm and they hurried down Main Street to the store. “Let us through,” JoAnne urged. Meghan heard several voices she recognized among the gathering crowd.

  “Thanks, Meg.” Her dad opened the cases. She knelt at Neil’s left side as her dad worked and listened as he attached the heart monitor and started an IV to give the first round of drugs. Neil’s hand felt clammy, and the sound of his breathing told her he was in a lot of pain.

  “Meg, come along…”

  She rubbed the back of Neil’s hand. “You know I will.”

  “The workbench…” He tried to say something but his voice tapered off.

  “Save your breath, Neil,” her dad cautioned. “You’re going to come through this okay. Meghan, lift his head and let’s slip on oxygen.”

  Meghan gently raised Neil’s head. If he came through this, he’d probably need to be on oxygen full time. Just another tug-of-war she’d have with him when he started to feel better. She adjusted the mask for him. “JoAnne will make sure everything’s locked up here, and the deputy will watch the place while you’re gone. We’ll make sure everything is as you left it.”

  His hand tightened on hers. She couldn’t do much, but she could ensure he didn’t have to worry about his business. She heard people near the doorway shuffle back.

  “JoAnne, ask around. Let’s get vehicles parked at the street moved so the ambulance crew has easier access.” Meghan turned her head, hearing Stephen’s voice, intensely relieved. Moments later a hand squeezed her shoulder. “How you doing here?”

  “Glad you’re around. I called dispatch, and the ambulance is on its way.”

  “Good. Bill, you ready for me to brace his knee?”

  “Yes. He’s got as much painkiller in him as he can handle.”

  “Meg, Neil twisted his left knee when he fell. It’s swelling fast,” Stephen said. “I need some scissors.”

  She reached for the blue case and found them by touch.

  “Got it; thanks. Find me something we can use to immobilize the leg.”

  She heard fabric tear. “There are collapsible splints in the bottom of the red case.”

  “Neil, how bad is the burn in your knee?” Stephen asked.

  “Bad,” he gasped from under the oxygen mask.

  “You may have dislocated part of your kneecap. Hold on; this will make it better. Meg, hold here.” Her hands were pressed into position below the knee injury. She could feel the muscle and bone and the heat of the swelling above her hands.

  “I’m going to splint above your hands.”

  She nodded and Stephen leaned past her to get supplies. She used her fingers to hold the edge of the brace as he put it in position. The heart monitor printer hummed as a strip of paper was pushed out. “What’s it look like, Dad?”

  “Decent. Neil, you’re doing fine.”

  She turned her head. “EMS is here; I hear the sirens coming.”

  “About time. You were right, Bill,” Stephen said. “Twenty minutes from the page.”

  “Let’s get him ready to transport.”

  Meghan moved out of the way as two paramedics came in. She listened to Stephen working with them and her dad, fitting in as if he had been part of the team for years. Neil was moved to a stretcher.

  “Would you ride along with him, Stephen? I’ll follow in a car with Meghan.”

  “Sure.”

  “Neil, just relax and let the drugs work,” her dad encouraged.

  “Better already.”

  “I’ll get you there comfortably,” Stephen promised.

  Meghan started as Stephen’s hand squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll see you there.” She nodded, and he moved past her. Moments later she heard doors slam and the ambulance pull away.

  Meghan helped her father repack the two cases. “What do you think, Dad?”

  “His color is bad. He was down for at least half an hour before he got help. There’s going to be some lasting heart damage from this one.”

  “Will he make it?”

  ??
?He’s a tough man. He’s got a good chance.” Her dad dropped his arm around her shoulders. “There was nothing more you could have done to prevent this. Neil has to stop smoking if he wants to have a chance.”

  “Maybe this time he’ll listen.”

  “I hope so. Come on; my car’s at the clinic.”

  Meghan paced the hospital hallway, one finger running along the wall to keep her place. She hated that she wasn’t able to bring Blackie to this floor. Neil had been at the hospital for over two hours now, and still there wasn’t word from Stephen or her dad about Neil’s prognosis. She reached the elevator and turned, then retraced her steps. The cane felt odd in her hand, but it was better than nothing.

  “Meghan.”

  She turned at Stephen’s voice and knew what he was going to say just by the tone of his voice. His hand settled on her shoulder and the warmth of it relaxed her muscles.

  “I’m sorry. They were setting him up for an emergency angioplasty when he had another heart attack. It was massive.”

  “Oh no.” Neil had been a friend despite the gruff personality that didn’t let someone get close. And he’d liked her too; she knew it from the treats he always had for Blackie when she stopped by.

  Elevator doors opened and the hall filled with the noise of other conversations, making her wish Blackie were with her now. The situation was disheartening. She wanted to lean against Stephen but used the wall instead. “He’d done so well surviving the challenge of losing his wife and his first heart attack.”

  “This was sudden. Maybe for him that was best. He wouldn’t have enjoyed living with the restrictions that would have been inevitable.”

  “Did you see my father?”

  “I’m right here, Meg.” Her dad’s voice came from her right. “Stephen is correct. Nothing else could have been done to pull him out of this one.” His hand touched her arm. “There’s nothing more we can do here. Let’s go home. Stephen, can we give you a ride back to Silverton?”

  “I’ll help Joseph get the ambulance restocked and stay in town for the evening to see family. Jack will give me a lift out tomorrow with more stuff from my place here.”