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Andy looked up from the dispatch phone he’d been talking into. ‘Afraid not, sunshine. We’re wanted north of Horseshoe Bay.’
Yay. Something constructive to distract her. ‘What have we got?’ she asked as they raced for their flying machine.
‘Drunk driver went over the edge of the road into the river.’
‘Hypothermia, fractures, trauma injuries, all or any of the above, here we come,’ Hunter muttered as he went to give her a hand up into the chopper.
She dodged him. Feeling that hand on her tight skin would be like hot chocolate sauce on ice cream, leaving her a molten blob incapable of pulling herself together. ‘You forgot the belligerence, if our patient’s conscious.’ She was still aware of where the bruises had been from her last intoxicated patient three weeks ago.
A shadow crossed his eyes as she kept a gap between them. ‘Didn’t forget, merely hoping the driver will play nice for once,’ he growled.
Sinking onto the hard seat and buckling on the helmet, she put everything aside and went for normal. ‘I talked to Poppy’s breeder this morning. She’s got a litter due next month and is happy to put your name down if you still want a Lab.’
‘You what?’ Now Hunter looked confused.
Who could blame him? She was all over the show, first friendly then decidedly cool. But she had a problem here. To admit how wonderful it was to have Hunter back in her life, even if only partially, or to deny, deny, deny. Doing both was not working out so being pals was it from now on. ‘I thought it was something I could do for you both without getting in the way. If I’ve overstepped the mark, I’m sorry. The final decision’s yours, of course.’
‘You can say that when you’ve met Dylan?’ Finally, the smile was back, on his mouth and in his gaze.
Grinning, she snuggled down further into the seat and clipped the safety harness in place. ‘He’s really got your number, hasn’t he?’
‘He was born with it tattooed on the inside of his forehead.’ That tenderness that she’d observed when she’d seen Hunter with Dylan filled his eyes. This man adored his son, and nothing, no one, was going to get in the way of that.
Maybe, just maybe, his parents were going to have to learn to stand on their own feet from now on. Crossing her fingers at her side, she said, ‘I like that. It should keep him out of trouble for years to come.’ Even if it meant her chances at reconciliation of the full and totally involved kind had truly flown the coop. Her heart sank at the verification of what she already knew.
So, what was her problem? Nothing had changed from last month when she had been happy living solo, doing all the adventurous escapades her photography took her on, eating what and when she wanted, not having a rumpled bed that looked like a whole football team had been having a practice session in there, no hot male scents filling the corners of her room.
Nothing different, except hope had raised its head and wasn’t ready to be put to rest again. A work in progress, that. She’d keep at it and go mad in the interim.
Hunter closed them in, put his gear on and stretched those legs that went for ever towards the back of the chopper. ‘He’s a tough little nut, for sure. Just like his mum.’
‘Oh, yeah, and his father’s an absolute wimp. Softer than whipped cream, and about as useful in the hot sun.’
He grinned. ‘Hold back, why don’t you?’
‘Nah, it’s way too much fun baiting you.’ It was true. They’d always been like this together, and while she should be avoiding anything that reminded her of their previous relationship, it wasn’t possible—because that’s who they were. ‘Tell me about Evie.’
He blinked and tipped his head forward in her direction. ‘Pardon?’
She’d surprised herself as much as him. ‘You say she was tough too. Yes, too. You are a strong man, Hunter. Is that why you decided to make a go of marriage? Because you both believed in doing the right thing for someone you love and that if you tried hard enough, you’d succeed?’ Ouch. That was a loaded question, and she hadn’t seen it coming.
He’d suddenly found something intriguing with his boots, his gaze firmly fixed on them. ‘I never really thought about it. I think you’re partially right. There was no walking away from our responsibilities on either side. Evie cared a lot about people, would never deliberately hurt anyone, least of all her child.’
‘I’m surprised you split up, then.’
‘I think I mentioned Dylan was happier after we separated. The tension between us got to him and it wasn’t fair. Eventually it would’ve held him back.’
Another reason for her to stay away from Hunter. They fluctuated from hot and happy to cool and reserved. The little guy would pick up on that as quickly as he’d fallen in love with Poppy. ‘He’s had a lot to deal with for a little fellow.’
‘Sure has.’
‘Hope you guys have got your armour plating on.’ Andy’s voice came through the headset. ‘Seems our patient had passengers who weren’t happy at being dunked in the river and then told to stay away from their friend while the paramedics see to him.’
‘The cops haven’t arrested anyone yet?’
‘Doesn’t sound like it. But being annoying isn’t a felony, as far as I know.’ The helicopter lurched. ‘Hold on. Bit of bad weather ahead. I’ll try to go around most of it.’
Brenna’s stomach settled back into place. She loved flying, even the rough bits, but her stomach was full of curry and noodles, and she didn’t want to regurgitate it. ‘If it was daylight, I’d take pictures of the cloud formations. The colours in a storm can be amazing.’
Hunter shook his head at her. ‘You really do like pushing the boundaries, don’t you? I saw all your gear in the shed.’
‘Thanks for mowing the lawn, by the way. I didn’t notice until I took Poppy on her walk this morning. You didn’t have to do it.’
‘I had time on my hands.’ He shrugged.
‘Dylan deserted you for Poppy?’
‘You could say that.’
The engine pitch changed.
Brenna glanced out the tiny window. ‘We’re on.’
Flashing lights greeted them and made Andy’s job difficult until someone wised up and had the tow-truck driver switch them off until the helicopter was safely on the ground.
‘Calvin Banks, thirty-one, was semi-conscious but now alert, though that could change. Way over the limit, according to the cop who breathalysed him, and no seat belt, which, ironically, probably saved him as his pals were able to haul him out through the smashed front window.’
The ambulance officer who met them gave as much info as he had as they stood under umbrellas. ‘Wide gash to the forehead, some water inhalation, broken tib or fib on right leg, and generally foul-mouthed. We haven’t administered painkillers but have cut his sodden clothes off and wrapped him in a survival blanket.’
‘Nice,’ Brenna muttered as she approached the man lying on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance. The rain was heavy and getting heavier. ‘Hey, Calvin, I hear you’ve been in the river.’
‘So what?’
‘Nice,’ she repeated to Hunter, who stepped inside after her. ‘Want to tell me what happened?’
‘I got sick of the road, thought I’d try another way home. What do you think, woman?’
‘Okay, that’s enough,’ Hunter snapped. ‘We are here to help you, not get into an argument. Understand?’
The guy’s eyes shifted. ‘Who are you?’
‘Hunter. I’m the paramedic who’s going to get you on board the chopper for a ride to hospital. There are two ways of doing this. Entirely up to you which one I choose.’
Brenna knew Hunter would never hurt a patient, no matter how rude and difficult they were, but hopefully Calvin was beyond working that out and would go for the easy option.
‘You wouldn’t hurt me. It’s against the rules.’
; ‘Rules are made to be broken, pal.’ Hunter was drawing up an injection. ‘I’m going to give you something for that pain.’
‘Thanks, mate.’ Calvin relaxed a tad. ‘The other idiots wouldn’t do it, said they weren’t allowed to. I reckon they were being mean.’
Who could blame them if this was how Calvin had treated them? But if either of the ambulance crew were registered to give injections they would’ve done so. ‘You’re some way out of town, and the folk who man the ambulances are mostly volunteers. Not all of them are qualified to give injections,’ Brenna told their patient as she began reassessing his injuries.
‘That’s stupid.’
She dodged a flailing arm. ‘It’s safe, Calvin. Now, take it easy. We are on your side here.’
‘The pigs aren’t.’
The ‘pigs’ were decent men, doing a hard job of trying to save people like this man from killing someone with their vehicle while drunk. Brenna watched Hunter as he put the syringe away. ‘Ready to go?’
He nodded. ‘The sooner the better. That weather’s turning nasty.’
