Page 3 of The Texas Cowboy's Rescue

Did that make them relations? She doubted it was something he cared about and certainly she did not. Kenzie had found him to be a man who didn’t like conversation all that much. He preferred to keep his thoughts to himself and little was known about his background other than he had been in the military, where he had flown medivac helicopters in some of the worst areas in the world, and then he had come back home to open up his own air care business.

The hospital system had contracted with his company. It seemed that while he was the owner, he also flew one of the four helicopters in his fleet. So he wasn’t someone who let others do the work while he sat behind a desk. He was just the lone wolf who liked his space. She could allow him to be the lone whatever he wanted because she found that she worked best with little interaction of a social kind on her shifts. That made them a good match... workwise. As long as he stayed in his cockpit and stayed out of her workspace, they would get through the assignment. Now what was he doing talking to her daughter?

“Being a sprinkle aficionado myself, I saw the long face over the strawberry cake with its plain icing and could not watch a fellow sprinkler go without. I sought out Mr. Jackson, who took pity upon us. And did I mention that she cleaned her entire dinner plate? Couldn’t ignore that.”

Who are you and what did you do with the hotshot pilot?That was what her mind said, but her words were simply, “Thank you. I hope my child wasn’t a bother, so that you felt you had to come over to our table.”

“Not a bother at all. Miss Brooke has excellent manners, and it was very nice to share desserts together. But I know I must be holding you up with the rest of your evening plans.” He looked at the young girl finishing her last bite of cake. “Thank you, again. And for your help in where I should shop in town. I’ll remember your helpful information. Have a safe trip home, ladies.” And he left them without a look back... no nod to Kenzie, but all smiles for Brooke.

She waited until they were in the car and headed home for some blanks to be filled in.

“What brought him to the table tonight?”

“Mr. Deke? I smiled at him and waved.”

“Why in the world would you do that? He’s a stranger. What have I...”

“But you told me who he was. He’s your coworker and you fly in his helicopter together rescuing people so he can’t be a bad stranger, right? And he had Mr. Jackson bring him over to the table and he even introduced us, so you wouldn’t be upset with him talking to me. He really is funny and nice and he did get sprinkles for the cake. And did you know he has a dog named Ranger? And he flew with him in the Army too. Ranger even got a medal. He said I could meet him one day if you said it was okay. Is it? And you said that sometimes others need one of our smiles, and he looked like he was alone and a little sad, so I smiled at him.”

Seemed her daughter had found out more about Deacon Hayes in fifteen minutes than she had in all the time they had been flying assignments. And how could she fault her daughter for using her own words against her? But lonely and sad? Is that how her daughter saw him? Then another thought eased into her realization... could she be guilty of a rush to judgment?

He was quiet... that was Brooke’s description. Maybe lonely and sad. Whereas she had been quick to label him aloof and even arrogant. Perhaps a little jealous of his expertise? And she might have allowed his looks and the other females’ reaction to a new male in their midst to shade her opinion as well. Possibly because of her experience with Brooke’s father, a Casanova of renown.

It was just as well they rarely spoke of him, and that was understandable, given he had died eight months after Brooke’s birth. She had never really known the man who had fathered her, since Kenzie left him two months after Brooke was born. And that was a blessing for the most part. Kenzie had to keep reminding herself that it was not nice to speak ill of the dead... but she couldn’t help thinking about it. Her marriage had been the biggest mistake of her life. But the saving grace, for which she would always be thankful, was that her little girl had come from it. Together, the two of them made a family.

“Mom, can I meet his dog?” Brooke’s repeated question brought Kenzie back. And she gave a standard mom response that made her wince inside as she sounded so much like her own mother in the moment. “We’ll see.”

Thanks, Major Deacon Hayes,for reminding her of so many less-than-pleasant moments in her life. He was just the “gift” that seemed to keep on giving. She did what she did during her assignments with him, reminding herself that the clock was ticking and, with any luck, he would be out of their lives in less than three months. She and life would return to normal routines at the hospital.

Get through two more months, and he would be a vague memory.That made her smile.

Chapter Two

“We’re headed toten miles north of Fort Casey,” Deke Hayes informed them as Kenzie and Jayson Green, a fellow RN, fell into step beside him. The trio strode toward the helipad where their “ride” awaited them. Air Ambulance Delta 380, a tricked-out, fully loaded medical flying machine with bright-red and gold striping on white, had already bought patients time and a few miracles since its inception at the hospital two months before.

Kenzie and the two others on the crew were dressed in the bright-red jumpsuits with the white helmets with red and gold medical insignias on the sides. The bright color made them stand out on the ground in the midst of a chaotic situation. The multiple zippered pockets held a multitude of necessary medical supplies, keeping them at her fingertips and, as Deke Hayes adjusted the helmet’s microphone from the pilot seat, she ran over her own checklist of items and strapped herself into the jump seat in the back. Jayson took the copilot seat up front. With expert ease, the craft lifted upward and then arced toward the southwest. They would only be in the air fifteen to twenty minutes, thanks to the engaged jet engines.

“Three injured.” Deke’s deep tones came through her earpiece. “The driver of the semi loaded with farm machinery is headed to a local hospital. The car’s driver was also DOA. The other passenger is ours if she is still viable when we get there. We’ll need our A game.”

A game.It was going to take that and then some, Kenzie thought, judging just on the carnage of vehicles they could see from the air. When they touched down, she and Jayson were out of the craft and running. Deke moved to open the bay door of the craft and prepare to receive the stretcher if Kenzie and Jayson made a positive assessment to retrieve the injured patient and moved to transport. Once on-site, Kenzie went into a routine that was automatic for her—vitals, assessing injuries and severity, viability for transfer. The victim was a young female, possibly early twenties. She had very severe injuries.

The state trooper in charge of the scene shared the little bit of information they had as she and Jayson rose, motioning to Deke that they were going to transport. Less than five minutes later, they were in the air and Deke gave it full throttle. The race with the clock was on.

The voices in Kenzie’s head, literally the ones coming through the speaker in her head from the trauma team awaiting their arrival, were giving instructions and her hands were on auto in the cramped space. The victim hadn’t regained consciousness since the accident and it was just as well, given the dire circumstances. They landed and were met by the trauma team on the tarmac. Deke motioned that he would take over. “Your shift is over. You’ve got a child waiting on you, so I’ve got it. Go ahead with your end-of-shift duties.” He fell into her place as she stepped aside. Kenzie moved on to taking care of restocking the chopper before she left, and Jayson secured the craft.

Checking her wristwatch some twenty minutes later, Kenzie shook her head. She was tired, more so after the last call. But Brooke waited, and that brought back her ability to smile. A treat might be nice to take along. She ended up in the cafeteria, eyeing the desserts. She found what she wanted and as the line person was boxing up her order to go, her gaze landed on a solitary figure at the table in the corner. A sudden urge hit her out of the blue. Before she could talk herself out of it, she spoke to the server once more, adding to her order. She tamped down the urge to keep walking out the door and headed toward the table.

Without preamble, when those eyes looked up at hers, she simply set the small plate down next to the coffee cup in front of the man. His gaze fell to the offering and then she caught a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth. It didn’t quite reach his tired eyes, but it wasn’t a rejection. “You looked like some sprinkles might be called for. Consider this a gift from Brooke.”

He nodded. “You’ve got a good kid there. Give her my thanks.”

The silence amplified. “I’ll tell her.” She paused before turning away. “I hope we were able to make it here in time on the last flight.”

The light was definitely off in the gaze he turned on her. “Time wasn’t on our side. And certainly not on hers.”

“I heard one of the troopers on-site mention alcohol was found. I suppose this will be yet another senseless drunk driver... the truck driver, who probably survived.”

He shook his head. “Not this time. It was the driver of the car, her husband... she had dug him out of the beer joint just up the road from the crash. He argued and won the seat behind the wheel.”

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