Solitaire

“Cat?”

“Y-yes?”

“Thirty-five hours to go, sweetheart. You’ve got a passel of people out here who love you. Just remember that.”

* * *

Grim, unshaven men, their eyes bloodshot and red-rimmed from too much dust, their hands bruised and bloodied with scrapes and cuts, continued on. Day had turned to night and then day again. The rain had stopped and so had Cat’s infrequent radio exchanges. Yet, the Kincaids’ courage inspired the rescuers, and there wasn’t a man among them who slept more than a few hours between the mandatory six-hour shifts at the end of a shovel, a wheelbarrow or pickax. No one complained, and Slade found that phenomenal.

Rubbing his bleary eyes, Slade held up his watch. A portable generator provided light in the damp expanse of the mine. Five hours…five hours before they broke through and made contact. Was Cat on the left wall near the stream? No stranger to cave-ins, he worried about her dehydrating. The people who knew of his escapes had said he’d had nine lives. Well, Cat had better have nine lives; she’d need them to survive this one.

* * *

Cat wasn’t sure what pulled her from her floating state. Was it the whoosh of fresh air into the staleness of the chamber or the frantic sound of steel-bladed shovels tearing a hole through the last of the wall that held her captive? Or was it actually recognizing Rafe’s hushed voice, and Slade’s? Whatever it was, she pulled on the last of her reserves and turned her head, which was now lying in a trickle of water, toward the men’s urgent voices.

The light from Slade’s helmet slashed through the thick silence of the chamber. His eyes widened as he found Cat covered with filth and dust, her hair caked with mud around her pale, translucent face. She lay on her left side, stretched out across the stream of water. Thank God she’d had the foresight to move to the water; all she had to do was turn her face and sip from the shallow stream. His admiration for her survival instincts rose. Next, Rafe came through the six-foot opening, followed by a paramedic with a thin oak body board and a neck brace.

Slade reached her first, his hand closing protectively over Cat’s shoulder. He leaned over from his kneeling position, his face close to hers. He whispered her name twice before he saw her long dark lashes flutter and barely open.

Cat saw a lopsided smile pull at Slade’s mouth; his face was tense, his eyes burned out with bone-deep exhaustion. She saw a flame of hope in them, too. She tried to form his name on her parched, cracked lips, but only a hoarse sound issued forth.

“Shh, sweetheart. Your knights in shining armor have arrived. All I want you to do is lie very still while we get you on this body board and truss you up like a Christmas goose.”

She wasn’t able to comprehend all that Slade said as he leaned over her. The warmth of his breath coupled with his husky voice flowed like balm across her, filling her with new strength. A small smile tugged at Cat’s mouth. She felt Slade’s long fingers close gently across her shoulder, and she knew he understood.

An incredible aura of care surrounded Cat during those twenty minutes when the three men worked on her. She was conscious for minutes at a time, lapsing in and out of the arms of darkness. Rafe’s voice or his familiar touch on her hair would draw her back to consciousness. She began to anticipate Slade’s knowing, professional touch as he and the paramedic turned her over, placing her on the body board. She had grown used to the pain in her right side, but the callused pressure of Slade’s fingers as he fitted the brace around her neck brought tears to her eyes.

The jab of a needle brought her to greater awareness, but once they had her strapped securely to the thin oak board Cat lost consciousness again.

* * *

Slade handed Sam Kincaid another cup of coffee as they stood in the waiting room of the surgical floor of the hospital. He wasn’t sure who looked worse: he or Rafe. They were muddy, their hair plastered down from untold hours of sweat. Every muscle in Slade’s body screamed for rest and the luxury of a hot shower. He wrinkled his nose; the brackish odor of the mine and his sour sweat smell surrounded him. He glanced at his watch. An hour ago Cat had been taken to the emergency room, attended by a number of physicians and nurses. None of the family had been allowed to go with her. Why didn’t someone come out and tell them how she was?

Slade hadn’t tried to hide his own emotions as he’d sat alongside Rafe in the ambulance. Cat had been chalk white; even her freckles had looked washed out. Her once-beautiful sable-brown hair was a stringy mat of mud and blood. There’d been a three-inch gash across her scalp, and she had bled heavily, but he was more worried about the skull beneath her scalp. Just how bad was her concussion? Judging from Cat’s pallor and her prolonged bouts of unconsciousness, it was serious.

A doctor came through the double swinging doors, his face unreadable. He headed for the elder Kincaid. The entire family, with Millie and Slade, surrounded the doctor before he drew to a stop.

“Mr. Kincaid?”

Sam Kincaid nodded. “Doctor? How’s my girl?”

“I’m Dr. Scott,” he said, extending his hand. “Cathy is in serious condition, Mr. Kincaid. She’s suffered two broken ribs. She’s extremely dehydrated and we’ve got her on two I.V.s to restabilize her.”

Slade closed his fist. His voice was strained. “And her head injury, Dr. Scott?”

Scott’s narrow face became impassive. “Severe concussion. She keeps lapsing in and out of consciousness.” His brow furrowed. “Is your name Slade?”

“Yes. Slade Donovan.”

“Cathy is asking for you. We need to try and keep her awake. I want to keep her from going into a coma.”

Inez Kincaid’s thin face grew still. “A coma, doctor?”

“Yes. If I can keep Slade with her, she might rally enough to fight back and stay awake. We’ve got that portion of her head packed in dry ice to reduce the swelling.” He looked up at Slade. “Let’s get you cleaned up a little, son, and then, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to remain with Cathy for a while.”

Slade nodded. He followed Dr. Scott down the immaculate hall to a lounge. A nurse gave him a green surgical shirt and a pair of trousers to replace his filthy clothes. Slade took a quick hot shower and fought the deep drowsiness that tried to claim him. It wasn’t yet time to sleep off the past forty-eight hours he’d been awake.

The nurse, a petite blonde with blue eyes, smiled once he emerged from the lounge. “Now you look like a doctor, Mr. Donovan. Follow me, please.” She took him to the intensive-care unit, where each patient’s room was enclosed on three sides with glass panels. Cathy looked dead. She matched the color of her sheets. Her hair had been washed clean and an ice pack placed carefully against her skull. The sigh of oxygen and the beeps of the cardiac unit made Slade grow wary. So many machines to monitor her fragile hold on life, he thought.

The nurse drew up a chair alongside Cat’s bed. “You can sit here, Mr. Donovan.”

Slade thanked her, but moved to the bed. He reached out and slipped his hand across Cat’s limp, cool fingers. They had washed her free of all the filth.

“You look a little on the thin side, Mr. Donovan. They said you and the Kincaids worked but didn’t eat. I’ll have someone run down to the cafeteria and bring you dinner.”

Slade smiled, grateful for the nurse’s thoughtfulness. “Thanks,” he replied. Then he shifted his attention to Cat. Funny, Slade told Cat silently as he cupped her fingers between his to warm them, you were a stranger to me three days ago. A lump rose in his throat. What is it about you that touches me so?

Perhaps it was the vulnerability of her features. Or the lips that reminded him of a lush, exotic jungle orchid he’d seen in Brazil–cherry red, even now in her present condition. Or perhaps it was her heart-shaped face, or the wide cheekbones that gave her eyes an almost tilted look. A smile eased the taut planes of Slade’s face as he followed the coverlet of freckles from one cheek across her broken nose to the other cheek.

Slade reached over, lightly tracing the bump on her nose. How did she break such a pretty nose? And when had she broken it? He had so many questions to ask her, so much he didn’t know about her that he wanted to know. “Cat?” he said softly. “Can you hear me? It’s Slade. I’ve come for you. I want you to fight back.” His fingers tightened against hers as he reluctantly straightened up. He blinked. Was he imagining things, or had her lashes fluttered in response to his hushed request?

* * *

When Cat awoke, she was clear at once as to where she was. The murmuring of the equipment caught her attention first. Then she forced open her weighted lids. She became aware of the broken snore of a man nearby. And then she felt the warm, callused fingers that enclosed her hand. Despite the pain, Cat turned her head to the right. Her eyes widened. Slade Donovan lay slumped in a chair, snoring, his chin sagging toward his chest and his hand gripping hers. A flood of warmth coursed through her and Cat closed her eyes. She was alive. Slade had dragged her back from the depths of the mine.

Her voice cracked when she tried to call his name. Cat used what little strength she had in her hand and squeezed Slade’s fingers. She watched him awaken from the heavy sleep. Her heart wrenched as she saw the darkness shadowing his red-rimmed eyes. His face was gaunt and she saw the stress plainly carved on the stubbled, angular planes of his face.

Slade blinked, his hand tightening on her fingers. “Cat?” He whispered her name unbelievingly. Standing, he leaned over the bed, one hand cupping her cheek as he gazed disbelievingly into her barely opened eyes. “I’ll be damned, you’re awake.”

She gave him a weak smile. “I-is this a dream?”

Slade laughed unsurely, his blue eyes burning fiercely with happiness. “If it is, sweetheart, then we’re dreaming together.” He reached over and pressed a buzzer to alert the nurse’s desk. “Hold on, there’s a whole passel of doctors who are anxious to see you awake.”

Cat was thirsty, her mouth gummy. “What about my family?”

“They’re here, waiting for you to open those beautiful emerald eyes of yours.” He pressed a kiss to her cool, damp brow. “Welcome back to the world of the living. This calls for one hell of a celebration.”

* * *

In the next two days, Slade was absorbed into the Kincaid clan. He ate with the family and shared rooms with them at a local motel. At breakfast on the third morning, Sam Kincaid sat with his family, a frown marring his features.

“Dr. Scott says Cat will need a place to recuperate. He’s worried about her concussion and thinks she ought to be under some kind of supervision for at least eight weeks.” Sam gave his wife a tender look. “With your hip operation coming up in two weeks, we won’t be able to give Cat the care she needs.”

Rafe’s mouth twisted. “I’ve got the room; it’s just the timing, Dad. We’ve had these Bureau of Land Mines investigations going on for the past few months, and they’ve thrown off our schedule for a while. Family comes first. I’ll take Cat in; she’s more important. If I made the time for the BLM, I can sure as hell make time for my sister.”

Slade suddenly brightened. “I can help. I think, under the circumstances, Cat would be better off with me.” The corners of Rafe’s mouth turned down and Slade knew instinctively that Rafe felt this was strictly a family matter; outsiders weren’t needed. Slade directed the remainder of his proposal to Rafe to win his approval, knowing the family would then agree to Cat’s staying with him. He folded his large hands on the table. This reminded Slade of poker games. Some he had lost; others he had won. This time, the stakes were high, and he had never wanted to win more. Slade didn’t question why he wanted Cat on his ranch to recuperate. Since the beginning, Cat had touched some inner chord of his. He wanted–no–demanded the opportunity to get to know her. His reasons for meeting her in the first place would take secondary importance. He put on his most serious expression and spoke in a low voice.

“I know you’ve only been allowed fifteen minutes at a time to visit with Cat. And she may or may not have been conscious enough to mention our relationship. I have a small ranch in southwest Texas. Del Rio, to be exact. In addition, my next-door neighbors, Matt and Kai Travis, can be of great help, if we need them. Kai’s a physiotherapist and a nurse for the local grade school. I have a qualified nurse three miles down the road from my ranch and the perfect place for Cat to stay.” Slade’s voice dropped. “I think Cat’s going to take a lot of attention in order to get back on her feet. I’ve been in three mine cave-ins myself and I know what they do up here,” he said, pointing to his head.

“I care a hell of a lot for Cat. Those hours spent with her while she was buried were some of the worst of my life.” He felt a tinge of guilt for implying that he and Cat had a relationship. But it wasn’t a total lie, he rationalized. “Having been buried myself, I’m in a pretty good position to help Cat.” His voice grew tight with undisguised emotion. “I can help her. I can get her up and over some of the reactions she’s going to have because of this experience.”

Rafe rubbed his recently shaven jaw. “Kinda like falling off a horse and getting scared to mount up afterward?”

Slade nodded, sensing the subtle shift of acceptance to his proposal. “Yes, only worse. Cave-ins affect everyone differently. Nightmares are common, and with her concussion, someone is going to have to monitor her closely so she doesn’t sleepwalk or something. And that does happen.” He looked at father and son. “I realize this is a family matter, but in this case, I think I can provide the type of care Cat is going to need.”

Sam glanced over at his son. “Why don’t we let Cat have a say in this before we decide for her?”

Slade held up his hand. “I really don’t think that’s necessary. I’m positive Cat will want to come home with me. Besides, I’ve got my twin-engine plane at the airport ten miles from here. I could fly her back in comfort while you’d have to make an awful lot of special arrangements to try the same thing. I’m sure Cat would like to be with me. I know how close she is with the family, but each of you have a lot of things going on right now. Hell, I’m between job assignments. And even if I wasn’t, I’d drop what I was doing to come and take care of Cat.”

Rafe looked hesitant, but shrugged his powerful shoulders. “Sounds like it may be the best thing for Cat, and that’s the most important thing right now, Dad.”

Sam Kincaid stared at Slade for a long time, mulling over the request. “It’s settled then. Cat will go home with you, Slade.”

Slade felt heat rise in his cheeks as he grasped the rancher’s hand. “Thanks, Sam. None of you will regret your decision, believe me.” A fierce wave of protectiveness nearly overwhelmed Slade as he rose from the table. He was shocked by his offer to care for Cat, yet nothing he’d ever done had ever felt so right. Gratefully, he shook each man’s hand.

* * *

Inez kissed her daughter’s cheek. Cat had been transferred to a private room and the entire family, minus Millie, who, since the baby wasn’t allowed in the room, was in the lounge, stood around her bed.

“You take care, honey,” Inez said. She patted Cat’s hand gently.

Cat blinked up at her mother. “You’re all leaving?” There was a catch in her voice. She saw Rafe nod, his cowboy hat clasped between his roughened fingers.

Slade went to the other side of the bed and grasped Cat’s left hand, while giving her a devastating smile meant to neutralize her questions. He hadn’t talked to her about the arrangements and he knew the Kincaids hadn’t either. Cat wasn’t even aware of the agreement, but in all honesty, Slade felt Cat would thrive in the environment he could provide her. His initial reason for contacting her had been to offer her a lucrative business deal. Now, that all seemed unimportant.

“Everything’s been taken care of, Cat. All you have to do is just lie there, look beautiful and heal up.” He patted her hand, giving her a conspiratorial wink. Her green eyes widened as she stared blankly up at him.

Rafe leaned down, kissing her hair. “I’ll be in touch, Cat. Slade’s given us your phone number and I’ll give you a call every couple of days to see how you’re coming along.” He smiled. “I’ll keep you posted on what Goodyear and Nar are up to. They’ve had a lot of run-ins with each other lately.”

Sam Kincaid was next, giving his daughter a slight smile. “You’re in the best of hands, Cat.”

“But–”

“Now, now,” Slade soothed, “just relax, Cat.” He wished they would hurry through their farewells and leave before Cat upset his carefully constructed applecart. Dal and Jim Tremain came over, saying goodbye.

“Slade promised us you’d be in good hands,” Dal told her sister. “We’d love to have you stay with us, but I don’t think you’d get any rest with the baby around. I hope you understand.”

Cat looked from Dal to Slade. His features looked suspiciously beatific.

“Well, uh, sure I understand. And Alessandra probably takes up all your time, anyway.”

Dal looked relieved that she understood and pressed another kiss on Cat’s waxen cheek. “Listen, we’ll call you once you get to Texas. Slade’s ranch sounds perfect for you.”

Slade’s ranch? Cat turned too quickly, pain causing her to gasp. She shut her eyes, all the questions purged from her mind. Slade gave her a game smile and waved goodbye to the departing family.

“Well, we’ll be seeing you, Cat,” her dad said, opening the door. “We’ll call you once a week and see how you’re comin’ along. Bye, honey…”

Cat tried to speak, to beg them to stay. When the pain finally subsided, the door had shut and silence filled the void. She looked up at Slade, her eyes narrowed. Slade was still holding her left hand, his fingers warming her cooler ones. She wanted to jerk out of his grasp but had better sense than to try it, knowing what the movement would cost her in terms of pain.

“All right, Donovan, what is going down?”

“Donovan? You were calling me Slade before.”

Cat compressed her lips, and set her jaw in a well-known Kincaid line that spelled trouble. “What cards do you have up that sleeve of yours? Everyone thinks I’m going to your ranch. No one’s asked me. If you think you can shanghai me, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Slade tried to look properly chastised and continued to run his thumb in a feather-light circle on the back of her hand. “Shanghai you?” He groaned and raised his eyes dramatically to the ceiling. “Cat, I simply volunteered my plane and my ranch as a place where you can properly recuperate.” He stole a glance at her to see what effect his teasing was having. Absolutely none, he realized with a lurch. Slade girded himself for battle as spots of color came to Cat’s cheeks and an emerald flame leaped to life in her eyes. She might be sick, but she wasn’t helpless.

Slade tried to nip her reaction in the bud. “Listen to me, this is no time to get upset, Cat. I told your family that a nurse is three miles away from my ranch. Kai Travis and her husband, Matt, are good friends of mine. Dr. Scott said you’d need a warm, dry climate and the help of a nurse from time to time. Plus,” he went on quickly, trying to stay ahead of her opposition, “your brother, Rafe, has been under a BLM investigation for the past few months and he’s got his hands full trying to catch up on the ranch work. He wouldn’t be able to devote enough time to you. Your mother’s hip operation is in two weeks.” Slade shrugged and managed a hopeful smile. “I offered my ranch because I can take good care of you, Cat, while you convalesce. I did what I felt was best for us at the time.”

“Us?” came the strangled response. “There is no ‘us’!”

Looking contrite, Slade released her hand and walked to the end of the bed, holding her outraged stare. “Yes, us.”

Cat’s mouth dropped open. And then she quickly closed it into a thin line. “You and I are complete strangers.”

Slade had the good grace to look embarrassed. “Maybe we were a week ago, but I don’t feel that way about you now. Not after everything we’ve gone through together.” His voice became husky. “Before, I respected your work as a mining engineer. And then, when you were trapped, I saw and felt your courage. We both know the chances of your surviving that cave-in were pretty slim.”

At the mention of the cave-in, a chill wound through Cat. She tried to throw it off, but a suffocating fear rose up into her throat, choking her. Panic followed on its heels and Cat struggled to pretend nothing was wrong. My God, she was breaking out in a cold sweat! What was wrong with her? The fear she felt was all-consuming as it flowed darkly through her. Shakily, she wiped her sweaty brow, refusing to look at Slade.

Finally back in control, she spoke. “That still doesn’t give you any right to tell my family that they aren’t needed, Donovan!” Her voice cracked. “I want my family, not you.”

His face softened and Slade came to her side, brushing his knuckles lightly against her tear-stained cheek. “I know how fragile you really are, Cat, remember? I’ve been in cave-ins myself and lived to tell about it. I told your family that I knew what you were going to go through and I felt I was the best one for the job.”

“I’m not your responsibility, damn it!”

“Don’t get excited, Cat. The doctors want you to rest.”

“Then you shouldn’t have bullied your way into a family situation and taken over like you did!” She was breathing hard, each expansion of her ribs a fiery agony. Sweat glistened on her taut features and she lay back, her fists clenched. She turned her stormy green gaze on him. “You’re not doing this out of the kindness of your heart. I wish I could remember where I’d heard your name before. Then, I could put this together.”

Slade winced. He wasn’t sure himself why he was doing it. Sure, there was his business proposition, but that wasn’t his primary reason for wanting her nearby. He felt like a greedy robber, stealing time to get to know Cat on a personal level. “You’ve a right to be upset and angry,” Slade said, choosing his words carefully. “Rafe wanted to ask you if you wanted to go with me or come to the Triple K. For that, we owe you an apology. Rather, I do. Because I persuaded them that you’d be happy to come to Del Rio, Texas, with me.” He held her angry gaze. “I may kick around the world, Cat, but I do have some roots. The ranch is nothing fancy, but it’s nice. You’re not out of the woods yet with your injuries, and I convinced your family that with qualified medical help nearby, my ranch would be better for you. Besides, when you get better, there’s a business deal I’d like to discuss with you.”

Cat eyed him suspiciously, somewhat mollified by his explanation. “I don’t know… Let me think for a moment, Donovan.”

He shrugged shyly. “All I’m asking is to be allowed to help you for eight weeks, Cat. Hey, this isn’t a jail sentence. If you don’t like the place, you can leave. No hard feelings. It’s just that you can’t be by yourself and I have the time plus the room.”

Cat could have cried with frustration, but she had to admit that Slade was right. He had saved her life, and if she hadn’t been so arrogant, she’d have listened to his warning.

“All right, Donovan,” she muttered, “you saved my life. I didn’t realize my mother was going to have an operation so soon.” She rubbed the tears out of her eyes. “I hate feeling like an invalid! I don’t like to be a burden on anyone, especially you. I don’t call getting a crabby, sick mining engineer just payment for all that you’ve done for me.”

His serious face creased in a boyish smile. “I happen to like crabby, sick mining engineers. For the next few months you’re going to rest and get plied with a lot of stories told by one of the best storytellers in west Texas: me. You’re to be a guest at my ranch, Cat. I just hope you like my company as much as I’m going to enjoy yours.”