Giving My All To You
He loped down the walk to his car, got in and backed out of the driveway. His stomach growled again. He had a steak marinating that he planned to grill and pair it with some potatoes and an ear of corn, but he was so hungry he didn’t think he’d last the time it took to prepare the meal. But he didn’t want to stop for fast food, either. The good thing was that Unc’s house wasn’t far from the freeway. He shifted his gaze from the road briefly to check the dash clock. Seven thirty. Hopefully, at this hour, he would have missed a good portion of the traffic. Brandon eased onto the highway and immediately saw that it was still a little heavy, but not too bad. His cell rang again. He sighed and connected.
“You were supposed to stop by my office and tell me what Dad wanted,” Siobhan said as soon Brandon answered. “I went to your office and your assistant said that you left before five. You never leave before five. What happened?”
He sighed, not really wanting to talk about it. “I just thought I’d leave a little early today, Vonnie, that’s all.”
“Mm-hmm, and you didn’t answer my question.”
Rather than risk his sister coming to his house tonight—and she definitely would to get answers—Brandon gave in. “He’s postponing his retirement.” He repeated what he’d told Khalil.
“That’s strange. Well, at least you’ll still get the position.”
“Yeah, but—” A truck cut across the highway and hit something in the road that flew through the windshield of a car in the next lane a few lengths ahead. The car swerved and crashed into the center divide. Brandon let out a curse, flipped on his hazard lights and eased to a stop in front of the car. “There’s an accident. I’ll call you back.”
Luckily, the shoulder was wide enough for the crashed car to be out of oncoming traffic. He jumped out, cell phone in hand and, being careful to stay closer to the shoulder, sprinted back to the passenger side of the car while dialing 911. He peered through the window and saw a woman inside. He gave the dispatcher the location and told him that the woman was conscious, but that a pipe of some sort was imbedded in her right shoulder. Brandon couldn’t tell whether it had gone in deep or if it was just the deployed airbag holding it in place. “Miss, are you okay?” he called through the slightly open window.
She moaned, tried to push the airbag out of her face with her left hand and rolled her head in his direction. Her eyes fluttered closed and opened again.
In the fading sunlight, Brandon could see bits of glass in her hair and blood on her cheek where she had been cut. “Can you unlock the doors?” For a moment he thought she had passed out, then he heard the click of the lock. He opened the door and, being careful of all the glass on the seat, leaned in. “Help is on the way. What’s your name?”
“Faith,” she whispered.
“Faith, I’m Brandon. Are you hurt anywhere else besides your shoulder?”
“I... I don’t know. Every...thing...hurts.” Her eyes closed again.
“Faith, I need you to stay with me.” He backed out and started to go around to the driver’s side.
She moaned again. “Please...please don’t leave.”
“I’m just coming around to your side.” He waited for a break in the traffic and hurried around to the driver’s side. Once there, he carefully opened the door and managed to give her some breathing room from the airbag. Brandon reached for her hand, his concern mounting. “Are you still with me?” She muttered something that sounded like yes. Brandon was momentarily distracted when another person approached.
“Is she okay, man? I called 911.”
“Thanks. She’s hanging in there.” It seemed like an eternity passed before he heard the sirens. Finally.
When the paramedics and police arrived, Brandon stepped back. A police officer called him over to give a statement and his gaze kept straying to where the medical team was getting her out of the car and onto a gurney. Faith cried out and it took everything in him not to rush over. He finished his account and stood by watching with the other two people who had eventually stopped.
“Is one of you named Brandon?” a paramedic called out.
Brandon strode over. “Yeah. Me.”
“She’s asking for you.”
He smiled down at her strapped down on the gurney. In the fading sunlight, he could see her face starting to swell where the airbag had hit her. “You’re in good hands now.”
“Thank you,” Faith said, her voice barely audible. “My stuff...my...”
He took it to mean she wanted her things from the car. “I’ll get them.” To the paramedic he asked, “What hospital are you taking her to?” After getting the information, he walked back and retrieved her purse, keys and a small bag from the backseat. Why was he thinking about going to the hospital? He’d done his civic duty. It would be easy to hand off her belongings to one of the officers and be on his way. But for some reason, he needed to make sure—for himself—that she was okay. Brandon slid behind the wheel of his car and, instead of going home, merged back onto the freeway and headed to the hospital.
Chapter 2
Faith slowly came awake in a semidark room and it took her a moment for her to register where she was. She’d had the most awesome dream about a handsome guardian angel. Too bad it was just a dream. Never would she be so lucky as to run across a man like him. She lifted her hand and pain shot through her right shoulder and flared out to every part of her body. She sucked in a sharp breath and eased her hand down. She went still at the sight of a man asleep in a chair. She frowned. Who in the world...? As if sensing her scrutiny, he opened his eyes and pushed up from the chair. Faith blinked. He was even taller than she originally thought, well-built and easily the most handsome man she’d seen in a long time.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“I thought I dreamt you.”
His deep chuckle filled the room. “No. I’m very real.”
Faith tried to clear the cobwebs from her mind. “You helped me when I crashed.” She thought for a moment. “Brandon?”
He nodded. “How are you feeling?”
“Everything hurts. Even breathing hurts.” She closed her eyes briefly. “Um...what time is it?” she murmured.
Brandon checked his watch. “A little after eleven.”
“You’ve been here all this time?”
“For the most part. I brought your stuff and I didn’t want to leave it with anyone without your permission.” He placed them on the tray.
“Thank you.”
“Do you want me to call your husband or family?”
Faith wanted to roll her eyes at the husband reference, but just the thought made her ache, so she settled for saying, “I’m not married.”
“What about family—Mom, Dad?”
The last person she wanted to talk to was her mother. “My parents don’t live here,” she added softly. She had been on her way to her father’s house, but chickened out before arriving and had turned around to go back to the hotel when she’d had the accident.
A frown creased his brow. “You don’t have anyone here?”
“No. I live in Oregon. I just got here yesterday.”
“Hell of a welcome.”
“Tell me about it,” she muttered.
“Well, now that I know you’re okay, I’m going to leave. I’ll stop by to see you tomorrow to make sure you don’t need anything.” Brandon covered her uninjured hand with his large one and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Despite every inch of her body aching, the warmth of his touch sent an entirely different sensation flowing through her. The intense way he was staring at her made her think he had felt something, as well.
“I...um...” Brandon eased his hand from hers. “Get some rest.” However, he didn’t move, his interest clear as glass. After another moment he walked to the door, but turned back once more. “Good night.”
“Good night.” Faith watched as he slipped out the door, her heart still racing. Her life seemed to be a mess right now, but knowing she would see Brandon again made her smile.
* * *
The next morning Faith was coherent enough to think. But the nurse had just given her more pain medication and she needed to call Kathi before it kicked in, to let her know about the accident. She dug inside her purse and pulled out her cell.
“Hey, girl,” Kathi said when she answered. “Have you seen your father yet?”
“I didn’t get a chance. I had an accident last night on the freeway.” She shared the details of what happened.
“Oh, my God! I’m taking the first flight out,” Kathi said before Faith could finish. “What hospital are you in?”
“Kathi, you don’t need to come down here. Luckily, the windshield deflected the momentum of the pipe and the wound isn’t too deep. My face stings from the cuts and it’s swollen where the airbag hit me. They said I have a mild concussion and that’s why they’re keeping me. I’ll be fine.” Her friend was a natural-born worrywart and, if she came to town, would stand over Faith like a mother hen guarding her chicks until Faith was completely healed.
“When are you going home?”
“The doctor said most likely tomorrow.”
“Fine. I’ll be there Saturday morning. That’ll give you a day to get settled into the hotel. Do your parents know?”
“I talked to my dad and he said he’d tell my mother.” Faith had called her stepfather purposely because she didn’t want to run the risk of hearing her mother say, “I told you nothing good could come from you going to visit that man.”
“What about your biological father?”
“How would it look if I called him out of the blue and said, ‘Hi, I’m your long lost daughter, and oh, by the way, I was in a car accident. Can you come take care of me?’ No, I’ll wait until I’m better.”
“Why? He’s the one who extended the invitation. I’m sure he’d be okay with it.”
“But I’m not.”
“If you say so. What about the car and your stuff?”
“I’ll call the rental company after I get out of the hospital to deal with the car. Thankfully, I got the insurance. But a really nice guy stopped on the side of the road and stayed with me until the paramedics came and brought my stuff to the hospital.”
“You were lucky. What did he look like?”
“The man is drop-dead fine, over six feet, muscles and has the greatest smile.” Rich walnut skin, nutmeg-colored eyes and a voice smooth as velvet...definitely sexy.
Kathi laughed. “I see the accident didn’t affect your eyesight.”
Faith chuckled, then moaned. “Oh, don’t make me laugh.”
“Sorry. I’m hanging up so you can get some rest. I’ll call you tomorrow to let you know what time my flight gets in.”
“Sounds good. These pain meds are kicking in and I’m feeling dizzy again.” She told Kathi when she thought she’d be at the hotel and ended the call. Gradually, the throbbing pain in her shoulder started to dull, as did the other aches in her body. Her mind went back to Thaddeus Whitcomb. Rather than tell him she would visit, she had decided to come to town and drive by his house with the hopes of catching a glimpse of him first. Would he really be as glad to see her as his letters indicated or was her mother right—that she should leave it alone? Faith had to figure out what to do about him, find another car and a whole slew of other things, but at the moment, she just needed to sleep.
* * *
“Hey, Justin,” Brandon said to his brother-in-law Thursday morning. “Have a seat.”
Justin took the proffered chair. “Siobhan said you wanted to talk to me.”
“I wanted to see how the tests were going and find out when you think the system will be ready to go.” Justin had partnered with the company to manufacture his in-home alert system. With the use of sensors placed around the home, real-time data could be sent directly to a smartphone from a wireless hub—whether a door had been left open, a stove left on, or if a person hadn’t moved in hours—that allowed elderly relatives to remain at home and gave caregivers peace of mind.
“I want to do a few more tests before running the consumer trials. If all goes well, maybe six months or so.”
Brandon sighed. “That long?”
“I’d rather work out as many bugs in the system before it hits the market than risk putting it out there and failing.”
“You’re right. I’m just anxious.”
Justin laughed. “Yeah, so am I. Oh, Siobhan told me about you stopping to help some people in an accident last night. Are they okay?”
“It was just one woman and she’s going to be okay. A truck hit a pipe in the road and it went through her windshield. She crashed into the divider. The pipe caught her in the shoulder, but it didn’t do as much damage as it could have.”
“Whoa. What are the chances of something that freaky happening?”
“I know, right? The kicker is she doesn’t live here and had just gotten to town Tuesday.”
“Not a good way to start a trip. If I were her, I might not want to visit LA again,” he said with a wry chuckle and stood up.
“True that.”
“If you’re not busy, you can come over for dinner. Siobhan and I are planning to grill some salmon.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I told Faith I would stop by to check on her.”
“Who’s Faith?”
“The woman from the accident.” And the one who’d kept him up all night thinking about her.
A slow smile spread across Justin’s lips. “Well now.”
Brandon shook his head. “It’s nothing like that. She doesn’t know anyone in town and I’m just being neighborly. If it were Siobhan or Morgan, I’d want someone to do the same for them if they happened to be hurt and alone.”
Justin nodded. “I hear you. I’d want the same for Yvonne and Jocelyn.”
Brandon knew Justin would understand since he had two younger sisters.
“I’ll see you later.”
After Justin exited, he turned his attention back to work, but Faith was never far from his thoughts. True, he was being friendly, but something about her intrigued him. He hadn’t been able to get her beautiful face out of his mind since leaving her last night.
Brandon managed to finish going through and signing all the documents his assistant had left by late afternoon. For the second day in a row, he was packed up and ready to leave at closing time. Most evenings, he didn’t leave until seven or eight, not late enough for his father to fuss, but still late. Nolan Gray believed in working hard, but he also tried to teach his five children that there was more to life than work and sometimes had to force Brandon and Siobhan out of the office at a decent hour. Brandon worked hard, but he did make time to play on occasion. Although lately, he’d been more focused on work.
By leaving at five thirty, Brandon ended up right in the middle of rush-hour traffic. It took him more than an hour to get to the hospital, a drive that would have normally been twenty minutes. He parked in the lot and entered the lobby. Passing the gift shop, he saw several floral bouquets lining the window. On an impulse, he ducked inside and bought one, surprising himself. He usually steered clear of those types of sentiments because he didn’t want women to read anything into the gesture.
He took the elevator to her floor and poked his head in the door. Seeing that Faith was awake, he walked fully into the room. “Hi. These are for you.” He placed them on the small table.
Faith’s eyes lit up. “Hi, and thank you. They’re beautiful.”
The smile she gave Brandon warmed him all over and made him glad that he had purchased them. “How are you feeling today?”
“My face still stings from all the cuts and being hit by the airbag, my shoulder hurts like crazy and my body is sore. But, it could’ve been worse so I’m grateful.”
His gaze roamed over her face. He hadn’t imagined her beauty. Even with the small abrasions, her ebony skin looked soft to the touch and he stifled the urge to stroke a finger down her cheek to find out. “Has the doctor said how long they’re keeping you?”
“She said I can go home tomorrow afternoon sometime.”
“You said you got into town on Tuesday. Where are you staying?”
“I booked a room at one of those extended stay hotels near the airport.”
“So that means you’ll be here for a little while.” He didn’t know why the prospect of her being around longer made him happy.
“Yes. I have some business to take care of and I don’t know how long it will take.”
“By the looks of your car, you’ll have to get another one.”
“It’s a rental, and that’s one more thing to add to my growing list. Weird things happen, I’m learning, so I plan to take it one step at a time.”
“How are you getting home tomorrow?”
Faith shrugged. “Probably take a cab.”
“I’ll pick you up,” Brandon said without thought. He’d never taken off work for a woman. Ever. But the moment the words left his mouth, they felt right.
“You don’t have to do that, Brandon. You’ve been very nice and I appreciate everything you’ve done, but I don’t want to impose on you.”
“It’s no trouble, Faith. You’re still healing and in a new city. You shouldn’t have to worry about trying to figure out transportation, as well.”
“I don’t want to disrupt your family time.”
“My family gets together about once a month at my parents’ house...on a Sunday. I don’t have any other commitments. To anyone.” Brandon held her gaze, wanting her to understand exactly what he meant. True, he wanted to make sure she got settled safely, but he also wanted to see her again and learn more about her. Aside from her beauty, he was drawn to her smile and positive attitude despite her current circumstances. He probably would have been as grouchy as a bear if their places were switched.
“Oh.”
He smiled. “I’ll be here around one in case they let you out earlier. Do you have a number where I can call you?”
“I have my cell.”
Brandon pulled out his phone and inputted the numbers she recited. “Let me give you mine in case you need something before I get here.” She opened her phone to the contacts, he added his name and number and handed it back. Their hands brushed and he felt the same spark he had the night before, which made him all the more curious. Sure he dated when it suited him but Brandon couldn’t explain this attraction. It was...different.
Faith lifted a brow. “Are you sure you can take off work? I don’t want to cause you problems with your job.”
He opened his mouth to tell her that technically he was the boss, but changed his mind. Not that he’d put Faith in the same category, but since he had been appointed director of the safety division three years ago, women tended to be more attracted to the money they thought he made than him. His last long-term relationship ended when his girlfriend became angry because Brandon refused to give her two brothers jobs in management with a hefty salary, despite the fact that neither man had a college degree or had ever worked in a company such as theirs. After that, he kept his job and title to himself. “It won’t be a problem. I have enough leave time accumulated to give every employee a week off.” That much was true. He rarely took days off, and his father forced him to take at least one week off for vacation yearly.
She laughed. “Must be nice.”
The warm sound of her laugh elicited a strange stirring in his gut. “It is.”
The nurse came in with Faith’s dinner, placed it on the tray and positioned it in front of her. When Faith said she didn’t need anything else, the woman departed with a smile.
Faith lifted the dome and wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. I’ll be glad to get out of here and get some real food.”
Brandon laughed. “When you’re better, maybe we can go out for dinner or something so you can get that real food. That is if it doesn’t interfere with your business.”
She gave him a shy smile. “I’d like that.”
He wanted to stay and talk to her, but knew she needed to rest. “You should eat your dinner before it gets cold.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said with a chuckle, glancing at the tray. “That dinner can’t come soon enough.”
Looking down at the plate filled with shriveled green beans, dry mashed potatoes and some kind of meat smothered in brown gravy, he agreed. “Yeah.”
“You’re welcome to join me.”
“I would, but I had a late lunch.” In reality, he’d barely stopped for lunch and was starving. But not enough to voluntarily eat hospital food.
“Coward.”
“You’ve got that right.”
Faith winced.
“Pain coming back?”
She closed her eyes for a moment. “Yep.”
“I didn’t mean to stay so long,” Brandon said with concern.
“You didn’t. You helped me forget about the pain for a few minutes,” she added softly.
Their eyes held for a lengthy moment. “Do you want me to get the nurse?”
“I have the call button right here.” She pressed it and moments later a nurse entered.
“What can I get for you?” the nurse asked.
“The pain is back with a vengeance,” Faith said.
“On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate it?”
“Nine and a half.”
Brandon stood off to the side while the nurse checked to see when Faith had medication last. She retrieved the pills from a locked cabinet, placed them in a small cup and handed them to Faith, along with some water.
“Thank you.”
The nurse took the cup, tossed it into the trash and departed.
“That’s my cue,” Brandon said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Unable to resist, he reached for her hand, wanting to touch her again, and placed a soft kiss on the back. Her gaze flew to his. Had she felt the same current flowing as he did?
She eased her hand back. “Good night, Brandon, and thanks for stopping by.”
“Good night.” Brandon told himself he wasn’t in the market for a relationship and he needed to put a tight rein on whatever was happening between them, regardless of their mutual attraction. Besides, Faith didn’t live in LA and long-distance relationships had never been on his list. However, he had agreed to take her to dinner, but that was it. One dinner. Nothing else.
Chapter 3
“Got a minute, Dad?” Brandon said, entering his father’s office Friday.
“Of course.” As usual, his shirtsleeves were still down and his tie tightened. The man seemed to never break a sweat.
He glanced around the space that would be his, hopefully soon, and took the chair on the other side of the large mahogany desk. “You mind if I take off for the rest of the day?”
His father checked his watch and lifted a brow. “You coming down with something?”
“No,” he answered with a chuckle.
“It’s noon, Brandon. I can’t remember one time that you’ve left this early. Actually, I don’t think you ever have. Most times I have to threaten to have security remove you.”
“That’s cold, Dad. Anyway, I promised to help a friend.”
His dad smiled. “Go ahead. You need to take some time off anyhow. And you know you don’t really have to ask, son.”
“Thanks. What’s going on with that problem?”
His smile faded and he turned slightly to stare out of the large window that took up almost an entire wall. “There’s no change. We need to give it another two or three weeks before deciding anything.”
“You always said that I’m pretty good at negotiating, so like I said before, I’d be happy to help speed things up.”
Facing, Brandon, he said, “Not all things can be done that way, Brandon. Just be patient and enjoy your afternoon off.”
Sighing inwardly, Brandon nodded. “See you on Monday.” Patience had never been his strong suit and, at thirty-three, he didn’t think he’d ever develop the virtue. He stopped at home first to change into shorts and T-shirt, still bothered by his father’s words. His father had assured him that nothing would change pertaining to Brandon assuming the role of CEO. But Brandon couldn’t rid himself of the nagging feeling that whatever was going on would impact him. And in a big way. However, by the time he made it to the hospital, his thoughts had shifted to Faith. He had enjoyed talking with her last night and was uncharacteristically excited to see her. Shaking it off, he tried to tell himself he was just being friendly. Yet, there wasn’t anything friendly about the sensations that spread through him when she greeted him with her amazing smile. Brandon did his best to ignore them.