Rocky Point Promise (Love Inspired) - Softcover

McMahon, Barbara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0373816030 ISBN 13: 9780373816033

Verlag: Love Inspired Larger Print, 2012

Inhaltsangabe

After risking his life to save a little boy, handsome widower Tate Johnson becomes the biggest hero in town. Even nurse Faith Stewart, who's long since given up her romantic dreams, can't help falling for the brave sheriff. Her former fiancé broke her heart when he walked away, so she's resolved to start fresh in small Rocky Point, Maine. She quickly notices that Tate is a hero to everyone but himself. Just as Faith's heart is opening, Tate's remains as guarded and closed as ever. Unless a promise made in Rocky Point can bring these two hearts together permanently.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Barbara McMahon was born and raised in the southern U.S., but settled in California after spending a year flying around the world for an international airline. She began writing when her children started school. Nowshe and her husband have moved to the Sierra Nevada of California, Barbara loves to hear from readers. Readers can also contact Barbara at her website, www.barbaramcmahon.com.

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Three men burst into the clinic's reception area. One carried a wet, hysterical child. Another dripped water and blood from a gash on his forehead. The last one supported the dripping man.

Marjorie O'Brien yelled for the doctor and nurse from her receptionist's desk. For an instant there was total bedlam. The child screamed. The men called for the doctor. Marjorie ran around the reception desk to help as much as she could. Behind them more people pressed into the small waiting area.

Faith Stewart heard the commotion and ran into the crowded waiting room. A highly skilled triage nurse with several years' experience in a big city emergency room and trauma center, she knew an emergency when she heard one. A quick triage assessment of each showed her the bleeding man in the sheriff's uniform needed more immediate help than the crying child.

The mother tried frantically to calm the child, who was probably more scared at the turmoil surrounding him than anything else. For an instant, Faith felt she was back at the county hospital in Portland rather than the normally quiet clinic in Rocky Point, Maine.

"The doc needs to see to them right away," the man holding the child shouted. "As you can see…"

Dr. Mallory rushed in, assessing the situation in an instant.

"Faith, help Sheriff Johnson into the first exam room and take care of him. Marjorie, get the child's family into room two." The doctor then turned to the others. "If the rest of you'd wait outside, I think it'll help us get things sorted out and under control here."

In seconds, the wailing child was carried to room two while Faith went to assist the sheriff. The gash on his head continued to bleed, and the water from his clothes puddled at his feet. He leaned heavily on the man next to him.

"I'll get you wet," he said, his words slurring slightly as she reached to shore him up on the side opposite the other man.

"I won't dissolve," she said, pulling his arm over her shoulder. With the other man helping, she managed to get all six-feet-plus of Tate Johnson to the exam room and on the examining table. He leaned back, closed his eyes and gave a soft moan.

"What happened?" she asked as she swiftly began a more extensive exam to see if there were any other critical injuries. Not seeing any, she began to address the gash on his forehead.

"The little boy fell into the sea at the marina," the other man said. "Tate dove in to rescue him."

Tate kept his eyes closed as Faith began to clean the gash, gently pushing his thick dark hair out of the way. She noted that the cut would need stitches. At least that was the only injury she could see. Had the blow been hard enough to cause a concussion?

"Fastest thing I ever saw. In less than a second after the kid fell in, Tate raced down the dock, shucked his utility belt and dove into the water. Don't know what would've happened if he hadn't been walking by the marina park. The mother was frantic, the father didn't even see the child fall in. Kid's too little to swim."

A soft groan sounded again when she pressed a bit too hard.

"Sorry. I need to clean this so it doesn't get infected," she murmured, trying to be gentle, knowing, no matter what, it had to hurt.

"Salt water probably killed any germs," Tate said, his eyes still closed.

She glanced at the other man. "So how did he get this gash?"

"One of the fishing boats coming in too fast. Old Jesse's been warned about it before. Anyway, he didn't see them in the water. Tate had the kid by then, but before anyone could alert the skipper, Jesse rammed his boat right into the two of them." He gestured animatedly as he spoke. "Tate turned at the last minute to shelter the child. Lucky he wasn't knocked unconscious or they both might have drowned."

Faith knew by the excited way the man related the incident that he would be retelling it again and again. She worked swiftly and competently, admiring the way the sheriff had reacted so quickly to help someone in need.

"Is the kid okay?" Tate asked.

"Dr. Mallory's with him now," Faith said. "From my brief assessment when you came in, I'd say he's terrified and soaking wet, but he'll be fine. I think he's scared more than anything. And if you sheltered him from the boat, probably the dunking in the sea was the worst of it." The cut was a bit jagged, she hoped it wouldn't scar.

Faith quietly continued her ministrations. She'd seen much worse in her days in the E.R. Though, for the man lying so quietly, it probably hurt like crazy.

She hadn't met Sheriff Johnson before, though she'd been in town for five weeks. From what others had mentioned in passing, he appeared to be well-liked. This certainly wasn't the way she would have picked to be introduced.

"So, how's our hero?" the doctor asked, coming in a moment later. "John, thanks for getting him here," he said to the other man.

"No problem. Can't have the sheriff bleeding at the docks—gives the town a bad image."

All three men laughed, though Tate's ended in a moan as he opened his eyes and tried to focus.

John touched him on the shoulder. "I'm taking off, man. Call if you need a ride home."

"Thanks," Tate said.

The doctor assessed the wound and confirmed Faith's prediction that stitches were required.

"And I expect you have a mild concussion," he told Tate as he washed his hands in preparation for closing the wound. "How bad it is, we'll have to wait and see."

"All I know is my head's killing me," Tate said, closing his eyes again.

"It'll probably hurt for a while. I'll get you some pain meds once we assess things," the doctor said as he drew up a stool and prepared to stitch the gash. Faith quickly had a sterile kit at his fingertips, the lidocaine already drawn.

The work was done quickly and efficiently. Faith stood by, helping as needed. Despite herself, she continued to admire the sheriff for his stoic endurance during the uncomfortable procedure.

Once finished, the doctor asked Tate if his folks could pick him up and watch him for any signs of concussion. "Just for a day or two. Until we know for certain you didn't sustain any further damage."

"They took off for Boston a couple of days ago. I'll manage on my own. I don't want to have them cut their vacation short just for this," he said, sitting up. "Whoa." He closed his eyes and almost fell over.

"Yeah, I thought you might be a bit off," the doctor said, catching him and then easing him back onto the table. "Faith, please ask Marjorie to call around for someone to bring him some dry clothes. We'll get him comfortable and keep him here for a while under observation. I don't want him wandering around with that knot on his head until I know for sure he's not more seriously injured." The doctor looked at Tate. "And if it does look like you're worse off than I think, we'll either keep you here overnight or send you to the hospital in Portland."

When Tate didn't argue with the doctor, Faith figured the man was probably in worse shape than he expected. Dynamic men like him usually ignored injuries or tried to minimize them. Common sense wasn't always an obvious attribute when you were injured or ill.

She went back to the reception area, where Marjo-rie was mopping the floor.

"This is why I told the doctor we needed more help," the receptionist was saying to the waiting patient. The room was empty now, except for Flo Brad-shaw, waiting for her appointment to see the doctor.

"Quite a bit of excitement, I heard," she said when Faith...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Love Inspired Larger Print
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2012
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0373816030
• ISBN 13: 9780373816033
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 288
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Product Safety Manager; enquiries@harpercollins.ie; ; HarperCollins, Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper; Dublin 1; D01 C9W8; Irland