Read Once More (Mercy Heart #1) Online
Authors: Madeline Rooks
Setting a punishing run on the treadmill in the hospital health club, Katelyn’s tempo was only outpaced by the thoughts racing around in her head. She had never expected to see Clem again. He almost felt like a figment of her imagination, as if her conscience was playing a cruel trick on her for staying in a relationship with someone she had no intention of building a future with. Regret lanced through her as she thought about her upcoming evening with Marc. She knew in her heart she needed to call it off with him. He was far too decent to be strung along, and he deserved to have someone worthy of his love. Katelyn had enjoyed the time she spent with Marc. He was easy to talk to, and he completely understood the stress of her job. He seemed to genuinely care about her, and she, too, cared about him. She certainly didn’t want to hurt his feelings. She had planned to end it, eventually. The urgency to end their relationship just hadn’t been present, until her ex had arrived.
Clem ascended the stairs and gazed around the gym, zeroing in on her. That morning, he had brought along his gym bag and had planned on coming to work out after their all day meeting, so the guilt he had for listening in on Katelyn and Marc’s conversation earlier wasn’t made worse by feeling like a stalker. From his vantage point, she hadn’t spotted him yet. Though there were unoccupied machines on either side of her, he stopped himself from running up to one and hopping on. Instead, he went to the free weights and started lifting while he watched her in the mirror. She appeared to be concentrating very hard as she exercised. It was no surprise to him that she looked even better than he remembered, especially with the way she was pounding it out on the treadmill. Her muscular legs were showcased in running shorts, and she wore a sleeveless shirt that was wicking the moisture away from her skin, highlighting damp trails of perspiration. She wore her curly hair longer now, and at this moment it was in a ponytail that bounced with the rhythm of her gait.
God, she is so gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking.
In that moment, Clem realized that, in fact, he had stopped breathing, and he was frozen mid-rep, holding two thirty pound weights up by his shoulders. He blew out a breath and dropped the weights on the rack, shaking out his arms as he laid down for some bench presses. Once he completed his reps, he sat up just in time to see her stop running. She checked her watch and bent over to gather her things. A man that looked like he had walked off the cover of a fitness magazine wearing skin tight athletic shorts and a very loose tank top that left a large portion of his smooth, muscular chest and defined arms exposed came up behind her, seeming to suggestively press his front to her back while he placed his large hands on her tiny hips. Clem clenched his fists and shot up off the bench, but before he could get to her, she turned and smiled instantly. Katelyn wrapped her arms around the man’s neck, and he hugged her back as he lifted her off the ground. Her laughter could be heard across the gym.
Who is
this
guy?
He had assumed she was in a serious relationship with Marc, but this guy was extremely familiar with her as well. Too familiar.
Who the hell is this guy?
Clem watched until the man put her down, fighting the urge to go to her and find out the identity of the asshole with his hands all over her.
Katelyn looked her friend, Liam, up and down, and then checked his face for signs of fatigue. “I’m surprised to see you here. I figured you’d be slaving away on twenty-four hour shifts, sustaining on Red Bull and chocolate covered coffee beans since you have boards coming up.” Katelyn tried to make light of it, but she was worried about him. Liam Snow was in his residency here at Mercy Heart, a transplant to Fayetteville from the United Kingdom, and was in a very serious relationship with Sawyer, the ex-husband of Katelyn’s best friend, Janie, who, thankfully, all got along very well after the divorce. Katelyn had been around the hospital long enough to see the sacrifice that the residents made to get through their internship and pass their boards, and, with no family here to watch over Liam, she was concerned he would work himself to death.
“Love, you mustn’t worry so much. I can see the light at the end of this vastly long tunnel. And devouring any kind of chocolate is no way to keep this body in tip-top shape. I work far too hard for this.” He flexed as he spoke, and Katelyn laughed as she placated him, reaching up to squeeze his bicep. Over his shoulder, she spotted Clem, looking delectable in a pair of athletic shorts and a form-fitting t-shirt with a towel draped around his neck. If looks could kill, Liam would have already coded. The jealousy on Clem’s face was more than evident.
Is he spying on me?
Surely not. He couldn’t have known that she was going to be at the gym.
Could he?
“Kat, dear, is everything alright? You have gone ghostly pale.” Liam glanced over his shoulder at whatever had caught Katelyn’s eye and then looked back, holding the palm of his hand up to her cheek. She broke eye contact with Clem and focused her attention back on Liam. The questioning look on his face made it evident he had spotted Clem, but he didn’t make an effort to ask her for an explanation.
“Y – yes, I’m fine. I probably just need to replenish after my run. Do you have time for a protein drink?”
“For you, dear, I will make time.” He slipped his arm around her and they walked together down the stairs. Katelyn was careful not to make eye contact with Clem anymore, though Liam was not so subtle, staring right back at Clem in a silent challenge as they walked by.
At the juice bar, Katelyn filled Liam in on her day, including the back-story on her previous relationship with Clem. When she finished, he sat silently and simply stared at her, only making a sound when he slurped his smoothie through the straw.
Exasperated, Katelyn blew out a breath. “Well? Aren’t you going to say
something
?”
Liam slid his cup to the side, folded his hands on top of each other on the table and looked her straight in the eye. Finally, he spoke. “Kat, I know you rarely ask yourself this question, so I’m going to ask it in your stead. What do
you
want?”
Nervously fidgeting with the wrapper from her straw, her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. “I – I don’t know. My relationship with Clem was a long time ago. I know nothing about him now, except for the fact that he is the CEO of a software company. He could have a wife and kids, for goodness’ sake.”
“What if he doesn’t? What if he is a filthy rich, utterly successful, lonely bachelor? What could possibly hold you back from that? And don’t say Marc. We both know Captain Buttoned-Up isn’t right for you.”
Sighing, she replied. “I know. I’m going to break it off with him tonight at the restaurant. Marc is a wonderful man, and he deserves someone who will love him the way I can’t.”
“Where is he taking you?”
“Florino’s on Dickson Street. Why?”
“Just wanted to make sure you have the perfect backdrop for crushing that poor man’s heart,” Liam said with a wicked grin.
“You are so helpful,” she said, ruefully, though she knew he was just trying to make her laugh. She checked her watch and got up to gather her things. “I better get home so I can get ready.”
Liam grabbed her and wrapped her in a hug once more, holding her a bit longer than usual, as if he were trying to infuse her with some of his strength for the night ahead. “I know you don’t want to hurt anybody, but this really is for the best.” Liam brushed the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. “Off you go, dear.” Katelyn nodded her head in agreement and kissed Liam softly on the cheek before jogging out the door.
Clem had watched their goodbye from a distance, and from the look the man was giving him at the moment, his presence had not gone unnoticed. The handsome stranger walked over, inspecting Clem thoroughly without addressing him directly.
“Can I help you?” Clem asked sardonically, mimicking the man’s combative pose.
Eyes narrowed and a tight-lipped smile crossed Liam’s face before he spoke. “I don’t think that’s the question you really want to ask me, Clem.”
“You are right about that, James Bond. You have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I have no idea who you are. And frankly, I don’t give a shit about that either. Are you dating Katelyn?”
Exasperated, Liam rolled his eyes. “No, my boyfriend doesn’t like it if I date other people. But I am her friend, and as her friend, it’s my turn for a question. What are your intentions with Katelyn, you twit?”
Clem visibly relaxed when the man mentioned his partner. Recognizing the fact that he wasn’t putting his best foot forward, he stuck his hand out. “Look, let’s start over. My name is Clem Bryant.”
“Liam Snow.” The two men shook hands. Liam continued to eye Clem suspiciously. “Now, answer my bloody question. What are you intentions with Katelyn?”
“My intentions...” Clem stopped, and thoughtfully eyed Liam. He stepped forward, leaving just a few inches separating their faces. “Well, Mr. Snow, I intend to pick up right where we left off. I intend to get back into her life and her heart. I want the privilege of keeping her safe. I want to spend the rest of our lives showing her how loved and adored she is. If no man has had the good sense to snatch her up in the past seven years, then, to me, that is fate confirming that I have made the right choice by coming back here and claiming what should have been mine all along. Katelyn. Is. Mine.”
Liam stood quietly for a moment, looking Clem up and down. “It’s doctor.”
Confused, Clem asked, “Doctor who?”
Liam scoffed. “No, not Doctor Who. Dr. Snow. I am a doctor. I’ve bloody well earned it.” He shook his head. “Never mind, that doesn’t matter now. What does matter is that Kat is breaking off her relationship with Marc tonight, which is going to be very hard on her. She will probably need someone to comfort her.”
Clem smiled at Liam and said, “Well, I am certain I can handle that.”
“Yes,” Liam smiled back. “I agree. Though you’d better hurry and change. There is no way in hell your ratchet ass is going to get even a table for one at Florino’s dressed like that.” With a wink, Liam turned and walked away. Clem hit the showers and dressed in record time, slipping on a crisp white shirt underneath a black corduroy jacket with a pair of jeans. The possibilities for the evening left his body humming in anticipation.
Once he stepped outside the gym, a black limo pulled up the door, and he got in. “Dickson Street. Make it quick.”
When Clem arrived at Florino’s, Marc and Katelyn were already seated. He went straight to the bar and grabbed a stool. A mirror ran the length of the wall behind the bar and allowed Clem full view of everything in the restaurant, but he was only interested in what was going on at one particular table. He ordered a bourbon and sat back to wait for the right moment, though watching them together was excruciating. Jealous didn’t begin to describe Clem’s feelings. The fact that this other man was breathing the same air as Katelyn made him feel on the brink of insanity. Hopefully she let him down fast, and soon.
Katelyn studied her menu as if it were in another language. She peeked over at Marc, who looked up at her and smiled. She forced a smile as well and looked down again. In order to get her thoughts together before dinner, she had walked to the restaurant from her house, going over and over what she would need to say to Marc to let him down gently. Not only did she want to remain his friend, they would still have to work together as amicably as possible. With a deep breath, she folded her menu and started to speak when the waiter arrived at their table. Once they received their drinks and placed their food order, Katelyn once again tried to start in on what she needed to say, but Marc interrupted her as well.
“It’s a beautiful night. We could have eaten outside on the patio, enjoying the view of the night sky. Have I told you I have a cabin in the Ozark Mountains overlooking Eureka Springs? I rent a place here in town for now. I hate to move, so I figure I’ll just buy a house once I find the right woman and settle down.” He punctuated his statement with a smile and a wink.
Oh, Lord, help me.
Katelyn picked up her wine glass and downed the contents as he continued. “I would love to spend a weekend with you there. We can star gaze in the hot tub next to an outdoor fireplace. I’d love to cook for you. I’m sure you could use an escape from the stresses of work.” His smile reached his eyes as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.
“Oh, that does sound lovely, Marc.” Shaking her head, she continued quietly. “No, this – this is all wrong. I can’t go on like this. Marc, you are an absolutely wonderful man. It would probably be much easier to do this if you weren’t so sweet and kind, but it just makes it harder. Marc, I don’t think we should see each other anymore. You deserve someone who is worthy of your affection, and I can’t be that woman.”
Marc slowly slipped his hand away from hers. The look of disappointment on his face was plain to see. “I see.”
Katelyn stared at Marc, grappling with how to reply. As tears filled her eyes, he looked away, clenching his jaw. She focused her attention on her hands in her lap.
“I’m so sorry to hurt you, Marc. You don’t deserve this. I certainly don’t deserve your understanding. You truly are very special to me. I hope we can remain friends.“
“Well,” he started, and then cleared his throat. “I – uh…appreciate your honesty. I do care about you, and if whatever – or whoever – is causing you to change your mind about me, I hope that he – er, it – makes you happy. You are an amazing person, Katelyn, and you, too, are very deserving, much more than you think. If you’ll excuse me, I am going to have the waiter get my order to go.” He folded his napkin, and stood to leave.
As he started to walk away, he turned and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Know this, darling. You are worth fighting for. If I thought I stood a chance in hell, I’d be gearing up to battle for you.” Tilting her chin up to meet his gaze, the downfall of his expression told her he didn’t like what he saw there. Looking as though he might have more to say, he remained quiet. Dropping his hand, he turned and walked away in defeat.
Suddenly remembering that she was in the middle of a packed restaurant, Katelyn took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Clem was pulling out the chair vacated by Marc.
“Mind if I join you?” He sat without waiting for her reply.
“How nice, pretending I have a choice.” Her sarcastic response didn’t hide her pain as she had intended.
They stared at each other over the table for a few uncomfortable moments. The waiter brought Katelyn’s meal, as well as a refill for Clem. As she ate, Clem watched her, drinking occasionally.
“Are you just going to sit there and watch me eat?” Katelyn asked between mouthfuls.
Clem remained silent as he took his time finishing his drink before he set his glass down on the table.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Here as in Florino’s or here as in Fayetteville? A little birdie told me Florino’s was the place to be tonight, and you know why I’m in Fayetteville.”
A little birdie?
Liam
. Damn him. “Do I? Do I, really, know why you’re here in Fayetteville? Is it just the deal with the hospital?”
“What do you think?”
“Stop answering my questions with questions!” She noticed she had gotten a little too loud once every eye in the restaurant was on their table. “What’s with the software company anyway? How did you get to be CEO?”
Clem placed a hand over his heart and closed his eyes as he smiled in mock indignation. “Your astonishment at my success is so humbling.” He didn’t want it to seem like he was bragging. If she was going to come back to him, he hoped to God it wasn’t for his bank account. But Clem knew she could Google him and find the answer if she wanted. He decided to be upfront with her. “I come from a long line of successful businessmen, Kate. At age twenty-five I inherited a trust fund, which I have invested. The first company I went to work for after I…”, he hesitated for a moment, afraid to bring up his leaving her all those years ago. “My first employer allowed me time to design applications on the side. I got some pretty big clients and finally just went into business for myself. I designed a mobile application for tablets for McKinley Technologies when they were just a supply tracking software. They were looking to sell, so I made them an offer, bought up some other smaller companies with order entry and medical record software, threw them all together, and began offering a fully integrated software package. With all the new legislation being passed mandating electronic medical records, I knew healthcare IT was something I wanted to get in on.”
Plus, I hoped it would eventually lead me back to you.
Katelyn sat with her mouth gaping open, unable to find the words. She had no idea that his family was that well off. And he made buying up companies sound like he was grabbing a few things at the Walmart. “Well, that’s…great. I’m – I’m happy for you.” After a brief pause, she continued. “So, what are you doing here? In Fayetteville?”
He looked away for a moment. He needed to get this right. Seven long years he had waited for the perfect time, rehearsed the perfect lines that he needed to say, words that he should have said in the driveway of his frat house so long ago. She slipped through his fingers before, and he’d be damned if it was going to happen again. Was this moment the right moment? He couldn’t be too sure, deciding on a half-truth for the time being.
“Well, obviously, a sale is a sale.”
A flash of emotion crossed her face. Disappointment, maybe? For the briefest of seconds, he mentally kicked himself for sounding like an arrogant ass and considered telling her the truth, but as quickly as her expression had gotten his hopes up, it was just as quickly replaced by a wall of disconnect.
“Obviously,” she repeated, barely above a whisper. She folded her napkin over her half-finished dinner, no longer interested in her plate. “It has been nice catching up with you. If you will excuse me, I need to be getting home.”
“Wait! At least let me walk you to your car.”
“Actually, no. I – I didn’t drive here. My house is close, so I walked.”
“In the dark?!? Absolutely not. I will take you home.” He stood, removed his wallet to drop some cash on the table, and held his hand out for her to take. There was no question in his voice. This was a demand. Clem would not be refused.
Katelyn sat, staring at his hand without accepting it for what seemed like hours. She knew allowing him to drive her home was not a good idea. But she could tell that he would not be argued with. Katelyn took a deep breath and stood, pushing her chair under the table without looking at Clem. Finally, she turned and walked towards the door, still not quite sure if she would accept his offer for a ride home. With a smirk, Clem followed her out.
On the sidewalk, Katelyn stood staring out into the street. She knew if she made eye contact with Clem, she’d agree to just about anything. It had been far too long, seven years too long in fact, since she had been with a man. She wondered if he would find it flattering that she had been with no one else in the time they had been separated, or perhaps he’d just find it pathetic. In order to cope with his leaving, she had thrown herself into her career. Once she started dating again, no one came close to awakening any sort of desire in her the way Clem had. She kept things casual, her work providing the best excuse for her inability to stay in any relationship for long.
A long black limo with severely tinted windows pulled up in front of her, and Clem reached down to open the door, holding his hand up in a silent gesture for her to climb in. Her eyes widened as she looked down at the leather bench seat, up at Clem’s face, and then back down again. “You’ve got to be kidding me!?!?” Shaking her head, she turned and began a brisk walk home.
Clem stood there for a moment, dumbfounded that she would just run away without saying a word to him. Shaking his own head, he leaned in and told the driver to follow them before he slammed the car door and ran after her.
“Hey, wait up! What are you doing? I told you I would take you home.”
“You are insane if you think I’m getting in that limo with you. I don’t want to be alone with you.” Her words halted Clem in his place. Katelyn kept walking, and again Clem was jogging to reach her once more.
“Why don’t you want to be alone with me?” He knew he hadn’t masked his hurt very well.
Exasperated, Katelyn stopped and crossed her arms over her chest to fight the chill. “I have a reputation to uphold in this town. You’ve been gone for quite some time now, so you may not realize it, but there are eyes everywhere. The last thing I need is for word to get back to good ol’ boy Max Reed that I was throwing myself at the handsome software company CEO in his fancy schmancy limousine.”
Damn! I just called him handsome.
The smug look on Clem’s face was proof that he had heard her compliment, which infuriated her even more as she turned and started towards her house again. Now on her street, Katelyn was hopeful she could get away from Clem with a quick goodbye and put this night behind her with a glass of wine and a bubble bath. Clem being back in town left her so conflicted inside. Part of her wanted to pick right up where they left off. But a bigger part of her was too afraid to open herself up to him. He wasn’t going to be around forever. He would spend eighteen months in town, and then he’d be out of Arkansas again, probably jet setting off to a tropical locale with a horde of bronzed beach beauties.
In front of her house, Katelyn stopped and turned to Clem. She steeled herself against the reaction her body naturally had around Clem and swallowed once before she began. “Look, I realize we are going to have to work closely together. But I also realize that this is temporary for you. All I want from you is professional courtesy. We’ll both do our jobs and then when it’s over, you can go back to wherever you came from and I will go on with my life here.”
Just like I always do.
Clem thrust his hands into his pockets and stood there for a few moments, speechless. Her words had the potential to cut him deep, but he knew exactly what she was doing. He could see straight through her tough façade. There was no one else in her life. The very public breakup she had with Marc just an hour before was evidence of that. He could tell that she had reverted back to depending only on herself, and that she had probably been that way since he left the first time seven years ago. His heart ached a little that this beautiful woman had no one to love her because she wouldn’t allow it. Little did she know, he had all the time in the world to hang out here in Fayetteville and win her heart back.
As his driver pulled up to the curb in front of her house, he turned slightly and looked at it, and then turned back towards Katelyn and smiled. Unnerved, she stood there frozen as he walked towards her, bringing his face down until their cheeks almost met as he whispered into her ear.
“Sweetheart, I’ve got nowhere else to be.”
Brushing a soft kiss on her cheek, he turned and got into his limo. Katelyn watched it pull away from the curb, unable to move from the spot where her feet were planted. With her heart racing, a whirlwind of emotions ran through her. She had no idea what his declaration meant. Before she could slow her thoughts, her cell phone rang, bringing her out of her mental fog. As she turned toward her front door, she reached into her bag and saw it was her best friend, Janie, calling. Janie was a transplant to Arkansas from Tennessee, and her words dripped with honey, most often lessening the blow of a constant stream of sarcasm she did not attempt to hide.
“Hello, Janie.”
“Hey girl. Are you okay? How did Marc take it?”