Claim Me Hard (Bridgewater County 2)

It wasn’t until we were driving back into town that I got her to spill. “What’s this mysterious meeting you’re heading to this morning?”

When I looked over I saw that she was blushing and biting her lip. Now, I was really curious.

“It might not pan out…”

I kept quiet hoping she’d confide in me. Sure enough, a few seconds later she turned toward me, one knee on the seat, her face lit up with excitement. “Jessie told me that Dr. Murphy is retiring soon. Seems he’s looking for someone to replace him.”

As the full meaning of that clicked, it took every ounce of willpower not to pull my SUV over to the side of the road and kiss her senseless. Hope shot through me. Doc Murphy had delivered me.

Cole, too. Hell, pretty much anyone born since 1975 in the county. He’d been wanting to retire for a few years now, at least his wife had been. She must have finally put her foot down, and the other husband in their trio had probably taken her side, wanting to move to Arizona to be near their children and grandchildren.

I wasn’t too keen on seeing the old doctor leave, but if that meant Hannah would stay…

“So does this mean you’re seriously considering staying in Bridgewater?”

She looked down at her hands and then back to me. “I’m thinking about it. I mean, I can’t commit to anything yet, not until I figure out this situation with Brad and my career possibilities, but doctors are needed everywhere. Even Bridgewater.”

I grinned over at her. All I heard was a bunch of excuses to delay the inevitable. “But you’re telling me you’d like to stay here with us?”

She shrugged and fidgeted in her seat. Bit her lip. “If you and Cole still want me.” Her voice was soft, as if she worried the answer would be no.

“There’s no doubt in our minds, sweetheart. You’re the one for us, we’re just waiting for you to finally see that.”

She didn’t respond and I didn’t push her. The fact that she was going to talk to the Doc Murphy about potentially taking over his practice was a good sign. She was meant to be ours, we just had to have a little more patience.

***

HANNAH

My talk with Dr. Murphy went better than I could ever have expected. I bit the bullet and explained my situation—not a topic I wanted to repeat but once I got started I found it was easier to talk now that my secrets were out in the open. As the only doctor in town, I was sure he’d heard it all in his long service. My escape from Brad was probably nothing in comparison to some of the things he’d seen. While I’d done my fair share of emergency medicine and felt I had a level head, this man’s heart rate probably didn’t rise during a harrowing situation.

I got the feeling he was retiring more for his wife than himself—he’d probably rather die on a house call than on a golf course in Arizona, but I discovered she, and her other husband, were ready to move on. Yes, he had a marriage with two husbands and one wife. They were everywhere!

He loved the idea of me taking on some of his patients at his clinic to start. I’d learn the ropes, he’d slowly cut back his hours and the people of Bridgewater would get used to me, although I was infamous in the area after the whole field trach thing. We spent an hour sipping coffee—Jessie came by on occasion to wipe down the clean table next to us, blatantly eavesdropping—and talking about the possibility of me taking over completely before the holidays. They wanted to be settled and have the grandkids in their new house in Arizona for Christmas.

It all sounded so perfect. Almost…meant to be. Except that Brad was still out there.

I was grinning like an idiot all during my lunch shift. Amazing how my perspective on everything shifted after telling Declan and Cole the truth. Maybe I should have told them about Brad and my current situation right from the start. But I hadn’t known them then. Trust hadn’t come easily. For the first time, I wasn’t alone in this mess. I had people looking out for me and men in my life who I could trust. Who would protect me, not beat me. I couldn’t miss the way Jessie kept a close eye on me, the way everyone in the diner looked up when the bell on the door jingled. Everyone was on alert.

Declan and Cole were picking me up for a late dinner after my shift and I couldn’t wait to tell them about my conversation with Dr. Murphy. I looked at the large clock on the diner’s wall. I had just enough time to run upstairs to my apartment and change out of my uniform before they showed up. I told Jessie where I was headed and that I’d be right back.

Thick clouds had rolled in, a summer thunderstorm. The sun was blocked and it was dark early. The wind kicked up, swirling my hair into my face. That must have been why I didn’t see him—not at first. I was halfway up the stairs when I heard his voice—that voice—below me. “Hannah.”

My stomach sank at the sound of my name. I stilled, my hand on the railing. My blood ran cold and my muscles tensed. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t really be here. Not now, when my life was finally starting to come together. Not the first time I hadn’t been looking over my shoulder. I’d been so stupid to let my guard down, even for a minute.

Turning slowly, I finally saw him. He stepped out of the shadows and I could see the anger etched into his features. The tension in his body as he slowly climbed the stairs toward me. I couldn’t get away. I was too far up the stairwell to jump and his large, looming body blocked my only path of escape.

CHAPTER TWELVE

HANNAH

“Brad, what are you doing here?” The question was stupid, because I knew he was here for me.

“You’ve been a bad girl, Hannah.” The look in his eyes was crazy, unstable. He’d been angry before, but not like this. Veins in his neck stood out, one even pulsed in his temple. He wasn’t wearing his uniform now, only a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was still military short, his face clean shaven, nothing to hide his roiling emotions. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find you? Stupid girl, using your first and middle name. You wanted me to find you, didn’t you? You wanted me to chase after you.”

I’d never seen him so unhinged. While I’d been afraid he’d hurt me in the past, now I was afraid for my life. He’d come over a thousand miles for me. It had only been yesterday morning when the paper came out. He must have found me online, then got on the first plane. He hadn’t waited. No, he’d been waiting for weeks for me to mess up. And now he was here.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. If I screamed would anyone in the diner hear? My feet were stuck as panic made my brain unable to function. Why could I cut a hole in a man’s throat without blinking an eye, but completely freak when I was in danger? Should I run upstairs and lock the door or try to call for help? No, he’d follow me in and I’d be worse off alone with him in my apartment.