Page 109 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch
They left the foyer and Jared gestured toward the great room, wincing slightly. “Just help me to the chair.”
His favorite leather armchair faced the back window, where he had a view of the vast amount of land he called his backyard. His home was modern in most respects, but this room with throw rugs over hardwood flooring and a massive flat-screen television was more lived in, a place he could unwind and not worry about disrupting the fine order of things.
With Cooper still supporting him, Jared slowly lowered himself into the chair. He felt a sharp jolt in his chest and it took a good few seconds before the ache subsided. “I’m...okay,” he said breathlessly.
Cooper’s lips pulled down in a stern expression.
“You look like Dad when you do that,” Jared whispered.
“And you look like a man who’s...in pain.”
“Good observation. Sit a minute, will you?”
Cooper took a seat on a matching leather sofa facing him.
“Tell me about the woman.” The angel, whose voice calmed him, whose touch gave him solace when he might’ve panicked. The angel who’d risked her life to save his.
Cooper immediately knew what he was asking. “The nurses told me her name is Bella Reid. She was driving on the interstate with her friend and saw the car catch on fire. Her friend called 9-1-1 and Bella rushed over to get you out of the car before...” Cooper let out a noisy breath. “You know.”
Jared gave a tiny nod. He was aware of his limitations right now, what he could and couldn’t do. Mostly, he couldn’t do anything, but a nod he could manage. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“Are you having nightmares?”
Jared blinked. “No. I can’t remember anything about the crash. Or after, really. Except that Bella was there, holding my hand, saying all the right things to keep me calm. I need to thank her properly. See how she’s doing.”
“She slipped out of the hospital after I showed up, Jared. I didn’t get her number. I have no way to find her. Maybe you should let it go.”
“No,” he said forcefully enough for Cooper’s eyes to snap up to meet his. “I need to see her, Coop. My God, that woman saved my life. I need to talk to her. Just once. I can’t let it go.”
“What do you want me to do, ask the sheriff to give me private information. Or how about I hire a detective?”
Jared’s lips quirked up. “Nothing that drastic. You have a wife. And she’s a nurse. And if she happened to see Bella Reid’s medical chart...”
“I can’t ask Lauren to do that.”
“You don’t have to. I will. She owes me a favor.”
“Paul, what am I going to do?” Bella mumbled under her breath, staring at the phone in her hand. She’d just hung up with the Beaumont Club. They’d needed a chef and she’d been a day late and a dollar short. They’d just called to inform her the job she hadn’t even had a chance to interview for had been filled.
Whenever she needed guidance, she’d talk to her husband. If anyone heard her, they would understand. She was a widow with a beautiful child to raise, a woman whose heart was broken the day that helicopter crashed, and she liked to think that Paul was listening to her. That he would somehow see how hard she was trying.
Her dream of working as a chef in some capacity was slowly fading.
Yesterday she’d seen an ad online for a dental receptionist. Maybe she should apply for that. The salary wouldn’t buy her a house, or rent her an apartment, but it would allow her some financial independence.
Her shoulders sagging, she walked in to check on Sienna. Her baby was napping peacefully, her little olive-skinned cheeks rosy at the moment. Bella was ready to slide in next to her child on the tiny bed and try to catch a nap.
If only.
She was still debating that, watching Sienna’s chest rise and fall rhythmically, when someone buzzed from the lobby. She pushed the button before it buzzed twice. “Yes?”
“It’s Cooper Stone. I’d like to speak to Bella Reid.”
“This is Bella.”
“May I come up to see you?”
Bella leaned her shoulder against the door. “What is it? Is everything all right with your brother?”
