Time To Heal

TIME TO HEAL

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Lisa B. Kamps

TIME TO HEAL

Copyright © 2015 by Elizabeth Belbot Kamps

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the express written permission of the author.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation to anyone bearing the same name or names, living or dead. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any individual, place, business, or event is purely coincidental.

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Artwork and Cover Design by Jay Aheer of Simply Defined Art

http://www.simplydefinedart.com/

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Other titles by this author

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

PLAYING THE GAME preview

ONCE BURNED preview

About the Author

Other titles by this author

For my mom, Beth Finch.

You were always there, encouraging and supporting,

letting me know that I could do whatever I wanted...

as long as I put my mind to it.

I love you, Mom!

And in memory of my dad, Paul Belbot.

For the love of reading, the encouragement to write,

the courage to be myself and follow my dreams,

everyone else be damned.

I miss you, Dad!

Other titles by this author:

THE BALTIMORE BANNERS

Crossing the Line, Book 1

Game Over, Book 2

Blue Ribbon Summer, Book 3

Body Check, Book 4

Break Away, Book 5

Playmaker, A Baltimore Banners Intermission Novella

Delay of Game, Book 6

Shoot Out, Book 7

The Baltimore Banners: 1st Period Trilogy

Books 1-3 Boxed set

The Baltimore Banners: 2nd Period Trilogy

Books 4-6 Boxed set

On Thin Ice, Book 8

Coach's Challenge, A Baltimore Banners Intermission Novella

One-Timer, Book 9

Face Off, Book 10

Game Misconduct, Book 11

Fighting To Score, Book 12

Matching Penalties, Book 13

THE YORK BOMBERS

Playing The Game, Book 1

Playing To Win, Book 2

Playing For Keeps, Book 3

Playing It Up, Book 4

Playing It Safe, Book 5

Playing For Love, Book 6

Playing His Part, Book 7

THE CHESAPEAKE BLADES

Winning Hard, Book 1

Loving Hard, Book 2

Playing Hard, Book 3

FIREHOUSE FOURTEEN

Once Burned, Book 1

Playing With Fire, Book 2

Breaking Protocol, Book 3

Into the Flames, Book 4

Second Alarm, Book 5

Feel The Burn, Book 6

Coming Soon

STAND-ALONE TITLES

Emeralds and Gold: A Treasury of Irish Short Stories (anthology)

Finding Dr. Right

Time To Heal

Dangerous Passion

Dangerous Heat

Illicit Affair

Coming Soon

Chapter One

Jake Evans stared at the unlit dashboard, a string of expletives tumbling from his mouth. His gaze went to the rearview mirror, then dashed to the road in front of him.

Not a soul in sight.

He cursed again then held his breath, turning the key in the ignition once more.

Nothing. Not even the slight groan that might signal a dying battery.

In this case, maybe a dead battery.

He leaned back in the seat and blew out a frustrated breath. The truck had been ambling along with no problem. He had pulled off to the side of the deserted road to take a leak, got back in to start it, and...

Nothing.

Dammit. He didn't bother muttering. After all, there was no one around to hear him. And really, with everything else that had happened, what did he expect?

He expected the damn thing to run when he needed it to, that was what he expected. Except the truck had more than two hundred thousand miles on it, and it was bound to die sooner or later.

He had really thought it would be later, though.

Damn piece of shit. He leaned forward and pulled the hood latch, hearing the pop of the release, then eased himself out of the truck, wincing at the pain in his left leg.

Who cared if he winced now? There wasn't anyone around to see it, nobody around to watch his every move and analyze if the pain was too much, if he was still fit for duty.

Dammit. The mutter encompassed everything he felt at the moment, summing it up much better than any doctor or shrink could. Good thing none of those doctors or shrinks were around now, he thought. They'd be watching, waiting to see how he would handle this situation.

And how the fuck was he supposed to handle it? His truck had just died, literally in the middle of nowhere. Not like there was much he could do to handle it.

He eased his way over to the front of the truck and reached down to release the lever, then popped the hood and propped it open. Yup, there was the engine, looking exactly as it should. He reached in and jiggled some wires around, checking the connections on the battery, looking at the alternator, and examining everything else he could think of. He made his way back to the driver's side and leaned in to turn the key, waiting...

And still nothing.

Dammit all to hell.

He wanted to scream, to hurl obscenities into the dry heat around him, to throw something or hit something or...he took a deep breath and refused to give in to the temptation. He would not show emotion. The last few months had shown him that emotion led to questions. Questions led to memories—memories he had no desire to relive.

Jake stood beside the old truck, his brow creased in thoughtful concern. Up until this exact moment, the thing had been steady and reliable. He refused to believe that it had just died for no apparent reason.

He reached behind the driver's seat and yanked out the toolbox he always carried, then moved to the engine once more. An hour later, his hands were covered in grease, his shirt was soaked with sweat, and the ache in his leg was more pronounced. He muttered to himself again—a relatively new habit that would have concerned him if not for the situation—then moved back to the cab of the truck and reached in.

He held his breath and turned the key, waiting.

And still nothing.

Jake blew out his breath then leaned his forehead against the door frame, ignoring the scorch of the metal against his heated skin. There was nothing else he could do.

The truck had died, and he was stranded.

In the middle of nowhere.

He sucked in several deep breaths then pushed away from the truck. Trying to clear his mind, he methodically packed up his tools and placed the box back behind the seat. He grabbed a rag and wiped his hands clean as best he could, then took another deep breath and looked around him.

There was nothing to be seen except dry, arid land. He was, literally, stuck in the middle of nowhere.

But it wasn't like he hadn't been stuck in worse places. No, compared to some of the places he'd been, this was a damned five-star resort.

Even better, because nobody was shooting at him.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pushing the memories away before they had a chance to creep up on him. He had been through worse, had seen much worse. This was a vacation compared to all that.

Jake took several more breaths, then opened his eyes again and looked around. Yes, he was in the middle of nowhere. But he could handle this.

That's what he did.

He climbed into the cab of the truck and leaned across the seat, pulling his duffle bag closer to him so he could rummage through it. He had plenty of water. Snack bars. A cell phone.

Yeah, there was no reception. At least not here. But that could change. He pressed the power button to turn it off and save the battery, then tossed it on the dashboard. He sat back in the seat, thinking.

He was in the middle of nowhere, but that didn't mean nobody would come along. He'd give it an hour or two, rest his leg and wait until the worst of the heat let up. Then he'd start walking.

It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to walk through the desert. And unless the doctors pushed it, he doubted it would be the last.

**

Alyce edged the volume up a bit louder as her foot pressed down on the accelerator just a bit more. She was skirting the edge of danger, creeping over the speed limit, but she didn't care. The sun was falling below the horizon and night was chasing the day away in front of her very eyes. Well, technically behind her. But if she looked in the rearview mirror, then it was in front of her eyes. It didn't really matter, because it was twilight, her favorite time of day, and she was helpless to fight the urge to be just a little dangerous.

And why shouldn't she be, if that was what she wanted? She was old enough to make her own decisions, old enough to live her own life. After all, wasn't that the point of this whole trip? To prove, for once and for all, that she really could handle life on her own?

She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, roughly keeping time to the beat of the music as the warm, dry wind blew into her open car window and pulled at her hair. If she hadn't been driving, she'd close her eyes and just let the music and wind sweep her away.

But she was driving, and closing her eyes would be irresponsible. Never mind that there was nobody else on the road, that the only vehicle she had seen had been that old abandoned pick-up several hours ago. She was on an adventure, but that didn't mean she could be completely irresponsible.

Adventure. She said the word out loud, smiling at the sound even though the music and wind drowned her own voice. Yes, this really was an adventure. A cross-country adventure. Time to test her wings to see if she could fly.

Alyce liked that analogy. Her smile broadened as she stuck her arm out the window and let it float in the wind as her car sped down the highway. Contentment settled over her and she eased deeper into the driver's seat, finally feeling a little taste of the freedom she had been searching for in the past several hundred miles.

And she was determined to keep that feeling, from here on out. She was a new person, her own person. At first, this adventure had been about proving something to her father. But now, suddenly, she realized she had to prove it to herself. If she couldn't...well, then, how could she expect anyone else to take her seriously?

Her smile faltered for a brief second, but she shook her head. No, she wasn't going to back down. She had to make her point—for her father, and to herself. If she didn't succeed...well, maybe she wouldn't, but she had to try.

Alyce shook her head. She had to stop thinking like that. She would succeed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She would succeed, she told herself. She had to.

She opened her eyes, then blinked in surprise as her foot automatically moved from the accelerator to the brake. Rubber squealed against hot asphalt as her foot pressed down harder. For a brief second she had a terrifying vision of a sudden impact and broken flesh.

Her little car finally stopped. Alyce closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the steering wheel, waiting for her heart to drop out of her throat and settle back in her chest. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, blinking several times as she peered through her windshield.

No, she hadn't imagined the man walking along the shoulder of the highway. But she had overreacted, slamming on her brakes the way she had. There had been no danger of hitting him, not as far off to the side as he was.

But there had been a brief second where she had thought...

Well, she wasn't sure what she thought exactly. For some reason, she must have been afraid she'd hit him with her car. But that made no sense. And all she had succeeded in doing was startling herself. And him, if the way he was looking back at her was any indication.

She watched him through the windshield of her car. The man just stood there, turned toward her, watching her. Alyce took a deep breath and placed the palm of her hand flat against her chest, trying to calm the fast beating of her heart. His eyes were shielded by dark glasses, and he was too far away for her to really tell, but she swore she hadn't just imagined a jolt of awareness when their eyes met.

If their eyes had even met...

Stop being silly, she muttered. She gave her head a brief shake and took her foot off the brake, easing it down on the gas pedal until she pulled even with him. This man was obviously the owner of the abandoned pick-up she had seen. Or maybe not abandoned. Probably broke down. Why else would anybody be walking along the highway out here?

Alyce put the car in park and leaned across the passenger seat. If his truck had broken down, he obviously needed help. It would be wrong if she didn't at least offer him a ride to...well, somewhere.

Her father's voice boomed in the back of her mind, warning her about making assumptions. She pushed the voice away, determined to ignore it. Wasn't that one of the reasons she had decided to set out on this adventure?

Hi. Was that your truck back there? Did you need a ride or anything?

The man stared at her for several long minutes, and she began to wonder if maybe she hadn't made a mistake. Maybe this was one time she should have listened to her father's voice. But the man finally took a step toward the car, close enough that he could lean down and look in, but still far enough away that Alyce could hit the gas and take off if he proved to be dangerous.

At least, she hoped she could.

But she didn't sense any danger from him. Loneliness and wariness, yes. Maybe something a little darker beneath the surface. Not darker as in dangerous, but darker as in...broken, maybe. Or lost. But no danger.

That was something else her father was always warning her about—her so-called senses. Well, he could laugh all he wanted. She had always been able to get a sense of the people she met, and she had never been wrong before. Well, mostly never wrong.

I appreciate the offer ma'am, but hasn't anyone ever told you that it's dangerous to pick up strangers?

Alyce laughed, the sudden sound catching her off-guard. But there was no expression on the man's face, not even a twitch of his full lips. Alyce let the laughter fade away as she watched him.

You sound just like my father! She meant for the words to be light-hearted and teasing, but still there was no reaction from the man. Alyce sighed and shook her head. You're military.

It was a statement, not a question. She thought she saw a flicker of surprise cross his face, but she couldn't be sure. No, he didn't look military, not with his worn jeans and damp faded t-shirt shirt. Even his dark hair was a bit too long to be strictly regulation. But Alyce knew military, and there was no doubt in her mind that this man was military. Not recently discharged, either. No, despite his clothes and haircut, she was certain he was active duty. On leave, maybe, but still serving.

There was no way she was going to let an active-duty service member walk alone out here in the middle of nowhere, not when she was more than capable of giving him a ride. She reached down and pulled the trunk release, then climbed out of the car and walked to the back. The man had straightened but otherwise hadn't moved, and she could feel his eyes watching her as she opened the trunk lid and waved her hand at him.

You can throw your bag in here and I'll give you a ride to...um, well, the next town, at least, I guess.

He still didn't move. In fact, his stillness was beginning to unnerve her. But she wasn't going to back down, not when she was certain he needed her help. Yes, he definitely needed at least a ride. But she couldn't shake the feeling that he also needed something...more.

Again she heard her father's voice in the back of her mind, accusing her of picking up another stray, warning her that she was wasting her time—and her life—with all of her stray projects. And again she pushed the voice away. The man in front of her was not a stray, and he certainly wasn't one of her projects. She was offering him a ride, nothing more.

That is, she was trying to offer him a ride. It would be much easier if he would at least move and put his bag in the trunk. She watched him for a long second, then blew out a fast breath and stepped toward him, intending to take the bag from him herself. He must have sensed what she was going to do because he suddenly moved, faster than she had expected because one second he was standing several feet away, and the next he was right in front of her.

She blinked in astonishment at the silent grace and speed with which he moved. She was even more surprised because she could have sworn he