Rachel Brimble - A Man Like Him

He rubbed his hand down her arm. “I’m okay. Does Mum know?”

She nodded. “She’s okay. I told her I was coming down here and I’d get you to phone her straight away.” She pulled her cell from her pocket. “Here.”

Chris waved it away. “Not yet. I still need a bit of time.”

Cat’s determined stare locked on his. “She’s okay, Chris. This isn’t going to set her back.”

His gut knotted. It was no wonder Cat was a cop. She read minds like a damn psychic.

“I know.” Chris closed his eyes and pushed his hand into his hair. “I’ll go and see her as soon as we leave here. It’ll be better for her if she sees me alive and kicking rather than talking to her over the phone.”

Cat’s eyes softened. “Good.”

Chris looked around the hall. People sat on the floor, chatting and hugging other survivors. Others walked around looking dazed and unsure what to do next. He turned to Cat and planted his hands on his hips. “So, what happens now? Do you need any help? Volunteers?”

She blew out a breath and followed his gaze around the hall. “Not yet. This is a matter for the police and the authorities for the time being. Until the big cleanup starts in the next few days, of course. Then it will be all hands on deck. I’m sure the holiday park could use your help when the time comes. We have to wait for the water to recede and then make sure it’s safe for the public to go back in there.”

Chris moved his hand to the back of his neck, the muscles strained. “Right. Okay, well, in the meantime, do you have a spare bed at your place?”

She smiled. “It’s where I wanted you in the first place.”

Guilt that he’d rejected her offer in favor of being alone niggled at his conscience. He grimaced. “In hindsight, it might have been worthwhile to do that.”

She shook her head, her gaze lighting with pride. “Nope. I think God put you exactly where you needed to be, don’t you?”

He raised an eyebrow. “In the middle of a flood? Gee, thanks.”

Cat laughed and punched him playfully on the arm. She looked at Jay. “Can you believe him?”

Jay grinned. “She’s right, you know, Chris. It’s pretty clear why you were at that park.”

Angela Taylor leaped to mind and he turned away from their gazes to look across the hall. “Hmm, maybe.”

Jay laughed. “Good God, man. You’re so damn modest, it’s kind of sickening.”

Chris looked from him to Cat. “What?”

“The people you saved, you idiot.” Cat smiled. “If you hadn’t been at that park, I’ll wager the death count would be higher than it is now. You’re a local hero, my big brother.”

Chris exhaled and pushed his hand into his hair. “Yeah, well. That’s not the way I see it.” He turned toward the table set up with tea and coffee. “Anyone else use a cup of coffee before heading out of here?”

Cat turned to Jay. “I really need to stay for a while. It will be good for people to see me here. I want to try to reassure as many families as possible that the police are doing all they can to reunite loved ones.”

Jay pressed a kiss to her temple. “Sure. You go to talk to some people. I’ll keep Chris company.”

Cat lifted onto her toes and kissed him before throwing a sympathetic smile at Chris and moving toward the crowds of people waiting in line for food and water. Chris smiled when Jay patted Cat’s backside before she was out of arm’s reach. She threw Jay a glare over her shoulder, but her cheeks flushed pink with pleasure.

“She’ll kill you for that later.” Chris laughed.

Jay grinned. “I have to show her who’s boss somehow.” He threw his arm around Chris’s shoulders. “Come on. Let’s grab that coffee and you can tell me all about your heroics.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “That’s not what it felt like when we were up on that roof.”

“Well, you’d better get used to it. It’s taken us over an hour to find you among all these people. Cat was flashing your photo around like a madwoman. Anyone who looked at the picture recognized you as ‘the guy who helped my daughter’ or ‘the guy that ripped off the roof.’ Don’t try to go all modest on me, my friend, because I ain’t buying it.”

Jay walked ahead and Chris followed, waiting for a sense of pride to drift over him. Something to tell him he’d done all he could. Nothing came but a profound sense of sadness. Sadness for the lives lost, for the countless number of people who’d go home with nothing of what they came with to Templeton. This was just the beginning. Lives would have to be rebuilt and loved ones mourned.

Swallowing hard, he pulled back his shoulders. Tomorrow was another day and Chris vowed to just be grateful he had somewhere to stay with Cat and Jay. He wasn’t ready to go home. The need to stay in the Cove awhile longer and lick his wounds after Melinda’s betrayal still lingered. He had zero intention of returning to normal life until they were healed and no amount of salt could filter them.

He scanned the crowd. Angela was still nowhere to be seen.

CHAPTER FIVE

THE SMELL OF bacon and fresh coffee drifted under the bedroom door. Tired and hungry, Chris inhaled. He’d been awake for over an hour, unable to drag his aching body from the comfort of his sister’s spare bed. If he didn’t move soon, he’d seize up completely. He’d worked every damn muscle yesterday.

Pain shot across his shoulder blades and Chris grimaced. He clearly wasn’t in as good of shape as he liked to think. Then again, swimming back and forth, hauling food and drink and helping hundreds of people into a hovering helicopter wasn’t your run-of-the-mill workout. With a curse, he heaved upright. His legs muscles screamed in protest as he swung them out of bed. He planted his feet on the hardwood floor. Damn, even his toes hurt.

He stared at his jeans hung on the back of a chair in the corner. His T-shirt had been washed and ironed and was now folded atop the chest of drawers, his boxers and socks beside it. Had Cat crept in his room in the night and put them there? He stared down at his naked body. God, the woman didn’t care. Get Things Done. That was his sister’s motto. To hell with the consequences...or whether someone was naked or dressed.

Trouble was, the consequences always turned out to be what was needed at the time and her instincts were spot-on. Unlike his. Everything he touched got messed up.

Standing, Chris ignored the crick and pop of his tired bones and hobbled toward his clothes. He’d managed to navigate his legs into his boxers and cover his manhood just as the bedroom door flung open on its hinges.

“Jesus, Cat.” He scowled. “Can’t a man have some privacy?”

She waved a newspaper in front of his face, clearly not bothered by his state of semidress.

“Look at this.” She held the paper out in front of her and wiggled her eyebrows. A smile curved her lips. “And explain.”

“What?” Shooting her a glare, he snatched the paper from her fingers.

He stared at the double-page spread reporting the flood. Or should he say the double-page spread of him and Angela, seemingly side by side for the entire duration of the ordeal. His stomach tightened. This was what she’d been talking about. This was the anticipated situation that filled her chocolate-brown eyes with tears and turned her olive skin gray.

“Well?” Cat’s voice cut through his reverie. He met her expectant gaze and inwardly groaned. His sister’s eyes were lit up like they had damn fairy lights behind them, and her grin was as wide as her face.

He shoved the paper at her. “It’s nothing like that.”

She laughed. “Nothing like what? Look at your face. Woo-hoo. You like this woman big-time.”

Spinning away from her, Chris headed into the bathroom. “I don’t like her. I don’t even know her.”