Healing Hope (Helping Hands, Healing Hearts Book 3) Read online

  Was she serious? He thought she was. There was no hesitation in the story, and her eyes were direct. She wasn’t telling him to show off or anything. “Damn. I hope you found decent medical care.”

  Jess nodded. “I did. They’d just opened a new trauma center in Madeira.”

  “How did you happen to be in Spain?”

  She shrugged her bare shoulders. “A friend invited me over. And we were already hiking through Europe anyway, so…”

  Paul stared at her, wondering at the life she’d led. “Where are you from?”

  Jess grinned. “Well, I was born in Germany on an air base, but I’ve lived, literally, all over the world. My father was a colonel in the Air Force, my mother a homemaker.”

  “What an incredible childhood,” he said.

  Jess shrugged, dropping her gaze to her lap. “It had its good points and bad points. It was hard settling into one place, making friends, then having to relocate when he was assigned a new project base. I was determined to keep my friends when we left, though, so I kept in touch with everyone. And I still do to this day. It’s much easier now with social media.”

  “What’s that?” Hope asked.

  Jess turned to her with a smile. “It’s a way people keep in touch on computers and phones.”

  Hope’s nose scrunched up as she considered that. “Aren’t you already in touch if you’re on your phone?”

  Jess laughed, nodding her head. “Yes, you’re right about that, dear. Is Sophie okay?”

  Hope nodded. “Her eyes are half closed. I think she’s going to take another nap.”

  “Well, that’s good. It means she’s healing.”

  Hope nodded and looked at Paul. “Do you need another nap, Daddy?”

  Paul’s throat tightened at the concern in his daughter’s voice. For so long, he had worried about building a connection with her. If he had to go through a little pain to show her how much he cared, he would do it over and over again. “I’m okay for now, sprite. I have a feeling I need to return some calls.”

  Jess gave him a chagrined look. “Your phone is on the charger on the island, and it’s been ringing a good bit. If you want to look at it, I’ll bring you a plate of something easy to eat.”

  “Okay. Thank you, Jess.”

  When she stood to head toward the kitchen, he reached out his prosthetic hand to her. She took it automatically, and didn’t seem to mind it wasn’t his real hand. “I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you did for us last night and today. If you hadn’t been here, we would be in a very different position right now. None of us would be as good off as we are. Yeah, we’re a little dinged up, but we’ll be okay in a few days.”

  Incredibly, tears came to her eyes and she nodded. Without saying a word, she released his hand and walked into the house. Paul sat there for a long minute, wondering how on earth she’d made such a big impact on their lives.

  “I really like Jess, Daddy,” Hope whispered.

  Paul looked at his daughter, really looked at her, and he could see the change in her demeanor. It was obvious. For months she’d been moping around, barely saying anything at all, barely eating, not connecting. But that had all changed. Granted, it had started with Erin and that damned little foster dog, but Hope had continued to bloom. In the past week, since Jess had been here, he’d seen a massive difference in Hope’s behavior. Or maybe it was her self-confidence. Now she was stating her preferences, when she hadn’t before, and fighting for her space, and fighting for those she loved. Hell, she was talking.

  He looked down into his daughter’s eyes, so like his own, and grinned at her. “I really like Jess, too, sprite.”

  Jess had to go to her bedroom as soon as she entered the house to get herself under control. Maybe it was just a delayed reaction to what had happened last night or something, but her emotions were sharp today. And Paul’s words had pierced her heart. It was nice being needed, and of course she knew she’d helped last night. But he’d made it sound like she’d done more.

  When she moved into a house with a family, she did what she needed to do without becoming overly attached. Yes, she went out of her way to be friendly and helpful, but emotionally she kept her distance, because she knew she would head down the road sooner rather than later. She fulfilled every need the family had, and had always walked away.

  This time, though, something was different. Hope was a darling, and Jess wanted to make sure that she was secure emotionally before she left. Even though Jess was temporary help, she knew Hope looked at her as more. And that worried her. When Jess left the home, she wanted the family to be solid. She didn’t want to undermine the foundation.

  They needed to find a regular nanny. And soon.

  Paul was also tugging on her heartstrings. The man was solid and stalwart, so much like his daughter, but he needed something too. She could see it in his eyes. This was a hard time for them both and she could see the father and daughter relationship changing before her eyes. They were connecting and growing.

  And on a more basic level, Hope was making her feel something she hadn’t felt in a long time. The urge to nurture. The little girl had taken blow after blow, but still managed to get up and care about others. If something bad had happened to Sophie, it was hard to tell what it would have done to the girl. No, Jess knew what would have happened. It would have broken the little girl into pieces all over again.

  Jess was invested in Hope’s heart. She had a feeling she’d only heard a portion of the girl’s history, which made her even more impressed that Hope could open up and let in love again.

  Paul was there for her, though. Anything that little girl needed, her daddy would get it for her.

  And he’d been a beast in that bedroom, fighting for his daughter. Yes, he was former military, but he’d definitely settled into the corporate manager type persona. La Jolla Rehabilitation Center was a huge operation, and she was sure he had a board he had to account to and other doctors he had to coordinate with, to say nothing of the military and all the families of the wounded.

  The administrator of a hospital was a prestigious position.

  But he’d shown last night that he could still throw down like a true military grunt. She wasn’t even sure what branch he’d been in… and now that she thought about it, there was nothing in the house she’d seen that showed what branch he’d been in. Most guys loved crowing about their service.

  For a moment, though, he’d whaled on that guy like he was going to pound him into next week. And it had been impressive. Now that she thought back, she’d seen a vitality to his face, like he was enjoying kicking the crap out of that guy. And maybe he had been. Maybe since he’d been injured he hadn’t had the chance to do that. Just open up and let all the emotion and anger and wildness go.

  Crossing to the bathroom, she ran the tap and splashed some cold water on her face. When Paul had walked out of the house in the old t-shirt and sleep pants, his dark hair rumpled, his beard mussed, something in her heart had contracted. Jess had to make herself sit in the chair and wait for him to cross the patio to her. Otherwise she would have jumped up and gone to him to make sure he was okay. Throughout the night and morning she’d gotten up every two hours to go check on him, and she really hadn’t minded.

  She was losing her objectivity.

  Granted, things weren’t normal in this house or with these people, so her reactions could be expected to be blown up, but seriously.

  Looking into her own eyes in the mirror, she could see the tiredness in them, and the unsureness. She didn’t like seeing that look there. It wasn’t her.

  12

  “What do you mean, you can’t find him?” Paul growled. “The guy is almost six and a half feet tall, and he’s probably sporting some color on his face from where I punched him repeatedly.”

  He hoped the guy did, anyway. If he hadn’t even given him a black eye, he’d have to turn in his man card, or something.

  Detective Hall sighed. “It’s not as easy to find
someone as you think. I know your family was traumatized, but unless he commits another crime and the cop that arrests him is sharp enough to connect him to the BOLO I put out, we may not ever find him again. I’ve gone through all the surveillance in the area I could find. I’m sorry, Mr. Jameson, but that’s what happens in police work. And we called the number for your ex’s family, but the number is disconnected. There’s nowhere else to take this case.”

  Paul wanted to yell in frustration. “So, he gets away with trying to kidnap my daughter. And assaulting me.”

  Hall sighed again, and Paul knew it was not the other man’s fault, but it was a bitter pill to swallow.

  “Until he gets caught in the commission of another crime, yes. I’m sorry. I’ll call you if I learn anything.”

  And he hung up.

  Paul could have yelled he was so angry, but that wouldn’t do anything other than scare the girls.

  If this actually was the guy that Tara had been waiting for to get out of prison, there should be some kind of record. There was also a box of her old shit in the garage. Maybe he needed to go through it looking for names. The guy was supposed to have been locked up for like, ten years, or something. Was this a completely different guy?

  Maybe Hope would remember.

  Paul caught up with a few messages from Petrilli and Jane, as well as one of his doctors that had a problem with Petrilli and Jane, then sat in his chair for a moment, staring out the window.

  The California sun was sinking in the sky, and the day felt surreal. Like he’d been in a time warp or something. He wished he could time warp back to two nights ago. Things would have been different.

  Paul looked down at his bruised hand. He wasn’t normally one for recriminations, but this one was a special circumstance. His daughter had almost been kidnapped.

  For that minute, he gave himself permission to be angry.

  It also made him angry that he had to be so vulnerable in front of Jess. That thought drew him up short. Why was he feeling vulnerable in front of her? Because she was competent and hadn’t been hurt? Or because she now had to take care of him, because he was hurt. Or because she was a beautiful woman and it was infuriating to appear to be less than a man.

  She was beguiling. And he thought about her way too much. Even last night, when he’d been restless with pain, he’d thought about what she’d said the day before, about going to bed with him. In the midst of that pain, he’d had to deal with an erection he couldn’t do anything about.

  What a fucking nightmare.

  Deliberately, he moved his hand, straightening his fingers, then making a fist. It wasn’t comfortable, but he could do it. In another day, he’d be fine.

  Then he might follow up with what Jess said. If she’d been serious…

  Jess watched Paul struggle that day, and it made her so appreciative of her health and ability to move. It was something she took for granted.

  Paul was too stubborn to ask for help, but she could tell he appreciated the plate of crackers, cheese and meat that she put before him on the desk while he talked on the phone. And the glass of ice water.

  He gave her a crooked smile and a nod, and she walked back to the kitchen. Hope was eating grapes at the table. “Is he done yet?”

  Jess smiled. “Not yet. I think he will be soon, though. Are you doing okay?”

  Hope nodded. “I’m fine. I’m mad, though.”

  “I don’t blame you for that. What makes you the most mad?”

  “Because he hurt my daddy.”

  Jess looked at Hope, and the mulish expression on her face. For some reason she thought Hope would say because Sophie had been hurt. It surprised her, and pleased her, that she valued her father even over the dog. That would also make Paul happy.

  “Yes, he did. But your daddy hurt him, too, though, so I don’t think he’ll come back.”

  Hope looked down at her hands in her lap. She played a grape through her fingers, obviously thinking. “But what if he does, Ms. Jess?” Her bright blue-grey eyes lifted to Jess. “What if there’s a reason…”

  Did the child know something? If it was a man that she’d known, why would he be coming for Hope? “You know, I wouldn’t be mad, and I don’t think your dad would be mad, if there’s something you thought you needed to tell us. I know you think it’s this guy, Viktor. Right? Why would Viktor be looking for you?”

  Tears filled Hope’s eyes, but she looked away, out the window, and she shrugged.

  “Hope, look at me.”

  The little girl turned to her, slowly.

  “You know you can trust me. Have I done anything to make you not trust me?”

  Hope shook her head. “You’re not going to be here, though. You’re gonna leave soon.”

  Jess’s heart ached for the little girl. She’d been strong for a long time, and now she was searching for stability. And she didn’t want to put her trust in someone that was just going to leave in a week or two. Jess could understand that.

  “Let me tell you something, baby. Actually, let me show you something.”

  Jess grabbed her cell-phone and started swiping through screens. “See this?”

  She showed Hope a list of names in her contacts. “These are the kids I’ve helped over the past couple of years. We still text and call each other, and if I’m in the area, I stop and see them. Or they come see me.”

  She paged to a text screen. “This is Dawn. She’s a little older than you. I told her about you and sent her a picture, and she thinks you’re a beautiful girl. She lives up North, a bit, but she’s coming for a visit to see her grandmother next week, and we’re making plans to see each other. Just because I’m not physically in your house it doesn’t mean we’ll lose contact.”

  Hope seemed to digest that. “Do you have a picture of her?”

  “Of course.” Jess flipped through the phone until she came to a picture of a young girl with thick, black curly hair and brown eyes. The huge smile on her face showed exactly how happy she was as a tall African American man held her on his big shoulders. A woman, smiling almost exactly the same as the little girl, leaned into the man’s arm.

  “They look very happy.”

  “Yes, they are there. Her father was deployed for a long time and her mother was having some health issues. So, I was hired to go in and help out for a few weeks.”

  Hope nodded, still looking down. “But you left.”

  “Well,” Jess said slowly. “The father came back and they didn’t need me then.”

  “But what if I need you longer,” she asked, just above a whisper. “That girl has a mommy and a daddy.”

  Jess sighed, wondering what she’d done to be given the care of this little girl’s heart. “I will stay as long as you and your daddy need me to, Hope.” Reaching forward, she drew Hope into her arms. The child crawled up her like a spider monkey and latched her arms around Jess’s neck, and Jess rubbed her back in calming circles.

  They stayed like that until Paul walked into the kitchen. He paused at the doorway, and Jess met his eyes. She had a feeling he’d heard every word, which was probably a good thing. He could start thinking about what he’d need to do for Hope when Jess left.

  There was a curious burning in her gut. Or maybe it was her heart. As she stroked her hand down Hope’s narrow back, she worried this job would not end easily.

  Paul settled into the chair Hope had been in, and reached out to stroke her back as Jess held her. Jess’s breath stalled in her lungs. Yes, he was touching his daughter, but he was so close to touching her as well. She thought about what she’d told him the night before, about going to bed with him, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would sleep with Paul Jameson before she left.

  His eyes flicked to hers, and he must have seen or sensed something, because his eyes darkened, and his hand went still. Paul stared at her for a long moment, before a frown took his face. Jess knew she wasn’t going to like whatever came out of his mouth.

  “They’re at a dead end,�
�� he said softly.

  It figured. “No leads at all? The security footage didn’t help?”

  Paul had security cameras outside the house, but they must not have picked up any identifying markings or cars or anything. Damn.

  Paul turned his focus to Hope. “Hope, can you look at me?”

  Hope turned in Jess’s arms, but she didn’t leave her lap. It was like she needed the security, and Jess would give her that.

  “You thought the man that broke in and tried to take you was Viktor,” Paul said softly. “Remember?”

  Hope nodded. “Viktor was tall like that. But maybe it was just another tall man.”

  Paul tilted his head in consideration. “Maybe. Was he your mother’s boyfriend?”

  Hope made a face, her little nose scrunching up. “Kind of. He was around, but not all the time. He would bring Mom her medicine, then they would do the sex stuff, and he would go away.”

  Jess fought not to react at the child’s words, but inside she was reeling. Tara had been getting medicine from Viktor, for sex. What kind of medicine?

  “What kind of medicine was she getting, Hope?” Paul asked, his voice very deep.

  “Some kind of pills. She called it candy, but it didn’t taste like candy when I ate one.”

  That time Jess did gasp. She couldn’t help it. She turned Hope in her arms. “You took one of her pills?”

  Hope blinked and her eyes went to her lap. “She spilled them, once, all over the kitchen floor. I just wanted to see. They didn’t look like candy. It made me really sick.”

  Jess blinked and instinctively pulled the child into a hug, as if she could protect her from her past decisions. If Hope had taken a narcotic and had a reaction, or the dosage had been too high, she could have been killed or permanently damaged.

  One glance at Paul’s face and she could see he was furious. Before he spoke and drew Hope’s attention, he calmed himself. He looked at her over Hope’s shoulder and shared the horror they both felt. Then he took a deep breath, and another. “Did she take a lot of these pills, Hope?”