Risking It All with the Paramedic
Author
Janice Lynn
Reads
19.7K
Chapters
12
Two weeks of temptation for the medical volunteers! Join them on a life-changing trip to France. FROM FRANCE TO FOREVER? When unlucky-in-love doctor Ivy leads a medical team on a veterans' trip to Normandy, her sole thought is for the patients in her care. So she's unprepared for the frisson of attraction she feels at meeting fellow volunteer Caleb! It's clear the good-looking paramedic has ghosts of his own, but over the two weeks they're together, an undeniable connection forms… Only when they return home, will they be brave enough to risk everything and turn temporary…into happy-ever-after?
CHAPTER ONE
“I WAS AFRAID you’d change your mind about going.”
Dr. Ivy McEwen paused from wheeling her luggage beside her at the Knoxville airport departure terminal area to smile at the seventy-year-old daughter of one of the World War II veterans she’d be with almost nonstop over the next two weeks. Ivy had changed her mind a dozen times. That had been just in the past hour. How could she be so excited to be a medical volunteer for a veteran legacy flight to Normandy, France, and so emotionally devastated at the same time?
“Gramps wanted me to go.” She fought to keep her emotions checked. She’d cried enough tears the night before while inspecting her medical supplies one last time. The trip was something she had to do for the greatest man she’d ever known. She’d forever regret it if she didn’t follow through on the plans they’d made prior to her great-grandfather passing two months ago.
“You’re right. Leon would want you watching out for us.” Mary gave an empathetic look. “Dad and I sure feel better knowing that you’ll be taking care of us.”
Not that Mary knew anything about Ivy’s medical skills other than what Gramps had bragged to the Smoky Mountain Veteran Foundation.
Bless him.
He’d set the bar high, but then, when hadn’t he? Ivy had spent most of her life making sure she not only met but exceeded his expectations. She’d wanted to make Gramps proud. Always.
“It’s an honor to be on the medical team.” With D-Day having occurred on June 6, 1944, there wouldn’t be many more WWII legacy trips to honor those who had helped liberate Europe.
“Speaking of the medical team...” Mary waggled her penciled-on reddish brown brows that perfectly matched her dyed hair cut in a trendy bob. “Have you met the paramedic who took Stan’s place? He makes this old gal want to call 911.”
Ivy appreciated Mary’s subject change to lighten the conversation. She’d instantly liked the woman when they’d met months ago at one of the few planning meetings Ivy had been able to attend while she’d been finishing her medical school out-of-state residency.
“I haven’t.” Stan had canceled last minute due to a family emergency. Regardless, Ivy and Lara, a nurse from Maryville, should be able to handle most medical situations that might occur while traveling with five almost-centenarians. Ivy grinned at how Mary dramatically fanned her flushed cheeks. “Mary, do I need to check your blood pressure?”
Mary laughed. “Probably. He’s a handsome one. Linda asked him if he was available.”
“Linda isn’t available,” Ivy reminded of the married fifty-two-year-old granddaughter of one of the veterans.
“No, but you are.” Mary waggled her brows again. “He’s single and a real hottie.”
“Not interested.” Ivy hoped the women weren’t going to play matchmaker. The only thing she could imagine worse than having to get on an airplane would be getting into a new relationship. Luke had left her with a terrible aversion to another relationship. Blech. No, thank you. “Besides, looks fade, Mary.”
Grabbing hold of her suitcases’ handles, Ivy rolled them toward the departure terminal counter. As much as she dreaded the flight, she needed to check in. Maybe the knot in her stomach would ease once she’d taken that step.
Mary kept pace. “True, looks fade. But some men are classically handsome throughout their lifetime. You can see their beauty no matter how much time has tried to ebb it away.”
Ivy knew exactly what she meant. She’d felt it every time she’d looked at her great-grandfather. She’d always known why her great-grandmother had been besotted with the paratrooper when he’d returned from Europe in 1945. Later in his life, Ivy had thought he’d hung the moon and soaked up every moment she got to spend with him. Why didn’t they make men like Gramps anymore? Men who were honorable, brave, skilled, loyal, faithful, and not threatened by a woman’s success? Today’s men just weren’t of the same caliber.
“Caleb is that kind of handsome,” Mary continued as they walked toward where the others waited near the group meeting point. “Stan did us right by asking him to join us. When we got here, he jumped right in to help with our luggage. I haven’t heard so many ‘Yes, ma’ams’ and ‘No, ma’ams’ as when I was talking with him. Mark my words, he’s a keeper.” The woman’s gaze went beyond Ivy and she grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Oh! He and Owen are back from the restroom now. Have a gander, and it may be you needing to have your blood pressure checked.”
“You’re a funny lady, Mary, but I’m not interested.” Three strikes and she was out. She’d thought Luke, aka Heartbreak Number Three, was different, but he’d been cheating for months with an undergrad student he’d first met at a Christmas party he’d attended with Ivy. To top it off, he’d blamed Ivy. Just recalling his unjustified attempts at shifting the blame for his unfaithfulness had her fingers curling into her palms. If he’d felt inadequate, it had been because he was. Too bad it had taken discovering he’d been sleeping with Little Miss Coed for Ivy to finally admit that she’d been blind because she’d wanted to believe in their relationship. Not so long ago, she’d dreamed of having what Gramps and her great-grandmother had had. She forced her fingers to relax their tight grasp on her luggage handle. She wasn’t letting Luke, or any man, sully this trip to honor Gramps’s legacy.
“You should keep an open mind,” Mary sighed dreamily. “Or maybe I should say an open heart?”
“No, thank you.” She’d be keeping her heart to herself.
Mary had the audacity to laugh.
That’s when Ivy spotted Caleb Rivers. Although she’d never met him or even seen a photo, the man walking beside Owen had to be whom Mary went on about. She hadn’t been kidding about that blood pressure check. Despite Ivy’s aversion to the male species, her pulse did a wild dance, proving that she was still a young, healthy female who wasn’t as oblivious as she’d like to think.
Younger than she’d been expecting as she’d imagined someone closer to Stan’s age, Caleb wore his dark hair cropped short but not quite in a buzz. Long lashes fringed intense amber eyes. A slightly crooked nose hinted that it had once been broken. Rather than detract, the imperfection added to his manly appeal. He was tall, probably six-two or three and thick-chested but not in an “I’m on steroids” way. He was easy on the eyes, but ultimately what did that matter? With Ivy’s dating history, good looks were a detriment as they made a man a more appealing target for other women. With as much as she’d been cheated on, maybe it really was her fault the men she dated had all betrayed her.
“Caleb.” Mary waved at where he stayed close to Owen. “Come here. I want to introduce you to Dr. Ivy.”
Mr. Ruggedly Handsome shifted his gaze toward Mary. Ivy’s breath caught. Okay, there was something about him that turned her insides to goop.
Pheromones, Ivy. That’s what’s about him. Pheromones wrapped in a gorgeous package. You’re used to academic types, not someone so...physical. She was over relationships, but not physically dead.
A woman might have to be dead not to notice Caleb River’s manliness. An aura clung to him that assured he could take care of business, whatever that business might be, and yet, when he’d turned toward Mary, his smile was warm and genuine. Right up until his gaze met Ivy’s. At that point something flickered that made her want to spin her luggage around and hightail it out of the airport. Or maybe just spontaneously combust right then and there because warm had shot to hot.
Not once could she recall having had such an instantaneous reaction. She’d dated Luke during residency because he’d been intelligent, attractive in a scholarly, dependable way and she’d thought they shared the same values. Luke had replaced Beau who she’d dated during medical school, but who had rekindled a relationship with his high school girlfriend during a trip home to visit his family over the Christmas holidays. Only, he’d forgotten to mention that tidbit for several months and had been stringing both women along until the girlfriend back home had gotten pregnant. Beau had replaced Kenny from undergrad. Kenny had said he loved Ivy, but she’d eventually learned that he’d “loved” lots of women. Yea, her track record wasn’t so good when it came to men. Forcing herself to stand as tall as her five-six would stretch with her heavy backpack weighing her down, Ivy straightened her shoulders. Gorgeous Caleb Rivers had probably broken so many hearts he made the men of Ivy’s past look like child’s play.
He said something to Owen, then they crossed the twenty or so feet to her and Mary. Caleb kept his pace matched with Owen’s slower, but steady one, not touching him, but aware of every nuance. Good for him for realizing that the proud veteran would have been insulted if he’d attempted to unnecessarily assist him in any way.
When they joined where Ivy and Mary had stopped just feet from the counter, Owen grinned. “Glad to see you, Doc.”
“You, too.” It was true. She’d fallen hard for the veterans she’d met during the information sessions she’d attended, especially Owen. There was something dapper yet tough about him. When he’d talked about his late wife, Ivy had gotten goose bumps at the love in his voice. Sometimes, she thought she’d been born in the wrong generation.
“You’ve not met Caleb?” Was there an extra twinkle in Owen’s pale blue gaze that hinted he and Mary were on the same page? Ugh. She really hoped she wouldn’t be dealing with a bunch of wannabe Cupids the entire trip.
“No, sir. I haven’t.” She shifted her gaze from Owen to the paramedic and swallowed. She might need to send her hormones a memo that she was not interested even if they had blossomed to unexpected life.
With a friendly smile cutting dimples into his cheeks, Caleb stuck out his hand. “Caleb Rivers. Nice to meet the infamous doctor who Owen keeps telling me about.” His eyes danced with a mischievous gleam. “You have a lot to live up to, but so far, he was right on the money.”
Interesting. What had Owen told Caleb? And why were her lips curving upward in such a huge smile? Puh-leeze. Had she learned nothing? Apparently not, because when she gripped his outstretched hand, every nerve ending in her body started and ended where their skin touched.
Hello, lightning bolt.
Goodness. Obviously, her lack-of-sleep brain was playing tricks on her.
“Dr. Ivy McEwen.” Determined to shake off whatever insanity was gripping her, she pulled her hand from Caleb’s, marveling at how her hand threatened to rebel and return to the warm, firmness of his callused grasp. “Don’t believe a thing this ancient coot tells you.” She kissed Owen’s cheek. “Are you ready for this?”
Owen’s eyes sparkled. “I’m always ready for traveling the world with a beautiful woman.” His expression turned serious. “It’s been a long time since I’ve set foot in France.”
Ivy’s heart squeezed. He and Gramps had instantly clicked when they’d first met. Ivy had devoured the stories the two men had shared in between the organization’s coordinator running through the proposed trip itinerary.
Owen gestured toward Caleb. Pride shone on his weathered face. “This guy was in the Eighty-Second, too, just like your great-grandfather and me.”
Surprised by Owen’s revelation, although not sure why since she knew very little about Stan’s last-minute replacement other than a few shared group text messages and what Mary had told her, Ivy glanced toward the paramedic. Her gaze collided with his as he’d apparently been watching her rather than looking at Owen. Her breath caught. “You were a paratrooper?”
Ivy would swear he grew a few inches taller. “Yes, ma’am.”
Mary nudged Ivy at his good manners, as if to say, See what I mean?
“Much to my mother’s chagrin—” Caleb grinned “—jumping out of perfectly good airplanes is all I ever wanted to do.”
She could tell it was an auto-response he must give often, because it flowed so smoothly. Yet there was something in his eyes that hinted there was more to what he was saying.
“I hear your love of jumping. But you’re working as a paramedic. Should I ask why the career change?”
He shrugged. “Being a paratrooper is a job for the young.”
“I’ve seen your trip health form. You’re not that old,” she pointed out, then felt her cheeks go hot. Maybe she should point out that she’d intently reviewed everyone going on the trip’s forms to proactively plan for any potential issues.
Owen chuckled. “That’s right. He’s barely old enough to need to shave.”
Ivy took in the strong lines of Caleb’s jaw, surprised by how much she wanted to run her fingers across the smooth-shaven skin. She’d put money on his having shaved that morning, and it wouldn’t surprise her if he had stubble prior to their reaching their host family in France. She’d never been attracted to stubble, preferring a clean-cut appearance, but she suspected that Caleb could pull off most looks.
“Just barely.” Caleb chuckled at Owen’s teasing, then focused on Ivy. “My career change is a long story. Let’s get your bags checked.”
Ivy was disappointed that he hadn’t given her an answer. She had a natural curiosity about people, about all aspects of life, really. Caleb Rivers intrigued her more than most, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Ivy didn’t need help with her two roller bags and backpack, but Luke’s insults echoed about how she refused to allow a man to be a man, citing her heftier income as making her too independent. Ivy pointed to the suitcase she planned to check. “If you put that bag on the scale, you might prevent me from toppling over.”
See, that hadn’t been that difficult. Then again, she didn’t want Luke being the voice in her head that dictated future actions.
“No toppling. You’re not allowed to get hurt.”
That would be a travesty since she was there to take care of others. How her heart fluttered at Caleb’s eyes crinkling in the corners was enough to have her knees buckling, though.
Cheeks warm, she pulled her gaze from him to the duo watching her curiously. “Mary, you and Owen behave while I get checked in.”
With a twinkle in their eyes that suggested they might purposely seek trouble, they laughed. Mary linked her arm with Owen’s and they walked to where her father and the others waited. Owen’s great-granddaughter Suzie tried to get him to sit in one of the empty wheelchairs near the bench. If looks could kill, Owen would be facing time. He patted the girl’s hand then, continuing to stand, started talking to a send-off volunteer.
Having watched the exchange, Caleb grabbed the handle of Ivy’s largest suitcase. “He’s probably hoping that thing disappears to where no one suggests he sit in it again. He sure wasn’t happy about my suggestion I push him in it when he had to go to the restroom.”
“None of them are going to want to use a chair any more than they absolutely have to. I’m glad. It’s good for them to move as much as they can before we get on the plane. Knoxville to Paris is a long way for them to travel.”
It was a long way for Ivy to travel. Logically, she knew all the reasons why flying was safer than driving, but her aerophobia was impervious to logic. Always had been.
Caleb nodded. “True. I’m going to struggle with trying to protect them to the point of annoying them.”
“No worries. They’ll set you straight.” She moved to the check-in point and fought nausea. Why couldn’t she love flying the way her parents did? People flew all the time and were just fine. She would be, too. If the flight to Paris was too bad, she’d take a boat back to the States. Which wouldn’t work since she’d never abandon the veterans in her care. One way or another, she’d endure the round-trip flights. With what the veterans had once endured, she could handle a few hours of discomfort.
Ivy gave the woman at the counter her passport and ticket information. When Caleb put her bag upon the scale, Ivy held her breath. Her bag came in just under the weight limits.
“That was close.” Caleb grinned. “Does this one go?”
She shook her head. “That one stays with me. It and my backpack are full of medical supplies.”
Smiling, Caleb gestured toward where the others from their group were. Amongst the various luggage items were a camouflage backpack and a sturdy black hard-case bag. “I feel ya.”
Ivy’s face heated. Ha! Her whole body heated. Which was ridiculous. What was wrong with her? She blamed Mary’s earlier comments.
As distracting as he was, Caleb would not be “feeling her” short of her suffering a heart attack on the plane brought on by her anxiety and his needing to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. With the way her heart pounded, his needing to revive her might not be such a far-fetched possibility.
From where he sat across the aisle from her while they awaited their plane’s turn to take off, Caleb Rivers studied the brunette bombshell whose eyes were closed. He’d heard so much about her from everyone he’d met in connection to Smoky Mountain Veteran Foundation. They all adored Dr. Ivy McEwen. Several had mentioned her beauty, including the ninety-nine-year-old veteran in the plane seat next to him. Caleb had worried that he’d be dealing with a prima donna, but was reassured that Ivy was willing to lose her personal items over her medical supplies.
The moment his gaze had connected with hers, the same headiness had rushed through him that he got when free-falling through the sky during a jump. It had been a long time, too long, since he’d experienced that sensation. From a jump or a woman. Ivy’s long shiny dark hair was braided. Faint freckles kissed her lightly tanned skin across her nose and cheeks. Her lips were plump and rosy. Her eyes were what had sucker punched him, though. Big blue irises shaded by lashes so perfect he wondered if they were extensions like TransCare’s receptionist wore. Ivy was a knockout, no doubt about it. That she was intelligent was a given, but something in the way she’d looked at him seemed to see beyond the surface, too.
Her eyes opened and met his. “Everything okay?”
He’d like to ask her that because of the fatigue showing on her facial features. Had she not slept well the night before? For all he knew, she’d worked and headed straight to the airport at the end of a shift.
“I’ll make sure the guys get up to walk in an hour or so, if you want to grab a nap,” he offered, hoping she’d feel comfortable as long as she knew their veterans were being taken care of. The foundation had purposely requested that the medical team be in aisle seats so they could more readily get to anyone who needed them. Lara was toward the front of the plane near part of their group. Near the rear, Ivy sat in the left side row, with Owen sandwiched between her and his granddaughter at the window. Caleb sat in the middle row section with Roy next to him and Mary in the opposite middle section aisle seat.
Looking alarmed, guilty almost, Ivy shook her head. “I hadn’t planned to sleep.”
“No?” He arched a brow. “It’ll be morning in France when we arrive. We should all rest while we can.”
Her fingers white-knuckled the seat belt strap. “I’m fine. You can nap. I’m not much for sleeping on planes, but even if I was, I’m not tired.” It was early morning in Tennessee, but the six-hour time difference would catch up with them at the end of their flight, especially if Ivy hadn’t slept much the night before. Did she struggle just with takeoff or flying in general? Although he loved flying, he empathized with those who did not. Maybe he could distract her during takeoff enough to ease some of her anxiety.
“We’ve been cleared for takeoff,” the captain said over the loudspeaker.
The plane moved onto the runway strip. The skin stretched across Ivy’s knuckles as she gripped her seat belt strap more tightly.
Caleb fought the urge to reach across the aisle to place his hand over hers. If he could do it without being so obvious, he would. Ivy’s fear was real, but he knew she fought to hide it and wouldn’t appreciate his doing anything that pointed it out to others. “You’ve got this and you’re going to be fine,” he encouraged in a low voice.
Her gaze met his and she tilted her chin ever so slightly. “Residency has me well prepared to function on little to no sleep.”
Stan had mentioned that she’d just finished her residency. He suspected she knew he hadn’t been referring to napping, but he went with it.
“It’s been a while, but the army did the same for me.” Memories assailed him, good and bad, but he forced his focus toward the good. “It also taught me to sleep whenever I got the chance, so I generally do.”
She narrowed her gaze. “You’re one of those annoying people who can nod off anywhere, aren’t you?”
He grinned. “Guilty. How did you guess?”
“Just a hunch,” she admitted, her fingers flexing, then smoothing over the seat belt strap as if she’d like to put it back in a death hold but was forcing herself not to as the plane increased in speed. Taking a deep breath, she rushed on. “That’s never been me. I’m not a napper and usually don’t try to sleep if I don’t have at least four hours. Less than that, I feel worse than if I’d not slept at all.”
He wrinkled his nose. “That must have been rough during residency. With the long hours, I’d have thought you’d sleep whenever given the chance.”
“If only I had an on-off switch to make that happen. I wanted to be a doctor, so I did what I had to do regardless of how much sleep I did, or didn’t, get.” Another forced smile, then she failed to do anything other than hold her breath as the plane lifted off the ground. Sighing, she met his gaze with a warning in her blue depths not to point out what had just happened. Her chin was lifted in that show of defiance, causing something to stir deep within him. Empathy, he assured himself. No one liked seeing someone else suffer and takeoff had certainly not been a pleasurable experience for Ivy.
“What made you want to be a doctor?”
She took a deep breath, as if she really didn’t want to be talking but to focus on what was happening to the plane.
“My great-grandmother was a doctor.” She glanced toward the window two seats from her. “She was a pioneer, since at the time most physicians were male. She died when I was young, unfortunately. Gramps told me stories about her and how she loved taking care of others. I wanted to honor her legacy.”
“And ended up in Knoxville?”
“Gramps’s farm is just outside Knoxville, so Knoxville has always felt like home.” She grimaced, her face going pale, then corrected herself. “He passed a couple of months ago.”
“I’m sorry,” Caleb said. He’d been told that, originally, she’d been going on this trip to accompany her great-grandfather, who had served in World War II.
“Me, too.” She gave a tight smile, then obviously unable to keep her hands still, she tightened her seat belt again. “You should get one of those power naps you were bragging about while you have the chance.”
Rather than continue their conversation, Ivy turned from him, saying something to Owen, which the natural-born talker jumped all over. Caleb wasn’t used to being dismissed but that was what she’d done. The opposite sex usually found him attractive. He’d taken advantage of that to the fullest in his younger years until he and Katrina had started dating, but since his accident he hadn’t had time for frivolous encounters and wasn’t interested in anything more. Maybe his reaction to Ivy was his body’s way of telling him he’d been on hiatus too long.
Even without Katrina’s rejection of his life choices, women hadn’t been a priority. Healing his ankle had consumed him. He’d moved on, had a different life now. It wasn’t the one he’d planned on, but he liked to think he still made a difference in the world even if those closest to him didn’t agree with his choices.
Frustrated by his own limitations, he stretched out the best his economy seat would allow while keeping his feet out of the aisle so he wouldn’t trip anyone. Maybe he’d get lucky, doze off for a while, and, hopefully, not dream of the life-altering event that had robbed him of his greatest joy.
Otherwise, it might be Ivy having to reach across the airplane aisle to calm him.
