Control the Burn (Hearts & Horsepower Book 1) Read online

  “Wow, I wasn’t expecting you to be here so early,” he started. “How was the trip?”

  “Exhausting,” I admitted. “But we got a lot accomplished. Nearly every car ran a personal best, and two of them set records. So, if nothing else, it was successful.”

  “That’s awesome,” Nash declared. “We saw some talk about it online. A couple of guys look like they posted up some videos of it.”

  Smiling and shaking my head, I noted, “Yeah, those guys are crazy as it is. So, the fact that we were setting records was a big deal for them. Ultimately, I’m just glad it all worked out so that I could go over, do what I needed to do, and get back before things got too busy here.”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Ryker muttered.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  Knox took a step forward, leaned on the counter, and explained, “It sort of exploded here while you were away. I don’t know if people just got tired of waiting or simply wanted to get a head start on their projects. Either way, we’ve been swamped since about three days after you left. Of course, it’s nothing we can’t handle. We’ve been managing everything alright, but it seems like the season has started a little earlier this year.”

  I was a bit surprised to hear this. While I expected growth of the business from one year to the next with everything we managed to accomplish with each season that passed, I didn’t expect for it to start so soon. We’ve never been what I would consider ‘swamped’ at the beginning of February as the guys were claiming.

  We lived in northwest Wyoming. The weather rarely cooperated to the extent that most individuals couldn’t pull out their trucks and trailers in the snow we usually experienced in order to get their cars to us. Sometimes, mid-March was pushing it if we had a particularly brutal winter.

  Shrugging my shoulders because I realized there was little I could complain about, I said, “Well, that’s great news then.”

  “Have you been out in the shop yet?” Kieran wondered.

  I shook my head. “No, I came in and got to work here immediately.”

  “Then you might want to wait on that declaration,” Ryker warned me.

  Confused, I narrowed my eyes. “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “Logan, it was extremely busy while you were gone,” Nash began. “The shop is full. And we need to clear out some space because we’ve got a few projects lined up for next week. You need to get busy on some of these tunes so we can move these cars out. We don’t have any space left.”

  I had a ten-thousand-square-foot shop. The garage space was seven thousand square feet of that space. The fact that they were telling me there was no space left was a little concerning. Perhaps I’d underestimated them when they mentioned it had been busy.

  “It’s always feast or famine in this business,” I pointed out.

  I got a round of chin lifts and nods.

  To some extent that was true. When I first opened LT Motorsports, it felt like famine more often than not. But as time went on and we built a name for ourselves as one of the best in the business, we’d been feasting much more regularly.

  “Well, I guess I better leave this stuff alone for now and head out there,” I decided. “Ryker, I’m presuming it’s best you fill me in on what I need to get done for you first so you can get back to work and I can get these cars tuned.”

  Ryker didn’t respond with words. He walked from the office through the steel door that led out into the shop. I closed down the invoicing program I’d been working in and followed behind him. The rest of my team was already dispersing to their respective stations to work on whatever projects they had going on at the moment.

  For the next five hours, I’d not only gotten the rundown on every car that was sitting inside my shop, I’d also managed to get through Ryker’s laundry list. Realizing just how much work I had ahead of me, I barely gave myself fifteen minutes to shovel in some food that Knox brought back for me when he went out for his lunch break.

  Then, I was right back to work.

  The guys hadn’t been lying. The shop was full, and there were several cars lined up to be dropped off next week. I had no choice but to get the ones that were waiting for me completed. That afternoon and into the early evening, I’d managed to get two of the cars onto my dyno—a piece of equipment I used in the process of calibrating a car’s computer that would output the vehicle’s horsepower and torque numbers—and fully tuned so they were ready for pick up on Friday.

  By the time I left the shop, I was wiped out. Jet lag was killing me, and I still needed to run to the store. Deciding I’d only get a few things to last me for the next couple of days, I managed to get in and out of the store within twenty minutes. I got home, ate some dinner, and took a shower.

  Then, I collapsed in my bed. Of all the things I wanted to accomplish that day, the most important one hadn’t happened. I meant to call Kendall. Unfortunately, the minute my head hit the pillow, I had nothing left in me. Promising myself I’d reach out to her tomorrow, it wasn’t more than a minute before I was out cold.

  “Good morning, Kendall.”

  I twisted my neck to the right and saw Dr. Davis walking toward me. I’d just walked inside the hospital doors. Over the last few weeks, I’d seen him occasionally as we passed one another at the hospital entrance. Sometimes, we simply offered a wave in passing. On a few occasions, we made some small talk about work.

  Smiling brightly at him, I replied, “Good morning, Owen. How are you?”

  “Not bad. We had a slow night. Only two patients with chest pain, three with upper respiratory infections, one with a broken ankle, a little boy who’d vomited nine times within six hours, and a smattering of others,” he offered.

  Letting out a laugh, I asked, “Gee, that’s all? I’d hate to hear about a busy night.”

  “I try to keep my standards high, so I don’t ever feel bad about anything I need to get done in a single shift,” he reasoned.

  “Makes sense.”

  “Well, I don’t want to keep you,” he started. “I just thought I’d say hello before the weekend.”

  “Are you off this weekend?” I wondered.

  Nodding, Owen said, “Yeah, I’m back on Sunday night.”

  “Well, enjoy. I hope it’s a good one,” I told him.

  “Oh yeah. I’m going to be partying all weekend,” he said in a teasing tone. “I’ll be fighting with my dog, hoping that one of these days he’ll willingly go for a walk without all the hassle. The life of an emergency room physician is an exciting one.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

  “That sounds like fun,” I argued unconvincingly.

  “It’d be a whole lot more fun if I had something else to look forward to,” he noted. “Are you still… how did you put it? Kind of, I think, was the phrase you used. Are you still kind of seeing someone?”

  My shoulders fell.

  I’d been trying not to think about Logan. It hadn’t been easy to accept the reality of the situation and how wrong I’d been about him… about us.

  Shaking my head, I shared, “He actually never called.”

  Owen pulled in a sharp breath and winced. With a sympathetic look on his face, he lamented, “I’m sorry, Kendall. I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s okay,” I cut him off. “Really. I mean, his loss, right?”

  Tipping his head to the side, he grinned and agreed, “There’s no denying that. But now I’m in a bit of a predicament.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Well… it’s just that I know I’d definitely call you. I don’t want to be insensitive, but is there any possible way his loss can be my gain and you’ll agree to allowing me to buy you a cup of coffee?”

  It wasn’t hard to see that Owen was a good man. I genuinely believed he didn’t want to be tactless, but he clearly did not want to let the opportunity to take me out pass without giving it another shot.

  This is how I’d always done things.

  I played it safe. The traditional rules of dating and getting to know someone. That’s how I worked. I always demanded more from a guy before hopping into bed with them. I had nothing against those who could easily do that; however, I’d never been convinced I was a woman who could do that.

  My experience with Logan had irrevocably proved that a sizzling physical attraction and an unexplainable feeling weren’t enough to create something long-lasting. Heck, it wasn’t even enough to warrant a second encounter.

  So, with the handsome doctor standing in front of me wanting to do this in a tried and true way, I smiled and said, “Yes.”

  “Yes?” he repeated.

  Nodding, I clarified, “Yes, Owen. I think I’d like to take you up on the offer to go out for coffee.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “That’s great,” he started as he pulled out his phone. “I know you have to get to work now. How about you give me your number and I’ll reach out to you later so we can set something up?”

  “Okay.”

  With that, I gave Owen my number.

  After he slid his phone back into his pocket, he said, “I promise I’ll call you, Kendall.”

  “I hope so. Otherwise, I’m going to need to find a new way to enter the building,” I teased.

  Owen laughed. “Have a good day at work.”

  “I will. Good luck getting your pup to go for a walk.”

  A moment later, Owen and I had said goodbye. Maybe he didn’t give me the same feeling that Logan did, but that didn’t matter. I knew that feeling only meant trouble and heartache. So, as I walked toward the elevator, I did it with a big smile on my face.

  By the time I walked into my first patient’s room, I wished I would have given myself an extra minute to soak up the happiness I had been feeling from my
conversation with Owen. The reason for that was because I had a woman in labor who, based on what the nurse on the earlier shift told me, was likely to experience both the best and worst day of her life. I had hoped my co-worker was mistaken, but the minute I stepped into the room, I knew.

  She was young and alone.

  Trying to stay upbeat, I beamed at her as I walked over to the monitor and said, “Hi, Nicole. I’m Kendall, and I’m going to be your nurse today. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m doing better now,” she said softly.

  I could tell she was exhausted.

  “It looks like you just got your epidural,” I noted.

  “Yeah,” she sighed. “The doctor was in a little while ago and checked me. She said I’m at six already.”

  “That’s great. Now do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?” I asked.

  Smiling for the first time since I walked in, she replied, “A little girl.”

  I continued to shift my focus between the baby’s heart rate monitor and Nicole’s face as I said, “Congratulations. Do you have a name picked out yet?”

  “Well, I have a few ideas, but I’m waiting until her daddy gets here so we can choose a name together once she’s born,” she explained.

  Nodding in understanding, I shared, “A lot of people do that. They’ll have a few names picked out that they like, and it isn’t until they see their baby when they settle on one of those names.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking,” she started. “I just hope he makes it here before this little girl arrives.”

  Nicole’s nightshift nurse, Stacey, had already told me the story, but I didn’t want Nicole thinking we’d been gossiping about her. I knew Stacey merely wanted to make sure I gave Nicole a little extra attention since she wasn’t likely to have any.

  Pretending I didn’t know anything, I asked, “Oh, is he coming from far away?”

  She shook her head. “No, he lives here in Rising Sun.”

  “Oh?”

  After taking in a deep breath and letting it out, she said, “Steven and I aren’t together. We broke up right after I found out I was pregnant. But he promised he’d be here for the delivery. I called him when my water broke last night, but he didn’t answer so I left him a message. I’ve been giving him updates every hour or two. Unfortunately, he hasn’t gotten back to me.”

  This was going to be awful.

  “So, did you drive yourself here last night or did you have a family member bring you?” I wondered.

  “My best friend, Cristina, brought me because I haven’t spoken to my parents since they found out I was pregnant with Steven’s baby. They haven’t liked him since the beginning, so my relationship with them was already strained. Once I told them I was pregnant, well… let’s just say they didn’t take the news very well.”

  My heart broke for this girl. Looking at her chart, I saw that she was a few days away from turning nineteen. I couldn’t imagine how she was surviving.

  “I’m sorry. It sounds like you’ve got a great best friend. Is she going to be coming here to be with you for the delivery?” I asked.

  “She’s trying to, but she was scheduled to work until one o’clock today. She promised to come right after work. Cristina is a lot like my parents in the sense that she has very little faith in Steven,” Nicole shared.

  “Alright, well, we’ll keep our fingers crossed that she gets here in time and that Steven is just sleeping in. You’re progressing nicely, and the baby looks like she’s happy where she is right now, so we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing. Can I get you anything else right now? I know it’s chilly outside, but we serve snow cones all year long on the labor and delivery floor,” I offered.

  “Sure. That would be great.”

  “What flavor? I’ve got cherry, grape, and orange.”

  After taking a moment to think, Nicole declared, “I’ll go with the cherry.”

  “Perfect. I’ll be right back then,” I said as I walked to the door.

  “Thank you, Kendall.”

  Looking back, I offered her a friendly smile and insisted, “You are so welcome.”

  After bringing Nicole her snow cone and reminding her to press her call button if she needed anything, I walked out again.

  I had one other expectant mother I needed to check on. She was not nearly as far along as Nicole, and once Nicole was in the transition stage of her laboring, which happened once she was measuring seven, she’d be my only patient. My other patient would be tended to by the other nurses on the floor.

  Considering everything I’d just learned about Nicole, I was hoping the old adage about first pregnancies taking longer than subsequent ones would hold true. While I didn’t know her baby’s father, I had a feeling that her parents and her best friend did. At least, they knew him well enough to know that they didn’t like him and her best friend doubted that he’d even show up. If nothing else, I wanted Nicole to progress slowly so that she’d at least have her best friend here with her.

  It wasn’t often that a mother labored alone without the baby’s father, a family member, or a friend, but it did happen. And it was heartbreaking every single time.

  Unfortunately, Nicole’s pregnancy wasn’t the norm. She progressed rather quickly, and it was just before noon when I was standing beside her as she pushed. While she wasn’t screaming or crying, she was, without a doubt, beyond upset and disappointed. And completely, totally terrified.

  When she took a break in between contractions, she whispered, “I don’t think I can do this. I can’t believe he didn’t show up.”

  Putting a cool cloth to her forehead, I leaned closer and promised, “You can do this, Nicole. You’re an incredible woman, and you’re going to be a great mother. I can already see how much you love your little girl. And she’s almost here. You can do this. I’m right here with you.”

  “I’m scared,” she admitted.

  “That’s completely normal,” I assured her. “But I’ve got you. You’re pushing really well.”

  “We’ve got another contraction coming, Nicole,” her doctor said. “Let’s try to get three more pushes during this one.”

  “Are you ready?” I asked her.

  Her frightened, tear-filled eyes came to mine. Despite her fear, she gave me a nod.

  I returned a smile, held up a leg for her, and instructed, “Deep breath in… hold… and push.”

  Then I counted for her until she could take in another deep breath and start pushing all over again two more times.

  Roughly thirty minutes later, Nicole delivered a healthy six-pound, five-ounce baby girl.

  “She’s beautiful,” I told her after she’d been cleaned up and her daughter had been evaluated. “Congratulations!”

  Nicole held her baby against her chest and stared down at her, mesmerized. “I can’t believe he didn’t want to see this,” she murmured.

  “I wish I had an answer for you,” I said. “He missed out on something really amazing, and I hope you know just how incredibly courageous you were today.”

  Nicole didn’t respond. She simply stared at her daughter. I gave her a few moments before I asked, “Did you want to try breastfeeding?”

  She looked up at me and admitted, “I hadn’t considered it. I feel so unprepared.”

  “That’s okay. If you want to try, I can help you.”

  She thought for a second and said, “Okay. I think I’d like to try.”

  For the rest of my shift, I spent as much time as I could with Nicole, doing what I could to offer her the support she didn’t have but so desperately needed at a time like this. Thankfully, her best friend, Cristina, walked in just before two o’clock.

  “He didn’t show up,” Nicole told her. Cristina’s face grew angry. Nicole added, “He didn’t call either.”

  “What a jerk,” her best friend declared. “I’m so sorry, Nic.”

  “Thanks for being here, Crissy. Do you want to hold her?” she asked.

  Nodding, Cristina walked closer and said, “What did you name her?”

  Glancing up at me before returning her gaze to her friend, Nicole said, “Abigail Kendall.”

  My heart.

  She was giving her daughter my name.

  It was moments like this that were so bittersweet. This poor girl was devastated by the lack of support from her family and her ex-boyfriend, but she still managed to find a way to move on. She was going to be an incredible mother. I had not one single doubt.