Kate Hill - Windswept, New folder 1
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An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
www.ellorascave.com
Windswept
ISBN # 9781419908767
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Windswept Copyright© 2007 Kate Hill.
Edited by Briana St. James.
Cover art by Syneca.
Electronic book Publication April 2007
This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written
permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-
3502.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales
is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
Content Advisory:
S – ENSUOUS
E – ROTIC
X – TREME
Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-
rotic), and X (X-treme).
The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This story has been
rated E–rotic.
S-
ensuous
love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.
E-
rotic
love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall
word count. E-rated titles might contain material that some readers find objectionable—in other words,
almost anything goes, sexually. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry in terms of both sexual
language and descriptiveness in these works of literature.
X-
treme
titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Stories designated
with the letter X tend to contain difficult or controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.
W
INDSWEPT
Kate Hill
Kate Hill
Chapter One
Parker Rigby came to the mountains to die. Or at least to seriously contemplate
suicide. Perhaps it had been a buildup of incidents or maybe the recent tragedy had
finally pushed him over the edge, but he wanted out. No more telling himself he could
make a difference. No more disappointments while pretending to have his life together.
He was sick and tired of being the one person everybody depended on. Hell, he
couldn’t even depend on himself anymore.
He paused, one foot braced on a rock, and wiped sweat from his eyes. Glancing
around, he admired the beauty of the mountainside. Tall trees. Rocks and leaves
scattered over the earth. The fresh, wild scent reminded him of happier times. Ever
since he was a boy he’d loved the mountains. Hiking, fishing and camping, he blocked
out the rest of the world. Here he could pretend nothing mattered and no one existed.
Unfortunately those happy thoughts only lasted a few blissful moments then he’d
remember that horrible day one month ago when his five-year-old nephew had died in
his ER. With the cutback in staff members, he’d been the only doctor available when
Jamie had been brought in. As an ER doctor with ten years’ experience, he’d lost
patients on occasion. However, he learned very quickly there was a difference between
seeing a total stranger die while under his care and watching the same thing happen to
a family member he loved.
Even now he wasn’t completely sure how his family felt about him. His mother had
suggested he not attend the funeral since his sister was having difficulty handling the
death of her only child. Parker understood and though his parents didn’t openly blame
him for what had happened, he thought this incident was the final rift between him and
his family.
After taking a quick sip from his canteen, he continued hiking until he’d nearly
reached the mountaintop. The trees had thinned and he walked over a wide stretch of
rocks. Without the protection of the trees, the sun felt hotter than ever. If not for the
breeze, the sweltering July evening would have been unbearable.
The cry of a bird, loud yet strangely beautiful, drew his attention.
“My god,” he said, unable to keep from smiling at the raptor soaring overhead. It
was an odd bird with the look of an eagle or hawk. From such a distance, he couldn’t
tell the exact size but it was obviously quite big. Its massive wings flapped a couple of
times as it climbed higher in the clear sky.
A gunshot broke the stillness and Parker flinched, startled by the sound. His
surprise was quickly forgotten by a screech from the raptor. It dropped fast. Too fast.
Parker didn’t doubt the shot had been meant for the bird.
4
Windswept
“Oh no,” he murmured. How could somebody
do
that? Most likely the bird was an
endangered species. Eagles especially were protected by law.
Instinctively he began climbing faster, hurrying in the general direction in which
the bird had dropped. He knew trying to find it would be futile. It could have landed
miles away. Even if he did manage to locate it, what could he do? Perform surgery on a
wild bird of prey in the middle of nowhere?
Still, anything was a welcome distraction from the depression and self-pity he’d
been wallowing in.
His heart pounded with exertion as he ran, stumbling several times on the rocks.
Once he landed on a jagged edge that cut through his jeans. He glanced at his scraped,
bleeding knee but didn’t bother stopping.
He wasn’t sure of how much time passed before he slowed his pace. Dripping
sweat, his lungs burning, he paused and leaned against a tree. What the hell was the
point?
Then he heard it. A rustling of leaves and a low, distinctly human moan. Slowly he
followed the sounds behind a huge moss-covered rock and discovered a naked,
bleeding man lying prone on a patch of dirt.
“What the hell…” Parker murmured, quickly dumping his backpack and kneeling
beside the man. He was very long and slender yet his muscles were starkly defined
beneath his smooth, tanned skin. Kinky black hair clung to his shoulders and matted
against his bloody back. Parker brushed aside the hair to examine his injury. It seemed
to be the exit wound of a bullet in his shoulder. The point of entry was the deltoid area.
He grasped the man’s wrist and checked his pulse. It was fast but strong.
Without hesitation, Parker retrieved his medical supplies from his backpack. Why
he’d bothered bringing along the tools of his trade when he’d planned to commit
suicide was still beyond him. Maybe it was habit. Not that it mattered anyway.
He quickly washed his hands and snapped on gloves. His patient lifted his head
and blinked his large, dark eyes for several seconds, as if dazed. Then his gaze fixed on
Parker and he spoke in a smooth, quiet voice, surprisingly calm for someone in his
situation. “Who are you?”
“My name is Parker Rigby. Don’t worry. I’m a doctor. Now take it easy. I’m going
to look at your shoulder.” Parker helped the man onto his back. In spite of the pain he
must be suffering, he moved to accommodate Parker and made no sound except for a
sharp intake of breath. “What’s your name?”
“Jindra.”
While Parker inspected the wound, he asked, “How did this happen, Jindra?”
“I don’t know.”
“This is a bullet wound. You didn’t see who shot you?”
5
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