Brock

  Brock

  Hathaway House, Book 2

  Dale Mayer

  Books in This Series:

  Aaron, Book 1

  Brock, Book 2

  Cole, Book 3

  Denton, Book 4

  Elliot, Book 5

  Finn, Book 6

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  About This Book

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  About Cole

  Author’s Note

  Complimentary Download

  About the Author

  Copyright Page

  About This Book

  Welcome to Hathaway House, a heartwarming military romance series from USA TODAY best-selling author Dale Mayer. Here you’ll meet a whole new group of friends, along with a few favorite characters from Heroes for Hire. Instead of action, you’ll find emotion. Instead of suspense, you’ll find healing. Instead of romance, … oh, wait. … There is romance—of course!

  Welcome to Hathaway House. Rehab Center. Safe Haven. Second chance at life and love.

  Former Navy SEAL Brock Gorman has been at Hathaway House for more than a month with minimal improvement to either his physical or mental health. An vehicle accident on base two months ago caused major hip, back, and shoulder injuries that and took away any chance he had of ever going on a mission again. Making it through BUD/S training and into the SEALs teams was the crowning glory of Brock’s life. Now it’s gone. Why try to get better when he has nothing left to live for?

  Physiotherapist Sidney Morning has been away from Hathaway House for nine months of specialized training. When she returns, there’s Brock. And, while she loves the tough cases, he might be more than she can handle. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s stubborn. He’s gorgeous. And he’s not making the efforts needed to get better. But, if Sidney can get under his skin and force him to jumping hurdles he’s not interested in jumping, she can help him see that there are things which still make life worth living.

  Sparks fly as Sidney and Brock fight their own emotions and each other, pushing Brock where he needs to go. … If they are lucky, he might find both healing and love at Hathaway House.

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  Prologue

  Dani walked to where Aaron sat on the fence. He still couldn’t believe they were together. She was so damn special. And he’d been such a heel… Still he was strong and fit and looking forward to a future with her and hopefully going to veterinarian school.

  He looked up and smiled, accepting the mug. “Midnight is enjoying being around the little one.”

  “Midnight loves everyone,” she said with a chuckle. Then held out two pieces of mail.

  He took a sip as he eyed the bigger envelope, from the DOD. He flashed it to her, and she nodded, patting his cheek this time. He opened it to find a licensing contract for his patent on Helga’s special prosthesis. He showed Dani. “Sweetheart, I’m getting paid!”

  She gasped and tried to focus on the document Aaron waved before her.

  “I’m so proud of you, Aaron.” She snuggled closer to him, dropping a kiss on his lips.

  Then he saw the small number ten envelope with the navy’s return address. He ripped it open, found the check and was speechless.

  Dani raised her head. “What is it, honey?”

  He held it before her eyes.

  “Oh, my God.”

  He nodded. Looked at it again before he faced her. “I know exactly what to do with this. I want to use some of it for someone with no insurance or donation help to come to the center.”

  Tears came to Dani’s eyes as she heard those words.

  “And I want to choose who gets it. You’ve got four coming in a few days, right?”

  She nodded, too choked up to speak.

  “Any pro bono cases?”

  “Yes, two,” she said with a sniffle.

  He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. “I’ll let you know which one then.” He waited as she reached for a tissue and blew her nose. “And one final piece of news.”

  She checked his hands, probably looking for more mail. Instead she saw the small jeweler’s box. And gasped.

  “Dani Hathaway,” Aaron said, “you’ve been here for me during the worst of my days—and my out-of-control temper and ego. Now I want to spend the best of my days with you. Will you marry me?”

  She was full-on crying now, hugging him close, trying to breathe through her mouth. And she was the most precious thing he had seen in his life. “Will you marry me, Dani?” he asked again.

  She nodded, sniffling. “I’ve been waiting for you for most of my life.”

  The four newest rehab patients arrived several weeks later, and Aaron and Dani—still staring at her engagement ring—were there to meet them. Along with George, Shane, Dr. Herzog, the major, plus Helga, Racer, Tipler, Maggie and Molly. And so many more …

  “Welcome to the Hathaway House,” Aaron said, his arms spread wide. “We are all here to help in your healing and recovery. Yes even me…”

  The four injured men seemed as dazed as Aaron probably was on his first day here. Then the three friends Dani was hoping to have in at the same time hadn’t happened. Only one was here. But it was the one he knew. He perused the four and found him.

  The first guy asked, “Where are we?”

  “Texas,” Aaron said with a smile.

  The second guy took a 360-degree turn in his wheelchair, a blanket covering his lap but not hiding the fact he was missing a leg. He checked things out with a disapproving frown firmly in place. “You can’t possibly know what I’m going through,” he nearly growled.

  Aaron raised his pant leg to show off his newest prosthesis. “Designed by yours truly.”

  The third guy was all stoic machismo silence, his one arm crossed tightly over his chest.

  But it was the fourth man who asked, “What the hell is this place?”

  Aaron whispered to Dani, “That’s Brock. He’s my guy.” Then Aaron stepped forward to address all the newcomers as the words he was given on his first day came back to him. “Right now you hate this place. You want to be anywhere else but here. However, in a couple weeks, you’ll never want to be anywhere else.” He studied the men in front of him. “Are you ready?”

  Brock only half listened to the conversation as he studied the man in front of him. A different man from the one he knew. Then major trauma changed a person. He didn’t know the first thing about this place. And maybe that was a good thing. Maybe—if they also didn’t know about him—he could start fresh.

  Brock knew Aaron. Not well like many others he knew, but Aaron was a good man. A solid fighter and someone Brock could trust. If Aaron had done okay here, then maybe … And if that was the case then the rest of Brock’s unit could also come. Cole, Denton, Elliot—had all been injured in a mission after Brock had been hospitalized. Brock knew Elliot the best. But doubted he’d like Hathaway House. Not his style.

  Then again, Brock’s unit had all changed. Who knew what lay ahead of them? What he did know was there was no going back. This was his life now—no matter how he felt about it. So far it had been ugly as sin.

  He waited a moment, then gave a decisive nod. “Let’s do it.”

  Chapter 1

  Sidney Morning walked into Hathaway House and smiled. Nine months was a long time to be away, and she w
as happy to be home.

  She spotted Dani, the owner and manager of Hathaway, behind the front desk and made her way over. Why she was working the desk was anyone’s guess, but knowing Dani, it was because somebody else had had to step away, so she’d stepped in. Dani was like that. But clearly, she needed to hire more staff to handle the administrative side.

  Dani finally lifted her face and looked at her a moment, her gaze confused, before she suddenly lit up. She bounded to her feet, came quickly around the counter and threw her arms around her.

  “Oh, my goodness, Sidney! You’re back!”

  Sidney fiercely returned the hug. That was another reason she was happy to come back. These people were her family. She didn’t have many blood relatives, and the ones she did have didn’t remember her, anyway. That was the sad truth of Alzheimer’s. Her mom had early onset, and even though she was only in her late fifties, she had no clue who Sidney was when Sidney visited her. It just made the visits harder and more bittersweet. There was a part of Sidney that said she didn’t need to bother going because her mom didn’t know who she was, but then she realized there was nobody else to make sure her mom was getting the care she needed, and that if Sidney didn’t keep an eye out for her, anything could happen, and nobody would be the wiser. That couldn’t be allowed to happen. She loved her mom. The memory of the woman she had been couldn’t be allowed to be forgotten.

  She stepped back from Dani’s hug and smiled. “It’s so good to be back. What’s different?” She leaned forward and peered into Dani’s brimming eyes. Tears? But happy ones, by the looks of things. Sidney glanced around the entry and reception area, but everything appeared to be the same. She shook her head and turned back to Dani. “Okay, give. What happened while I was gone?”

  Dani beamed. “One of the nicest things that could possibly happen,” she said in a low voice. She glanced behind her. “I met someone.” She shrugged. “He’s everything I could’ve hoped for.” Then she added, “And, I broke my own rule … he was a patient here.”

  Sidney’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. Not only was that something Dani had firmly said was against the rules, but many of the people here for treatment were not in the right frame of mind for a relationship. Therefore, she was hesitant in her optimism for her friend’s sake. “What kind of shape is he in?”

  Dani grinned. “He lost a leg in the accident that sent him here and has some damage to his back.”

  “And mentally?” Sidney asked bluntly. She’d never been one to hold back, and she wasn’t about to start now. Sure as hell, anybody who respected and cared about Dani wasn’t going to either.

  “He’s in a good place. I’m certain of that.”

  “Okay. Have you had any word from the asshole, since?”

  “No,” Dani said, her voice tinged with relief. “None.”

  “Good.” Sidney had been the second one to find Dani after her last boyfriend had beat the crap out of her. She hoped to never see such a thing again, especially not when it was somebody as nice and genuine as Dani. She gave her friend an optimistic smile and said, “Well, then, I look forward to meeting this new guy.”

  “I want you to meet him, too,” Dani replied happily. “He’s visiting his brother right now but should be back in a few weeks.”

  Sidney glanced down at the room chart, which was open on the other side of the reception desk, and asked, “How full are we right now?”

  “Full,” Dani said with a heavy sigh. “Aaron moved into the house with me so we could use his room,” she said blushing. “I’m really glad to have you back. We have a couple of people coming back in, looking for short-term assistance on top of a full house.”

  “That’s unusual,” Sidney said. “Of course, that means business is booming, and that’s a good thing for the center but sad for the state of the world.” She glanced outside to the fields surrounding the center. “The animals?”

  “Well, that’s increasing, too. Stan is taking on an assistant, and they’re going to be doing more surgeries downstairs,” Dani said with a smile. “Aaron, my fiancé, is actually finishing his schooling to become a vet.”

  Sidney’s eyebrows popped again. Then she grinned. “Sounds like you just might like him because he can help you make the center bigger and better.”

  The two women chuckled. “Not likely,” Dani scoffed. “Although he’s helped out a ton at the center too. Been great at getting some of the new arrivals settled in. What about you, are you settled in?”

  “I am. I got in late last night and headed straight to my room. I’m glad it’s still there,” she teased.

  Dani shook her head. “I’ll tell you, it was close. We were getting to the point I was tempted to set it up as a patient room.”

  “Yeah, but you know I always come back,” Sidney said with a smile. “Is my roster full?” It was one of the things Sidney loved most about Dani and Hathaway. Employees were strongly encouraged to continue training and education when possible—and jobs were always waiting when they came back.

  “Oh, is it ever!”

  “You know I like the toughest ones,” Sidney said with spirit. In fact, she really did prefer them that way. She was a very warm-hearted, compassionate person, but she had no compunction about pushing these men and women into doing what they had to do, especially when they needed it.

  “Well, you get to start with Brock,” Dani said with a groan. “He’s pretty well worn everybody else out.”

  “What’s his problem?”

  “He was injured in a car accident at work, but on US soil, and he hates the fact he wasn’t injured while fighting. He’s done two tours in Afghanistan and one tour in Iraq and then he came home and got in a crappy car accident, which has caused all kinds of hip, back and arm problems.”

  “And of course, psychologically, he feels guilty and stupid.”

  Dani sent her a sharp look. “He’s not very open to talking about it. He’s big. He’s strong. He came here voluntarily, as his progress had stalled, and he did better, but then almost immediately, he’s plateaued.”

  “Lead on, Macduff. I’ll see how we get along.”

  “Actually, I just assumed there was no getting along. You need to go in and take charge. He’s pretty much sent everybody else out of there in tears.”

  “Oh, good. He’s perfect for me then because I’m ripe and ready to get back into some butt-kicking. He won’t be sending me out in tears.”

  It wasn’t that Sidney thought she was beyond breaking down over a patient, because she definitely wasn’t, but she’d do it in a different time and place and certainly not where they could see it. If he was badgering, or in any way being hostile, well, that would just get her back up.

  “Do you want to meet him first or see his file?”

  “I want to meet him.”

  Dani sent her a conspiratorial smile and said, “Let’s go.”

  They walked down the hallway, took a left and headed down around the corner.

  “He’s got one of the last rooms on this side?” asked Sidney.

  “Yes.” Dani nodded. “He’s a very heavy snorer. The patients here have enough trouble sleeping without that on top of everything else, so we had to move him down here.”

  “Nasal cavity issues?”

  “Yes, and he sleeps on his back. It’s not his choice, but with his injuries it’s about the only way he can knock himself out. He doesn’t sleep well.”

  It was often a problem with those types of injuries. People had favorite sleeping positions, but after major trauma it was often not possible to lie in that position again. Their balance shifted, affecting natural pressure points. Everything changed, and sleep often suffered. She’d have to see if that was one of the things they could get Brock to improve. A good night’s sleep was worth its weight in gold.

  Dani rapped smartly on the door of the last room. A growl, and then a sigh, came from inside.

  Sidney heard him and snickered. It was just way too cliché. She followed Dani into the room to see
a big bear of a man lying fully-dressed across his bed with a laptop across his thighs. He raised his gaze, nodded to Dani, and then looked at Sidney and frowned. She frowned right back at him.

  Like hell she was going to force him into doing anything she wanted. He was going to do it because he was here, and that was what he came for.

  “Good morning, Brock. This is Sidney Morning. She was away, upgrading her training and thankfully she’s back again,” Dani said with a smile. “She will be taking over your physiotherapy.”

  Brock’s frown deepened. “She doesn’t look strong enough to do anything. And why the upgrading? Is she not fully certified?”

  “Looks can be deceiving, because clearly, you look like you should be strong enough to do everything asked of you, but you’re not,” Sidney retorted.

  She heard Dani suck in her breath in shock. But there was no way in hell she was backing down. Brock’s eyebrows rose, and the look in his eyes turned from a steely glare to a hardened glint. She smiled at him. “Now we understand each other perfectly. I’ll go grab your file, update myself on how far you’ve gotten and I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”

  With that, Sidney turned and walked out. She waited for Dani in the hallway and overheard an exchange in the room.

  “Sidney is one of the best physiotherapists there is,” Dani said.

  “Does that mean she’s allowed to have a lousy bedside manner?” Brock’s voice was a grumble.

  Sidney snickered out loud at that. Inside, she was revved up and ready to go. She rubbed her hands together gleefully. This was going to be fun.

  Dani joined her and shook her head at the big grin on Sidney’s face. “You really want to do it this way?”

  “Oh, yeah. We’ll see how he’s doing in a couple of weeks.”

  “Okay, if you’re positive. Let’s get a cup of coffee, and I’ll get his file and all the others for you.”

  The two walked through the cafeteria where lots of people sang out greetings to Sidney. She’d always loved the people here, and they seemed to love her in return. As a homecoming, it was perfect.