Lawfully Committed, page 1
LAWFULLY COMMITTED
The Lawkeepers Series
By Marie Higgins
Copyright © 2019 by Marie Higgins
Cover Art by Sheri McGathy
Edited by Teresa Pearson & Veronica Mesia
Proofread by Margie Harris, Linda Hillman, Debbie Turner, Bernadette Cinkoske, Denice Sears, and Pat Carpenter
Edition License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Lawfully Committed (The Lawkeepers)
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
Find more books from Marie Higgins
Author’s Bio
As a physical therapist, Christine McKenna is committed to helping her patients find their healing path. Coming off the end of a nasty divorce, however, she may be the one in need of healing. When she meets Aedan, it’s clear he’d be happy to help her in that regard, but her heart isn’t ready to trust men again. With the skeletons hiding in her closet, she may never open her heart to another again.
Aedan Donovan has a bad habit of pursuing women that he can’t – or shouldn’t – have. His penchant for unavailable women has a tendency to land him in a lot of trouble, and this time it’s gotten him hurt and in for a long haul of physical therapy. The moment he lays eyes on his therapist, he’s smitten, and for once, the girl he’s attracted to is available. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to feel the same way about him. Despite her initial rejection, Aedan can’t deny that there is something in Christine’s eyes that tell him she’s worth fighting for.
ONE
Aedan Donovan shifted uncomfortably on the hospital bed, his body screaming in pain because he refused to take pain pills. This wasn’t a good way to start his new career after being in the military for eight years.
He watched his older brother’s expression warily. Knowing Drew, he was going to say something that would make Aedan feel three-inches tall. Maybe smaller.
Drew stood in front of Aedan’s bed, smoothing his trimmed dark brown facial whiskers and shaking his head. A gleam of humor lit up his eyes as his mouth pulled into a grin.
“You’re definitely a special kind of klutz, dear brother.” He chuckled. “I can’t believe you messed up your legs as badly as you did. You’ve always been athletic, so what did you do this time?”
Inwardly, Aedan groaned. “Well, you see –”
“Oh, no. Let me guess.” Drew’s eyes widened. “You were jogging in the park and you weren’t watching where you were going so you tripped over some guy’s dog.” He paused and then shook his head. “No, better yet – it was a beautiful woman’s dog, and since you had to make yourself noticeable, you did a couple of cartwheels and ended with the splits.”
Aedan rolled his eyes. “Wrong... and wrong.” He shifted on the mattress again, gritting his teeth against the pain. “All I was doing was playing racquetball and I lunged for the ball, but I crashed into the wall... literally.”
Drew arched an eyebrow. “Did you break the wall?”
“Yeah. I almost broke my back, too. See if I ever make a bet when it comes to sports.”
“Then you deserve your pain. Haven’t you learned not to bet? And you really shouldn’t act like you’re better than others.”
“I don’t act like I’m better.”
Drew folded his arms and cocked his head. “And how many other guys do you know who lunge for the ball and crash into the wall?”
Aedan shrugged. “I thought I could beat him. In fact, if I hadn’t hit the wall like I did, I could have won. Come to think about it,” he laughed, “I was one point ahead.”
Drew shook his head. “Yeah, right.” He paused briefly. “So, what’s next on your recovery agenda? How long will you be lying here, looking like the hunk-of-the-month on those trashy women magazines?”
Aedan laughed lightly over his brother’s comparison. “The doctor said that I will have to stay this way just until the swelling goes down. Then he wants me to go to a physical therapist three times a week.”
Drew pulled at his tie that matched his three-piece-suit to perfection. Of course, Drew was a billionaire and so must play the part. Aedan hadn’t quite earned the billions his brother and father had, but he was on his way.
“Aedan, you’re just one unlucky man, aren’t you?” He shook his head sadly.
“Yes, dear brother, I am. I really am.”
Even though Drew didn’t say the words, Aedan knew what his brother was thinking. It seemed like Aedan’s whole life had been one mistake after another. Actually, Aedan had only done two things right in his life. The first had been when he joined the military to fight for his country. He served eight consecutive years as a Military Policeman and had been given an honorary release four months ago.
The second thing he’d done right was invest in a computer software business that was selling well. He predicted the future would bring him to making as much money as his old man and younger brother.
But those other things in Aedan’s life had been miserable and had definitely brought him bad luck. It all started when he found out that his wife of three years, whom he had loved and trusted with all of his heart, had been cheating on him. Not with just one man, but several. She even had the nerve to hit upon his own brother, Drew, two years ago.
The memory still made his gut churn with disgust. At the time, he’d thought Drew had been the instigator, but it didn’t take long for Aedan to see how unfaithful his wife really was. After their divorce, most of his close friends had become distant, treating Aedan like he was a social disease. It made him wonder if she had been with his friends like that, too.
When he finally started dating again, he noticed that the women were only after him because of his father’s wealth. They treated Aedan like a military trophy, and not the man he really was.
Six months ago, he’d thought he had met the woman of his dreams – one he could live the rest of his life with, in fact. She was beautiful and kind and had also been through a painful divorce, so they related quite well. Unfortunately, she’d already given her heart to someone else by the time he met her. She was having problems with her relationship, so he stepped in as a friend to help her get her boyfriend back. But he was just her friend, and she eventually worked out her problems and married the other man.
Once again, Aedan struck out with love.
At twenty-eight, he was too old for life’s heartaches. He’d been kicked down so many times, he was tired of pulling himself back up again. Maybe that was why he wasn’t watching himself when he tripped over his own two feet as he crashed into the wall, ripping and damaging the muscles in his legs. Maybe he was just tired of trying so hard.
“Yeah, well nobody could be as lucky as you and have the perfect wife and child, big brother,” Aedan told Drew.
His older brother smiled wide, his deep blue eyes sparkling with fulfillment. “Yes, I was one lucky guy when I met my Tynell.”
“How is little Charles?”
Drew beamed all over. “He is growing like a weed. Can you believe he is starting to crawl now?”
“Yeah, they don’t stay babies for long.”
“No, they don’t.”
“How is...” Aedan really shouldn’t have started the question, but he just had to know about the woman he’d once loved and couldn’t have. “How are Bridget and Zack and their little girl?”
“They are doing great, and little Rebecca is as pretty as an angel.”
“She takes after her mother, then.” Aedan frowned, thinking about the beautiful redhead.
Drew nodded. “Yes, and she even has the same curly red hair, too.”
“Oh.” Aedan replied, his spirits sinking a notch. He hadn’t seen Bridget since she married Zack Lovett – Tynell’s brother. Aedan really shouldn’t have gotten involved with Bridget to begin with, knowing she loved another.
“Do you still think about her?” Drew asked, more seriously.
“Once in a while I do. I thought she was the right woman for me, but I guess my timing was off, once again.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, and I doubt that it will, but she and Zack are really happy together.”
“Good, I’m glad.” Aedan turned his head away from his brother and slightly to the left toward the window. “Now I need to think of a way to get out of this place and a way to heal my legs so that I can start feeling better about myself.”
Chuckling, Drew shook his head in disbelief. “I still can’t believe that you tried your hardest to beat a man who was obviously better than you at racquetball.”
Aedan swung his glare toward his brother. “Oh, shut up.” During the small pause, Aedan laughed. “Actually, the truth is that I was trying to impress his girlfriend. She was watching the game and I tried my hardest to make her think I was something special.”
Throwing back his head, Drew roared with la ughter. “That’s why you tore your legs up? To impress another man’s girl?”
Aedan rolled his eyes. It hadn’t sounded so ridiculous when he’d planned it out. “Yes, that’s how I did it.”
“You poor fool. Still trying to pick the wrong woman? Why do you insist on going after the women that have already been taken?”
Aedan smiled. “Actually, I didn’t really want her. I was just showing off for her.”
“And look at where it got you.”
“Yeah, lying in a bed with my legs lifted with ice-packs on them, wearing a hospital gown that is quite airy in the back.” Aedan shook his head, feeling miserable again.
The door to Aedan’s room opened and in walked a brunette nurse. She looked from Aedan to Drew and smiled big, showing her pearly white teeth.
“You’ll have to excuse me,” she told Drew, “but it’s time for Mr. Donovan’s sponge bath.”
Drew waggled his eyebrows at Aedan. “You have the best insurance to pay for bedside service.”
“Shut up and get out of here.” Aedan motioned his hand toward the door.
Once Drew left, the nurse turned toward the small sink in the corner of the room. “So, Mr. Donovan. Are you ready for your sponge bath?”
“You can call me Aedan.”
She nodded.
“But yes, I’m ready.” He just hoped that the bath wouldn’t make him feel more embarrassed than he already felt.
TWO
Day two of Aedan’s hospital stay was more boring than day one – and the sponge baths weren’t that entertaining. The nurses hurried through them, and their hands weren’t gentle at all. They knew he wasn’t taking his pain pills, so then why couldn’t they have been a little slower?
Grumbling, he clicked off the television since there wasn’t anything interesting to watch. If only he could get out of bed and walk around a bit, but the doctor had him on ice-packs and bed-rest. Not an enjoyable combination at all.
The pretty nurse from yesterday walked into his room, pushing an empty wheelchair. Her smile looked fake. “Are you ready for your next adventure, Aedan? We’re going for a little ride.”
“Where are we going? Disneyland, perhaps?”
She giggled. “Of course not, silly. I’m taking you to the physical therapy room.”
Inwardly, he groaned. Physical therapy sounded very painful, but... at least it would give his mind something to do.
Patiently, he waited while she unhooked his legs from the stirrups, and then assisted him as he sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. She moved the wheelchair closer and then gave him instructions on how to stand.
He gritted his teeth against the pain, but within seconds, he was sitting in the wheelchair. She pushed him out of his room and to the elevator. The ride to the first floor of the hospital didn’t take long, and soon he was being pushed inside the physical therapy room. She stopped him near the long desk.
“Your personal therapist will be here in a few minutes. I’ll be back for you in about thirty minutes, okay?”
“Thanks... I think.” He scanned his gaze around the room, taking in the different types of equipment. Some looked like they would be fun to use – like the ones in his own gym – and others looked like torture chambers of the fourteenth century.
“Is everything all right?” she asked.
“Well, since I’ve been lifting weights and working out and building my muscles for as long as I can remember, I wonder why I’m paying someone to be my therapist when I can do it myself.”
The nurse shrugged. “At least give the therapist a chance, then if you don’t think it’s working, you can stop your sessions.”
Aedan smiled up at her. “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I ask. See you in a bit.” She turned and walked out the door, back into the hospital.
As Aedan looked around the room again, annoyance grew inside him. He really didn’t want someone telling him what he could and couldn’t do. This was his body, which he’d injured before and was able to fix it just fine by himself. So why was he wasting his time and money allowing someone else to give him therapy? And why was he still at the hospital? Perhaps he needed to demand the doctor release him and send him home. He might still be in pain, but at least his bed would be more comfortable.
He’d let his therapist know his thoughts as soon as he met them. And hopefully it would be soon. They’d already wasted five minutes of his time.
CHRISTINE MCKENNA SLOWLY walked out of the supply closet doing a balancing act with her arms full of bandages. She’d had the privilege of overhearing the conversation between Donna and her patient in the wheelchair.
Slowly, she released a pent-up sigh. She loved being a therapist, but she thoroughly disliked having to work with self-assured men who thought they knew her job better than she did. And from seeing Mr. Donovan’s expression and hearing the tone in his voice, she was sure their session would not go well. She was even tempted to purposely make him wait ten more minutes.
Most men like Mr. Donovan – athletes who thought they didn’t have to go slowly and wait for their injuries to heal properly – had always given her a headache. They were the reasons she wished for a different job.
Not only that, but those men who actually let her help them, would walk away from their sessions without one word of gratitude. All she wanted was a little thanks for putting up with their irritable tempers and their constant complaints. Was that too much to ask?
After stocking the shelves with the bandages, she straightened her shoulders and gained some courage as she walked over to meet the wealthy man. It was a well-known fact, especially in the hospital, that Aedan Donovan was the son of the billionaire who owned several oil wells. It was also rumored that after Aedan had left the military, he’d invested wisely and was making pretty good money by himself.
She stopped in front of his wheelchair. His green eyes lifted to look at her. She gave him the best smile she could make right now.
“You must be Aedan Donovan.”
His gaze took a slow perusal over her face and hair, and then down the length of her body. She wore her normal jeans and t-shirt today, covered by her long, uniformed white jacket.
“I am,” he said in a deep voice. “And who might you be?”
She held out her right hand in greeting. “I’m Christine McKenna, your physical therapist.”
He had already stretched out his hand to shake, but then it stalled in reaching hers. She decided not to make this anymore awkward than it already was, and reached a little further to grasp his hand and shake it.
“I would say that it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said somberly, “but unfortunately, I’m not thrilled about being here or having a therapist.”
She released his hand and quickly folded her arms. “Yes, I know. I heard you talking to your nurse, Donna,” Christine confessed. “And I happen to agree with her. Not because I’m a therapist either, but because I have seen the difference between those who take therapy and those who think they can do it themselves, like yourself. The ones that do it themselves usually end up coming back to me to be fixed because they have injured themselves even more.”
Aedan rolled his eyes. “Yes, but I am not that bad.”
She laughed lightly. “That is what they all say. But the fact is, it does not matter how little or how much you are hurt. If you don’t treat your legs the right way and let them heal properly, they will only get worse.”
She waited patiently while he inspected her again, wishing it didn’t make her upset. He was a very handsome man, and she could tell by just looking at his body that he worked out a lot. My kind of man! It was too bad she wasn’t interested in finding her kind of man at the time. After her last boyfriend disappointment, she realized she needed a break.
“Mr. Donovan, I can make this easy for you, or I can make it very painful. The choice is yours.”
His eyes widened and she thought his face appeared slightly pale. But she didn’t care if she scared him or if she just lost another patient. She was tired of men like him, and she’d rather quit her job than work with another self-righteous man like Aedan Donovan.
“Mr. Donovan, would you at least give me a try? I would hate to see all those years you spent building your muscles to end up down the drain just because of your stubbornness.”
