WHEN JUBAL ARRIVED back at the cabin, he grabbed a beer and went outside. As far as he was concerned, he would always prefer the outdoors, regardless of the comforts offered inside.
He took a long pull from the bottle and pondered his dilemma. He had two personal rules for himself. Don’t butt into other people’s business and don’t lie unless it’s a military necessity. Lies always come back to bite you in the ass.
Now, he might have to violate both of those principles.
He glanced at his watch. A little before two.
Would the kid show? If he didn’t, problem solved. He would do what he originally planned to do: leave the next day.
But if he did, what then? Things would become a lot more complicated.
Those expressive brown eyes that looked startled as his gaze met hers haunted him.
He never would have guessed the kid and the doctor were brother and sister. Her hair and eyes were dark, while Gordon’s hair was blond and his eyes were blue. His younger sister had the same coloring. Odd.
The sun was getting warmer. He took off his shirt and leaned back in the chair...
“Hey, man.”
The words woke him up. The kid stood next to him, staring at the scars on his chest. Dammit, he should have heard him approach. Jubal sat up and shrugged on his shirt.
Gordon held out a paper sack and Jubal looked inside. The sweats he’d given him were inside. Clean. Neatly folded.
The kid looked for approval. He didn’t get it. “Ready to work?” Jubal said.
“You said you were military,” Gordon said rather than answering.
“Used to be.”
“Which one?”
“American, last I checked.”
The kid look disgusted. “I mean branch.”
“Does it matter?”
“I’m thinking about joining.”
“Can’t do that with a police record.”
The kid shrugged. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Just wrong place at the wrong time?”
“Something like that.”
“Bullshit. You put yourself there. Doesn’t matter if someone else committed the crime.”
“I don’t need lectures,” the kid said. “Get enough of those already.” He paused, then asked in a more conciliatory tone, “Did you mean what you said about not telling anyone what happened last night, if I do some work for you?”
There was a plea in the kid’s eyes, or maybe he was imagining it. But he saw himself thirty years ago when his mother took him from the father he loved. Probably not similar circumstances, but there was loss in the boy’s eyes, pain Jubal recognized.
“Ever build anything?” he asked.
“Like what?” Gordon asked suspiciously.
“Anything.”
The kid seemed to think for a minute. “A fort when I was fourteen.”
“Was it any good?”
“Still there, last I checked.” He smirked.
“Work on a car or a bicycle?”
“Maybe.”
“Put something together? Read instructions?”
“I guess.”
“Well, I think a bench would look real nice over that place you scorched on the dock.”
“You can’t even see it,” the kid complained.
“There’s enough to see someone started a fire there. Speaking of that, where’s your partner in crime?”
“I don’t know who you mean.”
“The kid I saw last night. You know, the one who took off and left you holding...the evidence. You don’t seem any better at picking friends than you are at building a fire.”
“I hardly knew him,” Gordon mumbled.
Jubal raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t say much for your judgment, though, does it? Back to my question. You can read directions? Yes?”
“Yeah, but...”
“Anyway, I want a bench,” Jubal said in a tone that intimidated most people. “I’ll pay for the supplies, but you have to give me an acceptable design and build it.”
“A design? I don’t know anything about building furniture.”
“It’s not furniture. It’s a bench. A rustic bench on the dock. I assume you can use a computer. Lots of do-it-yourself plans there. Bring me a couple.”
“You gotta be kidding. I thought...” Gordon stopped midsentence.
“You thought you could mow a lawn once or twice?”
The kid’s face told him that’s exactly what he thought. “I don’t have tools.”
“I’ll supply them once you bring me a worthy design and a list of materials you need.”
The kid looked mutinous. Obviously, he was having an internal argument. He didn’t want to do it, but he didn’t want the fire reported and to have to suffer the consequences, either.
“You really a friend of the police chief?”
“He saved my life in Afghanistan. Piloted the chopper that rescued my team. That tends to bond people. We’ve been friends since. It’s why I’m here.” Jubal usually didn’t talk about that but he wanted to define the relationship.
“For real?” the kid said.
“Yeah, for real,” Jubal said.
Whatever defiance remained in the kid’s face faded away. “I’ll try,” he said in a subdued voice.
“Never try,” Jubal said. “You don’t get anywhere by just trying. You do it.”
“When?”
“Let’s say Friday to see the plans and a list of materials needed to build it. I want several different plans,” Jubal said.
The kid’s eyes widened. “No way,” he said.
“Hell, all you have to do is find something on the internet,” Jubal said. “You thinking about going into the military? Well, you won’t get a week to go on the internet and find a plan someone else designed.” He stood. “Any other questions?”
The kid looked sucker-punched.
“Got a ride?” Jubal asked.
“I have a bike,” the kid said.
“But not last night?”
“Someone picked me up in a car.”
“Where did you find that loser?”
The kid winced. “Met him at the football field. He dared me. Said all new kids had to prove themselves.”
“And you were mad enough to do it?”
“My sister had no right to bring us here,” the kid said angrily. “Chicago’s our home.”
“Just out of curiosity, what’s so great about Chicago? Seems to me you’re screwing up wherever you are.”
The kid’s face grew red. Jubal was pleased Gordon held his tongue in check.
“See you Friday,” he said, dismissing the kid. “Two p.m.”
Gordon stood there for a moment, obviously not quite sure what just happened. Then he mumbled something and left.
* * *
AFTER LISA RETURNED to the house from picking up the dog, along with several bags of dog food, toys, a dog bed, leash and canine paperwork, she started in on the pile of patient files.
It wasn’t easy. The newest resident raced around the house, exploring, until both Kerry and Susie were banished to the yard. But the pure joy on Kerry’s face lightened Lisa’s heart. She hadn’t seen that joy in a very long time.
If only she could see it on Gordon’s face.
The phone rang. It was Janie at the clinic. “Can you catch a house call?” she said. “I know you don’t start officially until tomorrow, but it’s a six-year-old girl, and her mother is worried.”
Lisa had already learned that Dr. Bradley made house calls, and she readily agreed. She drove to the clinic office and studied the child’s records before heading out.
The mother, Amy Pritcher, was at the door when she arrived and led her into a bedroom. Teresa, her young patient, looked apprehensive when Lisa entered her room.
“Hi, there,” Lisa said. “You must be Teresa. I’m Dr. Redding, and I’m going to make you feel better, okay?”
The girl nodded.
Lisa took her temperature and pulse, then examined her throat and ears. When she finished, she turned to the mother. “She has an infection in her left ear.” Lisa prescribed ibuprofen and a heating pad. “If her temperature goes up, call me night or day, okay?” She gave Amy one of the sample bottles of ibuprofen she carried with her.
On the way out, the mother met her at the door with a tin box. Dr. Bradley had warned her that would probably happen with patients and advised her to accept the gifts to avoid hurt feelings.
Lisa accepted with thanks and felt an unexpected exhilaration. A success. A small success, but it was a transition, and it felt good. The little girl had looked at her with such hope and the mother with gratitude. Her first house call, and she enjoyed it.
She also liked Janie’s grin as she reported on the house call.
“Not like a big hospital, is it?” the nurse asked.
“No, but I expect there are some difficult patients, as well.”
“The veterans are the worst,” Janie said. “They don’t call unless they’re critical. They think they’re indestructible.”
From the look of Eve’s husband and the man she met today, Lisa didn’t doubt it. She nudged the latter from her mind as she and Janie went over the billing procedures and their drug supply. When they finished, Janie sighed.
“I’m glad you’re here, Doctor. We need you. Dr. Bradley needs you. The town needs you,” Janie said.
There were no appointments and the two of them went over the records of the next day’s patients.
We need you. It felt good to be needed. Of course, she’d been needed in the hospital, but then it had been more impersonal. Lisa glanced around her office. Hers. At least for a year. The comfortable-looking chairs in the waiting room and the nature prints on the wall gave the room warmth.
She looked at her watch. Nearly five. Her siblings would be hungry.
She called the number at their house. No answer. Then she tried Gordon’s cell. To her surprise, he answered with a grumpy, “Yeah?”
“Are you home?”
“Yeah.”
“Where’s Kerry?”
“In the backyard with that dumb dog.”
“It’s not a dumb dog. Have you eaten anything?”
“No.”
“You and Kerry haven’t been to the park. I can get some takeout from Maude’s and we’ll have a picnic. Maybe you two can explore the community center.”
A silence, then a reluctant, “All right.”
She was stunned at his agreement but would happily accept small gifts. “What do you want from Maude’s?”
“What do they have?”
He actually answered. Lisa was encouraged. “Most anything, I think.”
“Cheeseburger and fries.” Reluctance dripped from his voice.
Lisa ignored the tone. “Ask Kerry what she wants.”
She heard a door slam then, and Kerry was on the phone. Lisa repeated her question.
“A salad with chicken,” Kerry said. “A light dressing and an iced tea. Can I bring Susie?”
“I don’t see why not. I’ll pick you guys up at home in ten minutes.”
After she hung up the phone, she called Maude’s and placed the order.
Twenty minutes later, the three of them plus Susie arrived at the park, food and drinks in hand. The cheeseburger must have met Gordon’s high standards because it disappeared in record time. Kerry shared a small bite of chicken with Susie. Lisa forced herself not to say anything. Not this time. Everything was going too well.
To her surprise, Gordon checked out the area around the community center. When he returned, she suggested they visit the center itself. Despite the fact it was nearly seven, there were several cars in the parking lot that apparently served both the center and park.
“Can I take Susie inside?” Kerry asked.
The dog barked at the sound of her name.
“I don’t know,” Lisa said. “I don’t even know if it’s open, but we’ll find out. Maybe Gordon could look after her while we go in and ask.”
“Ugh!” Gordon grumbled. But he took the leash. “We’ll stay here,” he said.
The community center door was unlocked, and Lisa and Kerry went inside. They found a large desk in the entry hall. Atop it sat a bell with a sign saying Ring Me. When Lisa did just that, a woman came down the stairs. Lisa noticed she wore a brace on her hand.
The woman reached the landing. “Hi. Welcome to the center. I’m Andy Stuart. You must be the new doctor. I’m really glad you dropped by.”
Lisa nodded. “I’m Lisa Redding, and this is my sister, Kerry. She was hoping she could explore the library but she wanted to know if she can bring her dog inside. She just adopted it.”
“Sure,” Andy said with a grin. “At times, there are more dogs in here than people.” She turned to Kerry. “Hi, the library is to the left, along with a number of public computers. Business is slow since it’s the weekend before school starts. Come on, I’ll show you around.”
“My brother’s outside with the dog...” Lisa started, then stopped when she heard a loud yell from outside.
Lisa turned toward the door, but Kerry was faster and flung it open. Susie was racing across the park, the leash trailing behind her, and Gordon was running after her. The dog would stop and sniff something, then dash off again as Gordon approached. It was obviously a game to her.
“Susie!” Kerry cried, and ran after her brother.
Her heart pounding, Lisa followed. Kerry couldn’t take another loss. She passed Kerry and was almost up to Gordon when the dog reached the road that bordered the park. Susie turned and ran straight down the middle of it. Gordon was at least ten feet behind but wasn’t catching up.
Through the corner of her eye, she saw a car start to turn onto the road just as the dog raced across the street, then ducked back again as Gordon nearly caught the leash.
Susie started back across the street again. The dog was so fast the driver of the car apparently didn’t see her or Kerry, who was running to intercept Susie.
Lisa shouted and raced toward Kerry, but she knew she was too late. Then suddenly Lisa saw a tall figure in shorts and a T-shirt appear out of nowhere. He pushed Kerry out of the car’s path and snatched the dog up.
The driver jammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a stop, but the bumper hit the runner and slammed him to the payment. The dog bounced out of his arms and ran to Kerry where she lay on the street.
Lisa reached Kerry and dropped to her knees. “Are you all right?”
“I’m okay. Susie...”
“She looks a lot better than you do,” Lisa said as she checked Kerry over. As far as she could tell, Kerry had some open road burns on her forearms, but otherwise she seemed okay.
The little dog wriggled in Kerry’s arms and licked her face. Lisa tried to slow her racing pulse. Then she turned to the runner, who was getting to his feet. The man she’d met earlier today. He was bleeding from several cuts.
Galloping Gulliver! It was an expletive she’d learned from her mother to use in lieu of a less acceptable one. It had been handed down from her mother’s mother. It seemed perfect now.
“Thank you,” she said, hoping her voice wasn’t breaking. “And you’re hurt!”
“No big deal,” he said. “Superficial. Is Kerry okay?”
Lisa nodded, surprised he had remembered her sister’s name. “Thanks to you. She has a few superficial injuries but nothing compared... I mean, to think what could have...” She sucked in her breath. She was shaking. She, who didn’t think twice when she treated some of the worst wounds one could imagine, was not coping well when it came to her family.
The older woman stepped out of the car. “I’m so sorry,” she said, a tremor in her voice. “There’s not usually traffic on this road and I was thinking about something else.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Jubal Pierce said. “The dog ran in front of the car.”
“But if you hadn’t been there...” Tears were forming in the woman’s eyes.
“I was, and no harm done,” Jubal replied. His voice was gentle. Disconcerting coming from the brusque man with cool eyes and impressive muscles under his T-shirt.
“You must be the new veteran,” the older woman said. “I’m June Byars. I live two houses down from your cabin.” Then she turned to Lisa. “Are you sure your daughter is okay?”
“She’s my sister. I’m Lisa Redding, the new doctor. I’m sure she’ll be all right. And Mr. Pierce is right. It wasn’t your fault. My dog ran in front of your car. If anything, I’m so sorry to have put you and Mr. Pierce at risk.”
Her gaze returned to the bloodied man, who watched her with those darn compelling blue eyes. Blood oozed from a wide gash on his left knee along with other scrapes on his leg. His left hand, which apparently bore of the brunt of the fall, was also bleeding. She turned to him. “I have bandages and antibiotics in my car back at the community center. I can follow you home and take care of those cuts.”
Amusement flickered in his eyes. “It’s nothing. I’m perfectly able to take care of myself.”
Lisa noticed then that Gordon had backed away. He looked as if he longed to be anywhere else. He must know a lecture would come later. And questions. How had Susie gotten loose?
She turned back to Jubal. “It may not make you feel better, but it would make me feel better if I looked at them.”
He hesitated.
“Please,” Kerry interceded as she stared in horror at the blood dripping on the ground. “I’m...so sorry.” Gordon, on the other hand, had turned around and was headed back to the community center—slinking back was more like it.
Jubal looked at Kerry. Tears were forming in her eyes. “All right, but I’ll walk back. I don’t want to stain your car. I’m in the last cabin on the road.”
“You’ll let me know if I can do anything,” Mrs. Byars added anxiously.
No way was he going to take her up on that offer, Lisa sensed, but he gave the older woman a smile that would charm a rattlesnake and nodded. Then he turned and headed down the road.
Lisa took Susie’s leash from Kerry. She wasn’t going to get away again. Stephanie didn’t mention this part of dog ownership.
Gordon was waiting for them at the car in the community center lot. “I’ll walk back,” he said.
“You won’t wait for us?”
“Nothing I can do,” he said, his gaze not meeting hers.
“You could have apologized,” she said. “You let the dog go.”
“Well, it’s all okay now.” He turned around and started toward town.
Lisa sighed. Nothing seemed to get through to him.
Andy had walked from the community center to where they stood. Lisa explained what happened.
“I’m a RN,” Andy said. “I’ll take care of your sister and watch the dog while you see to Mr. Pierce. We have a first aid kit here.”
Lisa hesitated, then nodded. She went to her car and drove down the street. She caught up with Jubal Pierce as he turned into a driveway and followed him to an attractive, rustic-looking cabin with a porch stretched across the front.
As she stepped out of the car and went to the trunk for her medical bag, she noticed he’d stopped at the steps and taken off his T-shirt. He tore it and wrapped the strips around his knee and hand to stop them from bleeding. He then opened the screen porch door and waited for her.
“Shouldn’t you have stayed with your sister?” he asked.
It was an obvious attempt to get rid of her. She ignored it. “There’s an RN at the community center. She’s tending to Kerry.” She took a deep breath as she looked at his bare chest. It was covered with old scars, as if he’d been whipped and burned. His eyes met hers. Challenged her to comment.
She didn’t. “Bathroom?”
He opened the main door to the cabin and led the way down the hall to a bathroom.
“This isn’t necessary,” he said again as he held the door to the bathroom open. “I’ve had medic training. I can take care of this. If your sister hadn’t asked...”
“Let’s just say I need to satisfy myself.” She eyed the bloodstained and torn t-shirt as he unwrapped it. “That’s a goner. I’ll replace it.”
“No, you won’t,” he said flatly. “It was old. I didn’t want to bloody the floor and it was no loss.” He remained standing, obviously uncomfortable.
“Sit down,” Lisa said in her best no-nonsense voice.
To her surprise, he plopped down on the closed commode seat. His sheepish expression touched her heart. Oddly enough, he seemed to understand her need—and Kerry’s—to do something he obviously thought completely unnecessary.
Her gaze met his and for several seconds she couldn’t turn away. His eyes were impossibly blue and intense. Her stomach tightened. She tried to still the runaway attraction that was overruling her brain, but she was too stunned by it.
He was lean but well-muscled and his arms and legs were deeply tanned. He obviously worked out. He’d been out on a run before...the near-accident. He was all alpha male, the opposite of what she’d thought to be her type.
His tanned, chiseled chest was marred by scars. She’d seen bodies torn by gunfire and explosions and sharp objects. While she noticed two obvious bullet wound scars, there were also scars from other sources. Burns. Cuts. Blows that probably had resulted in broken bones. There were ridges around his wrists. It was obvious he’d been tortured.
“Not very pretty, are they?” he said casually.
“I’ve seen worse,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady and matter-of-fact.
He raised an eyebrow.
“You only have to be a resident in an emergency room in Chicago or any big city,” she explained in a trained neutral voice. “There’s little I haven’t seen.”
She forced herself to focus on the new wounds. There was a deep cut and other abrasions on his left knee, and more on his left hand. His left wrist was also swollen and he winced slightly when she felt around it. “I don’t think there’s a break, but it’s probably sprained,” she said. “I should do X-rays.”
“It’s not broken,” he said with certainty. “I know the difference.”
She didn’t press the issue. She washed the open wounds with soap and water, then applied antiseptic cream and bandaged them. A lot of them were surface cuts. Not serious, but they could become infected. “I’m going to give you an antibiotic shot,” she said. “As for your wrist, twenty minutes ice, then twenty minutes heat, then tape it. If it’s not better in the morning, call me.”
“Anything you say, Doc,” he replied.
“Do you even have a heating pad?”
“Don’t know. Haven’t seen one.”
“I’ll bet Mrs. Byers does. I’ll stop by her house and ask.”
“No, ma’am,” he said. “I’ll just use a towel.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m pretty good at taking care of myself.”
“Your body says otherwise.”
He shrugged. “I’m alive.”
“Not long, if you continue to do battle with large moving objects.”
“It was for a good cause.”
“Do you always go around saving dogs and kids?”
“Can’t say I do. I usually stay away from both.”
“Why’s that?”
He looked directly into her eyes. “Emotions get you killed.” It was said in that same matter-of-fact voice, but the tightening of his jaw emphasized the words.
“Are you still in the army?”
“Navy, Doc,” he corrected, making it plain there was a huge difference. “No. We’ve separated, but I don’t intend to stay in a rocking chair.”
She couldn’t imagine he would. He was all barely suppressed energy. Covenant Falls couldn’t hold him long.
Go. Go while you can! her brain was screaming that warning to her, but she couldn’t seem to move off her knees.
The room seemed to shrink, the air between them suddenly charged. She could almost smell the ozone. Her face flamed, and heat surged through her, fueling a raw hunger.
She was only too aware he was almost naked, that his body was too near to hers, his breath too close...
What was she doing?
He was a stranger. A patient. A man she had only met once before. A man who had obviously led a violent life. He was everything she’d fought against.
She was just lonely, that was all. She’d had no time for romance these past few years. Between the residency and her mother, she’d been too exhausted to think about sex, much less romance. When she wasn’t on duty, she was sleeping, studying or trying to help at home.
“I have...to go.” The words were forced out by some protective instinct. She hurriedly got to her feet, almost stumbling as she did.
He searched her face for a long moment—or was it a second that seemed longer? “Don’t worry about me. I’ve had far worse after a day’s training.”
“W-well, then, I had better see about my sister.” She was stuttering. She never stuttered. “Thanks again for helping Kerry. If you need anything, I’m at the clinic on Main Street.”
“I’ll be sure to call,” he assured her solemnly, but there was a hint of mischief in his eyes, crinkles at their corners. He was obviously more amused than grateful for her attention.
If he hadn’t just risked his life for her sister, she might have made a retort. Instead, she hurriedly replaced every item in her bag, then, as an afterthought, took out a roll of tape and another sample bottle of ibuprofen, putting them on the sink. “And use those.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
Then with as much dignity as she could manage, Dr. Lisa Redding turned and walked out. She hoped he didn’t notice that her legs weren’t very steady.
* * *
JUBAL STOOD, FOLLOWED the doctor to the door and watched as she walked down the steps to her car and drove off.
He’d been close enough to catch a floral scent from her hair. Her hands had been efficient but gentle. Her face had held so much concern as she ministered to what he considered nothing more than minor irritations.
He had let her because her hands felt good. And because he hadn’t wanted her to leave.
So now he knew for sure where the kid came from. And his dilemma was greater than ever. Before, he hadn’t known Gordon’s sister. Now that he knew, everything he did moving forward would be a lie of omission.
But he had, more or less, agreed not to say anything if the kid worked off the debt. Jubal had watched the boy back away tonight. Gordon was probably afraid that now Jubal knew who he was, he might well say something to his sister.
Lisa Redding certainly didn’t look like someone the kid should fear. She had obviously been terrified for her sister and showed no blame toward the boy. She appeared to be a good doctor. Professional. But damn, there had been an instantaneous electricity that flashed between them, a moment of mutual attraction that was as strong as any he’d felt. She’d felt it, too, he’d wager. He had seen it in her eyes. He’d also seen the dismay.
He’d felt that, too. He was in no position to start a relationship, especially since his stay here was short. He was still suffering from night sweats and flashbacks. And couldn’t even sleep in a bed.
And then there was a very basic conflict in their lives.
He’d been damned good at war. He had been among the best of the best and it had become his identity. Now that it was gone, he hadn’t an idea in hell who he was or what to do.
Lisa Redding, on the other hand, was a healer who had a fine career ahead of her. She knew who she was and where she was going.
They were traveling in opposite directions. And why was he even considering anything other than a casual acquaintance? It was only his second day in Covenant Falls. What was it about this town that had transformed Clint from a hell-raising chopper jockey into a small-town police chief, and Josh Manning, a former Ranger, into a businessman with a wife and kid and a horde of animals? And why, dammit, couldn’t he erase images of Lisa Redding from his head?
Something in the water? Whatever it was, it wasn’t for him. The sooner he left, the better. Problem was his commitment to the kid.
Jubal changed from the stained running shorts to jeans and a clean T-shirt, then, ignoring the stiffness in his body from the fall, he headed out to climb the mountain trail. He made it past the lookout rock and continued until the path became uneven.
He knew he should head back down before it became too dark. Instead, he stared at the valley below. Beyond the town were fields, ranches, tiny dots that were probably grazing cattle. Peaceful, until the sun dipped toward the horizon and lit the sky with fire.
He suddenly felt lonely, an emotion he’d thought he had conquered. But then, he’d never been hit by a ton of bricks before, and that’s what had happened when he looked into Lisa Redding’s eyes and saw that she felt something, too. One of his more literate buddies once called it a coup de foudre, a blow of madness. Others simply called it a sock in the gut. He hated the whole idea. To him it had always sounded more like a loss of sanity. Or a fairy tale to explain a basic human need.
He reached the end of the path and walked back to the cabin. He went inside, made a sandwich, grabbed a beer and went out on the screened porch.
His cell phone rang, and he saw it was Clint. He almost ignored it, but hell, he was his guest. He punched the button and Clint’s voice came on.
“You okay?” Clint asked. “I heard about the accident with the new doctor. I’d planned to take you to the Rusty Nail tonight, but I was delayed by a domestic call, and then you didn’t answer the phone.”
“I took a long walk up the mountain. I’m fine. Just some small scratches.”
“Andy told me you saved the new doctor’s sister.”
“Highly exaggerated. The driver was going all of five miles an hour.”
“Well, you’re famous now. What about the Rusty Nail?”
“Can we make it tomorrow?”
“You’re staying, then?”
“A few more days,” Jubal answered cautiously.
“Terrific,” Clint said. “And I won’t ask why. I can take tomorrow off and show you around a bit more.”
“And deprive the town of protection? I thought I would explore on my own, if that’s okay.”
“It is. I’ll pick you up tomorrow evening at six unless we have a major crime wave.” Clint hung up.
Jubal turned the cell off. He needed time alone after today. He hated being the center of attention. The last thing he wanted was to be “famous.”
He watched as clouds moved in and took over the sky. Distant rolls of thunder moved closer. Lightning streaked across the darkness and lobbed arrows of fire toward the lake.
He watched it all, this theater of nature. He was usually content with his own company. The months of isolation in the jungle should’ve made him crave company, but they hadn’t. He’d learned to cope with silence. He’d made up games, reread books in his mind and even wrote a few. He relived his childhood days at rodeos and talked to his father.
He stretched out in the chair and closed his eyes. The thunder was strangely comforting. Still, he couldn’t quite banish a brown-haired, brown-eyed doctor from his thoughts.