*Rhett gripped the phone tightly, listening to the curt voice on the other end of the line. “I made sure he got the message.”
“Thanks.”
“You should have seen the way his eyes lit up when I mentioned your grandpa left a stash of guns and cash in the cabin. You’d have thought it was Christmas. It made me want to punch that bastard in the face.”
“I figured he would. I’ll take it from here,” Rhett said.
There was another armed robbery at a pharmacy in the next town over a few days ago. The cashier and the pharmacist were just getting ready to close when they were held up. He still didn’t have any proof, but in his gut, Rhett knew Larry and whomever he had working with him were escalating. When he heard about this latest robbery, Rhett knew he needed to take action. It was only a matter of time before someone was going to get hurt.
When he went over to Jasmine’s that night, Rhett found her exhausted and teary after a long day of work that ended with her having to help a family say goodbye to a beloved pet.
He made her a cup of tea and held her close while she cried. Eventually, she got up and went to the bathroom. Jasmine came back with her tears washed away and a faint smile on her lips.
“Thank you,” she said, sitting back down next to him.
Rhett pulled her into his lap. “I’m glad I could help. You’ve been working a lot of long days this week.”
Jasmine brushed her thumb under his eye. “And you haven’t been sleeping well.”
He’d been spending almost every night at Jasmine’s for the last two weeks after that first night he’d stayed. Guilt churned in his belly. Rhett cherished every moment he spent making love to Jasmine. He wanted to turn on the lights, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Jasmine why he’d asked her to turn them off in the first place. He was ashamed and scared. What would happen when he revealed himself to her? Would he repulse her? Would he be able to live without her touch if she walked away from him? It was impossible to sleep wrestling with all of those questions night after night.
“Have I been keeping you up? I don’t want you to lose sleep with me here. I can—” he asked.
She stopped him with a kiss that made him forget everything but how good Jasmine felt in his arms. When they broke apart, she ran her hand over his beard.
Jasmine leaned in and sniffed his beard. “Have you been using my hair oil?”
“It feels nice, and I like being surrounded by you, by your scent, wherever I am.”
She nuzzled his cheek. “I like it. It smells different on you.”
“What does it smell like?”
Jasmine looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. “Like lavender and lemon, sunshine and meadow grass.”
What was her secret? How was Jasmine able to make him feel whole again? No one else could soothe his wounds and, when it was just the two of them in the dark, make him forget they were there.
Jasmine pressed her hand to her mouth, trying to suppress a yawn. “It’s been a long day.”
“It’s okay, baby.”
Rhett kissed the top of her head, her curls tickling his nose. She drew her feet up under her and tucked herself closer. A few minutes later, her body relaxed and sank into his side. Rebel and Maisy were curled up together on the oversized dog bed in the corner. It was a moment like this that he’d always wanted. It was the same sense of calm and belonging he had the first time he sat on the log, fishing with his grandpa. He wanted to share a moment like this with Jasmine at the cabin. It was finally time to open the door and let himself in.
He woke up to some kisses on his nose and mouth. Jasmine’s hand snaked under his T-shirt, sending a shot of lust straight to his groin. He was thinking with his dick and not his head. That was the only explanation he could give for almost giving into the moment, forgetting the room was bathed in morning light.
He jerked away. “Stop,” he said with more force than he intended.
Jasmine got out of bed and wrapped her arms around herself. Disappointment replaced the look of desire that he saw in her eyes just a moment before.
“Jasmine, I didn’t mean to push you away.”
“Don’t.” She held her hands up, backing away another step. “I can’t keep doing this with you. Whatever is keeping you from showing yourself to me, whatever it is, I can help you.”
“I don’t need any help.” Rhett pulled the elastic off his wrist and threw his hair up while he got out of bed.
*
“Listen, I just—”
Jasmine shook her head, ignoring the note of desperation in Rhett’s voice. There wasn’t anything he could say that would salvage the moment. She knew in her heart that he wasn’t going to be able to.
“No, I can’t keep doing this. I won’t. I’m finally at a point in my life where I’m not going to let a terrible experience from the past determine my future.” Jasmine took a deep breath and forged ahead, knowing her next words might end their relationship. “But… you haven’t. I can’t imagine what it was like for you when you were undercover. You’re still there, Rhett, living in the past, and it’s keeping you from having a future and being happy. Every day, there are people trying to help you, and you turn them down, turn us down.”
She couldn’t go on without telling him the truth, all of it. He needed to know, and she needed to say it out loud.
“I had a boyfriend. Darren was—” She smiled faintly at the memory of the man she’d met her first year of grad school. “He was nothing like you except for one thing. He always thought he could do everything on his own. For anyone who didn’t really know, he came across as confident and self-assured.” Jasmine wrapped her arms around herself, grabbing the sides of her sweater, trying to ward off the icy chill threatening to encase her heart once again.
“Did you know that the suicide rate for veterinarians is almost three times higher than the general public?”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Veterinarians are compassionate people. It’s our empathetic nature that draws us to want to help animals. But that same trait makes it hard not to take on the pain and suffering of our patients… or the world. In school, they taught us to be aware of depression and suicidal thoughts and lectured that there was no shame in asking for help. I don’t remember when I first noticed that Darren was sleeping more than usual.” She took a breath. “He wouldn’t ask for help. I thought if I stayed with him, if I loved him enough, I could help him get better. It wasn’t enough. I was trying to take care of Darren and keep up with my classes. But I couldn’t.
“I had a test that I couldn’t miss one day, and after it, I checked my phone and saw a message from one of his friends. Da… Darren had”—Jasmine covered her eyes—“I was… I thought I didn’t try hard enough, that I didn’t do enough. My grades slipped, my friends drifted away, I almost lost… me, mourning and punishing myself. Pulling myself out of that depression took everything I had in me. That’s why it was such a big deal to graduate with honors and get my dream job.”
Rhett was a watercolor figure through her sheen of tears. If Jasmine could have seen him clearly, she would have seen the anguish in his eyes. So she didn’t wipe away her tears. She was afraid to see the look of pity in his eyes. She fought not to slip back into the dark depression that consumed her after she lost Darren.
“You only let me help with Rebel because you were desperate and you didn’t have any other option,” she said.
When Rhett objected, she interrupted, “I’m not finished. I care about you, Rhett, but I know I can’t help you or save you unless you’re willing to help yourself. I’m not going to sacrifice my life again. That’s not what’s best for you, and it’s not what’s best for me.”
“I don’t want you to worry about me,” Rhett said. “I never wanted you to worry about me.”
“But I do worry about you. I’ve been waiting for you to invite me over to see your grandpa’s cabin, and every time I offer to help, you turn me down. I can’t keep making love to you in the dark, Rhett. I can’t keep waiting for you to open your heart and trust me. Why is it okay for you to worry about me, but I can’t do the same for you?”
Rhett turned away, his jaw rigid, his hands clenched.
Jasmine had experienced heartbreak before, but this time, the pain came with a strange sense of acceptance.
Rhett looked as if she’d slapped him in the face. “I do trust you, I just—”
“I need you to leave, Rhett. I think we need to spend some time apart while you figure your life out.”
He stood there, staring at her for a minute, before he backed out to the living room. Maisy came into the bedroom and pressed herself against Jasmine’s side. She didn’t drop to her knees and bury her face in Maisy’s soft fur until she heard the click of the door. Time didn’t care about grief or breakups, and she had a clinic to run. After a few minutes, Jasmine picked herself up and went into the bathroom to wash her face. She didn’t have any eye drops; no matter how much makeup she put on, her red eyes couldn’t be disguised.
Imani gave her a worried look when she came through the door of the clinic. “Dr. Owens?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Jasmine muttered, heading toward her office.
She managed to keep a smile on her face through the only appointment she had on the schedule that morning. As soon as her patient and their owner left, she went back to her office and tried to focus on the paperwork that she’d been putting off. She’d just sent off a supply order when her brother walked in with two coffees.
“What’s this for?” she asked, taking it from his hand.
“Imani thought you might need an extra cup this morning.”
Jasmine took off the lid and blew on the hot liquid with a frown.
“Anything you want to tell me?” Isiah asked.
“No.”
“Are you okay, sis?”
“You don’t have to worry. This isn’t like last time,” she said quietly.
There was a knock on her door, and Presley popped her head in. “I was just wonderin’ if y’all wanted to—” She saw Isiah and stopped. “Oh, never mind.”
“That’s okay, Presley. What were you going to ask?” Jasmine said.
“I was just checking to see if you wanted to have lunch.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think I’d be good company.”
Presley gave her a worried look. Her eyes flicked to Isiah before she looked at Jasmine again. “Well, if y’all need anything, you know you can stop by anytime and”—she glanced at Isiah again—“I’m not just sayin’ that to make myself look good. I really mean it.”
Jasmine found her smile for the first time that day. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”
The door closed, and Isiah gave her a perplexed look. “What in the world was that about?”
“It wasn’t about anything but Presley being a good friend.”
“She isn’t the type of person you’d normally hang out with.” Isiah scoffed.
Jasmine gave her brother a sharp look. “Maybe you shouldn’t be so judgmental.” She stood up, pressing her palms against her desk. “Thanks for the coffee, Isiah, but I’m not in the mood to defend my friendships with you today.”
Isiah’s eyes widened for a second. “Jas, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I know.” She took a deep breath. “It’s been a really shitty morning. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just a little raw right now.”
“Can you just tell me if I need to go kick Rhett’s ass for breaking my baby sister’s heart?”
“My heart isn’t broken. I’m just… sad.” Jasmine’s voice trembled just a little.
“Aw, sis. I hate seeing you like this.”
Jasmine tried to give her brother a reassuring smile, but it didn’t have the desired effect when a tear escaped. Isiah came around her desk and pulled her into a brotherly hug.
“I’ll be okay,” she said.
“I know you will, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give you a hug.”
“Please don’t say anything to Mom and Dad.” She sniffed. “They’ll start calling nonstop.”
“Yeah, okay.”
*
Rhett was numb as he stood on the porch of his grandpa’s cabin. He turned away without even trying to go in. He snapped the band on his wrist until it broke. With a heavy sigh, he dug through his Jeep until he found another one. Rebel gave him a mournful look.
“Sorry, buddy. I haven’t been a very good friend, have I?”
Rebel let out a short bark.
“How about you and I head into Greenwood and get some supplies, and I’ll get you a new Frisbee?”
Rebel jumped into the front seat of the Jeep.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
He rested his hand on the scruff around Rebel’s neck as he headed down the road. Once again, Rebel was saving him from himself. He spoiled Rebel at the pet store with a couple of extra chew toys and the biggest bully stick he could find. Rebel was trotting at his side, carrying the bully stick proudly in his mouth, while Rhett balanced a large bag of dog food on his shoulder. His phone vibrated just as he threw it in the back of the Jeep.
Larry took the bait.
His gut clenched. This was what he wanted and what he needed to do, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried his plan might not work. But it was better for everyone if he took that risk.
*
It didn’t take long for Larry to show up. His beat-up truck was parked in front when Rhett arrived back at the cabin. Rebel whined, lifting his nose to sniff the air, his ears pricked forward. Rhett went around to the passenger side and opened the door. He glanced toward the cabin and then used hand signals. Rebel took off like a shot, with tiny puffs of dirt coming up where his paws kicked it up on his way into the woods. He bowed his head, allowing him a moment of relief. When he was undercover, he’d trained Rebel to go to a hiding spot on the property, an old shack that was barely standing in the woods. Rebel wouldn’t come out until Rhett gave the whistle that would signal the all-clear. It was a precaution to keep Rebel safe. It was where he’d sent Rebel the night they kidnapped Mae. Knowing that it worked that night reassured him it would work again.
He stood up and pulled his hair back. With a deep breath, Rhett walked toward the cabin.
*
“There you go, little one. That was the last one. You’ve got all your shots,” Jasmine said to the little brown and white spotted puppy looking up at her with doleful eyes.
“Is Fluffy gonna be okay?” The little girl, voice quivered as she held her fathers hand in a tight grip.
“Fluffy is going to be just fine. I promise it didn’t hurt him too much, and now, he’s going to stay healthy and happy.”
Jasmine smiled down at the short-haired male puppy named Fluffy and gave the poor little guy a treat.
There was a knock on the door, and Imani came in with a worried expression. “Dr. Owens, Rebel is here.”
Jasmine’s stomach clenched with nervous knots.
“Will you tell them I’ll be out in just a minute? I’m just about done.”
Imani gave a slight shake of her head. “Rhett isn’t with him.”
Jasmine froze for a minute and said, “Can you finish up here?” She tried to keep her voice as calm as possible.
“Sure.”
Jasmine quickly left the exam room and found Rebel in the lobby, panting. She knelt down, and he whined and licked the side of her face before trotting back over to the door and looking at her over his shoulder. She opened the door, thinking he wanted water from the bowl she kept outside for any furry friends that might need a drink. Rebel followed her but didn’t go outside. Staying by her side, he pawed at her leg and looked out the door again.
Imani was just coming out of the room with Fluffy and his owners.
“I’ve got to go,” Jasmine said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of things here.”
Jasmine nodded and ran into her office to grab her keys. In the car, Rebel kept his eyes focused on the road as she sped toward Rhett’s cabin. Rebel started barking when she turned into the driveway. Jasmine recognized the beat-up truck with the confederate flag sticker. It was the truck Larry Atwood got into after their confrontation at her clinic. She gripped the steering wheel and backed out, pulling over on the side of the road by a stand of trees that blocked the view of the cabin. She looked at Rebel.
“I know you don’t want to, but I need you to wait here,” she said.
She got out and ran to the back of her truck. There was no chance she would approach the cabin without being armed. She opened the lockbox she kept in the back and pulled out her pistol, holstering it at her side.
She called her brother as she walked down the driveway to the cabin. “Isiah, I need you at Rhett’s cabin as quickly as you can get here.”
“What’s going on?”
Jasmine heard a raised voice at the cabin. She hung up and started running.