Chapter Six

A FEW MINUTES PAST four in the afternoon, Jax paced the waiting area in the emergency room. She was waiting for Taylor to come and get her, or for Chance to arrive. The phone call from Chance explaining what had happened to Penny incensed her. How could he have thought that was okay? On her next turn, she came face to face with someone she recognized.

Dr. Faith Riker approached. “Jax, what are you doing here? Is Chance okay?”

Jax braced herself and looked directly at Chance’s ex, who was determined to get her former lover back. “Faith. Chance is fine. Penny and Taylor are back in the exam room meeting with their obgyn.”

Faith crossed her arms. “Is Penny okay?”

“She and the baby seem to be. I don’t have much information.”

“And you probably wouldn’t reveal it to me anyway.”

Jax bit the side of her cheek to slow her response. “Probably not. That’s Penny and Taylor’s personal information. I’m here as moral support.”

“And standing in for Chance, unless I miss my guess. Sooner or later, you’ll figure out you’re nothing more than a part of Chance’s routine. One more obligation, like her job or volunteer work.” Faith crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant stance.

“Faith, I’m not here to get into a pissing match with you.” Jax held up her hand and pointed to the ring. “Nothing you say to me will ever change my mind about spending my life with her exactly as she is. Over thirty years ago, I walked away, looking for something I didn’t realize I’d already found. I was a fool, and I’ve spent my time in hell paying for it. I won’t make that mistake again. Your former relationship with Chance has no bearing on our current one. Your mistakes aren’t mine, and mine aren’t yours.”

“All that might be true, but Chance is still who she’s always been. A woman haunted by losing her father and always seeking the next natural high. Settling down might be fun for a while, but she’ll get bored and start looking for that next rush. When that happens, I’ll be right on your heels. I’m not done with Chance.”

Jax shook her head. She had to give it to Faith for her persistence. “Did I miss something? I thought you were already married to Theresa. That probably puts a real crimp in your plan to get Chance back, doesn’t it? Did your wife ever mean anything to you, or did you just use her to get back at Chance? How can you be so cruel to someone you professed to love so much you married her? Do you even care how badly you’re hurting someone who doesn’t deserve any of this? What you’re doing to Theresa is beyond cruel and completely demoralizing.”

Faith interrupted her. “My relationship with Theresa is none of your business.”

“You’re absolutely right, and neither is my commitment with Chance any concern of yours. I feel sorry for you. You’re burning your life down around you and pouring gasoline on by the gallon.”

Faith looked like a warrior ready for battle. “I love Chance, and I’m not giving up. We will be together.” She spun around at the sound of a choking sob.

“Nice to know I don’t factor into that decision at all.” Theresa stood behind Faith with a bouquet in her hand, tears streaming down her face. “At least I know where I stand. I’m done fighting for something that obviously doesn’t mean a damn to you. I don’t have a clue who you are anymore, certainly not the woman I married.”

Faith reached out to grab her wife. “Theresa, wait!”

Theresa shook off her hand. “Nothing to wait for. You made yourself perfectly clear. You have no intention of spending your life with me. God, what a fool I’ve been.” Theresa looked at the roses in her hand then jammed them into the trash receptacle as she walked out the door, right past Chance.

Faith tried again. “Theresa!” Theresa never turned around.

Chance approached Jax and took her hand. “Faith, what was that?”

Faith said nothing. She looked at Jax before she turned and walked through the doors to the treatment area, leaving the two stunned women behind.

Jax leaned into Chance’s chest and put her arms around her fiancée. “My heart is breaking for Theresa. I’ve been in her shoes. Nothing hurts worse than to know the person you gave your heart to doesn’t feel the same.”

“I’m sorry she’s dragging you into this mess.”

Jax pulled back and looked into Chance’s eyes. “Honey, we’re in this together, no matter what happens or who tries to step in our way. None of this is your fault. I feel so sorry for Theresa. She walked in on Faith professing her determination to get you back. I’m starting to really worry about her obsession with you.”

Chance pulled her close. “I think you’re in a unique position to talk to Theresa. You’ve been in her shoes.”

“I’m not the only one. You’ve had someone cheat on you. I’m sure you have some wisdom you could share with her.” Jax caressed Chance’s jaw.

“Talking to me is like pouring salt in a wound. Nothing I say will make this any better. Theresa’s lost in this storm. She needs someone who can show her she will come out on the other side of the pain. You’re in a better position to do that. Why don’t you go see if she’s still outside?”

Jax nodded and kissed Chance. “You know, you’re a big teddy bear inside. Don’t worry, I won’t reveal your secret.”

“Whew, I was worried there for a minute. I love you.”

“Love you too. Go check on Taylor and Penny. I’m sure they could use your support.” Jax left her arms and followed the path Theresa had taken. She wasn’t sure about Chance’s assessment that she could help, but Chance had asked her to try. The palpable memories of how painful it had been to learn of Lacey’s betrayal brought bile up in her throat. When she’d cleared the doors to the hospital, she saw Theresa sitting under a tree on a stone bench.

“Can I join you?” Jax pointed to the space beside Theresa.

“Free country. Be my guest. I’ll warn you, I’m not very good company right now.” Theresa ran her hand through her hair and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

Jax folded her hands in her lap. “I can’t imagine you would be, after what you witnessed. I’m sorry if I’ve personally caused you any pain. I can empathize with what you might be feeling, and I know it’s awful.”

“Ever witness your wife professing her undying love for someone else?”

“Not in those words, no. I had to hear from our colleagues about her exploits. Someone even provided me with pictures. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I found her fucking one of our vet techs in her office. She thought I’d left for the night. My experience might not be exactly like yours, but I can certainly understand what you’re going through. You love her. That’s obvious.”

Theresa rubbed her face. “I do, or I should say I did. When I said for better or worse, I didn’t think worse meant her loving someone more than me. I don’t think I can do this any longer. I’ve tried, and it’s killing me. I won’t play second fiddle to anyone. Before you say it, I don’t blame Chance for any of this. No one owns this failure except Faith. I’ve been putting off serving her with divorce papers in the hope she’d come to her senses, hoping just maybe, we could get past this. After what I just heard, I have zero confidence she ever will. I can’t start to get over this and heal until I’ve cut out the infection. If I was being honest with myself, I should have known she wouldn’t be faithful. Hell, she left Chance for me.”

Jax placed a gentle hand on Theresa’s shoulder. “Only you know what you need to do to be whole. Faith has no place in our lives. Chance changed doctors and doesn’t even call Faith for assistance on scenes. I can tell you that she’s close to putting a restraining order on her. Her relationship with Sarah is the only thing that keeps her from doing that.”

“Sarah’s pissed at her and with good reason. Faith’s always been hard on her, and she practically ignores Kristi.” Theresa stopped talking and shook her head. “I have no idea why I’m telling you any of this. It’s not your problem.”

“No, it isn’t. That doesn’t mean we don’t care. Chance never meant to cause you any pain or put a rift between you and Faith. Please know that we will be here for you if you need us. All you have to do is reach out.”

Theresa stood and held out her hand to Jax. “I have a lot to think about and an appointment with my attorney to make. It’s time to protect myself. Thanks, Jax. The fact that Faith never bothered to come out and check on me says all I need to know. Take care.”

There was a cool breeze, and it felt good against Jax’s heated skin. She watched Theresa climb into her truck and leave the parking area. Falling out of love was painful. It took time to work through all the complicated feelings and untangle all the threads of physical and emotional connection. She didn’t envy Theresa the days to come.

“Hey, you.”

The smooth voice she knew well brought a smile to her face. “Hey.”

“How is she?” Chance joined her on the bench and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Broken and resigned. I feel so bad for her. Her whole world is upside down. You invest your heart and soul into the person you think you’ll spend the rest of your life with. Unfortunately, you wake up one day to find the other half of the equation doesn’t feel the same. It’s soul wrenching.”

“That’s why I wanted you to talk to her. When I walked in on my ex, we were only dating. We weren’t married or even engaged. It hurt. I can admit that. I also know she wasn’t my one true love.”

Jax scooted closer. “I certainly hope I qualify for that position.”

Chance kissed her. “You definitely have the job. I only caught the tail end of what happened. What brought all this on?”

“First tell me how Penny is.”

“She and the baby are fine. She’s resting, and everything seems under control, other than Taylor’s anger. Brad Waters would do well to keep a full ten miles between them, which won’t be hard since he’s currently jailed. I can’t say that I blame her. It took everything I had not to deck him right there in the lobby. I regret trying to be a decent human being by keeping him employed. My bad decision could have cost Taylor her child. For that, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“Chance Fitzsimmons, you look at me. None of this is your fault, not Brad and not Faith. You can’t take ownership of what isn’t yours. We all have faults and make mistakes. None of this bullshit is on you.”

Jax watched as Chance closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sky.

“I wish I could believe that. I’ll be buying Penny a big bag of peppermint tea from Molly’s shop for the rest of my life.”

“Penny might just divorce Taylor for that tea, and I’ll have to fight two women for you.”

“Not a chance in hell. Penny loves Taylor like I love you. Nothing’s ever going to change that. How about we check on the patient one more time, then take the dogs home? I need a beer and some time on the swing with you in my arms.”

“Sheriff, that’s the best offer I’ve had all day. Lead the way.”

 

***

 

Jax stood at the breakfast counter, buttering a bagel. A plate of bacon and eggs waited on the counter for Chance. Jax couldn’t stop thinking about Theresa and what faced her. The pain of ending a committed relationship went far beyond what anyone could see on the outside, and the scars ran deep beneath the surface. She was grateful she had Chance’s love to replace the horrible memories and pain. She hoped Theresa would eventually find the same.

“Morning, love.” Chance snuck up behind her with a kiss to her cheek on the way to let the dogs out into the yard.

Jax smiled at the mere sight of Chance. Lean and strong muscles rippled under her uniform. She was blessed, and she knew it. “I hope you have something more substantial planned for me than just a peck?”

Chance’s grin added more light to the sunny kitchen. “Of course I do. I just didn’t want to have to compete for your attention with those two.” She pointed her thumb to the two dogs roughhousing outside the door. “I took care of the horses after our run, so you don’t have to worry about them this morning. What’s on your agenda today?” Chance wrapped her arms around Jax’s waist and kissed her soundly.

“Well, after that kiss, I’d like to say we are headed back to bed, but Lindsey and I have a full day of barn calls. The Timms want a check up on their goat herd, and Cliff Minor has a batch of new calves he wants vaccinated and a horse with a bad tooth. It’ll be a busy day out of the office. How about you?”

“If Penny is up to it after she gets home, I’m going to stop by the house with paperwork to finalize the charges against Brad. Taylor wants her to rest. I’ll have that mess to clear up. Brad’s dismissal, plus the fact I’m already down one patrol deputy, is going to create a scheduling nightmare. Daniel is still at the academy and won’t begin his K9 training until after that’s complete. I know you aren’t going to like this, but I’m going to have to take on some shift work. I don’t want Penny home alone at night. She’ll likely return to work in the next few days, and I’m going to have Taylor handle the court duty and office work. That way, she can keep an eye on Penny. I’ll likely take the afternoon patrol and divide up the other shift with Carl and Randy. Until the whole termination hearing is settled, things are going to be up in the air. I might be able to hire someone temporarily, until I can get Daniel on shift. I’ll need to check with civil service and our attorney to see if I can fill the vacancies immediately off our current list. As badly as I wanted to get rid of Brad, this wasn’t what I had in mind.”

Jax ran a hand across Chance’s back. “Sit down and eat. It sounds like your day is going to be as crazy as mine. Try to make sure you get some lunch.”

“I need to go see Mags and Dee today, so lunch is under control.”

“With the schedule being so messed up, how are you going to handle Leaf Peepers?”

Chance shook her head. “Don’t remind me. I need to meet up with Harley and see if she can pull some strings to get an extra trooper assigned. Daniel will be home for the weekend, so I can put him in the car with me for some ride-along time. He can’t do much else until he finishes the academy in another month.”

“When Brad’s firing becomes finalized, you’re going to have another problem on your hands, you know?” Jax bit into her bagel.

“What’s that?”

“Your Mini-Me.” Jax laughed.

“I know. The list is still good for another fifteen months. Unless I don’t have a viable candidate, I have to hire off that list. There are three other names on it, two of which have already been through the academy. Kendra won’t like it, I know. She will understand. I have at least another year before I have to worry too much. The moms will kill her if she drops out of college.”

Jax reached up and wiped some mustard off Chance’s lip. “Safe for now then.”

“She’ll still gripe, trust me.”

Jax wiped her hands. “I’ve got to get going. I’m picking Lindsey up at her place. I’ll call you later.” She bent down and brought her lips to Chance’s. “Be careful. I love you.”

Chance cupped the back of her neck. “Right back atcha, Doc. Call me later.”

Jax let the two dogs back in on her way out. “Will do.”