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Jaxson
Damn it, she was right. Even if he hadn’t said that, he couldn’t allow her to walk home, barefoot.
When she looked up at him like that with those big brown eyes, it was hard to say no. He found himself wanting to give her everything. But that was such a bad idea. He was already regretting his decision to take her for a ride, feeling her body wrapped around his, hearing her squeals of delight as they’d cruised the mountain roads in the moonlight.
She was like a drug, and each tiny hit he allowed himself made him crave more.
“Come on. I’m taking you home.”
Disappointment flashed in her eyes, and he felt it in his gut. Then, her eyes filled with determination.
“You’re in no shape to drive a motorcycle right now. And unless you’re willing to go to the ER and get checked out, I’m not leaving you alone. Head injuries can be tricky, even for a head as hard as yours.”
“You can’t stay here.”
“Of course I can. Unless you plan on physically removing me; in which case, I’ll just sit outside your door until morning.”
“Penny.”
“Jaxson.”
She was so damn stubborn. And so damn ... desirable. This was a woman who actually gave a shit despite not having a reason to. He hadn’t done anything to earn that kind of unwavering support. Quite the opposite in fact.
Which was exactly why it was so dangerous for her to be here. She couldn’t know that by having his back, she was making herself nearly irresistible.
She held his glare with one of her own. There was no sense in arguing with her. The harder he tried to push her away, the deeper she’d dig in her heels.
“Fine,” he said finally. “Have at it. I’m getting a shower and going to bed.”
He got up and stiffly moved toward the bathroom. Without turning around, he said, “If you change your mind, don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.”
The words felt wrong as they made their way past his lips, but they were necessary. The more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted to spend with her.
You could let her stay and take care of both of you. Get it out of your system.
As much as he might want to give her what she thought she wanted—what he also wanted—he couldn’t.
He took a shower, first letting the water run hot to lessen his aches and then cold to reduce some of the swelling. When he came out, his hopes that Penny had changed her mind were dashed. She’d moved to a chair in the corner, and was currently flipping through the cable channels.
He decided to try again. “As you can see, I’m fine. You can leave now.”
She didn’t even spare him a glance. “Not happening.”
Time for another tactic. “Penny, what are your parents going to say when you don’t come home?”
She shrugged. “They won’t even know I’m gone.”
“Excuse me?”
“My parents are dead to the world by ten. Even if I didn’t have my own apartment over the garage, they wouldn’t know if I was there or not. And if they did realize I wasn’t there, they’d just assume I was in one of the greenhouses. I spend quite a few nights there.”
“Why?” he asked, unable to stop himself.
“Because I like it,” she snapped, surprising him. “Any other questions?”
He shook his head and turned off the lights, and then he got into the bed. Penny sighed and muted the television. In the resulting silence, he heard her moving around, trying to get comfortable in the chair.
You could ask her to join you.
No, he definitely couldn’t do that. Having her at his back on the motorcycle had been torture enough, feeling those soft curves pressed up against him. If they were in a bed together, it would be ten times worse.
He turned his back to her, his chivalrous conscience battling with his reasoning as the pain meds tried to pull him under. Eventually, he did nod off into a restless sleep. Despite his frustration, something about having Penny around, watching over him, calmed and relaxed him enough that he could.
* * *
When he woke, daylight was seeping into the room. He immediately sought out Penny, but she was gone. The television was off, and the vase of flowers she’d brought him that first day was gone, too.
He wasn’t disappointed. He wasn’t.
Moving even slower than usual, he made himself a cup of coffee with the in-room machine, got dressed, and went in search of answers.
The shades he donned hid the burgeoning purple around his eye, but there wasn’t much he could do about the swelling around his nose and his busted lip.
Harry’s eyes widened when Jaxson appeared at the front desk. “What happened to you?”
“I was hoping you could tell me.”
“Me? How can I help?”
“You’ve got a security camera over the back entrance, don’t you?”
Harry blinked. “Yeah, but it’s broken.”
“Of course it is,” Jaxson muttered, turning to go.
“Wait ... you’re saying that happened here? Like, someone was waiting for you?”
“No, I was followed.”
“That sucks, man. Do you know who it was?”
“I have some ideas. Did anyone come around asking about me? What room I’m in? Anything like that?”
Harry shook his head. “Not while I was here, but someone else mans the desk at night. He comes in around six or so.”
Jaxson nodded and turned to go.
“Hey, want a doughnut?” Harry asked, holding out another box from the convenience store.
“I’ll pass.”
Jaxson stepped out into the lot, cursing when he saw both of his tires were flat. A quick check confirmed they’d been slashed. Fuckers.
“Jaxson Adams?”
Jaxson looked at the speaker, a big, serious-looking guy getting out of a Wrangler. He immediately straightened and went on the defensive.
“This your handiwork?”
The guy shook his head. “I’m Steve Tannen. Sam’s husband.”
Jaxson’s eyes flicked toward the Jeep. “Is she with you?”
“No. What do you say we get a cup of coffee and you can tell me why you want to talk to my wife?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not really.”
Jaxson snorted. He had a feeling if he didn’t, his chances of talking to Sam would go into the negatives. “Then, sure.”
Sam’s husband wasn’t much of a talker, and the ride was a silent one. They went to the same diner Penny had taken him to. After they placed their orders, Jaxson didn’t waste time. He was already in a shitty mood and tired of playing games.
“I’ll get right to the point. I think Sam might be able to help me find my mother.”
Tannen didn’t seem surprised, which meant that Penny must have filled them in during her visit the day before.
“How so?” Tannen asked carefully.
As succinctly as possible, Jaxson told him about the letters. About his quest and the little he’d been able to discover thus far. Tannen listened quietly; his face gave nothing away.
“Sam’s put her past behind her. Perhaps you should try to do the same,” he said when Jaxson was finished.
“Yeah,” Jaxson said on a mirthless laugh, “that’s what everyone keeps telling me.”
“And yet you persist.”
“It’s important.”
Tannen sat back and said, “Tell me what happened to your face.”
There was no reason not to. “Two guys jumped me on my way into the motel last night. Probably the same guys who slashed my tires.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I thought it might have been you, but Penny seems to think it was a couple of locals trying to send a different kind of message.”
“Definitely wasn’t us. You didn’t report it?”
Jaxson laughed. “Not when one of the cops already warned me off Penny.”
“Lenny Petraski,” Tannen said knowingly.
“Yeah. You know him?”
“Yeah, I know him,” Tannen said, making Jaxson think there was a hell of a lot more to that story than Penny had shared.
“So ... I’ve been honest with you. Do I get to talk with Sam or not?”
Tannen didn’t answer right away. Jaxson was certain he was going to tell him he’d have to find another way to get the information he was looking for, but eventually, he nodded and said, “All right. I’m still not convinced this is a good idea, but Sam wants to meet you.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. I want my wife to be happy. I do not want her upset. Are we clear?”
“Yeah, we’re clear. When?”
“The sooner, the better. How about this afternoon?”
“If I can get my bike fixed, yeah.”
Tannen’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket, and his lips curled into what might be the hint of a smile as he tapped the screen and brought the phone to his ear.
“Yes, I’m with him now. Yes, I really felt it was necessary. No, I didn’t. This afternoon. Yeah, all right. Love you, too. See you soon.”
Jaxson hid his smile. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who had been on the other end of that call.
Tannen slapped a few bills on the table and stood, signaling the end of the interrogation. “Let’s go see about getting you some new tires.”
“You don’t need to—” Jaxson began to protest, but Tannen cut him off.
“Like I said, I want my wife to be happy, and that means making sure your ass makes it up there today.”
When they got back to the motel, however, Jaxson’s bike was no longer in the parking lot. The Hoffmeier Floral delivery van was.
Penny and Harry were at the front desk, eating something out of a bag stamped with the name of the local mini mart and laughing at something on Harry’s screen. A big bouquet of colorful, fresh flowers sat atop the counter.
Penny looked up as they approached, her eyes lighting up when she saw him. A strange sensation skittered through his chest.
“There you are!” Penny said. “I brought breakfast burritos, but you were already gone. Hi, Steve!”
“Hey, Penny.”
“Where’s my bike?”
“Oh, Zeb has it. I called him when I saw what those bluebells had done to your tires. He said it’d be safer in his garage for the time being, so he loaded it onto his trailer and took it back to his place. He knows a guy down in Birch Falls who might have what you need. Kyle Mc-something or other.”
Jaxson blinked in disbelief. “Kyle McCullough?”
“That sounds right. Do you know him?”
“Everyone in the bike world knows Kyle McCullough. His customs are legendary.”
“Okay.” She shrugged, as if it weren’t a big deal, and then she waved her breakfast burrito back and forth between him and Tannen. “Does this mean you’re going up to talk to Sam?”
When Jaxson nodded, Penny continued, “Awesome! Mind if I tag along? I’m done with my deliveries for the day, and Tina promised me a tour of the new orchard.”
“No,” Jaxson said, shaking his head.
“Why not? Even if you ride up with Steve, you’ll need a ride back, won’t you?”
Jaxson looked to Tannen for help, who appeared to be trying hard not to smile.
“I’d just go with it if I were you,” Tannen suggested.
“Fine,” he said on an exhale. “Let me grab something before we go.”
“No worries. I’ll meet you out in the lot. We can swing by Zeb’s on the way,” Penny suggested.