JD
“Wait a minute…you just passed my turnoff.”
I haven’t told her yet, I have no intention of taking her back to her place. Not only is it still swarming with law enforcement, but it may not be safe for her. Sure, Mackey is in custody, but it’s clear he wasn’t operating in a vacuum. Janey may still be at risk.
“We’re going to my place.”
“Why?”
I can feel her eyes on me and glance over.
“I talked to Jackson this morning. He mentioned your place is overrun by agents at the moment, you won’t get any rest.”
“But what about the animals?”
I reach for her hand and bring it to my lips.
“Jackson’s looking after them. He offered to drop Ginger off once we get you settled in, if you want.”
“I want.”
She drops her head back and closes her eyes. I think she’s in more pain than she’s willing to let on, otherwise I’m pretty sure she would’ve put up more of a fight.
I’d gone to grab a coffee and something to eat at the sandwich shop when it opened at seven this morning, and by the time I got back to the room, nursing staff already had her out of bed and moving. It must’ve hurt like a son of a bitch walking on that leg, but Janey pushed through with steel determination. She even convinced the nurse to wrap her leg in plastic so she could clean up in the shower. The exercise wiped her out, but she said she couldn’t stand the rodeo stench clinging to her.
I’m pretty ripe myself. I never even changed into the clothes Ma dropped off last night. I’ll grab a shower at home as soon as I get Janey tucked into bed.
The moment I walk into my place, I know my mother was here. A bowl of fresh fruit is sitting on the small kitchen table, and there’s a hint of cleaner in the air. Even though she usually respects my space, I’m not surprised, Ma has a way of finding things out. She probably talked to Jackson.
“Wow, nice view,” Janey observes when I guide her to my couch.
“Yeah. It’s why I bought this piece of land.”
She flashes me a tired smile.
“You’re tired.”
She nods. “A little.”
I drop a kiss on top of her head. “I’ll be right back.”
Before I tuck her into bed, I’ll need to change the sheets, but when I walk into the small bedroom, I see Ma beat me to it. The bed is turned down and the sheets are clean.
Janey’s eyes are closed when I return. “I don’t know why I’m this exhausted,” she mumbles without opening them.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed. You’ll feel better after a nap, it’s been a busy morning.”
I lead her to the bedroom and have her sit on the edge of the bed so I can take off the slip-on shoes and stretchy pants Ma packed for her. Then I tuck her in, leaving her pain meds and a glass of water on the nightstand, and head for the bathroom.
My shower is small, but the pressure is good, and it feels amazing to let the water beat down on my stiff muscles. It wasn’t particularly comfortable trying to catch a few winks on a visitor’s chair in the hospital, but I’m feeling a fuckload better when I walk out of the bathroom twenty minutes later.
I check in on Janey, who is out like a light, and head for the kitchen. There I discover my mother hasn’t just cleaned up; she’s even restocked my fridge. A good thing, since what I had in my fridge yesterday is probably spoiling in the back of Jackson’s truck.
Grabbing a beer, I snag my phone off the kitchen table and head out the sliding doors to the deck I built onto the trailer home a few years ago. I drop down on the Adirondack chair and dial my mother’s number.
“Thanks, Ma.”
“She okay?”
She ignores my thanks and responds with a question of her own. Ma doesn’t do well with gratitude or compliments, but I want to bet she’s secretly pleased.
“She’s okay. Sleeping right now.”
“Good. Best thing for her. I’ll bring some dinner over later.”
“No need. You left plenty of supplies in the fridge, I can throw something together. It’ll give me something to do.”
At least in part, but mostly, I want to be the one looking after her. With a woman like Janey, I imagine I won’t get the opportunity that often, so I’m grabbing this one. I’m not sure how good I’ll be with words to let her know I care about her, but I can let my actions speak for me.
“Never could sit still for very long,” Ma observes dryly, before adding, “and, by the way, your sister called this morning. She says you’re not answering your phone.”
I’d ignored two calls from Una since talking to her on Wednesday and told her to first make things right with Ma. It’s Saturday today, I’m actually surprised she didn’t hold out longer. My sister can be very stubborn.
“Is that the only reason she called?” I probe.
“No,” Ma admits. “We talked. We’ll probably need to talk more, but it’s a start.”
Yeah, you don’t erase years of strained interaction with one conversation. I’m not exactly a master in the art of communication myself, but I’m making an effort to at least be real and speak the words I feel.
“I’m glad for that. I’ll give her a call tomorrow.”
“You do that.”
I smile when the line abruptly goes dead.
Taking a sip of my beer, I stretch my legs out and slide down in the chair. I take in the fresh air, and force myself to enjoy the moment. I have a beautiful woman safe in my bed, the warm sun on my face, a cold beer in my hand, and one of the best views in the valley.
A small window of serenity in the chaos of the past few days.
Janey
It takes me a moment to realize I’m in JD’s bed.
Then I’m reminded why when pain washes over me, along with a wave of nausea. I immediately reach for the water and the bottle of pain meds I didn’t think I would need.
I’ve always heard them say the first day after an injury or surgery is the worst. By that rule, tomorrow should be better. Thank God. I’m not a very good patient and I have too much to do.
“You’re awake,” JD says, walking into the room just as I’m popping one of the pills he left on the nightstand.
He sits down on the edge of the mattress. “Guess I don’t have to ask how you’re feeling.”
“Best not,” I advise him, swallowing down the medication with a swig of water. “How long did I sleep for?”
“Almost two hours. I was just coming in to see if you’re ready for something to eat.”
The hospital tray they brought me this morning had little edible on it, so JD had grabbed me a breakfast wrap from the sandwich shop. That was the last food I had. I should probably eat something.
“Let me get up first.”
“Or I can bring it to you in bed,” he offers sweetly.
I shake my head. “I need the bathroom, and I think I want to move about a little.”
He bends down and brushes a kiss on my lips. It strikes me how natural the attention already feels, even though this is all very new. Although, given the intensity of the past few days, we should count those in dog years.
“Take your time. I put your toiletry stuff Ma brought over on the bathroom counter, and your pants are over there.” He points at the top of the dresser. “Yell if you need a hand.”
I take a good look at my reflection while I wash my hands after peeing. My face looks like a bad caricature, swollen in all the wrong places and, with the bandage covering the stitches on my cheekbone, a bit like Frankenstein’s bride. Especially with my hair a knotted mess around my head. It needs to be washed. I only got it wet this morning at the hospital and didn’t even run a brush through it.
Rummaging through the bag on the counter, I dig up not only my hairbrush—bless Ama’s heart—but my toothbrush as well. My teeth feel like they’re growing mold, and I’m sure my breath smells like something died in there. I can’t believe I let JD kiss me.
I feel instantly better with my mouth clean, and I do my best with my hair, but what little energy I had is fast depleting. I’ll try again after I’ve put something in my stomach.
It’s not until I walk into the small kitchen I’m hit with the smell of rich spices.
“What are you cooking?” I ask JD, who is standing at the stove.
“Beef and broccoli stir-fry with cashews. That okay?”
“Sounds delicious. I’m surprised at how hungry I am,” I admit.
He turns around and one corner of his mouth pulls up.
“You look a little better.”
I snort. “Hardly. I’m a mess, I can’t even get my brush through my hair.”
“Ah.” He runs a hand over my hair. “The hair will have to wait until we get some food in you. But first let’s get you off that leg.”
He takes my hand and leads me through the sliding doors and onto the deck. I hear the thump of Ginger’s tail on the wooden boards before I see her. She’s on her bed between a pair of wooden chairs, and gets up to greet me the moment she sees me.
“Hey, girl. Are you glad to see me?” I smile at JD. “I guess Jackson dropped her off? I never heard anything.”
“Maybe forty-five minutes ago. We were trying to be quiet.”
One of the wooden chairs has a blanket draped over the back and an upside-down bucket with a pillow on top beside it. The bucket serves as a footstool, as I discover when JD helps me into the chair and carefully lifts up my injured leg, resting it on the pillow.
“There’s a little chill in the air,” he explains as he drapes the blanket over my legs.
Ginger comes to sit down beside me and nudges her wet nose under my hand, looking for a few more scratches.
It strikes me what a surprisingly thoughtful man he is. I’ve seen it in the way he handles animals—caring, and with respect—but I’ve only recently discovered he’s the same way with the people he cares about. I smile at the thought I’m included in that group.
Dinner is simple but so tasty, exactly what I needed. After we’re done, JD disappears to the kitchen with the empty bowls but returns holding my brush.
“Lean your head back.”
I do as he asks, keeping my eyes on the pretty view as he carefully works on the tangles and knots. I feel pampered. A full belly, the fresh air, and the feel of those strong, long fingers combing through my hair have me so relaxed, I’m almost dozing off again. But the faint sound of a phone ringing cuts through my moment of pure Zen.
“I think that’s yours,” JD says, letting go of my hair as he ducks inside.
He returns a moment later and hands me my phone.
“Hey, Logan,” I answer, after checking the name on the screen. “I was going to call you later to see how today went.”
At least that had been the plan.
I called him from the hospital this morning, after I spoke with Jericho. The councilman had apparently already talked to Sheriff Ewing, so he was aware I was in the hospital and had put a call in to another area vet to fill in. I’d offered to get in touch with Logan to get him up to speed and to ask him to assist the other vet, since he was already familiar with the layout and the procedures at the rodeo.
“Okay, so far. I’ll probably be out of here in an hour, maybe a little longer if something comes in at the last minute, but I was just calling to see if you wanted me to stop by and check in on the animals after I’m done? I’m happy to crash in the barn so I can feed them in the morning. My parents aren’t home anyway.”
I don’t think the FBI wants Logan anywhere near my place. Frankly, neither do I, it’s much safer for him to go straight home. I don’t want him inadvertently landing on the drug traffickers’ radar.
“No need,” I quickly tell him. “Someone is staying at my house. He’ll look after the place and the horses, and I’ve got Ginger with me.”
“With you? At the hospital?”
“No. I was released earlier. I’m staying at—”
JD suddenly taps my knee and shakes his head, putting a finger to his lips.
“…a friend’s place,” I finish.
“That’s good. Well, I’d better go, but let me know what’s happening for Monday.”
“I will, as soon as I figure it out.”
I end the call and turn to JD.
“Why didn’t you want me telling him I was here?”
“He can’t reveal what he doesn’t know,” JD explains with a serious expression on his face. “It’s for his safety as well as yours.”