“Good. Saves me from beating some sense in you. Is that even possible? Do you still have any sense? What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing? You are miserable, and you’re miserable to be around. I’d rather poke a fork in my eye then spend the evening with you while she’s on a date with another man. While you think about her getting close to him or having sex with him.” He merely raised his eyebrow at Cal’s loud growl. “What? You didn’t think she’d have sex ever again? That she wouldn’t look for comfort from someone else? She’s a beautiful woman, inside and out, and she won’t be single long. If she ends up in his bed, you pulled back the covers.”
* * * *
The next day promised no improvement. If anything, Cal and Jenny appeared more hurt, angry, and distant than the day before, and Eddie grew worried they’d done irreparable damage to their relationship. Eddie watched Jenny surreptitiously for a few moments and noticed her eyes were glassy and her face was flushed. Making a point of checking on her regularly throughout the morning, Eddie saw her color heighten as the day wore on. He followed her to the house under the guise of helping prepare lunch and found her swooning on her feet. She tried to grab the counter but fainted, her head making an unholy crack on the hardwood floor.
“Jenny?” he cried in alarm. “Jenny? Wake up, querida.”
Eddie saw sweat beads on her forehead and laid his hand on her skin to feel her temperature. Her forehead and cheeks were burning up. Jenny opened her eyes to give him an unfocused glare as she swatted half-heartedly at his hand. It was then that he noticed the untreated bite on her hand. She’d either taken off or lost the bandage covering the angry-looking wound. It was obviously badly infected, and Eddie knew she needed to get to a clinic.
“Cal, get up here!” Eddie ran outside and called in the direction of the barn.
A defiant Cal stepped out of the barn and leaned on the pitchfork he carried. “What?”
“Something’s wrong with Jenny. She needs a doctor,” he yelled back, waving him to come in. Cal dropped the pitchfork and ran for the house. He pushed Eddie out of the way and knelt beside a weary Jenny. He immediately took in her fevered face, infected hand, and the growing goose egg on her head.
“Shit!” he swore meaningfully. “We’re going to the hospital.” Turning to Eddie, he said, “I hate to leave you with chores, but we’ll be at least four hours. Can you find her health card for me?”
Eddie nodded. He hesitantly opened Jenny’s purse hanging on the back of the chair and searched for her wallet. He knew that if Jenny was healthy, she’d kick his ass for going through her bag. His mom once rattled his teeth for going through hers, and a man only had to learn that lesson once. Jenny seemed too out of it to care, so he opened her wallet and searched through until he found her provincial health card. As he started to close her wallet, a picture caught his eye. He took a look at the familiar photo and shook his head in sad resignation.
Eddie silently handed the open wallet to Cal and watched emotion race across the older man’s face as he saw the familiar picture of Cal, Will, Eddie, and the Busch family taken at a horse show a year and a half ago. While the others were laughing for the camera, Jenny and Cal were looking only at each other, smiling. It was a treasured memory that still evoked powerful emotions in him.
* * * *
Though a bit dazed, Jenny realized what they were looking at and grabbed for her wallet in embarrassment. Cal gave her the wallet back and watched as she bowed her head and played with the wallet nervously. A cloud of regret settled over his features as he looked at this woman who held his heart.
He felt Eddie nudge him and turned to his foreman. “Show her,” Eddie urged.
Unsure, Cal hesitated until Eddie growled, “Show her.” Cal pulled his wallet from his back pocket and handed Jenny the open billfold. She took the wallet in confusion, then looked at the same photo in bittersweet silence. Like her, he’d folded the photo so only the pair of them showed. He heard her breath hitch and took the wallet back.
“We need to get going, Jenny. I’m taking you to the clinic.”
“Eddie can take me.”
“No, he can’t. I need him here. I’m not debating this, Jenny. Your hand is really infected, you hit your head, and you may have heat stroke. Let’s get you in the truck. You can hate me just as much there as here.”
Her head shot up in surprise, and she saw the raw hurt on his face before he schooled his features. He reached down and helped her up. “Now, Jenny.”
Eddie ensured they were settled in the truck before heading back to the barn. He promised Cal he’d call Tim and let him know that Jenny was getting checked out. After reassuring Tim, Eddie thought he’d call ahead to the hospital and dialed the phone.
“Hi. Fatima? It’s Eddie.”
* * * *
Cal and Jenny made the half hour journey to town in silence. He checked periodically that she was awake and wasn’t sure if he was reassured or not that she simply stared out the window. They arrived at the small hospital in good time. Cal helped Jenny into the small emergency room waiting area and settled her in an uncomfortable-looking chair. He produced her health card, filled out the usual medical forms for her, and settled in for a long wait. Just as his ass was numbing, Jenny was called into the examination room. The department seemed unusually busy, and Cal watched the medical staff racing from one curtained-off area to another. He encouraged Jenny to lie back, unsure how long this wait would be, when the curtain was ripped back to reveal a familiar face.
“Fatima! This is a surprise,” Cal exclaimed. “I didn’t know you transferred here.”
She smiled. “Hi Cal. Eddie called ahead and said you were bringing Jenny in. I thought maybe I could help speed this along.” She leaned in for a big hug and noticed Jenny glaring at the pair.
“Oops,” she whispered to Cal letting him go quickly. Fatima turned her attention to Jenny, reading her medical forms over quickly. “Scarlett Rose Busch.” Cal saw Fatima try hard not to smile.
“Fatima,” Cal warned quietly.
“Yes, it’s my real name,” Jenny said acidly. “What’s yours again? Fati?”
“Jenny!” Cal scolded.
Fatima held her hands up in surrender. “Hey, don’t take it out on me. I didn’t name you. How about we call a name truce and let me take a look at your hand.”
Jenny moodily lifted her hand for Fatima’s inspection. The nurse reached for some supplies and began to gently but thoroughly clean the wound that was now swollen, badly bruised, and expelling pus from the deep bite.
“It’s a bad bite, Jenny. Eddie said it happened two days ago?” She nodded when Jenny agreed. “Two things to worry about with horse bites. One is the possibility of a crush fracture from the pressure of the bite. The other is an infection that’s specific to horse bites. It has a really long name, but I’m hoping you’ll take my word for it because my Latin is rusty. I’m going to send you for an X-ray just to be sure, okay?”
Jenny didn’t argue, and a short time later, the X-ray confirmed a hairline fracture of two bones. Fatima fitted her with a fiberglass support and gave her instructions on cleaning and tending the wound.
“Okay, one problem down. Now the infection. You’ve had a tetanus shot within the last five years. Good. Any allergies?”
Before Jenny could respond, Cal interjected, “She has a serious allergy to shell fish.” He saw Jenny’s look of surprise and shrugged. He took over answering Fatima’s questions, and Jenny tuned them out while she watched their easy interaction dejectedly. Cal was relaxed and smiling. He clearly knew her quite well. He didn’t have to fight Fatima like he fought her. Happy, relaxed, comfortable. Shit. Jenny distantly heard Cal and Fatima talk about her injury, the goose bump on her head, and her possible heat stroke while she slipped further and further into herself.
Fatima said the doctor would prescribe an antibiotic and went to search her out. A cheerful tree trunk of a woman bustled in shortly after, identifying her as Dr. Herschel. Given the number of patients in
the emergency department, Jenny wondered how she kept such a positive attitude. Dr. Herschel smiled broadly and winked. “I’m surrounded by firefighters. I have my own live firefighter calendar right here!”
Cal chuckled and slipped the doctor’s prescription into Jenny’s wallet. Dr. Herschel noticed the photo of them. “You guys look happy,” she said pointing to the picture. She didn’t seem to notice that neither said anything and gave a little wave before continuing on to the next patient.
Fatima returned to make sure they had everything they needed and told them they were free to go. She gave Cal another hug, then bent down to kiss Jenny’s flushed cheek, quietly whispering, “Hang in there. He’s been in love with you for years.”
Jenny looked up at Fatima, startled, then flashed a responding smile to her wink. A noise caught Jenny’s attention, and looking behind Fatima, Jenny saw a shirtless firefighter wearing an oxygen mask on an exam bed staring unabashedly at Fatima’s ass as she bent over her wheelchair.
Jenny smiled knowingly at the man. “That firefighter is having trouble breathing.”
Fatima nodded absently as she checked Jenny’s cast again. “A few of them were trapped in the forest. Smoke inhalation.”
Jenny giggled. “Well, he might be feeling hot, but I doubt it has anything to do with a forest fire.” Fatima’s head snapped around, and she saw the man’s gaze fixed on her butt. He gave her a wicked grin when he finally raised his gaze to hers.
Jenny laughed and said, “Dr. Herschel isn’t the only one with some fantasies today.”
Fatima met the firefighter’s unapologetic gaze, then rolled her eyes at Jenny. As she walked toward the firefighter patient, she accepted Cal’s dinner invitation with a wave, called back, “Tell that little shit to call me,” then pulled closed the curtain to the exam room, smiling broadly at Jenny.
* * * *
“What just happened?” a bemused Jenny asked moments later.
Cal laughed for the first time in days. “That was the hurricane known as Fatima. She’s Eddie’s and Tony’s sister. She’s had a bad few months, but I’ll let her tell you about it. She needed to get away from the city, so I guess she transferred here. You know their dad owns a vineyard, right? Beautiful piece of property, but he’s a bit…prickly. I heard Fatima’s staying with him for a bit, so she’s probably glad to take all the shifts she can.”
Cal helped get her settled in the truck, then headed back toward the farm. He noticed that Jenny was quiet again and wondered what she was thinking about. She seemed deep in thought, but he caught a glimpse of hurt cross her face before she turned to the window.
Several minutes passed then he said, “No.”
“No, what?” she asked tonelessly, still looking out the window.
“No, I didn’t sleep with Fatima.”
He thought he saw her close her eyes briefly. Her body seemed to relax.
“I didn’t ask.”
“You wanted to. There is no one that you’ll meet while you’re here that I’ve dated. You’re not going to walk into a group and meet someone I slept with. I wouldn’t embarrass you like that.”
Jenny studied him for a moment. “She really did a number on you, didn’t she?”
Cal knew she meant Cara and sighed in resignation. “Yeah, she did. I’d like to blame youth, but I was twenty-eight when we met. Cara was twenty-two.”
Jenny leaned against the truck door and asked curiously, “What happened?”
“We lived together for three years. My family really didn’t like her, but I was so sure. I found out later that she’d been sleeping with a good friend of mine right from the start. I came back from town one day to a voice-mail that she and Nick were at the airport, heading to Ontario. She cleaned out our joint account and left me Swiss Miss. Said she was bored on the farm. With me. In one phone call, I lost the woman I considered my wife, my best friend, and three years of my life. I could barely move, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. It was Fatima who suggested I get tested in case they’d had unprotected sex. Then I had to wait for the test results and follow-up test results. In return, I got a slobbering dog. I was a walking country song. I couldn’t stand being in that house anymore, so I sold that farm and bought this one. Eddie and Tony were already working there. It was a beef cattle farm then. That was eight years ago. Will and Eddie’s family took me under their wing and made sure I wasn’t alone. Fatima included. I owe them a lot.”
“You haven’t dated anyone since then?”
“Had a couple of dates, but they rarely got beyond a week or two before they were bored with me.” He shrugged, hoping for nonchalance. “I just accept it now. The things I want aren’t the things I’m supposed to get.”
Jenny’s heart ached for him that he was so resigned to being alone. And that he thought he didn’t deserve love and happiness. She was about to challenge him on this when she heard the familiar “YMCA” ringtone coming from Cal’s shirt pocket and knew Tim was checking up on her. Cal gave her a questioning look at the ringtone and answered the call from Tim while Jenny fiddled with the radio. After reassuring Tim that Jenny was okay, he handed her the phone and openly listened to her side of the conversation.
“Hey, Tim...Because you’re not my mother...No, I’m not going to put Caliente down, you idiot...Not Cal, either...How will biting him back help, Tim?...I knew you meant the horse, Tim,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “I have to go. I have to get my prescription filled...Well, at a pharmacy, Tim...No, I don’t think we’ll be needing those...no, I won’t buy you any. Tell Eddie to pick some up on his way home...of course I knew...Tim, you sleep in a hockey shirt with EDDIE in big letters on the back. No glove, no love!” she teased as she shut the phone off.
“What?” she asked Cal, and then rolled her eyes when he stared at her slack jawed. “Really? You didn’t know? Men can be so dense. Didn’t you wonder why Eddie had his phone number on speed dial? Or notice that Tim drove Eddie’s truck to the farm last weekend? That they’ve been sharing clothes? That they seem to touch a lot?”
“Huh. Well, I don’t want people butting into my life, so his love life is none of my business. Why don’t you sleep while I get your script filled?”
Jenny nodded and closed her eyes. When Cal returned twenty minutes later, Jenny was sound asleep.
* * * *
It was dark when Cal parked the truck by the barn. Jenny was still sleeping, and he figured the pain medication had kicked in. He gently brushed her hair from her face, and for a few moments watched her angelic features framed in the moonlight. She meant more to him every day, and he felt a surge of protectiveness wash over him. They were both miserable, and it was his fault.
He cradled her warmth as he carried her to the farmhouse. His heart skipped a beat when she turned her head and nuzzled into his chest. Cal knew the die was cast the minute Eddie shouted that Jenny was ill. His chest had seized at the thought he could lose her, to injury or his own idiocy. He probably didn’t deserve her, but fuck if he was going to let go of her now. He held her closer and kissed her forehead.
Once inside, Cal ran a bath and eased a groggy Jenny into the warm bubbles. She let him bathe her, feeling a soapy cloth run slowly over her body. He watched her heavy eyes and contented smile, as he washed and rinsed her. He could get used to this, seeing bubbles slip over her wet, naked body, catching on her plump nipples. He grinned to himself. He had no doubt that Jenny would love to torture him with a seductive bubble bath. He was certainly a willing victim. But tonight, he just wanted the chance to take care of her.
She grumbled when he lifted her from the tub, and he laughed at her pout as she looked back at the warm water. He dried her thoroughly then carried her to her room, slipping her under the covers. He lay down beside her and pulled her toward him. Jenny snuggled into his side and sighed contentedly as she slid into sleep. She didn’t realize what she was doing, but for a while, just a little while, she was his, and he would hold her like he wanted to.
Chapter 5
&nb
sp; Her hand was throbbing when she woke up, and there was a brass band playing in her head. Jenny hoped the physical pain would give her a reprieve from the emotional one. Their relationship hadn’t changed, but their understanding had. She knew now that Cal wouldn’t let himself fall in love with her—he’d had too much loss. There would never be a happily-ever-after for them, but she was sad for Cal rather than angry with him. How lonely to go through life believing you weren’t worthy of love or didn’t deserve to be happy. She couldn’t force him to change his mind, but she could respect what he’d told her and let him go. Maybe in time he’d meet someone he trusted…
Jenny didn’t hide from Cal, but did keep to herself and focused on exercising the horses. It was a balm for her low spirits, and though she’d never admit it out loud, she felt accepted by the majestic animals. She worked hard, grooming the horses and mucking their stalls before heading in to get ready for her date. She shuddered internally at the word “date”, but recognized keeping the date was a way to show she understood what Cal had told her.
Jenny dressed lethargically, really just wanting to crawl under the covers. She put on a pair of jeans that flattered her ass and a loose top that suggested but didn’t flaunt her full bust. She put her hair in a dressy pony-tail and slipped on some sandals. Her attire wasn’t meant for seduction. She was conscious that she didn’t want to encourage Brandon. She wondered why. Sure, she appreciated a nice bicep as much as the next woman, but her requirements for men were depressingly practical and Brandon fit nearly all of them—he was employed, didn’t have a criminal record, didn’t leave a trail of unclaimed children in his wake, had no known addictions, and he lived on his own. All good signs, and yet she couldn’t muster up any enthusiasm for this man.
Afire (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 8
