Full Circle

by Mariella Starr

  Alex gave Jack another hostile look, but grabbed his backpack and ran up the stairs.

  "Ms. Raintree, after reading your file, I was under the impression that you weren't involved in a relationship at this time," Mrs. Tarry said, ignoring Jack.

  "I'm not," Josie denied. "And if I were, it shouldn't make a difference to my being a responsible foster parent."

  "I apologize if I jumped to conclusions," Mrs. Tarry said.

  "Mrs. Tarry, meet Lieutenant Commander Jack Rawlings of the U.S. Navy. He's an Officer in Charge of a SEAL unit," Josie said sharply, but there was also pride to her voice. "I believe he is what can be labeled as a responsible adult. I've known him since childhood."

  Jack smiled. "Josie boards her horse in a barn on what little is left of my family's ranch. The accident occurred there. Rawlings doesn't have a hospital and the clinic only keeps overnight patients in emergencies. Dr. Mellon wanted someone to keep watch over Josie last night, and I volunteered since I've had both EMT and Medic training. She and Alex slept while I was on watch duty. It was only a precautionary measure for the one night."

  "That was decent of you to take on that responsibility, Mr. Rawlings. Again, Ms. Raintree, you have my apologies," Mrs. Tarry said. "Mr. Shorey will set up a meeting with you to discuss your fostering of Alex Carter and we'll be reviewing all the case files. I have removed Miss Watson from the case for not revealing her personal history with Mrs. Carter. The matter is now under interdepartmental review. For now, we'll get out of your way so you can rest. I do hope you feel better soon."

  "Thank you. Dr. Mellon said I'll be back on duty in a day or two," Josie said, stiffly getting to her feet. She walked them to the door and as soon as it shut, Jack lifted her up into his arms and carried her back to the couch.

  "You don't listen at all, you hard-headed little idiot! Would it have killed you to let me show them to the door? You lied to her! A day or two? You'll be lucky if you join the land of the living in a week!"

  "Check on Alex, please," Josie said, too tired to argue. "Make sure he's okay. His room is the second door to the left."

  Jack nodded and went up the stairs as she closed her eyes, again. He knocked on the boy's door and opened it to find Alex standing at the window watching the car drive away. "I came up to tell you they're gone, but you already know that."

  "I'm not going back to her!" Alex snarled.

  "I don't blame you," Jack said seriously. "Take a stand, kid, and don't deviate from it. Josie will stand by you. She's built that way."

  Josie was picking at her dinner salad. She was not hungry, and food was the last thing on her mind. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and keep them closed, but she couldn't do that with Jack and Alex watching her every move. She hadn't answered her phone all day because Jack had taken possession of both her cell and the house phone. Word of her accident had spread quickly, and now the well wishers were stopping in at her house. It was the country way. They stopped by to check on her, to drop off a casserole, cake or pie. She was sure some of the women just wanted to get a good up-close look at Jack. The gossip lines had been busy today, but they meant well.

  By the looks that Jack was getting from some of her female friends, word had spread about him too.

  When the door chimes rang out, Alex was the one to make a run for it. He came back followed by a large older man, tall and muscled with a buzzed haircut and stiff military bearing. His sharp eyes surveyed the room and the occupants. He took one look at Josie and headed across the room toward Jack with a murderous look in his eye.

  "You son of a bitch! What have you done to Josie?"

  Jack snapped to his feet ready to intercept whatever was incoming.

  Josie barked out a single command. "Stop, Buck!"

  "I'll kill him!" the older man shouted.

  "For what?" she shouted back, although it made her head feel like it was splitting apart. "For helping me? Jack didn't do this!"

  "Who the hell did?" Buck barked.

  "Ozzie!" Josie snapped back. "Ozzie tossed me!"

  "Are you sure?"

  "Josie doesn't lie," Jack interceded.

  "Who the hell are you," the older man demanded.

  "An old friend," Jack answered bluntly. "Who the hell are you?"

  The older man looked to Josie, but did not answer.

  Josie looked trapped and angry. "Jack, this is Buck Marshall, my father. Now get the hell out of here, Buck!"

  The older man spun on his heel and stormed out of the house.

  "I thought your father was dead," Jack said, as Josie carefully resettled herself on the couch and pulled a blanket nearly over her head.

  "He is," she said, closing her eyes.

  Josie threw Jack out of her house on the third day. Yes, he was a big help. He also scared her to death. He was forceful, unbending and dictatorial. He carried her when she wanted to walk, put food in front of her and ordered her to eat when she did not want food. She didn't feel like she could handle his ordering her around any longer. There was also the issue of the sexual tension running between them—it was sizzling. He wanted her. She wanted him, even if she wasn't up to having him. And the situation was not that simple. Jack was a dominant man. She had known that all her life, but had not fully understood it until she was an adult.

  He pulsed with alpha-male dominance. He took charge, took control and expected total compliance and submission. It was in his nature to be in control, which his military training had only intensified. She had seen many domineering men in her line of work and studied a lot about it in her training. She didn't know how deep Jack's need for dominance seeped into his sexual and social development. She needed to find out before they took that next step—if they took the next step.

  Jack had not trusted his rusty knowledge or his ability to make an unbiased decision, so he hired a structural engineer to inspect his parents' house. He needed a second opinion to validate his suspicions and subsequent discoveries. The old place looked solid enough, but that was simply an illusion. Structural damage to the roof struts, weight bearing beams and foundation made it a death trap. Most of the damage was the result of slow water leakage. There wasn't much evidence of water damage in the rooms, but inside the walls it was an entirely different matter. The beauty of a slate roof was it could last a century. Even so, water was insidious, and it had seeped into the structural beams. Now, the weight of the slate roof itself could bring the place tumbling down at any second. All the electrical upgrades made over the years had been tied into old knob-and-tube wiring and fuse box that dated sometime back in the 1920s. There were at least 140 amps running into a 60-amp fuse box. It was no wonder that, as a kid, he remembered fuses being blown all the time. The ancient electrical system was a fire waiting to happen, and the plumbing was even worse. The engineer had not wasted any time getting out of the house.

  Jack moved into a room at the only motel in town taking his big screen TV and the refrigerator with him. He tried to keep his mind on making a decision about the house, but it was damn difficult. His mind and his cock were constantly on Josie. His hard-on was becoming a permanent fixture, one that needed attention and relief. He had other decisions to make before he could advance on that agenda. He would not become involved with someone until he knew he was making the right decision.

  Now, Jack stood outside his inherited house staring at it. It was cost prohibitive to try to renovate and bring it up to code. He could spend half a million dollars on the place, and it would still need more work. He didn't have half-a-million dollars lying around to rebuild a house he did not want to keep or rebuild.

  He took several days to think about it; days spent hiking around the outside perimeter and walking from room to room on the inside. It took him nearly a week, numerous phone calls and a trip into town to send off a registered letter to the Navy. Once he made his decision, Jack called Jimmy Richards and arranged for him to pick up and deliver a 24-x-30-foot steel shed and set it up in the side yard. He may not want the house, bu
t he wouldn't destroy carpentry and craftsmanship of a century past. Jack went to work.

  Josie returned to work to find her desk piled with callback notes, unfinished reports and complaints. While there hadn't been a crime spree during her absence, apparently her staff had followed through on very little. She came back to a desk piled with small issues that could have been handled easily, and there was no excuse for it. She realized she needed to make some immediate changes. She closed her office door, typed out her resignation, and hand delivered it to the mayor.

  "Josie," Aiden Roland greeted her when she entered his office. "I'm glad you're back, and you look—"

  "I still look like I went three rounds in a boxing ring and lost," Josie interrupted bluntly.

  "Well, yes, but you're feeling better, aren't you?" the mayor asked. "Do you need a few more days off?"

  "No, I need the rest of my life off. I also need competent back-up," Josie exclaimed. "I was out of the office for nearly a week, Aiden, but I'm still taking full pay since not one decision was made by anyone but me during that entire time. I was on the phone dozens of times every single day making those decisions and running the Sheriff's department. This is my formal resignation. You have one month to find a replacement."

  "Josie, why would you do that?" the mayor asked, genuinely surprised.

  "Because I didn't take the job, Aiden," Josie said. "I took the position of Acting Sheriff and ten months later I'm still Acting Sheriff. You and the town council have had plenty of time to find a replacement. It's time I got on with my life. Promote one of the Deputies or find someone from the outside, I don't care. One month from now, I'm finished."

  "Josie, you can't do this to us," Aiden said. "Rawlings needs you. It takes time to find the right person."

  "I've already given you more than enough time, and you still haven't done a damn thing about changing the status quo," Josie said angrily. "I promised you three months and you said you'd get right on it. You didn't. You have one month, Aiden. During that time, I am not planning on being around that much. I'm going to do two- or three-day weeks until my month is up. I've done all I can do to train those deputies. If they're not willing to learn and step up to the plate, it's time you replaced them, too. Is this getting through to you this time?"

  "Yes," Aiden Roland said, leaning back in his chair. "I'll call a council meeting this afternoon. There are a lot of folks who won't be happy about this."

  "Too bad, they should have put forth more effort into finding a new Sheriff," Josie snapped. "If I wanted my law enforcement career back, I would have made a phone call and been back in my old job making six times what I'm making here!"

  "If you need a raise," the mayor began.

  "I don't want a blasted raise," Josie exclaimed. "I want you to find someone to take over the job permanently. I want to get on with my life and my plans. I want to have time to finish my house. In July, it will be a year, Aiden. I am officially done with waiting for you to do your job!"

  The entire Sheriff's office was in an uproar the next week, but Josie went about her business and ignored all of them. She made assignments for reports and paperwork, dividing the work between the three current deputies and decided that was the way to go—delegate.

  She yelled at Georgina for screwing up three dispatch calls. Later, she apologized to her good friend. She threatened to put eighty-six-year-old Mr. Farley in jail for riding his lawn mower on the town streets when she knew the state had revoked his driver's license since he could not pass the vision test. Feeling guilty, she later made a trip out to the old gentleman's place and apologized to him. She also called on Mr. Casswell, a retired factory worker, who lived down the street from Mr. Farley. She arranged for him to stop by once a week and take Mr. Farley into town for his grocery and pharmacy shopping. She offered to reimburse Mr. Casswell for his time and gas, but the man was a bit insulted. He scolded Josie, telling her all she had to do was ask. Doing a favor for a neighbor was not a hardship.

  She met with Mr. Shorey, Alex's new caseworker, to discuss Alex's case file. She tamped down her temper because she wanted to scream at the civil servant that Alex was a boy—not a file folder filled with forms. She knew she was in a bad mood and by the end of the week, she knew she needed to face up to the cause of it. As soon as Alex left for school, Josie called Georgina and told her she'd only be available by cell phone when she picked up her messages and only for an emergency.

  Josie parked directly behind Jack's Jeep, stepped out and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. The place looked different; there was a huge metal shed covering a good portion of the side yard, and bits and pieces of millwork were neatly stacked on the porch. She looked through the screen door and yoo-hooed, but there wasn't an answer. She could hear the buzz and whine of a power tool somewhere inside. She stepped inside, saw more millwork trim and a pedestal sink and followed the sound of the power tool. Jack was on top of a ladder trying to pry a piece of fancy millwork from over a doorway.

  When he saw Josie, he stepped down and went to her, lifting her chin to inspect her bruises and the scrape on her chin.

  "I'm sorry to interrupt," Josie said.

  "Are you feeling better?" Jack asked.

  Josie nodded. "I'm mostly healed up now; the bruises are fading, and the scabs are ugly. You decided not to renovate."

  Jack shook his head. "I didn't have a choice. It's too far gone structurally to attempt it, according to the structural inspector I hired. The house should have been condemned years ago. I'm salvaging what I can for people like you who have the time, patience and love of old places, and the need to find original pieces."

  Josie looked around. "That's a good idea, but if the place is unstable, should you be working in here alone?"

  Jack was watching her body language. She was nervous and unsure of herself. Not at all the person he was used to dealing with since his return to Rawlings. "Is something up that I should know about?"

  "Yes. No," Josie gulped. "Can we talk?"

  Jack waved her toward the window seat. She sat down, shot back up, pulled out her cell phone and set it aside. "The last thing I need is to accidently butt call someone."

  He raised an eyebrow.

  "First, I want to apologize for being a bitch when all you were doing was trying to help me."

  Jack shrugged that off. "My feelings don't get hurt that easily. If I had wanted to settle you down, I would have. I took into account that you were feeling lousy."

  "I know, that's why this is so hard," Josie said.

  "Spit it out, Hellion."

  Josie bit her lip, and her face infused with color. "It's this thing we have going on, Jack. You and me, it scares me silly."

  "Why? I'm a man. You're a woman. Times are changing, but that's still the most common configuration."

  "You're a dominant man," Josie said.

  "Yes, I am, that shouldn't be news to you," Jack said impatiently.

  "It isn't. I figured that out a long time ago," Josie snapped. "How far does it go, Jack? How much dominance do you demand?"

  "That's a fair question," Jack said, grabbing a five-gallon bucket and flipping it over to use as a seat. "In a relationship, I will be in control, but it has to be consensual. It's in my DNA to be the lead in the relationship. That's not to say I won't weigh other opinions, but in the end, I will make a decision on what I believe is best. I'm old-fashioned; I don't know where that stems from but it's who I am. I believe in discipline, and you found that out a long time ago. Nothing has changed. It's the way I handle disrespectful or disobedient behavior. I'd expect to do the same in any relationship. I expect honesty, and yes, some submission when I make a demand that is for my partner's well being. My partner has to know I'm doing what I feel is best in whatever situation. If she's doing something I think is not in her best interest, it's my job to set her straight. If that comes in the form of spanking, so be it. I will discipline my woman when I believe she needs correction."

  "Does your woman get a choice in the mat
ter?" Josie asked sarcastically.

  "Of course. The choice is to be involved with me or not," Jack said simply. "I'm not attracted to women who are wimps, Josie. I need a strong woman who will stand up for herself. I'm well aware that my tendency is to take over and dominate. I don't do it to oppress or subjugate, it's who I am. I expect my woman to be strong enough to pull me up by the bootstraps, when it's necessary. Women have the power to cut a man off at the balls. Don't take that too literally, because I know you can do it, but you know what I mean. Strong women hold the power in most relationships. Love is a powerful weapon. I expect us to be partners in every aspect of a relationship.

  "I'm not going to force my beliefs on someone who can't accept me for what I am. I'm willing to change some things, but I'm not going to turn myself inside out and try to be something I'm not. I believe in a man being in charge. I believe a man should be the head of his household. I believe there are women who need a man that has that kind of strength. They need a strong man to keep them from being hotheaded and reckless. If a spanking makes my woman think twice about doing something that is impulsive and dangerous, I don't have a problem with delivering it. If she disobeys or does something that puts her in danger, she's going across my knee and will think twice about making the same mistake. The stronger and more spirited a woman, the more she is in need of a counter balance to temper those dangerous tendencies. My dominance is only triggered when someone I care about puts themselves in jeopardy."

  "What does your woman get out of it?" Josie demanded.

  "The same thing that I demand of her," Jack said roughly, but he softened his tone. "Respect, trust and complete fidelity. From me, she gets a solemn promise that no other man will ever make her feel more wanted, needed, protected and satisfied." He lowered his lips to her and kissed her deeply, thrusting his tongue into her mouth with a titillating beat.