“Since we promised to keep you safe I’m not so sure you should be thanking me,” Cole said. “I should be apologizing to you instead.”
“No,” Jenna said. “You can only control what you do, and you made me feel safe, which helped me keep it together a lot better than I would’ve if I’d been alone. That’s what I’m thanking you for.”
“You’re welcome, honey,” he said, his voice a little thick.
“If it’s not too upsetting to talk about, I wonder if you remember getting shot,” Dillon asked.
“No, it’s not upsetting, and yes, I remember it,” she said. “The glass exploding woke me up. It scared me so badly that I couldn’t even move other than to open my eyes. I saw two holes appear in the back of the sofa, then I felt a burning on my arm and knew right away I’d been hit. I felt like it would be best to keep on not moving, so that’s what I did.”
“I’m real glad you followed your instincts and kept still,” Cole said, his voice betraying his emotions. Jenna didn’t need to ask how close she’d come to dying. It was there in Cole’s eyes.
“Don’t take this wrong, Jenna, but you don’t seem as shook up about it as I expected you to be,” Dillon said.
Jenna frowned. Dillon was right. She wasn’t as shook up as she would have expected, either. “Maybe that’s because I wasn’t alone this time,” she said slowly. “Cole was right there, holding me and keeping me safe, and he didn’t abandon me. I guess I feel like it’s okay to believe you won’t throw me to the wolves to keep them from your door.”
“That’s the truth, honey,” Dillon said.
Cole decided a change of subject was in order. “Mrs. Hannigan is heating up some chicken soup Meg sent over for you, and making up some grilled sandwiches to go with it. You wanna go out to the kitchen to eat?”
“Yes, I would, but who’s Mrs. Hannigan?”
“She’s our part-time housekeeper,” Dillon explained. “Comes in three times a week.”
“Spoiled,” she muttered just loud enough for them to hear while she struggled to sit up.
“That’s not fair, baby,” Cole said as he and Dillon both reached to help her. “We do our own laundry and pick up after ourselves.”
“I’m impressed,” she said with just a hint of laughter in her voice before biting back a gasp of pain when she moved her right shoulder.
“Most all the bachelor ranchers and business owners have someone come in a couple times a week to help out with housework. We do actually work during the day, you know.”
“I see,” she said. “I guess it’s just us single female business owners who have to work all day and still clean our own toilets.”
“I walked right into that one, didn’t I?” he asked sheepishly.
“To put it mildly, yes,” she said with a smile.
“You ready to go into the kitchen or do you want the bathroom first?”
“Bathroom first, please.”
Cole scooped her up and carried her into the bathroom, setting her down as though she were made of glass. She wavered a little before putting her hand on the counter to steady herself. “Go on,” she said, waving her hand at him.
He frowned, but he left, pulling the door shut behind him. A couple of minutes later she leaned against the countertop, reached out with her right arm to turn the water on without thinking and bit down hard on her lip as the room wavered around her. The pain had been enormous. And shocking. She did her best to breathe through it, trying to ignore the dizzy, swimming sensation in her head. When the pain faded enough for her to wash her hands she did so while leaning even more heavily on the counter. She decided to let the water run when she was finished rather than try to reach for the faucet handle again with either arm. She reached for the intercom thing around her neck, sighing when she realized she wasn’t wearing it. She eyed the distance between the sink and the door, and shook her head. It wasn’t far, but she was still wobbly and didn’t want to risk a fall on top of everything else.
“Cole? Dillon?” she called, not very loudly.
The door swung open immediately, much to her relief. “Sorry,” she said. “The intercom thing isn’t on my neck and I was afraid of falling.”
“That’s my fault, baby,” Cole said as he lifted her into his arms. “I removed it when I was cleaning the blood off of you and forgot to put it back.”
“Would you mind turning the water off for me please?”
Cole turned around, surprised he hadn’t even noticed that. He rested Jenna on the countertop for a moment, turned the water off and picked her up again.
“Maybe it would work better if I could put that thing around my wrist,” she suggested as Cole carried her into the bedroom where Dillon was waiting. “That way it wouldn’t get tangled in my hair or wrapped around my neck when I’m sleeping.”
“Good idea,” Dillon said. “I’ll shorten the cord for you.”
“You ready to go eat?” Cole asked.
She glanced down at herself. “Long as I’m decent, yes.”
“You are,” Cole said. “Later on, after everyone’s gone, we’ll give you a shower and wash your hair for you again.”
She opened her mouth to object, her face pink, but Cole spoke up first. “Jenna, you didn’t turn that faucet off because it hurt like hell when you turned it on, am I right?”
“Yes.”
“I cleaned you up as best I could and put a clean shirt on you, but you still have dried blood all over you and in your hair, too. You can’t reach up with either arm right now, which means you can’t wash it yourself and you know it.”
“Jenna,” Dillon said, interrupting Cole when he saw her starting to tense up. “If you don’t want us doing this, that’s fine. We’re not going to get angry, I promise. We’ll call Doc and get a private nurse out here to help you because you have to have help, angel. There ain’t no two ways about that.” She hesitated. “Jenna,” Dillon said again, then waited for her to look up at him. “Money is not an issue. We can hire twenty nurses if you want, so don’t let that be a factor in your decision.”
“Thanks, Dillon,” she said, relaxing now that she was certain they weren’t trying to pressure her into doing what they wanted. “A nurse won’t be necessary.” Cole and Dillon both looked at her in surprise, but she pretended not to notice. The idea of a stranger bathing her was far more disturbing than the idea of Dillon and Cole doing it. She wasn’t sure why and didn’t want either of them to ask so she asked a question herself instead. “Why can’t I take a bath?”
“Because of the stitches in your knee and shoulder, and the bandages on your arm,” Dillon said. “The shower has a hand sprayer so we can work around them.”
“Oh.” She looked up at Cole. “Food?”
“Sure, baby, we’re going,” Cole said, hiding a grin while Dillon opened the door. When they stepped from the hall into the living room, Jenna was surprised to see several unfamiliar men hanging plywood where the glass had been. Her discomfort increased when they turned to look at her curiously. She ducked her head and folded her arms over her chest, painfully conscious of the fact that she wore only a sleep tee, shorts, and a lot of bandages. Cole pulled her closer against him and turned slightly to hide her from the other men’s sight, while Dillon moved so that he was between them, his light blue eyes going icy.
“Get back to work boys,” a deep rumbling voice ordered coolly.
Then they were out of the living room and crossing the dining room to the kitchen. “Sorry about that, honey,” Cole said. “We won’t make that mistake again.”
“Thank you,” she said, soothed by their immediate attempts to shelter her from the stares of the other men the moment they sensed her discomfort. She raised her head and saw another new face. This one belonged to a smiling older woman with silver hair and blue eyes. She wore a crisp red blouse and faded jeans, and for a moment Jenna wondered if this was Cole’s and Dillon’s mother. Then she remembered their parents had died many years ago. By then Cole had already lowered her in
to what was becoming her seat at the table, and Dillon was introducing her.
“It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Jenna,” Mrs. Hannigan said warmly. “How’re you feeling?”
“A bit sore and very hungry,” Jenna said, returning the woman’s smile. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Hannigan, though I believe we’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Mrs. Hannigan said, looking pleased that Jenna remembered her. “We’ve never been introduced, but I’ve been in your shop a few times. Whenever I get into town, to be truthful, which isn’t very often. I do love going in there.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Hannigan, that’s very kind of you to say.”
“It’s nothing but the truth, sweetheart, and please, call me Bess,” she said, startling Dillon and Cole.
“Mrs. Hannigan, that’s not fair,” Cole said in a voice Jenna had never heard from him before. “You ain’t never let us call you Bess, and you’ve known us for more than ten years now.”
“That’s because you boys need a firm hand,” she said. “Now get yourselves over there and wash up if you want me to feed you.”
Jenna smiled as Cole and Dillon bent to kiss the older woman affectionately on the cheek before doing her bidding. “We’ve got some nice chicken soup from Meg, and I’ve made up some grilled cheese to go with it. How’s that sound?”
“Heavenly,” Jenna said.
“I’m guessing you already washed up?” Bess asked as she turned to get the food.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jenna replied.
“I knew you’d been raised up right,” Bess said, nodding firmly. “Of course, these two were raised up right too, but it didn’t seem to have stuck with them too well.”
Jenna laughed, which put a smile on Cole’s and Dillon’s faces. Bess brought her a bowl of soup and a sandwich while Cole got her the glass of ice water she asked for without trying to convince her to drink milk instead. Then the three of them served themselves and carried their food to the table. Cole and Dillon sat down on either side of her, but Bess hesitated.
“I generally eat with the boys, Jenna,” she said, looking uncomfortable for the first time. “Do you mind?”
Jenna’s eyes widened. “Of course not!” she exclaimed, embarrassed that Bess would even think she’d object.
“Now, don’t get upset,” Bess said, her easy smile returning in an instant. “There’ve been one or two of the boys’ friends over the years that did object.” She said this with a sideways smirk at each of the boys in question. “I didn’t think you were that type, but I figured best to ask.”
“If those friends objected to you, I’m sure they’d object to me, too,” Jenna said. “If any of them come to visit while I’m here, maybe the two of us can eat together somewhere else.”
“I’d take you up on that if Cole and Dillon hadn’t made it real clear to those particular friends that they weren’t welcome any more,” Bess said before biting into her sandwich.
Jenna looked at Dillon, then Cole with a little smile of approval turning up the corners of her mouth that had them both grinning. For a few minutes the room was silent as they all took the edge off their hunger.
“So then,” Bess said, breaking the comfortable silence. “Twins. That’s wonderful news!”
“Yes,” Jenna said with an indescribable smile. “I can’t hardly believe it sometimes. I feel like I need to keep pinching myself.”
“Just remember to let the rest of us take care of you,” Bess said. “I know it’s not gonna be easy for a self-sufficient young woman like yourself to let others do everything for you, but you’re gonna have to resign yourself to it.”
“I know,” Jenna said with a sigh. “The past couple of days haven’t been so bad, wounds aside, but once I heal and start to get my energy back it’s gonna be hard.”
“So long as you don’t forget why you’re doing it, you’ll be fine,” Bess said. “What’s your plans with your business? You gonna close it?”
“For a couple of weeks, but no longer than that if I can help it,” Jenna replied. “I have a friend who’s in the process of moving here. She’s buying into the business so I’ll have someone to help with the shop not just now, but after the babies are born, too. I don’t mind being a working Mom, but I don’t wanna be an absent working Mom if I can manage otherwise.”
“That’s smart, planning ahead like that,” Bess approved. “If you need extra help, you just let me know. I have a couple of granddaughters who’re real hard workers and trustworthy to boot. I don’t think they’d be able to mix up products and the like, but they can sweep, dust, unpack boxes, stock shelves, that sort of thing.”
“Thanks, Bess, I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” Jenna said. “I’ve been thinking of hiring some part time help after Susie gets here.”
“Not to change the subject,” Bess said, “but I’m curious about something. Has anyone told you how important your babies are to the people of Sparx?”
“No,” Jenna said in surprise. “Important in what way?”
“They’ll be the first native born citizens of Sparx since it was renamed thirteen years ago.”
“But I’ve seen lots of kids around town,” Jenna said. “Not a lot of babies, but I’ve seen some.”
“None that have been born here, though,” Bess said. “Every child in Sparx was born before their family moved here, or while it was still called Pikes. Everyone who lives here sees your babies being born here as an important event. Even if you have to go over to the hospital in Bizzby to have them, you’re a resident here so we’ll consider them born here, in Sparx.”
“That’s nice to know, but why is it so important?”
“We’ve been waiting a long time for you, Jenna,” Cole said. “You’re the first single woman to move here, meet a man, or men, and get pregnant. It’s kind of a milestone. If all goes well, everyone will see it as a sign that the wait was worth it.” Jenna just nodded, unable to think of a single thing she was willing to say out loud.
“You finished eating now, baby?” Cole asked. “Or would you like to work on that some more?”
“I’m finished now, thanks,” Jenna said. “Thank you, Bess. Lunch was wonderful.”
“You’re welcome, hon,” Bess said. “Why don’t you go in the other room and rest a bit? You’re looking a bit pale all of a sudden.”
Dillon looked at Jenna closely, then got up and left, returning just a moment later. “The men are all cleared out of the living room, angel. Would you like to sit in there for a while?”
“Yes, I would,” Jenna said.
“Would you like me to bring you something hot to drink?” Bess asked. “There’s some nice raspberry tea in the cupboard.”
“Oh, yes please, Bess, I’d love that.”
“Good, I’ll bring it in to you in just a few minutes.”
Cole picked her up and carried her into the living room. She saw that the sofa she’d been laying on earlier was covered with a quilt now, but her arms tightened on Cole’s neck when he started to put her down. “Maybe somewhere else, please,” she said quietly.
“Sure baby,” he agreed, not missing the slight quaver in her voice. He put her down on the matching sofa. “In a few days all that glass, including the sliding door, will be bulletproof. Actually, bullet resistant is more accurate. It will eventually give way if shot enough times, but you’ll have plenty of time to get out of the way first.”
“Oh, okay, that’s good to know.”
“The guys are replacing the glass in the bedroom right now. They had enough bulletproof glass on hand for those windows. The rest of the house will be done soon as they get the glass in.”
“I’m sorry you have to go through so much trouble and expense for me.”
Cole knelt down on the floor beside her. “It’s not your fault, so don’t apologize. The expense is nothing to us, honey, but even if it took every cent we had, it would be worth it to keep you safe.”
“Thank you, Cole,” she said, tou
ched and trying not to show it. “What are you going to do about your couch?”
“We ordered a replacement from the store we got it from over in Helena. It should be here in a couple of days. Can I get you anything?”
“Did Dillon get my iPad, do you know?”
“I believe he got everything on your list. Is that what you want?”
“Yes, please.”
“Be right back.” Cole returned a minute later, just as Dillon came in from the kitchen.
“Here, let me see that first,” he said, holding his hand out. Cole handed the iPad to him, and he sat down beside Jenna. She watched as he turned it on and opened her settings menu. A few seconds later he handed it back to her. “You’re connected to our Wi-Fi now.”
“Thanks,” she said, forcing a smile. Her injuries were really starting to hurt, especially the new one, but she was determined not to complain.
“And this here is your new phone,” Cole said, pulling it from his pocket and handing it to her.
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the new iPhone from him. “I’m gonna miss my old flip phone, but setting this up will at least give me something to do.”
“Speaking of things to do, I brought that box you asked for from your closet. You’re an extremely talented artist.”
“You went through it?”
“Sure, you didn’t ask me not to,” Dillon said. “Besides, I needed to know where to put the contents and I couldn’t do that without knowing what was in it.”
“There’s not going to be any such thing as private around you two, is there?”
“Any time you want us to stay out of something, all you gotta do is tell us,” Cole said. “If you’d asked us not to open that box, we wouldn’t have.”
“All right, I’ll remember that.”
“Why is it you don’t draw any more?” Cole asked.
Jenna set the new phone down, turned on her iPad and opened the email app. Without raising her eyes she started to shrug, remembered her injuries and kept still. “Just lost interest in it.”
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