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Chapter Twelve
The next few days went by in a whirlwind, since Nina had to work extra hours to catch up with the time she’d taken off.
It was better that way, she told herself Saturday morning, watching Josh working out while her heart pounded madly in her chest. It was nuts how attracted she was to the guy, and she wasn’t too sure how much longer her willpower would last.
She was trying to give him space. But when he flirted more suggestively with her every single day, she realized she loved it. Mark Hadley, her former fiancée, had been nothing like Josh, and lately, she was trying to figure how had she ever ended up engaged to the guy? Nina guessed she’d had some crazy notion that they’d spend the rest of their lives doing noble work together when Mark had eventually proposed. She’d always dated guys who seemed steady and dependable, but had deep inner flaws.
They’d been engaged for two years and finally preparing to get married when Nina had discovered he was having an affair with another nurse who’d worked in his office.
Confronting him and handing back the ring, she’d felt relieved. Deep in her heart, Nina knew he wasn’t the right guy.
And she’d never felt the attraction for him that she felt for Josh. Even though he was blind and his future was up in the air, for once in her life she was ready to do something totally against her nature, and take a chance on a relationship not knowing where it would lead.
But who was trying to kill him? And why?
How could she stand losing Josh when she’d only just found him again?
“You’re being awfully quiet over there. What’s wrong, besides the obvious?”
She frowned. “You’re really sure that it’s better for you to be seen out in public?”
“Yeah, I totally agree with Jake, now that he’s pointed out the risk for everyone else involved. Whoever it is going after me needs to know I’m still in town. There’s a much better chance of keeping everyone else I know safe if they think there’ll be another easy opportunity to go after me.”
Josh stood up from his weight bench and made his way over to Nina, rather effortlessly, she noticed. It was amazing how well he was getting around.
He pulled his towel off from around his neck, wiping his forehead. “I’m kind of looking forward to this Christmas tree thing going on today. The only time I remember celebrating in our house was with Luke’s mom, and even then, it wasn’t much of a celebration because she was just starting to see my dad for what he was.”
“Aw, Josh.” Nina grimaced. “I haven’t celebrated Christmas either since my mom passed away. After we get back, I’ll head up into the attic and bring down some of the old decorations.” She swallowed. “It’s nice having you around. I think it’ll be easier for me confronting my past when I’m not alone.”
“I love being here with you, Nina. Maybe we can go through some of my stuff later today too, like Jake said we should try to do.”
Nina smiled. “After the tree is up?”
Josh’s face wore a look of longing. “Yeah. I’ve never had a real Christmas before.”
Nina answered softy. “It’s been a while for me too. I think it’s going to be great. And you know what? Maybe we can both find Christmas together.”
* * *
“Are we ready?” Nina asked Josh, a few hours later. Josh hated leaving Ralph home alone, but they needed to carry out a switch with Luke later today.
Jake had booked an empty room at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn in Josh’s name in one of the more isolated corridors, and a digital camera would be focused on the door leading inside twenty-four hours a day.
Josh was laying out of sight, on the back seat of Nina’s truck, as she turned from the driveway onto the main road. They’d need to drive through town to get to the tree farm which was situated north, and both Jake and Josh didn’t want anyone being clued in about the budding relationship developing between Nina and Josh.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been out to the tree farm before.”
Nina answered, “They haven’t been around very long. I remember a whole bunch of pine trees being planted several years ago, and I always wondered why. I think they opened up when I was away in nursing school.”
Twenty minutes later, Josh felt and heard the crunching gravel beneath the tires of the truck as Nina pulled off from the asphalt road. She drove slow for a few more minutes before she turned, apparently pulling into a parking space.
Josh asked, “Are we here?”
“We are. Luke and Kelly don’t seem to have arrived yet though.” Nina switched the radio on as they waited, and Christmas music began echoing inside the truck.
Josh laughed softly as Nina began humming with the music.
Five minutes later, Josh heard the passenger door open, and Luke stepped inside. “You’re alright to sit up and get out of here, Josh. We’d better do it quick, in case someone was following me. We don’t want anyone to know you came along with Nina. Everyone’s here including Jason Matthews and his fiancée. I’d especially like for you to meet him, as he’s the government liaison for the wounded warrior home.”
The introductions were made and the ladies scrambled ahead of them to begin looking for the right trees.
Zach and Beth Logan had brought along their autistic son Alex and the laughter never let up the entire time they were walking along the snow-covered trail.
Hiking along the main road, Luke stuck by Josh, who was using his cane, while telling him that he had a difficult time walking amidst the trees because of his prosthetic leg. There was a little bit of snow tumbling down, and it was making the surface of the path rather slick because of the cooler temperatures.
The scent of pine infused the air as Josh breathed deeply just enjoying the outdoors. He heard Nina’s voice calling out rather breathlessly. “I found one, Josh. I love it. Someone said it was a fir.” He heard her approach, and wrapping her arms around him, she kissed him on the cheek.
Luke chuckled, digging an elbow into Josh’s ribs. “That’s alright. Go ahead. We’re okay to do what we want out here, away from everyone. We’d best be careful when we get back to the parking lot though. Jake said he had someone sitting out there before we arrived to see if anyone followed me.”
“Hmm. Good idea.”
“C’mon,” Nina said, tugging on his hand.
“Alright, already,” Josh answered with a grin, letting Nina drag him down into the deeper snow. “Like I said, I’m not going to be much help here.”
“I want you to tell me if you like the smell. After all, you’re going to have to live with it too.”
Nina led him over to some kind of tree that had needles that felt like they were covered with was.
She said, “I think it’s a Douglas Fir.”
“It smells fine to me. It actually feels kind of cool,” Josh said, moving his hand upward to check out its height. “It’s awfully tall.”
“There’s a high vaulted ceiling throughout the house. I don’t think you’ve ever been upstairs since you’ve been living there, but there’s another small family room along with three bedrooms and a full bath. My old bedroom is up there too.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I noticed the extra wide staircase and wooden bannister, so I knew there was another level in the house, but I haven’t exactly been doing much exploring these days.”
She punched him in the shoulder.
“Ouch,” he called out, frowning.
“Oh, Josh, I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
When she walked in closer to make sure he was okay, he pulled her into his arms and laid his mouth over hers.
There were cheers in the background. “Way to go,” someone shouted and then whistled.
It sounded an awful lot like Kelly.
Josh finally let her go.
“Oh, you.” Sounding flustered, Nina punched his arm again.
And Josh laughed.
* * *
Eventually, the girls ended up together again, while the guys were m
aking arrangements for the trees to be bagged and tied into everyone’s trucks when they returned to the nursery.
So, Nina was surprised when Luke asked if he could speak with her for a moment before they went back.
“Sure, Luke,” she said, following him away from the group where they wouldn’t be overheard.
“I don’t know if I should be butting in.” Luke rolled his eyes before looking down and kicking his foot into the snow. “Is it serious between you two?”
“I think so. I mean, I’m serious.”
Luke snorted. “Well, I don’t know Josh as well as I used to, but I’m pretty sure he’s fallen pretty hard for you.”
Nina grinned. “That’s good to know.”
Luke’s expression suddenly turned grim. “Do you know about our past, Nina? What was done to him and me by his dad?”
“I wasn’t provided with his complete medical records, but I, uh...think so.”
“We were’t...just abused,” Luke cleared his throat, looking up so his eyes met hers. “but assaulted.” He blew out a deep breath. “Sexually.”
Nina reached out and wrapped her arms around Luke. “It’s alright,” she said softly, patting him on the back. “I figured it out a long time ago. There was always talk around town, Luke. I’m just glad that someone was finally able to do something about it and get you away from that pig.”
“From what I’m hearing from our shrink, Josh needs to talk to you about it himself. Kelly has been going into sessions with me too.”
Luke sighed heavily, and Nina looked at him anxiously when he added, “There’s more.”
“Oh, God.” Nina sighed deeply. “What else?”
“One night, when John Turner was coming after me—I was about thirteen at the time—Josh caught him and stopped him.” Tears filled Luke’s eyes. “Well, his dad nearly killed him, Nina. John Turner did some horrible things to him—unimaginable things, but Josh got me out of the house first before going back and confronting his dad. Later on, I found Josh passed out on the floor, unconscious, and got him to the doctor. But Josh was eighteen, and he refused to press charges. All he wanted to do was get his dad behind bars as fast as possible so he could keep him away from me.”
“I promise, I won’t do anything to hurt him Luke,” she said reassuringly, patting him on the back a few more times.
“That’s all I needed to know,” Luke said, scraping the tears from his face, squeezing her shoulder when he finally pulled away.
Nina was blinking back tears herself. “I won’t ever mention this conversation to Josh, but I’m sure glad you told me so I know what I’m dealing with.”
“We’d better get back,” he said, giving her a wry smile.
* * *
The temperatures were dropping again by the time they were on their way back to the house with the tree. Josh had stayed in the parking lot with the guys, wearing the hooded parka that Nina had purchased for him last month. By the time the ladies had returned outside after making purchases of extra decorating items along with a few special gifts from inside the Christmas shop, one of the other men was wearing Josh’s coat and sitting in the back seat of Luke and Kelly’s truck with his stocking cap pulled down low.
Nina figured Josh must be laying on the back seat of her truck again since she’d handed over her keys before going inside. Saying her goodbyes and giving Luke a thumbs up, Nina stepped behind the wheel of her truck, revving up the engine. Looking into the rearview mirror, she still had a clear view behind her even with the tree tied tight in the pickup bed.
She watched as the others pulled out of the parking lot one at a time, following the road leading back to the highway.
Nina didn’t know what had made her stay behind for those few extra minutes, but when she saw someone driving a beat up white pickup, she dug into her purse for a pen and pad.
“Something wrong, Nina?” Josh asked from behind her.
“Somehow, I can’t see Jake sending surveillance people out in a rusty old pickup that’s easily noticeable. Can you?”
“Maybe it’s someone who does Christmas deliveries here?”
“Nah. They have their own trucks. I ordered a couple of Christmas wreaths to be delivered at the end of next week, by the way. I was thinking about doing a little bit of decorating outside. Anyway, I wrote down the license plate number for Jake, just in case.”
“Well, if someone is trying to follow me, hopefully they fell for the ruse. Jason Matthews is getting dropped off by Luke and Kelly at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. He’ll leave my coat in the room Jake put in my name, and then his fiancé is going to meet him in the restaurant for dinner a little later.”
“Okay. I know you talked to Jake when I was inside, shopping. What did he have to say?”
When Nina heard Josh sigh, she wished she could’ve seen his face.
“They were able to identify two of the three men by facial recognition. I guess the original tape has better clarity.”
“And?”
“One of the guys was my dad.” He went silent for a moment. “The other guy was Zeke, Nina. Remember those guys who were ready to assault you fifteen years ago?
“Yeah. I remember I was terrified at the time at how easily they were able to drag me into that cave.” She sat up taller. “So, what about it, Josh?”
“That’s the thing. Zeke was the one who gave the rest of them up all those years ago. He got the lightest sentence. And then he mysteriously disappeared and was living in another state, Jake told me since he just discovered it. I can’t figure it out—why in the heck would he be working with my dad again? Supposedly, he’s doing pretty well for himself, and has a wife and family. The conviction was expunged as part of the deal,” he added grimly.
“You’re right,” Nina answered worriedly. “Why?”
Chapter Thirteen
They mutually agreed to put what Jake had told them out of their minds for the rest of the day. It was early evening and Nina described for Josh the purply orange sunset, which looked amazingly beautiful blazing across the ice-covered lake.
He sighed. “There are times like this that I really can’t stand not being able to see. You notice, I never call it blindness. I’m not quite ready to give up yet.”
“And you shouldn’t,” Nina answered matter-of-factly. “They did the surgery because of the headaches, right?”
“Yep, supposedly there was some swelling in my brain because of the head trauma I suffered resulting from an explosion on the battlefield in Iraq. The worst part is, having the surgery meant there was a greater risk of permanent blindness. But I couldn’t have lived with those headaches I was having. Nothing they were giving me would help. It was constant pain.”
“Yeah. Which was the lesser of two evils? I can understand.” Nina sighed.
“Yeah, I know you do Nina,” Josh answered wearing a wry grin.
It was time for her to change the subject. “Ready to help me get the tree inside?”
“Yep. Why don’t you go let Ralph loose, and see how he does? He was excellent yesterday when I had him outside. He wouldn’t leave my side, even when I let go of the leash.”
“Wow. That is making progress.”
“Let’s pull the tree out from the pickup bed. I’ll start dragging it toward the house while you go turn off the alarm and let out Ralph. Then you can open up the French doors leading into the living room.”
“Alright,” she said, walking with Josh to the back of the pickup.
“This is kind of cool,” Josh said, sliding the tree that was wrapped up tight along the path behind Nina. “I shouldn’t have any trouble at all getting it inside.”
“Yeah they have those nifty machines that they drop the tree into for compacting them now.”
“Do you have the stand?”
“Yep. I made sure I bought one that was big enough,” she called from the doorway, quickly entering the code for the alarm and unlocking the door.
Whining with pleasure, Ralph whipped his tail so hard he
nearly knocked himself over.
And Nina laughed softly when he rubbed his face against her legs and licked Nina’s hand. “Go outside, Ralph. Josh is waiting for you.”
Ralph cocked his head, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and then he looked outside through the open door.
“That’s alright. Go ahead,” she said again.
When Ralph went bounding through the door, Nina began laughing harder. He wasn’t slowing down at all while approaching Josh.
Nina’s hand covered her mouth in shock as Ralph jumped high in the air, landing on Josh, sending him backwards on the ground.
Josh sat up shaking his head dazedly, wearing a huge smile on his face, even though Ralph was frantically cleaning it with his tongue.
“Maybe I’d better not tell you to let him do that anymore,” Josh said dryly.
Nina began laughing louder.
* * *
A half hour later, they’d managed to center the tree on the stand and place it in front of the huge floor to ceiling window in the living room. Before pulling out decorations, Nina decided to make a few snacks for them to eat, along with getting a fire burning in the fireplace.
“I think there’s a music station somewhere on my satellite radio that features Christmas stuff.”
“Cool. Go ahead and turn it on,” Josh answered. “I’d be watching football if I could, but it’s a pain in the butt to have to listen so hard to try to figure out what’s going on.”
Nina laughed. “Want some eggnog?”
“Can I have it with a little of that rum you told me about?”
“Sure. I think I’ll have some too.”
Fifteen minutes later they were sitting beside each other on the couch, having their drinks and eating the cheese and crackers and chips and dip that Nina had laid out on the coffee table. The fire was blazing, since it’d been conveniently converted to gas when the house had been remodeled.
The last few days, she’d been preparing easy to cook meals in the microwave for her and Josh. Danielle had figured it would be easier for Josh to prepare them since he’d become pretty good at fending for himself in the kitchen. Plus, Danielle had stocked a lot of meat and cheese for making sandwiches, and he’d been eating a lot of those too, Nina had noticed.
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