Marie shook her head. “Sorry, Reece and I have to run to Portland today to grab the supplies for the reception. But Justus has already offered to be your chauffeur for the next couple of days. And Riley’s going to drive your car out to Serenity Shores for you so it will be there when you are able to drive yourself again.”
The next couple of days? Her pulse picked up at just the thought, and she hoped no one was studying the display on the monitor next to her bed too closely.
Do not make the same mistake twice!
Her gaze flicked to Justus once more. What had sent him to jail?
Jail time wasn’t the only drawback to the man. She distinctly remembered his death-trap of a red motorbike. She lifted one brow at Justus, unable to hide her pique. “You going to make me ride behind you on your motorbike?” Her chest tightened at just the thought. She’d sooner walk home than straddle a bike ever again.
But he only shook his head. “Left my bike back home this time. Brought my car, instead.” He tipped his head at the Hispanic man. “Jalen there protested over having to ride with the wind in his face the whole way here. Good thing too, I guess.”
Jalen, standing quietly, arms folded, smirked and shook his head over the obvious misrepresentation, but tilted her a nod of greeting.
She wiggled her fingers in return, since moving her head still hurt like crazy. “So Riley, you aren’t going to Portland with Marie and Reece today?”
Riley shook her head.
Dakota studied the woman. Her face was as impassive and unreadable as usual. Dakota sighed. At least she didn’t have to worry about Riley’s safety from her ex-boyfriend since he’d driven his car off the coastal highway and been killed instantly the night he’d last beaten her up. Even so, Dakota didn’t want Riley to be alone. She had so many emotions roiling through her right now.
Dakota pressed her lips together, not wanting to make her feel self conscious in front of all those in the room, but not wanting to leave her to be on her own all day either.
Jalen saved her from the dilemma. “If Riley doesn’t mind, Marie asked me to deejay for the wedding reception on Saturday, and I could use some help checking out the church’s equipment and doing some sound tests.”
Dakota liked the man already. She looked at Riley and waited for her reply.
Riley shrugged and gave a tiny nod.
And Dakota offered Jalen a smile of thanks.
He lifted his chin in a quick nod to indicate it was no big deal, shoved his hands deep into his pockets, and scuffed one toe at the floor.
Marie broke the awkward silence that settled. “Thanks for letting me use your car yesterday. That was a big help.
“You’re welcome. But I’m not happy that you guys are all ganging up on me.” Dakota stuck her tongue out at Marie.
Marie only chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll get over it.” But her gaze traveled to Riley, who stood quietly, her focus sweeping each aspect of the room as if to memorize the space.
Dakota was suddenly hit with a concerning thought. “Riley, where did you sleep last night? Are you okay?”
Riley’s attention zoomed to her, then flicked to Marie, but she didn’t speak, only nodded and tucked a strand of her straight red-blonde hair behind one ear.
Jalen looked down and kicked at something on a tile near his feet, his jaw jutting off to one side.
Marie hastened to speak for her. “Riley stayed with Alyssa and me last night, and she’s welcome to stay until we get another place figured out….”
Marie’s words trailed away, and Dakota knew the implication. She was welcome to stay until something else was figured out or until Marie’s lease ran out at the end of the week when she and her daughter would move into Serenity Shores with Reece.
Which brought to mind another thought for Dakota. She didn’t have a place to stay either. Where was she going to go when she left here today? The fire department had condemned House of Hope, and all of Dakota’s and Riley’s belongings were in there.
Reece seemed to be able to read her thoughts. “Listen, with the wedding coming up, we didn’t book any guests at Serenity Shores for about three weeks. We’ll have plenty of room for you two plus all the wedding guests. So no need to worry about where you’re going to stay.”
Relief rushed through Dakota. But it was Riley who concerned her. She offered the woman a smile. “Sounds good to me. What about you?”
Riley shrugged and nodded, still offering no word or flicker of emotion.
Lord, help me to reach her. “Good. It’s settled then. Thank you, Reece. That lifts a big weight from my mind.”
Everyone started to head for the door then, but Dakota needed to know the truth about Justus before any more time passed. “Reece? Could I talk to you for a minute?” Thankfully everyone seemed to get the hint that she wanted a word alone with him, and Reece lingered while everyone else left the room.
She picked at the blanket, trying to determine the best way to ask her question but no diplomatic turn of phrase came to mind. Finally she just plunged in. “Listen, I know he’s your friend…but didn’t you tell me Justus served time? Should I be careful about being alone with him?”
Reece actually chuckled. “No. Not at all. There’s no one you should trust more than Justus. He did serve time, but that’s his story to tell, and I’m sure he’ll get around to telling you someday. But you don’t need to question your safety with him, and trust me when I say he’s a different man now, and there’s no need for concern.”
Dakota chewed the inside of her lip. No need for concern except she might lose her heart to the guy! “Okay. If you’re sure. Thanks. Sorry. I—” She waved a hand, unsure what else she wanted to say.
“I’m totally sure. Don’t worry about it. You’re in good hands with him, I promise you. You good now?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
He nodded and stepped out into the hall.
Dakota released a soft sigh as she lifted the lid from her plate of food. All she really wanted to do was sleep, but she’d force a few bites down first.
And try not to think about the enigma that composed Justus Teague. How did an ex con engender such loyalty from his friends? When it came down to tallying pros and cons for potential men to date, “previous prisoner” was definitely a big mark in the “con” column. Not to mention his obvious thrill seeking, daredevil, need-for-speed side. But in the “pro” column she’d have to mark down a man who’d slept the whole night in an uncomfortable chair for a woman he barely knew just so she’d have someone close by in case she needed anything. And those blue eyes that probed every nuance of her face with a soft compassion that drew her like a warm fire on a cold day. Definitely those.
She gave up trying to understand the complex swirl of emotions spinning through her, pushed the food tray away, and sank against the softness of the pillows.
Unfortunately, exhausted as she was, sleep remained elusive. First the doctor came in on his morning rounds. He double checked all her injuries, assessed the response of her pupils to light, listened to her heartbeat, and checked her blood pressure and pulse. He offered her a gentle smile. “You are lucky, young lady. Your injuries could have been much worse.”
Dakota swallowed. “Yeah, I think God was watching out for me. I was sitting at my desk right where the tree fell only moments before it happened.”
The doctor gave a little whistle. “Well, however you were spared, you’ve managed to escape with only a slight concussion, a few stitches, and injuries that will heal within a few weeks.” He jotted something in her chart. “I’ll write up the order for your discharge and you are free to leave as soon as the nurse brings by your prescription for pain killers. The stitches on your forehead will dissolve on their own, and I’ll take a look at them at our appointment next week.” He glanced at her chart again. “I see you’ve had malaria. Had any flare-ups recently?”
“No.” She shook her head.
“Good. Well…” He stood. “We’ll get you out of here as soon a
s we can.”
Dakota figured she’d better hear the bad news straight from the horse’s mouth if it was going to be bad news, so she took a breath and asked, “I’m in a wedding on Saturday. Will I be able to walk by then?”
To her surprise the doctor nodded. “Your sprain isn’t too severe. I’d like you to wear this ankle boot until Friday, but I think it will be okay to remove it and participate in the wedding on Saturday. Just listen to your body. Too much pain means it’s not ready yet. Any other questions?”
Relieved at the answer, Dakota shook her head.
“Alright then…” The doctor stood and shook her hand. “Sometimes a trauma like this, especially one that results in exhaustion, can cause a relapse of the malaria. So please take it easy over the next few days for sure and give yourself lots of rest.”
She smiled. “The way I feel now, my body will be demanding that from me.”
“Good. Listen to it!”
Dakota had just once more settled into her pillow to hopefully find a few moments of the doctor’s last prescription, when a knock at the open door revealed Pastor Mark poking his head inside.
“Hi Pastor.” She waved him in. “Thanks for coming by.”
Pastor shook his head as he approached. “I’m so glad you are okay!”
Dakota made a face of regret. “I’m really sorry about House of Hope. Is it going to be fixable?”
Pastor Mark held out a hand to reassure her. “Don’t you worry about a thing. The house is insured, and just a year ago the insurance company had a man come out and check over those trees at our request and expense. He gave them the all-clear to remain. So I have every confidence that the damage to the house will be fully covered. The most important thing is that you’re okay.”
Relief washed through Dakota so palpably she realized how much her concern had been weighing on her. “I’m so glad to hear that.”
He folded his arms. “Of course House of Hope has been condemned until repairs can be made. Police Chief Tom Hansen said to just give them a call when you want to get some of your things and he’d have an officer meet you on the scene. Riley said anytime would work for her.”
“Okay, thanks for letting me know.”
Pastor looked chagrinned then. “I saw I missed a call from you last night.” He winced. “I really hope you weren’t trying to get a hold of me after the tree fell?”
She rushed to reassure him. “Oh no! That was before. I wanted to talk to you about the books. There are some things not seeming to add up in the accounting for House of Hope.”
“Oh? What?”
“Well, to me it looks like some money may be missing somewhere.”
Pastor Mark’s eyebrows peaked. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“Is there a time I could come by and we could look at the numbers together? You might know something I don’t with regards to it.”
“Sure.” Pastor pulled out his phone and consulted his calendar. “How about next week some time? After you have the wedding out of the way? Say Tuesday afternoon about two thirty In the meantime I’ll take a look at the account myself to see if I can find the discrepancy.”
Dakota smiled, relieved to know she could talk to him about it. “That sounds good.”
Pastor stayed and prayed with her and visited until Justus stepped back into the room. Pastor Mark stood from where he’d seated himself in the room’s chair.
Freshly showered and groomed, the sight of Justus, and the sweep of his swimming-pool-blue eyes, stole all the moisture from Dakota’s mouth. “Pastor Mark.” The words rasped and she cleared her throat and started again. “Pastor Mark, this is Justus Teague. He’s a good friend of Reece’s and here for the wedding. Justus, this is our pastor, Mark Rolland.”
Justus nodded and stepped forward to shake the man’s hand.
“Well.” Pastor Mark turned back to her after greeting Justus. “I’d better be going. Mrs. Murton is in here too. Got struck by a branch when she was out walking her Pomeranian last night.”
A surge of sorrow and guilt shot through Dakota at the mention of old Mrs. Murton. But Pastor Mark wouldn’t know that a good deal of the woman’s loneliness was Dakota’s fault. Mrs. Murton wouldn’t know either, for that matter. Dakota forced her lips to form words. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. Is she going to be alright?”
Pastor nodded. “Yes, she just cut her arm pretty good, and they wanted to keep an eye on her blood pressure overnight. But her call this morning said it was stabilizing. Anyhow, just say a prayer for her, if you would.”
“I will. And I’ll stop by to say hello to her on my way out. What room is she in?”
“Just down the hall in room 307. Thanks for praying. I know she’ll do the same for you.” He lifted a hand of farewell, then paused. “I’m assuming you have all the help you need, and a place to stay?”
Dakota nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”
“Good. Well, you just let us know if you need anything, alright? And I’ll be seeing you soon.”
After she signed discharge papers and received her prescription, Dakota fought her casted arm and booted foot to dress in the same clothes she’d worn the day before, while Justus waited in the hallway. The sleeve of her blouse wouldn’t fit over the cast and she had to tear it to get it on, and the Velcro on the boot snagged her skirt several times before she managed to smooth it into place. Finally she sank down onto her bed to slip on one shoe. Why, oh why had she chosen yesterday to wear the mint shoes, she wondered as she thrust her good foot into one of the high heels and tossed the other shoe into the small bag the hospital had given her.
Task number one accomplished, she eyed the crutches leaning next to her with some trepidation. Task number two was to get herself to Justus’s car without making too much of a fool of herself.
But how was she to use the crutches when one of her arms was casted and hurt every time she moved it? “Lots of weight on the armpit and you’ll just have to use your hand to swing the crutch forward. Come on. You can do this.”
Her little pep talk didn’t make her feel much better, but she forced herself into motion and stood. She balanced precariously on her heel and tucked the crutches under her arms, then fumbled to loop the canvas bag’s handles over her head.
Thankfully, the door to her room was a sliding one that was easy to open.
Justus waited for her, one shoulder planted into the hallway wall and arms folded. His black leather jacket stretched tight over his broad shoulders and looked way too good. It made her self-conscious of her messy hospital hair, lack of a shower, and probably barely-there-smudges of makeup.
He stood when he saw her. “Ready?” His gaze swept down and paused on her shoe before rebounding to her eyes. His lips twitched. “I better find you a wheelchair.”
“No. No. I’ll be fine. I have to get the hang of this sometime. Might as well start now.”
She awkwardly swept the crutches forward and did her best to ignore the throbbing in her arm. The hospital bag swung out and then flopped back against her belly like lead weight on a plumb line.
Justus stepped up right in front of her and relieved her of the bag. He didn’t move back but stayed where he was, looking down into her face. “What’s your middle name?”
Her brow puckered. “Jean. Why?”
“Jean’s so normal. I figured it might be stubborn or obstinate or something like that.” He winked.
She swung her good hand to smack him, but he just laughed and ducked away. “Come on gimpy. The elevator’s at the end of the hall. We’d better get started if we want to make it home by tonight.”
“I just want to swing by Mrs. Murton’s room on the way out.”
But there was no need to search out her room, because a grey haired woman in a hospital gown was coming toward them from the other end of the hallway. She smiled and waved.
Dakota’s heart filled with love and dread all at once – just like it did each time she saw the woman. “Hi Mrs. Murton.”
“Dakota,
dear! It’s so nice to see you! Well, not here necessarily, but you know what I mean.” She smiled.
“It’s good to see you too. Are you going to be okay?”
Mrs. Murton waved away her concern. “Pastor Mark told me about the house. I couldn’t believe it.” She reached out and squeezed Dakota’s good hand where it rested on the padding of the crutch’s handle.
“Yes. Pretty crazy. But the worst that happened is my broken arm.”
“Bones do heal, I suppose. I’m very glad you weren’t hurt worse.” The truth of her words shone in the older woman’s expression.
And threatened to bring Dakota to tears. “Thank you.” How she wished the past could be different.
Mrs. Murton’s soft blue eyes angled toward Justus, and a glimmer of curiosity and interest registered. “Who’s this nice looking man, dear?” The tone of her voice said the elderly widow would be the highest bidder if Justus were on an auction block.
“Uh…” Dakota looked down and scrubbed at a mark on the floor with the tip of one crutch. That nurse must have given her a dose of some crazy drug, because she was suddenly experiencing a hot flash she felt sure could be seen on satellite from space. “This is Justus Teague. He’s in town to be in Reece and Marie’s wedding on Saturday.”
“Oh, he knows the Cahill boy?” Mrs. Murton assessed him from the top of his blond head to his black leather work boots and back. “Well, he must be alright then.” She offered Justus a smile that he returned with an offered hand.
“Nice to meet you. Mrs. Murton, is it?”
“Yes, dear.” She accepted his handshake into a two handed grip and leaned close to speak right into his face. “You take care of my Dakota, you hear? No hanky panky. She’s a good girl.”
Justus blinked. “Yes, ma’am.” He glanced over and grinned at her.
Somewhere in a scientific lab, there were meltdown-danger sirens sounding a warning because of the heat flash surging through her. Dakota wished for a fan. Or maybe just a straight-up ice bath. Her cheeks felt like they might be on fire.
And Mrs. Murton only made it worse by turning to her and pinching her chin. “I’m glad you have found someone else. Jason would be happy for you. Well…” She stepped to one side and continued down the corridor, waving to them over her shoulder. “If I ever want them to let me out of here I have to prove that I’m capable of walking this hallway without my blood pressure going through the roof. So goodbye for now. I’ll see you at the wedding, I presume.”
Song of the Surf (Pacific Shores Book 3) Page 3
