“Why do I need to go?” There was something about Jasper’s disposition that didn’t seem right. He wasn’t looking at her when he spoke. He wasn’t looking at any of them.
“My mom’s been asking about you.” Jasper shrugged. “I just thought I’d kill two birds with one stone.”
“Fine,” Addie said. She followed behind Harper, who also wasn’t looking at her.
“I remember two years ago we must’ve played bridge with your parents all night,” Harper said. “Do you remember that night? Upstairs in one of the extra bedrooms. I think it was New Year’s Eve.”
“I do seem to remember that,” Jasper replied. “Wasn’t that the year my dad got mad that we won and threw his cards all over the table?”
“Yes!” Harper giggled. “He was so angry he stormed off and your mom made him come back in and apologize to us.”
“That’s right! My father never apologizes.”
“He must really like me.”
“I’m fairly certain that if he ever needed a lawyer, he’d hire you. And I’m willing to bet that they’re playing bridge up here right now.”
Harper squeezed his arm and said, “I really miss those days, Jas.”
Jasper cleared his throat and pushed open one of the doors on the right-hand side of the hallway, and a roar of conversation came tumbling out. He entered the room where Artemis and Jack Floyd sat with two other couples. “I’m going to have to go down and check on one of our calves,” he said. “I’ll be back in about an hour or so.”
“How long have you ladies been here?” Artemis didn’t look up from the cards in her hands. “I’ve been so involved in this darn game I’ve forgotten to be a decent host.”
“Not too long,” Addie replied. “Just long enough for Jasper to leave.”
“He’s not a very good host, is he?” Artemis asked with a wink.
“I’m not the host!” Jasper threw his hands in the air. “You are the host!”
“You’re right, son.” Artemis stood up. “I’ve got to get. I’m sure there are a million things I’ve forgotten to do tonight.”
“You can’t leave me here, Art!” Jack yelled at his wife. “We’re not done here, woman!”
Artemis waved at him from the doorway. “You’re an educated man! Figure it out.”
Jack grumbled and wheeled his chair around to face Jasper, Harper, and Addie. “She acts like I can just slide down the banister and dance around all night.”
“Can’t you?” Jasper replied.
“Sure. Just give me your legs.”
“Oh, Jack,” Harper said, leaning down to give him a hug. “Who needs legs when you’ve got such a charming personality?”
“You’re a liar, but a pretty one, so I’ll let it pass.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, I don’t suppose you’d do an old man a favor and be his bridge partner, would you?” Jack asked. “I can’t beat these two knuckleheads all by myself.”
“Oh, I don’t know a thing about bridge.”
“I can teach you.”
Addie glanced around the room. Jasper was gone. “You know, I should probably go back. Wanda is downstairs alone with Warren and Neil. There’s no telling how much she’s had to drink already.”
“That girl could drink most sailors under the table,” Jack replied. “Don’t tell her I said this, but I respect that in a woman.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
“Well, I guess I could play a few hands with you until Artemis gets back,” Harper interrupted. She sat down in Artemis’s chair.
“I’ll teach you everything I know,” Jack said. He shifted his attention to Addie. “Go on, get out of here. We don’t need any distractions.”
“Yes, sir.” As she turned around to shut the door behind her, she caught Jack’s eye. He gave her a little wave, and just before the door clicked shut she could have sworn she saw him wink.
From the top of the stairs, Addie saw Jasper at the front door. He didn’t see her, and she knew he wasn’t going to check on any calf. She knew there had to be a reason he left so quietly. It had to have something to do with that phone call he hadn’t wanted to discuss.
“Addie!” Wanda stood at the bottom of the stairs. “Come on down here, honey. Let’s get another drink. The party’s really starting to pick up.”
“I’m coming. Give me just a few minutes. I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”
“Didn’t you go once already?”
“I never actually made it there.”
“Well, hurry up,” Wanda called over her shoulder. “I’m tired of listening to Warren and Neil arguing over eighties hair bands.”
Addie considered following Wanda back into the party. Instead she opened the front door and walked out onto the porch. There were two men standing on the steps, smoking cigars. “Did either of you see where Jasper Floyd went?”
One of the men clenched the cigar between his teeth and said, “Saw him head out in his Bronco a few minutes ago. Looked like he was headed to town.”
“Thanks.”
She parked at the bottom of the driveway and tried to call Jasper. There was no answer. The rain was coming down so fast and so hard she struggled to see. She wasn’t even sure where she was going. She fumbled through her purse when her phone began to ring, but before she could answer, the phone slipped through her hands and landed on the floorboard of the passenger’s seat. She grabbed at it and looked back up to the road.
Addie saw the deer standing in the middle of the road, but it was too late. She didn’t have time to honk. She didn’t have time to swerve. She clipped the animal with the front driver’s side and her car spun around in the muddy gravel.
Addie tasted blood, and within seconds it was over. When she came to, she was sitting halfway in between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. She was covered in glass and blood, and she touched her nose and winced. Her phone was still ringing and was still in her hand.
“Hello?”
“Addie?” Jasper’s voice sounded far away. “Addie, are you there?”
“I hit a deer.”
“You what?”
Addie winced again. Every time she spoke it was as if a thousand needles were poking at her brain. “I’m fine.”
“Where are you?” Jasper’s voice was becoming more and more panicked.
Addie hung up the phone and slid herself over into the driver’s seat. Pushing the door open with her foot, she slid out into the rain. One of the headlights remained intact and was shining out onto the road. The deer was nowhere to be found. Addie wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do—try to drive the car back to the farm or call the police. Did the police even come out this far for an accident? This wasn’t a problem she’d ever encountered in Chicago, as rogue deer very rarely plagued the busy, pedestrian-lined streets of the city.
She wondered if Jonah felt any pain before he died. It was something she’d wondered over and over throughout the years, even though practically everyone told her that his death was immediate. There hadn’t been time for him to feel anything. It had been the only thing that brought her comfort in those first weeks. Her mind wandered back to Jasper before she could stop it. Had she called him? Had he answered? She couldn’t remember. Where had she been going, anyway?
Addie got back inside the car, her only shelter from the downpour, got the car to start after a few tries, and drove back toward the farm. The cigar-smoking men were nowhere to be found when she stumbled up the steps of the house. She wandered into the main room where she’d left her friends. It was then that she realized just how she must look. There were hundreds of eyes staring at her. She clutched the entryway for support.
A woman she didn’t know rushed up to her and said, “Lord, child, what happened to you?”
“I hit a deer.” Every word was painful.
The woman helped Addie over to a chair and eased her into the seat. She handed her a cocktail napkin to blot her nose. Addie tried to take the napkin from her, but the
woman was dangling three of them in front of her, and she couldn’t get a firm grasp on any of them.
Jasper’s hands were on her shoulders and he was talking to her. “Addie? Addie? Are you okay? What happened?”
“I hit a deer. I want to sit down.”
“You are sitting down.” He turned to the woman in gray and said, “Clementine, go get Dr. Iverson.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re covered in blood.”
“My head hurts.”
“Come on.” Jasper took her by the hand and helped her up. He led her back into the room with the white chaise. “Sit down and lay your head back. Try not to talk.”
All around her there were voices. Try as she might, she couldn’t make herself open her eyes. “I feel so stupid,” Addie said. “I didn’t even see the deer until it was too late.”
Jasper put his hand gently behind Addie’s head and replied, “Believe it or not, people hit deer all the time around here.”
“Do you think I killed it? I looked for it, but I didn’t see it anywhere.”
“Probably not,” Jasper said.
“Good.”
Jasper stood up when Artemis came into the room followed by a man carrying a 1950s-style doctor’s bag. He kneeled down in front of Addie. “What happened here?”
“I hit a deer,” Addie mumbled. “I’m fine.”
“My name is Dr. Iverson. Can you open your eyes for me?”
Addie’s eyes fluttered open, and the doctor shone a light into each one. He blotted at the blood on her face and nose, listened to her heart, and asked her questions about the wreck.
“I don’t think she needs to go to the hospital,” he said. “I’m not worried about broken bones or any internal bleeding, but she may have a slight concussion. Her nose isn’t broken. She may have a couple of black eyes in the morning, though. She has some cuts, and she will be banged up.”
“I think she should stay here tonight, Mom.” Jasper turned to his mother. “I don’t want her spending the night alone.”
“I think that’s a good idea, Artemis,” the doctor broke in. “She probably doesn’t need to be by herself.”
“Of course,” Artemis agreed. “Of course.”
“I can’t leave Felix for a whole night.”
“I bet Wanda will go check on him.” Jasper nodded toward Wanda, who was standing in the doorway. “Won’t you, Wanda?”
“Sure thing,” Wanda said.
Jasper ushered everyone out of the room, stopping for a moment to shake the doctor’s hand. They were alone in the room. “What in the hell were you thinking? Following me? Don’t you think if I wanted you to go with me that I would have asked? You could have gotten yourself killed.”
“Who says I was following you?”
“C’mon, Addie. I’m not stupid. Besides, Bill and Ed said you asked where I was headed.”
“Just like I’m not stupid enough to believe you were going to check on a bull.”
“It was a calf.”
“Same thing.”
“Not really.”
“The last thing I need is a lecture from you about honesty.” Addie tried to stand up, but the room began to spin. She fell back onto the chaise in a heap.
Jasper sat down next to her. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her face. “I’ve never seen a person so wet and bloody.”
“I’ve never seen a person younger than ninety years old carry a handkerchief.”
“Just let me take care of you.”
“I’m mad at you.”
“Oh, really?”
Addie stood again, holding herself up with the back of the chaise. “Yes. Don’t think you can come in here and take advantage of me because I’ve got brain damage.”
A smile threatened the corners of Jasper’s mouth. “I don’t think you have any brain damage, Addie.”
“You know what I mean.” She pointed a wobbly finger at him. “You can’t boss me around. You think just because you’re gorgeous with those long eyelashes and those perfect teeth and all that you’ve got . . . underneath your shirt . . . you aren’t foolin’ me, mister.” She didn’t know why she was saying these things. It wasn’t what she wanted to say at all. But she didn’t seem to have any control over her mouth anymore.
“Do you think you can walk back to my place?” Jasper asked. He tried not to flash his perfect teeth at her as he laughed. “You need to rest where someone can keep an eye on that concussion you’ve obviously got.”
“I’m not leaving Felix.”
“He’ll be fine for one night.”
“Will you take me home first thing in the morning?”
“First thing.”
“Fine.”
Jasper tucked a loose piece of blood-covered hair behind her ear. “Come on, I’ll help you.”
Addie took his hand and shuffled toward the door. There were still several people waiting in the hallway. One of them was Harper. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, eyeing the two of them as they came out of the room.
“I don’t like her.” Addie pointed to Harper.
“She doesn’t know what she’s saying,” Jasper said. He pushed Addie’s hand back down to her side. “She has a concussion.”
“Well, I don’t have a concussion, and I don’t like her none, either,” Wanda said, just loud enough for everyone to hear. She took Addie’s free hand. “Let me help y’all.”
Jasper stopped at the porch of the carriage house and said, “I can take it from here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
“I want to take a nap,” Addie said once they were inside.
“Nope,” Jasper replied. “No way.”
“Just a quick one.”
“No.” Jasper led her into the bathroom. “You are covered in blood and dirt. We need to clean you up.” He sat her down on the edge of the tub.
“Are you going to give me a bath?”
Jasper’s cheeks reddened. “No, I’ll just wet a washcloth.”
Addie kicked off her sandals. “I want to take a bath.”
“I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Fine!” She squirmed until her dress was up to her thighs and yanked it off. It hurt to lift her arms above her head. There was no way that dress was going back on tonight. “Turn on the water.”
Jasper did as he was told. “I’ll just turn around, how about that?”
“You’ve seen me naked before. I look the same.”
“This is different.”
Addie tried to roll her eyes, but the pressure in her head was too intense. She sank back and let the water rush over her. Everything was fuzzy. She looked down at her bare legs as the water cascaded down over fresh bruises. Did her face look like that, too?
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the whirring of the water hitting the porcelain tub. Addie stared at Jasper’s back, watched the slow, rhythmic motion of his breathing. She wondered what he was thinking about.
“Jasper?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you in love with Harper?”
“What? Why would you ask me that?”
“Are you?”
“No.”
“Turn around so I can see your face.”
“Addie, listen to me.” Jasper turned around. “I am not in love with Harper. I have never been in love with Harper. I am never going to be in love with Harper.”
“Then why won’t you talk to me? Why are you keeping secrets from me?” Addie demanded.
Jasper turned back around. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said. “I don’t want to be another reason for you to blame yourself.”
“Blame myself for what?”
“For anything,” Jasper replied.
Addie traced one of the bruises on her leg with her finger and said, “I need some soap or something.”
“It’s behind you.”
“No it’s not.”
Jasper grabbed the bottle of bodywash. �
��See? It’s right here.”
Addie knew she ought to be embarrassed about him seeing her in such a state. Each steam-filled breath cleared her head just a little bit more. But Jasper wasn’t turning back around and she didn’t want him to.
She handed him the washcloth and said, “Could you help me?”
Jasper didn’t say anything as he wet her skin with the washcloth from her neck down into the small of her back. He moved around to her stomach and worked his way up to the space between her breasts. Addie couldn’t help but allow a pleased sigh escape her lips when the washcloth grazed her nipples. Jasper was on his knees beside the bathtub, and abandoning the buffer, used his bare hands to explore her body.
Finally, Jasper slipped his hand into hers and helped her stand. She allowed him to admire her, relished in the delight of his eyes on her. She wasn’t afraid of her steamy nakedness, of the slick feel of her skin. Addie pulled him into her, cringing only once when his belt buckle pierced a bruise.
“I’ll be gentle,” he murmured into her ear. His voice was thick and hoarse with desire.
Jasper cupped one hand behind her head, resting his forearm on the tiled wall of the shower. He used the other to curl one of her legs around his waist and thrust slowly inside of her. He was deliberate, controlled. Addie could see it in his eyes that he was holding back, afraid that he would hurt her.
She didn’t care if it hurt. She wanted him.
Addie buried her face into his chest and bit down. Jasper’s pace quickened. Arching her back, she allowed him to pick her up by her ass, settling her other leg around his waist. He ground himself into her until they were both collapsed in a heap at the bottom of the bathtub.
CHAPTER 41
ADDIE WOKE UP TO LITTLE WET SPONGES TOUCHING HER SKIN. She opened her eyes to find seven puppy tongues licking her bare arms. At the foot of the bed, Delilah was looking on.
“You guys are getting so big!” Addie exclaimed, pulling herself to a sitting position. Pain shot through her entire body. Every muscle hurt.
“I thought I heard you awake in here,” Jasper said. He appeared in the bedroom doorway.
“It’s hard to stay asleep when you’ve got puppies all over you,” Addie said with a grin. “But I’m not complaining.”
Sit! Stay! Speak! Page 25
