Rocky Mountain Soul

by Dawson, Kay P.

  Jack was standing just outside the opening of the curtain by now, but he had to lift his head from his paperwork to defend the other driver.

  “Jennifer, from what we saw when we arrived on the scene, and from what was filled out in the police report, I would suggest you get your dad’s lawyers to protect yourself from a lawsuit. You were the one who had the stop sign at that intersection, so no matter how much you try to put it on the other guy, it was you who caused the accident.”

  Jennifer’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Hmmph. Well, he was still going too fast.”

  Whipping her head back to face Erin, she howled loudly. “Ouch, Erin, stop. What are you doing?” Her hand flew up to her arm that still had the cuff wrapped around it.

  “Sorry, but your reading was a bit high last time. So I need to get another one. If you could just sit quietly and try to relax, I’m sure it won’t take long at all.”

  Jennifer faced the other nurse. “Can I get a different nurse? I have my doubts this one even has her certification.”

  The charge nurse smiled kindly at Jennifer. “Actually, Erin is one of the best qualified nurses we have working here now, so you’re in good hands.”

  Jack knew the nurse, and grinned widely at her as she spun to leave. He couldn’t hold his laughter back when she stopped to turn back to Jennifer.

  “Oh, and I’ll message the doctor to get you a shot of Demerol before he gets here for your pain. I’m sure Erin would be entirely qualified to give that shot, which unfortunately will have to be in your backside.”

  The look on Jennifer’s face left him feeling entirely too happy.

  * * *

  As soon as she’d realized it was Jennifer Olson with her arms wrapped around Jack, Erin had known what was really going on behind that curtain.

  And truthfully, as she had more time to think about it, she realized she wouldn’t have believed anything else anyway. Jack may have been immature and not ready to grow up when they’d been together before, but one thing he’d never been was unfaithful.

  Erin didn’t believe Jack was the type of man who would ever do that.

  Something about that thought made her heart do a double beat. She realized that somewhere along the way, she’d grown to trust Jack with her heart, regardless of what had happened when they were just kids.

  “Erin, you haven’t eaten a bite of your sandwich. I bought a big tub of peanut butter just for when you come to visit, and you know I can’t stand the stuff, so you better not be letting it go to waste.”

  She smiled at her grandma across the table. She’d come to visit her and have lunch to make sure she was getting settled in all right.

  “Sorry, Grandma, just thinking. You know I’ll eat it, so don’t worry.” Everyone always gave her a hard time about how much she loved peanut butter.

  “Thinking about Jack?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Don’t beat around the bush, Grandma.”

  Her grandma just shrugged. “Well, I may be old, but I do remember what it’s like to be in love.”

  Oh great, now she was going to have a lecture from her grandmother on relationships. She took a big bite of her sandwich so she could give herself time to prepare what to say when she started asking her questions.

  “Erin, if you love that boy, you need to just let him know. Stop holding on to the past.”

  If she didn’t know better, she’d be sure Jack had been coaching her grandma on what to say.

  Swallowing the large bite in her mouth, she reached out to take a sip of water.

  “I’m aware of what I need to do, Grandma. But sometimes things just aren’t that simple.”

  Her grandma gave a whoop of laughter so loud it made Erin jump.

  “Dear, there really isn’t anything more simple. If you love someone, you grab on to them and you work with them to build a life together. Nothing in life is guaranteed, ever. You have two choices. You can either wander around your whole life looking for that perfect partner who you can believe without a doubt will never do you wrong. Or you can come back to reality and realize that person doesn’t exist.”

  Erin nodded reluctantly.

  “Everyone makes mistakes. But as long as they’re prepared to work at it, and not make those same mistakes, well then, that’s what counts. And that young man has been in love with you for so long, I honestly don’t think he has it in him to do anything to hurt you ever again.”

  Erin held her sandwich to her mouth, unable to take the next bite as she listened to her grandma.

  “Have you ever considered opening up an advice column for the newspaper?” She sometimes forgot just how wise her grandma could be.

  Slapping her knee, her grandma laughed loudly. “Oh, can you imagine? Just think of the wisdom I could share.”

  Shaking her head as she smiled at her, Erin grabbed another sip of water.

  “Well, Grandma, you’ll be happy to know I’ve had some time to think, and come to the same conclusion about Jack on my own. But I’m afraid things have been a bit tense between us for the past few days. I might have hurt him by not believing he was ready to be committed to our relationship.”

  “Now, Erin, what did you do?” her grandma’s voice didn’t sound impressed.

  “The other day at the dog park, he brought up the idea of marriage, knowing how I feel about living with someone before being married.”

  Her grandma nodded proudly.

  “I guess he didn’t think I was as excited about the idea as he’d hoped.”

  Her grandma put her head down onto her hand. “Erin Fowler, what will I do with you?” Lifting it quickly, like she’d been burned by a hot iron, she shook her head. Her grandma always did have a bit of a flair for drama.

  “Nothing—I didn’t say no. I just said maybe it was too soon with everything that had happened…”

  Her grandma groaned. “In the past.”

  She swallowed and realized exactly how bad it sounded to her own ears when she heard her grandma say it. She hadn’t been fair to Jack.

  He’d proven time and time again he could be trusted—years ago—and now since she’d been back. She was still punishing him for mistakes he’d made as a kid.

  “Erin, I’m your grandma, and I love you more than the world. But sometimes, I could just swat you.” Erin smiled at her grandma’s lame attempt at being angry with her.

  “I know, Grandma. Sometimes I could swat myself.” She grinned at her grandmother across the table as she mimicked the tough sounding word she’d used.

  “It’s never too fast to marry someone you love. Not if it’s right. So you better hope you haven’t pushed that poor boy away completely. You’ll never find another man who loves you as much as he does.”

  The seriousness of her grandma’s words made her heart drop.

  What if she had pushed Jack away completely?

  The only time they’d seen each other since he dropped her off from the park was yesterday at the hospital. And they hadn’t had any time to really talk.

  She realized now, she hadn’t even had a text from him today or anything.

  And tomorrow was Bri’s wedding. Was she still supposed to be going with him?

  She swallowed hard, not sure if the dryness she felt in her throat was from the extra thick peanut butter, or the realization she might have messed up the best thing she could have ever dreamed of having in her life.

  Nineteen

  He wasn’t sure why he was feeling like a teenage boy picking his girl up for their first date. But as he pulled up at Erin’s, he started to feel like his new suit was too tight, and the heater in his truck had started pumping out extra hot air.

  He was being ridiculous.

  But since that day in the park, things had been strained between them. And he wasn’t even sure what Erin wanted anymore. Which made what he had planned even more nerve-racking. He was going to take his sisters advice and try to prove to Erin how serious he was about them, and hopefully figure out how to sweep her off her fee
t.

  He could use Tank to knock her down if he had to. If nothing else, she loved that dog.

  The wedding was in a couple hours, but he was meeting with Bri and the family at the B&B for some pre-wedding family pictures. Anthony was forbidden to come anywhere near the place until closer to the time. Bri was traditional, and didn’t want the groom to see the bride before the wedding, so Jack was in charge of going to pick him up when he was finally allowed to come.

  Jack had picked up a bunch of daisies with one red rose to give Erin before they left. Now he was standing at her front door nervously waiting for her to answer the doorbell. His heart was pounding, and he was sure if he had a mirror, he’d even be blushing.

  Pull yourself together, Jack! He couldn’t help saying the words in his head.

  The door swung open and he couldn’t even move. He knew he was standing there looking foolish as Erin wrinkled her brows together waiting for him to say something.

  “Hi, Jack. I’m almost ready. Why are you ringing the doorbell? I don’t think I ever remember you doing that.”

  He swallowed against his dry throat, and stepped inside. She was wearing a sleeveless pale blue dress, with lace around the collar. It flowed down just below her knees, and she had a strappy pair of heels on. Her blonde hair was up with pins and tiny flowers placed in the curls that dangled down around her face.

  He held his hand out with the flowers, his heart warming at the smile she gave him.

  “Aw, Jack. They’re beautiful. You didn’t need to get me flowers.”

  She turned to go to the kitchen to put them in a vase, and he realized he was still standing there without having said a word.

  Way to sweep her off her feet, Jack.

  * * *

  “Come on over here and get in the pictures, Erin.”

  Jack’s mom was waving her hand insistently to get her attention. Did no one else see how big of a deal it was for her to be in those pictures? What if things didn’t work out with her and Jack? After all, he’d been acting strangely since he picked her up earlier.

  “That’s okay, Mrs. Roberts. They’re family pictures.” She was feeling incredibly awkward as they all looked at her.

  Bri was beautiful today, with a simple dress, made by her mom, which emphasized every curve. It had wide lace straps, with the back completely covered in the same lace pattern. The top half was tight, but the skirt flowed down gently, with a small train at the back.

  Emma and Bekah were gorgeous too, in pale yellow dresses with spaghetti straps and long skirts. Mrs. Roberts had also made their bridesmaid dresses, after not being able to find the exact dress Bri had in mind when they’d gone shopping.

  The bride smiled at Erin and waved her hand, telling her to come over. “Come on, Erin, you’ve always been a part of the family anyway.”

  The rest of them nodded in agreement. Her eyes met Jack’s, but he wasn’t saying anything, just watching her intently. He shrugged slightly, and raised an eyebrow in question. If she didn’t know better, she’d almost think he was daring her to do it, sure she’d be too afraid to.

  Did she want to commit herself to this family photo?

  Erin suddenly realized she had no doubt. She was ready. The thought struck her like a bolt of lightning as she stood up to join the family.

  Her heart soared at the smile that spread across Jack’s face as she walked toward them. He knew how big a deal this was for her.

  He put his hand out and led her into a spot just in front of him, and her whole body warmed as she felt his hand rest possessively on her shoulder.

  The pictures were taken, and then everyone started to spread out, the wedding party heading into the B&B to stay out of sight of the guests until the ceremony started. The rest of the family milled around over by the gazebo where the chairs were set out.

  Jack took her hand as she started to follow the rest of the family toward the door of the B&B. Pulling gently, he turned her to face him. “I’ve been wanting to let you know how beautiful you look today. Well, every day, but today especially.” That lopsided smile tugged at her heart.

  Her hand automatically went up to cover the scar, something she’d noticed herself doing lately, and she quickly brought it back down before he noticed. But he’d already seen it and was shaking his head slightly as he frowned at her.

  “Erin, stop trying to cover it up. It isn’t a big deal, and honestly, I think it makes you even more gorgeous.”

  She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, now I know you’re full of it.”

  He just shrugged and brought his hand up to gently rub his thumb along the rough skin. “Well, to me it’s a reminder of when you came crashing back into my life.”

  She tried to keep herself from laughing again, knowing he was trying to be sweet. But then he started to smile too, so they both ended up laughing.

  It made her happy to be able to get this easiness and laughter back with him. The past couple of days had been so strained, she’d worried about where things were headed.

  But at this moment, she felt like everything was somehow going to work out.

  She was determined to do whatever it took to make sure of that.

  “I was glad you decided to have the pictures taken with us. I know how you are, so I’m sure you weighed every possible scenario in your mind before making that decision.”

  He was grinning at her, making little circles on her hand as he held it.

  “I did not do that. I may have given it a little thought, but it felt like the right thing to do, so I didn’t need to run every scenario through my mind.”

  “Well, I’m just glad you did. I guess you’re a part of the family now, whether you like it or not.”

  She knew he was trying to make light of the comment, but something in his eyes was asking her something far more serious.

  Smiling, she nodded up at him as she gave his hand a squeeze. “I do like it.”

  Hopefully, he’d see now how serious she was. And that what happened that day in the park had opened her eyes. She was ready to move beyond the fear of the past, and let it go. Now she wanted to focus on their future.

  She hoped he’d still be willing to do that with her.

  Twenty

  The ceremony had been perfect, completely organized by Bri right down to the smallest detail. His sister had been radiant. When he’d seen the love on Anthony’s face as he’d first glimpsed his new bride, Jack had known without a doubt this man was the perfect match for his sister.

  Not that he’d ever been too worried. Anthony had proven to be a perfect fit for his straight-laced sister, and was someone Jack would have no problem calling “brother.”

  Jack’s eyes had spent most of the ceremony watching the blonde sitting beside his parents. He couldn’t help imagining that it was him standing where Anthony was, waiting to see her walking toward him.

  He wasn’t sure when he’d become such a softie, or so ready to settle down, but he had a good idea it was when he’d seen Erin lying in that mangled Jeep. Since then, his whole world had been turned upside down again.

  And when she’d agreed to come in for the family pictures, his heart had clenched with happiness. Even though things had been a bit rocky since the day he’d brought up marriage in the park, somehow seeing her come and stand beside him for that picture told him everything he needed to know.

  He looked around, and saw her sitting at a table with Emma and Bekah near the edge of the tent. The wedding hadn’t been big, with just the Roberts family, Anthony’s father, and a few close family friends. So the whole thing had taken place on the B&B grounds, with tents and a gazebo set up, decorated perfectly.

  Erin lifted her head and caught his eyes. She gave a tired smile and lifted her hand to wave. He hoped she could hold in there just a bit longer.

  Walking over, he sat down beside her, putting his arm around the back of her chair.

  “Were you ladies talking about me?” He laughed when his sister raised her eyebrow in disbelief.
<
br />   “Do you honestly think we don’t have anything more exciting to talk about than you?”

  He shrugged. “I’m sure Erin does, but I’m not so sure you do.”

  Emma crinkled her face up and stuck her tongue out.

  Turning to look at Erin, he noticed the smile she wore. He would never get tired of seeing it, or enjoying everything about her.

  “If you’re getting tired, just let me know. I have to do a few more things around here before the boss lady will let me go, but I’m sure I could sneak out a little early if you need me to.”

  He didn’t want to tell her the truth about what he was doing. She’d find that out soon enough.

  Leaning over, he kissed her, laughing when he pulled back and saw the disgusted look on Emma’s face.

  “Seriously, Jackson, do you always need to be all over her?”

  “Now, Emma, don’t worry. Someday you will find someone to put up with your cantankerous personality too, and I’ll remind you of your disgust at public displays of affection.”

  Standing up, he chuckled to himself as Erin laughed, and Emma huffed with indignation.

  He tried to ignore the stirring of worry in his gut as he went outside the tent and back to the gazebo where the ceremony had happened. Was he doing the right thing? Maybe he should just go back inside and enjoy the rest of the evening with Erin.

  Hearing a noise at the side of the gazebo, he walked out to see if it was the person he was waiting for. He hoped she wouldn’t be late.

  “Oh, Jack, I’m so happy to see you,” the words sounded slurred as Jennifer walked out from behind one of the trees on the edge of the property bordering her father’s hotel. “I was hoping you’d come outside by yourself.”

  She came over to him with a bottle of wine in one hand and her sandals dangling from her other.

  “I was hurt Bri didn’t invite me to her wedding. We go back a long way.”