by Codi Gary
And with that helpful suggestion, she bustled her way out of the alley.
Justin stood there for a minute before picking up a handful of snow and trying to wash away Val’s blood. His hands were shaking like a son of a bitch, and he couldn’t believe how out of control he felt. Seeing Val pale and so still had gotten to him in a way driving across the desert in hostile territory never had.
Finally clean, he took off for the hotel. Without grabbing his phone, he climbed into his truck and headed for the hospital. There were bound to be signs for it, and Val would probably feel better waking up to a familiar face.
Besides, he wanted—no, needed—to be there for her.
THEY KEPT VAL awake during all the pinching, prodding, moving, and shaking, until finally they took her back to her hospital room to rest. Through it all, the very handsome Dr. Lockwood sat by her bedside, asking her questions.
“So, you have a bulldog? I have two bluetick hounds I use for hunting, Tracker and Trixie.”
Maybe it was the concussion, but Dr. Trent Lockwood’s southern drawl was like nails on a chalkboard right now. She appreciated his help and concern, but part of her wished he’d shut up and let her rest.
She’d been surprised to find a stranger with black hair and the looks of a young Elvis leaning over her. She thought she’d heard Justin’s voice when she’d woken up before, but maybe that had just been wishful thinking. Had he left town and headed back to Rock Canyon already?
It’s better if he did; what were you thinking, wanting to apologize? It just would have complicated matters more.
It didn’t matter if he thought she was a tease or a bitch. She had wanted the temptation gone, and now it was. She could go back to trying to get through this weekend and then returning to her quiet, uncomplicated life.
Too bad a small part of her was still wishing he’d stayed.
There was a knock at the door, and as if her thoughts had summoned him, Justin came through the door, looking worried.
“Hey, Val. You okay?”
Val caught Trent’s raised eyebrow. “Huh, you really are friends.”
“We’re from the same town,” Val said, unable to miss Justin’s dark look at her casual response.
“Ah, well, it was a good thing you were walking together. Otherwise, he might not have been able to get help and we wouldn’t have met.” Trent squeezed her hand and stood. “I’ll find out if they have your scans back yet.”
As Justin stepped inside and Trent left, the two men sized each other up like a couple of alpha dogs. If it didn’t feel like Bugs Bunny was hitting her over the head with a mallet every few seconds, she might have laughed.
Trent closed the door, and the silence in the room became worse than the pain.
“Justin—”
“Look—”
Both of them shut their mouths, and Val held up her hand. “I’m sorry I was harsh. I didn’t want to be a bitch, but it’s kind of my go-to for self-preservation.”
He smiled. “In that case, you’re kind of good at it.” He walked over to the side of the bed and took her hand, taking a deep breath. “It’s fine. I’m the one who should be sorry for pushing you and practically jumping you. You told me you weren’t interested, and I read something different in your reactions. That’s on me, not you.”
“It’s okay. It’s really not you. I’m too messed up to be with anyone,” she said. Still, she couldn’t help thinking that Elvis was overrated when you could have Joe Manganiello. “So, I guess you’re my hero, huh?”
“Yep. I was a real ‘hero,’” he said, releasing her hand and using air quotes.
Puzzled, she mimicked his gesture. “What’s that about?”
“Nothing,” he said quickly. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
She had the strongest desire to take his hand again, but before she could act on her stupidity, the door opened, admitting Trent and her doctor.
“Well, good news. Just a small laceration and a concussion. You just need to rest, but I’d prefer if someone was around to wake you up every hour—”
“I’ll do it,” Justin said loudly.
She turned to look at him, along with the doctor and Trent. She saw his cheeks redden and her insides warmed.
“I just meant, I’m in the hotel room next to hers, so I could knock on the wall every hour.”
“Good. Good. Well, then, if you’ll just sign these, they’ll take care of you at the front desk,” the doctor said, exiting the room and leaving the three of them alone.
Breaking the silence, Val said, “Well, I should probably get dressed. If you could just give me a few minutes, I’ll be ready to go.”
“I’ll send in a nurse to help,” Trent said, holding the door open for Justin to follow.
She was surprised when Justin took her hand and kissed the back, giving her a wink. “See you in a minute.”
She tried to ignore the tingles his kiss had caused across her skin as he dropped her hand and went to join Trent by the door. Both men left the room, glaring at each other, and she scolded herself for almost laughing. It had been a long time since she’d experienced the headiness of male attention, and she had to admit it was a nice feeling to be wanted. Grinning, Val swung her feet over the side of the bed, and the room began to spin.
Maybe she would wait for that nurse.
JUSTIN DROPPED TRENT off at the hotel next door to theirs and ignored his hint for Val to call him anytime as he gave her his card.
And she called him slick. This guy’s like oil.
As he parked in front of her hotel room, Justin took out his key and smiled. “How you feeling, champ?”
“Like someone keeps throwing baseballs at my head.”
“Well, let’s get you into bed.” He patted her thigh, got out of the car, and came over to her side.
“Somehow, I pictured you saying that to me under different circumstances,” she mumbled, so low he strained to hear her.
Grinning, he took her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist—not because she really needed the extra support but because it was an excuse to hold her close. “Me too.”
He caught the pink of her cheeks in the overhead lights of the walkway but liked to think it was him and not the cold making her blush.
He wasn’t going to give up on her, but he would give her time. Something about her past had her spooked, and he was willing to wait, to gain her trust and help her move on.
He just hoped it was him she’d be doing the moving on with.
Slipping out of his arms, she stuck her key into the lock and turned it. Facing him in the doorway, she said, “Thanks for being there today, hero.”
“I bet you say that to all the boys,” he said, cursing himself for being jealous when she was out of her head.
“Only the cute ones,” she teased.
Before he could tell her that bunnies were cute, she stood on her tiptoes, and reached up behind his neck. “Come down here.” He obliged her and received a chaste kiss on the mouth. When she pulled back sooner than he’d have liked, it was to say “Thank you” right before closing the door on him.
He stood there for a minute, before heading to his room, whistling softly. It was the first time she’d kissed him, however briefly.
It was a good start.
VAL HAD JUST finished brushing her teeth when there was a knock on the adjoining door. She started to turn her head but winced at the pain the motion caused and just made her way over instead. She opened the door, forgetting she was wearing her Bully Bulldog pajama set.
And by the grin on his face, he’d noticed the purple button-up top and pants. “Sexy.”
Sounding a lot sassier than she felt, she said, “Damn straight. What do you want?”
He stood in front of her in a pair of plaid boxers and a gray T-shirt that hugged his muscular shoulders. With his whiskey-colored eyes and half smile, if anyone in the room could be called sexy, it would be him.
“I was just going to say, leave this door unlocked in c
ase you don’t answer and I have to come check on you.”
Her snort was less than ladylike. “How do I know you won’t sneak in and seduce me in my half-conscious state?”
And just like that, he leaned over her, his eyes like warm honey. “Because when I have my way with you, you’ll be awake, you’ll be well, and you’ll be begging me for it.”
“Begging you?” she repeated, hoping he couldn’t tell how much his words had affected her. The tone of his voice was so velvety, her nipples had hardened like he’d caressed them.
He nodded, his expression solemn. “I’m afraid so.”
“If I was at full strength, I’m pretty sure you’d be the one begging me,” she said before she could stop herself. Why had she said that? Talk about mixed messages. She opened her mouth to apologize, but before she could, he stepped closer, his big body hovering over hers.
“Fuck, I’m begging now,” he replied, his voice a low growl that sent a shiver down her spine.
Raw, sexual power shot through her. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have said that.”
“I didn’t mind,” he said, lifting his hand to trail his fingertips over her cheek.
In spite of her pounding head and sore back, everything else in her body wanted to move closer to the warmth of his body. To run her hands up under his shirt, across his abs, and around back to squeeze that firm, round . . .
Good God, close the fucking door before you do something crazy.
“Well, thank you for today and . . . well, everything,” she said, stepping away from temptation. “Good night.”
“And just when things were starting to get interesting,” he groaned, but his expression was relaxed and teasing. “You’re a cruel woman.”
Against her better judgment, she said, “Not always.” Then, seeing the evidence of his arousal, she teased, “Sometimes I can be sweet.”
Before he could comment, she closed the door again. But per his request, she left it unlocked. Just in case.
Chapter Ten
* * *
VAL WOKE TO pounding on the adjoining door and groaned. Justin had been religious in his duties, waking her up every hour until finally at five she’d pleaded with him to just let her die.
She looked at the clock. 8:30 A.M. Standing up and stretching, she opened the door a crack, not wanting him to see her sleep-tangled hair.
“Morning,” she croaked, seeing part of his smile and one eye.
“Morning. I got you coffee,” he said, holding up a white travel cup.
“Thank you,” she said, pressing against the door as she stuck in her hand.
“What are you doing?” His laughter floated through the crack.
She huffed, “I don’t want you to see me.”
The warm coffee cup was placed in her outstretched hand, followed by an amused grumble: “Women.”
Pulling the cup back through, she shut the door and leaned against it, wincing when her head pressed against the wood. “Ow.”
“Too hot?” he asked from the other side.
Val took a sip and sighed at the warm mix of milk, espresso, and sweetness. “I love you.”
“What?”
“No, and I was talking to my coffee. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. We have an hour until the get-to-know-you breakfast. I was thinking I’d drive us.”
The thought of even walking to the shower seemed like a chore. “Good plan.”
“Does your head feel better?” Justin asked, and she got the distinct impression he was thinking about her teasing last night.
She smiled, despite her inner voice scolding her about leading him on. Taking another sip of her coffee, she called, “I’ll let you know after my shower.”
As she started walking toward the bathroom, she could have sworn she heard a groan.
Washing her hair gingerly in the shower, Val cursed out loud several times when she grazed the wound. They hadn’t needed to shave her hair to put in stitches, thank God, but it hurt like hell. She got out ten minutes later and decided to leave her hair down; less painful that way.
After getting dressed and putting on a little makeup, she felt almost human.
Justin knocked on the door just as she was finishing her mascara. “Coming.”
She picked up her collared, black wool coat, which was just as warm as her puffy one but didn’t have blood on it. She’d tried to get most of it off the white waterproof fabric, but the grease stains from the alley were another story.
She opened the door and stepped out with a smile. “Can you help me put this on?”
His eyes raked over her as he took the jacket, holding it out so she could shrug into it. “How was the shower?”
Remembering trying to wash her hair, she grimaced. “Painful.”
“Well, you look great.” He didn’t sound happy about it.
She paused buttoning and looked over her shoulder at him. “What’s with the tone?”
“I don’t have a tone.”
Turning around to face him, she smirked. “I heard it. It was grudging.”
“I’m just thinking about the men waiting to slobber all over you,” he said, his expression fixed into a dark scowl.
“You sound jealous,” she said, ignoring the little zing of glee.
“Damn right I am.”
THE MINUTE THEY’D walked into breakfast, Val had been surrounded by people, with Justin pushed to the perimeter of the community center.
“I see our heroine survived her ordeal.”
Justin looked down at Dorothy’s silvery bun and grimaced. “Yeah, she’s better.”
“And acquiring quite the slew of admirers, including the good doctor.”
Justin glared into the sea of faces, and sure enough, there he was, standing right next to her. Too close. And the way he was whispering in her ear was too intimate for Justin’s taste.
“There’s no use growling about it, honey. Why don’t we take a walk over there, and I’ll introduce you to a lovely dental hygienist from California?”
“Why would I want to meet another woman, let alone one from California?” he asked.
“Because then your Valerie won’t think she’s got your balls in a vice.”
The crude phrase from the sweet voice shocked the hell out of him. “She doesn’t—”
“Oh yeah, she does. She’s looked over here a half dozen times just to make sure she has your undivided attention.”
Sure enough, Val had a secret smile on her face as their eyes met.
“Shit. I hate playing games.”
Dorothy slipped her weathered hand through the crook of his elbow and tugged. “There’s a reason why people use the phrase playing for keeps.”
Justin let her drag him over to a blonde woman with perfect white teeth and stood back as Dorothy made the introductions.
“Mindy Lawson, this is Justin Silverton. Why don’t you two sit down and get acquainted? I’ve got to get ready for my big moment.”
Dorothy bustled away and Justin leaned on the back of the chair next to her. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“Not at all,” Mindy said, her eyes traveling over him.
When her gaze met his again, he read the invitation written clearly on her face, and it was for more than just conversation. He sat down anyway, and his knee bumped hers by accident as he tried to get comfortable. When she rubbed her thigh against his, he grimaced inwardly.
“So, what do you do for a living?” she asked.
“I help my dad and brother run our family farm,” he said, watching her whitened smile slip a little.
“Oh, is that lucrative?”
The song “Gold Digger” popped into his head, and he smiled. “We do okay. We’ll never be millionaires, but it’s in our blood.”
“Oh,” she said, frowning.
“Dorothy mentioned you’re a dental hygienist. How do you like that?”
“It’s okay, although I’m kind of between jobs right now,” she said, twirling a piece of blond hair aro
und her finger. “My boss and I were kind of seeing each other, but then things got complicated, so I quit.”
Justin had a feeling Mindy from California was also a homewrecker. But when his gaze flicked toward Val, whose eyes were shooting daggers at him, satisfaction spread through him. Giving her a wide grin, he turned his attention back to whatever Mindy was saying.
Maybe the little old lady is on to something.
VAL CRANED HER neck to see where Justin was sitting and tried to tamp down the spark of insecurity that had been festering ever since she’d seen him sit down next to the Barbie doll with the big teeth. Not that she was jealous or anything. She liked him; she thought he was a nice guy, but she still didn’t want a boyfriend.
Someone tapped a microphone, and Val turned away from Justin and the plastic blonde. On a small stage stood a short, round woman with her silver hair put up in a large bun. She tugged down the microphone, muttering, “Blast it, can somebody fix this thing?”
There were a few laughs from the audience as a man ran on stage and adjusted the mic. The old woman smiled, patted his hand as he left, and said, “There, that’s better. I swear, I’ve lost two inches in height since yesterday. One of the gifts of getting old, I suppose . . . reverse growth spurts.”
This time the audience laughed freely, and she smiled out at the crowd.
“Thank you for joining us. My name is Dorothy Love, if you didn’t know already, and I am so happy to welcome you to True Love. As you know, this is our one hundred and fiftieth year of matchmaking, and although the science has changed a bit, the ending is still the same. We want you to leave True Love having found your soul mate. That one person who makes you complete.”
As she looked around at the rapt attention on the faces of every other person in the room, Val almost scoffed. Did they really buy this load of crap?
“When my great-great-grandparents, Ian and Aileen, came over from Ireland, they were very much in love. They had risked everything to be together, but when they arrived, they had a hard time in New York. After seeing a flyer advertising land and the great frontier, they decided to head west to start their new life. Their wagon train settled here, and they created the original town, even built the very first hotel. And business was good. But when Ian passed away, Aileen was heartbroken. Still, she knew what they’d shared was real and rare, and as a lone woman in a new land, she went back to her roots. Her mother had worked as the local matchmaker back in Ireland, and she’d learned the trade well. Having already found her great love, she set about finding other’s theirs.
