by Becca Van
Dirk looked to be a few years younger than Walt, and he was approximately a couple of inches shorter. He also had brown hair and brown eyes. He wore his hair longer and his face was breathtakingly handsome whereas Walt was more ruggedly handsome. Jodi had the urge to run her fingers through Dirk’s hair and see if it was as soft as it looked.
Then there was Emmet, who had to be the baby of the three even if there was nothing childish about the man. His hair was brown as were his eyes, but he looked as if he had a serious personality like his older brother. He was the shortest of the three but was in no way short since he’d no doubt tower over her by a head or more. That wouldn’t be hard since she was only five-two. He was clean shaven, and though his hair was quite short, there was enough length that she’d be able to run her fingers through his strands.
When she realized she was staring, her cheeks heated even more and she quickly lowered her eyes. Taking a deep breath and trying to compose herself, she raised her gaze again. All three of the deputies were now standing in front of the display case, side by side by side, and they were all gazing at her.
“Hi, may I help you?” she asked, mentally grimacing at the breathless quality of her voice.
“Hi Jodi. How are you?” Walt asked.
“Fine, thank you.”
“You look tired.” Dirk crossed his arms over his muscular chest.
Well duh! She cleared her throat and nodded. “I am a bit.”
“Maybe you should have taken the day off to rest up,” Emmet said.
“That’s what I told her,” Talia called out.
“Hi Talia.” Walt nodded.
“Looking good, Talia,” Dirk said. “How are your men?”
“Busy. It’s calving season.”
Emmet winked at Talia and Jodi didn’t even realize she’d clenched her hands into fists until her knuckles started aching. Were the three deputies flirting with her business partner? Didn’t they know that she was already in a committed relationship?
Jodie frowned. Of course, they knew, Dirk had just asked her how her men were.
What the hell is wrong with you, girl? Surely you’re not jealous of them talking to another woman.
“Why are you frowning, Jodi?” Emmet asked. “Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m fine,” she snapped. When she realized how rude she’d just been to a potential customer, she quickly back tracked. “Sorry, it’s been a long day. Was there anything I can get you?”
“Did you go and sign the statement?” Emmet asked.
Jodi slapped her forehead and immediately regretted it when her head pounded harder. “It completely slipped my mind.” She sighed with resignation. “I’ll go after I finish up here.”
“Tomorrow’s soon enough,” Dirk stated.
“Why don’t you let me serve the deputies, Jodi?” Talia suggested. “You look dead on your feet.”
Because she wasn’t sure she’d survive another twenty minutes until they closed up, this time she agreed with a nod, hoping that her friend and the Kyson brothers didn’t see her wince with pain when her head started throbbing even more.
“Thanks.” She glanced at the men, who kind of looked frustrated, but she was too tired to stick around to figure out what their problem was. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Without looking at the three handsome men again, she hurried toward the back room and the rear exit. She didn’t feel guilty about leaving early since most of the cleaning and restocking had already been done. Tomorrow morning she’d arrive earlier than usual and have everything set up before Talia arrived at work to make amends.
As soon as she got into her old beat up car, she slumped in the seat and closed her eyes. A moan escaped her mouth when she massaged her temples, but it didn’t help ease the ache in her head and behind her eyes one bit.
Jodi had never been one of those people who got a lot of headaches, and she’d never had a migraine, but right now she wasn’t sure if the throbbing behind her skull wasn’t close to how a migraine would feel. She’d also never been this stressed before. At least not until recently.
The lack of sleep over the past few months as well as dealing with a failing business and then a new business and being scared out of her mind was all catching up with her.
She wasn’t sure how much more she could take.
When she opened her eyes she blinked a few times to try and clear her fuzzy vision, but it didn’t help at all. She had a feeling her eyesight wasn’t going to get any better until she’d taken a nap. Hopefully a bath, some pills, and a few hours of sleep and she’d feel fine again.
With an exhausted sigh, she started her car, put her seatbelt on, and backed out of the parking space. She checked to make sure the road was clear four times before she turned on it and headed for home.
Jodi was only about five minutes away from the house she was leasing when she began feeling sick to her stomach. Saliva kept pooling in her mouth, which she knew was a precursor to her throwing up. She was tempted to pull over and try her get herself together, but she didn’t have far to go. Right now, she didn’t have the energy for a bath and decided she’d take the tablets and go straight to bed.
She caught movement from the corner of her eye and gasped when she saw a small dog attempting to run across the road. Jodi reacted without thought and tugged on the steering wheel while slamming her foot on the brake.
The car swerved missing the animal by inches, and the back tire slid in the gravel off the side of the road. Because she wasn’t feeling well and her reflexes weren’t as quick as they should have been, she was a little slow turning the wheel and getting her car back on the road. Her front tires hit a rut, and even though she struggled to keep control of her vehicle, the steering wheel was wrenched from her hands and she lost all control. She cried out when the back end of the car spun around, and then she was careening down and embankment, through a wire fence, and heading straight for a tree.
Jodi grabbed at the wheel as she stomped on the brake again, but she’d reacted too late. The sound of metal hitting the thick tree trunk was loud, and she was only vaguely aware of glass shattering as she was flung forward. Pain exploded in her forehead as it connected with something hard. Blackness enveloped her, and though she tried to fight it off, she lost the fight and slumped forward as she lost consciousness.
* * * *
Walt was still frustrated that he and his brothers hadn’t had a chance to talk with Jodi when they’d visited the gourmet shop. He hadn’t known where she’d worked until Emmet had texted him on his cell phone. His younger brother had seen her through the shop window from his patrol car as he and Giff had been heading out to the patrol the eastern road leading into Slick Rock. He’d texted back telling Emmet to meet him and Dirk there on their meal break.
When he’d first walked in and seen the way she’d eyed him and his siblings over he’d thought they might get the chance to ask her out on a date, but now he wasn’t sure they’d ever be able to convince her to go out with them.
Pushing aside his eagerness to get to know her better, he frowned with concern. She’d been so fucking pale she’d looked sick, and he’d hated seeing the dark smudges under her eyes even though she’d attempted to cover them with makeup. He wanted an excuse to see her again, but unless she called the police, the only way he’d set eyes on her anytime soon was by visiting her and Talia’s shop.
He and his brothers had bought some cheeses, salami, and other gourmet products like relish and even a couple of different flavored jellies. Normally, they liked eating simple fare, but he’d try anything once if it meant he got to see Jodi again.
He pushed his thoughts aside when the dispatcher’s voice came over the radio. “Report of a single vehicle accident. Paramedics have been called. Vehicles 12 and 14 to attend accident scene.”
Dirk grasped the mic and responded while Walt turned on the lights and siren as he sped toward the car wreck. His gut churned and his muscles tautened with tension when he realized the road was the same one Jodi l
ived on. It had barely been half an hour since she’d left the shop to head home.
“You don’t think it’s Jodi, do you?” Dirk asked from the passenger seat.
Walt shrugged in answer. He wasn’t sure he could speak right now since he was so anxious. If Jodi had been involved in a crash and she was injured, or worse, dead, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his emotions hidden.
He glanced over at Dirk to see that his brother was just as trepidatious as he was. He was hanging onto the oh-shit handle, and he was clenching his jaw.
Walt’s teeth were aching from grinding them and his knuckles were aching from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.
The last thing he wanted to see was Jodi all mangled and bloody and not breathing.
Chapter Three
“Fuck!” Dirk was out of the car running toward the paddock as soon as Walt had stopped the vehicle. His heart was thundering and there was a huge knot of fear lodged in his gut. He heard Walt sprinting behind him but didn’t look back. His feet slipped on the ground as he came to abrupt halt, and he peered through the driver’s side window at Jodi. He couldn’t see her face since it was turned away from him, and she was slumped over the steering wheel. Panic tried to take hold when he didn’t see her breathing, but in the next moment he grasped the door handle to her car and tugged the door open. Knowing he could do more damage if he tried to move her, he reached in, brushed the hair away from her neck, and placed the tips of his fingers against a pulse point.
When he felt the steady beat beneath the pads of his fingers, his knees almost buckled under him with relief.
He looked up when he saw Walt on the passenger side of the vehicle, and then his brother opened the door and climbed into the seat.
“Shit. She’s got a goose sized egg on her forehead where I suspect she hit it on her steering wheel, but she’s not bleeding.”
“Thank fuck,” Dirk said.
Walt nodded. “Can you hear any sirens? Do you think the paramedics are far away?”
Just as Dirk was about to say he couldn’t hear anything, he caught the sound of a faint wail in the distance. “They’re coming. They’ll be here any moment.” Dirk hated that he couldn’t lift Jodi from the wreck and into his arms. He also knew he should be looking about to try and figure out what had happened to cause the accident, but right now all he could think about were Jodi’s injuries. He had no idea if she had internal injuries or fractures of any kind. Though her car was old and, in his opinion, should have been crushed for scrap metal years ago, he was thankful that she’d been wearing her seatbelt even if it hadn’t prevented her from hitting her head. If she hadn’t worn it, she’d likely have gone through the windscreen, hit the tree, and died. Just thinking about it had him breaking out in a sweat and his hands shaking.
In that instant, Dirk knew she was the perfect woman for him and his brothers. He’d never reacted to a woman the way he had Jodi. He’d also never been scared for an accident victim’s life. Sure, he hated attending to accidents and finding people hurt or even dead, but he’d learned to distance himself from his emotions in the Marines. If he hadn’t in all likelihood he would have gone insane long ago.
This time was different, though. He was emotionally invested in Jodi and ultra-attracted to her even if she didn’t know it. He hated seeing her unconscious and hurt, but at least their small town had a hospital with very capable medical staff. If Jodi was hurt worse than she appeared to be, he had no doubt that the doctors and nurses would fix her up as quickly as possible.
The sirens grew louder, and he raced up toward the road to inform the paramedics of the situation while they gathered their medical equipment. He’d met the Tremaine brothers a couple of times and their librarian wife, Shyann. They were good people, and he’d trust them with his and Jodi’s life.
Tane and Raiden jogged back with him to Jodi’s car. While the medics assessed her, Dirk shifted nervously from foot to foot. When the two men secured a neck collar around her throat, he cursed under his breath.
“Do you think she has whiplash?” Walt asked.
“We don’t know for sure, but since it’s a possibility, we’re taking precautions. Since she’s out cold we can’t ask her where she’s hurting. The docs will X-ray her to make sure she doesn’t have any spinal injuries or broken bones,” Raiden explained.
“Can you two lend us a hand?” Tane asked.
“What do you need?” Walt frowned.
“Since you’re on this side of the car, Dirk, can you get in the back seat? I’m going to very gently and carefully, move her away from the steering wheel and lower the back of her seat down,” Raiden said. “Tane and I need to get the back board under her and strapped in so we don’t hurt her further. I want you to hold her head still after controlling the pace the back of the seat lowers. If she wakes up and tries to sit up or even nod, she could compound any possible injuries further.”
“Sure.” Dirk climbed into the back seat of the car. He was a big man and the space was cramped, but it would have been more difficult for Walt to maneuver around since his brother was bigger. He watched the paramedics with eagle-eyed intent as they very gently moved Jodi away from the steering wheel and dashboard. She moaned but didn’t try to move by herself.
Dirk clamped his jaw down, and when Raiden met his gaze and gave him a nod, he gripped the sides of the driver’s seat so it didn’t drop down hard and fast like the older model cars usually did. He eased the back of the seat down until it was resting over his legs, then he placed his hands on either side of Jodi’s head to keep her from moving. Raiden had his hand under the back of her neck under the collar to support her head and keep her immobile, too.
“Let me check her blood pressure and heart before we start moving her any more,” Tane said.
Walt was standing outside the car and Tane had taken his brother’s place in the front seat. He did a quick assessment, nodded at Raiden, then got out of the car and grabbed the spinal board. Between the two paramedics and Dirk, they managed to maneuver the board into place beneath Jodi.
“Walt, can you come around here and help me lift her out?” Raiden asked. “Tane will need to be in the car, and since your brother is stuck for the moment I’m going to need an extra pair of hands.”
“Sure.” Walt raced around the vehicle and a few minutes later Jodi was out of the wreck and being placed onto the portable gurney.
The two medics lifted the stretcher and headed toward the ambulance.
“Can you let us know how she is?” Walt called out.
“Sure, I’ll call you after the docs have seen her,” Tane answered loudly.
Just as they’d loaded Jodi into the ambulance, closed the doors and headed back to town, Emmet and Giff arrived on scene.
Dirk wondered what had kept his brother and the other deputy from getting here sooner. If they’d responded to the call out from dispatch, he hadn’t heard it since he been so intent on getting to Jodi and helping her.
“Fuck! Isn’t that Jodi’s car?” Emmet snapped out.
“Yeah.” Walt rubbed a hand over his face. “We need to try and figure out what happened since there were no other vehicles involved. At least we don’t think there were.”
“Walk along the road and see if you can find any skid marks or any other signs,” Dirk said. He and Walt were currently walking around Jodi’s vehicle to trying to figure out if there’d been a mechanical malfunction. He gazed at each tire. The rear ones looked fine with plenty of tread and the right amount of air. Moving back to the front of the car he studied the other two tires. They were skewed as if the axel was broken, but that wasn’t a surprise because of the crash. They were still full of air and had a legal amount of rubber on them. The tread was fine.
He and Walt met at the back of the car and as they followed the path the car had taken when it had skidded off the road, they kept their heads down and their eyes on the ground.
“Anything?” Dirk asked Emmet and Giff when they met them up on the road.
“No.” Emmet rubbed his chin. “There’s a lot of rubber on the road but from only one vehicle. It doesn’t look as if anyone else was involved and then took off. It appears as if she slammed the brakes on and turned the wheel at the same time as if she was trying to avoid hitting something.”
Dirk nodded as he assessed the scene since he’d come to the same conclusion. Whatever she’d tried to miss hitting was long gone. The only way he and his brothers were going to find out was from the source’s mouth. At least that gave him and Walt a reason to visit her in the hospital to find out how she was doing while questioning her about the accident.
The tow truck Emmet had organized arrived a few minutes later. Dirk didn’t even know if Jodi had vehicle insurance or if she could afford to cover the costs to have her car removed from the scene, but if she didn’t, he and his brothers would gladly cover the bill for her.
He sighed as he thought over that scenario. Would she baulk if he told her that they’d paid to have her car towed?
Since she didn’t know them well, she’d probably be pissed or upset that they were trying to take control of her life. That wasn’t the message he wanted to send to her. While he hated taking a step back when he wanted to run full steam ahead, he knew it was a necessity if he and his siblings were going to have any chance at winning Jodi over.
* * * *
Jodi sighed as she stared at the ceiling and tried to remember what the hell had happened. When her sight waivered and her stomach roiled, she quickly closed her eyes again. She’d woken up in the hospital with doctors and nurses poking and prodding at her. They’d even cut her clothes off to examine her while she’d been unconscious and make sure she hadn’t had any signs of internal injuries.
