by Dana Pratola
Josiah pushed him back again and Ben looked down at me.
“Brenna, hey. I was looking for you.”
I almost laughed. “Uh … thanks.”
Josiah and Jill spoke a minute as Ben swung his body around to look out the window. “It’s pouring.”
Yeah, I didn’t need reminding.
When he tried to open his window, Josiah rapped his knuckles against Ben’s chest and gave him his phone. “Don’t open that.”
“Brenna’s here.”
“Yeah, I know,” Josiah said, pulling onto the road.
“You got her back.”
Josiah nodded. I didn’t understand what Ben meant by that remark. Like payback for something, or back in his possession? I just wanted to be elated that I was here with him, but I couldn’t help feeling nervous, suspicious. I shouldn’t have felt that way, considering how he searched for me until he found me practically buried in mud. He rescued me. No, I was not going to entertain thoughts of some deeper plot to avenge some perceived wrongdoing against him. I shuddered in denial.
“You’ll be warm soon,” Josiah said, lifting his arm over me, rubbing heat through the thin blanket into my arm.
The heat didn’t stop there. In spite of the cold clamminess of my skin, warmth spread through my limbs, settling in my stomach. The memory of our kiss popped into my mind and I closed my eyes tight, more to keep it in than reject it. I couldn’t deny it happened. Wouldn’t want to. I’d felt it deep to my core, altering something inside me forever. Suddenly I wanted to cry, and caught my breath.
Josiah rubbed my arm, glancing at me every so often as he drove. I felt the energy coming off him in waves. He was tense, nervous, and I believed genuinely concerned. I didn’t know what had transpired in the last hours to cast this suspicion and unhappiness over us. I meant to find out at the first opportunity.
“I’m hungry,” Ben said, then rested his head on the window.
We all stayed silent until we arrived at the ranch, when Ben sat upright to again announce he was hungry. When we pulled up to the front of Josiah’s house, the knots in my stomach went from bad to worse. By now, word of my connection to Brewster would have spread to all the workers and Sandy would surely have spread her venom. I’d have to expect more disdain and abuse.
Josiah got out and walked around the truck. I would have been content to stay there, but Ben had been unintentionally supporting my leg with his, keeping my ankle from throbbing, and once he got out, I had no more brace, and winced.
“You’re hurt,” Josiah said, his eyes scrutinizing my face.
I was warmed up enough that I spoke without chattering. “My ankle. Twisted it when I flew off my bike.”
“How’d that happen?” He leaned in, gently pulling the leg of my—Eliza’s—jeans up to reveal the injury.
“Not sure exactly. I think I may have been hit.”
“Like a hit and run?”
I nodded, staring into his dark eyes, knowing he was indeed staring back. Seeing me. I could only imagine what I looked like, drained of energy, covered in mud and tears.
“I bet they didn’t even see me,” I said, looking away, self-conscious. “It’s dark, raining hard.” I watched his fingers push down my borrowed sock and carefully feel around the tender flesh of my ankle.
“Definitely swollen,” he said.
Tory ran up to us, peeking inside at me, bringing a hand to her chest. “Oh my God, is she okay? Brenna?”
“She will be,” Josiah answered for me, angling his body to retrieve me from the front seat and hoist me into his arms.
Several others ran up, a couple I had met, a few I hadn’t. Fortunately, no Sandy.
Tory closed the truck door. “And what happened to Ben? That boy’s country drunk,” she said, hiking a thumb toward the office.
“You’re all caught up,” Josiah said.
“What’s wrong with her? Can’t she walk?” someone asked.
“Sprain, I hope,” Josiah said, carrying me toward his house.
One of his men went ahead and swung Josiah’s front door open.
“Oh, wait!” Tory said, then dropped her palms toward the ground. “No, don’t wait, take her on inside. I mean, Mae’s here. I’ll send her over.”
He hustled me through the door and kicked it closed behind us.
“I’m sorry to be any trouble,” I said.
When he glared at me, my heart backed up into my stomach. Was he angry at me now?
“Are you crazy?” he asked.
I had no response. He set me on the couch so that my legs were stretched across the length, then propped a pillow under my calf.
“I’m glad you found me when you did. The people at the house were shooting into the woods,” I said. “That’s one reason I was on the ground. This is the other, obviously.” I gave my foot a little wag.
“Stay there. I’m going to run you a bath and get you out of those wet clothes.” His expression said he realized how it sounded. Instead of altering it, he huffed and walked off.
A moment later water started running upstairs and someone knocked at the front door. Josiah jogged back into the room with a towel over his shoulder. His bare shoulder.
“Come in,” he called out.
“You’re bleeding!” I said, taking in his muscular shoulder and arm, the upper portion of the latter wrapped in bloody gauze.
“It’s fine.”
A young woman entered with Tory behind her. They looked a lot alike.
“Brenna, this is my daughter, Mae. She wants to take a look at your ankle, if you don’t mind.”
We exchanged greetings and Mae came to kneel beside me. “Handy to have a doctor on staff,” I said, with a look to Josiah. “Looks like you can use one.”
“I’m a vet,” Mae said.
Hey, as long as she knew the difference between a sprain and a break I didn’t care if she carried the mail. It was starting to hurt more now and I just wanted it to stop.
Tory tried to peek under Josiah’s bandage, but he pulled his arm away. “I’m fine.”
“That lousy, good for nothing Brew,” she said through gritted teeth. “You could have been killed. When Ben told us—”
“Not now,” Josiah snapped.
“What happened?” I asked, alarmed, pointing at his wound. “Did Brewster do that?”
“We’ll talk later,” he said.
“But—”
“Later.”
“Do you have ice?” Mae asked Josiah, feeling around my leg with warm fingers.
“Sure.”
He went toward the kitchen and I watched him move out of sight, remembering with some embarrassment how I’d wished him shirtless right in that very room.
“Does it hurt anywhere besides the ankle?” Mae asked.
“The whole leg, pretty much,” I said.
“Hmm. I don’t think it’s broken,” she said, still poking around slowly. “But go to the doctor as soon as you can to have it x-rayed. You’ll definitely need to stay off it for a few days, and keep it elevated.”
I did not want to hear that. I had enough going on without incurring a doctor bill.
“In the meantime….” Mae fished in her bag, took out a bottle of pills, and handed me one. “It’s for pain.”
“I’ll get water,” Tory said, and went to the kitchen.
“Isn’t this for animals?” I asked.
Mae chuckled. “Same stuff, different doses as far as these go. The doctor will probably prescribe you the same thing.”
Josiah and Tory came back in after murmuring together for a minute. Tory handed me a bottle of water. Josiah had two blue ice packs, the kind you freeze or microwave depending on the need.
“I’m going to put her in the tub, so she has to undress first,” he said.
“Right, then let’s do that,” Mae said.
They helped me up, and before my injured leg came near the floor, Josiah once again lifted and cradled me to his chest as if I weighed no more than a child. I was in no real mood to notic
e the solid bulk of that chest, or the hard strength of his arms, but it was impossible not to. I kept my hands linked together on my stomach trying to look as though I was carried around regularly.
When we got in the bathroom, he set me on the edge of the tub and looked at me. And kept looking. Waiting.
“You don’t expect her to undress in front of you, do you?” Tory asked. “We have it from here.”
Josiah blinked and started for the door.
“Wait,” Mae said. “I’ll need something to hold these ice packs in place.”
He thought for a few seconds, then unbuckled his belt and pulled it free of the loops. His jeans were already slung low on his hips and fortunately, they didn’t slide down any further. …I happened to notice.
I coughed, or choked, or something, some random sound to distract myself and turn away before anyone saw where I was looking. But Josiah smirked before walking out, closing the door behind him.
Mae cleared her throat. “Okay, well, let’s set you up.”
The tub felt like heaven! I didn’t know I’d been so cold until I was so warm! Each muscle sighed independently, each nerve ending tingled before turning to liquid. I leaned against the back of the tub, my right leg propped over the edge, wrapped in ice packs bound with a belt, but I was so relaxed I was sure if I removed the stopper right now, I would run down the drain with the water.
Mae gave me some instructions, then said she was going to change Josiah’s dressing. I wondered what happened. Tory left, too, to find me something to wear. I had supposed she would loan me something of hers, but the water was cooling by the time she returned with my sleep shirt and a pair of my shorts.
“I grabbed them from the cabin. I hope you don’t mind.” Tory set them on the vanity. “I brought some other things, too, they’re in the bedroom.”
“Oh, thanks. No, I don’t mind at all. You didn’t have to go to the trouble.”
She dismissed my remark with a chuff and helped me maneuver out of the tub, wrapping a big towel around me. It sucked, being naked in front of a strange woman—or anyone—but far better than the alternative, if I was alone with Josiah.
She stayed close to steady me while I dried off and got into my clothes, then tossed the towel over the top of the door, pulled the drain stop out, and stretched to unhook the hand-held sprayer.
“You can wash your hair with this,” she said.
“Oh right.” I’d forgotten my hair. I released my ponytail and got to work, leaning into the shower to lather, rinse, repeat.
At last I felt like a whole person again. I towel dried my hair as best I could and with Mae’s pain pill starting to do its job, I just wanted to sleep. Josiah came back in, giving me the once over, then, standing at the door, gave me a get out gesture with his head and closed the door between us. Why was he so upset with me? I hadn’t told him to come find me. In fact, I’d been trying to not let him find me.
Tory met me in the hall. “This way,” she said, guiding me into Josiah’s room, where a pile of my things sat on his dresser.
“Oh.” I’d assumed I’d be in the guestroom, if not on the couch.
“He said to put you in here so you don’t have to do the stairs. The guest room’s a little dusty,” she said without me asking. “Are you hungry?”
I shook my head. All the craziness of the night had done a number on my stomach. I ached all over, and whether from the stress or the physical activity of being thrown from a bike and landing on the ground, I was a little queasy.
“The best thing for you is sleep anyway, and to keep your ankle up.” Tory pulled the covers back and arranged pillows, two at the bottom for my leg to rest on. “Mae’s sure it’s just a sprain, but Kash said I’m to take you to the doctor tomorrow just to be sure.”
“What if I don’t want to go?” I asked.
She folded me onto the bed, fluffing and smoothing. “You’re not afraid of the doctor, are you?” she asked, with a chuckle.
“Not particularly, no.”
“Well good. I’m more afraid of Kash not getting his way than you are of the doctor, so we’ll head out when you’re ready.”
That settled, she went to the door and tapped the light switch down to a soft glow before stepping out. Wow, perfect mood lighting for him and Tracy, I bet. Immediately annoyed, mostly with myself, I slapped a palm on the bed and sank back into the downy comfort. I had enough on my mind without adding petty—and completely unexpected—jealousy to the list. I would concentrate on those things as soon as I could open my eyes.
CHAPTER 33
Josiah wasn’t around when I woke up at one-thirty. Vanessa met me on the staircase, introduced herself, and told me he had an appointment, and that she had orders to feed me, then get me ready for my own with the doctor in an hour. I’d slept the pain pill off and was happy to comply.
Tory drove me to the doctor at the local hospital, keeping my mind busy by telling me about her upbringing in Kansas. I sensed it might be her way of trying to somehow make up for what had happened last night, though I certainly didn’t hold her or Cull responsible for any of it.
I appreciated Dr. Carter’s no-nonsense approach. The x-ray showed no breaks, as Mae had said, and he assured me I’d be up and running in no time, which would be perfect. No time was what I had to find a place. I couldn’t very well stay at the cabin now, not with all that had transpired and Josiah being upset with me. I think.
When I came out of his office with my cheap, but serviceable crutch—not that I really needed it, I’d developed an effective hop/limp which seemed to be working fine—I turned to go back to the waiting area where I had left Tory, when Sandy walked through the hallway intersection twenty feet from me. She didn’t see me and I was glad, just marched past like a woman on a mission.
My heart was already picking up pace and I hesitated, figuring I’d give her enough of a head start so that we absolutely would not run into each other. I’m not a violent person, but I saw myself using this crutch in a way not recommended by the manufacturer.
“Hey.”
I spun around to find Ben coming up the hall from the opposite direction carrying a cardboard coffee cup and a huge grin. Was he still drunk?
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
I lifted a crutch. “Duh.”
“Wow, what happened?”
I shrugged. “Pretty sure I was hit on my bike.” And now that my mind flashed back to that instant, I thought…. I remembered—as I sailed through the air—catching a glimpse of a silver…. Wow! Was it possible? Ben?
He hung his head. “I didn’t have a chance to tell you … sober … though severely hung over, how sorry I am for the way I acted. There’s no excuse for it and I’m going to do whatever I can to make it up to you going forward.”
I had nothing to say. My thoughts were still reeling from the suspicion that Ben had almost killed me! I could check his truck for damage, and probably confirm it, but it was pointless. He’d been so drunk and… jolly with it, I couldn’t for a second believe he’d done it on purpose. Even now, he’d given no indication he remembered such a thing. Anyway, I had no intention of telling anyone. Well, maybe Ben, at another time. Say, if he thought of driving drunk again and needed a reminder how much damage he could do.
In typical me fashion, I immediately felt guilty for thinking that. It sounded as though I was holding something over him for the sole purpose of using it against him later. In a way, maybe I was.
“I know I don’t deserve—”
I shook my head and gave him a half-smile. The best I could manage now. “Why are you here?”
He beamed. “My wife. We just had a baby. A girl.”
I followed suit and grinned. My initial reflex was to hug him…. So I did. “Congratulations! That’s so great.”
He gave me a one-handed squeeze and stepped back awkwardly. “Wanna come see her?”
“Ben!” Tory called from another hallway annex. “Jill? The baby?”
Ben nodded and wal
ked toward her and she wrapped her arms around his waist in a fleeting hug. They chatted, Tory issuing congratulations, Ben rattling off the standard length/weight, duration of labor details, while I looked around for any sign of Sandy.
“What’s up?” Ben asked me.
“Huh?”
“You look like you’re hiding from someone.”
“I am. Sandy’s here. I don’t want her to see me.”
“Sandy?” Tory asked, and shook her head. “Couldn’t be.”
“It is.” Yeah, I’d been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours but I thought I’d recognize the woman who’d screamed in my face and accused me of trying to kill the man I love and steal his business. “She just went up there,” I said, pointing.
“Hmm.” Tory paused, staring up the empty hallway, her brows drawn tight together.
“What is it?” Ben asked.
“I talked to her an hour ago,” she said, walking toward where I’d seen Sandy. “She told me she was on a bus on her way to her sister’s in Lyndale.”
I followed, as did Ben. We didn’t have far to go to find her. Making a left at the hall’s intersection we came to closed double doors with NO ADMITTANCE painted in red across both. Sandy’s raucous voice carried through the door as I, Tory, and Ben watched her arguing with police officers.
“I’m his fiancé!” Sandy yelled. “Get your hands off me!”
“Lady, how’d you even get in here?” asked an officer, his hand firmly clasped around her arm.
“Get … off!”
She struggled against him, to no avail, as he handcuffed her. Still, even with her arms linked behind her back, she yelled, repeatedly pulling toward the room directly across from the nurse’s station.
“Brew! I’m gonna come see you! I’ll be there for you!”
“Yeah, you’ll see him in court,” one of the officers joked and closed the room door, effectively ending her conversation.
She twisted around; her face livid until she saw me. Then it went slack. Looking from me to Ben and Tory, she straightened and turned away.
Tory’s face turned crimson. “You know who’s in that room, don’t you?”
“Son-of-a…” Ben started.
