HazardsDare (27 page)

Hazard led her to the toilet, put down the lid and set her
down to remove the bandage. “I’ll re-wrap it after you take a shower. Do you
need help?”

“Might be good if you stay close, but I don’t need to wash
my hair, so it won’t take long to wash up.”

“I’m right here.” He straightened and turned the shower on
for her, adjusting the dials until only one of the showerheads was on and he
deliberately aimed the water away from the door. “I kept the water lukewarm.
Don’t use hot water on that ankle until Ryan declares it okay.”

“I won’t.” Avery shed herself of her panties and bra and
hobbled into the shower.

While she lathered and rinsed, Hazard remained close. Not
until she was done and dried off and her teeth were brushed did he set her back
down on the commode and propped her left foot up on his thigh to gently re-wrap
her ankle.

“Swelling’s gone down some, but the bruising has begun.”

“I noticed in the shower. Love the purplish hue,” she
remarked.

Hazard finished up and got her back to her feet. Walking was
a little easier. It was better with him holding her up.

Back in the main room, he went to a dresser and pulled out
clean underwear, a bra, jeans and a sweater that he’d not packed. He even
helped her dress.

“If Alexander and Ryan could see how good you are to me,
they wouldn’t be so concerned,” Avery commented.

“They’re your family. I can handle their concern. I think I
appeased Ryan when I spoke to him.”

“He wouldn’t have let you off the hook if he thought you
were a bad guy.”

“I like him. I had the chance to talk to him at length when
I was invited to the bed-and-breakfast for a week of contract discussions with
Alex. He seems to genuinely love your brother.”

“As Alexander loves him,” Avery stated.

“How does your family feel about their marriage?”

“My mom adores Ryan. My dad’s getting there. He accepts them
as a couple, he just doesn’t necessarily agree with their marriage. I give him
credit for trying and for not condemning them. My sister thinks Ryan’s a hunk,
but then she also thinks Phalen Maddox and Kyran Black are too.”

“Wonder what she’ll think of me?”

“She will fawn all over you,” Avery answered. “You are the
top-of-the-line, grade A, one hundred percent hunk of my dreams.”

Hazard brushed out her hair and leaned down to give her the
nicest kiss a woman could ask for. “I love you. Thank you for letting me into
your heart, Avery Grant.”

“It’s a pleasure, truly.” He kissed her again, this time
lingering long enough to slip his tongue between her lips.

They drew apart and finished getting ready to leave. A few
minutes later, a bellhop arrived and escorted them to the lobby, where they
checked out and found Jaxon Wynter waiting.

“Ready to go?” Jax asked, taking the rental SUV’s keys from
Hazard.

“Not really, but the evil day job beckons,” Avery said
teasingly.

“Thought you liked your job,” Jax remarked.

“I love it. Right now, it’s taking me away from Hazard.”

“Understandable.” Jax slapped Hazard on the shoulder.
“Sawyer’s still working on who might have been in the woods last night. There
were no footprints, but he expected that with the snow. He went over to the
rental house. There was evidence of someone staying there recently, possibly
leaving last night. That might explain the headlights.”

“That’s all we can ask for,” Hazard said.

“Sawyer’s also going to expand his background search on John
Redman. It might not turn up much, but it could give Avery some peace of mind
if Redman’s history checks out.”

“Tell him thank you,” Avery replied, relieved.

Even though she didn’t personally feel threatened by John
Redman, she couldn’t quite put her finger on why she was being cautious. She’d
feel better knowing for certain that John wasn’t the boogieman in disguise.

Jaxon led them outside and stowed their bags, as well as her
crutches, while Hazard helped Avery get into the backseat. She loved that he
stayed with her rather than sitting in the front and that he’d placed her leg
across his lap.

As they left Dare, her heart was heavy. She’d found the man
she loved when she least expected it. She knew they’d work out the logistics of
a long-distance relationship until after football season, but it would be a
long couple of weeks ahead.

While Jaxon drove, the three fell into a conversation about
the ghosts that were said to haunt the town of Dare and the enigmatic
bartender/town investor’s huge mountain house. Avery told him what she knew
about Remington Sinclair and her friend Evelyn Stratham, hoping that he’d pave
the way for the ghost hunter and Eve to explore the town.

She was pretty confident that Jaxon wouldn’t open his mountain
house to any kind of paranormal research, but he might open it up for Eve and
Remy to visit as his guests. He seemed particularly interested in learning why
Eve loved reading books about vampires, especially Ransom Hunter’s book series.

Avery also asked Jaxon to check in with Taylor Anderson’s
father and let her know how his procedures went. She’d only started to get to
know Taylor, but already considered her a friend.

The conversation kept her from thinking too much about being
apart from Hazard. But all too soon, they were pulling into the airport. Jaxon
was an excellent driver, moving in and out of traffic and finally drawing to a
halt near the entrance to their airline.

She and Hazard thanked Jaxon for his help with the rental
SUV and hugged him goodbye. Hazard procured a cart for their luggage, but
remained close even though she had her crutches. Inside, they headed to the
check-in counter and went through the first-class line.

Flying first class had its privileges. It was expensive, but
worth it, especially today. In a matter of minutes, Hazard procured a
wheelchair for Avery, hung their carryon bags over the wheelchair handles and
stowed her crutches for when she reached her gate.

Of course, security was slow, but Avery didn’t mind. It gave
her a longer time with Hazard. He’d only have a few minutes before he had to
rush off to board his plane. Fortunately, their gates were in the same
terminal.

At her gate, Hazard called over the attendant working the
desk, explained to the man about Avery’s injury and made sure she would be
assisted down the ramp.

Before rushing off, he knelt down before her. “You sure
you’re okay with me leaving before you? I’ll scrap this flight if necessary and
take the next.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t miss your flight. You arranged for a
nice gentleman to help me and it won’t be long before I board.”

Hazard lifted his hand, brushing her hair back from her
face. “You look sad, Avery. What can I do?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.” Carefully cupping her cheek, he leaned
in real close, making her feel safe. He smelled wonderfully male. “I told the
attendant to make sure you had enough room to elevate your ankle. As soon as
you’re seated, request some ice.”

“You’re sweet. Don’t worry. I’ll follow doctor’s orders. I’m
pretty good at the PT part.”

“One thing before I go,” he said, turning to brush his lips
against hers. “I’ll text when I land and call you later.”

“I’ll text you as well and look forward to the call. I’m
sorry the circumstances are so rushed.”

“We can’t help how slow security was. Personally, I’d rather
they be cautious than let some nutcase through.”

Avery nodded and kissed him softly. Unbidden, tears escaped,
running down her cheeks. Hazard wouldn’t have it. He wiped them away with his
thumb, tucking them into his palm.

“Don’t cry, baby. It won’t be long before we see each other
again.”

“Given what happened to my ankle and the hassle with
crutches, I’m not sure I’ll be up to flying again so soon.”

Hazard wasn’t daunted by the obstacle. “Then I’ll do the
traveling when I can.”

“You’re not upset that I’ll miss your first playoff game?”

“As long as you watch on TV, I’m good. Getting well should
be your priority. I still want Ryan Hathaway to retake X-rays and examine you,
okay?”

“It’s a guarantee.”

An announcement for Hazard’s flight was made overhead,
imploring passengers to board. “Guess that’s me,” he said ruefully, kissing her
one more time before grabbing his bag and standing up.

“I love you, Trevor.”

“I love you, Avery.” Disregarding another, more urgent,
boarding call, he swooped down and kissed her on the forehead before hugging
her tight and moving away. “If I don’t go now, I won’t.”

“Go or I’ll have someone bigger than you kick your butt down
the terminal,” she teased.

“Not many could fill that role.”

“Very well, guess I will,” she said, feigning as if she’d
stand up.

“No! RICE that ankle as much as you can.”

With that, Hazard smoothed his hand through her hair,
whispering, “Talk to you soon,” and took off toward his gate at the far end of
the terminal.

Avery watched him move with a purpose that caused others to
get out of his way. It was a sight to see. As big as he was, he never once came
close to bowling someone over, but his skill on the football field was evident
as he zigzagged and maneuvered around others.

At the last second, he turned, waved goodbye and rushed
onward to hand over his boarding pass to a flight attendant and disappear
through the open gate door. Avery wiped away the last of her tears, deciding to
recall the best of the last week rather than dwell on her sore ankle or that he
was gone.

Not long after Hazard left, the incoming flight that would
take Avery to Logan International Airport was announced and would land in
twenty minutes. After a brief layover for passengers to disembark, her flight
would board and she’d be on her way home.

As much of a pain in the ass as her brother could be she,
she’d missed him. It would be good to recuperate among family and friends. She
only wished Hazard could be there too.

Removing her coat and laying it over the back of her
wheelchair, she made sure one of the footrests was elevated to support her
ankle and sighed. It was a relief to sit back and relax. She even dug through
her carryon for her Kindle, fired it up and began reading the book she’d bought
after she’d left Reno.

It felt like ages since she’d gone to that conference. So
much had changed, and yet she did look forward to sharing her ideas with Ryan
when she had the chance. Focusing on the e-reader, she didn’t make it through
the first sentence before being interrupted.

“Ms. Grant, what a pleasant surprise,” John Redman said,
causing her to jump. “What happened to your foot?”

Avery set aside her Kindle, glancing up at him. “What are
you doing here?” she asked, taken aback. “I’d thought you’d left Dare days
ago.”

“I did. I didn’t feel welcome in Dare and my boyfriend Billy
and I went back to Reno for the rest of our vacation together. This is our
flight,” he told her.

“You’re going to Logan?”

“Only as a stopover,” John said. “From there, we have to
switch planes and head to Louisville.”

“Louisville, Kentucky?” she asked, just to clarify that he
wasn’t going to another Louisville.

“Yes,” he admitted. “Born and raised, circumstances kept me
away the last year or so. Guess it’s time to settle down. You seem upset. Would
it help if I apologize for my behavior when we met?”

“Your behavior was rather odd,” she pointed out. “If that
sounded offensive, I apologize. I strained my ankle last night and the
anti-inflammatory has worn off.”

“I’m sorry to hear about the injury. If I said I was trying
to make Billy jealous, would my awkward flirtation make sense? We’d had a
terrible fight and I wanted to get back at him. It worked. He’s agreed to live
with me.”

“I wish the two of you much luck in the future.” Something
didn’t ring entirely true in what John said, but parts of it did.

“Thank you.” Whatever his reasons for flirting with her, it
didn’t explain the heebie-jeebies she’d gotten when he stared at her and Hazard
on the balcony.

It didn’t explain them now. Refusing to let him see her
discomfort, Avery shrugged and gestured to her Kindle. “If you’ll excuse me, I
was just getting into this book.”

“Of course, again, I apologize for my behavior. Have a nice
flight home.”

John didn’t overstay his welcome this time. He walked away
and took a seat beside the baseball player who’d been hiding out in Dare. The
two men joined hands and started talking, totally ignoring everyone and
everything else.

Avery went back to reading, but the plane arrived,
distracting her from the content. A few minutes later, first-class passengers
were called. Completely putting John Redman out of her mind, she handed over
her boarding pass and was taken down to the gate ramp to the plane.

Before long, she was in her very plush seat, complete with a
private TV, all sorts of menus, a blanket and the chance to recline. The
attendant located some ice for her. She quickly applied it to her ankle and
wrapped the Ace bandage around to keep the ice pack in place.

She never saw John or Billy after that. They weren’t among
the first-class passengers and she was able to turn to her book and got through
the first chapter before the plane pushed back from the gate. After the plane
was in the air and the pilot gave the okay to turn on electronic devices like
her Kindle, she removed the ice and began to read.

The flight attendant brought her a Coke and she took a dose
of pain medication as prescribed and rocked back to read and listen to music on
her headphones. Her book was really good, but the medication made her extremely
sleepy. Thankfully, she slept through most of the flight home.

Sometime later, an attendant tapped her shoulder lightly,
alerting her. “Ms. Grant, the captain has announced that we’re to land at Logan
shortly. If you could adjust your seat for landing, that’d be appreciated.”