She took his hand. “I didn’t sleep well.”
“Probably ’cause I didn’t kiss you good-night,” he teased, hoping to see a smile on her lips.
No such luck. Instead, they trembled.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong? You could’ve died, Cal! That’s what’s wrong.”
“But, Jess, I didn’t. I’m too stubborn to—”
Before he could finish, a knock sounded on the door.
Mabel opened the door. “Is everything all right?”
Jessica stood rigid beside the bed, seemingly unable to speak. Cal looked at his mom. “I was concerned about how tired Jess looked.”
Come to think of it, his mother didn’t look a lot better.
“I guess I caused y’all a lot of worry, but, really, I’m fine,” he assured them, then winced as he tried to shift on the bed.
“I think he needs another pain pill,” Jessica said at once.
“I’ll bring up his breakfast,” Mabel added, and both women started to leave him.
“Wait a minute! Don’t I get a say in anything? I don’t want a pain pill. It knocked me out last night and I don’t want to lose consciousness again. And I’ll come down for breakfast as soon as I shower, Mom.”
Mabel looked at him doubtfully.
Jessica, however, wasn’t as willing to let him have his way. “The pain pills for this morning aren’t as strong as last night. The doctor said you’d get well faster if you take them, because it will relax the muscles.”
Her chin was up, a sure sign of her stubbornness. Cal grinned. “You promise it won’t make me pass out?”
She nodded.
“Okay, I’ll take a pill after I eat. Mom, give me five minutes for a shower.”
Jessica intervened again. “No shower. You’ll have to take a bath because you can’t get your stitches wet.’
“Damn. I think I’ll go back to sleep and wake up another day. Maybe everything will be better then.” He frowned at Jessica.
For the first time, a small smile peeked out. “Your choice. I have a pill for that, too.”
Mabel laughed. “I see everything’s under control here. I’ll go start his breakfast. And yours, too, Jess.”
“Oh, no, Mabel that’s not—”
“Yes, it is necessary,” Cal said firmly, staring at her. “You’re going to need your energy to take care of me.”
“I won’t argue about that,” Jessica agreed.
But her smile remained in place, indicating she didn’t mind taking care of him, and that made Cal happy.
Jessica decided Cal didn’t seem quite as happy when, after his mother left, he tried to throw back the covers and rise.
The doctor had warned her and Mabel that Cal would have considerable stiffness and pain. She pulled the covers back farther, trying to ignore the picture of Cal in his white briefs, stretched out on the bed.
“Take it slowly, Cal. The doctor said—”
“I don’t care what the damned doctor said. This hurts!”
“That’s exactly what he said.”
“Thanks.”
She grinned at his sarcastic response. At least he sounded normal. She’d been so shaken last night and this morning at the thought of losing Cal, it was reassuring to hear him complain.
As he tried to sit up, she slid an arm behind his back and lifted as much as she could. He was a big man. There was no way she could lift him by herself.
As soon as he was upright, sweat breaking out on his brow, she lifted his legs to the floor.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with my legs!”
“I was just trying to conserve your strength. The doctor said you should take it easy at first.” She watched his jaw square and his lips press together. Cal Baxter was known for his hardheadedness.
Maybe that was why he’d never married.
Dismissing that thought, she wrapped her arm around his waist as soon as he was standing. She certainly didn’t want to chance his falling. If there was anything he didn’t need, it was more bruises.
He laid his arm around her shoulders and they made slow progress to the connecting bath. She helped him sit on the closed commode so she could run his bathwater.
As she adjusted the temperature of the water, he said, “I want to know just how far your nursing is going to go.” His breathing had evened out after the strenuous walk to the bathroom. “Are you going to bathe me?”
She gave him a mock look of shock. “Of course not.”
“Why not? It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve seen me naked.”
With his gaze on her, she felt her cheeks heat. “But that was over twenty years ago when you taught me about skinny-dipping. And both our mothers made it clear why we’d better not do that again.”
He smiled. “Yeah, but we’re all grown up now. The rules are different. Besides, we’re engaged.”
Jessica gave a cautious look to the door she’d closed behind them. “Behave, Cal. You have to bathe yourself. I’ll leave a towel nearby. When you’re finished, drain the water, put the towel over you, and I’ll come help you get out of the tub.”
“I don’t think I can manage without a kiss.”
Her gaze whipped back to him, catching the teasing glint in his eyes. “This is not the time to play games.”
“Baby, I never felt more like playing games in my life. Because I can.”
He still had a grin on his lips, but she caught the dark significance of his words. And she couldn’t agree more. “Okay,” she agreed without argument. “One kiss.”
Reaching for her waist, he tipped her into his lap before she knew what was happening. And by the twist of his lips, paid for his behavior with pain.
“Oh, Cal, you’ll hurt yourself.”
“Yeah, but I think it’ll be worth it. Give me my kiss.”
Conscious of his near nudity, the warmth of his body, the strength of her wounded warrior, Jessica didn’t hesitate to comply with his request.
Besides, it was what she wanted.
Their lips met in a fierce coming together, a draining, life-reinforcing kiss that celebrated what they shared. Immediately Jessica wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and clung with all the fervor of her being, giving thanks that Cal was alive.
His lips pressed for deeper union, his tongue pulled her into his being, his arms held her against him. She almost became one with him by the kiss alone.
When she felt his burgeoning erection against her legs, she knew they should stop. He certainly wasn’t in any condition to carry the embrace to its logical conclusion, but his closeness felt so good, so right, that she only pressed closer.
Until her feet got wet.
Chapter Thirteen
B
y the time the overflowing bathwater had been mopped, breakfast consumed and Cal returned to his bed, he was ready to admit his need for rest.
Spence and Tuck arrived about the time he subsided onto the mattress. He was glad to see his friends. But Jessica used their arrival as an excuse to leave his side. Though he felt guilty for his selfishness, he wanted her with him.
Mabel, who’d escorted the two visitors to his bedroom, grinned. “She’ll be back after she has a shower and packs some clothes, son.”
He glared at his mother. Her response made his need clear to his friends. She kept grinning but left the room.
“I hear you scared Jess bad,” Spence said. “Us, too.”
“It wasn’t in my plans. It just happened that way,” Cal assured his friends.
“It must’ve been tough,” Tuck added.
“Sort of. But everything happened quickly. And I missed a lot of the action by passing out about the time Ricky and Hank arrived.”
“How long you gonna be down?” Spence asked.
“Long enough to miss a rodeo or two,” Cal assured him. The thought of those Saturday roughhouses with his friends made him feel old. “Actually, I’ll be out of the office for a few days, but that’s ’cause the doc is cautious.” Dr. Greenfield had delivered all four of them. He was an institution in Cactus.
“Yeah,” Tuck murmured. “Remember when I broke my arm playing football? He thought I should stay out the rest of the season.”
All three of them laughed since Tuck had played the next game. The door opened on their laughter.
“Well, it seems you’re doing better than expected if you can laugh,” Mac said from the doorway.
“Come on in, Mac. We were just reminiscing,” Cal chuckled.
Mac pulled a chair alongside the other two and settled in. “Well, we’ve got a few memories, don’t we?”
In the general agreement, it was Spence who grew somber. “It makes a fellow think, something like this happening.”
“What do you mean?” Tuck growled.
“Facing death, whether it’s you or a friend, makes you think about all the things you’ve done. It might even help us understand our parents’ wanting grandchildren.”
No one spoke until Tuck looked at Cal. “What do you think, Cal?”
“Hell, I don’t have to think. I’m engaged. It’s you guys who need to change direction. I’m going to produce some grandchildren as fast as I can.”
“And don’t he look miserable thinking about doing that producing?” Tack teased.
Cal laughed with his friends, but his temperature indeed was rising. Every time he thought about making love to Jessica he grew hot.
Mac shook his head. “You guys go ahead and produce the kids. I’ll be their doting uncle. That’d be best.”
Cal studied his friend. “Don’t give up on life yet, Mac,” he said softly. “If you’d told me last year I’d be marrying Jess, I’d have thought you were crazy.”
Mac smiled. “You would’ve, but the rest of us always believed you were meant for each other.”
“Hey,” Spence said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Do you see anyone for me?”
“I’m no palm reader, Spence. Find your own woman,” Mac returned.
“I bet your mother would help you,” Tuck said with a grin.
“Hell, all our mothers are on the warpath, looking for brides. Any hint of a willing woman and you’ll be tied up faster than a stray calf,” Cal advised his friend.
“Even Aunt Flo is participating in this debacle,” Mac said.
“Participating?” Tuck said, staring at Mac. “I heard she’s the one who started the entire bet. In fact, if any of us, except for Cal, here, who wants to get married, is trapped, we can lay it at your feet.”
“Not me! Aunt Flo’s maybe, but not mine.”
“Besides,” Spence added, “as soon as Cal and Jessica make a baby, the bet will be over, and we’ll all be safe.”
Interestingly enough, Cal thought he caught a sad note in Spence’s voice. Did his friend really want to be married? Had he simply gone along with their sentiment because he was a friend?
“Well, I’ll try to rescue you guys as soon as possible.”
“It doesn’t sound like it if you’re postponing the wedding for a couple of years,” Mac pointed out.
Cal was suddenly reminded that he was the only member of the new couple who thought they would be married. But that didn’t deter him. “It’s under negotiation.”
“That’a boy,” Mac cheered.
“Well, now that you’ve agreed to rescue all of us from Operation Baby, we’d better let you get some rest. Jessica will be back in a little while and we want you up to snuff for whatever, er, happens.”
Cal wasn’t enough of an optimist to think that he’d be up to bedroom Olympics today. But he intended to bring that event to fruition as soon as possible.
Because he’d discovered a truth yesterday.
The only thing he would have regretted, had he died yesterday, was not making love to Jessica.
And as soon as he was able, he intended to take care of that omission.
MAC LEFT CAL’S BEDROOM in a melancholy mood. Oh, he was happy for his friend. Cal’s love for Jessica was in his eyes. Mac thought they made a perfect couple. If any pair had a chance of happiness, Cal and Jessica did.
He couldn’t help remembering, however, when he’d felt as optimistic as Cal. It hadn’t lasted. The
pain of his divorce was more than he ever wanted to face again.
Maybe he was a coward. He hadn’t thought so, but his unwillingness to risk his heart again made him think that maybe he might be.
Well, too bad. He’d cheer for Cal and Jess’s marriage, but, coward or no, he wasn’t going to risk his own heart ever again.
FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, Jessica stayed with Mabel and Ed, providing around-the-clock care for Cal.
Well, not quite around-the-clock. She didn’t stay in the same bedroom with him after that first night. And she didn’t flood the bathroom again.
But she was at his beck and call. Her restaurant held no interest for her as long as Cal needed her. The thought of living in this world without him rearranged her priorities.
After three days he seemed his old self, scarcely even demonstrating any stiffness. In spite of her protests, he even went back to the office, though he promised to leave any active work to his staff.
After he lustily kissed her goodbye on the fourth morning after his accident, she packed her bags, hugged Mabel and Ed goodbye and returned to her town house.
“What are you doing at home?” Cal barked into the phone when she answered its persistent ringing an hour later.
“Why wouldn’t I be at home?”
“You should be at Mom’s. I thought you’d stay there.”
“Cal, if you’re well enough to return to work, you don’t need me waiting on you hand and foot.” Not that she’d minded. She found sweet pleasure in making him happy.
“I know, but I liked it,” he said, and she could hear his grin.
“I bet you did, you rat. Maybe you took advantage of me,” she accused, though she wasn’t serious.
“No, baby, I wouldn’t do that. How about I take tomorrow off and we go for a ride? You’ve been neglecting Red again.”
“Ride? Are you crazy, Cal? You don’t need all that jolting around. It’s too soon.”
“Okay, how about the day after tomorrow? That’ll give me another day to rest, but Olé needs the exercise, too. Dad can’t ride him, though he’ll probably try if I don’t do it. You know how determined he is.”
“Yes,” she agreed with a sigh. “Just like his son.” Cal grunted his disapproval of her comparison, but she continued. “Why don’t you get one of your friends to exercise the horse. You know they’d be glad to help.”
“Yeah, but I want to do it...with you. And I’m sure not going to ask one of my friends to share a ride with you. That’s my privilege.”
“And one you’ve exercised many times in the past. It could wait, Cal.”
“Day after tomorrow,” Cal insisted. “I’ll be ready.”
“Fine. Be hardheaded. We’ll ride on Wednesday,” she agreed with a sigh.
“Good. Now, tonight, why don’t we go to The Old Cantina for dinner? I’ll pick you up at—”
“But, Cal, everyone’s going to go crazy, wanting to talk to you—and us. They were still talking about our engagement when you got shot.”
“I know. But we need to get it over with. Then maybe they’ll leave us alone.”
Jessica doubted that. The engagement alone would cause talk for months. Cal and his friends were famous for their stance on marriage.
The bachelors in town were defending their choice to remain unmarried, and the young women were celebrating the capitulation of one of the most eligible. Combining that with Cal’s heroic behavior, Jessica figured they’d be the topic of conversation for a long time.
“Okay, but I’ll pick you up. You don’t need to be driving any more than necessary.”
“Sounds good, baby. I love it when you take care of me.”
She laughed. “Seems to me you weren’t singing the same tune when you had the mumps fifteen years ago.”
“That’s because you spilled a glass of ice water on me,” he reminded her. “That was a real shock to my body. I hope it didn’t affect my ability to have children.”
“Call It didn’t. Your mother said—”
“Just teasing, sweetheart,” he told her with a chuckle. “I think I can still perform.”
Remembering the few times they’d embraced, she was sure he could, too. Just thinking about it made her heart speed up.
“Um, I’ll pick you up at six-thirty,” she said, hoping to bring the conversation to a close before she dwelled too long on his performance.
He laughed, a reassuring sound. “Right. I’ll be ready.”
She hung up the phone, thinking about his last words. She’d be ready, too. His accident had changed her thinking about a lot of things. She was ready for whatever Cal wanted.
And, if it involved a seduction, she would volunteer to be the seducer. Maybe it might even turn out the way Mabel wanted. But she wasn’t going to live her life without having made love to Cal. His accident had convinced her to agree to whatever he wanted. If he didn’t marry her, she’d at least still have memories of lying in his arms.
It reminded her of those old World War Two movies where the man had asked for the woman’s love because he might never return. Cal hadn’t asked yet. But if he did, she already knew her answer. Or maybe she should do the asking.
Whatever. She’d be ready.
MABEL AND ED ENDED UP going with them to The Old Cantina. Along with half the population of Cactus. Or at least it seemed like it to Jessica.
The restaurant received so many offers to buy their meal, they started a collection. Once Cal was told of the many donations, he designated the money to go to a women’s shelter recently established in Cactus to serve the entire county.
Things snowballed from there as the waitresses informed all their customers of the collection. By the
end of the evening, close to three hundred dollars had been collected.
“Son,” Ed said with pride, “I reckon you could win any election around here, hands down, tonight.”
“Too bad the election for sheriff doesn’t roll around until next spring,” Cal returned with a grin.
“Are you going to run again?” Jessica asked.
Both men stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. Mabel gave her a solemn look but said nothing.
“Of course I will, baby,” Cal finally replied. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“How about the fact that you were almost killed a few days ago?”
Cal studied her for a minute and then said, “Did you hear about Harriet McGee?”
She stared at him, confused by his non sequitur. What did the town librarian have to do with anything? “No. What about her?”
“She died two days ago. Had a brain aneurism.”
“What? I hadn’t heard. How terrible,” Jessica exclaimed, looking to Mabel for confirmation.
Cal didn’t wait for any comments. “Safe job, librarian.”
Jessica froze. His point was obvious, and not one she wanted to hear. She stiffened and glared at the love of her life. “That’s not—”
“Yes, it is,” Cal assured her.
“Your job is more dangerous.”
“Want me to quote statistics for you? Do you know how many accidental deaths involved lawmen in this county last year compared to regular people in safe jobs?”
“You don’t know those stats by memory,” Jessica argued.
“Sure I do. ’Cause it was zero to, urn, something over ten.”
“What happened to Cal was a rare event,” Ed said softly, leaning toward Jessica. “I served for thirty years and never came close to being hurt.”