Cowboy Kind of Reckless

by Becca Turner

  Her cell phone rang. She pulled her hand away from his to grab the phone, then answered. She turned on the speaker and placed the phone in her lap.

  “Hi, Luke.”

  “Hey.” He sounded breathless. “Guess what?”

  “I really couldn’t begin to guess. So, what?” She gave Nolan a sideways look, then rolled her eyes.

  “I’m O negative.”

  Even though Nolan couldn’t see Luke’s face, he was sure Luke was grinning.

  Jody sat up straighter. “And that means you can give blood to anyone.”

  “Right. But wait, there’s more.” In the background, he made a drum roll noise. “They sent my blood off to Joy’s doctors for tissue typing. We’ve got four of the same antigens. Whatever the hell those are, but it’s enough to get us rolling for another test.”

  Faith spoke, but her words were hard to hear.

  Jody lifted the phone closer to her face. “What did she say?”

  “She said it’s cross-matching. That’s the next step. We have to do it twice. Twice? Aww, they’re gonna drain me dry.” Luke sighed. “Okay, the paper says we do it twice and it has to be negative or else her body would reject my kidney.”

  “And if it’s negative?” Nolan kept his gaze on the road, but his shoulders were tense as he listened.

  “A physical. I can pass that easy. More blood tests, a CT scan…ew, they want my pee. Okay, well, if that’s what I’ve got to do.”

  The phone beeped.

  Jody frowned. “I’ve got another call, Luke. It’s…it’s Danica. Do you mind if I take it?”

  “No, take it. But I wanted you to be the first—well, after Faith—to find out.”

  “Thank you. You have no idea how happy I am right now.”

  “Anything for my annoying little sister. See you later.” He ended the call.

  She answered Danica’s. “Hello?”

  “Jody? I just got the news.” Danica’s voice came through the phone. It held a lot of tension. “Is he…will Luke do the cross-matching?”

  “I literally hung up with him twenty seconds ago. He’s doing it. All of it. Everything they want to make sure he’s a match.”

  Danica’s sob seemed amplified by the phone speaker. “Really? He’s never even met us.”

  Jody’s face softened. “Luke is a good guy. From the second he found out, he wanted to help. You can count on him. I mean, as long as all the tests go the way they should.”

  “I didn’t tell Joy. Brandon’s afraid of getting her hopes up too high. We want to wait until we know for sure one way or another, but do you think Luke would consider meeting Joy? If everything works out?”

  “I don’t think he would have a problem with that. Luke loves his family. Even though he’s never met her or you, he’ll want to.” Jody stared hard at the phone like she’d discovered the secrets of the universe. “He’s one of the good ones.”

  “Thank you for asking him if he’d do this for us. I know it could still go wrong, but I’m going to pray for a miracle.”

  “I didn’t ask him. He volunteered. Will too, but with his accident, it’s not really practical. They both wanted to help. The whole family is behind this.” Jody twisted her wedding band. “I’m sorry I didn’t think of it sooner.”

  Danica was silent a moment. “I’m sorry for being a pest. You need to come see Joy. She’s staying so strong. You’ll be proud of her. She knows she’s not ours biologically, but if you don’t want to tell her who you are, I understand. See if Luke and his family want to come out. Heck, all of you, if you want.”

  Jody met Nolan’s gaze. “If it’s possible, could you come to us? She might like to see the ranch where her great-grandparents lived.”

  “I’ll ask Brandon and we’ll let you know. You decide if you want to tell her the truth, okay, Jody?”

  “I will. Thanks, Danica. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will work. I-I really want Joy to get well.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “Give her a hug for me.”

  “Absolutely. ‘Bye.”

  The phone went silent and Jody stared at the screen before she sucked in a deep breath. “Should I? Tell her, I mean? Is it going to confuse her?”

  “I don’t know, babe. Casey took it pretty well when Austin told her the truth about adopting her. She’s always been with him though. There was never any doubt to her that Austin is her dad.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “I bet Joy’s smart. She probably loves her parents and if she already knows half the truth, what could it hurt?”

  “I don’t want her to be disappointed in me. In what I did. It’s hard to tell a nine year old that you gave her away because her grandpa was a drunk. Living with Danica and Brandon, she probably doesn’t even know the world is a shitty place.”

  “You gotta forgive yourself for that. You would’ve kept her and raised her if you could’ve. We all know that.” He put his hand over hers. “I’m sorry nothing turned out like you hoped. But we’ll make the best of whatever happens. It’s your decision. You want to tell her, go for it. If you don’t think it’s the right time—hell, if you never think it’s the right time—then don’t force yourself to do it.”

  “I’m scared, Nolan.”

  His heart ached. “I’ll be here, no matter what.”

  She leaned across the arm rest and kissed his cheek. “I hope you’ll remember that when we’re ninety years old and I’m chasing you around the nursing home in my wheelchair with a broom because you annoy me so much.”

  “Even at ninety, you won’t have to chase me. I’ll let you catch me. I don’t want it any other way. Broom or no broom.”

  Just give me all the time you can. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, smiled, then turned back to the road.

  * * * *

  Jody wiped her face with a cool washcloth, then sank onto the closed toilet lid. The shower spray made a pleasant sound that hopefully blocked out the noise of her losing last night’s supper. If Nolan found out she’d been sick, he’d worry. She was doing enough of that for both of them.

  When they’d gotten back to Swells yesterday afternoon, they’d gone straight to her rental house, packed her things, and brought them back to the ranch. She’d immediately ripped the plastic cover off his couch and put her boots up on the coffee table.

  Nolan had only laughed at her.

  The weekend had been magical. And marrying Nolan was the best choice of her life. She’d already framed the old-time photo of them—her as a saloon girl in a short skirt and fishnets and him as an outlaw—and hung it in their bedroom. A memory she never wanted to forget.

  Reality burst in with Luke’s phone call. Of course, he was thrilled that he might be giving up a kidney, but they still had a lot to get through before that happened.

  Like finding out about her biopsy results.

  Last night, she’d lain awake, curled against Nolan, unable to get the worst-case scenarios out of her head. He’d been awake too, tense and silent. Maybe he had a list of worries he didn’t want to share. Finally around one in the morning, he’d dropped off. His snoring didn’t help her sleeplessness.

  The longer she laid in bed, the more her stomach hurt. When the nausea finally reached its peak, she slid out of bed. She’d spent the last few minutes hiding in the bathroom, taking deep breaths of warm, steamy air.

  The thin face staring back at her from the mirror looked like something out of a horror show. Dark circles, pale skin, knit brow.

  “If I shaved my head, I’d be Gollom’s twin.” She rose, then shut off the shower. No sense running more water when she didn’t intend to get in. The space was wasted without Nolan there to share it with her anyway.

  She brushed her teeth, then applied some concealer under her eyes. Not that it helped much. Under the unforgiving bathroom light, she looked paler than ever.

  A soft knock on the door made her drop her mascara wand in the sink. The door opened slowly.

  “You okay?” Nolan, hair rumpled and sleepy
-eyed, squinted in the light. He was bare-chested and wore a dark blue pair of boxers. “It’s early.”

  “Did I wake you?” She picked up the brush, then used toilet paper to wipe the black smudge off the porcelain. “Sorry. I was trying not to be so noisy.”

  He blinked. “You’re going to put your eye out if you try to put that mascara on.”

  Her hands shook like a bobble head in an earthquake. “I’m cold?”

  He crossed his arms. “And I’m Brad Pitt.”

  “Hi, Brad. So nice to meet you. I’m a huge fan, but can you wait until I put my face on before we do a selfie?” She leaned over the sink and used careful strokes to apply the makeup.

  “You don’t have to hide it from me.” Nolan leaned on the doorframe. “We don’t have secrets anymore, remember?”

  “I’m not hiding anything.” She fixed her other eye, then recapped the mascara tube. “Just trying to pretty myself up so I don’t scare my new husband. Five minutes ago I looked like a hag.”

  He shook his head. “Never.”

  “You’re sweet. But trust me on this.”

  “Come back to bed. They’re not going to call at five in the morning. The doctor’s office doesn’t even open until nine. We’ll lay there and talk if you want.”

  “I can’t.” She met his eyes in the mirror. “I need to be up doing something.”

  “Like what?”

  “Tagging all Tiffany’s furniture for the yard sale.” She forced a smile. “I could unpack my stuff. There’s a thing to do.”

  “That’ll take twenty minutes tops.”

  She put her makeup bag away in the single drawer she’d commandeered. “I could do laundry.”

  “You don’t have to do my laundry…this week. We’ll talk about your chore list later.” He came into the bathroom, then pulled her into his arms. “C’mon, Jody. What can I do to make you relax?”

  She laid her head on his shoulder. “I don’t know. I feel like I could climb the walls. Like I’ve had twenty energy drinks. I’m surprised I’m not throwing off sparks or something.”

  “You want to go get Splash and bring him here? He might calm you down.”

  “I’m afraid I’d spook him because I’m so restless. But…yeah, if you don’t mind. He should be here.” She drew in a breath. “Promise me I won’t have to die in a hospital. I’d rather go looking out a window here where I can see him than—”

  Nolan squeezed her tightly. “Shut up. That’s not gonna happen.”

  She hated the way his voice broke like he was trying to hold back his emotions. “I don’t want you to be sad for long, okay? You go out and you have as many one-night stands as you want. Don’t let Austin talk you out of it. Whatever it takes to get over me.”

  “Can you please not joke about me sleeping with other women right now? It’s not funny. I don’t want to look at other women. You outshine them all.” He tipped her face up. “You’re like chicken pox.”

  Startled, she drew back. “What?”

  “You know how you only get it once? That’s you. You’re a one-time deal. There’s no one else like you, and I wouldn’t want her even if she was.”

  Jody wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know if that’s the sweetest thing you’ve said to me or the grossest. What kind of analogy is that?”

  “Go with the first one. Come to bed with me. I’ll take your mind off of everything except multiple orgasms. No matter what the news is, you won’t be able to think straight when I’m done with you.”

  “Oh, those damn puppy dog eyes. Stop it.” She stepped out of his embrace. “I hate when you do that.”

  “C’mon. We’ll turn out the lights. I won’t have to look at your creepy hag face.” He gave her hand a tug. “Submit to my will, woman.”

  “Gee, your powers of persuasion are terrific. I feel like I should fall into bed with you.” She patted his cheek. “All right, but then I want my horse.”

  “Cross my heart.” He gave her a wicked half smile before he scooped her up. “Damn, I love you.”

  She put her ear against his chest where his heart pounded. One of these days, you might wish you didn’t. “I’ll bet you say that to all the half-naked girls you carry around your house.”

  “Nope. I saved it for the best of them.”

  Like she believed he’d never told Tiffany he loved her. They’d lived here together. But in the end, she’d gotten the ring and Tiffany got the boot.

  For the first time, she had the kind of life she’d always dreamed about.

  The phone’s shrill ring jerked Jody out of sleep. She untangled herself from Nolan, who groaned. The alarm clock on the bedside table read twenty after ten.

  “Hello?” Her brain felt like mush. “This is Jody.”

  Everything from Nolan to the soft mattress under her disappeared as the voice on the other end of the line spoke. She couldn’t even look at Nolan when he touched her side.

  “Okay. Oh. Okay. Um, thanks, I think.” The phone fell from her grasp onto the bed. Her breath caught in her throat.

  “Jody, what?” Nolan pushed away the comforter and took her by the shoulders. “What did they say?”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Jody climbed out of the truck into Will’s yard where she’d parked next to Faith’s SUV. Her brothers waited under the shade of the porch roof, but even with a small distance between them, she caught the trepidation on their faces. Worry for her.

  Her heart galloped like a runaway horse, even when Nolan took her hand. They walked up the ramp together as Jessi stepped out of the house, followed by Faith.

  Jessi’s teal eyes searched Jody’s face, but she didn’t say anything as she placed her hand on Will’s shoulder.

  He looked up at her and covered her hand with his. “So? You two gonna say anything or you want to play charades?”

  “Will’s not much for guessing games.” Luke rose from his chair and gave it to his wife. He moved to stand behind her, hands on her shoulders. “Guess we’re all anxious to hear the news.”

  The kids were in school, leaving the six adults to share the outcome of her phone call.

  “I didn’t want to send a text. That seems so impersonal.” Jody gave Nolan’s hand a squeeze. “It scared the shit out of me when the phone rang. I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to go back to sleep. Maybe not without dreaming about it.”

  “You going to tell us before poor Faith has that baby?” Will narrowed his eyes at her. “Spit it out already.”

  “You guys are going to hate me.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Remember how I told you I got hung up on Splash a couple of months ago?”

  Luke nodded. “And you were too dumb—or maybe too proud—to see a doctor?”

  Her face warmed. “Whatever. It was a torn muscle, okay? I could still get around.”

  “So…” Will rolled his hand. “Keep going.”

  “So there’s this thing called fat necropsy, which means all these cells die and they form a lump because they can’t get any oxygen. The body doesn’t have the means to carry them away, so they stay.”

  “That’s it?” Faith’s eyes widened. “It’s not cancer?”

  “Definitely not cancer.” Jody grinned at them. “I spoke to the doctor. She said given time, it’ll go away on its own. Apparently, it’s not too uncommon and it’s usually something that happens after surgery, although trauma can cause it.”

  Will let out a big sigh. “Dammit, don’t scare us like that again.”

  Jessi moved forward and pulled Jody into a hug. “I’m happy for you.”

  “It’s a relief to have an answer. I wish I hadn’t burdened you guys with this. I’m sorry I scared you.” She pulled away from Jessi and bent next to Will. “But, hey, what are little sisters for?”

  He held out his arms and she leaned into his embrace. “We got this taken care of, don’t we? I’m glad you’re with Nolan. He’s good for you. So be good to him. And this thing with Joy. We’ll make sure she’s okay too.”

/>   She gave him a shaky smile. “God, I hope so.”

  “Luke’s back to the doctor’s office tomorrow for those blood tests. No big deal. We’ll have her feeling better in no time.”

  “You bet.” Luke grabbed Jody away from Will. He hooked his arm over her shoulders. “We’re too stubborn to quit. Just because you’ve got one last name, Will has another, and I’ve got something different, just like Joy, well, she’s still one of us.”

  Happiness and sadness warred inside her. Glad for her own escape from bad news, but no one could guarantee Joy would be all right. “All we can do is wait and see. And hope.”

  In a hundred years, she’d never imagined she’d welcome her brothers’ affectionate hugs. But then, she’d never intended to get so close to them…or to feel like she needed them. Or Nolan.

  He’d settled on the porch rail and looked completely at home here with her family.

  Jessi took her seat beside Will. “When is Joy coming to see us?”

  “This weekend. Brandon and Danica want to meet Luke. They couldn’t wait.” Jody dropped her gaze. “I hope you guys don’t mind it’s so soon. There’s a lot going on. It makes my head spin. I still don’t know how to explain why she couldn’t stay with me.”

  “It might take her a while to understand. Who knows how long,” Faith said. “But she won’t hate you, Jody. She has a good life with her adopted parents. Now she has a bonus mom.”

  Jody moved to stand beside Nolan. “I’m no kind of mom.”

  He placed his hand on the small of her back. “You’d be great at it. Casey enjoyed our night at the movies. Until…you know. She loved you. Joy will too.”

  If only she felt as confident as they sounded. “I guess we’ll see. Maybe I shouldn’t tell her right now. She needs to concentrate on positive things.”

  “What could be better than knowing a whole bunch of family is pulling for her?” Jessi gave Jody a beaming smile. “She’s an only child, right? That can be a lonely existence. She’ll know she has cousins and aunts and uncles. I bet she’d love it.”