Brady had already been reasonably certain that she hadn't been, but hearing the doctor confirm it was a huge relief. He just couldn't imagine Jessie going through that horror. Kayla put her arms around him and gave him a hard hug.
"Thank God," she whispered.
Brady had to wait a while, but he finally got to go into Jessie's room. His heart ached at the sight of her bruised, swollen face and tubes hooked up to her, monitors beeping. He sat in a chair beside the bed and stroked her hand until she opened her eyes and looked fuzzily at him.
"Brady," she said in a whisper.
"Jessie, you sure know how to scare a guy. Thank God it didn't take us a minute longer."
"Did they get him?"
Brady nodded. "They sure did. He won't be out of a cell for a very long time."
Her eyes closed. "Good."
She dozed off for a few minutes, and then her eyes opened again. "Brady."
"Shh, you don't need to talk. Just rest."
"No, I…need to tell you something."
"Okay, I'm here. Take your time."
"Brady…I love you so much."
He gave her a tender smile and said, "I know."
Jessie looked confused. "You do?"
"Yes. I could always feel it, even if you didn't say it. I love you, Jessie Mills. More than you'll ever know."
"Oh. Good. I can sleep now." Her eyes flew open again. "Indy!"
"Indy is just fine. She has bruised ribs and shoulder, but nothing is broken. She'll just be a little sore for a while."
For a moment, the horror showed on her face. "He hit her with a baseball bat. I thought he killed her."
"Not a chance. She'll be back to her normal self in a few days. Red stayed with her until the vet got there. He came himself."
There was a little smile on her battered face when she fell asleep.
Chapter 21
Jessie spent two days in the hospital before they let her go home. Indy cried like a puppy when she came through the door. The dog wriggled and whimpered with joy, pressing close to her legs. Brady helped Jessie sit down in her comfortable old recliner so that she could pet and fuss over her dog. Then she looked around her living room with a sigh and a smile.
"It's so good to be back home. I was afraid I'd never see this place again."
Brady gave her a ferocious scowl. "That's enough of that kind of talk. You're back home where you belong, and you're safe. Indy's fine, you'll be fine soon, and I can't wait until you are. I miss your cooking."
Jessie winced when he made her laugh. "Oh, Brady, don't make me laugh."
He crouched down beside her and kissed her carefully. "Sorry, I'll try to remember. Anyway, Kayla and the ladies from church have filled up the refrigerator with food that I just have to warm up. It's not as good as yours, but it's not bad. We're definitely not going to go hungry."
"Gosh, that was so nice of them. I have to thank them," Jessie said, ending with a big yawn.
"Let's get your boots off. Do you want to change clothes?" Brady knelt in front of her and took off her boots.
"Yes, and then I think I'll take a nap right here in this chair."
Brady insisted on helping her change, and then he helped her back to the recliner, fussing over her like a mother hen.
Once she was settled in the chair, with a throw draped over her, Jessie said, "You know, Brady, I'm not in such bad shape that you have to help me with everything. Don't you have chores to do or something?"
"Oh, fine, you're trying to get rid of me already?"
Jessie grinned at him and said, "I'm pretty sure I can lie here and sleep without you."
Brady studied her for a moment and then said, "Okay, I can take a hint. You want anything? Something to drink? Something to eat?"
"I just want to sleep. You could bring me a bottle of water, then I'll have it if I want it."
Brady set a bottle of water on the table beside her. "Okay, there's your water, right beside your phone. Sure you don't need anything else?"
Jessie's eyes were already heavy. "Huh uh, I'm fine."
"Okay, call me if you need anything." But she was already asleep.
Brady stood watching her for a few minutes, silently thanking God once again. Then he went out to do chores.
* * *
Jessie recovered more quickly than Brady had believed she could and was soon cooking for them again. She wasn't allowed to ride yet, and her ribs still ached a little, but she was back to taking care of her chickens and sometimes she rode the four-wheeler out with Brady. Pete and Linda had come to visit, bringing a pot of Linda's venison chili. They didn't stay long, but Jessie was touched by their visit.
Brady had been sleeping in his old room so he wouldn't jostle Jessie's broken ribs, and one evening after supper, Jessie disappeared into the bedroom for a while. Brady was sitting on the couch, beginning to wonder where she had gone, when she walked back into the living room. Brady looked up, and his mouth dropped open. Jessie was standing there, completely naked. She crooked her finger at him, and he rose slowly from the couch and then crossed the room in three long strides. He put his arms around her, and she raised her face for a kiss.
"It's about time," Jessie said huskily.
His answer was an incoherent moan as he stroked her soft skin and buried his face in her neck. Jessie was busily unbuttoning his shirt and then unbuckling his belt and unzipping his jeans. Brady took hold of her hands and stopped her.
"Jess, are you sure? Won't I hurt you?"
Her answer was an exasperated sigh and then a little chuckle. "Not as long as you leave that paddle on the hook where it belongs."
It surprised a laugh out of him, and without another word, he lifted her off her feet and carried her to the bedroom. It took him only seconds to be out of his clothes, and he stood for a moment, gazing at her lovely, bare body, stretched out on the bed. He lay down beside her and caressed her with light, questing fingers and mouth. Jessie writhed under his skillful caresses, and when he entered her, he was careful not to put his weight on her.
Brady made love to her with slow, deep strokes, and Jessie felt the exquisite pressure building and building in a slow, warm wave. When the wave broke, she cried out, wracked with long shudders of pleasure. She felt Brady throb inside her, and he gave a hoarse cry as he came. He was still holding his weight off her and he rolled to his side, holding her close to him.
"Brady."
"Yes?"
"What the hell took you so long?"
"What? I thought I'd hurt you."
Jessie gave a satisfied little chuckle. "Guess what? That didn't hurt a bit. Even though I had to coax you into it."
"Well, now I know, huh?"
"Yes. And now you know I'm not going to break and you're not going to hurt me. I'm a little sore still, and that's all. And it's certainly not bad enough to warrant giving up sex."
"Yes, ma'am. I aim to please."
"Brady, do you remember when I told you I had something to talk to you about? Before all the bad stuff happened?"
Slowly, Brady said, "Yeah, now that you mention it, I do."
"Well, I already talked to you about it."
Mystified, Brady said, "You did?"
"Yes. At the hospital. And after all the worrying I did about it, you told me that you already knew."
Brady began to smile. "Ah, now I know what you're talking about. I didn't think you remembered that. You were on pain meds."
"I remember." She laid her head in the hollow of his shoulder. "I love you, Brady Jensen."
"And I love you, Jessie Mills."
"That's good. Because I don't want you to leave."
"That's good. Because I don't want to leave."
Jessie asked, "You promise?"
"On one condition," Brady said.
"What condition?"
"Marry me, Jessie. Will you marry me?"
"Hmm. Depends."
Brady propped himself up on his elbow and stared at her. "Depends on what?"
"On what the rules are."
After one moment of shocked silence, Brady burst out laughing. "We'll decide that when we're ready. Will you? Will you marry me?"
"Yes, I have to."
Brady was still staring at her. "Why do you have to?"
"Because they've got a pool at the Rusty Spur, selling chances on who guesses the date that we'll get married."
Brady was speechless.
"And because I love you, and nothing in this world would make me happier than to marry you."
When they surfaced from the kiss, Jessie grinned. "Kayla's going to say I told you so."
Brady laughed. "So is Mom."
That night, Jessie dreamed of Jake. He was smiling and he said, "You're okay. Thank God you're okay."
"Jake, I need something from you."
"What is it?"
"Your blessing. I'm going to marry Brady."
Her brother's smile widened. "I knew that. You've always had my blessing. I love you, Jess. Be happy."
"I love you too, Jake. Hugs."
"Kisses." He faded away as he spoke.
Jessie smiled in her sleep and snuggled closer to her man.
The End
Kat Carrington
Hi! I’m Kat Carrington and I write romance; sweet, spicy romance with happy ever after endings. I’m a grandmother and I’m having the time of my life letting my imagination go and telling the kind of stories that I like to read. And it’s been a wonderful bonus to find out that other people like to read them too.
I was born and raised in Indiana where I raised my kids and welcomed the most amazing people into my life, my grandchildren. Having grandchildren is my greatest blessing. I’m living now in South Carolina with my always supportive hubby.
From the time I learned to read, there was always a book in my hands. After I consumed all the fiction in my elementary school library I moved on to biographies, which I found to be endlessly fascinating. Once I retired and we moved south I discovered that I was ready for a new venture. I thought back to when I was in fifth grade and sat for hours at a time at my dad’s big desk writing stories with a pencil on notebook paper. One day I opened my laptop and started a story.
That first book took nearly two years to write. I’d write for a while, then forget all about it for a while. Somewhere along the way it changed from a whim to a real story that I had to finish. And that’s when Blushing Books changed my whole life. My book was accepted for publication and was released on May 29, 2019. Boone Beginnings is the fourth book of that series, A Strong Man’s Hand, and in April the first book of a new series is coming. Writing is now part of my life and I hope you all enjoy my stories and the characters I keep falling in love with.
Don’t miss these exciting titles by Kat Carrington and Blushing Books!
A Strong Man’s Hand
Maggie’s Match
Shelby’s Secrets
Surviving Savannah
Boone Beginnings
Dusty Dreams Ranch
Jessie’s Dusty Dreams
Blushing Books
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