Cupid to the Rescue: A Tail-Wagging Valentine's Day Anthology

by Lisa Mondello

  Jenny stayed beside him until the nurses came with a gurney to take him to his room.

  “You can go up with him if you want,” one of the nurses said.

  “No, it’s unlikely he'll wake up. It's late, I’ll head for home.” Jenny gave Tucker’s hand one last squeeze and leaned over brushing her lips against his cheek. “I’d love to share that house with you, Tucker Mason. I love you,” she whispered.

  As she left, she smiled at the nurses. “Take good care of him.”

  Valentine’s Rescue: Chapter 12

  Jenny and Val arrived at the hospital promptly at ten the next morning. She was anxious to see Tucker and make sure there were no surprises during the night.

  Getting directions to his room, she headed for the elevators. When she arrived on the second floor, she noticed his door was wide open. Stepping inside the room, she saw him fully dressed in the clothes he’d worn last night, blood stains visible on the shirt and his jacket. He stood by the window, looking out.

  “You ready to go?” she asked.

  He turned and smiled when he saw her.

  “Ready.” He picked up some papers on the table beside the bed and walked over to her.

  “Thanks for coming. You could have had MacKay send one of the men.”

  “I called him last night or rather early this morning, I guess, to let him know about the accident. He offered to come in himself, but I said I was closer and would be coming. He’ll be there when you get home and you’re not to work until a doctor gives you a total release.”

  “Naw, I’m fine.”

  “Headache gone?” she asked as they began walking down the hall.

  “Mr. Mason, wait,” the charge nurse called him from the desk.

  He turned.

  “We need to get you a wheelchair.”

  “I don’t think so,” he said. “Thanks for all your care, but I’m fine.”

  He took Jenny’s arm gently and walked quickly to the elevator. Luckily the doors opened immediately, and he wasted no time in stepping inside and closing the doors.

  “It’s standard hospital procedure,” Jenny murmured. She was amused at Tucker’s reluctance to wait for the wheelchair.

  “Maybe, but I don't want to be pushed like a baby.”

  “Headache gone?”

  “No, but it's not as bad as last night. And I feel stiff all over.”

  “You were lucky.”

  “Yeah, so I've been told. The other guy's more messed up.”

  “So no complications?”

  “None, but the doctor said to take it easy for a few days. Nothing to jar my head.”

  “Sensible precaution.”

  Once they were in Jenny’s jeep and heading back toward Wild Cat Creek, he looked at her.

  “I appreciate the ride. Do you know where the ranch is?”

  “No, only what you said before, about it’s being on the other side of town. You’ll have to direct me. Tell me what you remember about last night.”

  “I was almost through town. The light at the corner of Third and Main just changed green and I was going through the intersection when a car slammed into my side of the truck, knocked me halfway down Third Street.”

  “Tal said it was a drunk driver.”

  “Yeah and I hope he throws the book at him.”

  “Me, too. I’m glad you weren’t hurt more than you are.”

  “My truck’s gone, though. I liked that truck.”

  “You can get another one. There won’t ever be another Tucker Mason.”

  He nodded. “I guess.”

  They drove in silence for a while.

  “At least I get to see the house on the ranch,” she said after a moment.

  He looked at her sharply. “What house?”

  “The one you asked me to share with you,” she replied in a teasing tone. Did he remember saying that last night while doped up on medication?

  She secretly hoped he’d issue the invitation again now that he wasn’t doped up.

  “I didn’t,” he groaned, rubbing his hand over his face.

  “So, you didn’t mean it?” she teased, though her heart was sinking.

  He looked at her. “Did you mean what you said before you left last night?”

  It was Jenny’s turn to look at him. Turning back to the road, she could feel heat rise in her cheeks.

  “I thought you were asleep,” she said.

  “I thought I was dreaming. Did you mean it?” he persisted.

  “And if I did?”

  He gave a whoop and reached out to take her hand. “Pull over.”

  Her heart pounding, she checked for traffic and pulled off onto the shoulder of the road.

  As soon as she put the jeep in park, Tucker leaned across and kissed her.

  “I heard you last night and wanted to respond. But I was too far gone with the pain meds. I love you, Jenny Schofield. I love every bit about you from your determination, to your sweetness, to your loyalty, to everything!”

  “I love you too Tucker Mason,” she said breathlessly, her eyes sparkling.

  Val barked from the backseat.

  “I come with baggage,” she reminded him. “No telling when I’ll freak out, as Sadie puts it.”

  “I think between Val and me we can manage anything you throw at us, right boy?”

  Val barked again in affirmation.

  Jenny laughed.

  “I'm thinking parked on the side of the road isn't the best place for this,” she said, giving him a quick kiss.

  “You may be right, but it's important.”

  She nodded and put the car in gear, pulling safely out on the highway.

  “I called my mom this morning,” Tuck said. “Turns out almost being killed in a car crash had me thinking about what you'd said. So I called.”

  “I'm hoping it went well?” she asked.

  “Yeah. She was glad to hear from me. More than glad, I guess. She started crying.”

  “Well what did you expect? She was probably so happy her baby called her.”

  Tuck gave her a look and Jenny giggled. A big muscular cowboy like Tuck was hard to envision as a baby.

  “Are you going to see them?” she asked.

  “Yeah. We talked about it.” He was silent for a moment. “Want to go to Texas with me?”

  Jenny threw him a glance, panic threatening. She took a deep breath. “Thanks for the invitation, but I don't even go see my own mom. Flying to Texas isn't something I can do.”

  The mere thought of being confined in a metal tube flying through the air for hours almost had her melt down in the car.

  “I caught up on some of the news of my brothers. And an interesting tidbit—Trish and Aaron got divorced less than two years into their marriage.”

  “Sounds like that Trish isn't too good with relationships and how they should work. Or commitment.”

  When they reached Wild Cat Creek, Tuck directed her through town and to the road that led to the Bar 7. Before long they arrived at the ranch. Following his instructions, Jenny drove to the bunkhouse before stopping.

  “So you start your new assignment tomorrow, right?” he said.

  She nodded. “I'll be there at least a week. One of the grandmothers arrives next weekend. So if the baby's okay by then, I'll be finished.”

  “The doctor told me to take it easy, so if I get the time from MacKay, I thought I'd take the next few days and head for Texas.”

  She nodded. It made sense. But for a moment, she felt disappointed. She wanted more time with him right now! She loved him, he said he loved her. She hardly had time to bask in his declaration before she had to deal with him taking off to the place where his first love lived. Jenny sighed softly and smiled, though it took a lot of effort. He said his home was now in Wild Cat Creek. But would Texas prove too alluring?

  “Call me when you get there, so I know you got there safely,” she said. She wouldn't try to change his mind. She was glad he reconnected with his family. She bet they missed him these
last few years.

  He cradled her head in his hands and kissed her. “I love you, Jenny.”

  She smiled and tried to keep from showing her sadness he was leaving. “I love you, too, Tuck. Come home soon.”

  Valentine’s Rescue: Chapter 13

  Jenny arrived at the Perkins's home Monday morning to be there when Evie Perkins and her newborn daughter Annie arrived. The young husband had to go to work and was reluctant to leave even after Jenny assured him she had everything under control. She had the instructions from Evie's doctor and the pediatrician. Her duties would be more monitoring than anything else.

  Annie was adorable. She slept more than anything. She wasn't very fussy when she woke, but that could be because Jenny picked her up at the first sign she was awake. Changing and feeding her, she rocked the infant until she slipped back to sleep.

  Evie primarily needed rest and was able to take long naps both morning and afternoon. She made an effort to spend time with her daughter when she was awake, but following doctor's orders, she slept whenever she felt tired.

  Because Jim Perkins, the new father, had to leave early each morning and didn't return until almost time for dinner, Jenny had no free time during the day. She wanted to buy a mobile phone as Tuck had suggested, but so far had no chance to go shopping. Once she had a little time, she'd dash out and buy one. Then she and Tuck could talk during her free time even when on assignment.

  The second evening she asked permission to use the Perkins' phone to call Tuck. She didn't know if he'd already left for Texas. Permission was granted and she hurried to call before it got too late only to discover she'd left the paper with his number written on it at her cabin.

  “Blast it,” she murmured, after dumping her purse on her bed and searching through everything. “How could I not have brought that?” she asked Val.

  The dog wagged his tail, his gaze focused on Jenny.

  She looked up the Bar 7 and called there, discovering Tuck had already left for Texas.

  “I told him he could recuperate as easily there as here and I wasn't letting him out on the range until his doctor said he was cleared,” Bill MacKay told her.

  Thanking the rancher, she hung up, wondering how his homecoming was going.

  The tiny nagging reminder that Trish was there, and single, kept popping up at the most inopportune times.

  He was over Trish. He'd moved on. He said he loved her, Jenny reminded herself even as her frustration with not being able to contact him rose.

  Annie's grandmother was due to arrive late Sunday afternoon. Jenny expected to return home Monday morning if the doctor gave Evie and Annie a release.

  Saturday morning, Jenny settled Annie for a morning nap, gave Jim instructions on what to do if the baby woke before she returned, and headed to the phone store. She hoped to have time to dash home to get Tuck's phone number as well once she bought her new cell phone.

  It was a hectic morning. There was a line at the store, then Jenny had to have the clerk show her how to operate the phone. It needed to be charged so she bought an automobile charger. She used the store's phone to check on Jim, then decided to dash home to get Tuck's number. The ride to and from the cabin should be enough to charge the battery so she could make a call.

  It was mid-afternoon by the time she returned to the Perkins' home. She arrived to a crying baby, a crying mother, and a frantic father. In less than ten minutes Jenny dealt with everything, putting both Evie and Annie down for naps and suggesting Jim take a walk outside to get some time to himself. Though cold, it was a nice winter's day. He could use the diversion.

  Once silence returned to the house, she phoned Tuck.

  To her disappointment, the call went to voice mail.

  “Hi Tuck. It's Jenny. I bought a cell phone like we talked about. I'm still at the Perkins' home in Coleville. But I'm probably heading for home Monday morning. Umm, call me. Unless I'm dealing with the baby or something, I should be able to talk.” She gave him her new phone number and then ended the call.

  “He wasn't there,” she told Val. “And with the way my luck is running this week, he'll call back when I'm feeding or changing Annie. Oh well, we'll just have to deal with that when the time comes.”

  Jenny began to get concerned when she prepared for bed and still hadn't heard back from Tuck. Was he so busy he couldn't call her back? Or had returning home changed his mind about things?

  Sunday morning when she had a moment Jenny called Sadie to see how the elderly woman was doing. Her former patient was as feisty as ever already talking about how soon she could return to church. Her friend MaryLou was planning to take her until she could drive again.

  “And how's that cowboy of yours?” Sadie asked at one point.

  “He's in Texas,” Jenny said, trying to keep her voice even. She really wanted Sadie to say something to help her not feel so uncertain about things.

  “He went to visit family I suppose. Didn't he ask you to go with him?”

  “Actually, he did. But I said no.”

  “Then that's on you. He obviously wanted to introduce you to his family.”

  Jenny hadn't considered that. They hadn't known each other for long, though she knew she loved him. And he'd said he loved her. She almost blurted it out to Sadie, but wanting to hug the secret close, she held back. Besides, what if he didn't return?

  “I don't know about that,” she said.

  “From the way he looks at you, I'm sure that's what he wanted. Next time he asks, say yes.”

  Jenny agreed, smiling at Sadie's push for matchmaking. If she could get over her fear of flying, that is. They chatted a few more minutes and Jenny gave Sadie her new phone number. She couldn't get service at her home, but would get it at most places she worked. She didn't want to lose touch with Sadie.

  Next she called her friend Darcy. She hadn't talked with her in a week and wanted to give her friend the new phone number.

  “Where have you been?” Darcy said as soon as she recognized Jenny's voice. “I've been calling you for days. Where are you?”

  “On a job in Coleville. And I got a cell phone so I’m calling you from my job. What's up?”

  “Julie Anne, eight pounds four ounces, born Monday. I can't believe my best friend didn't even know my baby's born.”

  “That's fabulous. Oh, I wish I'd known earlier! Tuck was right, I needed a cell phone. Now when I'm home you can call me there or if I'm on a job not in the boonies of Wyoming, you can reach me. Tell me all about her. You're home already, right?”

  Darcy told her about dashing to the hospital, how the baby was almost born before they got there and how delighted the whole family was to welcome a sweet baby girl.

  For the first time ever, Jenny began to think about settling down getting married and having a baby of her own one of these days. Could she master her PTSD in order to be a good mother?

  She was doing well, so far, with little Annie. She was the first baby she'd worked with since training days and she loved every moment.

  As if thinking of the baby woke her, Jenny suddenly heard her fussing on the monitor. She told Darcy she'd call again in a couple of days and be over to see Julie as soon as this assignment ended.

  Dashing in to get the baby, she swiftly changed her and went to prepare a bottle. Jim and Evie were in the living room and she carried their daughter in to them.

  It was late when Jenny checked her phone. She saw she had a message from Tuck; it had come when she'd been talking with Darcy.

  He merely said he was returning her call.

  She tried his number and again it went to voicemail. It was Sunday evening, where could he be? She disconnected without leaving any message. What could she say?

  After the doctor's visit on Monday, both mother and child were declared doing well enough to dispense with a nurse at home. The grandmother was given instructions on things to watch for, and all the emergency numbers.

  Happy for the new family, Jenny packed up her things and headed for home.
<
br />   When she drew near the cabin, she saw a large black pickup truck sitting there. She hurried to pull into her normal place and threw open the door, beating Val out of the jeep.

  Tuck stood by the truck and started toward her as she ran to greet him. His open arms welcomed her when she threw herself into them. Val barked.

  “I'm so glad to see you!” she said, hugging him tightly.

  He picked her up and spun her around, kissing her, hugging her tightly. “I took a chance you'd be coming this morning as you said. I was just about to give up.”

  She gazed up into his dear eyes. “I'm so happy to see you. I was afraid you'd be so glad to be in Texas you'd stay,” she confessed shyly.

  He put her back on the ground, brushed her hair away from her face and gazed into her eyes. “No way, sweetheart. You're here, not there. Of course I came back. Plus, my job's here, not in Texas.”

  “I know, but your family's there, the ranch you grew up on.” She didn't say it, but she also thought Trish was there.

  “I know and I was glad to see everyone. But it's not home anymore. This is home. Where you are is home.” He kissed her gently.

  The words warmed her heart. Her worries of the last few days had been needless.

  She studied the man she’d fallen in love with. She could picture the future, the two of them complimenting each other, completing each other, loving and supporting each other for all time. Happiness seeped into every bit of her like melting snow. She knew she’d love him all her days.

  “Come in and tell me all about your visit,” she invited, her arms still around his neck.

  “In a second.” He gathered her close for another kiss.

  Val lay down with a soft chuff, his eyes on the kissing couple. Was he thinking back to the day he rescued the cowboy? Slowly his tail began to wag.

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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