by Sable Hunter
“Oh, I’m sorry. What seemed to be the problem?” Delaney made sure she showed the proper amount of concern.
Her interest pacified John. “Oh, I don’t know. Bad dreams.”
“When I looked in on you this morning, you were sleeping like a baby.”
“Why is Dad the only one you looked in on?”
Crash!
His question caused Delaney to drop her coffee mug. “Dang it!” Flustered, she bent to pick up the mess without thinking. In her haste she mishandled one of the sharp shards and cut her finger. Instantly, she knew she’d messed up. “Oh, great.” As normal for her, the blood began to flow, and she knew staunching it would be an ordeal.
Jonah, seeing her predicament, came to help. “Stand up. Let’s get some paper towels.”
She stood over the sink, waiting for him to hand her something to hold over the small wound. “It’ll be okay.”
Stepping near, he brought the wad of towels to press onto her palm. “Hurt?”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Is she all right?” John asked, standing in concern.
“She’s good. It’s just a small cut,” Jonah answered, keeping pressure on the spot.
“I’ve got it,” Delaney told him. “You two sit down and eat your food.”
John did as she asked, but Jonah refused to leave her. Standing this near to him made her dizzy – or maybe it was the bleeding – she couldn’t be sure.
Leaning into her, he was aware of the close proximity of their bodies. Memories from the night before came flooding back. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I don’t know if you came to the door this morning or not. When I was in the shower, the memory came to me. I probably dreamt it.”
Delaney didn’t know what to say. “Well…” In the spirit of getting to know one another she confessed. “Yea, I looked in on you. You were snoring like a sawmill.”
“I was not. I don’t snore.”
She laughed. “I’m just kidding. You were sleeping peacefully.”
“Yea. I slept good last night.” Jonah noticed the paper towels were soaked. “You’re bleeding an awfully lot.”
“I know.” She didn’t want to do it, but he probably should know. “If you would, go up to my room and look in the bag in the closet. Bring me this quilted organizer thing, there’s medicine in there I should take.”
“On it.” Without asking more questions, he took off to find what she needed.
“Are you all right, Miss Margaret?”
“I am. I just need a dose of Stimate, and I’ll be good as new.” She’d given herself one yesterday, but to be on the safe side, she’d administer another.”
John continued on with his breakfast, slipping the animals an occasional bite. He looked up when his son returned with the item in hand for Delaney. “What’s that?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted, even as he unzipped the bag. “What is this? What can I do?”
“Hand me the spray, I took a shot yesterday. Combined, they should stop the bleeding soon.
Jonah was troubled by the amount of blood he saw. Having seen most everything in the service, he quickly came to a conclusion. “Do you have hemophilia, Delaney?”
She inhaled two puffs of the spray, then huffed out a breath. “Yes. Regrettably. Bane of my existence.”
“Damn, baby. This is dangerous.”
“Oh, I can control it with the medicine. I always have.” She gave him a small smile. “So much for getting to know me, huh? I’m sure this isn’t what you had in mind.”
Jonah gave her a hard look. “Are you kidding? This is exactly the things we should know about one another. How to keep each other safe is important.” He took the medicine and returned it to the bag. “Just hold on. I’ll go get my first-aid kit.”
Delaney checked the wound, noticing that it was still bleeding. “Maybe the flow has let up a little bit.” She wrapped it once more, then held it up so she could clean the sink with some bleach and dishwashing soap. By the time she was finished, Jonah was back. Without missing a beat, he took charge, cleansing and prepping the small wound to be bandaged. “There.”
“Good. I think I’ll live.” She gave him a dazzling smile. “What a drag, huh? I’d better be more careful.”
“You certainly should – but it wasn’t a drag.” He let out a long breath. “Now, let’s eat.” Taking her arm, he helped her to sit, then proceeded to fix a plate for her. “So, what’s on the agenda for the day?”
“I don’t know,” Delaney answered as she dipped her fork in the milky gravy. “Is there anything you’d like to do, Mr. John?”
“Well, yea. I need my eye patch and I’d like a newspaper. You know I enjoy reading the obituaries and the personals.”
Jonah hid a smile, giving Delaney a wink. “Well, those are reasonable requests.”
“Yes, they are,” she assured them. “We’ll get on those chores right after breakfast.” Focusing on the handsome man who’d haunted her dreams, she met his warm gaze. “What about you? What’s your plan for the day?” She could barely take her eyes off of him. He wore another of his black sleeveless tanks that hugged his body as tightly as she’d like to. He had several, she’d seen them in the laundry.
“Hmmm. I have an engine to overhaul and I’m also starting to rebuild the McCoy truck. I’ve ordered some parts for it that should come in today or tomorrow.” He kept his eyes locked with hers. “How about a walk after supper tonight?”
She glanced at his father. “All three of us?”
“Sure. If we take Rufus along, he and Dad can watch the fish jump.”
John clapped his hands together once. “Why, I could take my fishing pole.”
“Yes, you could.” Jonah seemed to like the idea. “The next time you two go out, why don’t you take Dad’s pick-up. It needs to be driven.”
“I can drive,” John spoke up.
“You’d better let Delaney behind the wheel. You can ride shotgun,” Jonah told his father.
“I can drive,” John grumbled. “Who do you think taught you, sonny-boy?”
“You did. I know that.” He stood and nodded toward the door. “Walk me out, pretty-girl?”
“Pretty girl? Did you hear that, Tommy?” John picked up the cat to give him a pat or two. “I think somebody’s flirting with somebody.”
Jonah shook his head, telling Delaney without words to ignore the older man’s jibe. Once they neared the door, he caught her arm. “Are you okay?” he checked himself, lifting the bandage slightly. “Looks like the bleeding has almost stopped.”
“Yes, I’m good. Thank you for your help.”
“You’re most welcome.” He cupped the side of her face. “Take it easy today. We can have sandwiches or something simple for supper. Watch some television.”
“We’ll be fine. I’m going to sew his eyepatch. Would you know where some leather cord would be? I bought a thick vinyl sheet for the patch itself.”
He thought a minute. “There’s a small room at the end of the hall upstairs. Dad used to have his office up there. I think there’s some cord in the filing cabinet. He used to use it to braid keychains.” He snapped his finger. “Which reminds me, the key to his truck is up there too, in the top drawer of the desk. I used to hide it from him. He would sneak off every chance he got – so you’ve been warned. I doubt he even remembers how to drive but be careful. He’s a sly one.”
“Okay. I will.”
Moving toward her slightly, he gently pressed her to the wall, then came to cover her body with his own. “No matter what I do today, you’ll be on my mind.”
His intensity made Delaney shiver. “I’ll be thinking of you too.”
“Good, that’s what I needed to hear.” He bent his head and rubbed his lips gently over hers. “Can I kiss you? A real kiss?”
“Please.”
“Oh, baby. It’ll be my pleasure.” He crashed his mouth to hers and drank of her sweetness. When she tangle
d her fingers in his long hair, Jonah moaned in ecstasy. Continuing the kiss, he pressed his lower body as close to hers as he could get. “I want you. I want you more than anything.”
Delaney wanted him too. So much. Yet, she knew if she said so now, he’d carry her upstairs and they’d make love the rest of the day. Placing one hand on his chest, she exerted the tiniest amount of pressure. “I look forward to our walk.”
Jonah shut his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. “Me too. I look forward to every minute we’re going to spend together in the days to come.”
One more quick hard kiss and he was gone.
Delaney placed one hand over her heart and smiled.
* * *
“Where are you going?” John asked her, trailing along behind her in the wake of the dog and the cat.
“Upstairs to find the cord to make your eye patch.” She felt like she was leading a small, strange parade. “I’m also going to look for your truck keys. We’ll take a ride later to get a newspaper for you. If you like, I thought we’d get a DQ blizzard while we’re out. What’s Jonah’s favorite flavor?”
“Huh. I like M&M and he’s all about the Oreo. Oreo this and Oreo that.”
This amused Delaney. “Okay. I get the picture. I’ll have to make him some Oreo truffles as a surprise.”
“What’s that?”
“Crushed Oreo cookies mixed with cream cheese, rolled into balls, and dipped in melted chocolate.”
“Hmmm. That sounds yummy.”
“They are.” Delaney flipped on the light at the top of the stairs. “Okay, let’s see what we can find.” The parade moved down the hall and into the last room on the right. She wiggled her nose. “This room needs a good dusting. I’ll have to take care of that.”
“This is my desk.” John went to sit in the rolling chair. “I used to take care of all my ordering and billing from here. Jonah uses some dumb computer that he keeps in the shop.”
“Things change fast, don’t they?” She opened the file cabinet drawer by drawer until she found the roll of leather cord. “Ah-ha! This will do nicely!” As she stood from her squat, she heard a drawer in the desk open.
“I have the keys to my truck.” He threw them up in the air and caught them. “Boy, I had some good times in that old pickup. Me and Cletus used to paint the town red.” John chuckled mischievously. “Claudette, she would get so jealous. That was one crazy woman.”
Bam! Bang! Crash!
Looking at one another in alarm, she hurried out of the room. “Come on, John.”
Together they made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen. When they arrived, Delaney was shocked to see several of the top cabinet doors were standing open. Broken glasses and cups were scattered on the floor. “How in the heck did this happen?”
“It wasn’t me.” John held up his hand.
“And it wasn’t the dog or the cat.” Delaney mused as she went to fetch the broom and dustpan. She intended to be careful this time. “I wonder if we’re having small earthquakes and just not noticing them.”
“That don’t look like no small earthquake to me.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Making sure John stayed out of the debris, she carefully swept it all up and threw it away. “I think Jonah’s right. We may have to buy new dishes.”
* * *
A little while later, John complained as he adjusted the eye patch, “I can’t see through it very good.”
“If I make the hole any bigger people will see your eyeball.” Delaney adjusted the strap around his head. “Besides, you look dashing. Like a cross between the Lone Ranger and a pirate.”
“I do?” This seemed to please him.
“You do.” She patted him on the chest. “Now that you’re all doozied up, let’s ride into town and buy some newspapers. Why don’t you have any delivered to the house?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I used to.” He rubbed his face. “Tell you the truth, I can’t remember why I stopped the subscription.”
“Well, that’s okay. If you take a notion to start it back, I’ll give them a call.” She turned down the setting on the crockpot full of stew, then found his truck keys and offered John her arm.
He frowned and pushed her arm away, then offered his own. “Let’s do this damn thing right.”
“Ha! Yes, sir.”
They marched out of the house together. When they came to his truck, he opened the driver’s side door for her, then ran around to climb in on the passenger side. While he was fastening his seat belt, she took the opportunity to look toward Jonah’s shop. She could see him carrying two tires, one on each arm. The sun was glinting on his golden skin, and she could see the bulging muscles of his biceps. That sexy mane of hair he wore like a Greek god hung to his shoulders with a few damp tendrils sticking to his neck. He was a strong man who worked for a living, and she thought she’d never seen anyone look so good.
“Are we going somewhere or we just going to sit here while you ogle my son?”
“Geesh,” she whispered, feeling odd at having been caught staring. “Let’s go.” She started the truck, put it into gear, then eased around in the drive. When she passed near to the mechanic shop, Jonah stopped to raise his hand in greeting. Delaney waved back, her heart skipping a beat. She was feeling things she never expected to feel.
During the drive to the convenience store, John kept up a stream of chatter. Some of it was completely sensible and some was right out of left field. She listened to him talk, commenting when it seemed appropriate.
“Look! There’s the armadillo house.” He pointed at a small stone structure near the side of the road.”
“What do you mean?” she asked with interest, thinking this might be one of his oddball comments.
“Years ago, this used to be an armadillo farm.”
“Where they raised armadillos?” She couldn’t imagine.
“Yea, they raised armadillos for their shells. They made baskets and purses out of them. The only such place in the world. It was a sight to see, it was.”
“I bet. That’s interesting.” When he reached up to scratch his shoulder, she remembered her intention to make a doctor’s appointment for his check-up. She also realized she needed to get a new phone. As far as she could tell, the other one was unfixable. “Can you help me remember something, John?”
Her request seemed to surprise him. “Well, I’ll try.”
“Okay, two things.” She held up one finger. “First, I need to pick me up a new phone. I can’t do it today because I don’t have enough money. But soon. Second.” She held up an additional finger. “We need to get Jonah to call and make you a doctor’s appointment at the VA. You need a checkup.”
“No!” he exploded. “No!”
Raising his fist, he hit the window so hard that Delaney feared he would break it.
“What’s wrong?”
“No! I won’t go to no damn doctor. Every time I do, they tell me bad things.” He took off his hat and held his head in his hands. “I’m sick. I’m losing my mind. I’m going to die. Soon.”
“No, that’s not true, John.” She slowed down, afraid of what he might do. “The only reason I want you to go to the doctor is for that rash, not for your condition. If you don’t want to go to the VA, we’ll make an appointment with someone local. We won’t say anything about the Alzheimer’s.”
An anguished moan tore from his lips. “Don’t say it! I may be crazy, but I know what that word means. I hate that word.”
“I’m sorry.” Delaney was at a loss. “Look, there’s the convenience store. We’ll get your newspapers.”
“I don’t want any papers. I want to go home. I want to go…” Again, he grasped his head, this time to tear at his hair.
“John, don’t. It’s okay. Look, I’ll get the papers and then we’ll go get a blizzard. Just the way we talked about. Okay?” She eased into the parking lot of the OK Food Store. “Just sit right here. I’ll buy one of each
newspaper they have.”
“I don’t care.”
“Yes, you do.” To be on the safe side, she took the keys with her. Keeping one eye on John and the truck, she quickly ran in to get change, then hurried out to buy the papers from the vending machines right in front of where she was parked. When she’d collected all that she thought he would want, she ran back to the truck. “Here you go. I got a good assortment.” She was glad to see he seemed calmer.
“Thanks.” John pulled the newspapers in his lap. “I can still read, you know.”
“Of course you can.” She knew her grandmother could read even when she’d lost the desire to speak. “Read me a few headlines while I drive to DQ. I think I saw one down here somewhere.”
He did as she asked, recounting mostly bad news. “Jobless Rate Rises. Storm Devastates Town. Train Derailed in North Texas.”
“Boy, that’s depressing. Do they still have cartoons?”
“I’m not sure.” He patted the paper. “Listen to this one. Missing Woman’s Car Found in Comfort.”
“I bet that’s the car Jonah picked up last night.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
As she and John looked at one another a cold wave of trepidation swept over Delaney. This was the feeling her grandmother identified as someone walking on her grave. “I wonder what happened to her.”
Chapter Six
“Missing Woman’s Car Found in Comfort.” John read the headline one more time, then folded the paper to stare out the window. “That could’ve been you, Miss Margaret.”
“I’m afraid you might be right.” Truthfully, she was a bit shaken at the idea. “But it wasn’t. I’m just sorry it happened to someone else.” Spotting the brightly colored oval sign ahead,” she announced in a cheerful voice, “Okay, there’s the Dairy Queen. Now, it’s M&M for you, Oreo for Jonah, and…hmmm…Brownie Batter for me.”
John laughed. “Sounds good.”
Delaney used the last of her money to buy the blizzards. Once the ice-cold treats were in their hands, they started home.
…At the shop, Jonah was whistling a tune as he poured some soap onto his damp hands. Rubbing them together, he worked up a lather. Today was not a day he wanted to have grease under his nails. Smiling, he thought of Delaney. He wondered what she and his Dad were up to about now. As he washed his hands, he gazed out the front bay. Damn if the sun wasn’t shining brighter than normal. Even the songs of the birds seemed sweeter. “Lordy, I got it bad.”