Jenna's Cowboys

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Jenna was warmed by Peter’s words even if he was making some assumptions about her relationship with Dillon and Cole. She could see that he loved Cole just from the way he looked at him. “They’re lucky to have someone like you to call family, Peter.”

  “That’s kind of you to say,” Peter said, startling Jenna again when she noticed the blush beneath his tan. “The little cusses sort of snuck into my heart when I wasn’t paying close enough attention, I guess.”

  “I know what you mean,” she said ruefully. “They seem to have a talent for that.”

  “So do you, little lady.”

  “I do?” she asked, stunned.

  Peter and Cole exchanged a look she couldn’t interpret. “Yup, you do,” Peter said, sounding a little choked.

  “Thank you, Peter,” she said tremulously, knowing somehow that this man did not take people under his wing lightly, and touched that he’d accepted her so quickly. She knew it was only because of Dillon and Cole, and maybe the babies too, but she didn’t care. She’d been alone too long to quibble about something like that. She tried to think of something to say to let him know how much she appreciated his acceptance. “Since you’re family, maybe you’d like to know whether there’ll be boys or girls making life more interesting in the not too distant future.”

  “I’d love to know that, Jenna,” Peter said, his warm brown eyes lighting up. Jenna looked up at Cole and nodded, giving him the honor of breaking the news that, until now, she’d only shared with Meg, Hank, Jack, Cole, and Dillon.

  “One of each, Peter,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “Ain’t that something?”

  “Hot damn!” Peter said, then blushed again. “Sorry about the language, Jenna.”

  “Don’t worry, Peter. The babies won’t be old enough to pick up bad habits for a while yet. Of course, once they are, I’m gonna set up swear jars. I figure there’ll be enough to pay for college by the time they’re five.”

  Peter and Cole both laughed, then Peter stepped closer to the sofa, nudged Cole out of the way and bent to kiss her on the top of her head. “These boys give you any trouble, you just let me know darlin’, ya hear? I’ve been keeping them in line for a long time and the fact that they’re both taller than me now don’t change a thing.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, Peter, thank you.”

  Cole looked down at Jenna and his smile slipped. “You need to lie down and get some rest now, baby. You’re color’s fading fast.”

  She nodded tiredly and didn’t protest when he helped her to lie back down. “I’m gonna go in the other room and talk with Peter, but if you need anything, you call me. Where’s your intercom?”

  She felt around and discovered it had slipped under the neck of her shirt. She pulled it out and showed it to him. “Got it.”

  After Cole and Peter left the living room, she relaxed on the sofa, her mind wandering as she stared out at a blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds and an occasional bird or two. Within moments her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

  Cole spoke with Peter for a few minutes about ranch business, then filled him in some on Jenna’s physical condition. He didn’t tell Peter all that had happened to her since he’d promised not to. He just told him that she’d been attacked with a knife, had heart damage as a result, and that she was having some problems because of it.

  Peter’s jaw tightened and his eyes darkened, telling Cole how close the older man was to fury. He waited quietly while Peter struggled to control his emotions.

  “That young lady has no idea how special she is,” he said finally, shaking his head almost imperceptibly. “Why is that, Cole?”

  “There’re a lot of reasons,” Cole said. “But a good part of it’s because the only person who ever loved her was her father, and he died eight years ago. She’s been alone and on her own since then.”

  “Damn,” Peter said hoarsely, then he cleared his throat. “Well, don’t you worry none. Jenna’s a whole helluva lot tougher than she looks. All you and Dillon gotta do is take real good care of her and things’ll end up just fine. You need anything, you just let me know.”

  “Thanks, Peter,” Cole said before stepping forward to give him a hug. “We’ll do that.”

  After Peter left, Cole went to the living room and found Jenna sleeping. He checked on her repeatedly as he tended to a few tasks around the house, glad to see her sleeping for so long. Doc had told them she’d need lots of sleep, and he was real happy she was getting it. He went in to tuck another light throw around her since the first one was in a ball she was hugging against her chest after turning over in her sleep. He watched her for a few minutes, just the sight of her in their home giving him a sense of peace he’d never known. Then he went up the hall to get some work done in the office. He left the door open and checked on her frequently, which made it hard to concentrate but he didn’t care. When he was finished reviewing one of the reports on his desk he got up to go check on her again.

  He’d just risen to his feet when the quiet of the morning was shattered by the sound of exploding glass and, in the distance, the unmistakable sound of gunfire. He raced up the long hall and into the living room, his blood running cold when he saw Jenna lying on her side, facing the back of the couch, just as he’d last seen her. There was no way she’d slept through the noise of half a wall of glass windows and doors being shot out, but she wasn’t moving at all.

  He stalked toward her, not even caring that he was in full view of whoever had shot the windows out. As he got closer to her he saw a rapidly growing bloodstain on the shoulder of her sleep shirt and ice filled his heart. A couple more steps and he could see the trembling of her body. It took a moment for it sink in that the trembling meant she wasn’t dead. He rushed the last few steps, keeping his body between her and the wall that was now half open to the outside. He bent down and scooped her up, then hurried across the living room and through the dining room, reaching the kitchen just as the front door banged open.

  “Cole!”

  Cole’s jaw tightened as he laid Jenna down on the kitchen table with the blanket still covering her from the waist down. There were no windows here save for the one over the sink which looked out on the front of the house, so they should be safe for the time being.

  “In here, Peter,” Cole shouted. Running footsteps, then harsh swearing that Cole barely heard as he tore the neck of Jenna’s sleep shirt across the shoulder and down the sleeve so he could see where the blood was coming from. Relief washed through him when he saw that it was a graze, though a serious one. It had taken out a strip of flesh across her upper arm just below the shoulder that was more than two inches long. It was deep enough that it would definitely need stitches, and it was bleeding heavily, but it could have been so much worse.

  “Cole?” Jenna asked so softly he barely heard her.

  “It’s not bad, honey,” he said, his eyes blazing with repressed fury though he kept his voice as gentle as he could for her sake. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

  She shook her head even as he began running his hands over her body while looking for more blood. “Peter, call Doc first. If he’s in Bizzby tell him we can fly Jenna in, or send the chopper for him, whichever he wants. Then call Luke, and Jag, too.” Relieved not to find blood anywhere else on her body, he hurried across the kitchen for a clean dishtowel. He wadded it up and pressed it against the wound on Jenna’s shoulder to try and slow the bleeding that had already soaked the upper portion of her sleep tee.

  “What about Dillon?”

  Cole hesitated, then shook his head. “No, he’ll race home as fast as he can and end up killing himself.”

  “Yeah, he will,” Peter agreed, fear spiking through him at the sight of Jenna’s blood soaking into the thickly wadded towel. He tore his eyes from the sight and left the kitchen to make the calls.

  Cole listened to Jenna’s breathing grow steadily faster and harsher while he held the towel against the wound. He tried to think of a way to calm her down before she wen
t into shock. “How’re the babies doing, Jenna?”

  “Okay,” she said shakily, one hand going to her stomach.

  “Are they hopping around?”

  “A little.”

  “You need to slow down your breathing, honey,” he said, working to keep his voice calm. “You’re gonna be fine. I promise.”

  Cole raised the makeshift bandage on her shoulder, saw it was still bleeding heavily and pressed it back into place. She was pale, and her pupils were dilated with fear, shock, or both, but the blue around her mouth wasn’t too bad so far.

  “How bad is it, really?” she asked, starting to shiver.

  “It’s a graze,” Cole said. “It’s a big one and I think Doc’ll wanna put stitches in it, but it’s not too serious. I bet it hurts though.”

  She nodded her head jerkily. “Cold,” she said through clenched teeth.

  Cole pulled the blanket up, covering her to her chin while still holding the towel against the wound. He stroked her hair with his free hand in an effort to calm both of them. He was becoming more and more concerned that she was going into shock but he didn’t know what to do about it.

  “Sheriff Luke’s on his way, so is Jag,” Peter said, entering the kitchen a few minutes later. “Doc was on his way into town so he was only about fifteen minutes out when I called him.” He checked his watch. “That was eight minutes ago.”

  Cole nodded with relief. “Grab me another clean towel, would you?”

  Peter went to the still open drawer and grabbed a handful of towels which he set on the table beside Jenna, trying not to notice how much blood she’d already lost. He wasn’t the least bit squeamish. He was just afraid for her, her babies, and the men he thought of as sons.

  “Thanks, Peter,” Cole said, dropping the bloodied towel to the floor before grabbing a clean one. “Please call the hangar and have the chopper warmed up, just in case. If Doc wants her in the hospital the chopper is the fastest way to get there.” Peter nodded, his fingers already dialing.

  Cole checked the bleeding again which, thankfully, had started slowing, but she was shivering harder than before and her teeth were chattering. He tugged the blanket up over her shoulder and pulled it snug to hold the towel in place. Then he scooped Jenna up off the table and held her close against his body, trying to share his warmth with her. He didn’t dare take her out of the kitchen until he knew the shooter was either caught, or gone, so he couldn’t put her into bed like he wanted and that only added to his fury. Jenna turned into him, pressing her face against his neck in a gesture of trust that helped to ease some of his anger and fear. Aside from the few words she’d spoken she’d been completely silent throughout the entire ordeal. She hadn’t screamed or cried or complained. So when she whimpered softly, just once, it scared the hell out of him. He tightened his hold on her and hoped Doc would get there soon.

  “What happened?” he asked when Peter finished his call to the hangar, fighting to keep his voice low and as gentle as possible for Jenna’s sake.

  “I’m not sure,” Peter said, his hands shaking as he ran them over his short hair. “I was standing outside the barn with some of the men when I heard gunshots and glass shattering. I sent every man on the place out to find whoever the hell was shooting, then ran up here. God, Cole, is she all right? Please tell me she’s gonna be okay.”

  “It’s just a graze Peter, she’s gonna be fine,” Cole said, suddenly worried about the older man. He was still out of breath and pale beneath his tan. “Don’t worry. We won’t let her be anything else.”

  Peter nodded and blew out a deep breath, his eyes touching on Jenna before rising to meet Cole’s. The light brown eyes Jenna had found so warm and gentle earlier went cold and hard, revealing the Navy SEAL he’d once been. “If I ever get my hands on whoever did this I’m gonna gut him, Cole. I swear I am.”

  “We’ll do it together,” Cole agreed. “You, me, and Dillon. But we gotta take care of Jenna first.” Peter’s nod was as good as a sworn oath.

  They both heard footsteps entering the house and Peter swung around and went to meet them. Seconds later Doc was there, his lined face worried and tense. He set a black bag down on the table, his eyes roving quickly over Jenna as he reached out to place his fingers against her neck. Cole realized he was checking to make sure Jenna was still alive when he let out a relieved sigh and began yanking his jacket off.

  “Tell me,” he ordered, spotting the blood soaked towel on the floor.

  Cole gave Doc a brief explanation of what happened. “We’re stuck in the kitchen until we know it’s safe but I can lay her on the table if you want. I’ve got the chopper warming up if you want to get to the hospital fast.”

  “Good thinking, Cole,” Doc said. “The table’s fine. Lay her down so I can see what needs to be done, then I’ll let you know if we need that chopper.” Cole nodded and laid Jenna back on the table while Doc opened his black bag and pulled out a few instruments.

  “Jenna,” he said, looking straight into her eyes. It took her a few moments to respond, but when she finally met his gaze he smiled faintly. “There you are. I need to check this injury on your arm, all right? You need to stay calm now. Don’t forget your breathing. Can you do that?” Jenna nodded, gripping Cole’s hand tightly.

  Doc pulled back the blanket and lifted the towel away. He examined the wound carefully, his touch light and gentle. “Cole’s right, it’s a flesh wound and he’s got most of the bleeding stopped,” he said, his tone relieved though the worry didn’t leave his eyes. “I’m gonna have to give you something for the pain before I clean it up. You’re gonna need a few stitches I’m afraid.”

  “No,” Jenna said, beginning to shiver hard again. “Babies.”

  Doc nodded, understanding her concern. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll use a local anesthetic that won’t harm the babies. It’ll be fine.”

  Jenna shook her head, but Doc was already bent over his bag again. “Jenna, sweetheart,” Cole said, bending over the table so his face was just inches from hers. He waited until her fear filled eyes met his.

  “The stress of being stitched up without a pain killer would be harder on you and the babies than the pain killer itself. Besides, you know you can trust Doc. He’d never do anything to harm you or our children.”

  Jenna searched his eyes for a long moment. “Please don’t leave me,” she whispered, then bit her lip as though she was ashamed of letting that slip out.

  “Not even for a second, baby,” he promised, his voice raspy with emotion as he gently freed her lip from her teeth.

  She never took her eyes off of Cole or made a single sound while Doc gave her a shot to numb the area, then cleaned and sewed up the wound. After it was neatly bandaged he gave her a mild, but safe sedative to relax her. When her eyes closed, Cole picked her up again simply because he needed her in his arms.

  “Between the sedative and the excitement she’s going to sleep for about three hours. When she wakes up she’s going to hurt even more than she already does from yesterday’s injuries. Tylenol in low, but consistently regular doses will help control the pain. I’ll write the dosage down for you.”

  “Thanks Doc,” Cole said. He looked down at Jenna to be sure she was asleep. “Since you’re here, I need to tell you something.”

  “All right, what is it?” Doc asked as he gathered his things together and returned them to his bag.

  “Hank mentioned that Jenna suffered injuries to several organs in that attack, including her heart and lungs,” he said. “Last night she got it in her head that we were planning to take the babies away from her. We calmed her down real fast and she was fine, but I noticed something that scared the hell out of me.”

  “What was that?” Doc asked, frowning as he turned to face Cole.

  “Her lips turned blue, and her face got so pale it was gray. We’ve seen her get white and a little bluish around the mouth before but nothing like that. It didn’t last long, but I figured I needed to tell you about it.”
/>   Doc nodded and returned to repacking his bag. “I’ve seen that happen to her a couple of times myself, so I know what you’re talking about. She did lose part of one lung, but it was a small part and doesn’t seem to be causing her any trouble. The heart injury was serious. They did a damn good job of putting it back together but it doesn’t work as efficiently as it should when strain is put on it. In the normal course of things, that doesn’t give her too much trouble, either. But now that she’s pregnant with twins it has to work a lot harder to keep up, which is why she’s so tired all the time.”

  “Why does she turn blue?”

  “When Jenna gets real tense or afraid it increases the strain on her heart, just like physical exertion does. The strain makes it go too fast, and work less efficiently. The blood flow to her body becomes insufficient and less oxygenated, which causes her to turn blue. It’s not a good thing, obviously, and it’s physically exhausting for her.”

  “What do we do if that happens again, Doc?”

  “First thing is to get her to calm down as fast as possible. Second, she tends to panic when the squeezing pain in her heart starts up. When that happens she lets her breathing get away from her, so you need to keep an eye on that so she doesn’t hyperventilate. Long, slow, deep breaths. She knows this, so you just need to remind her. It’d be a good idea to keep a paper bag handy just in case. Third thing is, keep her warm. When she starts shivering like she’s cold, it’s a sign that her heart isn’t working well enough, but the shivering itself puts more stress on it.”

  “All right, Doc, thanks.”

  “Cole,” Doc said. “You need to understand that the bigger the babies get, the more strain they’re going to put on her heart. I didn’t expect it to get this serious for another couple of months, but she’s too thin, and too worn out, so her body doesn’t have any reserves to draw on. All these damn injuries aren’t helping either. But, even if she puts on twenty pounds and gets nothing but rest, it’ll only help so much because her heart still won’t work as it should. You and Dillon need to understand that this situation is going to get worse before it gets better.”