It was Sandi, the therapist from the nursing home, she realized. Allison pulled her robe on, unlocked the door, and opened it a crack.
“I’m sorry, Sandi. I must have overslept. Come in. Are you alone?” Allison looked around. She didn’t know whether she was glad or sorry that Sandi was alone. Every time she looked up, Joker was standing in the background, frowning, pushing, urging her on. He drove her crazy when he was there and even crazier when he wasn’t.
“Joker said to let you sleep in for a while this morning. But Minnie sent fresh blueberries and pancake batter for your breakfast, so today I’m the cook.”
“Thanks, Sandi, but I’m really not hungry.”
“Doesn’t matter. Minnie said to cook, and I’m going to cook. Joker will be along soon. I saw him down by the road, climbing that old dead tree. I told him he was going to break his neck, but when has Joker ever listened to anybody? I guess you know that better than anybody, don’t you?”
Though Sandi was probably the same age as Allison, she looked like a teenager. Her blond hair had been caught up in a jaunty ponytail, and she was wearing a pair of white shorts with a yellow T-shirt. Sandi was the perennial cheerleader—enthusiastic but tough. Allison suspected her nonstop conversation was designed to both reassure and distract patients.
Dropping her bag on the counter, Sandi turned back, closed the door, and practically propelled Allison into the kitchen. “Sit down, Allison, and I’ll pour you a cup of this hot coffee. Pancakes will be ready in a jiffy.”
“But Sandi, I imagine that Joker has already had breakfast,” Allison protested. “And I really don’t feel like a heavy meal.”
“I can believe that. Anybody could look at you and tell you haven’t been eating enough to keep a crow alive. But that will change now. With Joker’s health food menu, you’ll do fine. I have to admit that I’m glad it’s you who has to eat it and not me.”
Allison opened her mouth and closed it again. Talking to Sandi was like talking to a whirlwind. She just swooped round and round until she overpowered you, and you eventually gave up and followed directions. Between Sandi and Joker, Allison didn’t stand a chance.
“What was Joker doing climbing a tree?” Allison asked, trying not to let her interest show.
“That’s what I asked him. He said something about working out his frustrations by chopping wood. But I never saw anybody cut wood while the tree was still standing.”
“He does have his own way of doing things, doesn’t he? Did you know him, before my grandmother fell, I mean?”
“Not really. Joker’s a bit of a lone wolf. Of course, I knew who he was. I work with Kaylyn. She’s Joker’s sister-in-law, King’s wife. Now there’s a couple who’re crazy about each other. Of course Joker and your grandmother are pretty close too. After Mrs. Josey moved into the nursing home, Joker was there every day. Why didn’t you let somebody know you were coming?”
“I didn’t know it myself.” Allison forced herself to take a sip of the coffee Sandi had poured. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, questions she hadn’t been able to ask before because there’d always been somebody else around. “How long has Joker been here?”
Sandi placed the flat iron grill on the large burner of the stove and turned it on to heat before stirring her batter. “About a year, I’d guess. He came along shortly after Kaylyn mobilized the town in protest over the destruction of Pretty Springs. Of course, nobody expected Kaylyn and King to fall in love and get married, but they did. And they figured out how to save our mineral springs too.”
“Somebody else said something about that. Kaylyn really chained her husband to a rock?”
“Yep. He was going to plug up the springs and tear up Lizard Rock. Kaylyn wouldn’t stand for that, so we protested. Oh, it was glorious, all those folks picketing to save the springs and Lizard Rock.”
“Well, the lizard is still there. I saw it when I drove into town. How did they solve the problem?” The springs were as much a part of Allison’s past as the town. But she’d never known they were good for healing. It seemed that Joker knew more about her town than she did.
“They built the sports medicine center in with the golf and tennis community thinking that it would draw big-name athletes in to undergo rehabilitation along with the people who wanted to play golf and tennis. So far, though, the pickings have been pretty slim. The folks over at the nursing home could tell those ball players a thing or two if they’d listen.”
Allison cringed. She guessed she was one of those people who had refused to listen.
Sandi added the blueberries to the batter and stirred them gently. “Goodness, I forgot the sugar.” She sprinkled a spoonful into the mixture and nodded her approval.
“But what about Joker?” Allison prompted.
“It was Joker who figured out the solution.”
“He is pretty special, isn’t he, Sandi?”
“He has a way about him, Joker does,” Sandi said. “Never saw anything like his flowers. Personally, I think he pirates some of that spring water to douse ’em in.”
“The man definitely has a way about him,” Allison admitted, remembering the night she’d spent in his bed. She averted her face quickly as she felt a flush sweep over it.
After Joker had stormed out of the carriage house and deposited her back in her bedroom that night, he’d barely touched her unless there was someone else in the room. She didn’t know what had happened. After their wonderful lovemaking, she’d said things about Mark that she hadn’t known were going to come out of her mouth. And she hadn’t known how to take them back.
“Pretty Springs couldn’t have gotten along without Joker,” Sandi rattled on. “So far as I can tell, he doesn’t have a girlfriend. He—”
“He smelled those blueberries all the way down the road.” Joker limped into the room.
Allison screamed.
Sandi dropped her mixing spoon and gasped. “Gracious, Joker, what happened to you?”
Joker sniffed, wiped his nose on the shoulder of his shirt, and blanched at the smear of bright red blood. As soon as he’d seen Sandi drive past in the nursing home van, he’d started down the tree he’d been preparing to cut down. Hurrying, he’d put too much weight on one section and the branch had cracked, hurling him through the lower limbs to the ground.
“Your face is cut, and your nose is bleeding,” Allison said, her own face going white with concern. “Who hit you?”
“Who? Ah, nobody. I fell. Don’t worry, Beauty. I’m not hurt.”
But Allison didn’t hear his explanation. All she could see was the purple bruise already appearing on Joker’s cheekbone and the dried blood on his forehead. “We need to get an ice pack on that face,” she said briskly, forcing herself to her feet. “You come over here and sit down.”
“I’ll get ice,” Sandi offered, turning off the stove and reaching for a fresh dish towel.
Joker looked at the expression of concern on Allison’s face and followed her directions. Could she really be worried about him? He’d work it out if he could just get over the peculiar, shifting sensation. He had to reassure Allison. She didn’t need to worry about him. Then everything began to fade away.
“Ah, no! Hell’s doorknobs.” He couldn’t pass out, he couldn’t pass out, he told himself. He was going to pass out.
“Sandi, Joker’s fainted.”
“Must have fallen out of that tree,” Sandi observed matter of factly. “Well, I’m not surprised. Can’t tell him anything.” She pulled an ice tray from the refrigerator and emptied it into the towel.
“Oh, Sandi. Look at his face.” Allison slid to the floor and let her crutch fall with a clatter. She lifted Joker’s head into her lap and began to feel for his pulse. “I’m afraid that he’s hurt badly. Look how pale he is. Did you know that his real name is James Daniel?” Allison wiped the blood from Joker’s face with her napkin.
She could tell from the expression on Sandi’s face that she wasn’t making any sense. She didn�
��t know herself what she was saying. She only knew that Joker was hurt, and she was scared out of her mind.
Joker hovered halfway between consciousness and oblivion as he heard Allison’s disjointed conversation. He moaned and risked a peek. Allison handed Sandi the soiled napkin and asked for a clean one. He could see Sandi’s face over Allison’s shoulder. He shook his head in warning, pleased to see her answering nod.
“Promise me that you won’t let him know how worried I am, Sandi,” Allison repeated. “He’s such a tough guy. I’m sure he will be embarrassed about having fainted. Do you think we ought to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital? He might have a concussion.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I doubt that Joker would like the world to know that he had a fight with a tree and lost. He’s supposed to have a way with growing things.”
“He’s the most wonderful man I’ve ever met, and he thinks that I’m an ungrateful shrew. I don’t know what to do about it.” Allison planted a soft kiss on his forehead and anxiously patted the wet cloth to a cut on his forehead. “We have to get him to the hospital, Sandi.”
“Maybe we ought to get the doctor here,” Sandi suggested. “Joker …”
“… isn’t going to see any doctor,” he said with a groan. “Beauty, it’s no problem.” Joker flexed his neck and snuggled closer. “I think all I need is to be still for a minute. Everything is whirling around. Please, just hold me.”
“It’s all right, darling,” she whispered lovingly, “I’ll take care of you.”
Darling? She’d called him darling. Joker felt the imprint of her small firm breast against his shoulder. Dammit. He’d hoped that she was just holding onto her skating as some kind of shield against the onslaught of emotions he’d stirred up in her. She was afraid to let herself respond to a man whose interest in her wasn’t tied to her skating.
“What were you doing up in that tree anyhow?” Allison planted a soft kiss on his lips and smiled at him. “Tell me the truth.”
“The top of the tree was dead and needed to be cut. And I needed to work out some of my … my frustrations with tough physical labor. I guess you wouldn’t know about that kind of frustration, would you?”
“About frustration? Maybe not before, but I’m learning about a lot of new things, Joker. And frustration is pretty high on the list, along with anxiety, anger, and … desire. What can I do about mine?” Allison asked, allowing a hint of dispair to color her voice. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” he said in a pained voice. “I think I heard you say something about taking care of me. I feel a little strange.” He moaned and covered his eyes with his forearm.
“Just as I thought,” Sandi observed dryly, “he’s had a lick on the head. It’s making him act crazy. I think we ought to take him down to the springs and dump him in—head first.”
“Go away, Sandi,” Joker said weakly. “Ill be perfectly all right by tomorrow morning. I have someone to look after me …” Joker’s voice trailed off. He knew that he was making a mistake, allowing himself to respond to Allison’s concern. But he couldn’t hide his eagerness.
“All right, Jamie, no hospital,” Allison said. “Don’t worry, turnabout is fair play. I’ll watch over you.”
“Thank you. I think you’re supposed to prevent people with head injuries from sleeping. Isn’t that right, Sandi? Will you keep me awake, Beauty?”
“Of course.” He was beginning to look better. When she’d seen his face smeared with blood, she’d been ready to panic. She hadn’t realized how much she cared about the big guy until he’d passed out at her feet. Allison didn’t want another minute of misunderstanding between them. She had to tell him the truth.
“About Mark,” she began. “I have to tell you. I didn’t mean it the way you thought. I don’t care about Mark any more. Honest, I don’t.”
“Well,” Sandi said with a nod of exasperation. “Here we go again. I guess neither of you wants any blueberry pancakes now.”
When nobody answered, Sandi lifted her shoulders in resignation. “In that case, I’ll just slide this batter in the refrigerator and skedaddle on out of here, while you two … do whatever it is that’s going to keep Joker awake.”
“Oh, but Sandi, I don’t have any medical training. I don’t have any idea what to do to keep Joker awake.”
“I’m sure that you’ll think of something.”
The door slammed. They were alone. Joker rubbed his head, grimacing at the painful knot swelling above his right eye, and they stared at each other, each unwilling to speak, each unable to find the words.
“Jamie, I sorry I—” Allison said finally.
“Allison, I’m not ready—”
“You first,” she broke in.
“No, I’m sorry. You go ahead.”
“All right.” Allison licked her lips and swallowed hard as she stared intently at the floor. “I didn’t mean what I said the other night after we … I mean I wasn’t even talking to you when I said that all I wanted was to skate. That’s what I wanted when I came back here, but now I don’t know what I want.”
“Stop! Don’t say another word.” Joker slid off Allison’s lap and came to his feet, lifting Allison in his arms. “I’m too heavy to be leaning on you. Let’s sit in the swing while we talk. That is if you’ll promise not to throttle me again. My head won’t take the punishment.”
“Put me down. You’ve just fallen out of a tree. You ought to take it easy.”
“If you think I can stay there on the floor with you and take it easy, you’re the one with the head injury. We’re going to talk about this before either of us gets any more wild ideas.”
“Fine, but I’ll walk.”
“No, I’ll carry you.”
“Jamie Daniel, you put me down, or I start screaming.”
“Oh, by all means scream. And I’ll scream louder.”
“Joker, you wouldn’t dare. What I ought to do now is lock you in the carriage house until you take this seriously. You could be badly hurt.”
“But I’m not.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Then will you do something for me?”
“Of course I will, Beauty. Anything you say.”
“Kiss me.”
He kissed her.
“Oh, Joker, I thought I was going to have to find my own tree to climb.”
Joker carried Allison out to the porch and sat down with her in his lap.
“We don’t need trees, Beauty. We need each other. Our bodies understand that even if our minds don’t. Our lips and arms are crazy about each other. And the rest of us isn’t exactly playing hard to get.”
He was right. She was already beginning to respond to his touch. Her body seemed to take a deep sigh of contentment and mold itself to the man.
“I don’t understand you, Jamie Daniel. I’m tired and worn out, and I only have one good leg. What are you, some kind of nut? You can’t really want me. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Guess not,” he agreed matter-of-factly, and shot a baleful look at her.
She leaned back and peered at Joker with eyes filled with bewilderment. She shook her head and tried once more. “Be serious, Joker. You deserve so much more.”
“Maybe, but you’re what I want, Allison.” He tightened his grip on her body. The tension in her was almost visible. “Why don’t we stop fighting each other and give ourselves a chance? What do we have to lose?”
“I’m afraid, Jamie,” she whispered, feeling the ever present stir of excitement begin to burn brighter. He was touching her, and that was all it took. Like a chain reaction, the tension began to ease.
“So am I. But I’m not going to hurt you, Beauty. I promise.”
“I know. And I want to walk again, more than anything, but … well, it’s wrong for me to take advantage of you,” she said desperately, allowing her voice to trail off.
“And I told you, All
ison Josey, that I was going to show you how wrong you are about yourself. I thought that night had proven it. I guess I have to do better.”
“Oh, Jamie, thank you. But I am what I am, and I’m going to have to learn to accept the fact that I’ll never skate again, and we both know that nobody will ever chase you with a shotgun on my behalf.”
“Too bad, Allie. I might be able to look forward to that.”
“Don’t called me Allie,” she said instinctively, and Joker felt the tension return like a blast of arctic air.
“Sorry, darling, is that what he called you?”
“Yes! Oh, Jamie, I’m sorry. It’s just that Mark and I were together for so long. He was like a part of me, a part of me that’s been cut away. I never had to function alone.” Shyly, she clasped her hands behind Joker’s head and leaned against his strong chest.
“I hate to hear you talk about him, but I know you have to work through that in order to heal and forget. I guess what I’m saying is that we need to move slowly. If we have something to offer each other, it ought to be given honestly, without expectations or guilt.” He kissed her eyes shut and moved his hand to gently hold her cheek.
“I’m not sure that I understand, Jamie. I thought that I needed to be alone to get myself together. But being without you was awful. I like being close to you, having you kiss me. I even like having you glare at me in the exercise room. You know why?”
“Nope. Tell me.”
“Because when you push me to try it one more time, it’s because you want me to regain the use of my knee—for me.”
“No, Beauty, it’s for me. If you stay with me, it has to be because you want to, not because you can’t leave.”
After a time Joker pushed the swing and it moved slowly back and forth, creaking comfortably in the silence. Soon he felt her begin to relax. Neither of them spoke as the sun filtered through the trees making lacy patterns across the patio floor.
“You may be right, Joker. I need to get well first. But can’t I love you and want to skate too?”
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to see what you want. What we have to do now is get you walking again. After that, my Beauty, you can decide. Until then, I think you should look on my loving you as part of your therapy.”
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