by Linda Warren
Felix held the passenger door open. Cadde placed Jessie on the seat and buckled her seat belt.
Rosa wrapped more towels around the bloody dog in Jessie’s arms. She stroked Jessie’s face. “Listen to Mr. Cadde, please.”
“Rosa.” Jessie’s voice cracked.
“I’m sorry, my niña. Mirry was making those funny sounds when she has to go to pee. I opened the door to call you and she shot out. I couldn’t stop her. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Jessie murmured.
He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. “Take care of those dogs, Felix.”
“Yes, sir. I will. Just look after Miss Jessie.”
Backing out, he glanced at her sitting there covered in blood and looking so forlorn. Mirry was something she poured her love into, just like she would a baby. Someone to love. She’d told him that yesterday. Had it only been yesterday? Seemed as if they’d more than discovered each other in a few short hours. But maybe they’d already known the important stuff—the stuff that counted.
“We’re going to Gavin’s,” she said.
“Jessie.”
“Mirry needs a vet.”
Once again he couldn’t tell her what he suspected. He had to pamper her so she could accept the truth.
“Okay. Okay.” He turned onto the blacktop road that led to U.S. 290. “We’ll take Mirry to Gavin and then we’re going to the emergency room.”
She didn’t answer and he recognized the tactic—the one that tested his patience. Every time he tried to talk to her about a board meeting, she employed the silent technique. And that meant Jessie was going to do exactly what she wanted. She might not know her mother, but she’d certainly inherited a lot of Roscoe’s traits.
“Oh, oh, oh,” Jessie squealed.
“What? Are you hurting?”
“I feel a heartbeat, Cadde,” she cried excitedly. “She’s alive!”
“Are you sure?” He didn’t think that was possible.
“Give me your hand.”
She took his right hand while he steered with his left and put it beneath the towel on the bloody, damp fur. “Just wait a second,” she said, and he felt a faint throb against his fingers.
“Hot damn, there is a heartbeat.”
“Yes! Hurry! Hurry!” Her eyes met his and a closeness, a newness passed between them. They’d connected. Out of this horrible dark day the glimpse of sunshine was blinding.
He swerved in and out of traffic as she gave directions. Gavin’s clinic wasn’t far from downtown in a renovated house on a corner off Montrose. Before he could turn off the engine in a parking area, Jessie unbuckled her seat belt and got out. He followed. A man with sandy-blond hair and blue eyes opened the door.
Gavin looked at Jessie covered in blood. “What happened?”
“The Dobermans attacked Mirry.”
“Oh, my God!” Gavin rubbed Jessie’s shoulder. That was just a little too friendly to Cadde’s way of thinking. Or he could be overacting.
“One attacked Jessie, too. She needs to go to an emergency room.”
“What!” Gavin paled, and Cadde could see there was more than concern on his face.
“Gavin, this is my…husband, Cadde.” She paused before husband and he wondered why. Was there something between the vet and Jessie?
“Nice to meet you.” They shook hands and Cadde realized he was taller than Gavin. Why did that please him? He wasn’t in high school.
Gavin turned back to Jessie. “I’m sorry. I should have come out there today, but your…husband is right. You need to see a doctor.” Again with the pause before husband. What was it with these two?
“I’m fine,” Jessie said, and lifted the bundle in her arms. “But Mirry is not.”
“Bring her inside.” They made their way into a sterile-looking room with a stainless-steel examining table. Jessie laid her bundle on it. Her T-shirt was soaked with blood and Rosa’s apron was still looped around her neck.
Gavin partially removed the towel. “Oh, Jessie. That dog did a number on Mirry. Her neck is chewed severely and there are long gashes on her body that’ll need stitching. I’ll do X-rays and anesthetize her to deal with her injuries. There also might be some internal bleeding. I’ll have to keep her in the clinic for a few days to monitor her.”
“But she’s going to make it?”
“You know I’ll do my best.” Gavin patted her arm again. “Noel,” he called.
A young college student came in.
“Take Mirry and flush her wounds. I’ll start an IV shortly.”
“Yes, sir.” The boy gathered the bloody dog and disappeared into another room.
Gavin pushed the stained apron aside. “One of those bites looks deep. Go see a doctor with…”
“Her husband. Cadde Hardin.” The words came out before he could stop them.
Jessie glared at him, and it seemed as if Gavin had more to say. “I didn’t realize you lived with Jessie.”
“I do,” Cadde stated clearly, and a palpable tension crept into the room like a mosquito everyone wanted to swat.
Jessie stepped between them. “I don’t want to leave Mirry.”
“She’ll be out.” Gavin’s gaze slowly shifted back to Jessie. “She won’t know if you’re here or not and she’s in a lot of pain.”
“Oh.” Jessie put a hand to her mouth.
“I’ll sedate her to keep her comfortable,” Gavin assured her. “Now go.”
“I’ll call as soon as I get out of the E.R.,” Jessie blurted out as Cadde led her away.
In the truck, Jessie said, “Sometimes you can be rude.”
“And sometimes you can be stubborn. Damn stubborn. Over-the-top stubborn.” He sucked in a breath while darting through traffic. “How long have you known this guy?”
“Five or six years. I met him at a fundraiser for the Houston SPCA. I had a horse then and he came to look at her hoof even though he’s a small-animal vet.”
“I’ll bet. I’d say he has a thing for you.”
“We’re friends. That’s it.” He could feel her eyes pinned on him like an AK-47 and she was fixing to fire off a few rounds.
“Then why did you pause before husband?”
“I…I…”
“What have you told him about me? About our marriage?”
“He knows it was an arranged marriage, okay?”
“If you wanted a child so much, why didn’t you ask Gavin?”
“I’m not married to Gavin!” she shouted. “If you want to fight, Cadde, we’ll fight.” She leaned her head against the headrest. “But I’m so tired.”
He felt like a heel. She’d been through a traumatic experience and he was grilling her like a jealous man.
The stress of the day was finally catching up with her. She deflated like a balloon, all her energy gone. He sped toward Ben Taub Hospital. It took about an hour in the emergency room. They called Gavin to get the immunization status of the Dobermans. Their shots were up-to-date so there was no rabies scare.
The doctor said Jessie was fine. Removing her bloody T-shirt and bra, she slipped on a hospital gown. Jessie was docile through the whole thing, which must have been a first. They cleaned the bites and the doctor reported the dog’s teeth hadn’t hit a vein and hadn’t damaged a muscle. But one bite was a gash that he was afraid would open. He numbed the right side of her neck and put a stitch in and added two strips of surgical tape, hoping it wouldn’t leave a noticeable scar.
He gave her an antibiotic injection and something to help her rest. He told her she needed to follow up with her doctor so the wounds could be watched for infection.
Leaving the hospital, he could see the shot was already beginning to affect Jessie. She yawned and snuggled into the seat. Since he knew she would insist on seeing Mirry first thing in the morning, he took her to the apartment. It was closest. Jessie didn’t resist.
On the ride up in the elevator, she said in a sleepy voice, “I have to call Gavin.”
�
��Let’s wait a minute.” Once inside, he handed her his phone. Hers was either in the truck or on the ground at the house.
She punched in Gavin’s number. She knew it by heart so she must have called him often. That relationship still puzzled him. After a moment, she clicked off and gave him the phone.
“Mirry’s out of surgery and resting comfortably. Gavin said the Doberman almost bit off her neck. He had to do a lot of repair work and now we wait to see if she’ll survive. Oh, my poor Mirry.” She sagged against him and began to cry low pitiful sounds.
He held her. “She’ll make it.” He stroked soft unbelievably smooth skin through the opening on the back of the gown. Just when his emotions were spiraling in another direction, she pulled away.
“What am I wearing?”
“A hospital gown.”
“Where’s my T-shirt and bra?” She felt her breasts and he tried to look anywhere but at the rounded flesh pushing against the cotton. He failed.
He exhaled. “The nurse threw them out. They were ruined with blood stains.”
“Oh.”
“Come on. You’re asleep on your feet.” He led her down the hall and flipped on the lights. Pulling back the brown comforter and tan sheet, he guided her forward. She plopped onto the side of the four-poster bed, her chin bobbing on her chest.
He knelt in front of her and removed her blood-spotted sneakers.
She raised her head. “I’ve always wondered about the women you brought here.”
“Have you?” He glanced into her sleep-filled eyes.
“Mmm. Now I’m here.”
“You’re my wife,” he said, puzzling himself. But he never imagined she thought of him at all. Much less whom he dated before their marriage.
She scrunched up her face. “Does that make a difference?”
That didn’t require an answer because he had a feeling she wasn’t aware of what she was saying or asking.
“We have to get your jeans off,” he told her. “Lie down. It might be easier.”
“Okeydokey.” She leaned back, her arms above her head.
He meant for her to help him, but evidently that wasn’t going to happen. Undoing the button and zipper, he said. “Raise your hips.”
“Okeydokey.” She lifted her hips.
What was in that medication the doctor had given her? She wasn’t acting like prim and proper Jessie. He yanked from the hem and they slipped off. She wore white bikini panties with a lace trim. Somehow he knew they’d be white, not that he’d thought about it. Much.
“Get straight in the bed.”
“Where’s the bed?”
He smiled, feeling cocky that he’d seen Jessie with her guard down, no defense or attitude anywhere in sight. “You’re on it,” he replied, and helped her to scoot under the sheet.
“Cadde,” she murmured.
He pushed her hair away from her face, his fingers lingering for a moment on the taped skin on her neck. Thank God he’d gotten there in time. “Sweet dreams, Jessie.”
His cell buzzed and he reached for it. It was Rosa.
“Mr. Cadde, you haven’t called and we’re worried sick.”
He walked out of the bedroom to the living area, not wanting to disturb Jessie. “Jessie’s fine. She’s asleep.”
“Asleep? Where?”
He could hear the anger in Rosa’s voice and he let it go because he knew she was concerned. Drawing a patient breath, he explained what had happened.
“Bring Miss Jessie home. I’ve been taking care of her since she was seven years old.”
“She’s asleep, Rosa, and I’m not disturbing her.”
“Then I’ll come there and I’ll take her to see Mirry tomorrow.”
Cadde’s patience only stretched so far. “Stay there and make sure Felix feeds Jessie’s animals. She stays here with me. I hope we’re clear on that.”
There was a slight pause. “Yes, sir.”
“If you want to do something, you can bring her some clothes in the morning. They had to throw away her T-shirt and bra.”
“I’ll be there at eight.”
Cadde clicked off and thought how Jessie must feel with two people hovering around her at all times. Was it similar to being a bird in a cage, unable to fly, unable to experience freedom? No wonder she had fired the guards.
Running his hands over his face, he wondered where his Stetson was. It had to be in the truck. Lately, he had a hard time keeping up with his hat. Facing forty was doing a number on his memory.
Or was it Jessie?
Flipping off the lights, he went down the hall to the bedroom. Jessie was out. He sat at the foot of the bed and removed his boots and socks. Taking a deep breath, he stood and whipped off his shirt and jeans. After turning off the light, he slipped beneath the sheet on the other side of Jessie.
He was dog tired and surprised he was even functioning after the dreaded hangover from last night. A few hours of sleep and he’d be as good as new. Somewhere between that deep abyss of complete relaxation and consciousness he heard Jessie scream.
“Cadde!” She sat bolt upright. “There’s no light. There’s no light.”
What was she talking about? He scooted closer and pulled her back into the bed. “It’s okay. You’re just having a bad dream.” Or at least that’s what he hoped it was.
“I can’t sleep without the light, Cadde. I can’t.”
So that was it, and the reason the lights were always on at the house. Jessie still had fears from her childhood. He wasn’t good at consoling or any of that stuff. He was an action man, anything to keep from opening his heart. His mother had said that she hoped he found an understanding woman who could reach his sensitive side.
He let out a long breath. “I’m here, Jessie. We don’t need a light.”
She snuggled into him, a hand on his bare chest. That wasn’t what he had in mind, but she felt good. Maybe too good.
Before he knew it, she was asleep again, one leg looped over his. Luckily, he was too tired for the sensation to ignite other parts of his body. He did what any man would do. He held her. Maybe that was all she needed—to know that someone was there. That someone cared.
CADDE WOKE UP AT FIVE and crawled out of bed, careful not to wake Jessie. After a shower, he shaved and then changed into jeans and a white shirt. Jessie was still out. He left a light on in the bathroom just in case she woke up before dawn. He didn’t want her to be afraid.
In the kitchen, he made a pot of coffee and searched for food. There wasn’t any. With all the trauma, they hadn’t eaten last night. He could go and get something, but Jessie might wake up and he needed to be here. His other option was Kid or Chance. Chance had a family so he called Kid. The call went to voice mail. Damn!
Another option was Barbara. She was used to his early calls. Within thirty minutes Barbara knocked on the door. That was the good thing about having a middle-aged secretary. They were dependable, responsible and always up before dawn. There would be a bonus in her paycheck.
He pulled the food from the bag. A double order of scrambled eggs, sausage and biscuits were in a foam take-out container. Yogurt, strawberries, blueberries and a cantaloupe were in a bag. He just stared. He thought the fruit would be cut up on a tray. Well, he could handle this. It wasn’t like drilling an oil well.
After washing the strawberries and blueberries, he drained them on paper towels and tackled the cantaloupe. His mother had cut them all the time, but he’d never watched. It just magically appeared on the table. How hard could it be? He took a knife and split it open and cleaned the seeds from the inside. Then he started cutting slices.
The door opened and Kid burst in. “You called? What’s up?”
Cadde kept cutting. “Why didn’t you answer?”
“I was busy, okay?”
“And you just assumed I’d be at the apartment.”
“Hell, no. I came into the office and saw a light down here.”
Cadde continued to slice the cantaloupe.
“
What are you doing?” Kid asked.
“Cutting up fruit.”
“You’re supposed to peel it first.”
He knew there had to be an easier way, but he wouldn’t admit that to Kid. “So? This is how I do it.”
Kid frowned. “Why did you call?”
“To pick up breakfast.”
Kid snorted. “I’m not peeling fruit for you, and why in the hell are you eating a cantaloupe?”
“It’s not for me. It’s for Jessie. She’s asleep down the hall so keep your voice down.”
“What?”
Cadde told him about the Dobermans. Just as he finished, Chance breezed in.
“I saw a light down here. What’s going on?” His eyes went to the mess on the counter. “You’re supposed to peel it first. Momma did it that way unless we were taking it outside to eat and then she’d leave the rind on.”
He thought how great it was that his brothers were happy to impart their knowledge.
Pointing the knife at them, he said, “Go to work.”
“Jessie’s here,” Kid whispered, and then told Chance about the Dobermans.
“Is she okay?” Chance asked, his sensitive antenna up and working. Chance got all the sensitivity in their family. Most of Kid’s was below his belt.
“She’s fine. Go to work.”
Kid snatched a piece of cantaloupe. “I’m going to Louisiana for a few days to check at the courthouse to see who really has the mineral rights on several of those properties.”
“Then why are you still here?”
“I’m gone.” Kid strolled toward the door.
Chance reached for a slice. “I have the numbers on leasing a rig when you’re ready.”
“I’ll be in my office later.”
“Later, then.” Chance followed Kid.
Cadde carefully arranged the fruit on a plate and set it on the wood table. He placed the yogurt beside it. Pouring a cup of coffee, he leaned against the counter, sipping it. His life had been turned upside down for the past two days. He needed to be in his office. He had a company to run.
“Cadde, where are my clothes?”
Suddenly, he forgot about work and strolled down the hall. Jessie held her jeans in her hands, her hair falling around her face. He felt a familiar kick in his lower abdomen. Work. Work. He had to keep work on his mind and not the half-naked woman in front of him.