by Elle James
JoJo grinned. “You kind of like that guy, don’t you?”
RJ chuckled. “Look at me, the consummate tomboy in love for the first time in her life.”
“Jake’s a good man,” JoJo said. “You could do a lot worse.”
“Sometimes, he doesn’t know just how good he is. It took me a lot of convincing to get him to believe that he’s not less of a man because he’s one leg short.”
“He gets around just fine on his prosthetic,” JoJo said.
“Yes, he does.” RJ’s grin widened. “And missing a leg doesn’t affect him one bit in the bed.” Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. “Who knew I’d like sex so much? It really makes a difference when you have the right partner.”
JoJo turned away under the pretense of filling the sugar bowl and placing it on the tray. When she turned around, RJ had a smirk on her face.
“I saw Max come to your rescue today. So, how’s it going with Max since the Sadie Hawkins dance?”
JoJo lifted a shoulder, heat rising in her cheeks. “He’s a nice man, but I’m just not interested right now.”
RJ frowned. “I thought you two were hitting it off. I don’t think there was a hair’s breadth between the two of you when you danced. A lot of belly rubbing was going on there.”
JoJo’s cheeks flamed. “It was just a dance.”
“Some people say dancing is like having sex with your clothes on.” RJ grinned. “With the right partner, of course.”
JoJo snapped the lid back on the sugar canister. “It was just a dance. I’m not interested in Max. I’m not interested in anybody. I just want to do my job and go home at night to watch my favorite game shows.”
RJ snorted. “Like you watch game shows.”
JoJo didn’t watch game shows. She barely watched TV. Mostly, she worked out, building her muscles and her strength so that she’d never be in another position where she could be overpowered by a man and unable to defend herself. Though she felt bad about flipping Max earlier that day, she was also proud of herself. Her training had worked. Well, mostly. He had rolled her over and trapped her beneath him.
“All right,” RJ said, “we won’t talk about Max yet. Such a shame though. He seems to be a really nice man, and he was quick to defend you when Roy was an asshole.” She held up a hand when JoJo opened her mouth to say something. “But I promise not to talk about him anymore.”
JoJo shook her head. RJ would find another way. The woman was persistent in her desire to see JoJo happy.
“Come on. Let’s take this coffee out to the men, and next time, we’ll let them bring the coffee out to us.” RJ grinned, lifted the tray and backed into the swinging door and out into the dining room.
JoJo followed. It really made her feel good to see RJ so happy.
RJ was the type of person who, if she felt content, she wanted everybody else around her to be as content.
JoJo wanted to tell her what was going on and why she couldn’t be happy. She wanted her friend to know she wouldn’t be happy until she’d found the man who’d done what he had to her.
What was scary was that she’d been kidnapped from a military base and nobody knew who’d done it. There had to be a record somewhere of the vehicle that had been driven off the base and out into the desert to where she’d been buried.
Her last memory had been one of exiting the shower unit and heading toward her quarters. Everything else was a big, black, gaping hole in her memory. That was why she’d agreed to see Emily. She was hoping that by talking things out with a therapist she’d eventually remember.
Damn, she thought. She had an appointment with Emily on Thursday. With the campaign staff arriving that day, she doubted she’d be able to get away to see her, and she really wanted to. She’d call in the morning and let Emily know she wouldn’t make her appointment. They’d planned on doing some hypnosis treatment. JoJo really hoped that would help unleash the memories.
“Again,” Gunny was saying, “you two do not have to be involved in this event, but we could sure use the help.”
Jake raised a hand. “Don’t you worry about it. We’re at a standstill on the renovations, waiting for supplies to come in to do the last few things on the checklist. I want to touch base tomorrow with my new candidate to see if he’s accepted our offer to come on board as a new Brotherhood Protector. Other than that, I have nothing Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Word has yet to get out that we’re here. I’m sure Hank’s working on that. We won’t always have this availability to assist with the lodge activities. Let us help now, while we can.”
Gunny nodded and started talking about the plans he had laid out. He pressed his pen to the pad of paper in front of him and drew a timeline. “The politician, Lawrence Stover, and his aide Miles Curry, will arrive tomorrow sometime after noon. We’ve selected rooms for them to occupy while they’re here. RJ and I will meet them and show them where to go. We’ll talk them through what we’ve laid out and ask for any changes now, before the rest of their staff arrive. You’re welcome to attend, but you don’t have to. What we discuss tonight is what RJ and I will present to them tomorrow. If they have any changes, we’ll let you know.”
Jake, Max and JoJo nodded.
“Wednesday is Stover and Curry getting settled in and checking out the lay of the land and what they have available to them as far as conference rooms and outdoor activities go.”
“You’ll have to fill us in on those activities,” RJ said.
Gunny nodded. “I will. They also want to go into Fool’s Gold and see about arrangements they’ve made with the restaurant there, as well as check in with the mayor about the meet-and-greets they’ve scheduled. They might also make a trip out to the casino. So, Wednesday, they’ll be busy with other things. We won’t have to entertain them. We won’t even have to provide dinner, but we will provide breakfast the next morning.”
RJ and JoJo nodded.
“On Thursday, the rest of their campaign staff will arrive in the afternoon. That day, we’ll provide breakfast for just the two, and we’ll probably provide dinner for the team. I’ll need help in the kitchen and with serving. We still have the usual patrons at the bar to take care of as well. I’m sure after dinner they’ll all want to adjourn to the bar. I might suggest to them that they eat at the bar. That way I can take care of the regular patrons as well as them.”
“That would work out best,” Jake said. “If you have to operate both, I could work the bar while you work the lodge or vice versa.”
“I’m getting better at carrying a tray, or I could make sandwiches,” Max said. “I’ve even mixed a drink or two.”
“I’ve been known to mix drinks as well,” Jake said. “And I’m pretty handy in the kitchen.”
Gunny grinned. “I appreciate it. If you two weren’t here, I’d be hiring some people from Fool’s Gold to come out and beef up our staff. As it is, I think I’ll still hire some additional staffing. I’ve already put the word out for Friday night for help with serving. On Friday morning, Stover will meet with his team in the conference room, and they’re going to spend the day going over his campaign strategy. All we have to do for that in the morning is make sure they have coffee and water. And I’ve arranged for the donut shop in town to have muffins and donuts for snacking. For lunch, we’ll have them go over to the Watering Hole for sandwiches.” Gunny nodded towards Max. “I could use somebody who’s good at making sandwiches, Max.”
Max gave him a nod. “I’ll be there.”
“JoJo and I will manage the bar and serve the tables,” RJ said. “Unless Jake wants to mix drinks—that might help.”
“Count me in,” Jake said.
Gunny continued. “As soon as we’re done in the Watering Hole, we’ll close up for lunch early so we can get started doing the barbecue. I’ll get the brisket smoking early in the morning so it will be done by the time the guests start arriving in the afternoon. We’ll need to have a buffet table laid out. RJ and JoJo can help me set it up. That way, it can be s
elf-serve, and we’ll just have to keep filling the food trays. Stover has hired a band to come out to play, and they’ll do their own set-up. And I’ve cordoned off an area of the barn. We shouldn’t have to be involved in that, just keep the trash bags empty and people fed. That’s the big meet and greet with the public. Got it?”
“Yes,” everyone responded as one.
Gunny shot a glance toward JoJo. “Hopefully, Roy won’t show up. I banned him from the Watering Hole. Maybe, he’ll take that as a sign that he shouldn’t show up at the lodge either.”
JoJo shrugged. “Don’t worry about me. If he shows up, I’ll just stay away from him.”
Gunny nodded. “I spoke to the sheriff today, and he said he’d be out here for the shake and grin, and he’ll probably have a couple of deputies with him just to make sure nobody gets too drunk or too stupid.”
JoJo admired how Gunny got everything squared away. She loved the discipline of the military. That hadn’t been the reason why she’d left the Army. She had left because she hadn’t felt safe within her own unit or her own people. It was one thing to have an enemy that your team pulled together to fight against. It was another to have an enemy within your own team and not know who that enemy was. She had been given the choice to return to her unit in Afghanistan or return to the States. The thought of returning to her unit had terrified her, and JoJo had never been terrified of anything.
RJ nudged JoJo with her elbow. “Hey, are you all right?” she whispered.
JoJo’s mind returned to the table with four pairs of eyes on her. She gave a weak smile. “I must be tired.”
“It’s okay, we’re almost done here,” Gunny said. “Saturday, the candidate wants a team-building exercise. We’re setting them up with a round robin event, taking them over to the short zipline we have, as well as the rope bridge that spans the creek.”
“What about canoe races?” RJ asked.
Gunny nodded. “We’ll also offer canoe races across our little lake. We’ll perform those in the morning, and then we’ll have an ATV tour in the afternoon.”
“What about the Saturday evening meal?” JoJo asked.
Gunny shook his head. “We don’t have to serve dinner that night because they have reservations in Fool’s Gold at one of the local restaurants, but they will be back to sleep. And then Sunday, everyone packs up and leaves, so we only have to feed them breakfast Sunday morning.”
“Sounds doable,” RJ said.
“Does anyone have any questions?” Gunny asked. “I’d like for RJ and JoJo to lead the ATV tour on Saturday. RJ in front, JoJo bringing up the rear. I’d do it myself, but I still have the bar to run for lunch and dinner, and I could use some help there.”
“I can stay back and help,” Jake said.
Gunny nodded. “As for the zipline and the rope bridge, I could use some help on both of those events as well. We’ll do some training that morning before we invite the campaign staff out to the lake. We can divvy up the rest of the duties the morning of the events. Right now though, I need to get back to the Watering Hole. The evening crowd should be showing up around now.”
“Don’t you guys ever take a break?” Max asked.
“We had to keep things going to keep paying the mortgage. I have yet to adjust the hours based on the new income with the Brotherhood Protectors,” Gunny said. “I’m sure it’ll make the bar patrons very unhappy if I close down on any of their favorite nights of the week. I might consider hiring one more person to help staff the Watering Hole. I’m sure RJ and JoJo don’t want to commit the rest of their lives to this place.”
RJ stared at her father. “I’ve always loved the ranch. There’d have to be a really good reason to make me want to leave.” Her gaze shot to Jake.
He grinned. “All the more reason to make this branch of the Brotherhood Protectors pay off,” he said. “I like it here, too. Not so much for the place, but for the people running it.” He reached out and took RJ’s hand.
The love beaming from his eyes for RJ made JoJo’s heart ache. She had dreamed of one day finding someone who’d look at her that way. But now, the only dreams she had were nightmares. She was no good to any relationship the way she was now. Which reminded her. She needed to talk to Emily and reschedule her Thursday appointment.
“I have to make a phone call, and then I’ll be at the Watering Hole to help serve the dinner crowd,” JoJo said.
“That’s good.” Gunny lifted his chin. “We all need to exchange numbers so we can communicate if need be about the event.”
Each of them got out their phones and exchanged numbers amongst themselves.
“If we’re done here,” Gunny said, “we have more work to do at the bar.”
RJ stood and glanced across at JoJo. “See you over at the Watering Hole.”
JoJo nodded. “I’ll be right there.”
RJ turned to Jake. “If you want to join me tonight, I’ll show you what drinks customers prefer for the most part and help you with any that you don’t remember how to make.”
He nodded. “I’m with you. Lead the way.”
Chapter 4
After the room cleared, JoJo pulled out her cellphone and hit Emily’s number with a video call, knowing that she would probably still be in the office. The therapist loved to work late, catching up on her notes in each of her patient’s files. She’d given JoJo her personal cellphone number, which she normally didn’t do for the rest of her patients, but because JoJo and Emily were part of Gunny’s family, she’d stretched that rule to include JoJo and had encouraged her to call whenever she needed someone to talk to.
JoJo appreciated the offer and tried not to take advantage of it. If JoJo cancelled now, Emily would have an opportunity to fill her appointment with somebody else.
“Hey, JoJo. How’s it going?” Emily’s voice sounded on the other end of the line and her face came into view on the screen.
“Okay, I guess,” she said.
“You want to talk about it?” Emily asked.
She hadn’t planned on it, but since she had her on the line, she figured she’d better tell her before somebody else did about what had happened in the barn that day. “I kind of lost it today,” JoJo said.
“How so?” Emily’s voice was a little tighter.
“One of the new guys who’s here with the Brotherhood Protectors came into the barn while I was working with some loud machinery and touched me on the shoulder. I didn’t know he was there until he touched me.”
“Yikes,” Emily said.
JoJo winced. “Yes, yikes.”
“What’d you do?”
“You know those Krav Maga lessons I’ve been taking?” JoJo asked.
Emily nodded. “Yes.”
JoJo met Emily’s gaze. “Well…they worked.”
Emily chuckled. “Well, I hope you didn’t break the man…”
“I flipped him over my shoulder, and he landed on his back.”
“Dang, girl. I’d say the lessons worked.” Emily grinned. “Bet he didn’t expect it.”
“No. I think he hit his head, but he seemed to be okay. He got up and helped with the lunch crowd, so I guess he wasn’t too badly injured.”
“Oh my,” Emily said. “How did he take it?”
“Better than I did.”
“What do you mean?” Emily asked.
“After I flipped him, he spun me over and trapped me beneath him.”
Emily’s tone softened. “I take it you didn’t like that very much.”
JoJo shook her head. “No. He said he only held me down to keep me from biting, hitting, or scratching him.”
“And were you doing all of that?” Emily asked, a smile playing at her lips.
JoJo’s cheeks heated. “All of that.”
“That’s the kind of knee-jerk reaction you’re going to have until you resolve these issues. Even then, you might not get rid of those urges for fight or flight.”
“I’m so tired of jumping at every little thing.” She waved her hand in
the air as she walked across the dining room. “Emily, I flipped that man. What if it had been Gunny? I could’ve really hurt him.”
Emily chuckled. “I’m impressed that you flipped him. At least you know that you can defend yourself.”
“But I didn’t,” JoJo said. “He rolled me over and pinned me down. I was back in the same position where I couldn’t defend myself. So, the Krav Maga lessons only worked halfway.”
“Which man was it?” Emily asked.
JoJo cringed. “Max.”
“The man who took you to the Sadie Hawkins dance?”
“One and the same,” JoJo said. “I’m really making a great impression on him by now.”
“And do you care what kind of impression you make with this particular man?”
JoJo’s gut reaction was to say no, but she hesitated. “I don’t want Gunny to lose business because one of his employees is attacking his guests.”
“Is that the only reason why you’re worried about the impression you make on this particular man?”
She’d be lying if she said yes. “I don’t know,” she admitted.
“Sounds like you might like this guy.”
“If I did, what good is that? He’s got his own issues. He doesn’t need someone like me.”
“Hey, JoJo, don’t knock yourself. You’re an amazing woman who’s suffered a lot and who came through it. You have a lot to offer to any relationship. Hell, woman, you lived to tell about it.”
“That’s just it,” JoJo said. “I didn’t live to tell about it. I just lived. I can’t remember enough to tell anybody about who did this to me. That man is still out there. He could be doing what he did to me to other women. You and I have tried talking about it, and it’s gotten me nowhere. What else can we do?”
“We really need to try the hypnosis,” Emily said.
“At this point, I’d consider voodoo or witchcraft. Anything to get those memories out of my head.”
Emily laughed. “Well, I’m not qualified for either of those, but I have been known to do some hypnosis. Want to try that at your appointment on Thursday?”