by J. H. Croix
Travis absorbed her comment and had to bite back the urge to ask more about Janie, wanting to know the minute details of why Tess thought Janie was awesome. He completely agreed, but it was based on nothing more than a feeling. The phone rang with Tess answering, the topic quickly derailed when she asked Nathan a question about Jared picking up supplies in Kenai. Somehow, Travis got through his coffee without any more comments about Janie. When he stood to leave, Nathan walked him to the front door and paused before opening it. “Ignore the gossip,” he said with a wink.
Travis shifted his shoulders. “Usually do,” he replied.
Nathan’s hand was on the doorknob, but he didn’t turn it. He pinned a thoughtful gaze on Travis. “You like her,” he said firmly. “Good. It’s about damn time.”
Travis’s mouth nearly fell open. “What is with you and Tess today? I took Janie to dinner. Not a big deal.” Just saying her name sent a flash of longing through him as he recalled the feel of her lips under his.
Nathan chuckled. “Maybe it’s not a big deal, but it sure seems like it. Anyway, Janie’s awesome, so play nice.”
“I always play nice,” Travis countered, slightly affronted.
“Maybe so, but you’re super casual. That’s not really Janie’s style. Wouldn’t hurt you to consider something else.”
Travis stared at Nathan and finally shook his head slowly. “Since when do you care about my love life, or lack thereof?”
“Don’t think about it much, but I saw the look on your face when Janie came up. I know that look because I had it once. I married the women who made me feel like that, and it was the best decision I ever made. Just sayin'.”
At that, Nathan turned the knob and waved Travis out with another grin. Travis was relieved to escape, feeling thrown by Nathan’s observation. Nathan had fallen for Tess hard back when they first met. Travis wasn’t quite sure what to think of how Nathan interpreted his reaction to Janie. He wouldn’t deny she’d grabbed ahold of him, in more ways than one. Yet, thinking about a woman in terms of commitment wasn’t something he did. Janie was in her own category though. He might not have thought too far ahead, but he knew the way he felt about her was more powerful than anything he’d experienced before.
Chapter 6
Janie walked gingerly down the path to her car. It had snowed again last night, leaving a fresh blanket of white fluff behind. She felt a thump against her knees, which sent her feet skidding on the icy path. She landed in a heap. “Oomph!”
A wiggly bundle of black fur encircled her in wags. “Pansy! You knocked me over!”
Stella’s giggle came from behind. “Sorry! I tried to catch her, but she slipped out the door too fast.”
Pansy was the six-month old puppy Stella had persuaded Janie to adopt just yesterday. Pansy wiggled madly and lapped kisses on Janie’s face. Stella reached her side and held out a hand. Janie grabbed it and got back on her feet. They watched together while Pansy ran in circles through the snow. “Well, she might be house trained, but she’s still a puppy,” Janie said with a laugh.
Stella volunteered at the local animal shelter whenever she could, mostly walking and feeding the dogs. Pansy had suffered the fate of having her owners move away. Janie never understood how someone could decide to take an animal into their life and then just discard it like used furniture when they moved, but it happened far more than she liked to think about. The shelter was constantly overflowing with pets in need of homes. Stella had fallen in love with Pansy and pleaded with Janie to bring her home.
Janie glanced sideways at Stella whose smile stretched from ear to ear when Pansy raced back to them and circled Stella’s legs. Janie’s heart felt so full, it almost hurt. Joy was rare to witness in Stella. By nature, she tended toward being reserved. Any moment that pushed her to the other side was worth it. Janie looked away when snow flew up in her face as Pansy ran in a wiggling circle around her before racing away again. Stella suddenly threw her arms around Janie. “Thanks Mom!”
When Stella stepped back, her eyes were bright. “I know she’ll be lots of work and she’s kinda nuts, but I’ve never had a dog and I love her,” Stella said, so earnestly, Janie’s heart squeezed a little tighter.
She leaned forward and dropped a kiss on Stella’s cheek. “No thanks needed. She’s wild, but she’s a sweetie.”
Janie watched as Stella whirled away and ran through the snow to chase Pansy. A while later, Janie finished filling the dishwasher and closed it. It was Saturday morning, which was her typical morning for house chores. Stella usually helped, but Janie let her off the hook today to take Pansy over to the local dog park with a friend. As she wiped down the counter and stove, Travis meandered into her thoughts. He mostly waited in the shadows all the time now. She felt idiotic about the whole situation. It was one dinner. Nothing more. She didn’t even know if he planned to call her ever again. She supposed that would have been fine, but that damn kiss made her want all kinds of things.
Despite the reinforced walls she’d built up around herself, she couldn’t help the thrumming curiosity about Travis and, no matter how much she fought against it, she wanted to see him again. She wanted a chance to see if that kiss could go somewhere more. She flushed just thinking about it. With a sigh, she moved on from the kitchen to the bathroom. With her nervous energy and mental restlessness, she was cleaning like mad. At this rate, her house would be cleaner than it had been in years.
Early that afternoon, there was a loud knock at the front door. Janie stood up from the couch in the living room where she’d been idly flipping through channels and went to answer the door. Travis was standing on the other side. Her pulse lunged and her stomach tightened, but not out of desire. She didn’t know how she knew, but something was wrong.
“What?”
“Stella was in a sledding accident. She…”
“Oh my God!” Janie exclaimed, cutting into what he was saying, panic flashing through her. “Is she okay? Where is she?” Janie whirled away from the door and stuffed her feet into her boots.
She started to push past Travis in the doorway when he curled his hand around her arm. “Slow down. Stella’s on her way to the hospital right now. I was the last one on the scene, so when I realized it was her, I came straight here to get you. I’ve also got her dog in my truck. Get your coat and I’ll drive you to the hospital.”
With her gut clenching and fear knotting in her chest, she could hardly think. Travis’s calm manner steadied her. She glanced up at him. “How do you know she’s okay?”
“Because I saw her. Looks like she broke her ankle, but she should be okay. Get your coat, and I’ll take you to the hospital,” he said, repeating his earlier directions.
Janie’s throat was tight with worry, but she was already shivering in the icy cold. His hand on her arm was a spot of warmth. She turned and stepped back through the door. He followed her through and waited while she tugged her down jacket on and snagged her purse. Moments later, she climbed into his truck. Pansy greeted her by climbing into her lap and licking her face. “Pansy! Hi sweetie,” Janie said between dog kisses. “Hang on, you need to get in the back,” she said once Travis joined them in the truck. With a little push, Pansy wiggled her way into the backseat of the truck, her tail whacking them in the face on the way.
“Do you mind having her in here? We could leave her in the house.”
Travis had started to put his truck in gear. “I don’t mind having her in here, but once we’re at the hospital, it might be better if she’s home.”
Janie nodded quickly and glanced over her shoulder to Pansy. “Come on, Pansy. Let’s go!”
Pansy bounded behind her through the snow. Janie and Stella had already done their best to dog proof the house. Pansy promptly curled up on her dog bed in the living room. Once Janie was back in the truck beside Travis, he quickly backed out of the driveway and headed toward the hospital.
“Do you know what happened?” she asked.
“Got a call some kids were s
ledding at the park and two of the sleds collided. Three kids were injured. I was out on another call for a moose that was hanging out a little too close to a home and charged at the neighbors. When I got to the park, Stella’s ankle was stabilized, but it definitely sounds like she broke it. I didn’t wait around because I wanted to get you as soon as I could.”
Janie’s worry didn’t let up. She figured it wouldn’t until she knew for certain Stella was okay. She took a slow breath and looked out the window, watching the white landscape roll by. The hospital was only a few minutes from her house. Travis rolled into the circular entrance and glanced over at her. “Go on in. I’ll park and meet you inside in a few.”
Janie unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out, running quickly inside to the nurse’s desk at the ER. “Hey, is…”
“Stella’s already on her way into the examining room,” a voice said.
Janie swung her eyes away from the woman at the computer to find Helena Clark stepping through a doorway behind the circular desk. Helena was a nurse at the hospital and an old friend of her mother’s. “Can I go with her?” Janie asked, relieved to find Helena on duty today.
Helena’s bright blue eyes crinkled at the corners with her smile as she nodded. “Of course you can.” Helena set a clipboard on the desk and rounded its corner to hook her hand in Janie’s elbow. “Come on. I just saw her. She’s in some pain. We need to determine how bad the break is and set it.”
Within seconds, Helena was leading her into the examining room. Stella was stretched out on the table, her face pale and her dark eyes worried. She rolled her head to the side. “Mom!”
Janie reached the table and leaned over to brush Stella’s tangled hair away from her face. “Hey sweetie, how do you feel?”
Stella tried to roll her eyes, but she grimaced instead, her eyes filling with tears. “My ankle hurts. Really bad.”
Janie leaned her hip against the table and curled her hand into Stella’s where it was resting at her side. “I’m sorry. Helena says you’re gonna be okay. Right?” Janie asked, glancing to Helena who’d stepped to the other side of the table.
Helena nodded. “You’ll be fine. We’ll get it set and you’ll feel better soon.”
Stella bit her lip and sighed. “I can’t believe this. It’s gonna mess up my recital practice and…”
Janie’s anxiety eased now that she’d finally laid eyes on Stella and let up even more to hear Stella already starting to worry about something other than her ankle. She gave Stella’s hand a squeeze. “A broken ankle won’t interfere with your recital, so stop worrying about it.”
Helena’s pager buzzed. “I’ll be back, ladies. Hold tight and the x-ray tech will be here in a few.”
A while later, Janie found Travis sitting in the waiting room. Helena had shooed her out of the room when it came time to set the break. The x-ray had shown a clean break in Stella’s fibula in her lower calf, along with a fracture of her patella at the knee. Travis glanced up when Janie walked in. “How is she?” he asked.
Janie plopped down in the chair beside him with a sigh. “Like you said. She’s fine. I mean, she broke her ankle and fractured her knee, but she’ll be fine. She’s already worried about missing recital practice, so I take that as a good sign.”
Travis chuckled and arched a brow. “I suppose so. I checked in with Helena, and she said they should have her ready to discharge in another hour. Do you want me to wait and bring you both home, or would you rather me take you back to your car?”
Janie met his eyes, unable to stop the thump of her heart at his concern. “Um, if you need to be somewhere…”
He shook his head quickly. “Not at all. Just asking because I didn’t know what you wanted. Happy to wait and bring you both home.”
She swallowed and nodded, confused by her body’s almost instantaneous reaction to Travis. She’d been so focused on making sure Stella was okay earlier, she’d barely noticed him. Now that she knew Stella was going to be fine, her body swung its attention like a beam on him. His light brown hair was mussed. He was so undeniably masculine. Even sitting here in the waiting room at the hospital, a decidedly un-sexy environment, he oozed pure maleness. His chiseled features stood out in the stark fluorescent lighting. He was lounging in the chair, his muscled thighs evident under his worn denim jeans.
Her pulse skittered off and heat slid through her veins. She had to force herself to think. For crying out loud, you’re waiting for Stella at the hospital and you’re sitting here getting all hot and bothered. Get a grip and now. She gulped in air and fiddled with the zipper on her jacket before glanced back to Travis. “If you don’t mind, a ride would be nice.”
“Of course,” he replied calmly.
She could only think he wasn’t as rattled by her presence as she was by his because he managed to seem normal, while her body was going haywire all on its own.
Chapter 7
Travis stood on one side of Stella, his hand carefully holding her by the arm. Janie stood on Stella’s other side. “Stella, don’t rush this. You’ll need practice on your crutches, and it’s probably not the best idea to try when it’s icy on the path,” Janie said, gesturing with her free hand to the icy walkway leading to the front porch of their home.
A messy precipitation had begun to fall while they were in the hospital, a mix of rain, sleet and snow. “Slurry” as described by Stella. As such, the path was icy and slippery, and Travis had discovered Stella had a stubborn streak. He’d barely gotten to her side in time to keep her from falling.
“Mom, I have to learn sometime,” Stella protested.
Janie’s eyes met his. He glanced to Stella’s whose chin was set. He gave Janie a small nod. “Okay, Stella, here’s the deal. You can try this, but I’m staying right by your side. The last thing you need is to fall right now.”
Stella didn’t look his way, but she sighed dramatically. Travis figured she’d had just enough painkillers to make her oblivious to the possible pain if she slipped and fell right now. With him on one side and Janie on the other, Stella made her way slowly and laboriously down the path. Once they got inside, Janie set Stella up on the couch with plenty of blankets and hot cocoa before looking over at Travis. “You want to stay for some dinner? I have a salmon casserole all ready to go in the oven.”
Travis looked over at her. Her rich brown hair tumbled around her shoulders and her hazel eyes were bright in the soft light in the living room. Once Janie had steadied after learning Stella would be okay, his body had tuned into her. His reaction to her was off the charts. All she had to do was exist, and his body hummed with electricity and raw need. He realized he hadn’t answered her question when she angled her head to the side. “Dinner would be great,” he belatedly replied. He couldn’t have considered any other answer.
“Great. Let me…” Her words trailed off when she looked down to see Stella sound asleep. With a soft smile, she looked up at him. “Well, I was going to see if she wanted anything, but I guess I don’t have to worry about that.”
She angled her head toward the kitchen before walking quietly past the couch. He followed her, sitting on a stool by the island in the middle of the kitchen when she pointed him there. “Wine or beer?” she asked as she paused by the refrigerator.
“Beer will do.”
She pulled out a beer from the local brewery and slid it across the counter to him before pouring a glass of red wine for herself. Travis watched as she puttered about the kitchen, turning the oven on and transferring the casserole pan to the oven. They chatted quietly with Janie asking him questions about his work. At one point, she went to check on Stella and helped Stella make her way to bed. Janie returned a few moments later.
“She’s already out. She won’t dare say it out loud, but she’s exhausted. I think the painkillers they gave her knocked her out,” Janie said with a rueful smile.
“I’d bet she’s tired. Between the adrenaline rush in the sledding accident and then the pain from the break, she should be.”
/>
Janie checked the casserole and turned back, idly twirling the oven mitt on the end of her finger. “I never did ask exactly how the sledding accident happened. Do you know?”
“I know as much as I can without having been there when it happened. Apparently, they were racing sleds down the big hill at the park. Happens almost every day in the winter, so that’s no big deal. Not sure what caused it, but two sleds collided toward the bottom. Stella’s leg got caught on the other sled. That flung her off her sled and into a tree. She could’ve broken her leg when it got caught on the other sled or when she hit the tree. Hard to know unless she remembers feeling it when it happened.”
Janie grimaced when he recounted what he’d been told about the accident. With a shake of her head, she sighed. “Guess it could’ve been much worse. She’ll be good and cranky about managing on her crutches, but she’ll be fine, so I’ll take it.”
The oven timer beeped, interrupting their conversation. Janie turned away to check the casserole. Declaring it ready, she quickly pulled it out of the oven and served him a plate with a healthy heaping of salmon casserole, which was a delectable blend of salmon, cream cheese and cauliflower with rice. Time passed in a blink and before he knew it, Janie was putting dishes in the dishwasher, while he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off the luscious curves of her bottom.
A jolt of lust hit him, and Travis shifted in his chair. Once she’d served dinner, they’d moved over to the round table in the corner of the kitchen. He glanced out the window into the darkness. The messy snow had stopped, and the sky was clearing with stars peeking out from behind the clouds. He was wrestling with a mix of feelings. The comfort of having dinner with Janie was unusual. Her home was warm and, well, homey. Being with her through the afternoon as she’d waited to know Stella was okay and then helping them get home was a role he’d never held. As a firefighter and emergency responder, he was quite accustomed to dealing with emergencies and offering support throughout. However, his role was confined to the crisis at hand and its aftermath. Spending the afternoon with Janie this way had felt oddly comfortable. There was that and the almost constant buzz of attraction once they were alone.