Bri laughed quietly and leaned in closer to him as Emma turned to pour from the freshly brewed pot. "Do you honestly believe that's all you're going to get? Emma isn't too happy about your little ‘date’ the other night with Erin."
"No, Emma's not very happy about it at all. But Emma is going to stay out of it." Emma walked out from behind the counter with his coffee.
"However, I’ll tell you the same thing I told Erin when she tried to talk to me about it. The last time you guys dated, then broke up, I lost my best friend. I've finally got her back now. You're my brother, so I'll always have your back. But if you hurt her again, I just might put a knife in it."
The sweet smile on her face didn't fool him. He was quite certain she meant every word.
"Message received." He nodded and brought his fingers up to his head in a fake salute.
Bri just laughed again. "Honestly, Emma, give him a chance. We know he hurt Erin, but we have to remember how much we all watched him suffer for months after. He was awful to be around. Thank God, he went to take his training when he did. I couldn't have stood to see him moping around for another minute."
He glared at Bri. "Seriously? I'm standing right here. I can hear you."
She just shrugged. "Well, you were awful. I was still pretty young, but I remember how miserable you were. I heard Mom and Dad talking about it at night, how worried they were about you. You seemed to be floundering around aimlessly trying to find yourself."
His mouth was gaping open as he listened to what his sister was telling him. Had he really been that bad to be around?
"Yes, I do remember that. But I was also mourning the loss of my best friend who took off straight after graduation. So, I didn't really have a whole lot of sympathy for him.” Emma walked back behind the counter and started setting out the cups for the morning rush.
"No, in fact if I remember correctly, you wouldn't even talk to me for about a week after Erin left. That was about the only good thing that happened during that time of my life."
He smiled innocently at the expression on Emma’s face.
* * *
"I know it's not as fancy as the place you went with Bertram, but I thought maybe you might appreciate it a little more." He pulled the cooler out of the back of his truck, then walked toward the tree. He couldn't help the smile from spreading across his face as he saw her walk around the tree, looking at the bark for the marks he knew were still there.
He'd come out here probably a thousand times over the years. Every time, his fingers found the carving in the tree.
JR+EF 4-EVER
He remembered the day he'd carved it into the tree for her. It was spring, and they'd spent the day out here talking about their future. A few days later, they'd broken up.
When he thought about it, he realized that was the day that had set something off which had scared him.
Talking about his future with Erin made him realize it was almost time to make good on his promises.
After graduation, he'd stayed in town, working at the hardware store for two years waiting for her to graduate. He'd watched his friends move away, and they were all having fun before they had to settle down.
Suddenly, he'd started to feel like he was suffocating and instead of talking to Erin about it, he'd panicked and decided he needed some time to be alone. He needed to have fun and be single like his friends.
Even if that wasn't what he'd felt in his heart.
"Come to this side. It's right here." He set the cooler down and took her hand, bringing her to the spot he'd memorized.
"Oh, I can't believe it's still here!" Erin's voice was awestruck as she touched the carving with the fingers poking from her cast.
"Well, it's not like it was a hundred years ago, Erin." He pulled her back over to where he’d set the cooler down. "It was only six years ago. Today."
He waited to see if she would realize what he'd said, and smiled as comprehension dawned on her. Her mouth formed into an "o" shape and she brought her cast-free hand up to her lips.
"Yes, I do remember the exact day. It was our two-year anniversary. We'd been dating since just before my own graduation. I've always remembered the date." He suddenly felt embarrassed as he realized she obviously hadn't remembered. It wasn't a big deal anyway. Even if he had come out here to the tree every year on this day ever since.
He bent over and took the blanket off the cooler, and whipped it out to lay it under the tree.
"I can't believe you remembered." Once again, her voice sounded dumbfounded. "I always remembered the date, but I never believed it was something you'd remember. Especially since..." He saw her cheeks flush as she realized she'd almost brought up what had happened shortly after.
He crouched down and reached in to start pulling the food out of the cooler. "You mean, since I acted like a complete donkey's behind a few days later?" He looked up and smiled at the sheepish look she was giving him.
"Well, I didn't want to come right out and say it."
She laughed as she sat down across from him. The silhouette of the mountains stood behind her, and he couldn't stop thinking how beautiful she was.
He must have stared too long, because she brought her hand up to her jaw self-consciously, covering the scar that was still so red against the white of her skin.
His eyebrows came together as he watched her. "What are you doing?"
"What? I'm not doing anything. I'm just sitting here."
"No, I mean, why are you covering your face?" He had a sinking feeling he knew what she was doing.
She shrugged and brought her hand back down, then looked around, pretending to take in the scenery. But he could see the redness in her cheeks.
He slid over beside her. "You know, it hasn't been long since your accident. It will heal."
She turned back to face him. "I know. But the truth is, it will always be there. Maybe not as bright as it is now, but it will be there for everyone to see."
"What made you so self-conscious about it all of a sudden?"
She brought her eyebrows together and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Jack. I'm not self-conscious about it. Just aware."
He waited, keeping his eyes on her, knowing it had always worked to get the truth from her.
"Fine. Some kid at the store today was pointing at me and asking his mom why my face looked like that. It's no big deal. It was just a kid."
But he could tell it had bothered her.
"Well, next time you see that kid, let me know. I'll tune him in for you." He was happy to see the smile come back to her face.
"Here, I brought something I think you might like." He'd made peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Most women would be mortified, but he hoped Erin would understand why he'd done it.
They'd always been her favorite, even though he personally couldn't stand bananas. So whenever she'd eat them around him, he'd pretend the smell was making him sick.
When he pulled them out, she laughed loudly, putting her head all the way back. "I can't believe you remembered. Do you know how long it's been since I've had one of these?"
Her eyes were sparkling as she took one from his hands and bit into it. His insides warmed at the expression on her face as her eyes closed and she savored the taste. "Mmmm...this is so good."
He laughed, reaching out to wipe the chunk of peanut butter that was stuck to the side of her lip. Her eyes came open, and her tongue came out to lick the rest off her lips.
"You always were a sloppy eater."
She took another huge bite, her cheeks filling up until she looked like a chipmunk with its mouth full of nuts.
All he could do was shake his head as he howled with laughter.
Twelve
They pulled up in front of her grandma's house, and he shut the engine off. Sitting there in the silence, she suddenly felt unsure what to say.
"I had a nice time today. Thanks for agreeing to let me take you on a date. I know it wasn't lobster and fancy music playing, but I wanted to do something that
would hopefully mean a little bit more."
She laughed. "Well, I’d far rather have a peanut butter and banana sandwich sitting on the ground under a tree with you. It’s much better than eating lobster, and listening to a man talk about how much money he’ll earn on the next big deal." She shuddered at the memory.
“I hope Tank isn’t too upset he wasn’t invited today.” She smiled shyly over at Jack.
He shrugged. “He’s used to going to my mom’s when I’m working and if I go out. She spoils him, so I’m sure he won’t be too disappointed.”
Suddenly, he threw his door open and came around to her side of the black four-door Chevy, which he needed with the amount of room Tank took up. Pulling her door open, he held out his hand to help her down.
"Funny, I don't ever remember you opening the door for me when we were dating before." She stepped down and found herself pulled into his arms.
"I've decided to do things a little differently this time. Plus, I'm a lot smarter now. Look how easy it is to get you into my arms when I help you out of the vehicle." He wiggled his eyebrows then winked, bringing his face closer. His lips brushed against hers gently, before he pulled back to look in her eyes.
"I just realized what you said. Does this mean we’re dating now?"
She couldn't quite gather her senses with him this close to her. What was he talking about? She must have looked as confused as she felt, because he was grinning down at her.
"You just said, and I quote, you didn't remember me opening the door for you when we were dating before. I would say that must mean we’re dating now."
She didn't even know what to say. She hadn't realized she'd said that, but obviously he was paying attention.
"You don't give up, do you?"
"Nope. Not when it comes to you." His eyes were holding hers in his gaze.
"Do you want to be the one to tell Emma, or should I?"
He whooped loudly, then picked her up and spun her around in his arms.
"Put me down, Jack! Everyone is going to be coming out of their houses to see who’s being abducted out here."
He set her on the ground, letting her slide down the front of him. His hand came up and brushed the hair back from her eyes.
"I promise, Erin. I'm not going to mess things up this time."
As he brought his lips back down to hers, she silently prayed he was right.
* * *
She pulled her comforter up around her neck, and tugged her second pillow down to hug it. The day with Jack had been perfect, and she was having a hard time sleeping. All she could see every time she closed her eyes were his brown eyes looking into hers, his smile when he leaned in close, and how happy she felt in his arms.
Her heart was full, even if her head did send down a little niggling doubt now and then. She just tried to push those thoughts away.
She wanted to believe the Jack Roberts she’d always loved was still the same kindhearted man he'd always been. Except this time, she hoped he didn't run away scared at the first sign of things becoming more serious.
A loud thump startled her, and she jumped up. Her feet tangled in her bedding as she almost fell to the floor scrambling to get out into the hallway. There were a couple steps down into their living room, and she had a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Grandma? Is that you?" Muffled groans met her ears as she came around the corner from the hall, and saw her grandma lying on the floor.
"Grandma, why didn't you call me?" Her heart was racing, and she crouched down to take a look at her.
"Oh, Erin. I don't know what I was thinking. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd just come in and watch some TV. I'm fine, I just need you to help me get back up."
"Just stay still and let me look you over. I'm not getting you up until I know you're okay." She pushed on a few places and asked her if it hurt. She was emphatically told she was fine.
When she turned her leg, though, her grandmother screamed in pain. "I knew it. Grandma, just stay here and let me call an ambulance."
"You're doing no such thing. Just help me up and get me to the car. I don't need all of the neighbors watching me get carried out of here in my nightgown."
Erin dropped her head into her hands. This stubborn woman was going to be the death of her.
"Grandma, listen. I'm pretty sure you've broken your hip. There's no way I can get you up and out to the car by myself." She was already on her phone dialing 911.
After she hung up, her grandma shook her head in disgust. "Well, Gladys will have quite the gossip tomorrow at coffee. And all those men coming in here and seeing me in my nightie—I’ve never been so embarrassed."
"Well, Jack’s working tonight, so there's a good chance when he sees the call come in, he’ll get here as fast as he can. And I'm sure he's not going to care about you being in your nightgown."
If not for the seriousness of the situation, she'd have laughed as her grandma reached up and started to pat her hair. She was actually trying to fix herself up before Jack saw her. Then she looked at Erin with a solemn look on her face and said, "He might not care about me in my nightgown. But he might be wondering just what he's gotten himself into when he sees you in that ratty old T-shirt."
Erin looked down and realized she'd gone to bed in the old T-shirt she'd kept of his all those years. It was barely holding together because she’d worn it so often. The sound of the sirens blaring up the street made her heart jump into her throat.
There wasn't going to be any time to change.
Grabbing one of her grandma's sweaters by the door, she threw it over her shoulders and prayed he wouldn't recognize it.
Thirteen
"Erin, where is she?" Jack barely even looked at her as he came through the door, leading his partner into the room and pulling the stretcher behind him. When the call had come in, he'd immediately recognized the address. He'd been overcome with a feeling of dread, hoping it wasn't anything he wouldn't be able to fix when he got there.
Erin's grandma was her whole family, and he knew how hard it would be if anything happened to her.
"She's in the living room. She fell down the steps."
"Wynn, if you wanted me to come and visit, you know all you had to do is call. You really didn't need to go to such drastic lengths to see me." He winked at Grandma Wynn who he could tell was humiliated, lying on the floor in her nightgown. Over his years of working as a paramedic, he’d seen how difficult it was for the elderly to admit they were losing some of their mobility, and were going to need help when they arrived on the scene.
It was up to him to make sure they never felt embarrassed around him. Especially Wynn. He knew how fiercely proud she was, and he was sure she wasn't going to be happy about having an ambulance escort to the hospital again so soon after her stroke.
"Well, I didn't even want to call you now, but Erin insisted. I'm perfectly fine. I just had a little tumble, that's all."
He was doing her vitals, and his partner had dropped the stretcher so they could get her on. "We’ll have to roll you slightly to get you onto this board, okay, Wynn? It might hurt a bit."
She just nodded, seeming to realize he wasn't going to be talked out of taking her in the ambulance either.
He worked with his partner to get her onto the stretcher. "Do you have a blanket you could cover me with? This poor young boy will likely be having nightmares after seeing me in this nightgown." She tilted her head to his partner, who was only twenty-two, and smiled as he blushed furiously.
He gently put a cover up to her shoulders and grinned down at her. "There, that should keep him from having any bad after-effects."
"Grandma, I’ll follow you in your car and meet you at the hospital."
Jack turned and Erin stood there with a sweater wrapped around her and a ratty T-shirt poking out underneath. Her legs were bare, and he had to fight not to gawk as his eyes moved up their long length.
Bringing his eyebrows together, he tilted his head and looked at her for a m
oment. "Is that my old Van Halen shirt?" He'd always loved older music from the eighties, and had bought a vintage shirt from eBay when he was just out of high school. He’d always wondered where that shirt had gone.
She pulled the sweater tighter and tried to pull it down. Jack's partner was securing Wynn to the stretcher, so at least he didn't need to worry about him getting a view of Erin standing there in his T-shirt.
In all his life, Jack was sure he'd never seen anyone look so beautiful. He couldn't even be mad about his T-shirt, even though he'd really loved that shirt. The embarrassed look on her face warmed his heart.
"Well, it looks better on you than it ever did on me anyway." He turned to push the stretcher through the door. "All right, Wynn, are you ready to go for a ride?"
She grumbled loudly. "No, I'm not, but it's not like any of you are listening to me anyway."
He knew she wasn't really angry, just trying to work through her embarrassment.
"I promise—no sirens or lights. Will that make you happy?"
"It will help." She was pretending to be mad at him, but he could see the sparkle in her eye. She looked past him as he started to lift her into the back of the ambulance. "Erin dear, you be careful driving to the hospital. I don't need you getting in another accident because you're distracted about me."
Jack finished pushing her inside, then turned to face her. "Would you like to just ride there in the back with us? I can come give you a ride home when I'm done with my shift in a couple of hours."
Her eyes lit up. "Would you do that? Can I just quickly change?"
"There's only just enough time for you to throw on some pants and shoes. You'll have to leave the T-shirt on."
* * *
Jack pushed the door to the surgical waiting room open quietly, not wanting to wake her. He'd already peeked in through the window, and Erin was lying on the hard couch. Emma sat on a chair playing on her phone. She looked up when he came in, quickly standing to meet him at the door.
Rocky Mountain Soul Page 5