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“I’m fine.” More than fine.
Chance stepped forward and lowered her down into Jaris’s arms.
“Guys, I can slide over to the middle on my own.”
“Maybe so, but we’re not going to let you put pressure on your leg. You seem to forget how deep your flesh wound is, Kaylyn.” Jaris slid over, keeping hold of her until she was in the very center of the backseat.
Chance sat down on the other side of her and pulled the door closed.
“Everyone buckled up?” Paris started the car.
Mick turned around from the passenger’s seat and inspected all of them. “All set. We’re ready to roll.”
Chance and Jaris both grabbed one of her hands. Did their feelings for her go beyond just friendship? Am I just fooling myself once again? She didn’t have a clue.
Mick put his arm around Paris’s shoulder and Kaylyn saw her shiver.
It was clear to her that Paris wanted the same kind of attention with Doc and Mick that she was currently enjoying from Chance and Jaris. The two brothers treated Paris more like a good friend most of the time, but Kaylyn knew better. She’d caught Doc and Mick, when they thought no one was looking, gazing at Paris in ways that made it obvious they saw her as more than just a friend. They saw her as a woman. How long before those three figured out they were meant for each other?
Why am I able to see clearly what those around me feel about each other but I can’t figure out what Chance and Jaris really feel for me?
* * * *
Jaris had been to Kaylyn and her mother’s house many times, helping them make dinner, which made things easier for him.
Three steps to the refrigerator. Two steps left to the stove. Turn around and one step to the sink.
He opened the cabinet to the left of the oven and pulled out a spice bottle. He took off the cap and sniffed. Celery salt. That’s not what I need for my spaghetti sauce. After a couple of attempts he found the garlic and other spices he wanted.
“Sugar, you think Kaylyn will want red or white wine?”
He heard his sweet companion bark, remaining on the floor by his feet.
He laughed. “I agree, girl. Red will be perfect.”
Kaylyn kept her whites in the refrigerator and her reds in the cabinet. He pulled out a red and opened it to let it breathe. He got three wine glasses out and set them by the bottle.
“Damn it. Kaylyn can’t have wine. She’s on medication.” He thought about putting the cork back into the bottle, but decided not to. Chance could have some and so could he. “Guess she’ll have to settle for soda, Sugar.”
Chance was with Kaylyn in her bedroom, where they’d gotten her settled after Paris and Mick dropped them off.
Stirring the sauce, his mind drifted back to earlier this morning. Kaylyn had been shot. He could’ve lost her.
His fingers tightened on the spoon. “Sugar, what would we do without her? Thank God, we don’t have to know.”
The shooter was still on the loose. He and Chance weren’t going to leave Kaylyn’s side until the fucker was found.
Keeping Kaylyn off her feet was going to be difficult because she wanted to start in the morning looking for the missing dogs. No way were he and Chance going to let her out until Doc released her to walk.
“Kaylyn is amazing, isn’t she, Sugar?” Talking to his dog was easy for him. He could trust Sugar with his life, and he knew not to trust anyone who didn’t like animals. “Kaylyn is the perfect woman in every way. She is loyal to her friends, her family, and even to precious dogs like you. Sugar, don’t you think Kaylyn will make a wonderful mother someday?” Unlike my own mother.
He heard Chance and Annie heading toward the kitchen.
“Whatever you’re cooking sure smells good.”
“Spaghetti. How’s our patient, buddy?”
Chance laughed. “Not so patient, if you know what I mean. When she hears you’re preparing spaghetti, she’s going to want to eat in the dining room instead of the bedroom.”
