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Jordan frowned. “I’m sure you have better things to do than babysit me.”
“Actually, I don’t, and I was hoping for some time alone with you. We need to talk, Jordan.”
“Oh.” For a heartbeat, she stared at him as though he’d slapped her. The next instant, the shutters slammed shut on any emotions she might otherwise have displayed, and she refused to look at him. “We’re alone. Why not talk here?” Icicles could have formed with the drop of each word.
Confusion propelled Travis back a step as he grappled with the meaning of the sudden chill in her expression.What the hell?What had he said this time? It didn’t take him long to rewind the conversation and figure out where he’d screwed up.Oh, hell.He was so far out of his depth that he wasn’t even in the same ocean.We need to talk?Those four little words were a death knell for relationships. Could he mess up any worse? On the other hand—would Jordan have had such a dramatic reaction if she didn’t have feelings for him? He banished the grin that suddenly tugged at his lips because she likely wouldn’t take his smug amusement well.
“No, that’s not what I—.”
Dr. Griffith walked through the doorway, a nurse on her heels.
*****
JORDAN TRIED TO SWALLOWthe hurt that threatened to choke her long enough to answer the doctor’s questions and listen to her instructions. The nurse made short work of removing the IV and the nearly empty saline bag, then bustled back into the hallway, moving as quickly and determinedly as only nurses could.
“You should follow up with your doctor in a week, but I think you’ll feel much better in a day or two. Push fluids and take Tylenol for headache and muscle pain. Mr. Monroe said he would monitor you overnight, so let him do the heavy lifting, okay?” Dr. Griffith’s pleasant manner and professional attitude helped Jordan pull herself together.
She wasn’t looking forward tothe talkwith Travis,but it was clearly inevitable. He could take her home, say what had to be said, and then she would get him out of her house. She didn’t need a babysitter, and he wouldn’t want to stay once they’d cleared the air and agreed that what happened between them in the cave had only been the heat of the moment. They were strangers. No one fell in love in three days. She’d been foolish to believe that kind of love existed. As soon as he was gone, her life would return to normal. All she had to do was hold it together until then.
The doctor left, and the nurse returned with a wheelchair. Jordan swung her legs over the side of the table and put weight on them for the first time since she’d dropped to the ground at the rimrocks. They were wobbly, but Travis was beside her instantly, stabilizing her until she seated herself in the chair. She tried not to flinch away from his touch, but she felt him tense and knew she’d failed.
Travis texted Coop, no doubt to meet them with some type of transportation.My kingdom for a cab.Anything to keep from being alone with him. It would be a miracle if she got through this without making a fool of herself. Jordan’s heart ached, and tears tickled behind her eyes.
The nurse accompanied them to the emergency entrance, so Jordan was spared having to make conversation. Coop’s black pickup waited outside the sliding doors, and his easy grin cheered her as he hugged her carefully and kissed her cheek.
He tossed the keys to Travis. “Take as long as you need. I’ll catch a ride back with Blake and the guys. Don’t forget to check in, or I’ll be back.” The two men gripped forearms and hugged, and a sensation suspiciously like jealousy stole over Jordan.
Coop turned his attention to her again. “And you—stop doing whatever it is that gets you in so much trouble.” He grinned.
Jordan couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her lips. “I’ll try. Thanks for everything, Coop.Oh!I almost forgot! What happened to Jake? Is he all right?”
At the mention of his name, a black face with floppy ears appeared in the back seat, and Jake barked. “He’s been asking about you, too,” Coop said. “He had to see a vet, but I left word at the store in Mitchell in case anyone misses him.”
“Thanks.” Jordan batted her eyelids furiously to stay the tears that threatened when Travis helped her into the pickup. Jake pushed his head over the seat to lick her face. She lost the battle when she saw the large patch of shaved skin and a line of stitches that pulled the torn muscles of the dog’s shoulder together.
Travis slid into the driver’s seat. “Down, Jake.” The dog whined but obeyed, and Jordan waved to Coop through blurry vision as they pulled out of the parking lot.
Travis didn’t try to engage in conversation on the drive home, but he took her hand as soon as they were out of heavy traffic. The warmth of his touch felt so good that she didn’t have the strength of will to pull away.What will it hurt at this point?Her heart was already breaking.
When they finally parked in her driveway, Travis said, “Stay put,” before jumping out and jogging to the passenger side to help her.
On the walk to the front door, Jordan suddenly remembered her house keys were in her purse, which she’d left in Alex’s vehicle. “I don’t have my key.” The futility of trying to find a new normal after everything that had happened overwhelmed her.
“No problem,” Travis said as he maneuvered the steps and positioned her near the porch railing. Removing a small case from his pocket, he knelt in front of the lock and soon had the door open.
Jordan eyed him suspiciously. “Should I be concerned that you’re so good at that?”
“Possibly,” he said with a grin. “Come on, let’s get you inside.”
The silence quickly became awkward when the door closed on her two-story cottage. Travis shoved the pickup keys in his pocket. “How does a hot bath sound? If you point me to the bathroom, I’ll run the water.”
Jordan wanted to refuse, but a bath sounded perfect, so she pointed toward the second floor. “Upstairs, to the left, through my bedroom.”Did I make my bed before I left?She snorted a laugh as he took the stairs two at a time.Like it matters.Heading into the kitchen, she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and slowly climbed the stairs.
The sound of running water was conspicuously absent, and when she walked into her room, Travis sat on the end of her bed, his elbows braced on his thighs and holding a picture frame in his hands.
When he noticed her, he stood and returned the picture of a dark-haired little girl and a brown-skinned man to the nightstand. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop. I got distracted.” His gaze held curiosity that she’d seen before.
“No problem. That was my father and me. He was killed six months ago by a drunk driver. And, no, I’m not adopted.”God, I miss him.
