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“Trainers.” Fin walked in with a bag of food, which he lowered to the bedside table, and more coffee. “How you doing, Jack?”
“Okay, if you discount the red-hot poker in my side.”
Fin looked like he wanted to spit tacks just like Joe, but he simply leaned in and hugged Jack.
“Glad you’re okay.”
“How’s Bailey, Fin?” Jack said the words as he eased into a more comfortable position, which caused him to grunt in pain.
“Haven’t seen her today, but spoke to Maggie, who said she’s shaken, but holding up well. Me and Maggie went to the police with her yesterday. She told Chief Blake everything she knew, and didn’t derail once. No hysterics, no crying. I seriously thought about proposing then and there. A calm woman in a time of crisis is a rarity.”
“I’m sure I should be insulted about now,” Piper said.
“Bailey said you were just having a nice ride and then the bullet hit you, your horse threw you, which by the way is going to give me some serious mileage,” Fin said, to which Jack rolled his eyes. Joe didn’t have an eye roll in him, in fact what he still had was a red-hot burning rage that someone had shot his brother. A few inches the other way and he’d be dead. Bailey could have been shot too, and until now he hadn’t allowed himself to focus on that. The thought was a chilling one.
“She said she got off her horse, and came to you, then bound your side, and you headed back.”
“Yeah, I was just telling these guys that I told her to go but she refused, then bullied me up on her horse. That’s pretty much all I remember.”
“Chief Blake’s been out at your place twice now, scouring the area. He’s gonna take Bailey back at some stage to go over things.”
They talked until Jack fell asleep again. Joe told the nurse to call him when he woke. He then left the hospital and went to find Bailey. He needed to check on her, make sure she really was holding up okay, and he refused to acknowledge just how much seeing her meant to him right at that moment. His world had just been rocked and it was to her he wanted to go to steady it again.
Chapter 16
He’d been to her house, then his, but came up empty-handed. Finally he decided on heading to the bar, and it was there he found her. She was in the utility room staring at the washing machine, muttering to herself.
“It can’t be that hard to use.”
He stood in the doorway watching her. She was dressed in denim shorts that looked like they’d recently been a pair of jeans, and a pale gray fitted long-sleeved T-shirt. On her feet were the now slightly grubby peach trainers. Her hair was in the ever-present messy knot. He followed the length of two long curls that had made a break for freedom, and fell to below her shoulders, and felt something heavy settle in his chest. Why those two locks of hair made her appear vulnerable, he had no idea.
“You’re an intelligent woman, Bailey Jones. How hard can it be to operate?”
She bent, and he admired her ass, and the length of her legs. Then straightened, and braced her hands on her hips.
“It’s a washing machine.”
She yelped, turning with a hand now pressed to her chest.
“I-I didn’t hear you.”
“You were too busy talking to the washing machine.”
Color filled her cheeks and she looked away.
“How’s Jack?”
“Better, thanks.”
“I’m pleased. It was scary not knowing how bad he was.”
“Very scary. Now tell me why you are standing here looking at my washing machine?”
“I came in to see if Em needed me to play tonight, and she was flustered because someone didn’t turn up for work today to clean. I offered to help, and she asked me to put the bar towels on to wash.”
“And you don’t know how?”
“I’ll work it out.”
