Chapter 15
McKenna sat at the Watsons’ kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand.
The feeling had returned to her fingers, but the buzzing sensation of blood returning to deprived limbs hadn’t stopped.
She knew what signs to watch for with frostbite.
She sure as hell had it, but time would tell how serious it was.
She pulled the blanket Mrs. Watson had given her around her shoulders and curled her toes into the worn, tattered pink slippers.
At the doorway, Jaxon talked to the sheriff. The occasional word or sentence floated to her ears, reminding her of the horror Dr. Lots had suffered.
Eaten to death.
Remains.
She jerked up her head and locked eyes with Jaxon. His mouth tensed, and he returned his attention to the sheriff.
Mrs. Watson reached over and patted her hand.
“Are you sure you don’t want a homemade cinnamon bun?
I wish you and Jaxon would’ve come here once your generator conked out.
We have more than enough room and lord knows if I don’t keep two years worth of food in the cold room we’d starve to death with these boys. ”
McKenna forced a tight smile. “I wouldn’t have brought any danger to your door. And honestly, it didn’t occur to me. I had enough food, and the wood-burning fireplace kept us warm.”
“I’m sure warmth wasn’t an issue.” Mrs. Watson winked. Her gaze slid to Jaxon and then back to McKenna. “I had no idea you two were a couple.”
A couple? The moisture left McKenna’s mouth, and she sucked back a sip of the hot brew.
She couldn’t exactly explain that she and Jaxon had been fuck buddies for a night.
Besides, she wasn’t sure what was going to happen between them, but the one-nighter stipulation was no longer something she intended to enforce.
“I’m just sorry all this happened because of me.” Regret folded her stomach in two. Fresh tears hit her eyes, and she struggled to swallow the emotion closing her throat.
“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” Mrs. Watson scolded. “Dr. Lots was sick. This isn’t the first strange thing that’s happened with him.”
McKenna frowned. “What do you mean?”
Mrs. Watson sighed, glanced at the sheriff, and then leaned closer to McKenna. Mr. Watson and the boys were outside returning the four-wheeler.
“Rumor has it he called the sheriff and reported that Dr. Martin, the dentist, was stealing his patients.”
McKenna drew her head back. “The dentist? Why in the world . . .”
“Oh, believe me, it gets weirder than that. You know Bev? Well her niece, Lily, works at the pharmacy. Apparently, he’s been self-medicating with narcotics, and on top of that, he prescribed antiviral medication instead of antibiotics three times in the last month.”
“Wow. That’s scary.”
“Mmm hmm. The pharmacist had to report him to the College of Physicians. I have no doubt that’s what triggered this. He has an open case with them.”
“What do you think is going on?”
She shrugged. Her gaze drifted to the sheriff again, and Mrs. Watson straightened in her seat. She pulled the edges of her robe tightly together and nodded. “Thanks for coming, Hank.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m sorry for all the trouble, but I’m grateful Jaxon got to your four-wheeler and found McKenna in time.”
Jaxon pulled out a chair, shuffled it close to her side, and sat in front of the mug Mrs. Watson had filled for him. She leaned into him, her body drawn to his heat.
“Thank you for not pressing charges,” Jaxon said. “If there’s any damage to your property or the four-wheeler, I’ll—”
Mrs. Watson waved him away. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m only upset you two didn’t come here for help sooner.” She turned to the sheriff. “I was just reassuring McKenna that none of this is her fault. I don’t think she’s aware of what’s gone on with Dr. Lots.”
“Ah. Well, small towns talk, but nothing was confirmed until recently.”
“What’s that mean?” Jaxon asked. His hand closed over McKenna’s knee.
The sheriff cleared his throat and averted his gaze. McKenna frowned. If Jaxon’s display of affection made others uncomfortable, so be it. She needed nothing more than his touch right now.
“Dr. Lots’s daughter, Louisa, called from Denver. She said she’d heard from some friends in Whistlemore that her dad was acting strange. She thought I should be aware of his condition.”
“And that is?” McKenna pressed.
He tapped his thumb on the edge of the mug and hesitated.
“Well, he’s deceased now so I guess it doesn’t matter.
He’s been suffering from a personality altering head trauma since a skiing accident he had a couple months back.
According to Louisa, his medication helped greatly.
I don’t know if he ran out and couldn’t access it due to the weather, or if he just took a bad turn.
It’s hard to say, and by the sounds of it, there’s nothing for us to use for an autopsy. ”
McKenna choked on her coffee and pressed her knuckles to her mouth.
The image of the mountain lion attacking Dr. Lots was seared into her mind.
The tears that had been hovering at her eyelashes fell on her cheeks.
There was nothing she could have done, but it didn’t make the fact that he’d died a brutal, horrifying death any less tragic.
Jaxon pulled her into his arms.
“Wildlife officers are investigating,” the sheriff continued.
Unfortunately, the animal will need to be euthanized after .
. . what happened. They’re wondering if it was rabid the way it stalked Jaxon.
Very unusual.” He cleared his throat. “Try to get some rest. The storm’s passed now, and I’ll make sure the guys clear the road to your place first thing. ”
McKenna didn’t pull her face away from Jaxon’s shoulder. Instead, she focused on his scent, taking long, slow breaths. His hands moved up and down her back. There was some shuffling in the room, and then they were alone.
“It scared the shit out of me when you were missing.” Jaxon’s gruff confession radiated to her heart.
“That was quick thinking, taking the Watsons’ four-wheeler. I don’t even want to think about what Dr. Lots planned to do with me.”
Jaxon rested his chin on the top of her head. “It’s all over now.”
She let her body sink into his hold. Relief swept over her. If Jaxon hadn’t shown up at her door, if she’d turned him away, things would have ended very differently.
She’d be dead.
Cut into pieces.
Thrown—
“You know what this means?” The gentle rhythm of Jaxon’s question dragged her thoughts out of the depths of hell they’d been visiting. She turned to look up at him.
“What?”
“I’m going to have to apologize to that idiot Trevor. Guess he had nothing to do with this after all.”
McKenna snorted. Some of the weight lifted from her chest. “I won’t tell anyone if you want to skip that apology. We both know he deserved that punch.”
“Damn right he did.”
“You guys want a lift home?” The sheriff’s shout made her jump.
“Sure.” She stood and shed the slippers and blanket. A pins-and-needles sensation made her already weak limbs wobble.
Ms. Watson entered from the living room. “Dear, you keep the slippers and blanket for now. We don’t need you getting any more frostbitten, all right?”
McKenna sniffled with gratitude. She’d spoken with the Watsons only a handful of times. She’d always assumed she was the one judged by everyone, but maybe she’d judged others as well. The Watsons’ kindness and willingness to help revealed that maybe she’d had her guard up unnecessarily.
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to return them tomorrow.”
Mrs. Watson waved her hand. “I know where you live,” she said with a wink.
Jaxon waited for her to insert her feet back into the slippers and pull the blanket around her. Then he picked her up and carried her out of the kitchen. The sheriff’s gaze widened on them.
She tightened her body. Embarrassment warmed her face. “I can walk.”
“Doesn’t look like it,” Jaxon said, as he moved out the front door.
The cold air reawakened the chill in her bones, and she burrowed against his chest. Screw the rumors that would be floating around town by breakfast. Whether she took him home or not, people would talk.
Might as well give them good gossip.
* * *
Jaxon woke to the sound of soft purrs from McKenna’s lips. Sunlight streamed through the slats in the blinds. The storm was over.
But the remnants of their nightmare lingered.
He glanced down at McKenna. Her face rested on his chest, her hand was thrown over his shoulder, and her leg was hiked onto his thigh.
They’d fallen in bed, exhausted, as soon as they’d gotten home from the Watsons’. Every protective instinct made him want to touch her rosy cheek, inspect her now-thawed fingers and toes, and kiss her just to ensure he wasn’t dreaming that she was alive.
She needed sleep. He’d give it to her if it killed him.
He gently scooted out from under her weight and lowered her to the pillow.
She shimmied under the covers but didn’t wake.
He padded to the kitchen. A wall of heat hit him, and he turned to the fireplace.
The flames had gone out—probably hours ago.
Judging by the height of the sun, it was close to noon.
But it still shouldn’t be so damn warm in the cabin.
He stopped at the thermostat. The heat was running.
Hallelujah. They had power.
He went to the coffee maker and started the machine before turning his attention to the fridge. The power had been out for over twenty-four hours. Anything that needed to stay cold would be spoiled. The only things they might be able to eat were still-cold items in the freezer.
He opened the freezer drawer and pulled out vegan sausage. Cold, but not frozen. The fruit bowl on the counter held brown-dotted bananas and the gluten-free bread and peanut butter Trevor had delivered. He pulled out the frying pan and dumped in the whole package of sausage.
The coffee machine beeped. He pulled a mug down from the cupboard and filled it.
“Mmm. Is that for me?”
He grinned and turned around. McKenna stood in the kitchen, her arm resting on the back of a chair.
Black plaid pajama pants hung around her waist and a white long-sleeved shirt outlined the definition of her slender arms and clung to her breasts.
Her nipples poked through the fabric. The sight blazed a line of fire to his cock.
She stepped forward and reached for the mug. He held it in the air out of reach.
She frowned. “Haven’t you heard you should never withhold coffee from a witch? It’s an old wives’ tale.”
He tilted his head. “Nope. Haven’t heard that one. Ever hear the saying sex is better than coffee?”
She guffawed. “I’ll tell you that after you give me my caffeine.”
He swept his palm around her ribcage and slid his thumb beneath the swell of her breast. Fuck, he wanted her.
The top three buttons of her shirt were undone.
Not enough to expose her hard nubs, but enough for him to catch a glimpse of her creamy breasts.
The pad of his thumb twitched, wanting to run over the tight bud, but he refrained.
Her breath vacuumed the air around them. Her cheeks flushed pink, and her full bottom lip begged to be bitten.
“We need to have a conversation first.” He kept the coffee mug raised.
One slender eyebrow flinched. “About?”
“You. Me. This whole one-nighter bullshit.”
Amusement softened her features, and she succumbed to a smile. “Why is it bullshit?”
“Because it was bullshit when we made the agreement and it’s even more so now that we’ve .
. . been together.” The words “made love” almost slipped out, but he caught them before he made a total ass of himself.
He wasn’t above expressing emotions; he’d be the first one to make a move any day of the week.
But Christ. If McKenna had reservations, he didn’t want to scare her off.
As she surveyed him, her tongue wet that blasted bottom lip, tormenting him to no fucking end.
“Do you agree?” The old Jaxon, the financial planner from Boston, would have been humiliated by the plea in his voice. Only that Jaxon was long gone. After Raf, he didn’t live life bottled anymore. He took what he wanted, but he sure as shit wanted—no, needed—McKenna to want him back.
Just as bad.
Her eyes, those beautiful indigo waters, lifted to his. She pressed her hand to his cheek. Her thumb dragged over his beard then lifted to touch his lips.
“It is bullshit. I know we agreed not to make promises, but I like being with you. I like having you here. We don’t have to make it complicated. But for the record, I don’t want to live in town. I need to be in the backcountry, and I’d love it if you’d stay here.”
Warmth spread through him. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about his rented basement suite in the center of Whistlemore. He’d write his notice today and forego the remainder of the month’s rent. He pulled her closer, still keeping the coffee out of reach.
“You’re not just saying that because I hold the cup of your mental function, are you?”
A laugh rolled out of her lips, and she bobbed her eyebrows. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
He dipped his head and caught her lips in his. She rose onto her toes and moved her hand from his cheek to the back of his neck. She stroked his tongue with hers. Lust made his arm weak, and he brought the mug down.
She grabbed it and pulled away. “Mmm. Now that’s exactly what I needed.”
He lunged for her hips, but she scooted out of reach, a devilish grin on her face. Damn, he loved her playfulness.
“I’ll give you exactly what you need.” He filled his words with promise.
She shrieked as he pulled her into his arms. Coffee sloshed on the floor, but he didn’t give a damn. This time, her body molded to his. He took the mug from her fingers and placed it on the kitchen table. Cradling her head in his hand, he touched his lips to her neck.
She moaned. He swept the top of her shirt down and pulled her nipple into his mouth.
“Ah, god, Jaxon.”
“Mmm,” he said. “Make no mistake, McKenna—I need you more than the air I breathe. And I hope to hell you feel the same.”
Her breath stilled. She ran her fingers down his bicep, and her eyes melted into a liquid blue. “I think I’ve wanted you my whole life.”
He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Life was full of twists and turns. He didn’t care about where they’d be in a few years. All that mattered was that she was here now, and there was no way he was walking away from this kind of happiness.