Chapter Eleven
“Can I come in?”
Jinx craned his neck from where he stood at the sink shaving. “Come on in, Doc Lafferty. I didn’t expect to see you this morning.”
The doc came in and closed the door. “I had a visit with Sam and thought I’d stop in to see you on my way out.”
After rinsing his razor and dropping it back in the bag, he used the washcloth to clean the remaining shaving cream off his face.
“Looks like you’re getting around just fine,” Doc Lafferty said when Jinx stepped out of the bathroom.
He reached for his T-shirt from the bottom of the bed and pulled it over his head. “Where there’s a will there’s a way.”
“Don’t overdo it. I know you’re biting at the bit to leave, but you need to be careful.”
“Does that mean I’m released from your care?”
“Well, Sam said if you’re able to sit in that bed you should be able to sit in the passenger seat.” Doc pulled up the chair and sat down.“He said you should take as long as you need with pay.”
“That’s very generous.” Jinx sat on the bed.
Doc Lafferty shrugged. “Sam’s known to be generous on occasion. Stubborn as an ox though. He’s not taking the cancer seriously.” Doc grabbed his gloves from his bag. “I’ll go ahead and examine the wound but I’m betting it’s coming along fine.”
Jinx narrowed his gaze. “Doc?”
“Yeah?” He snapped his gloves into place.
“Sam has cancer?”
Surprise flashed over Doc’s face. “I think I just said something that I shouldn’t have.” He looked frazzled.
With a moment absorbing what he’d just heard, Jinx ran his hand through his hair. “Has he told anyone?” It made sense why he seemed preoccupied lately.
With an exasperated sigh, Doc shook his head. “I can’t talk to you about it.”
“That’s a little too late, isn’t it?”
“Well, technically, Sam isn’t my patient, but as his friend, he’d kill me if he knew I said something.”
“I’m assuming none of the sisters know?” Jinx couldn’t imagine Justice had any idea.
Doc shook his head again. “He wants to hold off as long as possible.”
“Damn. Is he getting treatment?”
“Says he doesn’t want it. It’d be easier to chop down a maple tree with a plastic knife than convince Sam Rose to do something he doesn’t want to. Sit back and let me look at the wound.” Jinx slid back and lifted his pant leg, watching as Doc peeled away the bandage. “You’re coming along fine, son.”
That’s what Jinx wanted to hear.
After hearing the news about Sam, Jinx felt a bit off-kilter. He didn’t know the man well, but what he did know he respected and admired. And his thoughts wandered to Justice. He knew how much she loved and cared for her father.
“How about we switch out that thick obstructive gauze for something you can get your jeans over?”
“I’d be much obliged, Doc,” Jinx answered.
“Let’s see what I have in my bag.” He searched through his bag and brought out an unopened package of bandages. “You still need to change it twice a day. Keep the salve on it each change. The stitches will need to come out in a week.”
The wound was still raw and ghastly, but it had healed significantly since the incident, and the new, thinner bandage felt much better. “In a week. I got it.”
“No more playing with bulls again, you hear?” Doc patted Jinx’s leg and dragged off his gloves, dropping them into the trash can. “Watch for swelling or redness. You can still walk on it some, but be aware that if you do too much, it’s going to slow the healing process.”
“I hear you,” Jinx muttered. At least he could wear his jeans now.
A knock came on the door. Doc opened the door. “Hello, Justice.”
Jinx tilted his head so he could see past the doc. Justice looked like a ray of sunshine. Her hair was pulled up off her neck, and she wore a simple top and jeans. She had probably just come back from her chores with the horses. “I can come back.”
“I was just leaving. Jinx, you want some company?” Doc asked.
“I’d love some.” He always looked forward to seeing Justice and today was no different.
“I’m heading out.” Doc waved at Jinx. “I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Thanks for everything, Doc.”
Once the door shut behind him, Jinx settled his gaze at Justice. “Mornin’.”
“Morning.” She slid her hands into her back pockets. “Apparently you’ve been given the approval to go to Catskills.”
He nodded. “It seems so.” He pulled down the leg of his sweats.
“There’s something I’d like to speak to you about.” She looked a bit uneasy.
“Have a seat.” He patted the bed next to his hip.
Taking her hands out of her pockets, she sat on the bed and shifted so that she could see him. “I’ve been thinking.” The tip of her tongue darted out to lick her lips. He’d never seen her this troubled. “It’s difficult to put into words.”
“Sometimes you should just spit it out.”
“A few months ago, Daddy sat my sisters and me down and had a very strange demand.” She ran her palms down her jeans denim-clad thighs. “He gave us an ultimatum. Either we marry someone within the year, or we lose all rights to Sagebrush Rose Ranch.”
And the plot thickens.
“That’s some ultimatum.” Jinx could fit the puzzle pieces together. Sam found out he had cancer and needed to ensure that his daughters were taken care of, not that they needed anyone to take care of them. Although Jinx didn’t agree with the ultimatum, he knew if his days were numbered he would want those he loved to be prepared for the future.
She cleared her throat. “I’d like to offer you a business proposition.”
“I’m all ears.” He could almost guess what she had in mind.
“Marry me. We could both benefit. I meet Daddy’s ridiculous requirement, and you have a role model for Ilene.”
He had to admit, the offer wasn’t one that could easily be turned down…if that’s where he was headed. And he wasn’t too shocked that she was asking. The marriage discussion with Sam had paved the way. Nothing that happened with the Rose family would surprise him.
“You serious?”
“Yes.” Her bottom lip trembled.
“I just had to check. Ilene could use someone.” He scraped his fingers down his jaw, expecting to find whiskers there and not a smooth jaw. “But marriage? A marriage of convenience?”
“I know it seems all so…awkward, but I assure you, Daddy is sticking to his guns. He’s as stubborn as an old goat. It’s interesting that he wants his daughters to marry and he isn’t himself because he doesn’t believe in matrimony.”
Jinx smiled, but he remembered that Justice had no clue that her father had cancer and had refused treatment. She would be devastated. Oddly, Jinx had a strong desire to protect her. He understood how losing a parent could be painful. How it turned everything upside down. “I’m not sure—”
“Not sure? I know it’s a lot.” She tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of the messy bun.
“It’s a big decision.”
She jumped up from the bed. “I shouldn’t have asked.” She wrung her hands out at her waist. “I know it sounds so wrong and desperate—”
“I haven’t said no,” he told her.
Some of the tension in her features softened. “No?”
“Please sit back down, Justice.” She did as he asked. “Are you sure you want to marry someone for convenience?”
She brought her gaze up, full of emotion. “I’ve always thought I’d be married by now, unlike my sisters. Not one of convenience, but we enjoy each other’s company. I like Ilene and I can help with her.”
What he realized if he didn’t marry her, she might find another cowboy. He couldn’t even wrap his head around her being with someone, him touching her in all the ways that he’s fantasized. “You would live with Ilene and me?”
With a nod, she said, “We could live here in Sagebrush Pine. Ilene would be close. The local school is great with a lot of opportunities. She could even help on the ranch. She loves horses.”
“Are you sure?”
“I was the one who asked.” A smile played peekaboo at the corners of her lips.
“Will you and I…?” Why couldn’t he form the words?
“We can have separate bedrooms, of course.”
She misunderstood what he wanted, but he wouldn’t put more pressure on the situation. “Is there an expiration date?”
She thought over his question. “At least we’d want to stay married until Ilene graduated. You won’t have to worry about selling the farm. She will be part of the Rose family.”
It almost sounded too good to be true. He’d wanted Justice from the second he saw her, but a marriage of convenience. Then there was the part where he’d taken the pictures of her with Downs. Would she forgive him if she knew? And if he didn’t tell her that Sam had cancer, would she ever speak to him again?
Sam’s illness wasn’t for Jinx to tell.
“We could have a small ceremony. Invite your aunt and Ilene. Of course, Daddy,” her words pulled Jinx back to the present moment.
“On one condition. You promise that when the time comes that you no longer want to be married to me you will always be in Ilene’s life. It wouldn’t be fair for her to lose another person.”
“I promise.”