Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Fisher
Noah’s stubborn as shit, but after four days of me coming over, she’s finally accepting my help.
I’ve kept her fed, done her laundry, vacuumed, and dusted, all while trying to keep my emotions in check.
Being just friends with the person who owns my soul is as torturous as it sounds, but I refuse to leave unless it’s for work.
Sleeping on her uncomfortable and too small couch is miserable as fuck, but I deal with it so she isn’t alone all night.
I’ve cut my workdays down to five hours and start at seven in the morning so I can be here by noon.
Her family and Magnolia visit while I’m gone, so she always has someone around.
I know she hates it, but she needs to stay off her ankle for it to heal properly.
She’s gotten better at using her crutches and is down to only taking meds twice a day.
All good things but all highly unlikely if she were left to her own devices.
“Can you take me to see Donut today?” she asks as I make chicken pesto wraps for lunch.
“You ready to go that far?”
“I need to get out of this house. I’m goin’ stir-crazy.” She throws her head back and groans. “Plus, if I so much as flinch, you’ll be there to grab me.”
Her smart-ass tone makes me smile. “Maybe not. Fallin’ on your butt might do ya some good.”
“Aww...is someone feelin’ underappreciated?”
Setting her food down on the table, I bring my mouth to her ear. “You show me you do each day you allow me to stay in your life.” I release my grip on the plate and step back. “I’ll take you after we eat.”
I clean up the counter, then sit across from her.
“Thank you for lunch. It smells delicious.” Her stomach growls when she takes a big bite, and I laugh when she gets pesto all over her mouth.
“When’s the last time you ate?” I lean over and brush my thumb across her bottom lip, then lick it off.
We stare at each other, and she swallows hard. “Last night when you made dinner.”
I sit back in my chair. “Gramma Grace didn’t bring you breakfast this mornin’?”
“She had an appointment in town, and I told Momma I was fine by myself for a few hours.”
“So no one was here?”
She smirks, taking a sip of her coffee. “Nope, and look at me, I survived.”
“So I guess you didn’t hear about Craig, then?”
“What ’bout him?” She narrows her eyes, all the sass out of her tone.
“He was granted bail this mornin’.” I clench my jaw at the thought of him being on the loose after only spending a night behind bars.
Sheriff Wagner arrested him two days ago after finding him at his family’s cabin an hour away.
The judge didn’t consider the charge serious enough to make the bail amount that high, so now he’ll be free until his preliminary hearing.
“Great... he’ll come after me when I’m down to one foot.”
“The sheriff said he acted deranged when he picked him up. I told your brothers and parents on my way in, so everyone’s on guard now. In fact, when your father stopped by the barn, he was carryin’ his shotgun around.”
“Jesus Christ.” She shakes her head.
“Don’t worry. I’ve turned on camera notifications, so if he’s dumb enough to show his face ’round here, we won’t miss it.”
She’s silent for a moment as she looks down at her food, then back at me. “Do you still carry?”
I finish chewing my food and wipe my mouth before responding. “You really want the answer to that?”
“Probably not.”
Given my history with guns, Damien got rid of mine when I was in the hospital. It wasn’t until years later when I was on the road a lot that I got a new one and kept it secure in my truck.
After we finish eating, I help her get dressed, all with my eyes closed as requested. Then I carry her to my truck and drive the short distance to the family barn.
“I got it,” she says once she gets out, and I hand her the crutches.
It’s not that she can’t use them, but her ribs are still sore. One wrong move and she tumbles to the ground again. Though I wouldn’t let that happen since I’m two inches away.
When I open the barn door and she goes through, I’m back at her side as she hops toward Donut’s stall. As soon as he sees her, he starts whining and squealing.
Noah beams as she slowly makes her way toward him. As soon as she reaches him, she puts a hand out, and he smells it.
“I think he missed ya,” I say softly.
She smiles wide. “I missed you, too, boy.”
Noah pets his neck, then his nose nudges one of her crutches.
“That wasn’t your fault, Donut. None of it was, okay? We’re gonna get the guy who did it. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me.”
He leans his head against hers as she continues rubbing him. It’s a sweet moment. Their bond and unconditional trust are unlike anything I’ve witnessed before.
I stand back as they share a few more tender moments.
“Love you, boy. I’ll be back for ya as soon as I can.” She kisses him, wipes her cheek, then turns and walks toward the door.
“Are you okay?” I ask as we drive back to her house.
She stares out her window and nods.
Reaching over, I squeeze her leg. “We’re gonna get justice, Noah. He won’t hurt you or Donut ever again.”
“I wish I could believe that...” she murmurs.
She’s down right now, but I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her and won’t rest until Craig gets what he deserves.
Once we’re back in her house, she lies down and sleeps for a few hours. I rest on the couch, then get started on dinner. I stopped at the store after work and picked up more of her favorites.
She’s quiet while we eat, and I don’t push her to talk, but she doesn’t need to for me to know she’s struggling with this.
Noah used to be active all day, every day, and being stuck at home with only one foot and broken ribs is a drastic change.
I’ve gone through similar situations when I’d get hurt and have to stay away from riding for weeks at a time, sometimes months, while my body recovered.
“I’m gonna take a shower. Could you unwrap my ankle for me?” she asks after I clean up the kitchen.
“You’re ready for that?”
She’s been doing sponge baths to avoid standing on one foot in the shower.
“I need to wash my hair, and I feel gross overall. Just because we’re on a ranch doesn’t mean I wanna smell like one twenty-four seven.”
“Alright, but you can’t go in there alone. One slip and you’ll snap your ankle.”
“I won’t put pressure on it,” she argues. “I’ll hold on to the rail and wash one-handed.”
“Noah.” I cross my arms and stand firm. “Just let me help you. I can do your hair.”
“You being in there with your eyes closed sounds more dangerous than just lettin’ me do it myself.”
I lick my lips and rub my jawline in amusement. “I’d keep them open.”
“Absolutely not.” She shakes her head.
Fuck, she’s so damn hardheaded. “Takin’ care of you and keepin’ you safe are my top priorities, Goldie. I know ya don’t like it but too goddamn bad. Your parents are countin’ on me, and I’m not about to let them down a second time.”
She inhales sharply like she wants to argue but rolls her eyes instead. “Fine. But you sneak one little peek below the neck, and I won’t think twice about kneein’ you.”
I smirk because she’s lost her mind if she thinks I can thoroughly wash her without looking. “Deal.”
We go into the bathroom, and I offer to help her undress, but she swats my hand away and tells me to turn around. I comply, but I’m only a few inches away just in case. She winces, and I feel a sharp pain in my chest.
“Are you ready? Can I turn around?”
“Yeah.”
I do my best to keep my eyes toward the ceiling while I take her hand and help her step inside the shower.
“Keep that foot up. Get into the middle and hold on to the rail.”
I don’t want her hopping around with water on the floor, so once she’s settled, I turn the knob.
She jumps. “Shit, that’s cold.”
“Sorry, it’s turned all the way to hot. Should warm up in a minute.”
Stepping back onto the mat, I remove my shirt, then unbutton my jeans.
“What’re ya doin’?” She holds out her palm to block her view.
“You expect me to get in there with my clothes on?”
She flickers her gaze to mine before shifting away. “I hadn’t thought about that, obviously.”
“Well, if I can keep my eyes above the neck, then so can you.” I smirk, knowing she’ll be tempted.
“Fine. But hurry up and close the door because I’m freezin’.”
As soon as I’m naked, I meet her inside. We stare at each other, and I wonder if she’s remembering the last time we were in here together.
A moment that’ll be embedded into my memory for the rest of my life.
I wrap a hand around her good side and stabilize her. “Tilt your head back and get your hair wet.”
My eyes lower to her pierced nipples as she brushes her fingers through her scalp. When she straightens, I snap my head back up. “What do you want me to do first?”
“Um...you can start with the shampoo. It’s the white bottle.”
Turning around, I squeeze some into my palm, and when I return, I find her gaze was on my ass.
I arch a brow, rubbing my palms together. “You forget the rules already?”
“No. I had somethin’ in my eye.” She blinks a few times, and I stifle a laugh.
I massage my fingers into her scalp, and she tilts her head back with a moan. The water hits her just right, and I help rinse it out.
“Conditioner?” I ask.
“Black bottle.”
I repeat the process, but this time, I take extra care slathering it into her ends before rinsing it out.
“I forgot to grab a washcloth,” she says when I reach for her body wash.
“Guess you’ll have to suffer with my rough hands.” I grin when she groans at the harsh calluses.
Keeping eye contact, I begin with her neck and move to her chest, making sure to be as thorough as possible.
Her heart races under my palm before I slide down between her breasts.
The temptation to touch her the way I crave is so intense, I have to count to ten in my head to keep my dick from stabbing her.