Chapter 9
Jude
The snapof the front door closing disturbs my morning musings. The cup of black coffee in my hand lacks the steam it had when I poured it sometime ago. While I should have been taking the pack out for their morning walk, I”ve been here stuck in my own head.
And for once, the delay has nothing to do with the counting.
I glance down into my cup, noticing the murky liquid is precisely the color of Frankie”s eyes. The color sharply contrasts her shockingly white-blond hair.
”Jude?”
”In here,” I call out to my brother Jack.
He appears around the corner with Whitney on his heels. ”Morning.”
I tilt my chin in response. ”Morning.”
”I brought some things over for Frankie.” Whitney approaches the island. ”The girls and I got together some clothes. You said she”d be here for a while, but we didn”t know how long that meant.”
My eyes grow round as she heaves a massive zippered black bag onto the counter. ”Are you sending her on a trip?” I ask, bewildered. When I called the family last night for spare items, I didn”t think they”d rally to find an entire suitcase’s worth.
I should have known my family wouldn”t settle for the bare essentials. The Powells don”t know the meaning of doing something half-assed.
Whitney glares but softens it with a tip of her lips. ”That”s not a half-bad idea. I”m sure the poor girl could use one.”
”Whatcha got?” I bring the conversation back to the items to move them along and away from the thought of Frankie leaving again.
She needs time to heal, and I don’t like the thought of her leaving until she’s had time to do that. Don”t know why. Just know it feels like a vise gripping my chest.
Jack leans happily against the wall and crosses his arms, a smitten fucking look on his face as he watches his woman in her element.
”Besides the obvious, we picked up a hairbrush, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Um, Bree bought her some feminine toiletries so she doesn”t have to wash up with whatever it is you use.” She keeps talking as she pulls a mountain of items individually from the bag. ”Oh, and I picked her up some panties and bras. They’re the stretchy kind since I didn’t know her size.”
The second the words leave her mouth, I avert my gaze, but I”m not quick enough. The scraps of black cotton and lace burn themselves into my brain as Whitney drops them unceremoniously onto my kitchen counter.
My thoughts have been bad enough since the argument with Frankie wearing nothing but my tee, those tight thighs on display as she climbed into my guest bed. The last thing I need is to know exactly what underwear she”s got on beneath my shirt when she”s doing it.
And now I have the perfect visual.
Fucking hell.
”There”s a notepad and markers, and Bree threw in a copy of her favorite romance novel. A few other things to occupy her time in case she”s bored to tears stuck here with you.”
”I can keep her plenty entertained.” Shit, there are enough dogs here to keep her busy for a week.
”I”m sure you can.”
Jack coughs into his fist.
I feel my face flush as I register Whitney”s smirk.
”You”re nothing but a troublemaker,” I bite out.
”You make it oh-so easy,” she teases. ”Mind if I drop these off with her?”
”Anything to get you out of my sight,” I grumble.
Whitney pauses her packing and opens her mouth, a rapid retort on the tip of her tongue.
”Honey,” Jack calls. As he gains her attention, he smiles in a way that tamps down some of my prickly edges. ”Stop riling up my brother before he bites someone”s head off.”
Whitney pats my shoulder on her way past, and I tense. ”He wouldn”t snap at me,” she says sweetly.
”It isn”t you I”m worried about.”
Her girlish giggle softens as she disappears up the stairs.
”I”m madly in love with her.” Jack”s declaration feels odd in my small kitchen. “We’re getting married this summer.”
”I know.”
He grins. ”I”m just reminding you because I know she can be a pain in your ass.”
”Trust me. The fact you love her is what keeps her from actually being a pain in my ass.” I drain half my lukewarm mug. ”Where”re the kids?”
”Lucy”s at school, and Bennett”s already at daycare. Whitney took the day off, and I have Hunter covering the motel so we can spend some time together.”
”Got anything planned?”
My twin gives a noncommittal shrug. ”Just some quality time with my fiancée.”
”You don”t have to dump them at daycare for that. Any time the two of you need a night off, feel free to give me a call.”
Jack nods. ”I”ll keep that in mind. What about you? Besides this whole thing, what else is going on?”
I drain the rest of my cup and set the empty on the counter by my hip. ”Liz is stopping by this afternoon to take the boxer into her home for a long-term foster. I got a call about a stray dog running along the highway on the north side of town, but I couldn”t find it when I went out to check. I”ll probably make another trip out tomorrow once Frankie”s feeling better.”
”Taking her to work with you?”
I lick my bottom lip, noticing how tense my jaw feels. I didn”t reveal to my family the agreement Frankie and I settled on. They don”t know she”ll be working at the Sanctuary. ”Taking her everywhere. Don”t trust her alone in my house.”
”Huh,” Jack says.
I cut my eyes sharply to my brother. ”Huh... What?”
”Oh, nothing.” He pushes away from the wall and digs his keys from his pocket. ”It”s just that I didn”t expect you to bring her over to Mom”s so soon.”
”Mom? I”m not bringing her to Mom”s.”
”So you”re skipping another family dinner?”
Son of a bitch.
I sigh. ”I guess I”m bringing her to Mom”s.”
Footfalls sound from the staircase behind us. Jack directs his attention across the room. ”Good luck with that,” he says.
”Do I have one sibling who isn”t getting a kick out of this?”
”Maybe try Aiden. Or Cortney.”
”She”s been on vacation, but I can bet by Sunday afternoon, she”s going to be right in the thick of it with the rest of you.”
”I”d lose that bet,” Jack laughs.
”What bet?” Whitney asks.
Jack pulls her close and kisses her on the side of the head. ”Nothing, beautiful. How”s Frankie?”
Whitney spins in Jack”s arms. Her back presses against his chest as she gazes up at me. ”She seems really sweet. She was overly grateful and promised to pay us back.”
”Did you tell her no?” I ask, feeling the familiar tension begin to rise inside me.
”Of course I did.”
”Good.” A harsh lump in my throat impedes a swallow.
”Need anything from us while we”re here?” Jack offers. His sincere question does nothing to ease the familiar feelings flooding my system.
”Nah. The two of you only have so much time. Get out of here.” I walk them to the door.
”If she needs anything else, don”t hesitate to call. The girls and I could have easily packed a second bag for her. It”s no problem,” Whitney says, giving me a brief hug before she steps onto the porch.
I brace a hand on either side of the doorframe and lean out. ”Will do. Thanks for stopping by.”
They both turn back to wave as they depart.
The second the door closes, I rest my back against the sturdy wood and close my eyes.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.
The tension bleeds from my fingertips enough that I can return to the kitchen. I drop my empty mug into the top rack of the dishwasher and flick on the stove. This morning, I”m making pancakes.
Fifteen minutes later, with a pile stacked high next to some fresh fruit and sausage links, I find myself standing in the empty hall in front of Frankie”s room. For not the first time in my life, I wish I could be fucking normal and cross over the threshold without this entire ritual.
”Are you going to stand outside of my door all day?” she calls sweetly from inside.
Her words work like a key, unlocking my limbs and forcing me through the door on stiff legs.
”Brought breakfast.” I deposit the plate on her bedside table without looking at her.
Which is why she surprises the shit out of me by appearing at my side.
”Fuck!” I bark.
She laughs, the sound warm and rich in a way I haven”t heard before. My gaze sweeps her face, from her twinkling brown eyes over her pink cheeks and soft lips before trailing lower to my dark tee shirt draping her body. My cock twitches, as if the bastard has a say in this unconventional situation.
”When do we get started, boss?”
”You don”t.” I take a hasty step back and cross my arms over my chest. I take note of my fucking dog curled up on Frankie’s bed as if she co-owns this room. Ashe hasn’t slept in my room since Frankie arrived.
Confused eyebrows snap together over those brown eyes. ”I thought...”
Ah, hell. You made her nervous, you bastard. ”You”re still on strict orders to rest since you haven”t been doing enough of it. Start date is Monday, bright and early.”
Her features soften, though a bit of her fire remains. She gives a mock salute. ”Yes, sir. And what is bright and early to you?”
”Seven o’clock will do.”
”I”ll be there.” She selects a sausage link and sinks her teeth into it.
”When are you due back to the doctor for your arm?”
She immediately becomes flustered, a flurry of sounds falling from her mouth before she settles with a deep breath. ”I wasn”t planning on being here, so I didn”t schedule a follow-up.”
I swear I can feel my blood pressure rise. ”And what, exactly, were you planning on doing with your broken arm?”
She lifts the braced limb between us. ”This seems to be working just fine.”
”I”ll take you.”
”I don”t think that”s necessary.”
”Frankie, you can”t be around a pack of dogs with a broken arm that isn”t at the very least casted. Do you not have any self-preservation, or are you just content to fuck with me?”
The way her spine straightens as she wipes her fingers on a flimsy napkin has my blood pumping. ”Well, excuse me that I”m not used to letting someone else take care of me! I”ve looked out for myself my entire life, and I don”t need you coming in here and sweeping me off my feet like some damsel!”
”I don”t think you”re a damsel.”
”Good.” She crosses her arms over her heaving chest and settles back onto the bed. But not without those fiery eyes pinning me in place.
”I don”t think you any less capable because you”re in a shit situation,” I say quietly.
”It doesn”t feel that way.”
”You catch me off guard sometimes. It”s been a long time since I”ve had to be in survival mode. I forgot what it”s like.”
”What do you mean?” Her voice is equally quiet. A grittiness not normally present enters her tone.
But I”m not here to swap war stories and have a heart-to-heart over pancakes. ”I”ll call the doctor. Enjoy your breakfast.”
”Jude!”
I pause at the door with my back to the room. I turn my chin toward my shoulder. ”Not something I like to talk about, Frankie. Leave it at that.”