Chapter Twelve
More than a week later, Jordon lay in bed unable to fall asleep.
She’d been into town to see Spider nearly every day.
She really liked him. He was funny when he wanted to be but also intense.
She got the feeling he was fiercely protective of those he cared about.
She couldn’t help but think about the way he’d insisted that Fletch bring her home the day Wildfire had delivered.
She’d been so tired, but she wouldn’t have given up any of that day, even if someone had offered her a pocketful of cash.
She reached for her phone and wondered if she should, but before she could second guess herself, she typed up the text and hit SEND.
Jordon: You awake?
She stared at the screen for a few seconds, then felt like an idiot.
It would vibrate and let her know if he responded.
Plus, it wouldn’t be instant. She might as well close her eyes and try to doze off while she waited.
She didn’t have to wait long. She was just starting to relax when her phone vibrated.
She picked it up and opened her eyes, eager to see what he had to say.
Spider: of course. Having trouble sleeping wildcat?
Something in her warmed when she realized the wildcat was a term of endearment. She liked it. It fit her way better than some she’d heard, at least for her. She couldn’t see herself answering to something like dove or angel. They just didn’t fit her. But wildcat? She could get used to that.
Jordon: A little. What’s got you up this late?
She glanced at the clock. 11:27 PM. She had to get up in about five hours, and she really should be sleeping, but she couldn’t get her brain to slow down enough to let her sleep.
Spider: Pain, brain won’t stop, the lights are loud, the nurses keep bugging me. You name it.
Jordon smiled to herself, despite the near darkness in her room. She could hear his voice as she read each of his complaints. She wasn’t sure if he was exaggerating to amuse her or if he was being honest.
Jordon: But you’re getting out of there soon, right? Didn’t they tell you in the next couple of days?
She hit SEND on the last message and ignored the stab of sadness that went through her. She’d come to enjoy their visits. She would miss him once he went home.
Spider: yes and no. I’ll get out of here soon, but I don’t get to go home, not yet. Probably not for months yet. At least not for more than a day or two.
Jordon frowned.
Jordon: Why not?
Spider: Because I’ll still need PT. I’ll be in PT nearly every day. Going back and forth every day will be a lot, especially in the beginning. After I’ve been at it a while, we’ll re-evaluate.
She’d just finished reading his message and was trying to decide what to say when her screen changed. It vibrated and showed she had an incoming call. From Spider.
Jordon slid her thumb across the screen and hit the speaker button. There was enough insulation in the old house she didn’t have to worry about waking her parents or her brothers, especially with her speaker turned down low like she kept it.
“I decided it would be easier to talk. My thumbs are getting tired.”
She laughed. His hands weren’t getting tired—she saw how much he lifted and had seen him work for an hour or more. But she wouldn’t complain because she’d rather hear his voice.
“I like hearing your voice,” she said, her voice soft.
“I was thinking about something.” She hesitated to say it, because she didn’t know how he would react.
She wished she could see him, could watch his face and gauge his reaction.
“But I’d like to see your face when I tell you about it.
Can we switch the call over to video or are you not decent? ”
“Give me a sec. I’ve done this before, I just have to remember how,” Spider said.
Jordon tugged her sheet up and tucked it under her arms. She had on pajamas but her pajamas leaned heavily to tank tops and shorts, and since she never wore a bra to bed, the sheet was just for good measure.
“What are you thinking, wildcat?” The crinkles at the corners of his eyes, especially in the dim lighting of his room, told her he was amused. She just hoped this didn’t piss him off.
“I’ve been thinking about that thing you told me, that you’ve always wanted to ride to Alaska and how that’s out now. What if it wasn’t?”
“What do you mean? I can’t ride. I can’t do it.”
“Well, you can’t do it like you’d been thinking, at least not right now. I’m not convinced you’ll never ride again.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t be.”
Jordon let that go. He was still recovering. He was still bed or wheelchair-bound. That reminded her, when she saw him tomorrow, she’d be sure to get him into the chair and take him out for a walk. He’d been inside, or mostly inside, way too much. Especially for someone like him.
“I know you’re in PT now, rebuilding the muscle you lost right after the accident and strengthening your upper body.
But there’s going to be some time when they’re just waiting for things to heal, where you don’t have appointments all the time.
They’ll come back, though, as you heal. You’ll have fittings and PT to learn to use your prosthetics .
.. but what if we took some of that break, that window, to take that trip you’ve been dreaming of. ”
“We? What do you mean?” he frowned.
She took a deep breath, ignored the churning in her belly and put it out there.
“I’ve got a friend with one of those teardrop trailers.
It’s not much. The inside is basically a bed, but there’s an outdoor kitchen, so it’s camping, even if it’s not as basic as camping off a motorcycle.
I could borrow it and hook it to the back of my Jeep.
” She couldn’t help the smile that slowly spread across her face.
“My Jeep has freedom panels. That means we could pull them and you can feel the wind in your face, almost like you were on a bike, or we can put them in and stay warmer if we want.”
He was quiet for several seconds. She searched his face, looking for any sign of what he was thinking, but found nothing. She was almost ready to ask what was wrong when he spoke.
“Why?”
“Why what?” She blinked and frowned.
“Why would you do that?” A crease formed between his brows. “Why would you try to find a way for me to do something like that?”
She smiled again.
“Because it would be fun.”
“You barely know me.”
“I know you’d never hurt me. I know you’d do everything you can to make sure I’m safe. I know you will never be a danger to me.”
“I still don’t get it.”
“It sounds like fun. I also think it will do you some good. Let you get out of the hospital setting.”
“I’ll be out of here tomorrow, maybe the next day. Fletch says he’s almost got the new place locked down. I’m not sure what they’re waiting on.”
“But you’ll still be in PT for a bit. In a few more weeks once you’re allowed to put weight on that leg, at least some, then we could look at going. Take a month, drive up and have some fun. Some of your brothers could go with us if you want. If you don’t think we could do it on our own.”
“I have no doubt you could do anything you set your mind to, wildcat. I just don’t see why or how we could manage it. Are you serious about this or is it just an idea you’re playing with?”
“I’m serious. I even mentioned it to Dad. He’ll need to know if I’m not going to be around for a month.”
“What did he say?”
“That they can handle things around here as long as I want to be gone. That I’m full grown and can make my decisions for myself.
That he’s thankful for the extra time I’ve spent around the ranch, helping out and staying with the family but they’ve always known that I wasn’t meant for this place.
And it’s time I found where I am meant for.
” She focused on the darkness beside her phone screen, not sure she wanted to see his reaction.
“And you want to do this with me?” His voice had gone soft as if he couldn’t believe he’d heard her right.
“I do. It will be tight quarters if we both want to sleep inside, but I’m sure we can manage it.
Or one of us can sleep outside. It wouldn’t be that big of deal to toss in a tent and maybe a cot.
” She didn’t say that if she was the one sleeping outside she would definitely need a cot.
“Another option would be to leave the trailer altogether and just take the Jeep. We can get what we need in the back, including food, but it will be more rugged and a tighter fit.”
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything. She wanted to hear what he thought of it.
Was he willing to compromise on what he’d dreamed of?
Did he not want to do it with her? She could understand it, kind of.
They’d only known each other a few weeks.
They’d talked a lot, especially over the last week, spent a decent amount of time together, but they’d never even kissed.
“I think I’d like that,” Spider said after a moment. His voice was soft. “You look like you’re getting sleepy.”
“I am, a little, but I don’t want to hang up. I like this.” She shifted to lay on her side, using the teddy bear she’d kept on her bed since she’d been tiny to prop up her phone so she could lay there and see him.
“Hey, how are you holding your phone up like that?” he asked when she tucked both hands under her pillow. Jordon picked her phone up and turned it around to show him.
“I need something like that. Something so I don’t have to hold mine the whole time too.”
“I’ll see what I can come up with,” she said before yawning. She knew there were devices designed to clamp onto the rails of the bed or a table that she could make work. She’d find one and order it in the morning.
They talked a little more. The last thing Jordon remembered was the soft murmur of his voice telling her to sleep well, but she’d been too tired to open her eyes or say anything back.
Then her alarm was chiming and someone was pounding on her door.
“Shut that thing off!” Lane called through the wood. “I don’t care if you’re getting up but turn off that noise.”
Jordon blinked her eyes open, shut off her alarm and smiled as she remembered the night before. She flung the blanket back and got out of bed. She needed to get her chores done so she could go into town and see Spider.
After gathering clothes for the day, she headed for the bathroom, grabbing her phone on her way out the door.