19. Back Home
Sean woke from another nightmare. This one mixed memories of Charlie dying in that explosion with Branna getting tortured by Hawley while he stood helplessly by, locked in a tube where he could only watch.
Jabba whined softly beside the bed, and Sean nearly jumped out of his skin. Grinning at himself, he untucked one hand from Branna and patted the mutt, who obviously needed to go out.
He slipped from the bed and settled the covers around Branna, who continued to sleep. They’d taken turns waking with nightmares. He wasn’t sure about her, but having her safe in his arms had helped him settle immediately each time.
Sean yanked on his jeans and snagged a new T-shirt. Once they were downstairs, he patted Jabba. “Thanks for being quiet up there. You’ve got a little human mixed in with the Sasquatch genes.”
They played in the fresh snow for a few minutes, but Jabba seemed as concerned about leaving Branna alone as he was. He tossed the dog a treat along with his breakfast. “Okay, I’m going to head up. I’ll leave the door open if you want to check on her, too.”
Back in the bedroom, he found Branna stretching her good arm.
“Hey gorgeous. How’s that arm feeling this morning?” He sat on the edge of the bed.
She smiled at him. “It’s mostly just stiff.”
He brushed his thumb over her cheek and lips. “I’m glad. Think you can get a little more sleep?”
“I think I’m good for now. What time is it?”
He laughed. “I don’t know. I just took Jabba out and fed him breakfast.” He checked his phone. “It’s closing in on noon.”
Her eyes popped open. “Noon? I don’t think I’ve ever slept until noon.”
“Me neither. At least not since I was a teenager.”
She smiled. “You and Charlie grew like you’d eaten magic beans that summer. All you did was eat and sleep.”
He laughed. “Very true. Growing is hard work. We had to keep up our strength.” And it was a good memory to replace his nightmares. “We both sprouted over six inches that summer.”
Her smile was tinged with sadness. “I’m glad we have so many good memories.”
He nodded and decided to be honest about the dreams in hopes it would help her. “Me too. I still have nightmares about the bad shit, but it’s nice to have the good memories to balance things out once I’m awake.”
Her eyes showed her concern. “Did you dream about him last night, too?”
He lifted her good hand and kissed it. “Yep. Some nasty ones.”
She sighed. “I was hoping the nightmares would disappear soon.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know if they completely go away, but for me, they aren’t as frequent or as terrifying.”
She bit her lip. “You talked about how your therapist helped you after Charlie’s death. I think I might want to talk to someone.”
That had him smiling. “You’re a smart woman. Dr. Elder has done a lot for me. If you like, I can ask him if he knows anyone he would recommend in Vermont.”
She nodded while she thought about it. “I think I’d be more comfortable talking with a woman.”
He leaned forward to kiss her. “I think that’s another smart idea. A woman would know more about the fears you faced with Hawley’s threats. Lia might know someone as well. She seemed on top of the mental health game yesterday.”
Branna smiled. “It was kind of a blur, but she was nice. Joe too. I like this town.”
Something settled deep in his chest. “Me too. Now that the asshole is in jail, how do you feel about moving here permanently with me? Here in this house.”
Her smile lit up the day, and she tried to sit up. With her arm still in the sling, it was a chore, so he helped her ease into a sitting position. “I would love to move here permanently with you. Here in this farmhouse.”
Sean leaned down to seal the words with a kiss. A kiss that flamed instantly. But she was dealing with a concussion along with her shoulder. He slowed the kiss and wrapped her gently in his arms. “Let’s hope this concussion heals quickly.”
She laughed. “We can probably figure out a way around the concussion.
He shook his head. “Not taking any chances with you. We’ll see what the doc says.”
His phone buzzed with a text, and he frowned at the unfamiliar number. Once he clicked on it, he smiled. “Speaking of the doc, it’s Lia. Checking in on you and asking if she and Joe can bring lunch in thirty minutes or if you need more time to sleep.”
Branna smiled. “Well, if we can’t have sex, we might as well have lunch.”
“I like the way you think.”
* * *
Branna liked Lia Moreno. The woman was kind, thorough, and straightforward. She examined Branna in their bedroom while Sean showed Joe around the place.
“The wounds are healing nicely. You should be able to go without the sling for a few hours at a time. Increase the time when you feel okay, but don’t be afraid to use it. You’ll heal more quickly if you don’t let it get too sore.”
Lia asked questions related to the concussion and did some simple checks. “Looking good there, too. If you take it easy, physically and mentally, for a couple of days, you should feel more or less normal.”
She grinned. “And before you have to ask, if you’re going to have sex, keep it slow and gentle. No headboard-banging or acrobatics for a week or so.”
Branna’s face flushed, and her mouth dropped open.
Lia laughed. “Everyone wants to know, but no one wants to ask. And the way you and Sean look at each other, I know you’d like the answer.”
Branna managed a laugh. “Thanks. That’s good to know.”
Lia’s face turned more serious. “And how are your emotions? How are you coping?”
She blew out a breath. “Better than I expected. Sean has been through some stuff, too. We talked a lot last night and this morning. I think I’d like to talk with a therapist at some point. I wasn’t coping well with my dad’s death before this happened. Without Sean, I wouldn’t have coped at all.”
“A therapist was my next suggestion. I know a few people who do online visits. I haven’t been in Vermont long, so I don’t have a list of people in nearby areas yet, but I can look into that if you’d feel more comfortable talking in person.”
Branna considered that. “I think I’d prefer online. That way, I can stay here and not worry about finding my way around another new place.”
Lia nodded. “Good idea. I’ll call you later with some choices, and then I’ll set you up. Now, let’s head downstairs and get you some food. We’ll see how the stairs feel. And no lying to your doctor.”
To Branna’s relief, the dizziness of the previous day didn’t return. The mild headache remained along with the body aches.
They found Sean and Joe in the kitchen, along with Jabba and a dog that rivaled him in size. The sight of the two of them snuggled together, taking up half the kitchen floor space, had her laughing. “Who’s the other yeti?”
Sean walked over to kiss her. “How are you? You walked down the stairs by yourself? You should have called me.”
Lia laughed and patted Sean’s arm. “She’s doing great, and we took the stairs carefully.”
He looked her over. “You’re okay?”
She leaned up to kiss him. “Yes. I’ll be back to normal in a few days.” She wanted to blurt out what Lia had said about slow and gentle sex, but not in front of the others.
Something must have shown in her eyes though, because his flared, and he smiled wickedly before he leaned down to kiss her softly. “I’m glad.”
Joe added. “Me too. Let’s dig into the food we brought.” The dogs didn’t even look up as the humans sat around the old kitchen table. “That’s Moose. Our local vet, Kimi Twinishe, had him stay with us one night and by morning, he’d become our dog. He eats his weight in food every day. Now that Kimi helped us figure out what to feed him, he doesn’t gas us out of a room nearly as often. But watch out for the tongue. He likes to lick everyone and everything. And I do mean everything.”
Over lunch, they learned more about Joe and Lia’s background and how they’d met at Midnight Lake.
Joe squeezed Lia’s hand. “My sister Tansy and I inherited the Midnight Lake property and lodge from our grandfather Koko. We hadn’t decided what to do with the property when Tansy had a situation with an asshole of an ex. She moved here and took the whole place off the grid by herself in the middle of winter with a two-mile hike in.”
The more they talked, the more Branna’s confidence grew that she and Sean had landed in the right place.
When they were alone again, Sean pulled her into a gentle hug. “Should you rest again? How are you feeling?”
“I’m good.” But she stayed where she was, wrapped in Sean’s arms. “Do you know what happened with Prince and the other men?”
His hands cruised up and down her back. “I don’t know much. They took the four of them into custody last night. Marcus asked me to call him when we were ready to talk with him.”
Translation, when she wasn’t going to fall apart.
“Okay. Let’s do that now.”
“Are you sure?”
She sighed. “I’d love to avoid it forever, but we know that’s not an option. I want to know what happened and make sure Hawley stays in jail. Getting it done sooner is probably better.”
He leaned back and studied her face. “Okay. But when you get tired, we’ll put it off for another time.”
Which wouldn’t happen. Branna knew Sean’s friend had put off asking for their statements last night, but the sooner they did it, the sooner they could put it all behind them.