Chapter 15 JR
JR
“Ow!” I winced as I tried to sit up under the dozens of blankets piled on top of me.
Sweat coated my skin, but it was the pair of legs lying on top of my own, trapping me from moving even the slightest inch, that made this position particularly uncomfortable.
At some point during the night, the power had come back on, but I was too lazy to walk back home, so I stayed up with Josie and continued watching The Lord Of The Rings.
We’d fallen asleep in the early morning hours, and now her legs were sprawled across mine as I leaned awkwardly into the corner of the couch.
“Hey,” I said, shoving at her legs.
“Mmm,” she moaned, refusing to move.
At some point, she kicked off all the blankets, piling them on top of me and leaving only a single thin blanket covering her body. I bet she was perfectly comfortable.
“Josie, get up.”
“Not now,” she mumbled, rolling to face the couch. Her foot nailed me right in the nuts, and I sucked in a ragged breath, trying my best not to vomit as pain ricocheted through my body.
I wheezed hard as stars danced in front of my eyes, and the woman laid beside me, completely oblivious to my pain. I should have known better than to stay the night here.
Shoving her legs off me, I didn’t care when she fell off the couch with a thump, or the screech that left her lips as she hit the ground. All I cared about was getting away from her before she could do any further damage.
“Hey! Why did you push me?”
All rumpled on the floor, I would have said she looked cute this morning in her Christmas pajamas. But right now, the only thing that kept me from murdering her was that killing people was bad.
Generally speaking.
I leaned against the wall, breathing long and deep, struggling to regain my manhood. A tap on the shoulder had me jumping, my hands immediately going into defensive mode over my lower regions. Even the feel of her hands on me made my balls crawl up inside my body and hide.
“What are you doing?” she asked, rubbing her eyes, completely oblivious to the pain she’d just caused.
“Staying as far away from you as possible,” I muttered.
“Sorry,” she smiled sheepishly. “Did I take up too much of the couch last night? I tend to sprawl out.”
“You don’t say.”
“Well, anyway, now that we’re up, would you like some tea?”
I found a spot on the wall and stared at it, distracting my mind in any way possible from the zings of pain still shooting throughout my body.
“Not even a little.”
“Um…JR?”
I finally tore my gaze away from that single spot and found her scrunching her nose as she studied me.
“Is there a reason you won’t look at me? Or that you’re standing so awkwardly?”
“You nailed me in the balls,” I grunted out.
She started to laugh, but that quickly died the moment she realized I wasn’t lying.
“Oh my gosh!” she gasped, her eyes flicking to where my hand still hovered protectively. “I—What can I do? Do you need a massage or something?”
“No,” I bit out. “I’m pretty sure a massage is the last thing I need.”
“Right,” she nodded quickly. “Because it hurts and my fingers would—”
“Not help even a little,” I answered.
“Of course. Um…ice! I should get you some ice.”
She spun on her heel and rushed into the kitchen, tripping over a blanket that had been flung over the couch. Her arms whirled as she tried to regain her balance, but then she stepped on the blanket a second time and slipped hard when the blanket met the kitchen floor.
A loud yelp slipped from her lips, but I didn’t move a muscle. She had it coming.
Sort of.
Her ass hit the ground and the chair screeched across the floor. “Mother of pearl!”
Rolling to the side, she grabbed her toe, holding it tight as she whimpered on the ground. When she looked up at me, there were tears shimmering in her eyes.
“You have no idea how badly that hurt. I just jammed my baby toe!”
“Right,” I huffed. “Baby toe…both balls…the baby toe is definitely more sensitive,” I said with a glare.
The slightest wince crossed her beautiful face as she struggled to her feet. “Glad we’re on the same page. Do you still want that ice pack?”
I shook my head. The very last thing I wanted was for her to come anywhere near me again. I needed to get home and lick my wounds and recover in peace, where no one would accidentally injure me for a second time.
“I think I’ll just head home.”
“Yeah. Do you want some chili?”
“Are you going to pour it down the front of my pants?”
“It was an accident! I didn’t know I even kicked you!”
“You know, you’re very violent when you sleep,” I muttered.
“I’ve been told.”
She ran her toe over the ground sheepishly, her eyes refusing to meet mine. Sighing, I couldn’t stay mad at her. Not that I wanted to get any closer, but she didn’t actually mean to nail me in the balls.
“I’m gonna head home.”
“Yeah, alright. Well, watch out for random women who might accidentally punch you in the face or…trip you.”
“I’m sure I have it coming.” I grabbed my coat and carefully pulled it on, doing my best not to move too quickly.
“My legs have a mind of their own, you know,” she shouted as I headed for the door. “They just randomly kick people. It’s something I really can’t control.”
“Then I’ll be sure to avoid your legs at all costs.”
I jerked the door open and stepped out into the blistering cold. The wind bit at my cheeks as I headed across the lawn, wading through the mounds of snow that had accumulated over the last day. It took me way too long to get through it to my house, and once inside, I regretted coming home.
There was no TV, no warm blankets, and definitely no chili anywhere in sight. But staying with Josie was a hazard I couldn’t afford, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she injured me first thing in the morning.
Would it really be so bad if I went back over there? She had food, and I had nothing good. I didn’t really need a warm blanket, but even I had to admit that there was something right about sitting under a blanket with her and watching movies while I ate popcorn laced with herbs.
If I was lucky, she’d slip into something a little more comfortable. Maybe she’d show off more cleavage today, or even wear some pajama shorts to show off those legs.
I shook my head, scrubbing a hand over my face. I was losing it, thinking about things that I shouldn’t. Besides, I wasn’t even sure how long I’d be sticking around for. This was only supposed to be a temporary gig.
What I needed was something to do—a way to take my mind off how I had just spent the last twenty-odd hours with a woman who could very well mess with every plan I had for living in this small town.
None of them included sleeping with my neighbor or thinking about what she looked like naked.
Yet, here I was, already plotting how I would get back to her house and spend another night watching movies on the couch with her.
My phone buzzed with an incoming call. “Yeah?”
“You want a job?”
“Out of town?” I asked hopefully.
“Nah. Plowing.”
“I’ve never driven a snow plow in my life,” I muttered.
“Well, then you can drive the truck with the attachment. It’s not that hard.”
Sighing, I considered my options. Stay around here and think about my neighbor, or get out and think of anything that would keep my mind from wandering to her.
Or worse, walking over there and kissing her again.
“I’m in.”
I slammed the door to my truck, cranking the engine and getting the heat going. I was supposed to head out to Murky Falls Ranch to get my assignment. Plowing snow all day didn’t seem like the most exciting option, but going back inside my house would only land me in a dangerous situation.
One in which I headed over to my neighbor’s house again.
Shifting in reverse, I laid my arm across the back of the seat and turned, nearly having a heart attack when the damn dog jumped up and licked my face.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered. Flinging the door open, I pointed at the ground. “Out!”
But the dog didn’t listen. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and he yipped with excitement, but he didn’t move an inch.
“I’m serious, dog. Get the fuck out.”
Two barks later, he was excited for our adventure, even though he wasn’t going anywhere with me.
“I swear to God, if you don’t get out, I’ll cut you up and eat you for dinner.”
That got him moving. He jumped over the seat and out the door, then spun and stared up at me with what I could only imagine was a grin. Did dogs actually smile, because it sure as hell looked like this dog could express emotions.
“Fuck, I really need to move on,” I muttered, climbing back into my truck. “Talking to myself about dogs’ emotions and imagining them grinning…”
I slammed the door and backed down the drive. I had some serious problems, and none of them would be solved if I stayed here. What I needed was a job out of town, one where I could really dig in and get back to who I was at the core.
This small town was way too pure for a guy like me. Everyone was nice and they helped each other out…I wasn’t used to that shit. I’d moved around my whole life. Hell, I hadn’t spent more than two weeks in any one place.
And as I pulled down the freshly plowed drive twenty minutes later, I remembered why I hated staying anywhere too long.
At least twenty guys were standing outside the main house, all of them holding mugs of coffee that some lady was passing out. It was like something out of a Hallmark movie or something.
And right in the middle of it was Archer.
Fuck, they got to him. The man who got me my first job was becoming one of them, acting just like them. Hell, he was even smiling.
“Shit,” I hissed, flinging my door open. Everyone turned and stared at me as I got out of my truck. Then their eyes dropped to the white mutt that flew past me, jumping all around them as if he knew them all.
“Where the fuck did he come from?” I had kicked him out of my truck. He got out, and I got in. Then I shut the door, so how the hell was this damn dog with me now?
“Didn’t know you were an animal lover,” Archer said as he bent over, scratching the dog behind the ear.
“I’m not. The damn dog follows me everywhere.”
“Did you adopt him?”
“Nope, but my neighbor keeps feeding him.”
“The hot one?” he grinned.
I shrugged, pretending not to notice. “So, what am I doing?”
But before he could answer, one of the brothers called out for everyone to listen.
“Alright, we have a lot of drives to plow and side roads to get to.”
I leaned over, keeping my voice low. “Doesn’t the city have plows for this?”
“Apparently, there are too many side roads and with the drifting, it takes too long to get everyone cleared out.”
“We’ll give each of you a district to stick to. If you’re in town, pay extra attention to our elderly community. I don’t want to see anyone older than sixty out there shoveling their own drives!”
“Which brother is this?” I whispered.
“Liam.”
“Isn’t he the one whose house burnt down?”
He nodded. “He’s rebuilding on the other end of the property. You taking the dog with you?”
“Not a chance in hell.”
“Alright, let’s get to work!” Liam called out.
I headed over to the brother handing out assignments, but was cut off by Liam stalking over to me, planting himself right in my path.
“Is there a problem?” I asked.
“Let’s talk.”
If there was one thing I hated, it was talking with someone who just assumed I would listen. The other was some asshole thinking he could intimidate me into doing whatever the hell he wanted.
“I’ve got work to do.”
“This will only take a minute,” he said, grabbing me by the arm.
I bit my tongue out of respect for Lizzy, but if this asshole tried anything, he’d be flat on his back before he even knew what was happening.
“What the hell is going on with Lizzy?”
“Excuse me?” I asked, pretending I had no fucking clue what he was talking about.
“A few weeks ago, she showed up at the house with red, baggy eyes. She’d been crying, and I don’t like it when my baby sister cries.”
“Well, I’m really sorry about that. Maybe you should look the other way.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, blocking my exit. “See, that was about the same time you started working at the bar.”
“And?”
“And I want to know what the fuck happened.”
“Well, then I guess you should talk to your sister. She’s a big girl.”
I shoved around him, but he grabbed my arm, stopping me where I was. “Back off,” I hissed.
“I know you didn’t do anything.” His face softened slightly, just enough that I could tell he was actually fucking worried about his sister. “I’m not trying to blame you for whatever happened, but—”
Cursing under his breath, he released me, shaking his head. “If something happened, I need to know about it. Lizzy is the sweetest woman you’ll ever meet.”
Well, I could think of another woman who was just as damn sweet, but I wasn’t about to mention Josie right now.
“If something happened…”
“Then you’d need to talk to her. I just run the bar,” I answered.
“But you know.” His eyes narrowed on me. The man was more perceptive than he let on.
“Look, whatever happened, if you want to know, talk to your sister.”
Yet, he still didn’t fucking move.
“Is she okay?” he asked after a long minute. “I mean…should I be worried?”
Hell, I really didn’t want to be involved in this. I didn’t do small-town drama or worry about other people’s problems. But I could tell this was eating him up inside.
“She’s doing fine. If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you.”
He gave a slight nod and finally backed off. “Thank you. For…looking out for her.”
I shook my head. “I just run the bar.”
“Yeah.” He nodded, but his tone suggested he didn’t believe me at all.
“Really, I don’t have any part in this.”
“You look out for her.”
I denied it immediately. “You’ve got that wrong. The only thing I do is—”
“Run the bar,” he said at the same time as me. “Then what the hell are you doing here?”
“Taking a job.”
“No, I mean, what are you doing in this town? If you aren’t here for her or your neighbor or anything else, then what are you doing here?”
I wanted to deny it, but I had stuck around because of Lizzy. I’d taken over the bar that night because she was in no position to do anything. And I’d stuck around as her bartender because she shot me that hopeful look that I couldn’t say no to.
But my neighbor?
“Who said anything about my neighbor?”
He smirked at me before walking away. “News travels fast in a small town!”