Chapter Twenty
Destiny woke in the pitch-black room and reached for her phone. It was three in the morning, and her ankle hurt like hell. She tried to reach her pills, but the movement sent a shock of pain through her ankle. “Dammit!” she said in a fierce whisper.
“What’s wrong, honey?” Jaxon raised his head and tightened his arm around her waist.
“My ankle hurts something awful, and I can’t reach my pills.”
“Hold on. Just lie still. I’ll get them for you.”
She gritted her teeth against the pain as his movements jarred her ankle. He turned on his bedside lamp and limped slowly around the bed. After taking two pills out of the bottle, he handed her the glass of water, then put the pills in her palm.
Head spinning with pain, she swallowed them.
“I’m going to refresh those ice packs while you’re awake, honey.” He laid her back onto her pillow again. When he took out the ice packs, pain racked her ankle, and she suddenly felt faint. She should have set an alarm to wake up and take the pills before they could wear off. This was terrible.
On one crutch, Jaxon returned with the ice packs and a package of saltines. “Try to eat a few of these, Destiny, since you just took those pills, okay?”
She nodded, then regretted it when her head spun worse. She took out four crackers as he inserted the ice packs. Her ears rang with the sound of her banging pulse, and the overwhelming pain took her breath away.
“Jaxon, I think my ankle’s more swollen, and it’s made the wrap too tight. I’m sorry, but can you take out the ice packs and see if I’m right? I think you may need to rewrap it.”
“Of course, honey. Hang on, this is going to hurt.”
He removed the ice packs, and she cried out in pain as he took the splint off.
“I think you’re right, Destiny. I’ll rewrap it a bit looser.”
Tears spilled from her eyes as he held her leg up and unwrapped her ankle.
White-hot pain seared her with every tiny movement.
When it was finally free of the wrap, she was shocked to see that her ankle was streaked with indentions where the bandage had bitten deep into her swollen flesh.
“God, that feels so much better without that thing on.”
“Good. Now I’ll wrap it again, but looser, so it won’t hurt you. Can you hold your leg in the air? Just for a short time?”
Could she? She felt incredibly shaky and weak from the pain. But she had to. “I can do it. Just hurry.”
“Good. Here we go.” He raised her leg off the bed and slowly let go.
She held it there, the effort much more than she’d expected.
Jaxon quickly got the elastic bandage secured, then applied her splint and ice packs again.
Totally spent from the intense pain, she closed her eyes. Her head was spinning, and she couldn’t take any more stimulation. She had to quiet her world.
Jaxon sat down carefully on the edge of the bed and began stroking her forehead.
She sighed. The soft touch of his fingertips felt wonderful, and her heartbeat slowed as she forced herself to focus on him rather than on the pain.
She’d almost drifted off when he slowly rose from the edge of the bed and turned out the light. As he slipped into bed beside her, jiggling the mattress slightly, the pain was less intense. The pills must be working.
He turned cautiously toward her and slipped his arm around her waist. He kissed her shoulder and sighed. “Honey, I could have lost you. It’s been all I can think of. I don’t know what I would have done then.”
She squeezed his arm. “I’ve thought about that too. We could all have been killed. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
He rose up on his elbow. “Destiny, honey, I love you. I can’t lose you. I’m going to find Maria. She’ll never get a chance to hurt you again.”
Her heart pounded as a rush of joy swept through her. She cupped his face in her hand. “I love you so much, Jaxon. I’m glad you told me how you feel. You’ve made me so happy.”
He kissed her softly. “This will all be over soon, sweetheart. I promise.” He moved closer to her, tightening his arm around her.
The sound of his deep, slow breaths lulled her to sleep.
The next morning, Jaxon got up early and enjoyed his first cup of coffee in silence. He was still overwhelmed from the night before, when Destiny had told him that she loved him.
Charlotte began babbling and talking, and he went to get her out of bed before she could wake up Destiny. Balancing himself on her crib, he carefully lifted her onto the changing table, kissing and nuzzling her to make her laugh before changing her diaper.
Forty-five minutes later, the baby was finished with the scrambled eggs and apple slices he’d fixed her for breakfast, and Ruth had called to say that she was on her way.
Once Ruth arrived, he limped into Destiny’s room, finding her awake and in pain. He sat down carefully on the edge of her bed and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Honey, I’ve made breakfast for you. It’s in the oven keeping warm. Let me get that for you so you can take your pain pills.”
“I’ll get up tomorrow,” she promised him. “You don’t need to wait on me hand and foot, especially with your own ankle. You should be resting too.”
Her wan face went straight to his heart. He kissed her cheek. “Nonsense. You’re much worse than I am. Mine’s just a sprain. I need to take care of you right now. And besides, I like doing things for you.” He squeezed her hand.
The first thing he did when he came back in was get her pills out. “Here, take these first. They’ll need time to work.” Then he set her plate on her lap. “The eggs are still warm, and I just made your toast. Would you like some fruit with this?”
“Let me see if I can finish my eggs first, okay? And could you hand me my purse? I need to get my discharge paperwork and find the phone number for that orthopedic surgeon.”
“That’s a good idea. You need to see him as quickly as possible.” He brought her the purse, then climbed carefully into bed beside her.
While she was eating, he made a call to his father. “Dad? I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be out at the ranch for a while. I’ll be here with Destiny—if I’m not out looking for Maria.”
“Look, son, I know it was your left ankle that was sprained, but do you really think you should be driving?”
“I can’t just sit around. She’s out there, Dad, and I need to find her. She’s got to be stopped.”
“Jaxon, the sheriff has everyone on his force looking for her. Let them handle it. You need to take care of yourself right now,” his dad said.
“I’m sorry, Dad, but I have to do this. She needs to be found, and I have a good chance of doing that. I know her better than anybody,” he said firmly.
“She’s dangerous, Jaxon. Do we even know if she’s armed?”
“I’m not sure, Dad. But it doesn’t matter. I’m going after her.”
His dad sighed loudly. “I can see that I can’t talk you out of it. At least be careful, okay?”
“I will, don’t worry.”
Destiny clasped his hand as he disconnected the call. “Your father’s right. You should stay here. Please don’t go looking for Maria. She’s dangerous, and you know it.” She squeezed his fingers. “I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt again, Jaxon. What if she kills you this time?”
“I’ve got to find her, Destiny. You know that. I’ll never let her get near you again. This is how I make sure of that.” He looked into her eyes, hoping she could see how much he loved her.
She gave him a crooked smile. “You’re a stubborn man. I guess I’ll have to get used to that.”
He brought her fingers to his lips and grinned. “Maybe. But I’m not stubborn about everything. This is about your safety, and Charlotte’s. I have to be stubborn.”
When Destiny had finished all she could eat, she called the surgeon’s office and arranged to come in straight away.
Jaxon took her plate from her. “It’s great that they can fit you in. Amelia’s here now, and she has Charlotte, so your mom can help you dress.”
“Thanks. It won’t take me long. I’m not going to mess with makeup.”
Thirty minutes later, they were in his truck and heading toward the surgeon’s office, their two pairs of crutches in the seat between them.
While they were waiting in the surgeon’s office, Jaxon stepped outside and called the sheriff’s office for an update.
“Henry Jameson didn’t give his daughter permission to use his truck,” a deputy told him. “And when the sheriff asked him to check the location of his guns, Henry found out that his .38 revolver was missing.”
“Oh my God,” Jaxon said.
“Mr. Jameson said that Maria parked her car in the barn out of sight and took the keys to the truck from the hook in the kitchen,” the deputy said. “The sheriff’s checking out the hunting cabins on the ranch right now to see if she’s staying in one of them.”
“Tell Landon that I have an idea where Maria might be. Have him call me back,” Jaxon said.
“Sure, I’ll let him know.”
When Jaxon went back into the waiting room, he didn’t tell Destiny that Maria was armed. Just then, a nurse called her back to an examination room, and he followed behind her.
The first thing they did was take more X-rays of her ankle.
Jaxon waited in a chair in the exam room, nervously bouncing his uninjured leg up and down.
How long would it take for the sheriff to get back to him?
He couldn’t leave Destiny at the surgeon’s office alone.
He took a deep, calming breath and told himself to take it easy.
First things first. He had to take care of Destiny.
A half hour later, the surgeon had made his decision. “Luckily, the bones are in alignment,” he confirmed. “I’m sure you’ll heal well with a cast instead of surgery. Just hang tight for a few minutes, and I’ll put your cast on.” He winked. “Be sure to have all your friends sign it.”
She chuckled. “Sure thing.” Then she turned to Jaxon. “Oh man. This is going to hurt.”
When the doctor and his nurse returned, he had a large tray of supplies with him. “Have you ever had a fiberglass cast before?” he asked.
“No, I can’t say that I have.”
He proceeded to tell her what to expect. “And you need to keep it dry. Fiberglass isn’t as bad as the old plaster material that we used to use for casting, but you still need to protect it. You’ll probably wear this for a couple of months.”
Jaxon’s phone rang. It was the sheriff. He limped outside the room to talk and told the man of his suspicions. “The place is hard to find. I’ll need to take you there, Landon.”
“I’m just leaving the Jameson place. I’ll meet you back at the office.”
“Okay. I’m tied up right now, but I should be free soon.”
It was an hour, however, before they left the surgeon’s office. Jaxon balanced himself on the side of his truck as he helped a tired and hurting Destiny up into the passenger seat. “We need to get you home and in bed, sweetheart. That was really hard on you.”
“God, yes, it was. It’s almost time for more pain meds too. For both of us.”
When they arrived home, Ruth helped Destiny into a sleepshirt and then into bed.
Jaxon made her a sandwich and brought it in while Amelia played with Charlotte. As Destiny ate, he said, “Ruth, I have to go out. I’m glad you’ll be here with Destiny.”
“Please reconsider, Jaxon,” Destiny said, her voice pleading. “You need to rest too.”
He sat down carefully beside her and cupped her cheek in his hand. “You know I can’t. I’ll be back as soon as I can, honey.”
Wincing in pain at the movement as he got up, she held onto his hand. “Promise me you’ll be careful. I mean that.”
“I will. I’ll be with the sheriff. I won’t be alone.”
She nodded, obviously still not happy.
“Where are you going, Jaxon?” Ruth asked.
“After Maria.”
Ruth frowned but didn’t say anything.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” As he passed the living room, he said, “Amelia, keep the doors locked. Don’t forget.”
“I will, Jaxon. Don’t worry.”
He shut the door behind him and headed for his truck, cursing the crutches that slowed him down. It was time to catch Maria, and he had a good idea where she was holed up.