Chapter Eleven #2
With one more angry glare, likely because he’d just called her sweetheart, she started off for the path to the house, and Jake waved at a laughing Trevor as he fell into step behind her.
Watching her walk, one arm swinging angrily, the other held up, indignant elbow twisted, he wondered if now would be the best time to apologize for how he’d reacted to her in the diner.
He paused that thought when she jerked and tripped on a tree root, swore, then immediately tripped again.
“Slow down,” he said as he caught up to her, and got rewarded with another glare. “Let me see.”
She took the cloth away from her face, and he lifted her chin to look at her nose a little more carefully.
“He got you good and square,” he murmured, eyes flicking to hers. He wondered how much of the anger drilling out of them was at him or at the horse that had clocked her.
“Yeb,” she mumbled. “Fuggink horth.”
Jake couldn’t help but laugh as she let out a whistling, nasally sigh. She gave him another equally killer glare as she pushed past him. As she did, she stumbled, dropping her cloth, and Jake caught her so she wouldn’t fall.
“Careful,” he breathed, his arms around her, her hands rising to his chest to balance herself. Surprised, she looked into his eyes, went white as a sheet, and fainted, right then and there.
He swung her legs into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to the house in a hurry. He kicked open the back screen door, which was thankfully on a pressure latch. He lurched through the kitchen to the back TV den, and carefully deposited her on the leather couch near the back of the room.
“Peony!” he bellowed out the door. “You here?”
He tucked up Liz’s hands and legs as best he could.
Her nose was still bleeding, and he propped her head up so she wouldn’t choke.
Her hair had come out of her hair tie and was everywhere, some of it caked with blood, and he smoothed it back, squatting beside her.
Looking at her like this, he didn’t like the way he’d felt when she’d fallen into his arms. The strength that had surged through him when he’d swung her up rattled him as well.
That, he realized as he rubbed the back of his neck, was not an impartial feeling he’d had.
He stuffed it away; there were more important things to think about, like whether she needed a hospital or not.
“What happened?” Peony said as she rushed into the room. “Should I call an ambulance?”
“She got whacked in the face by a horse, that’s all I know,” he said. “She fainted walking up here to get some ice for her nose. We should take her into emergency.”
Peony made an irritated noise and swished out of the room, appearing a moment later with a tea towel, a blue ice pack, and a first-aid kit.
“She needs to get seen. If she has a concussion—” she said and stopped. “Fool girl. I bet it was that high-strung gray she regrets taking on.”
Liz’s eyes fluttered and she groaned, and Jake crouched down to her, holding her head still and looking into her face. “Hey,” he murmured softly, pushing the hair back from her face. “Don’t you dare get up.”
She looked confused, saw her mom, and struggled to get up, but Jake gently pushed her down. “What did I say, hmm?”
She huffed and lay back, fingers gently probing her nose and wincing. “Shid,” she muttered.
Rosy appeared with a bowl of water and set it down beside Jake. He looked at her and nodded, and she thinned her lips. “That looks like it needs seeing,” Rosy said.
“I think so too. Rain check on the chicken tonight? I promise you and I will spend some time in that kitchen tomorrow.”
Rosy nodded and left as quickly as she came, and Jake sighed. He’d been looking forward to breaking the ice with her, but it would have to wait.
“All right. Is there a car I can take? Her truck will bounce her right out of her head and my rental’s air conditioning is shitty. Do you want to come with us too?”
“I’b nod goig doo a hozpidal. Doo far,” she protested, and slowly sat up, gasping and wincing.
“Yes, you are,” Peony admonished her daughter. “And, no, I’ll stay here. She’s in good hands with you, Jake. You can take her to the community medical center in Brightside,” she added.
“No, nod there,” Liz protested. “Anywhere bud there.”
“Where else then, dear? It’s a long drive into the city.” Liz was now glaring at both her mother and Jake, but Peony stared her daughter down.
Jake smothered a laugh, got up from the floor, and leaned against the door frame to watch the showdown from a safe distance. If he hadn’t been worried about Liz, the situation would be rather comical. Both mother and daughter were as stubborn as they came.
“Fine,” Liz huffed a moment later, and crossed her arms, pouting as best she could as her face swelled.
Peony cleaned her up, clucking a little over her, earning further exasperated sighs and eye rolls from Liz. When she’d finished, Peony placed a piece of tape over the bridge of Liz’s nose. She looked like a boxer. Her eyes were both going to be black tomorrow, to go with one hell of a headache.
“You can take Brett’s Lincoln. Keys are hanging by the garage door. It’s a smooth ride,” Peony said as she finished and got up from the couch. She was moving better already, he thought. Stress was lessening, and she was getting sleep, he figured.
“Momb?” Liz said as she looked at her mother incredulously. “Bred’s car?”
“Well, it’s that or Jake’s little rental, which will have you sweating in no time. Which would you prefer, darling?” Peony said crisply, folding the slightly damp, stained tea towel in her hands. Liz dropped her chin and let out another sigh.
“My chariod awaids then. Lead on, thidy boy,” she mumbled, and then Jake did laugh as he headed for the garage.