His men walked out first, taking the cart with them, and she walked toward his door to follow them. She stopped, turned to look at Jackson once more, and then disappeared down the hall.
When he could no longer see her, he closed his door and leaned against it, looking up at the ceiling. “Please let this be over quickly,” he whispered. It was a prayer, because something told him that Aja Everett was more of a threat than any imagined foe he could face.
* * *
“Ranger Gleason, would you mind taking the next exit? I need to stop off to the pharmacy before we return to the ranch.” She’d ignored her doctor’s order last night to take Tylenol every eight hours to stave off the aches associated with her fall during the blast and resulting fire. After sitting in a car for ninety minutes each way and dealing with Ranger Jackson Dean, she needed either a painkiller or a good stiff drink.
How can someone be that fine and infuriating at the same time?
Ranger Gleason pulled over, then Ranger Jennings got out and opened the door for her. She thanked him for the hand he offered her as she stepped out of the big vehicle. He let her walk far enough ahead of him that she couldn’t feel him breathing down her neck. But no matter how much distance he put between them, she’d never shake the discomfort of having someone watch her every move. Even when it was for her own protection.
She’d made it to the outer pharmacy doors when a blur of blond hair rushed past her, nearly knocking her down. She felt herself falling when a set of hands wrapped around her arms and kept her steady.
“I’m sorry. You all right, Ms. Aja?”
Aja blinked twice to get her bearings before staring into familiar blue eyes.
“Taylor Sullivan?” Out of the corner of her eye, Aja saw the Ranger approaching them. She gave a small shake of her head, and he stopped in his tracks. She returned her attention to the young man helping her steady herself. “Where are you headed in such a rush? You nearly knocked me down.”
The young man stepped to the side of the entrance to keep from blocking the door, and Aja followed him. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
She cocked her eyebrow. “What did I tell you about that ‘ma’am’ stuff? I’m not old enough to be anybody’s ma’am. Ms. Aja, Ms. Everett, or even plain old Aja will do fine.”
His tanned face turned bright scarlet, and his cheeks lifted into an embarrassed grin that tugged at the soft spot reserved for him in Aja’s heart. He’d been born the summer she’d finished law school. She’d come down to visit with her family and discovered the Sullivans had a beautiful new baby boy. In a town as small as Fresh Springs, every new birth was a town-wide celebration, and Taylor’s had been no different.
She’d spent her entire summer helping out the Sullivans and babysitting Taylor whenever the new parents needed a break. They thought she was helping them. For her, it was about snuggling with that happy infant and taking advantage of all that wonderful baby scent she got to inhale whenever she was near him. Although her work in New York kept her away for most of the year, whenever she made it back to Fresh Springs, she always made time for the sweet cherub who followed her around like an energetic puppy. Now, that tiny baby was a tall, cornfed sixteen-year-old who towered over her, and Aja was suddenly feeling all of her thirty-nine years.
He’s going to be a beauty of a man when he finally matures into adulthood. How is that possible? Where has the time gone?
“I’m real sorry, Ms. Aja. Trying to mind my manners, is all.”
He had the same crooked grin from the day he was born, and for the second time today, she ached for a simpler time.
“Well, you can stand there and be sorry, or you can come on and hug my neck. I’ve missed you, boy.”
God, had she. After seeing him every day for a full summer, rekindling their connection that started the day Earl Sullivan let her hold him for the first time, it was strange not having him waiting in her kitchen for one of Aunt Jo’s hearty meals. The truth was in the two days he’d been gone, it nearly broke her heart that Earl refused to let Taylor come back to the ranch. Sure, with all hell breaking lose on Restoration, she understood. But that didn’t mean it felt good.
Taylor leaned down wrapping himself around her, swaying from side to side the way they always did when they greeted each other. He let her take her fill and when he felt her pull away, he stepped back, like the polite little gentleman she’d always knew he’d be.
“Where you going in such a rush?”
“Pete’s Hardware,” he answered. “My shift starts in thirty minutes. Trying to always be on time like you told me.”
Aja’s smile grew. Her baby really was becoming a man. “Well, since you were rushing to get to work, I guess I can’t be mad at our little collision then, can I?”
The young man bit his lip and tried to keep from meeting her eyes. “Just trying to do my part. Dad says a man’s got to pull his weight.”
“Your dad’s a real good person, Taylor. Don’t ever forget that.”
Taylor smiled again and ran a nervous hand through his wheat-colored locks as he spoke. “He said the same thing about you when he heard what happened at the ranch. Might not be worth much, but he was really sorry he had to quit work on you and leave you without a contractor and crew.”
Aja understood Taylor’s hesitance to relay his father’s remorse for her situation. “I don’t blame him.” She cleared her throat to try to keep the sadness from settling in her voice. Who could blame a man for trying to protect his people the same as she was trying to protect hers?
A slight movement in her peripheral vision brought her attention back to the Ranger waiting on her at the edge of the sidewalk.
“I’d better let you get on your way.”
Taylor dipped his head before pulling the door open for her so she could step inside the pharmacy. “I’m glad you didn’t get hurt, Ms. Aja. I know someone destroyed your barn and all, but I’m really happy nothing happened to you in the middle of that craziness.”
