Chase retrieved the bag, turned on the shower for her, and closed the bathroom door behind him. If Francohadtouched her and by that he meant raped her, he would personally see that bastard dead. He sat down on the bed and sent a group text to Chloe, Cash, Coop, Bob, Teresa, and Rachel that he had Jade. He asked them to call or text before coming to the house. He also messaged Richard as well as Jade’s neighbor, Bill. He’d let Jade contact Katy.
Between the shower being turned off and the hair dryer being turned on, Chase thought he heard soft sobbing. Hell, he wasn’t sure what to do. He’d give her a minute. He took off his bloody shirt as texts flooded in with words of relief from every person he’d contacted. The hair dryer stopped, followed by what sounded like the tearing of the black bag and then muffled despair. He walked to the bathroom door and knocked.
“Jade?”
She sniffled. “Come in.”
“You okay?” Chase asked as he opened the door. Naked and kneeling on the empty bag, Jade’s shoulders drooped, and her long blond hair, almost dry, covered her breasts. Surrounding her on the floor were four dresses, a skirt, a blouse, and a pair of black stilettos. No underwear. No pj’s. No sandals. Evidently, Greta hadn’t packed anything casual, comfortable, or personal. Sliding his hands under Jade’s arms, he said, “C’mere, buttercup.”
When he picked her up, Jade let out a soft wail and flinched. She shuddered from head to toe as he carried her into the bedroom. After sitting her on his side of the bed, she crossed her arms over her breasts and, bringing her feet onto the mattress, pressed her calves against the backs of her thighs. Chase sat beside her and wrapped both arms around the tight ball of her trembling body. Jade shivered and stiffened. But this time, wrapped in his embrace, she stayed put instead of pulling away from him. After a moment, he felt her body begin to relax, and she tentatively touched her head to his shoulder. Her right hand flattened over her heart, and her left hand slowly curled around his upper right arm. When he patted her naked hip, she clung to him as she would a life raft. Only her weeping broke the silence as he gently rocked like he would a baby. Several minutes passed before she choked back a sob and gazed at him with tears in her eyes.
Chase smiled and touched his forehead to hers.
“When the right person hugs you…it’s medicine,” Jade whispered.
“Tell me about it,” Chase’s voice was husky with emotion.
“When you picked me up, sharp pains hit every part of my body.” He opened his mouth to apologize, but she went on, “When you hugged me without letting go, the stabbing and stinging started fading.” With wonder in her voice, she said, “It’s gone now.”
“It’s the ibuprofen.”
“No, I don’t think so. It’s you, Chase,” she replied. With a sigh, she said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything appropriate to wear.”
“You know I like you naked.”
A small laugh escaped her. “May I borrow a tee shirt and pantie…boxers?”
“Yup, I’ve got something that will work. I’m gonna let go, okay?”
“Okay.”
Carefully releasing her, he purposely didn’t look back but heard her rustling the covers. He went into the ‘his’ side of the huge walk-in closet for two, to a built-in dresser. He rifled through it and found a couple of medium-sized tee shirts and boxers he hadn’t worn since middle school. Since they bore the Triple C Ranch logo, he’d kept them out of sentimentality. Coming back into the bedroom, he saw that Jade had covered herself with the comforter.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you, Chase.”
“I’ll jump in the shower, and when I’m done, I’ll make us something to eat. Okay?”
She nodded, and he left her to get dressed.
* * *
In the bathroom,he placed her clothes on the counter and then glared at the gunshot wound from Franco Spatafore’s pistol. He stepped into the shower and winced when the water washed the dried blood off the gunshot wound. After toweling off, from under the counter, he pulled out some alcohol and a bandage. No shortage of such supplies on a ranch, and he’d certainly had worse injuries. He wrapped the towel around his waist and entered the bedroom again. Jade was gone. His heart skipped a beat, and he took a deep breath. He had her clothes, and she couldn’t go far in his underwear. Pulling on a clean white tee shirt and jeans, he headed into the great room. Aromas wafted toward him from the back of the house. When he entered the kitchen, he saw her bending over a bin in the refrigerator. He let out a low groan, and she turned to him with tomatoes and lettuce in her hands. Never had a Triple C Ranch tee shirt been worn so well by a woman, and never had he given one a pair of his boxers.
“BLTs sound okay?” she asked.
“Be still my heart.” He looked her up and down and, with a grin, said, “Yes.”
She blushed. “Sit while the bacon cooks.”
“You sit, and I’ll fry the bacon.”
“I’ve got it.” She motioned for him to take a seat at the granite island.
“Awright.” Sitting on a barstool, Chase couldn’t take his eyes off her as she washed the tomatoes and lettuce. The relief at having Jade here in his house was as immeasurable as his feelings for her. Getting up, he placed the lettuce, tomatoes, and a knife on a cutting board and took them back to the island. “The least I can do is slice the tomatoes.”
“The least you can do?” she asked, dropping bread into a toaster. “When was the last time you slept?”
