The grin on Cal’s face faded, and the muscle in his jaw twitched as he regarded her. “Positive.”
“Fine. I’ll stay with you. For now,” she muttered, adding an eye roll so he didn’t think she was caving to his will easily.
Thirty minutes later, she was leaving the hospital and climbing into Cal’s Jeep. After a stop at the motel to pick up Joy, the kitten’s supplies and all of Jules’s things, she was checked out of her temporary home and headed to another.
When they arrived at Cal’s house, Pilot gave the kitten a curious sniff and wagged his tail, looking up at Cal as if to say “hey, thanks for the new friend!”
Joy, on the other hand, hissed and swatted at Pilot’s nose, her fur standing on end.
“Huh. So it’s not just people she doesn’t like.” Cal headed upstairs with her suitcase. “Give her space, Pilot. She’ll come around.”
“You don’t think he’ll hurt her?” Jules asked, following him up the steps. “She’s so little.”
“Naw. I bet they’re friends by tonight. Pilot’s gentle as a lamb.”
Jules cast a last worried glance toward the animals, who were still sizing each other up uneasily, before she followed Cal. As it turned out, Cal was wrong…
Joy and Pilot had sorted things out before they came back downstairs. Pilot was lying on his blanket at the foot of the stairs, and the kitten had climbed on top of the Labrador. After turning around a few times, Joy tucked herself into a ball to sleep on Pilot’s side. Pilot gave a contented dog sigh and closed his eyes.
“Well, I’ll be. Joy’s certainly made herself at home,” Jules said, a grin forming. “Clearly she feels safe with Pilot.”
Cal draped an arm around her shoulders. “I think they have the right idea. Want to snuggle on the couch? It’s plenty big enough for two, and there’s an afghan to keep your feet warm.”
“Don’t you have work to do? I’ll be fine by myself.”
He nudged her toward the living room. “For the rest of today, my official duty is protecting and looking after you. Ryan said for you to rest, so consider me your nurse for the next few days.”
She went to the sofa willingly. Her head hurt, and she was suddenly beyond tired. As she settled on the couch, she sent Cal a puzzled look. “Ryan?”
“Dr. Palmer. My dad has been mentoring Ryan for the last several months since he moved to Red Grove and just refers to him as Ryan outside the hospital.”
“Oh. Right.” Jules’s side gave a throb, and she eased back against the cushions. “Did he tell me his first name? It’s kind of a blur… And I’m so…” She yawned. “Tired.”
“That could be the pain meds. Or just the post-adrenaline slump.” Cal sat on the edge of the sofa next to her and helped her adjust a throw pillow behind her head. “Name your poison. Something to drink? Another pillow? A snack?”
She shook her head, then hissed as a sharp bolt ricocheted through her skull again. “I wish I could remember to keep my head still,” she mumbled as she settled in.
Cal stroked the uninjured side of her face with his fingers, carefully combing the hair away from her cheek. He sighed and in a gentle tone, asked, “What in God’s name possessed you to run at Hamilton like that?”
She let her eyes drift closed, concentrating on the soothing touch of his fingers in her hair rather than the scary images and sound from hours before. “Abby.”
“Your sister.”
“Mmm-hmm. When I saw him, walking free, knowing how he’d ruined Abby’s life, I just…”
She didn’t say more, and after a moment, Cal stretched out beside her and pulled her into his arms. “I’m going to get him off the street for you. For Abby and Zoey. I promise. You just have to be patient. Trust me.Listen to me.”
She curled against his solid strength and thought that maybe, just maybe, she had found someone she could count on to have her back, to give her faith to and believe in.
“I’ve been thinking…” she mumbled then yawned.
“Did it hurt?” When she groaned, he chuckled. “Fair is fair. You used that one on me. Go ahead. What were you thinking?”
“Masked man.”
She felt him tense. “What?”
“The one in my motel room.”
