Uncommon Emotions Part 8

On cue, Fate broke through the last of the evergreen trees and her house came into view. My dogs tore ahead, racing each other to the truck. When we made it to the barn, Raven dropped Calamity's lead and slid off Fate. She walked around to help me dismount the wrong side of the horse because it would be easier with my injured ankle.

"Perfect." She kept a steadying hand on me. "Let me tie the horses up, and we'll get you inside."

*75 "We've got to get the saddles off and rub them down,"

the obsessive compulsive in me spoke up.

"I'll do that once I get you settled with an ice pack on my couch." She held up her free hand to stop any reply.

"You're hobbled, Jos. Don't argue 'cause you won't win."

I laughed and felt her arm slip around my waist as we limped toward her place. Once we reached the door, I snapped my fingers and the dogs dropped into a squat.

"They can come inside," Raven said.

"They're fine on your porch." We moved through the door awkwardly, but soon, she had me sitting on her leather couch in a sprawling living room.

"Don't move." She dashed up the two steps into the kitchen and banged around her freezer for an ice pack and a towel.

Pulling a pillow off the easy chair next to the couch, she set it beside her thigh when she returned. She gingerly grasped my calf to bring my leg up. I tried to stop the motion, not wanting to put my boot on her couch, but one stern look from her told me I wouldn't win that argument either.

"Oh good, they're ropers." She noticed the laces on my boots. Perching my boot on her thigh, she began untying the laces. With more tenderness than was necessary, she pulled off my boot and sock so we could look at my ankle for the first time. "That's an attractive shade of blue you have going there, Jos."

"Goes with my eyes."

Hers snapped up to study mine intently. "For a second there, you made me doubt my observation skills."

Mine were technically hazel but rather than shifting between blues and greens like most hazels, they moved from grey to amber depending on what I wore. With my red shirt, I guessed they were more amber today than grey.

"How's it look, doc?"

"Like we should get you to a hospital for an x-ray."

76*

"No way. I've sprained these ankles enough to know that nothing's broken. Some ice, some rest, I'll be good to go."

She tested my resolve with a long agonizing stare. "Fine, for now." She moved her knees and put the pillow directly under my ankle before draping a towel and ice pack over it.

"You're taking some Ibuprofen for those aches and going to rest here until I'm sure you don't have a concussion. I'll go get the horses put away."

When she returned with a gla.s.s of water and two tablets, I downed both, feeling much better now that I wasn't moving. "Thanks, Raven. I appreciate your help."

Three fingertips brushed against my temple and onto my cheek before she spoke. "You're welcome, Joslyn. Thank you for being concerned about the horse that bucked you off. You're an amazing person."

Before I could respond, she stood quickly and darted out of the room. I heard the screen door slam shut and measured the thumping in my head against the curious pounding of my heart.

Chapter 11.

"T hat's my girl!" Trinity declared after watching the Storm's power forward, in her cla.s.sic spin and shoot move, hit the winning jumper to bring the team to six and one for the season.

"She's my girl," Stuart, my usual Storm buddy, a.s.serted forcefully. He and Trinity operated under the delusion that each could win the affection of the famous and highly skilled forward. In fact, Stuart referred to her as his girlfriend, much to the dismay of Trinity and, well, the object of his affection if she ever found out.

"Don't start, Stu. I will fight you for her." Trinity, who stood an inch taller than me at five-five, rose off the couch to threaten the towering figure of my buddy. Stuart had a center's body, tall and muscular, yet his teddy bear att.i.tude made him raise his hands in defeat.

Kayla and I watched with wide smiles from our seats.

They got into this argument during every televised away game. I hosted the away game broadcasts because Trinity and Kayla didn't have a television and Stuart's place was a pit. For today's game, I'd suffered the teasing from my friends as I hobbled to the door to greet them. As if that wasn't bad enough, they continued to razz me for not making my usual game snacks. After they'd pretend fed me 78*

grapes and fanned me as I reclined on the sofa with my foot elevated, they'd concentrated on the game.

The phone rang, interrupting Trinity and Stuart's face off for their favorite player's honor. Stuart trotted over and scooped up the receiver. "J's Leather Kitty Strip-o-grams, you've got a quip, we've got a whip."

"Stu!" I shouted, horrified by his greeting. Trinity and Kayla howled with laughter, drowning out most of what he was saying.

"She's here, playing the victim with Oscar potential.

Hold on." Stuart sneered playfully at me as he handed over the phone.

"h.e.l.lo?"

"Hi, Joslyn, it's Raven." My heart sped up and heat spread to my face at the embarra.s.sment I felt over my accident yesterday. The replay of the events had wandered uninvited through my mind all day. I felt stupid enough for falling off the horse, but downright idiotic for needing Raven to keep me steady on the ride back. Oh, and mortified by my willingness to let her care for me. To top off the humiliating day, she'd had to drive me home because I couldn't work the truck's clutch with my injured ankle.

"Jos?" Worry came through the line.

"Yes, hi. How are you?"

A mirthful huff sounded over the line. "I was calling to find out the same from you. How's your ankle?"

"Better, thanks, and thanks again for all your help yesterday."

"You're welcome. I was just on my way out with my niece, and I thought we'd bring your truck back to you?"

The truck. With all those other embarra.s.sing thoughts, I'd forgotten that we'd needed to use it because of my dogs, and she'd taken it back to her place after dropping us off.

"Oh, you don't need to do that. I've got some friends over; we could come pick it up."

*79 "We'll be pa.s.sing right by your place. Plus, it'll give me another chance to drive it."

I could hear the smile in her voice. Looking around at my friends, I thought they might help ease my humiliation over the reminder of yesterday when I saw her. "If it's no trouble, that would be great."

"Perfect. We'll be by soon," she signed off.

I turned back to a rapt audience. "What?"

"Who was that?" Stuart asked.

"The truck thief."

"The one whose horse bucked your skinny a.s.s off yesterday?" Kayla teased.

"Hey!" I exclaimed in mock horror. Okay, I didn't have much of an a.s.s, but there was enough there to keep me from hurting when I sat down at least.

"We get to meet the person with the sa.s.sy horses?"

Stuart asked.

"Why don't I take you all over there and they can buck your no-riding a.s.ses off, too?" They laughed at my threat, and I couldn't help feeling more relaxed about seeing Raven in the glaring daylight of my humiliation. With a few clicks of the remote I had the other WNBA game started for the group. We settled in to watch with far less interest than the previous game.

Fifteen minutes and one more fight between Stuart and Trinity about another "smoking hot" player later, I heard the engine roar of my old truck heading toward the house. I jumped up and stifled the shriek of pain I felt in my ankle when I forgot about not putting all of my weight on it.

Limping ungracefully, I went to the door to greet my visitors.

"Hi." Raven's smile brightened the brown of her eyes to bourbon color. Since first noticing them, I started thinking I might have a little alcohol problem. At minimum, an obsession and maybe not just with alcohol.

80*

"Hi there, welcome. How's it going, Ray?" I greeted the younger woman standing beside her aunt. I gestured for them to follow me inside where the dogs eagerly greeted them.

"You're up and moving, although, not very well I see,"

Raven indicated after making sure to give some love to each of my dogs.

"Better than yesterday when I couldn't ride a horse, or walk, or drive, or even think una.s.sisted," I reminded her, setting off a shared smile.

"Ray? Hey, girl, how you doing?" Kayla jumped off the couch to greet Ray with a h.e.l.lo kiss and hug, surprising the rest of us. "Trin, remember Ray from my community theater group?"

"Sure. Hey there, Ray."

Ray turned to introduce her aunt, but Raven waved her off. "We've already met. Nice to see you both again."

I gestured to Stuart. "This is my good friend Stuart. Stu, this is Raven and her niece, Ray." He greeted both with handshakes. "Won't you stay for a while?" I invited, hobbling back toward the kitchen. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Siddown," Stuart ordered with exasperation and took over getting beverages for the new arrivals.

Settled around the couch and easy chairs facing the television, we broke off into two conversations with intermittent overlap of commentary on the game that was on. Trinity and Kayla occupied Ray, while Stuart and I talked mostly to Raven. Without needing to ask, I knew Stuart was captivated by her. Who wouldn't be? She was beautiful and vivacious. If she stayed another hour, I was willing to bet a year's salary that Raven would rival his favorite Storm player as Stuart's imaginary girlfriend.

"Did you find out about Annabeth's game, Stu?" I asked of his daughter's all-star Little League tournament.

"It is next Sat.u.r.day, so I'm out."

*81 "They won't let the pitching coach off the hook for a Storm game?" I prodded.

"I tried to plead extenuating circ.u.mstances, but twelve-year-olds are so unforgiving." He flipped his hands in a helpless gesture. "Sorry to leave you hanging for the game."

"That's okay. I can usually find someone who wants to go," I a.s.sured him. I knew he felt bad now that I didn't have Chase as my automatic backup. Glancing at my visitor, I remembered our earlier discussion. "What about you, Raven? Would you like to sit with us next game?"

Her head whipped around from the television.

"Absolutely. Thanks, I'd love to sit there."

"What's happening?" Ray spoke up from the other side of the sectional. "Where are you going?"

"Joslyn just invited me to sit courtside with her at the next Storm game."

"Oh cripes, you and that basketball team." She rolled her eyes at Kayla. Apparently, they both held the same take 'em or leave 'em att.i.tude about our team.

"Wait a minute now, young lady," Stuart scolded.

"Those games are the only social life I have outside of work and carting my kids around. Plus my girlfriend plays for the team."

"She. Is. NOT. Your. Girlfriend!" Trinity bellowed at him, starting another round of laughter from everyone in the room.

"Well, we better get moving, youngster," Raven spoke to Ray when the laughter died down. She turned to me.

"This was fun, and thanks for the invite to the game. Are you sure you're doing okay?" Her concern felt like it physically touched me.

"I was planning to work from home tomorrow anyway, so I should be fine with another day off my feet."

"I remember when I spent all my work days off my feet." Stuart fluttered eyebrows suggestively.

"Man-Ho," Trinity accused.

82*

"Gigolo, please. I was so high-end you would have had to take out a mortgage to even talk to me, girly," Stuart taunted, starting the laughter again. Sometimes it struck me how much those two acted like kids even though Stuart hit the big 4-0 last month and Trinity just cleared her twenty-ninth birthday.

"You wish," Trinity dismissed him.

When I turned my head back from watching their interaction, I noticed Raven's intent stare. She looked like she didn't believe me about my state of health. I gripped her arm and nodded my head. "I'm fine, really."

She reddened slightly, obviously embarra.s.sed that I'd read her concern so easily. "Good. I guess I'll see you Tuesday in the office if you're not in meetings all day."

"Probably." I stood carefully this time and waited for Raven and Ray to say their goodbyes to the crowd. We moved slowly toward the door, hindered by my limp and the eager dogs. "Thanks for bringing back the truck. One less task."

"You're lucky you got it back," Ray said. "I've never seen Aunt Raven as happy to drive a car before."

"You should have seen her driving my Vette. I didn't think she'd ever get out from behind the wheel."

Ray's smile was almost as wide as her aunt's. "See you around, Joslyn," she tossed out before walking outside.

Raven touched the truck keys to my palm. I shivered when her fingers brushed my upturned wrist. "Until Tuesday." Raven's gaze moved downward briefly before colliding with mine again. With a nod, she joined her niece at her car.