Ryker’s Justice (13 page)

Then
he forgot everything in the feverish intense sensations that convulsed his body
and he came with blinding joy, his wordless cry blending with Nicole’s.

Chapter Twelve

On
Monday morning, after he dropped Nicole at Cockrell’s Country Inn, Jude headed
home to get the woodstove ready for winter. Last night, after making love, they
had both noticed the pervasive cold chill in the old house. The farmhouse
lacked central heat and the
Rykers
had always managed
with the woodstove and fireplace. Although Jude spent a portion of the summer
cutting wood, he had forgotten to make sure the chimney was clear and the
stovepipe in good condition.

“I’ll
come get you this afternoon,” Jude promised Nicole. He nuzzled her lips as they
stood on the inn’s front porch before he headed for his truck. “I’ll take you
out to eat somewhere tonight and we’ll find something to do.”

“I
still think you should let me stay at your house,” Nicole said.

Last
night, curled in his arms, she had suggested it and although he wanted it, too,
Jude rejected the idea. “I told you, it’s too risky right now,” he said. “I’d
rather you be here, at least some of the time. If Junior or whoever he’s working
with gets wind of what I’m up to, you’d be a target. Don’t let Mary give you
any crap about staying over, you hear?”

“I
won’t,” Nicole said with a faint smile.

After
a stop at the hardware store and lumberyard, Jude headed home to work. The
early morning cool dissipated as the sun came out and lit the woods with autumn
glory. As he replaced worn-out parts and cleaned both the flue and chimney, he
caught himself whistling, something he hadn’t done in years. At
noon
, he paused long enough for a
roast beef sandwich and washed it down with strong, undiluted iced tea. He
finished by two, lit a small fire in the hearth and stove to check his work,
and when satisfied everything was operational, he showered.

At
the inn, Rick greeted him with a cool nod. “I suppose you’re here after
Nicole,” he said, his tone grumpy.

“Yeah,”
he said. “We’ve got a date.”

“How’s
your nephew?” Rick’s tone thawed a little.

“He’s
healing, thanks for asking,” Jude said. “I’m going over to stay with him during
his girlfriend’s funeral tomorrow, keep him company.”

“That’s
a bad deal, that girl dying,” Rick said. “I’m sorry to hear it, even though I
didn’t know her.”

“It’s
rough for David,” Jude said. Nicole came down the stairs, her smile as bright
as the crimson sweater she wore paired with black jeans. “Hi, honey.”

“Hello,
Jude.”

He
couldn’t resist a quick kiss, careful not to smudge her lipstick. “I guess
you’re ready to go?”

Nicole
nodded and linked her arm through his. “Yes, I am.”

They
held hands on the way to his truck. “You look pretty,” he told her. “I missed
you.”

She
laughed. “It’s only been a few hours, Jude—but I missed you, too. Where are we
going?”

“Take
your pick. We can go for Mexican or Thai or grab a burger somewhere.”

“Mexican
sounds good if it’s authentic.”

He
nodded. “It is. I’ve eaten there several times and it’s excellent.”

At
the simple restaurant with whitewashed walls, decorated with a few serapes and
sombreros, they snacked on chips and salsa while waiting for their meal. Jude
talked about his repairs, humdrum stuff, but she appeared to enjoy hearing
about it. Beneath the table, their knees touched. By the time the waiter
delivered his burritos
tipicos
platter and Nicole’s
enchiladas, he wasn’t sure what he hungered for more, the food or Nicole. After
the warm food took up residence in his belly, the fatigue of his physical work
settled over him like a blanket and he figured he needed sleep more than sex.

“Tomorrow’s
the funeral,” he said. “I planned to get to the hospital early. Would you want
to come with me to help distract David?”

“Sure,”
she said. “I’d like that as long as you don’t think he’ll mind.”

“Not
a chance,” Jude replied. “The chance to get some hot gossip about his uncle’s
woman might be the one thing to keep his mind off his loss. I’ll pick you up at
seven thirty
, then.”

“Perfect.
So, what now?”

“You
tell me, honey. If you want to see a movie, there’s a little retro theater over
on
Main Street
,
or we can drive to the big town to have a choice. We can go on a little drive
before it gets too dark. Or anything you want to do.”

Her
eyes sparkled as she scraped up the last bite of refried beans. “We could go to
your house.”

God, how he wanted that, too,
tonight, and maybe every night.
“Honey, I’d love it but it’s past seven now. We both have to be up early and
besides, Rick seemed a little cool when I came to pick you up earlier. Did he
or Mary say anything?”

Nicole’s
thin, kissable lips twisted into a wry knot. “She mentioned it didn’t look nice
for me to be out all night and she wouldn’t want any of the other guests to
think I was—and I’m quoting now—‘a wanton woman’.”

His
stomach knotted. “You don’t deserve that, Nicole, and I’m sorry.” Maybe he
should have left her alone instead of tainting her reputation.

She
reached across the table and twined her fingers through his. “I’m not. We
haven’t done anything to apologize for and nothing that’s wrong. And I’m not
upset by it, Jude.”

“That’s
good to know. Do they still have a television in the parlor at the inn?”

“I
think so. Why?”

“I
thought we could go salvage your reputation, watch a little TV, and then I’ll
give you a chaste good night kiss.”

He
watched the play of emotions cross her face and when she smiled, he did, too.
“I’d like that,” she said.

“So
would I.”

At
Cockrell’s Country Inn, they found the parlor empty, not surprising on a Monday
night in October. They sat down on the plaid loveseat together and although
they sat close and Jude’s arm draped across Nicole’s shoulders, they kept
contact low-key. After flipping through the available satellite channels, they
settled on a 1940s movie.
The Ghost
And
Mrs. Muir
proved to be more entertaining than Jude
expected but the warm room and his day’s labor made him drowsy. He never
realized he’d fallen asleep until Nicole shook him awake.

“Did
I snore?” he asked, afraid of the answer.

Merriment
twinkled in her eyes and she grinned. “Oh, yeah, you did, big time.”

“Shit.”

“It’s
okay. I know you’re tired. I wouldn’t wake you but it’s after ten and we have an
early start tomorrow.”

He
scrubbed his face with both hands. “You’re right. I’d better go home.”

****

In
the morning, as a steady rain fell from a slate- gray sky, Jude arrived early
enough to eat breakfast at the inn. Mary insisted, although she wasn’t as
exuberant in her praise. Despite that, the biscuits and sausage gravy were
delicious and Jude was better prepared to face the day after the meal. Despite
the somber day and his duty, his mood remained good until after they reached
the hospital.

He
found David in a foul mood and although the kid had every reason to be upset,
Jude’s patience eroded after an hour of attempting to take his mind off his
loss. His nephew lay with one arm flung across his closed eyes and refused to say
anything. Jude’s efforts to offer cheer, a little guidance, and every attempt
at distraction, fell flat. Bringing Nicole along appeared to be a mistake
because it apparently reminded David of the girlfriend he had lost. Nicole noticed
and excused herself to grab a soda downstairs. Jude sat in the worn recliner
and stared through the window. Above his head, the television blared, although
David wasn’t watching.

“I
shoulda
been there,” David said, his voice louder
than earlier when he barely whispered. He removed his arm from his eyes as he
spoke.

Jude
suppressed a sigh and came over to stand beside the bed. “You’re not in shape
to go anywhere,” he said. “I get how much you wanted to be there so you could
pay your respects to your girl and mourn but it’s not possible. Your leg’s
still in traction and it needs to be or it might not heal straight. I don’t
imagine you want to limp for the rest of your life.”

Sullen
as a surprised opossum, David frowned. “No.”

“You
had surgery, too. That incision in your gut needs to heal, too. Last thing you
need is to bust open the stitches and go back into surgery. You already have
another operation lined up to put pins in your legs later this week. Then
you’ll be out of traction, at least.”

“I
guess.”

“And
you suffered a concussion, too. Kid, you were hurt pretty damn bad. You’re not
invincible. None of us are. I understand you loved Sierra and I’m sorry she’s
gone. It’s not fair, shouldn’t have happened, but it did. Having a setback
isn’t going to bring her back, is it?”

David
sighed and snorted. “No, but…”

“No
buts,” Jude said, firm. “Sierra wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself, would she?”

After
a long pause, David shook his head. Tears stood in his eyes. “I doubt it. You don’t
understand, Uncle Jude. Have you ever lost anybody you love?”

“You
know I have. Daddy five years
ago,
and my mama when I
was a little boy, not much older than your sister is now.”

With
his bottom lip jutting out, David glared at Jude. “But you’ve never lost a
woman you love, have you? So you don’t know what it’s like.”

Whoa.
He came to offer company and comfort but damned if the kid hadn’t blindsided
him hard. “No,” Jude replied. “I haven’t, son. But then, I’ve never loved a
woman until…”

“You
love
her
,” David said. “I saw the way
you look at her.”

Jude
raised his hands in surrender. “I’m busted, then, because, yeah, I do. But
she’s the first one and I hope the last. And, if anything happened to Nicole,
I’d hurt bad, I can’t deny it.”

“Try
to imagine it,” the teenager said. “Then maybe you can guess how I feel.”

With
a lump in his throat, Jude could visualize it much too well. “I already do,
David,” he said. His voice cracked on the words. “I can’t totally explain
everything now but Nicole may be in danger and I’m doing everything I can to
protect her. If I lost her, I couldn’t stand it. So, yeah, maybe I get it
better than you think.”

David
said nothing. After a pause of a minute, he said. “Everyone else keeps telling
me I’m young, I’ll get over it, I’ll find someone else one of these days, but I
don’t want to. I don’t want to ever forget Sierra, no matter how much it
hurts.”

“You
won’t,” Jude said. “And you’ll move on—you have to, David, there’s no other
option, but you’ll never forget or get over this. It’ll always be a part of
you. When you’re ready, if you ever are, then maybe you can find another woman,
one who’ll understand.”

The
tears he had noticed earlier in David’s eyes spilled down his cheeks and became
a torrent. Outside, the skies opened up and dumped heavy rain so thick Jude
couldn’t see through it. “Uncle Jude, maybe you understand a little,” David
said. Then he wept. He began to sob, hard, and his body shook from crying. His
monitors went crazy as his blood pressure and pulse spiked. Jude wished he
could take the boy into his arms and hold him tight to offer comfort, but it
wasn’t possible. He held David’s hand between both of his.

“Let
it all out, kid,” he
said,
his voice gruff with
emotion. “Then let it go. It’s the first time you’ve cried, isn’t it?”

The
teen nodded through his tears. Certain that the catharsis would help, Jude
ached as he watched. No matter how much he wanted to ease David’s suffering, he
couldn’t. A nurse poked her head into the room and approached the bed. “Is
everything all right?” she asked. Her voice rang so bright it reminded him of a
chirping bird.

“Yeah,
it’s good,” Jude told her. “He’s dealing with his loss for the first time but
he’s okay.”

Her
expression changed, uncertain, then she nodded. “Well, that’s good, I think. Do
you need anything?”

She
addressed David who shook his head,
then
she glanced
at Jude. He shrugged.
“Another box of tissues, maybe?”

“Sure.”

After
the storm of tears ended, David wore an expression of grim endurance. Jude
hoped he had managed to help the kid deal with his grief and that he’d turned a
corner. He released his hand and settled back into the uncomfortable chair.

“Uncle
Jude?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m
glad you came to stay with me today,” David said. “You helped.”

Tears
blinded Jude for a moment but he didn’t shed them. “I’m glad,” he said.