Cowboys In Her Pocket (6 page)

He was hurt.

Concern and despair slammed into her. Quickly she pulled away and examined him.

Immediately she spotted a dark bruise and a gash across his forehead.

“What happened?” she asked as she grabbed Dan’s hand and led him toward the ranch house.

Dan was unsteady on his feet and JJ’s concern for him skyrocketed. She wrapped her arm around his waist instructing him to lean on her. Rafe braced his other side.

“Was there an accident?” Blue asked from behind them as they went up the stairs and then entered the building.

“Head injury,” Brady answered as he quickly moved past them and disappeared into the office.

JJ’s stomach somersaulted. She tightened her arm around Dan’s waist and they led him down the hall into the living room.

“I’ll check him out. Get him onto the couch. Lie him down, gently,” Blue instructed.

“We think he was attacked by someone,” Rafe explained as he helped JJ get Dan onto the couch.

“Attacked?” both JJ and Blue asked in unison.

Why would anyone hurt Dan
?

“Who? Can you ID the person?” Blue asked as she sat on a nearby coffee table and began checking one eye and then the other eye with a flashlight Brady handed her.

Dan winced as he shook his head. He looked pale. Too pale.

“We should fly him to the hospital.” JJ blurted. They were hundreds of miles away from medical facilities and the thought of how secluded the ranch truly was, rushed a bad feeling of powerlessness through her. Suddenly, she realized just how deserted they truly were in an emergency situation. Realized too that it might be a good idea for them to stop relying on North Country Air and get themselves their own bush plane. It would cut any time in half to get to help if something bad happened.

“Let me check him out first. Then I can give you an answer,” Blue replied. Her voice was calm and she looked pretty cool under pressure as she gazed at Dan.

“Did you black out?” she asked Dan.

“Yes, he did,” Brady answered.

Blue shook her head and frowned at Brady.

“Brady, please. I need him to answer my questions. Can you grab me a first aid kit? Needle and thread? He’s going to need stitches for that gash,” Blue said.

JJ made a move to go and get the kit, but Brady shook his head.

“Here. I already got it.” He lifted the first aid kit onto the couch opposite of where Dan lay on the couch. He snapped the big metal box-like case open and began ripping open plastic bags and laying medical equipment — white gauze, tape, a tube of antibiotic gel, a package of sterilized needles and thread — out on a small steel tray that came with the kit.

“Did you get hurt anywhere else?” Blue asked.

Dan grimaced as he shook his head.

JJ watched Blue smooth her hands over Dan’s arms, legs, torso, front and back, checking for other injuries. Once again, envy whispered through her. Blue appeared so confident and cool.

The woman was a total opposite of herself. While JJ had been stuck in prison and having panic attacks, Blue had been on the outside working as a cop, a nurse and now a bush pilot. Everyone had been going on with their lives and having a life.

JJ hadn’t done
anything
to better herself. Hadn’t felt the need to take part in any prison programs. Nothing had interested her. She’d figured her life had been over as she’d sat in her claustrophobic prison cell watching shows on a 12-inch black-and-white tv or reading magazines and books. The only times she was allowed out of her cell was for laundry or kitchen duty, exercise time, or times to eat.

She pushed aside her feeling sorry for herself moment and concentrated on Blue and Dan.

“What do you need me to do?” she asked Blue. She needed to keep occupied, to feel useful, or she’d go nuts.

“I’d appreciate some of your delicious coffee and a couple of brownies, if you made any?” Dan mumbled. His eyes were closed but he was grinning.

Damn, but he knew her so well. Knew that she would be worried and that she would bake his favorites for when he came home. And he was finally home.

A huge chunk of relief pierced JJ’s anxiety. Dan was hungry. That had to be a good sign. Well, at least she could cook up a storm for him. She wasn’t as useless as she was feeling.

“Coming right up,” she replied.

She hurried into the adjoining kitchen where Rafe had retreated and was pouring some boiling water into a basin. He was frowning and in the way the muscles in his jaw were spasming, he was really pissed off.

“Who did this to him?” she asked as he nudged in beside him. She kept her voice low as a violent anger raged. She would tear apart anyone who hurt her men. In the past, JJ’s anger had led her to kill her stepfather. Now, with her anger soaring during her closet stay thinking there was an intruder and with what had happened to Dan, she was experiencing a similar feeling of rage. It scared her to feel like she might lose control.

Rafe shook his head. “I don’t know. Dan didn’t see him.”

Damn!
From a nearby cupboard, JJ grabbed a new bar of soap, unwrapped it and set it on the tray beside the basin with water.

“I’ll get some washcloths,” she said. But Rafe shook his head.

“I’ll get them. You just get Dan his coffee and brownies. Hopefully, that will keep his mind off what happened. At least for a few minutes.”

Rafe winked at her and he hurried away.

“I wouldn’t mind some coffee,” Brady growled in a low voice as he joined JJ in the kitchen.

Concern etched his face as he gazed at her. He touched her elbow with a gentleness that almost unraveled her. His brow was furrowed and it was then she realized how badly she was shaking.

“Are you okay?” he asked with a gentleness that almost unraveled her into a bucket of tears.

“I will be. When we find out who hurt him, they are dead,” she hissed.

To her surprise, Brady grinned.

“Uh oh, I see a she-bear coming out. You look hot when you’re mad.”

Without waiting for her to answer, Brady left and hurried back to assist Blue with Dan. It was at times like these that JJ was glad the men had designed their ranch with an open concept living room, dining area and kitchen where everyone could see each other. And she could hear what was going on and watch everything while she collected the brownies, other goodies and made the coffee.

Dan related to everyone how he’d had the feeling he was being watched as he’d checked on the Angus herd in the north pasture during his run. He’d heard the approaching storm and had decided to head back to the ranch on the trail with his four wheeler. But the winds had picked up and so many trees had fallen over the trail so’d started chainsawing through them. Before he knew it, he’d had to take refuge in the tent because of the rain. Then night had fallen and another storm had come, so he’d stayed in the tent for the night.

In the morning when he’d tried the atv, it hadn’t started. He’d followed their rules by staying with the vehicle until help arrived. He moved his tent to a nearby clearing, built a small fire for warmth and was about to cook some of the dried eggs and bacon he had in his emergency kit, when something had hit him in the head and he’d lost consciousness.

He hadn’t seen anything. Hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary. Just that weird feeling that he hadn’t been alone.

Dan’s head ached like a bitch as he relayed what had happened. Man, he’d never had such an attentive audience toward him. With the gentle way that Blue cleaned and stitched his wound, he wondered why she’d ever given up the nursing profession and stopped being a cop. She was a natural.

But he didn’t question her. In the past, she’d always been evasive to his questions about her past, so he figured this time would be no different. She was a very private person and he respected that about her.

Brady and Rafe hovered around him like a couple of clucking hens as they tucked pillows behind him and piled blankets on him. After Blue taped a protective patch over Dan’s stitches, Brady had smacked an ice pack across his aching forehead.

JJ, though, worried him. She was quiet as she served coffee, homemade donuts and those chocolate chewy brownies he could never get enough of. Dan couldn’t wait to get her alone so he could reassure her that everything was going to be okay. He was surprised that she hadn’t had one of her anxiety attacks. Hell, circumstances were stressful, and that was usually when she could lose it.

Although he hadn’t seen anyone, Brady and Rafe had done a good job convincing him

someone could have belted him with a tree branch.

“I think someone was lurking around the ranch the other day,” Dan blurted. It was time to tell them what had happened the other day.

“What?” Brady asked with a severe frown.

“What are you saying?” Rafe chimed in as he slowly put his coffee mug down on the table.

Blue leaned in closer. Interest blazed in her blue eyes.

JJ had retreated to the kitchen, where it appeared she was gathering ingredients to bake something yet again — probably another cake — despite it being almost midnight. He knew she baked when she was nervous. He figured it must be some sort of coping mechanism about her anxiety issues.

“JJ thought she saw someone or something, and the day after I found a gum wrapper fluttering around just inside the treeline near the garden the morning I left. Any of you chew gum?” he asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

JJ came back around into the living room. She had a look of fury and betrayal.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Dan?”

“I wasn’t sure what to make of it,” he admitted. “I figured it might have blown in off the lake from someone interior camping. You know, once or twice a year we see people canoeing. Maybe someone is around. I was going to tell you when I got back. I didn’t think it could be anything serious.”

“What exactly did you see, JJ?” Brady asked. Brady’s brows had crunched together into a serious frown.

Dan grimaced. Brady looked pissed off. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut?

“I’m pretty sure I saw someone the other day while we…” JJ stalled and her cheeks went pink.

“While we were tilling the garden.” Dan said coming to her rescue. He didn’t want her embarrassed in front of Blue.

“The leftover cake was missing and I noticed some bear steaks were missing too. I told myself I must have misplaced them, but then I got the feeling someone had gone through my things in my bedroom too. My top drawer was open and my underwear had been moved around and I’m pretty sure someone was in the house but I hid in Dan’s closet with his gun—”

Shit.

“What the hell? In the house? And you had the gun?” Brady growled. “Why didn’t you say anything the minute we got back?”

She shrank away from Brady’s anger. All Dan wanted to do was go to her and wrap his arms around her telling her that everything was okay. But he knew if he stood, he’d probably fall right over onto his face.

Damn! He felt so helpless being dizzy.

“I’m sorry,” JJ replied. Dan was impressed at how quickly she recuperated from her

momentary fear of Brady. Her shoulders were now thrust back in defiance and her hands were knotted in anger.

Dan grinned. She could give Brady as good as he gave. He liked that about her. She was a strong woman, despite her thinking otherwise.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to come to you guys unless there was proof,” she snapped.

Man, he liked the way her eyes sparked when she was mad.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, JJ,” Brady said. Slowly he shook his head in apparent disappointment and scrubbed a hand over his bristly chin. “You should have phoned me and told me what was going on. I knew something was up. I could hear it in your voice during our last phone conversation.

Rafe too.”

“It’s why we came back early,” Rafe replied. “Talk about him being a stick in the mud when he’s worried about you.”

Brady rolled his eyes at Rafe.

Dan grinned. He always enjoyed it when Rafe teased Brady.

“Yeah, well, you sure as hell didn’t object when I said we needed to get back pronto,” Brady grumbled.

“Okay, guys, quit bickering,” Blue interjected. “Honestly, I don’t know how JJ puts up with three guys. I get that you men had a long day and are cranky, so I suggest you turn in. JJ, you too. I’m sure you can bake your cake in the morning. The three of you didn’t get much sleep last night with what I…um…that storm.”

Dan noted Blue’s sudden hesitation and her cheeks went red. He also noticed that Brady, Rafe and JJ were gazing at her with curiosity.

Hmm, interesting. Why hadn’t they gotten enough sleep last night? He knew it had been stormy. Hell, it had taken all his energy to crawl back to his tent after he’d regained consciousness. But why the red cheeks over a storm? And Blue looking all shy suddenly. Hell, she had never acted shy before.

“We’ll take shifts keeping an eye on Dan,” Blue said as she avoided eye contact with everyone.

“He’s had a concussion. For the next twenty-four hours, we need to wake him every few hours and ask him questions to make sure he’s okay. I can take the first shift. I’m not tired. Someone can spell me in say, five hours.”

“I can,” JJ quickly volunteered. Heaven only knew that she wouldn’t get much sleep with all that had happened.

“Don’t forget to bake that cake. How about baking it for breakfast?” Dan chuckled from the couch.

“You’ll get a proper breakfast first,” JJ clucked and grinned at his frown.

“And a slice of cake after breakfast,” she added and loved the way he smiled at her. So sexy and proud that he’d won a slice of cake.

Thankfully, Dan was already looking a wee bit better. Gratitude for Blue being here washed over JJ. Sure, the guys knew first aid and such, but having a qualified professional around made all the difference.

“Hey what about me? I like cake too,” Brady grinned. He stood and grabbed the coffee cups and plates placing them on the platter.

“And me,” Rafe added as he stood and stretched. Muscles bulged in his arms and JJ wished Blue wasn’t around, so she could ask Rafe to hug her. Heck, she wanted all her men to hug her and make love to her.