Into the Storm (5 page)

“
You didn’t look in it?” she asked surprised.

I shook my head. “No. It’s yours. Not mine.”

She stared at me briefly then reached for the bag. I watched as she pulled out various pieces of clothing, the store tags all intact, a few toiletries and then pulled out an envelope and opened it up. Inside was a large pile of cash. She looked up at me, confused. “That’s it. Just some clothes and this money.”

“
Does any of it look familiar?” I asked.

She held up a few of the clothes, studying them, and then set them down, looking discouraged. “No. Not at all.”

She looked at me with a sudden burst of hope. “What about the glove box? Maybe there’s a registration card? Or insurance papers?”

I shook my head. “I looked everywhere. This is all there was.”

“
I don’t understand. Why don’t I have any ID? And why do I have all this money?”

“
I don’t know, Rabbit.”

She looked down at the clothing and money again. “I don’t even know if this is mine.”

Abruptly, she dumped the money out of the envelope and slowly sorted it. I watched her silently as she counted it and then looked up at me. “Eighteen hundred and fifty dollars, Joshua. Why would I be traveling with a few pieces of clothing and eighteen hundred and fifty dollars in cash?”

“
Maybe you were running from something, Rabbit.”

She looked at me. “You think that because of the bruises, don’t you?”

I glanced down to her bruised hands, which were now tightly clutching the edge of the blanket. The overriding need to comfort her hit me again and I leaned forward and loosened her hands and wrapped mine around them. I spoke gently. “
Something
happened to you.
Something
put you on that road in the middle of a storm.”

Her voice was unsteady. “Why don’t I remember?”

“
You hit your head. Hard. There is a very good chance you’ll remember everything in a few days. You need to rest and let yourself heal.”

She sighed shakily and was quiet for a few minutes. I sat with my hands still wrapped around hers, gently rubbing them in comfort. Suddenly, she looked at me with fresh trepidation in her eyes. “What if …” her voice trailed off.

“
What if what?” I prompted

Her voice was quiet. “What if I’m a bad person? What if I stole those clothes and that money? Maybe the car isn’t even mine. Maybe I’m running because of something I’ve done. Maybe …” she hesitated. “Maybe I … knocked up a store? Over a store? Knocked over a store?”

I snorted. “What, like a career criminal, Rabbit? You think you’re a thief?”

She looked at me. She was serious. The woman who had just made me soup and who my dog had taken instant ownership of, thought she had to be a bad person.

I shook my head. “Then you’re a bad criminal, Rabbit.” I gestured to the small pile on the ottoman. “If your haul is a few items of clothing, less than a couple grand, and a five-year-old Escort, I suggest you give it up,” I smiled at her and winked. “Plus, your inability to come up with the right lingo suggests that perhaps you aren’t so inclined.”

I saw the corners of her lips twitch. “Maybe I was having an off night.”

I threw back my head and laughed. I was pleased to hear a small giggle escape her lips.

I smiled over at her and squeezed her hands gently. “I highly doubt it, Rabbit. You don’t strike me as a hardened criminal. Or any kind of criminal. I’m sure there is another explanation. You could have lost your purse. Or left it behind, if you were in a hurry.”

A sudden searing cramp in my leg reminded me of the awkward position I was currently in. I groaned, releasing Rabbit’s hands and grabbing for the top of my right leg.

She moved, kneeling beside me. “What is it, Joshua? What’s wrong?”

I gritted my teeth against the pain. “Need to stand,” I managed to get out.

Rabbit wrapped one of my arms around her shoulder and helped me to stand. I didn’t fail to notice her grimace of pain from the effort of helping me.

“
What can I do? Tell me, please.”

I took a deep breath in, the pain abating a little. “I need to go get in the hot tub; that will help ease it.”

“
You’re limping worse than before. It’s because of doing all this for me, isn’t it? The extra snow blowing and the work of waiting on me? Oh God, you carried me yesterday as well. Tell me what to do, Joshua, please.”

I looked down at her earnest face, touched by her concern and even more so from her lack of prying questions. I smiled reassuringly at her. “I had to get to the barn anyway, Rabbit. And since you weigh about two pounds, carrying you was not an issue. This happens. Please don’t worry.”

“
I’ll go run a tub for you,” she said as she tried to duck out from under my arm. I held her against me, shaking my head.

“
I have a hot tub in the basement. I hate using the electricity right now, but I need it.”

She hesitated. “What can I do?”

“
Nothing. Really, this happens a lot. The heat helps a great deal. Then I’ll stretch it out and give myself a rub down. I’m an old pro at this.” Reluctantly, I let her go. I liked the feeling of her tucked under my arm.

I made my way to the stairs and gingerly began the descent. I stopped part-way down. Turning around, I looked back at her. She had moved to the top of the stairs and was watching me. “I wear my shorts in the hot tub. You’re welcome to join me,” I offered. “It’s big.”

Her eyes widened.

I stumbled over my next words. “The hot tub that is. The hot tub is big. You’d be perfectly safe. It may feel good on your injuries as well. Especially on your back and legs.”

She glanced down.

“
Grab one of my t-shirts.” She still didn’t look up and I softened my voice. “You don’t have to, Rabbit. Only if you want to, okay?”

She nodded, not saying anything.

“
The stairs to the basement are beside the mudroom door.” I turned and kept going. “Please be careful going down the stairs,” I added.

I shook my head when I got to the basement
.

What was going on with me?

Rabbit; in the hot tub with me.

A little voice in my head snickered at my stupidity.

What had I just done?

Chapter Five

Joshua

I relaxed into the bubbling hot water with a deep sigh of relief. The burning pain in my leg began to ease quickly. I leaned my head back and tried to relax. Part of me was listening to see if Rabbit would join me. What was it that made me feel so protective of her? I had never had this kind of response to another person. Normally I didn’t like strangers. Yet she didn’t feel like a stranger to me. The couple of smiles I had seen flit across her face made me want to see more of them. Every time she grimaced in pain or fear, I wanted to immediately make both go away. I found my reactions highly disconcerting.

The basement room felt chilly outside of the tub. The walls and floors were all tiled due to the moisture from the tub and the exercise pool and, with no heat the air was cold. I sunk down further into the water. A few minutes passed before I heard soft footsteps coming down the steps.

Opening my eyes, I saw Rabbit standing at the bottom of the steps looking very conflicted. Smiling, I held out my hand. “Don’t stand there too long. The room is way colder than in here.” Still she hesitated. “You’re perfectly safe, Rabbit. I promise. Nothing will hurt you here.”

Slowly, she came forward. She had removed my sweatshirt and pants and was back in the t-shirt she had woken up in. I could see the bruising that ran down her leg. My mind was also quick to notice how shapely her legs were. Shaking my head to clear the unwelcome thoughts, I held out my hand once again. “It will feel good on your back and legs,” I said quietly. “I
won’t
hurt you. I promise.”

Her head tilted and she regarded me briefly. “I know that,” she whispered. “I’m not sure why, but I feel safe with you.” I smiled at her soft confession, feeling pleased. I wanted her to feel safe with me. I wanted to make her safe. I watched as she made her decision and, grasping the railing with one hand, she placed her other in mine. I was amazed how well her tiny hand fit within mine as I helped guide her down the steps into the hot water.

Where were these thoughts coming from?

Slowly she sank beneath the water and closed her eyes. I heard a small hiss escape her mouth as the hot water hit her body and then I saw her relax. I pointed out where the jet adjustments were and moved away from her. We both were quiet for some time as the water bubbled and flowed around us, its soothing heat working its magic on painful limbs and muscles. Opening my eyes, I saw her looking around the room. “It’s usually much warmer down here,” I spoke up, startling her.

“
You use all this equipment a lot?” she asked indicating to the various pieces of exercise equipment.

I nodded. “I have to try and keep the strength up in my leg and I have a program I follow. The exercise pool helps a lot. The hot tub was really just a want more than anything. I found when I was in therapy it was a welcome relief.”

Internally, I groaned.

Nice word vomit. I could simply have said yes.

She nodded, not saying anything else for a bit. “How long ago did you hurt your leg?” she asked softly.

“
Six years,” I replied shortly.

She nodded, but didn’t ask any other questions. I closed my eyes again and allowed the heat of the water to continue to help ease the pain. Using one hand, I attempted to imitate the rhythmic hand movements my therapist in the hospital used when working on my leg after a session. My attempts were, as usual, rather pathetic, but it was all I could do. I looked down into the water wishing I could do a better job and noticed Rabbit watching me intently. I smiled sheepishly. “My therapist used to rub it while in the water, said it worked best that way.” I shrugged. “I don’t do quite as good a job as she did.” Rabbit’s face twisted slightly as if in thought, but didn’t say anything. I shut my eyes, not wanting her to think I was staring at her.

After a few minutes, I felt the movement of the water and opened my eyes, surprised to see Rabbit was beside me, looking at my hand as it kneaded the muscle in my leg. My hand stopped and her eyes flew up to meet mine. We stared at each other for a moment. Even in the dim light, I could see the various emotions in her expressive eyes. Trepidation, caution and, finally, a look of determination passed through her amazing pools of blue as she looked at me. Unsure of what she was thinking, I smiled warmly at her, once again wanting her to feel safe.

“
I could … do that for you. If you want?” Her words rushed out quickly, as if she needed to say them before she changed her mind.

I stared at her dumbfounded. “What?”

“
I’m sure it would be more effective with two hands, and I want to help. Please. I could try.”

I wasn’t sure how I would handle my reaction of feeling her hands on me. “I think your hands are probably too sore for that, Rabbit,” I said quietly, not wanting to seem ungrateful. “I know you’re in a lot of pain.”

She shook her head. “No, I think it would be good for them. They need to move and flex. Please, Joshua, let me try.”

I regarded her quietly for a moment. “If it hurts you, or you are uncomfortable, then you need to stop. Okay?”

She nodded. “Show me where it hurts.”

I took in a deep breath and placed her hand on the area that ached the most. Again, I was surprised at the warmth and comfort I found in her touch. Normally, I would be tense if touched by a stranger; even a handshake, but with her I was very relaxed. I could feel her gentle fingers move as she seemed to examine the area and then she started kneading the muscles. I was surprised at the strength in her small hands and immediately felt some relief. I tried to bite back the groan that threatened to escape my lips at her touch, but a small one escaped.