Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

J axson’s phone buzzed. Shifting his weight so that his crutch was tucked firmly beneath his arm, he fished it from his front pocket. “Hello,” he clipped. He and Lemon were out by the stables, looking at the horses.

“Hey, man, it’s Mack. I’m so sorry to hear about the accident.”

“Thanks,” Jaxson responded.

Mack chuckled. “You couldn’t have picked a worse time of the year for it.” Mack was one of the ranch hands. He’d worked for the Romeos for years and had more seniority than the majority of the other workers.

“I hear ya.” Fall on the ranch was super busy. Jaxson looked out at the pink and orange sunset, his mind quickly running through the long list of items that needed to be done. The last crop of corn was due to be harvested next week. It, along with hay, was used to supplement the herd’s food supply. At the end of the month, many of the cows and calves would be taken to auction to be sold. Reps from the meat packing company were coming out next week to do checks on the herd to make sure the ranch was following their standards for proper feeding and care.

“Lucas has been on his high horse today, shooting off at the mouth about how he’s the big man on campus now that you’re out of commission.”

Jaxson grunted. “Lucas has only as much authority as I give him.”

“Try telling him that,” Mack grumbled.

“I’ll be back in the saddle soon. I can assure you of that.” Jaxson was determined to take back his position as head of the ranch as soon as humanly possible. He understood why Daddy thought it would be too much for him to handle everything right now, but it still cut that he’d had to relinquish control to Lucas.

“Alright, man. I just wanted to call and see how you’re doing. Take it easy.”

“Will do,” Jaxson said as he ended the call.

Lemon was standing nearby, petting a horse. She gave him a sidelong glance. “Everything okay?”

He forced a smile. “Yeah.”

She wrinkled her nose. “You’re a terrible liar.”

A corner of his lip turned up as he relaxed a fraction. “I guess that’s a good thing.”

“Yes, I guess it is,” she laughed.

They’d had a good day, despite the turmoil Lemon was experiencing. They went to the station and picked up Lemon’s purse. It was heartbreaking to watch her scrutinize her license, as if she was trying to cement her identity in her mind. Afterwards, they went to the dress shop. Lemon was like a kid in a candy store, trying on all sorts of clothes. Mama loved every minute of it. She gave Lemon a half price discount on everything she purchased. It was good to see Mama and Lemon getting along so well. They then stopped by Zoe’s gallery. Lemon showed genuine interest in Zoe’s art, as well as Noah and Piper’s photographs. Zoe got to talking about the family. She mentioned something about Cash and his music. Lemon’s eyes had nearly bugged out when she connected the dots and realized that Cash was a country music superstar.

“You have an illustrious family,” Lemon said admiringly.

“Yep, and then there’s me—the old dull cowboy,” Jaxson quipped.

Lemon had fixed her crystal blue eyes on him and said with a playful grin. “Cowboys are my favorite.” She leaned in and whispered. “Even when they are just mediocre kissers.”

Jaxson had burst out laughing. He enjoyed getting razzed by Lemon. Those kisses had been incredible. Lemon’s reaction afterwards was priceless. She’d always made him work for her affection. In high school, he’d asked her out numerous times before she agreed to go out with him.

“You’re a good girl, Millie” she cooed as she reached into the leather pouch and pulled out two sugar cubes. Millie greedily licked them up with her tongue.

“Careful or you’ll spoil her rotten,” Jaxson warned. “You’ve already given her several.”

Mischief streaked Lemon’s lips. She thrust out her lower lip in a mock pout. “Are you jealous? Do you want some sugar?”

“Maybe, but not the cubed kind in that pouch.” It was fun to watch how quickly Lemon’s face glowed red.

“You’re terrible,” she breathed as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

Jaxson ran an appreciative eye over her slim figure. She was wearing a long-sleeve red knit shirt, jeans, and a pair of cowboy boots. Using the cash from her purse, Lemon had purchased the shirt and jeans at the dress shop. Mama loaned her the cowboy boots because she said they went perfectly with several of the outfits Lemon had bought. Jaxson knew his mama well enough to know that Birdie had basically given Lemon the boots. They looked terrific on her. She seemed right at home on the ranch. Having her here was worth all the pain from the accident. “So,” he began, “I have some steaks in the fridge. I was thinking we could grill them. We can bake some potatoes, make a salad. Whatcha think?”

“I’m game. Sounds delish.”

A cool breeze ruffled Jaxson’s hair. The leaves were turning vivid yellows, reds, and oranges. The crisp smell of fall was in the air.

“That’s an incredible sunset,” Lemon murmured.

“Yes, it is,” Jaxson agreed.

She sighed. “You’re so lucky to live here, on the ranch.”

Jaxson agreed wholeheartedly. Ranching was in his blood. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. “It’s a great place,” he said reverentially. The ranch was even better with Lemon here. Now that she’d stepped back into his life, he didn’t want to think about her ever leaving. What would happen when she learned about her mega-successful business and her influential friends? Would she hightail it back to LA? He felt guilty for keeping that bit of information from her. Yet, she didn’t want to know. The mind was an interesting thing. It still baffled him to think that Lemon had forgotten everything. In a strange twist of fate, her memory loss had given the two of them the opportunity to start fresh. His gut tightened. Could he trust Lemon with his heart? It was dangerous territory to get mixed up with a woman who didn’t even know her own heart. Especially one who had hurt him before.

Millie nudged her nose against the pouch hanging on the fence.

Lemon laughed. “Ah, girl. You want some more.” She sighed. “Okay, but just two.”

“That’s what you said the past three times,” Jaxson reminded her. “You’re spoiling her rotten.”

“So what if I am?” She stuck out her tongue. “You old meanie.”

A short while later, they headed back to the guesthouse. Earlier, Lemon had offered to drive them to the stables, but Jaxson had insisted on walking. Now, he was regretting it. His ankle was throbbing. With his every movement, it felt like someone was punching his ribs.

Lemon gave him a worried glance. “You don’t look so good. Maybe I should jog back and get the truck.”

“Nah, I’m okay. It’s not too much farther.” He tried to keep a straight face, even though he wanted to wince with every step.

She raised an eyebrow. “It’s a good quarter of a mile. Maybe more. Weren’t you supposed to stay off your ankle for a period of time? We’ve been going full force all day. I’m sure you’re exhausted.” She sighed. “I shouldn’t have let you take me all of those places.”

“I’m fine,” he said casually. He flashed a rueful grin. “Admit it, you loved those chicken fingers and spicy fries that we got at Hammonds Restaurant.”

“It was fantastic.” She scrunched her nose. “But it was awkward, to say the least, when Ruthie Hammonds kept going on and on about how we used to go to her restaurant together as teenagers.”

“She didn’t mean any harm.”

Lemon blew out a heavy breath. “I know. It’s just so strange that I can’t remember any of it. You’d think that going to familiar places would jog my memory.” She waved a hand encompassing the space around them. “I don’t remember any of this.” She gave him an apologetic look. “Not even you.”

He dropped his jaw. “What? I can’t believe you don’t remember all of our boring, dull kisses.”

Musical laughter issued from her throat. “If it’s any consolation, I certainly remember our boring, dull kisses from this morning.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “It was mighty kind of you to suffer through it.”

She giggled. “Yep, I’m nice that way.” She moved closer to him. “Alright, limpy, you’re killing me here. I can’t stand to see you in pain.”

“I can hack it,” he countered.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure you can, cowboy, but at least let me help. Put your arm around me. I’ll take that,” she chimed as she reached for one of his crutches. “Drape your arm around my shoulders, and you can lean on me.”

He began singing a familiar pop song, belting out the words at the top of his voice. “‘ Lean on me. When you’re not strong …’”

“Yikes! You sound like you’re killing a cat.”

“Hey,” he protested. “It wasn’t that bad. ‘ I’ll be your friend ,’” he continued.

“Maybe you’d better leave the singing to Cash.”

“Ha ha,” he said dryly. “You used to love it when I sang to you.”

She shot him an incredulous look. “I did?”

He couldn’t contain his laughter. It burst out of him in a snigger, jarring his ribs. “No.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a dip wad. You could tell me anything, and I’d believe it.”

He pursed his lips. “Hmm … now there’s an idea. I could tell you how you used to think I was the greatest thing since gravy and biscuits.”

She guffawed. “You mean how you used to think you were the greatest thing since gravy and biscuits. Mr. Hotshot Quarterback, reeling in all the women.” Her voice was a soft taunt.

“Yep, that’s me,” he replied easily, “I peaked in high school.”

She giggled in short bursts, her shoulders shaking. “Okay, stop. You’re making me laugh too much. I can’t hold you up.”

He grinned, liking that he’d amused her.

She gave him a speculative look. “So, tell me about your riding.”

Now that the sun had set, the air had gotten colder. Jaxson moved even closer to Lemon, grateful for her warmth. He knew what she was doing—diverting his attention from the pain. It was working … somewhat. When they got back to the house, he planned to take some ibuprofen. He needed to prop up his ankle and ice it. Steaks and all the fixings might’ve been too ambitious of a task for this evening. Maybe he’d suggest that they order a pizza instead. “What do you wanna know?”

“What exactly is bronco riding? At the hospital, I could tell that your parents were bent out of shape about it. Is it dangerous?”

He detected concern in her voice. It was nice that she cared. Most of the girls he dated were fascinated by the danger of the sport. Few, if any, had ever expressed concern about what the fallout could be. “Yeah, it can get a bit gnarly.”

“Tell me about it,” she prompted.

“Basically, you get on a bronco. It charges through the gate and bucks like crazy. You have to hold on for eight seconds, until the whistle blows.”

“It sounds like bull riding.”

“It is similar, that’s for sure. With bull riding, you can keep your feet in the stirrups. With broncos, your feet have to stay up.”

She gave him a look of concern. “That sounds horrible.”

“It’s a wild ride,” he admitted.

Her voice shot up an octave. “Why in the world would you ever want to do that?”

He chuckled, thinking she sounded a lot like Mama. “Few things can compare to the adrenaline rush.” He gave her a sidelong look, a corner of his lip lifting. “The only thing that even comes close are those dull, boring kisses we shared this morning.”

Her cheeks went rosy as she rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

They went a few paces in comfortable silence. His mind churned, wondering if he should bring up a certain topic. He decided to take the plunge. “An interesting thing happened at the most recent rodeo I went to.”

“Oh, yeah?”

He could tell from her tone that she had no idea what he was talking about. He swallowed, plowing ahead. “Right after I rode, I looked up at the stands and thought I saw you.”

She stopped in her tracks, turning to face him. “Really?”

He nodded. “At first, I thought I must’ve imagined it … that it was a trick of the light.” He paused. “Now, considering everything that has happened, I think it really was you.”

“I—I don’t know what to say.” Her brows bunched in concentration. “Do you think I was there to see you?”

“I haven’t the foggiest.”

She tipped her head. “When was the rodeo?”

“About three weeks ago.”

“Wow,” she uttered, “this whole thing keeps getting stranger and stranger.” She took in a deep breath. “I guess we’ll have to revisit this topic when I get my memory back. That’s the only way I’ll be able to tell you why I was there.”

They continued walking. A few blessed minutes later, the house came into view. “Hallelujah!” Jaxson exclaimed. “Almost there.”

“You are one tough cookie,” she said admiringly. “But even tough cookies need their rest. You need to get off your feet.”

“I agree,” he said heartily.

Jaxson breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the bottom of the steps leading to his front door.

Lemon had been holding one crutch as she helped him walk. She reached for the other one. “I’ll put these in the house and then come back and help you up the stairs.”

“My angel,” he said proclaimed.

She chuckled, regret moving over her beautiful features. “It’s the least I can do, since I’m the cause of your predicament.”

“Stop beating yourself up, it was an accident.”

“I know.” She offered a contrite smile before motioning toward the door with her head. “Be right back.” She went up the steps with a cadence so nimble that Jaxson couldn’t help but feel a little envious. His head was starting to swim, a dull pain shooting across the bridge of his nose. He leaned against the handrail to support his weight. Lemon had just returned when he heard the hum of a car engine—a sports-car. Clutching onto the handrail, Jaxson turned to look. His heart dropped when he saw the red Miata. His distress must’ve registered on his face because it prompted Lemon to ask, “Is everything okay?”

Before he could answer, Tillie flung open the door and got out. She was dressed in a short white dress that showcased her long, tanned legs. A former Miss Tennessee, Tillie was in-your-face gorgeous with her flawless makeup and long, glossy hair that stood higher on her scalp than the Empire State Building. Of course, it helped that she’d had everything known to man or woman done to her in the way of plastic surgery. Her boobs nearly spilled out of her dress as she leaned over to grab something. She pulled it out—a picnic basket. Crap! This wasn’t gonna end well.

“Hello, handsome,” Tillie chimed as a large, sunny smile spread over her ruby lips. Jaxson glanced at Lemon whose face had gone rawhide tight.

He forced a smile. “Hey, Tillie.”

Tillie traipsed up in her skyscraper heels, her sultry lips forming a pout. “Poor baby,” she purred. “I stopped into the gallery today to pick up my little Nolan Vant print.” Her eyes glimmered with triumph. “It’s the newest one in his collection—nearly impossible to get. Somehow, Zoe was able to secure several copies for her gallery, which she saved for her most valuable clients. I don’t know how she does it.”

Lemon’s short chuckle broke into the conversation, cutting Tillie off. “Zoe Romeo must have the inside track,” Lemon said in a syrupy voice that mimicked Tillie’s. “I don’t know how she does it.” She looked at Jaxson, her face hard with amusement. “Do you?” Lemon’s eyes were balls of ice, daggers shooting from them.

That Tillie didn’t realize that the famous photographer Nolan Vant was actually Jaxson’s younger brother Noah spoke to how superficial his relationship with her was. He could see how tacky this whole thing must look to Lemon.

Tillie gave Lemon a look that could kill before pasting on a happy smile. “Anyway, my point is, when I heard about your accident, I just had to come over and see how you’re doing. You look terrible,” she said, appalled, as if Jaxson’s situation was somehow his fault. “I’ll just give this to your nurse,” she said, thrusting the picnic basket at Lemon.

Before Jaxson could so much as utter a bleep of protest, Tillie pounced. Pushing him back against the handrail, she entangled her arms around his neck and laid a juicy kiss, square on his lips, pressing her body tightly against his. Her floral perfume plumed over him, tickling his throat as he coughed. At the same time he was trying to extricate himself from Tillie’s octopus hold, he heard a truck engine.

Jaxson’s eyes darted to Lemon’s. Her expression was furious. He looked back at the truck, his heart squeezing when Lucas stepped out.

“Hey, cuz,” he boomed, sporting a glib grin. “I came to see how you’re doing, but it looks like you’re in good hands.” He held up a finger. “Oh, and we need to talk about the feeder, see who you wanna get to fix it. The dang thing keeps shorting out.”

Lemon held up the basket. “I’ll just be a good little nurse and take this into the house.” Her voice dripped with venom, but Tillie was oblivious.

“Thank you, dear,” Tillie sniffed in a queenly manner, as if she’d just doled out an order to her lowly servant.

Lemon stomped up the steps, slamming the door behind her.

Tillie flinched, blinking her eyes a few times before turning to Jaxson. “You really should reconsider your choice of help. She’s a pill,” she harrumphed.

A snide smile moved over Lucas’s lips. “It seems that the rooster’s having trouble managing all of his hens.” He pointed to the door. “I’ll go in the house and smooth out the rough edges. Good to see ya, Tillie. Looking great as always,” he winked as he moved to go up the steps.

Jaxson caught hold of his shirt. “Not so fast.”

Lucas turned, a look of challenge in his eyes.

Jaxson didn’t want to do this here, not with an audience. He could tell from the glimmer of interest on Tillie’s face that whatever was said between him and Lucas would be broadcast through the Nashville grapevine faster than he could spit. But there wasn’t any other alternative. He spoke in a low tone. “Lemon has amnesia. She doesn’t remember who she is—who you and I are.”

“I know the drill,” Lucas said easily. “People talk.”

Jaxson’s eyes narrowed. “What people?”

Lucas pushed out a heavy sigh, like it was a huge imposition that he was having to explain himself. “Your mama’s been talking to my mama.”

“Great!” Jaxson muttered.

Lucas patted Jaxson on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, cuz. You handle this little lady.” He made a point of looking Tillie up and down. “She’s a lot.”

Tillie twisted her hair as she giggled nervously, her foot doing a little spin thing. Watching the interaction between her and Lucas, how their eyes had met and held, Jaxson suspected that they had some sort of history that went beyond mere friendship. While it nearly killed Jaxson to acknowledge it, Lucas was a decent-looking guy. Ever since his divorce, he’d been racking up his fair share of female admirers.

Jaxson certainly didn’t want Lucas spending any alone time with Lemon. No way, no how! He’d been down that road before, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. “You stay and entertain Tillie,” he countered. “I’ll go and talk to Lemon.” His head was pounding, and his ankle was the size of a balloon.

“Wait a minute!” Tillie protested with a petulant pout. “You can’t just leave me! I drove all the way from Nashville to see you.”

Jaxson lifted an eyebrow. “A whole thirty minutes?” He could’ve pointed out that she’d come to Franklin to pick up her print from the gallery. Visiting him was an after-thought. Then again, it wasn’t worth the effort. He’d had a few good dates with Tillie. She was fun in small doses. He’d never been able to tolerate her for more than a few hours at a time. She was too high maintenance and needy for him.

“Forty-five with traffic,” she snipped. Tillie gave Jaxson a pleading look. “I need you,” she said, her voice small and childlike. She gave him a seductive smile. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

Lucas chortled. “Like I said, cuz. I’ve got this. You do your thing with Tillie. I’ll see ya inside.” He jogged past Jaxson, up the steps and into the house.

Jaxson scowled. This is not how he’d envisioned this evening playing out. Lucas was a perpetual thorn in his side. It was so typical of him to take every opportunity to make a move on Lemon. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

“You poor baby,” Tillie began, moving close to him. “Let’s sit down on the steps. You can lean against me.”

“I need to go inside.” Jaxson ground his teeth in determination as his gaze trailed up the steps to the door. He grabbed hold of the handrail and began pulling himself up.

“Don’t you wanna spend time with me?” Tillie asked in a wounded tone.

Jaxson made it up a couple of steps, but he was breathing hard. He paused, angling to face Tillie. “Look, I appreciate you coming to check on me, but as you can see, I’m not doing so great. I need to get inside and sit down.” A sweat had broken over his nose. He could tell that his breathing was shallow. He’d way overdone it today … and it didn’t help knowing that Lucas was in the house with Lemon.

“I’ll go inside with you,” Tillie offered, “help you get settled.”

“Thanks, but I’m good.” He faced forward and went another step up. In trying to keep the weight off his ankle, his ribs were taking the brunt of the effort. With every step, spikes were being driven through him. Only three more steps to go.

Tillie moved next to him. “Here, put your arm around me. I’ll help.”

Jaxson was too weary to protest. He slid his arm around her shoulders, grateful for the help.

“Okay, here we go,” Tillie said.

It was much easier with Tillie’s help. When they reached the top, Jaxson felt like he’d accomplished a huge feat. Tillie walked him across the porch. When they reached the door, Jaxson turned. “Thanks, but I can take it from here.”

Her face fell. “I just want to help.”

He sucked in a breath, wincing at the sharp pain in his ribs. “You have. I just need to get inside.”

“I know.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s why I’m helping, silly.”

He squared his jaw. “I need to do it alone.”

Her face turned redder than a ripe tomato. “It’s because of the blonde, isn’t it? I knew she wasn’t your nurse,” she sneered. “I saw the way you looked at her.”

White lights exploded around the edges of Jaxson’s eyes. “Let’s talk about this later.”

“No need!” Her voice escalated to a shrill pitch. “The two of us are through! I like your cousin better anyway,” she raged, stalking away.

“Good riddance,” Jaxson growled as he turned the knob and pushed the door open. He hobbled a few steps inside. He looked across the living room, which opened to the kitchen. For a split second, he thought his eyes were deceiving him. But no, there they were … together. This couldn’t be happening! Not again.

“What the devil are you doing?” he thundered as he staggered toward them, intent on punching Lucas’s lights out. His booted foot got caught on the rug. He let out a startled cry as he went sprawling.