Catching Serenity (22 page)

“
Thanks.” He grinned like a little boy. “Want to come and be my personal cheerleader?”

“
I’m sure some of the other ladies will watch from the sidelines. I need to take Mrs. Marciano home.”

Digging in the pocket of his shorts, Jackson pulled out his car keys and tossed them to her.
“Take my car. It’s parked closer than yours.”

Serenity eyed him.
“Are you sure?”

“
It’s hot and too far for Mrs. Marciano to walk.”

S
he meant more as a matter of Jackson trusting her to drive his expensive car. “Thanks.”

“
Welcome. Coming back, I hope? You know, to return my car.”

“
Wouldn’t miss it.”

“
Serenity?” Jackson stepped closer.

She turned.
“Yes?”

“
It’s a British import, remember. Steering wheel’s on the right.”

“
I’ve been in your car before.”

“
But you haven’t
driven
it before. Big difference.”

“
I’ll just take my car then,” she said. “No big deal.”

“
No, no,” he said, raising his hand. “I trust you completely.”

“
Do you have a name for your car? I mean, I understand that’s what guys do.”

He laughed.
“Believe it or not, I haven’t named it.” Tilting his head, he grinned. “I’m thinking about Prudence.”

“
Right,” she said, giving into her laughter. “I must be going now. To drive that ridiculously expensive import of yours. I sure hope I can remember the rules of the road and not drive on the wrong side or something.”

“
Serenity?”

Dropping one hand to her hip, she whirled around.
“
Yes?
”

His smile was incredible and seared straight through her. This man was getting to her.

“Peyton’s not the only guy crushing on you.”

Her heart took a flying leap.
Curling her fingers around the keys, she gave him her best smile. “I’ll be back.”

~
CHAPTER 22~

Al
though he tried to hide it, Serenity caught Jackson’s wince as he dropped down beside her on the grass an hour later. The man played hard, and from her limited experience, even she could tell he was better than most at the game of football—agile, fast and powerful. Now, he’d pay the price for all that diligence. Why men did it to themselves, she’d never understand, but they always seemed to have something to prove, one way or another.

Jackson
rubbed his right knee with his hand in a back-and-forth motion too precise to be random. The fall he’d taken had been hard and a direct hit. Most of the other players had already departed and she knew he’d waited, smiling through clenched jaws as if nothing was wrong, not willing for them to see his pain. Leaning back on both elbows, he stretched out his legs, the muscles around his mouth tight, his lips pressed firmly together.

“
What can I do to help you, Jackson?”

“
Sit here with me and hold my hand for a minute. And then I’ll probably need some help getting into the car and into my house. This one’s going to take some time getting over.”

“
Should you go to the emergency clinic?”

His brow creased.
“No, I don’t think it’s necessary. They’d only charge me a hundred bucks to tell me to do the very thing I’ll do when I get home. I’ve had surgery. It helped for a while but then the pain returned.”

Squeezing his hand tight, Serenity sat in silence, hoping her presence would give him even the smallest measure of comfort. He made a sound when he shifted, and bit his lip.
Positioning herself beside him, she placed her palm over his right knee, leaving it there. She didn’t know the first thing about knee injuries, but wanted to ease his pain in some small way. “Old football injury?”

For a fleeting second, something flickered in his eyes.
“Something like that, yes.”

“
Is there anything I can do to make it feel better? I can tell it really hurts.”

He drew in a couple of deep breaths, grimacing.
Something about his obvious discomfort drew her to him even more. Although she hated to see his pain, it somehow made him more vulnerable, and that strangely appealed to her. For a change, Jackson needed
her
. “I’ll show you.” Placing his hand overs hers, Jackson moved them in a small circular motion, slow and steady. “Exert a little pressure, but not too much. The warmth of your hand helps as much as anything else.”

“
Lay back and relax,” she said. “Just tell me when to stop.”

“
How about never?” Crossing his arms behind his head, Jackson stretched out on his back.

She continued moving her hand in the circular motion, pressing down and kneading slightly every now and again. Jackson
’s eyes were closed, his lips parted. As she worked, she was overwhelmed by a swell of emotion. It frightened her, but thrilled her, all at the same time.

Bending at the waist, she planted
a soft kiss on his knee and allowed her lips to linger.
Lord, I hate to see him hurt. Let my ministrations help him in some small way.
Closing her eyes, she rested her cheek gently against his knee.

Jackson ran his fingers over her hair.
“Come here. You’re too far away.” His voice was husky, full of tenderness.

Crawling beside him, Serenity cradled his head in her lap, stroking his hair, sifting through the silky strands.
“You have the most gorgeous hair in the world,” she said, admiring the natural highlights. “A lot of women pay tons of money for highlights like these.”

“
How do you know I don’t?”

“
Because you wouldn’t. Would you?” She paused her fingers.
Please say no
.

“
No, so you can release that breath you’re holding.” He winced again. “I can think of much better ways to spend my money, but thanks for the compliment. I think.”

“
Does your knee hurt often?”

“
Often enough to remind me it’s there. A direct hit tends to exacerbate it.”

“
Sorry. Want to talk about it?”

“
Not particularly, Doc Serenity. I’d rather talk about anything else in the world, if you don’t mind.”

“
I thought you liked talking about wounds.”

“
Other people’s wounds fascinate me, not my own.”

“
Maybe we should examine why that is, counselor. We need to get you home, and I still have your car keys. Do you want me to bring the car closer to the field or do you think you can  walk?”

“
Depends. How far away did you park?”

“
About five hundred yards.”

He blew out a sigh and struggled to sit up beside her.
“With your help, I think I can walk. Make that limp.” Taking his arm, Serenity wasn’t sure if she helped or hindered his effort.

“
Thanks for catching me when I fall,” Jackson said, his breathing heavier than usual and coming out in spurts.

“
It’s my honor.” She assisted him into the car as best she could. He grunted and grasped the top of the car as an anchor as he swung his long legs into the vehicle.

Ten minutes later, she pulled in front of
Doc Rasmussen’s cottage. Coming around to the passenger side, she assisted him out of the car as best she could. With his arm draped around her shoulder, he hobbled beside her to the front door. Leaning on her, he seemed taller and bigger. Jackson rested against the wall as she inserted the house key. Once inside, he picked up speed as he made his way across the living room and collapsed onto the sofa. Closing the front door and putting his keys on the small table beside him, Serenity hesitated, not sure what to do first.

“
Help me get these tennis shoes off, if you don’t mind.”

“
Sure. Anything you need.” Kneeling by the side of the sofa, Serenity unlaced his shoes. After tugging them off, she left them on the floor. “I’ll get you a glass of water. Be right back.” Bringing it to him a couple of minutes later, she pulled a coaster from the coffee table and put the glass on the end table beside him. Small beads of sweat dotted his forehead. This situation was awkward. She was afraid to touch him, but she wanted to help ease his pain. “Do you need an aspirin or ibuprofen?”

“
That would be great.” Jackson leaned his head against the back of the sofa and blew out a breath. At least he wasn’t afraid for her to see how much it hurt. “In the kitchen, second drawer to the right of the sink. I think. Just grab a bottle of pain killers. I’m not picky.”

Returning
to the living room, Serenity shook three pills into her palm and waited as he downed them with water. “Do you want a couple of pillows from your bed? Would that help?”

“
That would probably be better. You’re a great nurse.”

“
Maybe my mom being a nurse influenced me more than I know. Not that I ever wanted to be one.”

“
Well,” he said, grimacing through his attempt at a smile, “you can be mine anytime.”

“
Flirt. Be right back to fluff your pillows.”

“
Even better. The bedroom’s down the narrow hallway, first room on the left, across from the bathroom.”

Expecting to find an unmade bed and scattered clothing strewn on the floor and across the furniture, Serenity was surprised to find
the bed made with no clutter or piles. She wouldn’t be surprised if he employed a part-time housekeeper. Grabbing two pillows from the bed, she hugged them, inhaling Jackson’s musky scent. She felt a little heady and silly. Jackson would love it if he knew she’d smelled his bed pillows, but she didn’t need to suffer the embarrassment.

As she turned to leave
the bedroom, something on the dresser glinted in the sunlight streaming through the slatted windows. Stepping closer, she gasped.
A Purple Heart medallion
. Although she’d never seen one of them before, her instincts told her that’s exactly what this was. Picking up the heart-shaped medallion by the wide purple ribbon edged with white, she cradled it in her palm. She ran her finger around the outer rim, over the profile of George Washington and then the shield, stars and spray of green leaves. Turning it over, Serenity read, “For military merit.”
Does this belong to Jackson?
From what little she knew of them, they were awarded for some kind of injury suffered in the line of duty. He’d never said a word about serving in the military. She returned the medal to its place, lost in thought.

Pushing what she
’d seen to the back of her mind, Serenity returned to Jackson’s side. Freud was on the floor beside the sofa, looking forlorn. “Oh,” she said, surprised, holding the pillows against her chest as if they were a protective shield. “He’s not going to rush me, is he?”

“
Nah, I doubt it. If any male’s going to rush you, it’d better be me.”

She
’d ignore that one. “I almost forgot about Freud,” she said, plumping the pillows behind Jackson’s head when he sat up long enough for her to arrange them.

“
Careful or he
might
rush you for saying that. Come on, Serenity. How can you forget a dog named Freud?”

“
You haven’t mentioned him much.”

“
We’ve had enough to talk about. I guess you could say Freud’s one of my hobbies, too, since we spend a lot of time on the beach together.”

“
Now that you mention it, you’re developing quite a nice tan,” she said. “Doc Rasmussen has a great place here.”

“
Yep,” he said, frowning. “It’s perfect until I can find a place of my own.” After taking a sip of the water, he settled further into the sofa.

Th
e Purple Heart must belong to the older man. Although Serenity was aware Doc Rasmussen had served in the Armed Forces, it seemed odd she’d never heard about the honor. “Tell me what else you need. How do you treat a knee injury? Heat or cold?”

“
Rice.”

“
Excuse me?” Serenity shook her head. “You’re hungry? For rice?”

“
Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. R-I-C-E.”

“
Clever. Do you have an ice bag, or an ice pack or something?”

“
In the freezer.”

Her brows r
ose. “I take it this happens often?”

“
No, but you never know, so I always keep one ready. It’s been in there since I moved, so it should be good and cold.”

“
What about the compression part?” Serenity asked after she applied the ice pack to his knee and handed him a kitchen towel to keep nearby.

“
If you go in the bathroom, I keep a big elastic bandage somewhere in the small closet,” he said. “I think it’s on a shelf near the top. I think you’ll be able to recognize it. It used to be white, but it’s been used a few times. And don’t judge me on the condition of that closet.”

She grinned and winked.
“I’ve already seen the bedroom, so after that, I can’t imagine anything that will shock me. It’s insanely...neat.”

“
I have a housekeeper who comes in a couple of times a week.”

Serenity laughed.
“Thank goodness. I was a little worried.”

“
Funny.” She dodged one of the sofa pillows he tossed at her.

When she returned,
Jackson’s eyes were closed again as he reclined lengthwise on the couch. Pain didn’t register on his face and he seemed so peaceful, she hated to disturb him. Opening his eyes while she debated what to do, he blinked hard a couple of times as though seeing a vision.

“
Are you okay? You look...dazed. You’re not going into shock or anything, are you?”

“
No, no.” Jackson shook his head, but still appeared somewhat shell-shocked. “At least I don’t think so.”