Sit! Stay! Speak! (22 page)

“He'll be fine for one night.”

“Will you take me home first thing in the morning?”

“First thing.”

“Fine.”

Jasper tucked a loose piece of blood-covered hair behind her ear. “Come on, I'll help you.”

Addie took his hand and shuffled toward the door. There were still several people waiting in the hallway. One of them was Harper. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, eyeing the two of them as they came out of the room.

“I don't like her.” Addie pointed to Harper.

“She doesn't know what she's saying,” Jasper said. He pushed Addie's hand back down to her side. “She has a concussion.”

“Well, I don't have a concussion, and I don't like her none, either,” Wanda said, just loud enough for everyone to hear. She took Addie's free hand. “Let me help y'all.”

Jasper stopped at the porch of the carriage house and said, “I can take it from here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“I want to take a nap,” Addie said once they were inside.

“Nope,” Jasper replied. “No way.”

“Just a quick one.”

“No.” Jasper led her into the bathroom. “You are covered in blood and dirt. We need to clean you up.” He sat her down on the edge of the tub.

“Are you going to give me a bath?”

Jasper's cheeks reddened. “No, I'll just wet a washcloth.”

Addie kicked off her sandals. “I want to take a bath.”

“I'm not leaving you alone.”

“Fine!” She squirmed until her dress was up to her thighs and yanked it off. It hurt to lift her arms above her head. There was no way that dress was going back on tonight. “Turn on the water.”

Jasper did as he was told. “I'll just turn around, how about that?”

“You've seen me naked before. I look the same.”

“This is different.”

Addie tried to roll her eyes, but the pressure in her head was too intense. She sank back and let the water rush over her. Everything was fuzzy. She looked down at her bare legs as the water cascaded down over fresh bruises. Did her face look like that, too?

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the whirring of the water hitting the porcelain tub. Addie stared at Jasper's back, watched the slow, rhythmic motion of his breathing. She wondered what he was thinking about.

“Jasper?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you in love with Harper?”

“What? Why would you ask me that?”

“Are you?”

“No.”

“Turn around so I can see your face.”

“Addie, listen to me.” Jasper turned around. “I am not in love with Harper. I have never been in love with Harper. I am never going to be in love with Harper.”

“Then why won't you talk to me? Why are you keeping secrets from me?” Addie demanded.

Jasper turned back around. “I don't want to hurt you,” he said. “I don't want to be another reason for you to blame yourself.”

“Blame myself for what?”

“For anything,” Jasper replied.

Addie traced one of the bruises on her leg with her finger and said, “I need some soap or something.”

“It's behind you.”

“No it's not.”

Jasper grabbed the bottle of bodywash. “See? It's right here.”

Addie knew she ought to be embarrassed about him seeing her in such a state. Each steam-filled breath cleared her head just a little bit more. But Jasper wasn't turning back around and she didn't want him to.

She handed him the washcloth and said, “Could you help me?”

Jasper didn't say anything as he wet her skin with the washcloth from her neck down into the small of her back. He moved around to her stomach and worked his way up to the space between her breasts. Addie couldn't help but allow a pleased sigh escape her lips when the washcloth grazed her nipples. Jasper was on his knees beside the bathtub, and abandoning the buffer, used his bare hands to explore her body.

Finally, Jasper slipped his hand into hers and helped her stand. She allowed him to admire her, relished in the delight of his eyes on her. She wasn't afraid of her steamy nakedness, of the slick feel
of her skin. Addie pulled him into her, cringing only once when his belt buckle pierced a bruise.

“I'll be gentle,” he murmured into her ear. His voice was thick and hoarse with desire.

Jasper cupped one hand behind her head, resting his forearm on the tiled wall of the shower. He used the other to curl one of her legs around his waist and thrust slowly inside of her. He was deliberate, controlled. Addie could see it in his eyes that he was holding back, afraid that he would hurt her.

She didn't care if it hurt. She wanted him.

Addie buried her face into his chest and bit down. Jasper's pace quickened. Arching her back, she allowed him to pick her up by her ass, settling her other leg around his waist. He ground himself into her until they were both collapsed in a heap at the bottom of the bathtub.

A
DDIE WOKE UP TO LITTLE WET SPONGES TOUCHING HER SKIN
. She opened her eyes to find seven puppy tongues licking her bare arms. At the foot of the bed, Delilah was looking on.

“You guys are getting so big!” Addie exclaimed, pulling herself to a sitting position. Pain shot through her entire body. Every muscle hurt.

“I thought I heard you awake in here,” Jasper said. He appeared in the bedroom doorway.

“It's hard to stay asleep when you've got puppies all over you,” Addie said with a grin. “But I'm not complaining.”

“Delilah was spending all her time running back and forth checking on you and checking her pups,” Jasper explained. “So I put the puppies up on the bed, and she's been fine ever since.”

“Their eyes aren't even open yet,” Addie marveled. “Are you sure it's okay for them to be out of their box?”

“Sure. It won't hurt them any.” Jasper moseyed over to the bed and sat down, plucking puppies out of his way. “Your nose doesn't look as swollen as it did last night.”

Addie reached up to touch her nose. “It hurts.”

“It's going to hurt for a little while,” Jasper said. “You've got bumps and bruises everywhere.”

“Are my eyes black?”

“Yep.”

“I must look ridiculous.”

“You do,” Jasper agreed. “But that's mainly because you have drool dried on your chin.”

Addie's hands flew up to her mouth. “Don't look at me!”

“I'm just glad you got some sleep.” Jasper dodged the pillow she threw at him.

“What time is it? I need to get home. Felix will be going nuts.”

“How about some breakfast first?”

“I thought I smelled bacon,” Addie replied.

“Let me move the puppies back, and then I'll help you up.”

Addie grimaced as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She watched Jasper carry the puppies back to the box in twos, whispering and nuzzling each one of them before he put them back. Delilah followed him for each trip, wagging her tail.

“I had your car towed this morning,” Jasper said after the last of the puppies was moved from the bed. “I just had it towed back to your house.”

“Couldn't I have driven it home?”

“I really don't think you're going to be in any shape to drive for a couple of days.” Jasper held out his hand to help Addie off the bed. “Careful, now.”

“I hardly remember anything from last night,” Addie said with her mouth full of toast.

“You don't remember anything?”

“I remember
that.
” Her cheeks turned pink. “I just don't remember a whole lot from before we got back here.”

“It's probably a good thing you don't remember much,” Jasper said with a wry smile.

“I ruined the whole night.” Addie looked over at Jasper. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have followed you. I really don't know what I was thinking.”

“I've learned many things about you, Adelaide,” Jasper began. “And one of them is that you really can't help yourself. Besides, you didn't ruin the night. In fact, it gave me a great excuse to keep you in my bed all night.”

“I didn't mind that part,” Addie said.

Jasper looked down at Addie's empty plate. He was suddenly very serious. “You've been through so much already. The last thing I wanted was to get you involved in this mess.”

“What mess?”

“I can't explain it all right now,” Jasper replied. “But I promise that I will. Whatever this is that's going on between us—I like it, Addie. I want to keep it.”

“I like it, too.”

“Can you trust me just a little while longer?”

“I think so.”

“I'll go out and get the Bronco started.” Jasper stood up. “Stay here until I come back in and get you. I don't want you falling down and hurting yourself.”

“You're bossy.”

“I mean it.”

Addie rolled her eyes as the front door slammed. She stood up after a few unsuccessful attempts. Everything hurt, but she wanted to go and see Delilah and the pups before she left. She stopped when she heard Jasper outside talking to Clyde.

“How is that mama takin' to them puppies?” Clyde asked. “I ain't seen her out much since they was born.”

“She goes out enough,” Jasper replied. “I don't like for her to stray too far from me.”

“Afraid someone might steal her?”

“Not exactly.”

“She's a pretty dog.”

Jasper crossed his arms over his chest. “She'd be a lot prettier if someone had taken better care of her.”

“You reckon?”

“I reckon.”

“Well, I guess I don't know about all that, Mr. Floyd. I ain't much of a dog person.”

“What are you doing up here today, Clyde?” Jasper asked him. “I thought this was your day off.”

Clyde took off his green Floyd Farms hat and scratched his greasy head. “Oh, I just forgot some of my tools in the barn is all.” He looked up to the porch and saw Addie watching them. “Hello there, Miss Addie.”

“Hello, Clyde.”

“No offense, darlin', but you look like you've been rode hard and put back wet.”

“If that means that I hit a deer with my car, then you're right.”

“Are you ready to go?” Jasper turned his attention to Addie. “Hurry up, we're wasting time.”

“I thought you wanted me to stay inside until you came to get me.”

Jasper walked up the steps two at a time. “I don't remember asking you to eavesdrop at the door.”

“I didn't mean to,” Addie said. “Is everything okay?”

“Clyde's just an idiot, that's all.”

“Are you mad at him about something?”

“Left his tools at the barn,” Jasper scoffed. “Clyde hasn't done any work on this farm in twenty years. I'd fire him, but he's practically an institution around here.”

“There's something not right about him.”

“He's an odd duck, all right.”

“I guess the meaning of southern charm was lost on him.”

Jasper grabbed Addie's hand and guided her down the stairs. “Lots of things were lost on ol' Clyde,” he said. “Now, come on. Let's get you home.”

The ride to Addie's house was silent. Jasper's mood was dark since his conversation with Clyde, and he spent most of the time scowling at the road ahead of them. It wasn't until they pulled into the driveway that he spoke. “You should probably put some ice on your nose and take it easy today.”

“I will,” Addie promised. “In fact, I have some ice packs in the freezer. One of the benefits of having a nurse for a mother.”

“Do you miss your mom?”

“What?” Addie was taken aback by the question. “Yeah, I guess I do. Especially when I'm having trouble making a decision. She's always prying into my life, but I secretly like it that way.”

“My mother is the same way.”

“I suppose all mothers are.”

“All the good ones,” Jasper said. “Warren and Neil told me
last night that you were thinking of going back to Chicago. For good.”

“That was the plan at the beginning.”

“Is that the plan now?”

“I don't know.” Addie leaned back in the seat. “I don't know much of anything anymore.”

Jasper squinted through the windshield at her house. “Is your door off its hinges?”

“It wasn't when I left yesterday. Maybe it was the storm?”

“There was rain, but not much wind.” Jasper slid out of the driver's seat.

“Slow down.” Addie followed him. She really did feel as if she'd been hit by a bus. Jasper went rigid. “Addie, don't come any closer . . . stay where you are.”

“What's wrong?”

“I said stop!” Jasper leapt off the porch and into Addie's path. “Go back to the Bronco.”

Addie tried to see around him. “Move out of the way.”

“Please.” Jasper grabbed her hand. “Just don't go up there. Go back to the Bronco and I'll tell you.”

“No. It's my house. I'm going inside.” Addie scrambled past him and up the steps. What she saw made her wish that she'd listened. Just beyond the broken door, on the floor of the porch was a dog lying in a pool of blood. The dog wasn't moving. Or breathing. She crept closer to the animal, but with every step it became more and more evident that the dog was dead. She turned and stumbled back into the yard, falling to the grass in a heap. “I think I'm going to be sick.”

“I told you not to go in there.” Jasper hovered over her. “I told you.”

“I've seen that dog before. I've seen him.”

“What do you mean you've seen him?”

“The man who came into the clinic and then refused to let us treat his dog. That's the dog. That's
his
dog.”

“Jesus Christ.” Jasper paced in front of her. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

“This is my fault.” Tears dribbled down Addie's cheeks.

“It's not your fault.”

“Felix.” Addie picked herself up off the ground. “Felix. I've got to go check on Felix.” She didn't wait for Jasper to respond, pausing only a moment at the porch before bursting into the house.

“Felix! Where are you?”
Addie's heart leapt into her throat. He wasn't in his bed.
“Felix!”
She heard the clicking of paws on the hardwood floors. She found Felix in her bedroom, unharmed. He stretched and yawned, looking curiously up at her.

“Is he okay?” Jasper panted. “Is he okay?”

“He's okay. He doesn't even know what's going on.”

“I was afraid . . .”

“This is Redd. I know he did this. Why would he do this?”

“I don't know.” Jasper sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands.

“We've got to call the police.”

“We're not calling the police.”

“Why not?”

“You're going to have to trust me on this.”

“I do trust you.”

“You've obviously made Redd very angry. And he's dangerous.”

“That's why we need to call the police.”

“I'll clean it up,” Jasper said. “But we cannot call the police.”

“What aren't you telling me?”

“Addie, please just listen to me.” Jasper grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him. “Please. Just trust me. I promise this will be over soon.”

“I don't even know what you're talking about.”

“I know.”

“I'm not stupid. I know you're hiding something from me.”

“Addie, listen to me—”

“No,
you
listen,” Addie cut him off. She dissolved into tears, tears she was frustrated she couldn't hold back.

“It's okay,” Jasper whispered. “It's going to be okay.”

Addie lay on the bed petting Felix. He was snoring next to her. She wished more than anything she could sleep, but all she could think about was Jasper out on the porch. There wouldn't be enough bleach in the entire Delta to get rid of what she'd seen that day.

She slipped off the bed and padded into the living room. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to the porch. The dog was gone. The screen door was leaning idly against the house. Jasper sat with his back to her on the porch steps.

“Can I help with anything?” she asked.

Jasper shook his head. “I thought you were in your room with Felix.”

“I was. Felix is asleep. I thought maybe you could use some help. You shouldn't . . . you shouldn't have to take care of this by yourself.”

Jasper stood up and turned around to face her. “It's okay.”

“What did you do with him?”

“I wrapped him in a couple old blankets and put him in the Bronco,” Jasper replied, looking down at the hammer in his hands. “I thought I'd go ahead and fix this door.”

“I want to bury him,” Addie replied.

“I'll bury him at the farm tonight.”

“No,” Addie said. “I want to bury him in the backyard.”

“Why?”

“I owe him that.”

“Can you come over here and steady this door for me?”

Addie walked down the steps and held the door open. She was silent for a few minutes as they worked and then she said, “Could you tell how he died?”

“I think he was shot.”

“Do you think it was quick?”

“I think it was quick enough.”

“I hope he didn't suffer.” Addie felt a sudden throbbing in her head. How many times was she going to have to ask about suffering? How many lives were going to evaporate in front of her? Her eyes darted around the room. Who was next?

“Let's go inside for a few minutes.” Jasper waved her away from the door. “I'm not going to get this fixed today. You need a new hinge.”

Jasper sat down at the kitchen table while Addie searched the cupboard for clean glasses. “Do you want some sweet tea?”

“You need to know that none of this is your fault.”

“You know, people keep saying that to me; you keep saying that to me. And yet here I am, right in the middle of it.”

“Maybe you're being too hard on yourself.”

“Maybe you don't know me as well as you think.”

Jasper sighed. “I don't think it's safe for you here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think scaring you was just a pleasant side effect of the real meaning behind all of this.”

“Which is?”

“He's telling you to leave.”

“He wants me to leave my house?”

“I think he wants you to leave Eunice.”

Addie exhaled, crumpling in her seat. “And you think this is his way of making that happen? To kill a dog and leave the body on my porch for me to find?”

“I do.”

“Well, I'm not leaving,” she replied. “I live here, and if I decide to go, it'll be
my
choice.”