Chapter 2

Dade dropped down on the couch. “I’d offer you a beer, but you saw the pictures. I haven’t been able to think of one since, so I don’t have any.”

Patrick sat back and grinned. “I’m fine. Is there a story behind those pictures?”

Dade smirked. “A very stupid one. Let’s just say it doesn’t matter now that I’m engaged to her.”

“Ah.” Patrick smirked. “Say no more, I feel that.”

Dade studied him for a minute. “So…Rhonda?”

Patrick rubbed his hand over his face. “Damnedest woman I’ve ever met.”

Dade chuckled. “I thought as much.”

“What?” Patrick gave him a curious look.

“Don’t what me. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

Patrick shook his head. “I had to watch her remember?”

Dade slid down and clasped his hands behind his head. “Had to. Past tense. Don’t now.”

Patrick shrugged. “She doesn’t have anyone; no family and her closest friend was the other woman we found with her…”

Dade hissed. “That’s gotta be rough on her. Her healing isn’t going as quickly as she’d like us to believe, is it?”

Patrick leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Looking down at his hands, he shook his head. “No. No it isn’t. Her back still bothers her a lot. They’re talking about surgery to reduce the scarring, so the skin will stretch better or something.” He looked up at Dade. “She can barely manage to make a meal for herself or hold anything in her hands.” He stood up and paced away a few feet, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “She’s frustrated with it all, and I can’t blame her there.”

“You’re half in love with her.” Dade said quietly.

Patrick smirked at him. “Oh, I’d say more than half, but I can’t get near her. She’s got a whole lot going on right now and even if she jokes with all of you about it…a man complicating her life wouldn’t help right now.”

Dade sighed. “It might.”

Patrick shook his head and turned back to the window. “There’s more. I have to go back to work.” He turned and looked at him. “I took time I had coming to me after Mabon, she doesn’t know, but next week I have to go back. Then what?” He took a deep breath. “She’ll be stuck in her apartment with no one, she lives over an hour away, so it’s not like I could ask anyone of you to check on her.”

“You won’t be able to?”

Patrick shook his head. “No. I’m going in deep, something I set up before Beltane. Hopefully not for too long though.”

Dade sat and watched the man silently. He couldn’t do that. If Cora was in Rhonda’s position and he had to leave her, well, he’d be without a job. “Would she move here?”

Patrick raised an eyebrow. “Here with you?”

Dade grinned. “No. Here to this house. I plan on invading Cora’s until we’re married. I’ve waited too many years, and now that I have her, I’m not letting go, not even for the engagement.”

“Does Cora know this?”

He shrugged. “Deep down, probably. This place will be empty, Cora and I will be a few minutes away…”

“I could ask her, but there’s a problem there…”

“Afraid of a tiny redhead, Detective?”

Patrick smirked. “At times.” He sobered. “She’s going to think that I don’t think she can do it on her own, if I ask her.”

Dade sat forward. “Yeah, I get that. Let me talk to Cora tomorrow and see what she thinks can be done.” He sighed. “Does Rhonda know you’re going away?”

Patrick nodded. “She does.”

Dade stood up. “Leave it with me and I’ll get back to you.”

Patrick dropped down on the couch and let out a long sigh. “It’s appreciated. I can’t tell you how uncomfortable I’ve been.”

Dade grinned down at him. “Well, if you take as long to hook up with her as the rest of us did with the girls… get used to uncomfortable, it only gets worse.”

He leaned back. “Somethin’ to look forward to.” He sighed again. “She’s just…I dunno, sometimes I just want to pick her up and shelter her from the rest of the planet.”

Dade leaned his hip against the chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I know that too well. Can I ask a dumb question?”

“You’re entitled.”

Dade grinned. “How the hell old are you? Sometimes I think you’re my age, and then sometimes you look like you’ve lived too many lives.”

Patrick grinned. “It’s been a long career in law enforcement. I’m only thirty-five—going on seventy-some days.”

“You’ve got a rough, worn out look about you, my friend. That cute little redhead might help lessen it a bit.” He scratched his head. “And how old is Miss Caruthers? Cuz’ sometimes she looks to be about sixteen.”

Patrick laughed. “Yeah, I’ve noticed, and then she opens that nasty mouth and spews something mean.” He shook his head. “She’s actually twenty-eight.”

Dade’s jaw dropped. “Really? Wow, well guess it doesn’t matter how you look at it then, she’ll always look younger.”

He frowned at him. “Go to bed Jones, you’ve made me old and haggard enough for one night.”

Dade straightened. “Always aim to help. See you around dawn. I have four thousand things I’m supposed to do tomorrow and no clue how.”

“That makes two of us then.” Patrick said quietly as he watched Dade walk out of the room.

Patrick really liked this group of people. He’d never met a better bunch of souls in his life. He hoped Rhonda would agree to move. It would certainly make life a lot better, for her and him. These new friends would look after her, he knew that. They’d continue to look after her if anything happened to him.

He’d never given much thought to the consequences of his job before. Just knew it had to be done and did it. Since watching those deep brown eyes of Rhonda’s open when she was in the hospital, he’d done nothing but think about the possibility of changing careers, or at least finding a safer place in his chosen field.

Those eyes. Before she could speak during her recovery, he’d understood every thought she conveyed. He wanted to share her thoughts, and could communicate mind to mind without speaking a word, but she’d been through so much, he hadn’t wanted to scare her.

Then he’d heard her voice, and thought it was soft and raspy because of her trauma, but it wasn’t. That was her voice. He loved to hear her talk, even if it was to cut him up or put him firmly in his place. He never thought to tell her he could talk to her anytime, from any place if he wanted.

Sighing, he leaned back to lie on the couch. When he closed his eyes, he could see her dancing in the blue outfit Leena had made for her. He grinned. The image of her moving so sensuously and raising those damn sexy gloved arms above her head kept him awake more than one night.

He remembered seeing freckles between her breasts and wanting to taste them. He sighed, the ones across her nose also demanded his attention. Now of course, he couldn’t look at her face without thinking of where else he would find freckles.

Yes, if she would move here, he’d at least know she would never have to be alone. There would be someone that could put the ointment on her back when it bothered her, as he had been doing. He’d even had to sneak around to do it at Mabon, because she refused to let the others know how much the dancing hurt her. She had more strength than any man he’d ever crossed paths with. Each time he ran his fingers gently over the scars… Her skin was so soft he’d had to control the urge to go find Charlie and scar him, each and every time. What person could ever look at her pale soft skin and mark it in that way? Look at that lovely face and see evil?

He closed his eyes again and his phone buzzed in his pocket. Digging it out, he looked at the number. It was her.

“Rhonda?”

She sighed loud enough for him to hear her over the phone. “Yes, it’s me. Oh, Patrick did you bring the red bag with us?”

He sat up. “I did. Do you need it? It’s in the trunk.”

She sighed again. “Damn. No. My back is bothering me a bit, but no you don’t have to bring it now.”

“Are you sure? I can run it over. You’ve overdone it again, haven’t you?”

“It’s ridiculous. I’ve done a whole lot of nothing…”

“It’s probably from the car ride. We should have brought an extra pillow to put behind you.”

She hissed out a breath. “I suppose. Will you be with Dade in the morning at Cora’s?”

He nodded to himself in the dark. “I will.”

“Okay, I’ll come back with her. It’s just… if I don’t use the ointment by then, I’ll be all tight and I don’t want to be miserable all day.”

He rubbed his eyes. “I can bring it now. It’s not a problem. You don’t want to be up all night and have suitcases under those pretty eyes for tomorrow.”

“I’m sure no one will stop to look at my eyes with the gowns these women have, Pat, but thank you.” She glanced at the clock. “I’ll be fine until morning. I’ll just lie on my side carefully until then.”

“If you’re sure.” He wanted to go and bring her back here where he could see she was all right.

“I am.”

He leaned back again. “Maybe you could have a soak in the tub that always seems to help a bit.”

“I think they’re finally getting ready to go to bed, so maybe I will.” She closed her eyes. “Thank you. I know I don’t tell you often, but I’d be lost without you, Pat.”

“It’s no trouble and you don’t have to thank me.” He smiled into the phone. “Looking out for you keeps me out of trouble.”

Rhonda laughed quietly. “Well, when you put it like that, I’ll have to make sure to need you more often.”

He closed his eyes and wished. “Feel free. Now go soak that lovely body of yours and get some rest. The curiosity over not allowing me to help you shop for the dress for tomorrow is keeping me awake.”

“You just get some rest, Detective Blaine, you promised me dances tomorrow evening.”

“I’ve not forgotten. I look forward to it. Good night, Rhonda.”

“Good night, Pat.”

He hung up the phone and rubbed his hands over his face again. She was moving here if he had to tie her up and make her.

“Was that Patrick you were giggling to?” Cora leaned in the door way smiling at her.

“I don’t recall giggling.” Rhonda motioned to the bed beside her and waited until Cora came and sat down. “In all the excitement of wedding preparations, engagements, and babies…except the whole throwing up part, I forgot to get my other bag from the car.” She looked down at her hand. “It has my ointment in it for my scars on my back.” She searched Cora’s pale, caring eyes. “They get tight sometimes and it’s uncomfortable.”

Cora straightened. “Do you want me to get it?”

She shook her head. “No, Pat will bring it to your place in the morning.” She sighed. “I just wish they could be like my face, those faded and never bother me, except when I look at my face, but otherwise they’re fine.”

Cora pushed the feathered red hair back from her face. “You can hardly see them and you still look like a sweet child. I’m jealous of you. I’m starting to look old and you’re like Little Orphan Annie.”

Rhonda grinned and dropped her head. “Well that’s the first I’ve heard that. Thank you, I think.”

“Do you want me to see if Lee has anything? You saw her herbal supplies, maybe she has something that will help.”

Rhonda shook her head. “No, I’ll be okay until the morning. I’m going to go have a bath and just soak them a bit.”

Cora nodded. “Okay then.” She blew out a breath. “I have to lie down. My feet are going to drop off shortly.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

Cora stood up and nodded. “Yes, tomorrow is going to be one very long day.” She smirked, “and, if my sexy fiancé has anything to say about it, a very long night.”

Rhonda groaned. “No sex talk. It’s been …. feels like forever for me now.” She pursed her lips. “Oh yes, way too long. Go away.”

Cora grinned and walked out of the room.

Rhonda looked down at her hands. It’s going to be a lot longer too, she thought. What man would want to touch a body marked like mine? Her hands weren’t a big issue, few cared about how a woman’s hands looked, but the marks on her back… they even bothered her to see.

They didn’t bother Patrick, which was good as he helped her when the scars were burning. Not once had she seen pity in that man’s eyes. What she usually glimpsed as he helped her was anger …then she just wanted to climb right up him and lick him.

She shook her head and got up. It was the twisted humor of karma that her only help would have to be a dangerous looking man, the kind of man she just admired the hell out of, hormonally speaking. When she’d opened her eyes in that hospital and saw him looking down at her she’d thought the gods were rewarding her for living through it. That feeling soon wore off when she found out how often he liked to tell her what to do.

Rhonda picked up her night shirt off the dresser and walked towards the bathroom. Unfortunately, he looked at her like she was a child, just like the rest of the world. Was it her fault her body stopped growing at five foot two? It was not. Nor was it her fault that she couldn’t develop wrinkles for some odd reason.

Enough self-pity, Rhonda, she ordered herself as she stepped into the bathroom. Life goes on and you’ll find a way.