Page 30 of Loving Justice
“You’re a hero. You’ve proven that by surviving what is considered a miracle, but even strong cowboys need some relief.”
Jinx shrugged. “I’d rather manage the pain with a shot of whiskey.”
With that, Doc Lafferty nodded and put the matter to rest. “I’ll be back in a few days.”
“Think I can be back in the saddle by the end of next week?” Jinx was hopeful.
“Let’s not push things.”
“Up for some company?” came the soft voice from the open doorway.
Jinx felt a bit disappointed when he saw that it wasn’t Justice who came for a visit. “Sure,” he told Lanah.
“Good afternoon, Lanah,” Doc Lafferty said as he packed up his medical bag. “Still feeling under the weather?”
“I just need to slow down a bit, Doc.” She flashed a flirty grin as she flounced into the room, giving a subtle twirl of her skirt.She certainly did have a lot of energy, Jinx thought.
“It wouldn’t hurt for you to come and see me, young lady,” Doc gently said.
“I’ll make an appointment soon,” she said as Doc left the room and closed the door behind him. She swiveled on her flats and looked at Jinx in accusation. “You’re a mess, Jinx.”
“And this is an improvement from what I was,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I would have come to see you sooner, but I can’t stand the sight of blood,” she said as she dropped down on the end of the bed near his feet.
“It’s okay. I’ve had quite a bit of company.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “Did you do this to get out of our second date?”
“We had a date?” he blurted, realizing after the words hit the air that they could be taken as rude.
“I figured we would see each other again After all, we did have a good time that night.” She wagged her thin brows and her lips pursed. “Anyway, seems you have quite the setup here.”
“Glad you think so.” He adjusted his position and squinted as the intense pain traveled down his leg.
“Are the Rose sisters playing nurses too?” Lanah teased, but there was also a hint of sarcasm.
He pulled the pillow from behind his back, fluffed it, and then adjusted himself to settle back into its firm support. “Nah.” He hadn’t seen much of the Rose clan outside of Justice since he’d been staying as a guest. And that was okay for him.
“You know, I have an extra bedroom at my place. I could nurse you back to health.” She leaned closer and walked her fingers down his chest, pausing near the waistband of his sweats.
Jinx didn’t feel anything. Not even one flicker of hope down below his waist, not like he did with Justice. That made him feel like a dick because he didn’t have this problem back when he and Lanah had wound up in her bed weeks ago. What had he been thinking? The fact was, he hadn’t been thinking. He’d been lonely, and she’d seemed welcoming. The next day, he knew he’d made a mistake, which only made the situation worse. “You don’t like the sight of blood. I’m afraid you wouldn’t want to see this wound.” It was a logical excuse, but even more so, he knew he needed to cut things off.
“I could help out in other ways.”
“Lanah…about that…”
“What, cowboy? You suddenly shy?” She winked.
No doubt, Lanah had something about her that made her seductive. Unfortunately, his body rejected any thought. “We had a good time, but—”
“There’s abut?” One thin brow flicked above her sparkling eyes. “You’re not going to tell me that you’re not interested in having a second go ‘round, are you?”
“I think I should be honest. You’re a great woman—”
She jumped up from the bed, and the springssqueaked. “Stop right there, Jinx Weathersby. The last thing I want to hear is the ‘it’s-not-you-it’s-me speech’.”
“That’s not what I was going to say.” He should never have slept with her the first time. Although he’d never considered himself a saint, he never wanted to hurt a woman’s feelings. After a long night of drinking and dancing at Mav’s, she’d invited him back to her place, and as an idiot would do, he’d agreed. He couldn’t use alcohol as a crutch. He’d been sober enough to make the mistake and to regret it come sunrise.