Page 133 of Big Bad Wolfe

She growled at him. Zane was no fool. He snapped his mouth shut. She grabbed his arm and towed him back toward the exam area. “We’ll discuss this at home. C’mon.”

Caught in her vise-like grip, he followed. How had he ever thought her fragile and delicate? The lady could strong-arm Vin Diesel.

They reentered the cubicle to discover Dean had arrived during their absence. Casey was sitting up eating a Popsicle and chattering at Dean and the pediatrician.

Someone had cleaned up his face. He looked tiny and vulnerable sitting on the exam table with his bloody clothes, bruised nose, and both eyes turning blacker by the minute.

Zane gripped the curtain so hard his fingers hurt as guilt body-slammed him.

Dean gave Zane a sharp look, but addressed his question to Jillian. “Everything all right?”

She sauntered over to Casey. “Had to evict a rodent, but everything is under control.” She ruffled Casey’s hair. “You look like you’re feeling better. Where’d you get the Popsicle?”

“Dr. John asked a nurse to bring it.”

Dr. Torrence patted Casey’s knee. “Casey has a bruised nose, and he’s got a head start on the two shiners he’ll sport for a week or so. There’s no need for x-rays. Fracturing a child’s nose is nearly impossible because their cartilage is much more flexible than an adult’s. Bed rest until tomorrow morning to ensure no more bleeding, and quiet activities for a few days. Children’s ibuprofen every four hours and ice packs will help with pain and swelling. And you can give him plenty of juice pops, ice cream, and non-carbonated cold drinks.”

“Awesome!” Casey grinned. “Wait till Donnie and Robbie Ray hear that!”

Dean gave Zane another narrow-eyed look. “Jillian, take Casey home. Zane and I will follow in my truck. We have something to discuss, man to man.”

“Pop …” Jillian glanced at Zane, then Dean. She nodded. “Okay.”

Zane steeled himself as he followed Ramsay to his pickup. Dean was going to ream him out in private. Casey’s grandpa deserved his say, and Zane could take it. He’d had his guts reamed by the master.

His uneasiness grew as Dean drove slowly and silently through town. Just as silently turned down the winding road to Jillian’s house.

Dean finally parked on a grassy bluff overlooking the ocean a few hundred yards from the house. Restless waves crashed against the shore with measured slaps. Seagulls screamed overhead. Zane could see Jillian’s pink convertible in the driveway. She was probably inside getting Casey settled in bed.

Zane propped his elbow on the window frame, and sucked in deep breaths of the ocean breeze.

Dean shifted, turning toward Zane.

Zane braced himself.

“So, son.” The gruff contractor’s voice was surprisingly kind. “What horrible crime is it that you think you’ve committed?”

Steeled for a blow, the unexpected gentleness stunned him. Moving in slow motion, he turned his head. Stared at the man in the driver’s seat. Blinked. “Come again?”

“I’ve raised four children, all hard-headed as the day is long. I recognize a guilty conscience when I see one. What’s stuck in your craw and choking you to death, boy?”

Zane inhaled.Act like a man.

“You were there. I ... I pushed Casey beyond his abilities and he got hurt.”

“Is that right?” Dean’s square, callused fingers drummed a tattoo on the steering wheel. “I didn’t notice any pushing.”

Confused and off balance, Zane gripped the top of the window frame. “I forced him to play third base. He was scared. He didn’t want to.”

“You forced him. Now that’s interesting. Because that’s not what I saw.” Dean’s fingers slowed to a steady, rhythmic beat. “Do you think Casey is afraid of you?”

Zane thought about it. Thought hard. He’d never seen fear, except in the store when Casey had been worried Zane might spank him. “No. He’s not afraid of me.”

“How do you figure youforcedhim to do something he didn’t want to, something he was slightly anxious about, unless he feared you? And feared you more than playing third base?”

Zane sat frozen while Dean’s question swirled in his mind. He couldn’t form a logical answer.

“Were you afraid of your father, Zane?”

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