Page 28 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

The cousin’s name was Lucas. Lemon made a mental note.

Lucas rubbed his neck. “Yeah, you have, but you weren’t already injured.”

“Good point,” Lemon agreed.

Jaxson gritted his teeth, eyes flashing fire. “The only way y’all are getting me back to that infernal hospital is in a body bag.”

“Um, if they take you out in a body bag, it’ll be to the morgue, not the hospital,” Lucas said practically.

Jaxson swore under his breath.

Lemon shot Lucas an exasperated look. “Seriously? You’re baiting him right now?”

Lucas spread his hands. “What? He asked for it.” He rolled his eyes and looked away.

She shook her head. “Y’all are acting like you’re both ten.” She turned her attention back to Jaxson. His breathing was labored, and he was ghostly pale. He was trying to be tough, but he was in a lot of pain. “What can I get you?” she asked, her voice softening.

“Four ibuprofen and a glass of water,” Jaxson rasped.

She looked at Lucas. “Get him the items.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said in a faint mocking tone as he turned to do her bidding.

She pulled the coffee table closer to the couch and grabbed two decorative pillows that were nearby. “Let’s get your ankle propped up.”

“Take the boot off first,” Jaxson directed, “so we can ice it.”

Talking was an effort for him. “Just relax,” she admonished. As carefully as she could, she undid the Velcro straps. A soft moan issued from his throat as she removed the boot. Jaxson’s ankle was wrapped with an elastic bandage, but even with the compression the bandage offered, his ankle was severely swollen. Lemon winced, guilt churning in her stomach. She’d been so selfish today, allowing Jaxson to take her all of those places, not thinking about how it would affect him. She lifted his ankle onto the pillows.

Lucas returned with the water and four blue gels. He handed the items to Jaxson. “You sure it’s okay to take four ibuprofens?” he asked, glancing at Lemon in concern.

“Yeah,” Jaxson said gruffly as he placed them in his mouth and wolfed them down with several swigs of water. He handed the glass back to Lucas who placed it on the coffee table.

“We need to get some ice on your ankle.” It looked bad. Lemon shuddered wondering about the state of his ribs. Jaxson was so dang stubborn. She needed to insist that they get in touch with Doctor Jepson to get his advice on what they should do.

Lucas plopped down in a recliner across from the couch. Not wanting to ask him to do anything else, Lemon went to the fridge. She returned with a Ziplock bag filled with ice and a dishtowel to protect his skin from direct contact with the cold. She sat down beside Jaxson. It was with some relief that she noticed his color was returning. “We need to unwrap your ankle, so we can ice it.”

Clenching his teeth, he nodded. When the task was done, Lemon sat down next to Jaxson. A stilted silence descended over the room. She angled to face Jaxson. His chin was set in stony defiance. Lucas wore a similar expression.Sheesh. These two cousins had some bad blood between them. Some small part of her was tempted to just sit here to see how long it would take for one of them to speak. Several more minutes ticked by. Finally, she let out a long sigh. “Okay, enough.” She eyed Jaxson. “Like I said earlier, I don’t know what you thought you saw, but I can assure you that it wasn’t what you thought.” When Jaxson shot her a surly glare, her temper took hold. “You should be thanking Lucas,” she snipped. “While you were outside smooching with Miss Jumbo Chest Barbie, Lucas was helping me get through a panic attack.”

Lucas hooted with laughter at the same time Jaxson’s jaw hit the floor.

Lemon rushed on. “If anyone should be upset here, it’s me.” Her eyes cut into Jaxson’s. “You told me you weren’t involved with anyone, but that’s obviously not the case.” The acrid hurt rushed back as she balled her hands. A quiver of the panic returned. She took in a deep breath to stay it. “For the record, I never would have kissed you had I known about Tillie.”

Lucas chuckled. “Not just Tillie, but Angelica, Jessica, Kat, Leah … There are so many that I’ve lost count,” he said drolly.

Lemon’s heart froze. “What?” she uttered, turning to Jaxson. A torrent of crimson was moving over his jaw.

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, Lemon, but your boy’s a bit of a player,” Lucas jeered.

“Shut up!” Jaxson warned.

Lemon swallowed the tightness in her throat. The walls were closing in on her.Just breathe, she commanded herself. A harsh laugh scratched through her throat. She was such an idiot! This wasn’t some fairytale where the prince rode in on a white horse and swept the damsel away from her problems. She didn’t understand why she felt such a strong connection to Jaxson. How could she understand? Her past was a gaping hole. Lemon hated the wretched tears that rose in her eyes. She pushed them back, but not before one escaped and dribbled down her cheek. Hastily, she swiped it away with her palm, embarrassed that Jaxson and Lucas had seen it.

“Are you happy now?” Jaxson thundered.

She jerked, thinking for a second that he was talking to her. Then she realized his words were directed at Lucas.

“What do you mean?” Lucas snarled.

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