Page 3 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“Lemon?” he gasped, turning the wheel sharply to miss her. The movement sent the truck sliding off the road. Panic raced through his veins as he tried to regain control. He saw the tree coming at him, then felt the brunt force at the same time he heard the splintering crash.

“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” Birdie cried as she rushed into the room, still in a formal dress and heels from the wedding. She ran over to Jaxson’s side. Tears gathered in her eyes as she surveyed Jaxson up and down, her gaze settling on his wrapped ankle, propped up on a stack of pillows.

Jaxson grimaced. “I’m doing tolerably well … considering. According to the doc, I have a couple of bruised ribs.” His torso felt like it had been beat to a pulp. He was forced to take shallow breaths to temper the pain.

Knox stepped up behind Birdie. “You look like you came out on the wrong side of a bar brawl.” His azure eyes radiated concern.

“Tell me about it,” Jaxson grunted.

Knox motioned to his ankle. “What’s the word?”

“I’m still waiting for the x-rays to come back. They think I have a hairline fracture. It’s taking forever to get the results,” he muttered. “This place is slower than a turtle wading through molasses.”

Birdie reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I’m just glad you’re okay. When we got the news …” her voice caught, a fat tearrolling down her cheek “… I feared the worst. The whole family was freaked out, even Ramsey.”

Jaxson’s jaw grew slack. “What? You called Ramsey?”

Birdie nodded. “Right before his plane took off. We told him that you were okay, though. Officer Williams was kind enough to call your daddy and update him on the situation.”

“I’m okay,” Jaxson assured her. “It’ll take more than a tree to do me in,” he bragged with a laugh and then winced in pain.

“Take it easy there, tiger.” Knox gave him an astute look that spoke volumes. Daddy knew how rattled Jaxson was. He also knew his oldest son was using humor to minimize the gravity of the situation. “It’s a miracle that you came out as well as you did,” Knox stated firmly.

“It is,” Jaxson agreed. He’d already said half a dozen silent prayers, thanking God for preserving his life.

“What happened?” Birdie asked in the subdued tone of one still trying to come to grips with all that was happening.

For the past several hours, ever since the paramedics had brought him here to the hospital, Jaxson had been running the events through his mind. Did he dare admit that he’d seen Lemon Massey standing in the middle of the road? Her image was branded into his memory. She was wearing jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt that clung to her body.

A shiver ran through him. No way could he admit to seeing Lemon. Daddy and Mama would think he was losing his marbles. Was he? His heart began to pound. This was the second time in a matter of weeks that he’d seen Lemon. This go-around caused him to have an accident. What in the heck was happening to him? The woman in the road had been so real. It was Lemon! Yet, it made no sense. Why would Lemon be standing in the middle of the road?

Jaxson swallowed the dryness in his throat. “I was driving back from the wedding.” His voice was scratchy. A tight strip oftension was forming over the bridge of his nose, signaling that a headache was coming on. The nurse, a cute, peppy redhead, had offered Jaxson something for the pain, but he’d refused it, not liking how out-of-it heavy-duty painkillers made him. However, some ibuprofen or Tylenol was sounding pretty enticing right about now. He’d ask for some when the nurse returned.

Knox stroked his chin. “You left the church about thirty minutes before we did.”

Jaxson nodded, rushing on. “It started pouring rain. I hydroplaned and tried to correct it.” His words lost air. Carefully, he took in a breath so as not to hurt his ribs. “The next thing I knew, I hit a tree. I must’ve blacked out. I vaguely remember being lifted out of the truck. I came to in the ambulance.”

Horror washed over Birdie’s features. “Do you have a head injury?”

“I don’t think so.” Jaxson took an assessment of his head. It was okay, for the most part. “The doctor didn’t say anything about that.”

“I’m sure he would have said something,” Knox piped in. “You don’t look like your head is hurt.”

Relief wafted over Jaxson as he smiled faintly. “That’s good news.”

“How’s the woman doing?”

Jaxson’s heart lurched. “Woman?” he stammered, looking to Daddy for an answer.

“Officers Williams and Phillips were the first policemen to arrive on the scene. A woman was there. She seemed dazed and unable to answer any of their questions. At first, they wondered if she’d been in the truck with you, but then they found her car a mile up the road from the accident. It seems that she had a flat tire and was walking to get help.”

Jaxson’s heart began to pound. “Where is she?”

“Here, at the hospital. They’re checking her for injuries.”

Jaxson tried to sit up. He groaned as the movement sent jabs of pain through him.

“What’re you doing?” Birdie demanded, touching his arm. “You need to lie still.”

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