Page 5 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“And yet, you know so much about her,” Knox mused as he looked at Birdie.

“What?” Jaxson grumbled.

A twinkle lit Birdie’s eyes. “Oh, nothing,” she chimed.

“Would y’all quit doing that?” Jaxson grumbled.

“What?” Birdie asked innocently.

“Y’all keep passing those looks back and forth. If you’ve got something to say, then say it,” he demanded. Jaxson wasn’t sure why he was getting so angry. Maybe it was a post reaction to the accident. It wasn’t easy staring death in the face. Had he been going any faster, hit the tree harder … A shiver ran down his spine. Life had never felt so precious or so fragile as it did right now. His ankle was starting to throb.

“Take it easy, son.” Knox held up his hand. “Your mama and I just wanna make sure you’re okay.” He slid an arm around Birdie’s shoulders.

“If we’re speaking frankly here, let me say that I’m glad a woman has finally come on your radar.” Birdie’s head swung back and forth. “I was beginning to wonder if anyone could turn your head.”

Jaxson rolled his eyes. “Do you really think this is the time to be playing matchmaker?”

A smile passed over Knox’s lips. “Well, it’s not every day your mama and I have a captive audience.” He tipped his head thoughtfully. “Maybe I’d better go check on the woman, find out who she is. I haven’t seen Lemon in so long … I’m not sure that I’d recognize her.”

“I would. She always had the prettiest blonde hair.” Birdie touched her own hair.

“I remember.” Knox looked at Birdie. “It looked a lot like yours, if I’m remembering correctly.”

A gracious grin curved Birdie’s lips. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“Hmm … let me go and see what I can find out.” Knox looked at Jaxson. “I wonder if Lemon remembers you as well as you remember her.”

“Let it go, Daddy,” Jaxson warned, but not even his foul mood could squelch the ember of hope flickering in his chest. Was Lemon here in this very hospital? Or maybe the whole thing was some trick his mind was playing. Chances were the woman wasn’t Lemon. But if she were …

Knox seemed to be reading his thoughts. “Y’all hang tight. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t do anything dumb,” Jaxson called after him, but Knox only waved his hand impatiently.

Birdie chuckled. “You mean anything that would give away the fact that you still have feelings for Lemon?”

Jaxson scowled. “That ship sailed a long time ago.”

“Uh, huh,” Birdie chimed, “I can tell.” She glanced over her shoulder before pulling a chair next to the bed. She sat down and primly crossed her legs. “So,” she began, “refresh my memory about Lemon. What was her last name?”

“Massey.” He growled. “This whole thing is ridiculous. It’s probably not even her. I only saw her face for a second like I did at the rodeo.”

Her eyes widened. “You saw Lemon at a rodeo?” She frowned. “What rodeo?”

Crap! Jaxson had stepped in it now. Heat coiled up his neck. He really needed to put a sock in it, especially when his brain wasn’t operating at full capacity.

“What rodeo?” Birdie pressed.

Jaxson hadn’t wanted his mama to know about the rodeo, and especially not about him riding the bronco. “It was over in Lebanon.”

Her features tightened. “Did you ride?”

For a fraction of a second, he thought about lying to her, but it was Mama. He couldn’t do that.

“Yeah,” he said quietly.

Her face paled, the creases around her mouth deepening. “I thought you were done with that chapter of your life.” Concern clouded her eyes.

Jaxson didn’t want to hurt Mama. He loved her more than life, but he had missed riding. And, he was dang good at it. So good that some of the rodeo officials had been begging him to come back. His body was starting to hurt all over, and he was craving sleep. He looked past Mama to the closed door. “How long does it take to get the results of a blasted X-ray?” he muttered. “Geez, Louise, this place is slow.”

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