Page 14 of The Desperate Warrior

“I won’t take no for an answer. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I’m spending the next several days at your house.”

“Really?” Jules loved her cousin, but she really needed some time alone right now. She needed time to process everything that had happened. And she needed to figure out how to move forward without Brock. A lump formed in her throat as she swallowed it down, willing herself to get tough. “I thought you were staying at the ranch with my mom and dad.”

“And have Uncle Clayton try to make me his latest matchmaking project? No thanks.”

The grief cleared for a fraction of a second as Jules barked out a chuckle. “Dad’s always up to something, and Mom’s not much better. It’s a miracle that she didn’t try to introduce you to Dean at the reception.”

“The smooth-talking realtor with the nice hair and ultra-white smile?”

“That’s him.”

“Yep, she introduced us.”

“Speaking from experience, I’d stay far away from that one if I were you.”

Nikki laughed. “Don’t worry. I had his number from the get-go. The guy’s way too needy for my taste.”

“Amen!”

Jules got stopped at another light. The stars were definitely not in her favor tonight.

“So I was thinking that you and I could take a trip to Glen Rose.”

The mention of the town where Alyssa Robert’s parents lived caused Jules to stiffen. “What’s in Glen Rose?”

Nikki bubbled with excitement. “Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. I’d love to book a safari and check out the animals.”

Jules took in a long breath. She hadn’t been to Fossil Rim since she was a kid. It was a cool experience where one could drive through the preserve and get an up-close look at exotic animals.

“Come on,” Nikki urged. “We should go. I heard they have a great barbecue joint in Glen Rose. I know how you Texans love your brisket.”

She grunted. “I’ve seen you put away your share of brisket, Miss Alabama.”

“Touché. Whaddaya say?”

It wasn’t as if she had anything else to do this weekend. “Okay,” she relented. “We’ll go.”

“Fantastic,” Nikki punched out.

Jules’s dad and Nikki’s dad were brothers. Nikki grew up in a small town in Alabama. From the time she was a teenager, Nikki was chomping at the bit to spread her wings and escape the doldrums of small-town life. The second she graduated from high school, she spent a few months backpacking through Europe. When she got that out of her system, she went to college and majored in journalism. Now, she traveled the world writing articles for travel magazines, blogs, and websites. Nikki was free-spirited to the nth degree. Jules enjoyed living vicariouslythrough her spontaneous cousin and loved hearing all about her adventures.

She looked up at the light. Still red. Would it ever turn green?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of light.

She turned to see fast-moving headlights coming straight for her.

A scream tore through her throat as she braced for the impact.

Chapter 4

“Come on in, the water’s fine,” Brock called as he threw Jules a boyish grin while treading water.

Jules inched over to the edge of the cliff and peered down at the shimmering water of the pond that looked impossibly far away. The idea of jumping had seemed easy enough. However, the reality was twisting her stomach and making her want to barf.

“What’re you waiting for?” Brock taunted with a grin. “Jump.”

With his dark hair plastered to his head, the rugged lines of his jawline were even more prominent, emphasizing his masculinity. Also, it didn’t hurt that his biceps were so cut. Everything in her wanted to get to Brock, but she just couldn’t make herself jump. Shivers ran through her as she rubbed her arms. Ouch! Why was her left shoulder so tender? No, not just tender. It was throbbing with pain. She tried to take in a breath, but her ribs hurt like she’d been beaten with a baseball bat.

---