Page 28 of Shades of Mercy
“Hell, it’s time you start living your life and not allowing Mateo to run the show,” Jag said.
“That’s interesting because you and I certainly have allowed him to 'run the show' when it comes to us.”
He’d walked right into that one, and he wasn’t going to tackle that subject tonight. “I thought you said this bed was comfortable,” he said. “I’ve slept on softer dirt.”
“It is for me, but again, I don’t have all those…things.”
“Things?’
“Muscles. But it’s not like I noticed, of course.” She yawned again, which made him yawn too.
“Question. Are you still best friends with the lady with blue hair and a dozen piercings on her nose?”
“Hart? Yes. She’s a fashion designer and models her work.”
“She just…well, I don’t think she likes me. All that talk about women’s rights and all men are bastards could be the giveaway. Hell, don’t get me wrong, I believe in equal rights, but she always looks at me like she wants to run me through with a spear. She’s a bit scary.”
Mercy laughed. “You? Afraid of a five-foot-two woman? The same man who was shot with a bullet?”
“Women are far more dangerous than any bullet.” He propped himself up on his elbow and struck his pillow a few times. He then lay back down, gazing at her silhouette, illuminated by the moonlight.
“Believe it or not, Hart has been through a lot. I’ve always told her she should write a book about her past experiences.”
“My therapist told me journaling every day could reduce the racing in my head.”
“Hmm. Did you try it?” Mercy asked.
“For a while, but writing my thoughts down just isn’t my thing. Hey, it might work for others, but I find that I’m a morehands-on-working-hard type of guy. Since I’ve been at Storm Pass, I feel…different. Healthier. Ranching is hard, but it pushes the body and the mind in good ways.”
“I’ve always known you were human, Jag.”
“I always knew you were smart.”
“What gave it away? That I always had my nose in a book?”
“Have you heard that being a nerd is sexy? Men like that sort of thing.”
“You mean women who can hold a decent conversation?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Was it hard for you to walk away from the military?”
“There are days I miss being deployed. A person can get addicted to the adrenaline, but he also knows when it’s time to hang up his uniform.”
“Adrenaline can take years off your life if you're not careful. I'm changing the subject. I must say, I’m surprised you were interested in intelligent women. I didn’t think they were exactly your type.” Her sarcasm was evident in her tone.
“Oh, that’s how this is going to go? Picking on me, huh?”
“Let’s see…there was Sara Foles. Her favorite movie wasClueless. I, too, loved the movie, but for different reasons. I didn’t run out and adopt a miniature dog, carrying it around in a pink purse and feeding it ice cream pops—poor dog. And then I do believe Macy Riley told a story about learning French. She passed her community college class because she always wore those thin, tight sweaters that showed off her Christmas present, aptly named double Ds.”
“Sara and Macy were both nice girls.”
“And so were my exes, but that doesn’t keep you from making fun of them every time I see you,” she pointed out firmly.
“Fine. I’ll stop with the insults. At least I’ll make my best effort. Anyway, Mateo said there are a lot of suspects he’s pulling dirt on. Your Uncle Joe. I would have never guessed. He always seemed so…”
“Kind and sweet?”
