Beautifully Wounded (The Beaumont Brothers) by Susan Griscom Read Free Book Online Page A

shrill to his voice, sending a shiver down my back. He knew it would irritate me—always had, ever since we were kids when Jenny Casings wrote Jackie and Jenny all over the girls’ bathroom in elementary school. From then on, it was a continuous tease of Jackie and Jenny, J and J, Jackie loves Jenny. It was a small town, and I had to grow up hearing Jackie and Jenny most of my life. It got worse in eighth grade when I had actually given in, and agreed to go with Jenny Casings to the Sadie Hawkins dance. She had a crush on me since second grade, and never quite got over me until Brad Sims came along in high school and swept her off her feet. Thank God. Then she became Mrs. Brad Sims, and I couldn’t have been more pleased. It wasn’t that Jenny was bad looking or anything; she just talked incessantly, which annoyed the hell out of me.
    Although I knew Lena could drive—she’d driven all morning—I didn’t think she should anymore in her condition. So, we left her car on the street by the bar. She didn’t strike me as the type of woman to put up with abuse, but perhaps that’s why she was running. If so, I had to give her credit.
     

     
    The guest cottage stood behind the main house on a huge lot my uncle had owned. I pulled my car to the back and stopped in front of the garage door. In order to get to the cottage we’d need to walk up a steep set of stairs beside the garage, and I wasn’t entirely sure Lena would be able to make the climb. I went to offer her a hand up the stairs as she quailed, and I wondered if she cowered out of fear or habit. I held on to her anyway, determined to win her trust, and helped her up the long flight of stairs that led to the front door. To the left of the landing at the top of the stairs our newly installed wood deck balcony graced the front and protruded out above the garage doors. “It’s not much, but it should meet your needs for a few days or however long you need it.”
    Lena almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of the deep, rough bark that came from half way up the stairs as my massive hound dog, complete with drooping ears and loose wrinkled skin, came trudging up with drool dripping from his jowls.
    “ That’d be Rufus. He’ll be your best friend if you rub behind his ears. Otherwise, he’ll just lie beside your feet. Though if you’re not careful, he just might lie on top of them, and believe me, he can be quite heavy.”
    “ Hi there, Rufus.” Lena let go of her coat, crouched down to the dog and rubbed the loose wrinkled skin around his ears as I opened the door to the cottage. “He’s great, how old is he?” she asked, letting the dog slobber all over her.
    “ Ah, he’s about five now. He seems to like you, but if you’re not careful, you’re going to need a bath after he finishes drooling all over you.”
    “ Yeah, well, I need a bath anyway, huh Rufus,” she said with a low voice, pouting her lips as she spoke close to the dog’s head, making my fondness for her grow immensely.
    Her coat hung off her shoulder revealing soft looking white skin , and surprise came over me as I realized I was staring. I thought maybe I should reach down and tug it up before Rufus nuzzled it down any further, but then decided to let it go. I had to remind myself to be careful, she was in no shape for what was going through my mind. “He’s a great tracker, but voracious. He eats about ten pounds of dog food a week.”
    Lena stood up and pulled her coat closed as she walked through the door I held open. “Thanks.” She stepped in, glanced around. “This is perfect.”
    “ It's just a one-room deal, furnished with a small daybed, a couple of end tables, and an old television. There's a small kitchen with your basic ceramic sink, refrigerator, and small stove. The bathroom has a shower and a small tub that you can soak in … if you want.” I cleared my throat as I forced that picture out of my head. I really needed to get a handle on where my mind was