Lissa was just as relieved to still be alive and was grateful for Mack’s presence.
“I just want to lie down,” she said.
“Sure thing, honey,” he said, and he helped her to the bedroom. He pulled back the covers as she kicked off her shoes and eased down onto the mattress.
“Oh, dear God, every muscle in my body aches,” she whispered, then rolled over and closed her eyes. The pillow was cool against her cheek as Mack pulled up the covers.
“You need to rest, too,” she said.
“Don’t worry about me, honey. I’m a couple of days ahead of you on healing. I’ll be back shortly. I just have a few phone calls to make.”
Mack’s steps were long and measured as he headed for his dad’s office. It was time to make arrangements for the memorial service. He sat down at the desk, and as he did, he felt his father’s presence so strongly it made him ache.
“I miss you,” he said, then he called Pastor Farley.
The church secretary answered, then transferred his call. Pastor Farley answered immediately.
“Pastor Farley speaking,” he said.
“It’s me, sir. Mack Jackson. You told me to give you a call when I was ready to schedule the memorial service.”
“Yes. Of course,” the pastor said. “What did you have in mind?”
Mack went through the list of things he wanted to include. After a brief discussion regarding dates and times, they settled on the day after next at 2:00 p.m.
“Wednesday at two,” Pastor Farley repeated. “I’ll have my secretary get it in the daily paper, and we’ll need a eulogy from you.”
Mack sighed. “I’ll get it to you tomorrow. I just got Melissa home from the hospital, and we’re both beat.”
“Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want flowers at the church?”
Mack sighed. “Yes. I forgot about that. I’ll call them now.” He disconnected, then found the number and called the florist.
A few minutes later he hung up again and got up to take his pain meds. There were other things he probably should do, like check in at the lumberyard. Maybe get one of the casseroles from the church ladies out of the freezer. Check to see if he had any messages. But all he could think about was getting to his bedroom and lying down beside the woman he loved. He’d lost her ten years ago and by the grace of God had her back. He would tend to business later.
He downed the meds and headed back to his bedroom, where he stopped in the doorway. All he could see was the back of her head and a tangle of honey-colored curls. She looked so small beneath the covers, but her heart and courage made up for her lack of height.
He stripped off clothes as he went until he was down to undershorts and a T-shirt, and then he eased into bed, being careful not to jostle her awake.
Thick golden eyelashes rested lightly on the bruise around her eye. The bruise would fade, but his love never would. He leaned over just far enough to kiss her cheek, then stretched out beside her and closed his eyes.
Seventeen
Lissa woke up to the sound of rain on the roof. The first thought that went through her head was that the students wouldn’t be allowed to go out at recess, which meant she would be penned in with a room full of antsy six-year-olds.
And then she remembered and rolled over.
Mack was asleep beside her, still her Mack, just a little older and a whole lot sexier. He wore maturity well, but he looked as battered as she felt. There were so many staples in his left arm it looked like he had a zipper, and she knew his back was bandaged again because the doctor had needed to repair what he’d done to himself in getting her to safety. They were both wrecks, but still here and still together. It was enough.
She slipped out of bed and then hobbled her way to the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later feeling better for having slept and slightly surprised it was only a little after 5:00 p.m. She’d thought she’d slept all night, not just through the afternoon.
When she got back to the bedroom she changed out of the scrubs she’d come home in and into sweatpants and a long-sleeved T-shirt. After pulling the shirt over her head, she reached up to finger comb her curls back into place and, as she did, accidentally touched the cut the doctors had fixed.
Then she wondered if her hair was bloody and had to go back to the bathroom to look. To her surprise, it wasn’t, and she could only assume that when they flushed the cut to clean it, they must have rinsed the blood from her hair, as well. What she did see was a small circle about the size of a half-dollar that had been shaved before they had glued the edges of the cut back together again. But when she fluffed the curls back around the spot, it disappeared. So there was a reason for thick, curly hair after all.
She put on a pair of warm socks and some slippers, and headed for the kitchen. She was hungry and thirsty, and guessed Mack would wake up the same way.
She got a drink and then started to dig through the refrigerator before she remembered the donated food he’d put in the freezer. She looked until she found a casserole full of meat and vegetables, then put it in the oven to heat. A little too hungry to wait for it to be ready, she got a couple of Frieda Sanford’s cookies and sat down at the kitchen table with those and a glass of milk.
She had just taken the first bite of her last cookie when she heard Mack’s footsteps.
“There you are,” he said, and leaned down to give her a quick kiss. “Mmm, you taste like cookies.”
“Open wide,” she said, and when he did, she poked the rest of her cookie in his mouth. “Some of Frieda Sanford’s cookies,” she said. “I was starving, so I got a casserole out of the freezer and put it in the oven. It should be ready in about an hour or so.”
He got a bottle of pop from the refrigerator and then sat down at the table with her.
“I talked to Pastor Farley while you were asleep. I’ve set Dad’s memorial service for Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. When they finally release his body, we’ll do a graveside burial without a need for ceremony.”
Lissa circled the table, sat down in his lap and kissed him.
“It’s a little daunting to know you’re in the world without another soul who shares your blood, isn’t it?”
He nuzzled a spot behind her ear and then hugged her, taking care not to squeeze too tight.
“It would be hell except for you. We are family, Melissa, even though the ceremony has yet to happen. We belong—you to me and me to you.”
“And the babies to come,” she added.
He was still smiling, but there were tears in his voice when he said, “Yes...and the babies to come.”
* * *
The next morning dawned damp and cold, and they were both trying to find comfortable clothes for the day. Mack was digging through the clothes he’d brought with him from home, looking for something to wear that would still be comfortable on his shoulder and arm, when he realized tomorrow was the memorial service and everything he needed was at his house in Summerton.
“Well, hell,” he muttered, as he shoved a dresser drawer shut.
Lissa had on a pair of jeans and a sweater, and was looking for a clean pair of socks to wear with her boots, when she heard him slam the drawer shut with a curse.
“What’s wrong?”
“Tomorrow is the memorial service, and the clothes I need are back at my house in Summerton.”
“Oh, you’re right! Mine aren’t here, either, but at least my house is closer than yours. I don’t think Louis...er, Reece or...whoever...got to that part of my closet, although he did tear up a lot of stuff.”
Mack frowned. “We’ll go check at your house first, and if you can’t find anything you want, we can go shopping in Summerton.”
“I’m sure I can find something. My winter clothes were actually still packed away in another room, so he didn’t even get to them. I’ll be fine.” Then she eyed the frown on his face. “Are you up to driving that far? We could probably get someone to take us if—”
“No, of course I can do it,” he said. “Do you feel like riding that far?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine. Besides, I want to see your home.”
“Soon to be our home,” he said.
“Then, why the frown?” she asked, as she traced a finger down the line between his eyebrows.
“I dread the service. I have to drop the eulogy off at the church. Getting the right clothes together is one more thing. It’s not an issue. I just made it a roadblock when it didn’t need to be.”
Lissa slid her arms around his waist and laid her cheek against the middle of his chest. The steady thump of his heartbeat always had the power to center her world, and today was no different.
“It will be okay because we’ll do it together, remember?”
He exhaled slowly as he pulled her close. “God, I am so grateful for you. I hope one day you realize how much I love you.”
She cupped his face. “You always were my hero, even before you saved my life.”
And just like that, all the tension he was feeling faded.
“So, my sweet lady, are you ready to go see your new home?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Lissa said. “But first I need shoes.”
She moved out of his arms to finish dressing, leaving him with a slight, but heartfelt, smile on his face.
A short while later they pulled into her driveway.