His cell buzzed and he reached for it. It was Rosa.
“Mr. Cadde, you haven’t called and we’re worried sick.”
He walked out of the bedroom to the living area, not wanting to disturb Jessie. “Jessie’s fine. She’s asleep.”
“Asleep? Where?”
He could hear the anger in Rosa’s voice and he let it go because he knew she was concerned. Drawing a patient breath, he explained what had happened.
“Bring Miss Jessie home. I’ve been taking care of her since she was seven years old.”
“She’s asleep, Rosa, and I’m not disturbing her.”
“Then I’ll come there and I’ll take her to see Mirry tomorrow.”
Cadde’s patience only stretched so far. “Stay there and make sure Felix feeds Jessie’s animals. She stays here with me. I hope we’re clear on that.”
There was a slight pause. “Yes, sir.”
“If you want to do something, you can bring her some clothes in the morning. They had to throw away her T-shirt and bra.”
“I’ll be there at eight.”
Cadde clicked off and thought how Jessie must feel with two people hovering around her at all times. Was it similar to being a bird in a cage, unable to fly, unable to experience freedom? No wonder she had fired the guards.
Running his hands over his face, he wondered where his Stetson was. It had to be in the truck. Lately, he had a hard time keeping up with his hat. Facing forty was doing a number on his memory.
Or was it Jessie?
Flipping off the lights, he went down the hall to the bedroom. Jessie was out. He sat at the foot of the bed and removed his boots and socks. Taking a deep breath, he stood and whipped off his shirt and jeans. After turning off the light, he slipped beneath the sheet on the other side of Jessie.
He was dog tired and surprised he was even functioning after the dreaded hangover from last night. A few hours of sleep and he’d be as good as new. Somewhere between that deep abyss of complete relaxation and consciousness he heard Jessie scream.
“Cadde!” She sat bolt upright. “There’s no light. There’s no light.”
What was she talking about? He scooted closer and pulled her back into the bed. “It’s okay. You’re just having a bad dream.” Or at least that’s what he hoped it was.
“I can’t sleep without the light, Cadde. I can’t.”
So that was it, and the reason the lights were always on at the house. Jessie still had fears from her childhood. He wasn’t good at consoling or any of that stuff. He was an action man, anything to keep from opening his heart. His mother had said that she hoped he found an understanding woman who could reach his sensitive side.
He let out a long breath. “I’m here, Jessie. We don’t need a light.”
She snuggled into him, a hand on his bare chest. That wasn’t what he had in mind, but she felt good. Maybe too good.
Before he knew it, she was asleep again, one leg looped over his. Luckily, he was too tired for the sensation to ignite other parts of his body. He did what any man would do. He held her. Maybe that was all she needed—to know that someone was there. That someone cared.
CADDE WOKE UP AT FIVE and crawled out of bed, careful not to wake Jessie. After a shower, he shaved and then changed into jeans and a white shirt. Jessie was still out. He left a light on in the bathroom just in case she woke up before dawn. He didn’t want her to be afraid.
In the kitchen, he made a pot of coffee and searched for food. There wasn’t any. With all the trauma, they hadn’t eaten last night. He could go and get something, but Jessie might wake up and he needed to be here. His other option was Kid or Chance. Chance had a family so he called Kid. The call went to voice mail. Damn!
Another option was Barbara. She was used to his early calls. Within thirty minutes Barbara knocked on the door. That was the good thing about having a middle-aged secretary. They were dependable, responsible and always up before dawn. There would be a bonus in her paycheck.
He pulled the food from the bag. A double order of scrambled eggs, sausage and biscuits were in a foam take-out container. Yogurt, strawberries, blueberries and a cantaloupe were in a bag. He just stared. He thought the fruit would be cut up on a tray. Well, he could handle this. It wasn’t like drilling an oil well.
After washing the strawberries and blueberries, he drained them on paper towels and tackled the cantaloupe. His mother had cut them all the time, but he’d never watched. It just magically appeared on the table. How hard could it be? He took a knife and split it open and cleaned the seeds from the inside. Then he started cutting slices.
The door opened and Kid burst in. “You called? What’s up?”