She was just about to back out of the parking spot when she stopped short. A sedan pulled into the spot next to her, Ann waving through the window, no doubt coming in for her shift. Jerica lowered her window as Ann came over. “Hey! How was the ER today?”

  “Busy. Really busy.”

  “Oh boy,” Ann answered. “Guess I have it in for me then, huh?”

  “Probably.” Jerica winced. “I think we sent two or three your way, actually.”

  “I’ll check them out when I get in.” Ann straightened her back but stopped short, leaning down again. “Everything okay?”

  Jerica pressed her lips together hard. “I don’t know. It was a good day, not too bad by normal standards.”

  “Normal? In the ER?”

  “There is a rhythm to it, you know.” Jerica smiled lightly.

  “I don’t think that’s what’s bugging you.”

  Jerica shrugged, not sure she wanted to confess she’d called Bridget, but then again, she and Ann had had long conversations while Jerica had been sitting with Bridget to keep her calm. “I called Bridget.”

  “Oh?” Ann’s eyes lit up. “And?”

  “She didn’t answer. I don’t know that I wanted her to.”

  “Then why did you call?”

  That was the question, wasn’t it? Jerica gave Ann a long look before she gave in. “Because I want to talk to her.”

  “Do you like her?”

  Jerica gave a very small nod as an answer. “I think I do. I want to get to know her better, that much is for sure. I’ve never had a patient quite like her.”

  Ann grinned. “Then give her another call in a few days if she doesn’t answer this one. She’s got a lot going on, Jerica. Give her some time to settle into maybe wanting to think about a relationship. You don’t even know if she’s single.”

  “Don’t you think if she was with someone that they would have shown up at the hospital?”

  “Were you with her the entire time?” Ann raised an eyebrow in her direction.

  “No.”

  “Exactly. You weren’t there twenty-four seven, so you don’t know if they visited and left.”

  “Her best friend was with her more than anyone. I don’t think she’s dating someone.”

  Ann pursed her lips. “Are you sure she’s a lesbian?”

  “Pretty sure.” Jerica flushed at that memory. “She almost asked me once, but I think she chickened out.”

  Sighing, Ann put her hand against the window. “Call her, because if I have to listen to you do this for the next few months, I’m going to hurl.”

  Chuckling, Jerica shook her head. “Fine, I’ll try to call her again if she doesn’t call me back.”

  “Thank you.” Ann tapped the window. “I’m off to work. See you around.”

  “Bye.” Jerica waited for Ann to be clear of her vehicle before she backed out of the parking space and headed to her small apartment.

  After she changed, she drove to Pete’s to meet up with June and some of the other queer women she knew. She stared down at her phone again before she got out of the car and decided to take the chance Ann suggested she did. She dialed Bridget’s number again.

  It was the same thing. Hanging up before leaving a message, Jerica switched and sent Bridget a text, reading it over three times before she hit the send button.

  Hi. It’s Jerica. Your friend gave me your number. I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately and wanted to make sure you were doing okay. If you’d like to talk, just give me a call or text.

  It felt so odd and formal in some ways, but she had no idea what to say. The conversation she wanted to have with Bridget would be far better to try over a phone call than text, but since Bridget likely didn’t know her number, that might be the reason she hadn’t answered. Or she could be lying in bed in so much pain from all her injuries that it was impossible to answer.

  Beyond that last text, she wasn’t going to try and contact Bridget again. She didn’t want to be labeled the crazy stalker nurse. Shoving her phone in her pocket, Jerica looked at Pete’s before getting out of her car. She was going to have some fun and relax and try to push the phone calls and text out of her mind. She wanted to focus on her friends, not on this growing crush she seemed to be harboring.

  It was the end of her work week when Jerica stepped out to the front of the waiting area in the ER. Immediately, she stopped. Bridget sat with her leg propped up in a wheelchair, Eli right behind her pushing her toward the front desk. Bridget looked so forlorn and lost, and Eli looked absolutely determined. She’d seen those looks many times.

  Cocking her head, Jerica stood against the front desk and eyed Bridget head to toe. She did look decently well, which was good. Her color was coming back from all that blood loss in ways it hadn’t while she’d been in the hospital. She didn’t have that ashen look to her anymore.

  Attempting to turn her nursing brain off, Jerica plastered a smile on her lips and waited for them to walk by. Eli saw her right away, eyes lighting up. She stopped the wheelchair right in front of Jerica. Chuckling, Jerica saw it for what it was. Eli liked this little flirting relationship they were doing, and she was trying to make it easier for Bridget to join in.

  “In for a check up?” Jerica planted a smile on her lips.

  Bridget’s chin jerked up, those beautiful blue eyes lighting on Jerica’s face, and her lips quirking upward into a smile as soon as she realized who was talking. Jerica had been right, Bridget wasn’t paying a lick of attention outside of the residual pain she was still feeling. Eli, surprisingly, didn’t answer for Bridget.

  “I am,” Bridget’s voice was far firmer and stronger than when she’d been admitted. It felt so good to hear what she must sound like in full force. She’d been so close to death, and Jerica wasn’t sure if Bridget realized that.

  “I hope it goes well.” Jerica crossed her arms, leaning against the front counter, eyeing Bridget like she had all the time in the world. She didn’t, but she wanted to spend the time with Bridget that she could. Perhaps this was the way to her heart instead of phone calls and text messages.

  “I’ll be right back,” Eli said and walked away.

  Bridget tossed an annoyed glance over her shoulder, but Eli missed it as her back was already turned. Jerica raised her eyebrows. “Guess she had something to do.”

  “Yeah, be a jerk,” Bridget muttered.

  “Why is she a jerk?”

  “She’s really not.” Bridget sighed. “She thinks she’s helping.”

  “Helping with what?” Now Jerica was intrigued. She’d never seen a dynamic duo quite like them, and she could tell they must have had a close relationship for a long time. They talked like they knew everything about each other.

  “Nothing important.” Bridget shifted in the wheelchair. “She insisted I use this thing.”

  “It’s a good break while you’re traipsing the hallways. It takes a bit to get from one side of the hospital to the other.”

  “I could have used the scooter,” Bridget argued.

  Jerica put her hands out, straightening her back. “Hey, I didn’t make you sit in it.”

  “Right. Sorry. I guess…I hate being such an invalid.”

  “Now that I can understand.” Jerica chuckled lightly. “It’s never fun to have to rely on other people for help, but at least it seems as though Eli keeps it interesting.”

  “That she does.” Bridget looked around for her friend, but when there was no sign of her, she turned back to Jerica, effectively stuck in place until someone pushed her. It was somewhat useful for Jerica.

  “How long have you two been friends?”

  “Since kindergarten.” Bridget eyed Jerica. “We were in school together through college and then moved home. I became a sheriff’s deputy, and she’s been working her parent’s ranch.”

  “Sounds interesting. I can’t imagine working on a ranch.”

  “No? It’s a quiet life, that’s for sure. She doesn’t talk to a lot of people so when she gets someone around, she won’t shut up.”

  Jerica laughed lightly. “In other words, you’re all talked out after a week.”

  “I am.” Bridget grimaced. “Don’t tell her I said that though.”

  “Your secret’s safe with me.” Jerica smiled broadly. “I’d ask how everything is going with recovery, but I imagine you’re also tired of that question.”

  “I am.” Bridget shifted her shoulders as if she was suddenly uncomfortable.

  Jerica took the sign for what it was and changed the topic of conversation. “Then we won’t talk about that. Since you’re obviously out of work for a bit, are you finding any time to read those steamy books Eli gave you?”

  Bridget scoffed. “No. Reading is really…not my thing. I’d like it to be, but I’m so bad at it. Eli was always the one who had the brains.”

  “You are the brawn, then.”

  Bridget opened her mouth as though she was going to retort but stopped. “I suppose that’s true.”

  Jerica’s cheeks heated with embarrassment. She wasn’t sure she wanted to admit to Bridget that she had looked at her arms, the strength in the muscles in her body, proven every time she had to get up when she was half-broken. But she had looked, more than a time or two, and she wasn’t about to try and forget those moments.

  “Eli did get into sports with me for a bit there. We even did intervarsity in college for a few years before we got too busy with studies.”

  “What did you major in?”

  Bridget pursed her lips. “Communication. It was an easy A. I needed the degree to do what I really wanted.”

  “Police work?” Jerica took a guess.

  Nodding, Bridget stared up at Jerica. “Yeah. I always wanted to be Sheriff, though I never thought it’d happen as soon as it did. But when the previous Sheriff resigned and I was undersheriff, I was put in the position temporarily until there was a special election the following year.”

  “How long have you been Sheriff then?”

  “Almost two years. I was just re-elected last fall for another two-year term.”

  Jerica smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corner. “Sounds like they like what you’re doing.”

  “Oh yes, but it was a scandal because I ran as a Democrat.”

  Chuckling, Jerica shook her head in disbelief. “Why would that be a scandal?”

  “No one runs as a Democrat and wins where I’m from.”

  “So why did you do it?”

  Bridget smirked. “One, because I had to in order to run. There was a Republican running against me. Two because I really am a Democrat. I just hadn’t registered until then.”

  “This story gets more interesting by the second.”

  “It’s really not that interesting.”

  “I think it is.” Jerica gave her a hard look, hoping Bridget would open up. One thing she had learned about Bridget in her time at the hospital was she did not open up easily. This was the most straightforward and eye-opening conversation they’d had, which was saying something. Jerica would have to be patient.

  “It’s not. I promise you.”

  “Well, then, I’ll just have to wait and see what I can come up with.”

  Bridget’s lips parted, and her gaze narrowed. “You do that. Where did Eli go off to?”

  “Oh, I’m sure she’ll be back before you’re late. I’m sure you’re at least twenty minutes early for your appointment.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “Seems like something you would insist on. Never be late, am I right?”

  “Yes.”

  Chuckling, Jerica gave her a brilliant smile. “You seem like someone who is set in their ways, too.”

  “You might be right about about that.” Bridget gripped the arm of the wheelchair tightly, her knuckles turning white. It was the only sign that the conversation was slightly uncomfortable. “Tell me about you, since you seem to know so much about me.”

  “You’re a Sheriff, and you can’t read me?”

  Bridget pulled her lip between her teeth, seeming to debate whether or not she wanted to take the bait. Finally, she raised an eyebrow in Jerica’s direction. “You’re bold.”

  “Sometimes.”

  “This is your territory, though, so it would make sense that you would be bolder here than anywhere else.”

  “True.” Jerica was enjoying this conversation, the push and pull as they quietly flirted in a room full of people. “What else do you see?”

  “You’re a kind and caring person. I don’t think you would have checked in on me otherwise.”

  Jerica’s heart melted. Bridget may have been right, but it was so much more than that. She wouldn’t have checked in on any patient, but Bridget had been special from the start. She wasn’t quite sure she could explain it any other way. They had a connection, one that Jerica wanted to tug on and see how far it went.

  “I also think you have an ulterior motive in mind, but I can’t figure out what it is.”

  Squatting down so they were on a more even level, Jerica pressed a hand to Bridget’s good knee and squeezed. “You’re not entirely wrong. You made some hints the other day, before you were released, and I wanted to confirm them, as boldly as possible, you might say.”

  “What hints were those?” Bridget’s pupils dilated, but her gaze was locked on Jerica’s.

  Lowering her voice so it would be hard for others to overhear in case Bridget wasn’t as out as Jerica, she asked, “Do you like women?”

  Bridget sucked in a shallow breath of air, the noise hissing through her lips. Her voice trembled as she answered. “Yes.”

  “Well then.” Jerica eyed her up and down. “Would you want to perhaps go on a date with me?”

  “I’m in a wheelchair.”

  “Unless your prognosis has changed from when you left, you won’t be in that wheelchair forever, not that it would make a lick of a difference to me whether you were or not. While I might be interested in your body, Bridget, it isn’t the only thing about you that intrigues me.”

  Bridget stared at her hard, her gaze unnerving, and Jerica almost backed off, gave in, and gave Bridget an out, but on a very basic level she didn’t want to. Jerica wanted an answer, one that was clear as day.

  “Yes,” Bridget answered so quietly Jerica almost missed it.

  “Really?” Jerica raised her eyebrows.

  “Yes.” She sounded far more confident the second time she said it. “I’ll go on a date with you.”

  Grinning from ear to ear, Jerica squeezed Bridget’s knee. “I’ll call you if you like, but we can only go on a date if you actually answer my call or text me back.”

  Giving an embarrassed smile, Bridget nodded. “All right. I promise I’ll answer.”

  “Good.” Jerica stood up straight. Eli came around the corner, glancing at the two of them before waiting for a sign that she should approach. Jerica gave her a confident nod before moving back to the counter. “I’ll see you around, Bridget, and good luck on your appointment today.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Ready?” Eli asked, her hands curling around the handles of the wheelchair.

  “Where the hell have you been? You’re a crappy chauffeur, you know.”

  Eli laughed the admonition off. “Sure I am. I assume you got the girl?”

  Bridget’s cheeks flushed with red, and it moved down her neck.

  “And I see I’m right. Catch you later, Jerica.” Eli laughed as she walked off, pushing Bridget in front of her. Jerica heard Bridget call Eli an asshole before they turned the corner. She couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them. It was the perfect way to end her work week. With a much lighter step, Jerica went back to the ER to finish out the few hours she had left and head home to make one very particular phone call.

  CHAPTER 6

  The shaking woke her up. Flinging her arm out around her, she tried to find purchase, but her body wouldn’t do what it needed to. Her heart rate ramped up, her stomach twisting with nerves as she tried to see what was happening. Bridget pried open her eyes as the scent of cow shit and coffee greeted her.

  “Chill out, Bridge.” Eli’s rough voice hit her, and Bridget calmed, lying back on the mountain of pillows they’d needed for her to be comfortable, and rubbing her hands over her face.

  Even after staying there for just over a week she still couldn’t get used to the fact she wasn’t home and someone else was there. “What time is it?”

  “It’s late, actually, but I don’t think you slept all that well.”

  Embarrassment hit her hard, but she didn’t comment on it.

  “It’s close to nine.”

  “Really?” Turning as much as she could, Bridget grabbed for her cell phone. She hadn’t been able to sleep, the drugs she’d been taking to mitigate her pain were affecting her brain, and she’d had trouble quieting it down. Then when she had fallen asleep, the same damn nightmare hit her as before. At least this time she hadn’t flipped out like she had before.

  “Yeah, and I’m sorry, Bridget, but they’re coming. We’ll make you look your best, you’ll push through it, and then we can break down afterward. All right?”

  “What?” Bridget’s sleep-addled mind struggled to keep up with everything Eli said.

  “Your parents.”

  Her heart sank. She wanted to mold back into the bed and hide away. She absolutely did not want to see them, not at Eli’s, not where it was safe.

  “They said they’d be here in an hour.”

  Groaning, Bridget covered her face. “Okay. I’ll get up.”

  “Good.” Eli leaned over and turned on the lamp on the night stand. She stared down at Bridget expectantly. Yet Bridget still struggled to convince her body to move.

  “Eli?”

  “Yeah?” Eli ran a hand down Bridget’s arm.

  “Make them go away.”

  Eli chuckled lightly. “I will boot them out after an hour at least, but I can’t make them not come up here. I’m pretty sure they won’t listen to me if I tell them not to come.”