“Yes.”

  “Good.” The back door opened. Bridget grabbed her phone quickly and turned it off speaker, shoving it to her ear. “I’ll see you then.”

  “You’ll have to text me where I’m going.”

  “I will. I’ve got to go. Eli just came in.” Bridget looked over her shoulder at her friend, who looked very suspicious about the conversation.

  “See you soon, then.”

  “Talk to you later.” Bridget hung up and set the phone down. She said nothing as Eli came closer, a single eyebrow raised.

  “See you soon, then?”

  Clenching her jaw, Bridget’s cheeks burned. “Yes.”

  “Who, exactly, were you talking to?”

  “Don’t you have something to do?”

  “Yes, and I’m doing it right now.”

  Bridget scoffed. “I meant with your cattle.”

  “No.” Eli crossed her arms. “Who are you going to see?”

  “Jerica.”

  Eli’s smile was brilliant. “I knew it.”

  “Shut up.” Bridget couldn’t stop her cheeks from burning. She grabbed her napkin and threw it at Eli.

  “Nope!” Laughing, Eli walked back into the kitchen. “Want anything to go with that half-eaten sandwich?”

  “Water? I couldn’t manage a drink with my food.”

  “Coming right up.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Bridget’s second full weekend at Indigo was much better than the first. Her pain levels eased up, and she felt far more able to do things, stay awake, and not be as grumpy. She’d even stopped taking most of her pain medications, which was a bonus in her opinion. She was not a fan of the side effects from most of them.

  The house was oddly empty on Friday. She’d gotten used to Eli’s guests being around, even though they seemed to stare at her oddly when trying to figure out her relationship with Eli and why she was there. Eli said there was a day with no one before more guests came, and it was their night to relax and have fun.

  Bridget dragged herself up the stairs from the basement and situated herself in the den. While she normally would have stayed downstairs most of the day, she wanted the sunlight, and since she wasn’t going to bother anyone, she claimed her spot on the love seat in the den again. She put her leg up and stared out the large picture window in the back the house.

  She’d always loved Eli’s house, even as a kid. The Wilsons had done a good job when finding land for it and making it a home. For years she’d felt more at home here than in her own house. If only it had been. She wondered how she would have turned out different, if she’d have been as confident as Eli in her sexuality.

  Rain clouds moved in swiftly, though it didn’t look to be a bad thunderstorm. The water would be good for the crops since they were in such a permanent drought lately. Bridget was somewhat happy she could avoid working that shift. Being out in the rain was not her preference, but it was all part of the job.

  A job she missed.

  Eli plopped down in the chair adjacent to the couch and eyed her. “What are you thinking about?”

  “Nothing important,” Bridget avoided.

  Scrunching her nose, Eli set her mug on the coffee table before shifting to start a fire. “It’s going to rain.”

  “I can see that.” She glanced out the window again. If she was feeling more up to it, she would take herself outside and sit in one of Eli’s many porch swings and watch the storm come in like she was some old lady. But she didn’t have the energy for that. “I made it up the stairs by myself today.”

  “I see that.” Eli winked over her shoulder as she set the logs ablaze. “That’s good. Didn’t damage yourself in the process?”

  “Only hit my ankle once.”

  Eli snorted lightly and shook her head before returning to her seat. “What were you thinking about earlier, though?”

  “It’s really not important.”

  “Was it that girl?”

  “No, actually.” Bridget rubbed her temple. “Though I probably should figure out what kind of date we can do here that doesn’t require a lot of work.”

  “You know I’ll help with it.”

  “I’d appreciate that.”

  “But you were thinking something. I’ve seen that look before, what is it?”

  “What look?” Bridget furrowed her brow, giving Eli a hard stare. She wasn’t quite ready for this topic of conversation yet. She needed to ease into the fact that she missed everything she couldn’t do because if she dove straight into that one she would likely end up in tears again—something she was determined to go a whole day without doing.

  “I don’t know how to describe it.” Eli took a sip from her mug. “But that look usually doesn’t mean anything good.”

  “What are you even talking about?”

  Eli sighed. “That look usually means you’re sliding into a depression.”

  “Oh.” Bridget pressed her lips together, cold washing through her body at the thought. She wouldn’t deny that she’d been close to that a few times. The amount of crying she’d done lately was a testament to it, but she had been making progress. “I suppose you’re not wrong.”

  “So what were you thinking about?”

  “Work, honestly. I miss it. I miss doing something.”

  “You and me have always had that in common, haven’t we? The need to do something, otherwise we get in trouble.”

  Bridget nodded, though she couldn’t look Eli in the eyes. She hadn’t realized Eli was still so good at reading her. Yet she should have figured that out. Knowing each other their entire lives made it easy to do. Bridget bristled. “I don’t know when I’ll get back.”

  “It’ll be too soon, I guarantee that.”

  “Probably.” Bridget chuckled lightly and stared at her hands.

  “Why don’t you invite some of the deputies up here and hang out with them tonight? The house is ours since I don’t have any guests, and I know they’d love to see you. They’ve been asking after you every time I go to town. They find my truck and pull me over.”

  Bridget shook her head, bewildered. “Do they really?”

  “Yes. You’re apparently not answering phone calls and have gone AWOL on them. Fix that please. I have a small heart attack every time I get pulled over.”

  “Jesus, I’ll talk to them about that.”

  “Just answer your fucking phone once in a while and they won’t have to.”

  Bridget gave her a mock glare. “Fine, I’ll invite them up tonight. But I’ll make them bring the beer.”

  “Good thinking.” Eli pointed at her. “Now, what’s your hesitation with Jerica? Because I see you already trying to get out of that one.”

  “You are not my therapist, Eli.”

  Eli knocked her head to the side, pinning Bridget with a determined look. “We can talk about that some other day, but I am the person in this town who knows you the best. Can we agree on that?”

  “Yes.”

  “So I can tell when you’re hedging, and ever since you agreed to a date, you’ve been trying to figure out a way to get out of it, from being too busy—which everyone knows you aren’t—to not being able to do anything nice for it. What’s going on?”

  “I just got run over by a combine and you think I should be dating someone in the middle of that?”

  Eli narrowed her gaze, and Bridget could tell that Eli didn’t quite believe her. To be fair, Bridget didn’t believe her own line of bullshit either, but it was a decent enough reason to avoid dating. They sat in silence for a bit, Eli definitely working through something in that brain of hers. Bridget withdrew, hiding within her own thoughts and fears until Eli’s voice drew her out again.

  “Is that why you’re avoiding the deputies?”

  “What?”

  “Because you don’t want to know what happened.” It wasn’t a question.

  Bridget frowned. “I suppose that’s part of it.”

  “Here’s the thing. This accident is going to be the talk of town for a while. When you go back to work, it’s going to all come back up again. When you get back to full duty—which I know you will—it’ll start up again. You can’t run away from it unless you move to another town, and even then you’re going to have to explain to your new boss what happened.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “So just get it over with already. Rip the Band-Aid off, do it on your own terms, and I can always kick them out when you get too tired.”

  Bridget laughed lightly. “Are you my protector now?”

  Eli shook her head, her eyes squinting in the corners as she held in her laugh. “I think you’ll always be mine, no matter what our friendship has done. But no, I’m the one who pushes you to think outside your little box, remember?”

  “I suppose,” Bridget mumbled.

  “So about Jerica, I like her, and I think you do, too, otherwise you wouldn’t be sitting here debating yourself for weeks on end.”

  “I do not do that.”

  “You do. But you agreed to a date with her, so don’t cancel it.”

  Bridget huffed. “How am I supposed to date a girl when I can’t even walk?”

  “I don’t think she cares about that, and plenty of people do it, to be honest.” Eli took another sip of her tea. “You’ve got to get out of your comfort zone if you’re ever going to meet someone, because as you well know, I’m no longer available.”

  “Yes, I know.” Bridget rolled her eyes dramatically.

  Eli set her drink down and leaned over, her elbows resting on her knees as she pinned Bridget with a heavy look. “Here’s another thing, you need to open up to her. You’re not someone who does that naturally, and it’s going to take a whole lot of effort on your part, but if you really want this relationship—or any relationship for that matter—to work, then you need to let someone in.”

  “You’re in.”

  Eli shook her head. “No, I’m not. I used to be, but I haven’t been for a while.”

  Bridget pursed her lips. She knew Eli was right, even if she didn’t want to admit it. “I know. It’s not easy.”

  “It’s not supposed to be, and you have a lot to contend with when it comes to that, but I think you can do it. I have full confidence that you can.”

  “What makes you the expert?” Bridget narrowed her eyes.

  “You did, apparently.” Eli laughed and leaned back in her chair again. “This group of visitors is the last one for a few weeks.”

  “Why?”

  Eli raised an eyebrow at her. “Sarah’s coming into town for our wedding.”

  “Your…” Bridget stopped. She’d been so damn caught up in her own drama that she’d forgotten. “Right. She doesn’t…I can leave—”

  “Sarah’s fine with you being here,” Eli answered, assuming where Bridget was going with that. “She’s not too thrilled about you being in the basement with me, but she understands there isn’t really any other place to put you.”

  “I can go home.”

  “You just figured out how to get up the stairs on your own and you still need help in the bath. You’re not staying on your own.”

  Bridget didn’t respond. She knew it was true, and she wasn’t going to offer to go to her parents’ house, ever. That was far out of the question, especially if she was going to start dating Jerica properly—if they made it beyond their first date.

  “Sarah doesn’t mind, I promise you,” Eli continued. “It’s just with the wedding coming, all the family is coming in, and it will be a very full house.”

  “You’re getting married here?”

  “Where else would we do it? This is home, and I host weddings here all the time.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Bridge, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I’m happy for you, really, even if I made an ass of myself when you two first met.”

  Eli snorted. “Yes, an ass is a good term to use. Sarah’s over it.”

  “Because she got the girl.”

  “Probably.” Eli smiled. “You’ll get one too someday. I have faith in that.”

  Bridget wanted to tell her that it was good thing she did because Bridget wasn’t so sure on that. She liked Jerica enough, but everything was so new, and her life was in such upheaval. She wasn’t sure it would work out that way. Hell, they hadn’t even had their first date yet and she was already thinking about the future and weddings. She shook the thought from her head and focused on the here and now. One date. That was what they needed to start with, and at some point Bridget was going to have to come out to her parents, even though she suspected they already knew.

  If she wanted to get married to a woman, and have any semblance of a normal life, she was going to have to take that step and stop avoiding it. She just hadn’t found the woman she was willing to do that for yet—which should have told her something about her relationship with Eli all those years before. Sighing, Bridget eyed the window as rain fell outside. The scent of wet dirt surrounded her, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the quiet moment for what it was.

  She’d put the word out and just about everyone jumped on it, except for those who were still working, though she was sure they would stop by at some point during the night when they had a few moments. Eli gathered together what food supplies she had since there was no way to have deputies there without feeding them.

  The dining room table was filled with snacks, and Bridget was sitting up on the couch, her leg propped on the knee scooter to keep it elevated. Eli bustled around as Bridget watched her from a distance, somewhat envious of the fact that Eli could still move like that while she was stuck in one damn position for hours on end.

  She hated not being able to help out in any way other than being out of the way. Sighing, Bridget rubbed her temples. She did have to stop thinking about it like that. She needed to buck up and stop wallowing in self-pity. Hopefully having her deputies there would help.

  Eli came in and handed her a plate and a drink. “They should be here soon.”

  “I know,” Bridget mumbled. “I don’t look like I got run over by a combine, do I?”

  Eli knocked her head back and forth as she eyed Bridget over carefully. “Only halfway run over.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Your bruising looks a lot better, if you ask me. I think the most obvious things are the broken limbs. They probably won’t even notice the yellow tint to your skin.”

  “Some friend you are!” Bridget would have thrown something at her to make her point, but then she would feel bad because she couldn’t pick it up. “You think they’ll tell me what happened?”

  “Do you want to know?”

  “Kind of?” Bridget raised an eyebrow at her. “Yes. I do want to know.”

  “Then ask. I saw your cruiser out in Jensen’s lot. I can always bring you by it if you want to see.”

  “You know, I would.”

  “Next appointment then, we’ll swing by on our way in.”

  “Good.”

  The front door opened. The rain that had started earlier that day was still falling outside, so the pinging against the tin roof was loud. Bridget twisted as best as she could to look over her shoulder and grinned when she saw Chip and his wife.

  Everyone else arrived soon after, and Bridget found herself laughing and enjoying their company. She was slow to drink, but at least she was relaxed. Eli played hostess most of the night, but Chip eventually coaxed her into joining them for a bit.

  When there was a break in the conversation, Bridget dared to ask. “Does anyone want to fill me in on some of my missing memories?”

  Silence fluttered around the room, Bridget looking at each of her deputies openly.

  “I’d really like to know.”

  Chip sighed heavily. “Sonny was drunk. He didn’t know what he was doing.”

  “He didn’t,” Oscar chimed in. “Just a drunk fool.”

  “All right, so then what happened? All I remember is getting ready in the morning, so I’m missing most of that day.” Bridget waited for an answer.

  Chip was the first to break. “You were pulling Sonny over for drunk driving. He was in the middle of the highway, weaving back and forth. No one dared pass him. We got maybe ten calls in about it.”

  Oscar nodded his agreement.

  Chip continued, “You were the only one on, so you followed him for about two miles, and he never noticed you. According to witnesses, you pulled up on the side of him to try and get his attention or something, and he just…he turned into you. He sheared off about half your cruiser.”

  Bridget clenched her jaw. “Sheared off?”

  Oscar nodded. “I was first on scene. You were halfway stuck under the wheel, your arm…well, it wasn’t good, Bridget. It took us about an hour to get you out. You were bleeding pretty bad. The whole highway was shut down for hours while we got everything moved.”

  “Okay.” She brushed her good hand over her face. “Thanks. Thank you, really. You probably saved my life.”

  “Nothing you wouldn’t do for us.”

  Bridget eyed them as if she was debating, though they all knew it was a lie. However, it was enough to lighten the mood of the conversation back to the jovial tones it had before. Eli brought out another round of beer for everyone, Bridget taking her up on the offer this time. Now that the tension she’d been carrying was out of the way, she wanted to fully enjoy herself while she could, because who knew how long this was going to last.

  Because nothing good ever lasted for her.

  They drank late into the evening, but at some point, Eli ushered them out. Bridget’s head spun as she sat on the couch that she hadn’t moved from in hours. Eli flopped next to her, tipping a beer bottle to her lips as she stared across at the glowing fire.

  “I’m glad you invited them up,” Eli mumbled.

  “Me too. I missed them.”

  “They’re part of your family, you know. They love you.”

  Bridget wanted to reject the notion, but at the same time, she didn’t. It felt good to be needed and loved like that. It was in some ways one of the few times she had felt like she was a part of something in her life. Instead, she remained quiet, not answering Eli one way or the other.