Page 49 of Jonathan

She was the widow of a very wealthy man and the mother of the heir to a fortune. Yes, she acknowledged that she was still beautiful, despite her advanced years, but most of them looked at her and saw dollar signs.

She had listened to stories from friends and acquaintances. Women who had been unable to bear the loneliness and jumped into relationships, only to suffer immense regret.

She was not capable of falling for another man, the way she had with James, and she accepted the status quo. Trailing a finger over the laughing face, she fought back the tears and wished to God that he was still here with her.

“Our son needs you, darling.” She whispered achingly. “Now more than ever. I don’t know what to do for him. He’s in love, deep and over his head and I am terribly afraid that she is going to hurt him. And there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.”

Leaning back, she clasped the framed photo to her chest and closed her eyes wearily.

*****

Slapping his hands on the blue green tiles, he ducked his head, closing his eyes as the steaming hot water pommeled him. He did not want to think. His emotions were too raw, his insides bruised, and his body exhausted. It had been a hell of a day that had started out so wonderfully good.

Making sweet love to the woman he was beginning to think of as his own and serving her breakfast.

He had shared some things he never shared with another living soul, had taken her to visit his dad’s grave and had every intention of taking her back to make love to her until they were both weak and unable to cope.

How could he have imagined it would turn out to be such a disaster and a near tragedy? How could he predict that one of his own men, albeit an itinerant would do something like that? Would wreak such havoc in their lives?

Touching the knob, he turned off the water and just stood there with droplets dripping off him. Clenching his hands into fists, he slammed it against the tiles until the skin was broken and even then, he did not feel the pain.

Turning, he braced himself against the tiles and slowly slid down, his knees weak. Clasping his hands between his thighs, he stared at the bruises, actually surprised to see them there.

Still staring at the bruises, his mind wandered back to the past few hours. He remembered the terror in her eyes when the attack had started, her desperate cries for help.

He had been like a man possessed, driven by the primal instinct to protect her, to keep her safe from harm. But the damage had been done, and he felt an overwhelming sense of failure. He had promised her safety, and yet she had been hurt.

Jon felt a surge of anger rising within him. Anger at himself for not being able to prevent the incident, anger at the world for its unpredictability. He had wanted to give her the world, to show her the depths of his love, but now all he had to offer her – was what? He wondered.

As he sat there, the water cooling around him, he thought about his mother. He knew she worried about him, that she saw the pain he tried to hide. He remembered her words, her gentle voice urging him to be careful, to protect his heart. But he was in too deep, too far gone to turn back now.

He took a deep breath and stood up, the cold tiles pressing against his back. He had to face her; had to see the woman he loved and assure her that they would get through this. Together.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he stepped out of the shower, water still dripping from his hair. Toweling himself dry, he searched for a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt.

He had told his mother that he had to be up early, but the truth was that he was afraid to go to sleep. The cold dread was inside him that the minute he closed his eyes, he would get the call that something had happened.

That some complications had come up and she had taken a turn for the worse. He should not have left her side, he thought angrily, as he paced the length of the bedroom.

For the first time in his life, the place felt like a prison. Moving towards the recessed cabinet, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and took it with him to bed. He would try not to get drunk out of his mind, but he needed something to take the edge off and make him sleep.

*****

Her eyes flickered open and for a few seconds, she had no idea where she was. A frown touched her brow as she stared at the snowy white walls and the unfamiliar surroundings.

Turning her head, she felt a jolt at the machines humming at the side. Then memories, the awful reality of what she went through came tumbling back in rapid order.

She had been kidnapped, dragged from the cabin at gun point. Assaulted and almost raped and had to fight tooth and nail to get away from the bastard who had been determined to have his way with her. A sob escaped her, and she clamped down on her bottom lip to stop it. She was not a damn victim.

But it’s just that she had spent her entire life in the big city, hopping from country to country and never experienced anything like this before. The irony was that she had come to a small town to get some R&R, a place that was noted for its peaceful existence and almost crime-free reputation.

Blinking back the enraged tears, she looked for him and when it was evident he was not in the room, she felt a sudden sense of acute longing. She wanted him with her, wanted to feel his strong arms around her, to reassure her that everything wasgoing to be fine, that the bastard was really dead, and she had nothing to fear.

“No.” She whispered. “You’re not a damsel in distress. You survived it. And you certainly don’t need a man to tell you that you’re okay.” Inhaling sharply, she fought to quell the panic and fear welling up inside her.

She felt shaky and weak. The bandage on her shoulder was plain to see and was an evidence of what had happened. The fact that she was still here, and breathing was an immense relief to her, because she was aware that it could have gone a different way. If Jon and his men had not…

Shaking her head, she fought the unconsciousness trying to claim her. She would go back home of course. And first thing in the morning, she was going to have to tell her family what had happened to her.

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