“Ma’am, I’m not going to tell you again. Go sit on the sidewalk and stay out of our way.”
Smoke filled the air around them, fire licking at the walls of the building Autumn valued so much. Thirty animals were inside, helpless creatures that probably wouldn’t make it and it was all because of her. She’d tried several times to go inside, each time a bulky fireman pulled her back. This time though, the fireman simply dared her to disobey.
She glared at him. “Those animals are hurt and I’m a veterinarian. I need to help them.”
“Those animals are probably dead.” He shoved her aside. “Now move out of our way.”
She refused to cry. She had left for lunch with Jeffery and Kristin feeling good about their accomplishments for the day. Dodo was inside, and so was Bear, a beloved family pet of a small child with cancer. Two litters of puppies and several that simply had come in for shots while their owners were working. Autumn’s heart shattered at the thought of losing all those beloved pets. She needed to get those animals out safely, no matter what the stupid fireman said.
“Autumn, why don’t you sit down?” Kristin handed her a bottle of water and ushered her to a vacant bench in front of the clinic, away from everything.
“I need to get those animals out.” Autumn met Jeffery’s eyes. “Please. Can’t we do something?”
Her brother pursed his lips and glanced at the building. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Why is he doing this to me?” Tears gathered in her eyes but she refused to let them fall.
“I don’t know. He’s a sadistic bastard.” Kristin wrapped her arms around Autumn. “It’s not your fault.”
“Yes, it is.”
Jackson’s truck pulled into the parking lot. He and Davis burst from the truck and ran over to where they sat. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“It’s him.” Autumn pulled away from Kristin. “ We went to lunch and came back to the place erupting in flames. He obviously found out he couldn’t get to me by normal means so he decides to torch the place and kill the animals inside.”
A small sob escaped her as she started to walk away from the blazing building, Jackson right behind her. “Autumn, come here.”
She tried to pull away but he was stronger. His arms tucked her against his warmth and strength even though she fought him. She hated crying in front of people. She hated the sympathy.
“There’s a dog in there that belongs to a cancer patient.” She sniffled. “His name is Bear, and he’s been helping the little girl win her fight with it. And Dodo’s in there. She may seem like a grumpy pit bull, but she’s really sweet and lovable. And there’s two litters if pups with their momma’s—” Her voice broke.
“Shh.” He kissed her, using one hand to keep her close and the other to comfort. “We’ll get them out. I promise. Davis is already over there with the firemen.
“It’s all my fault.”
Jackson kissed her forehead. “You are not to blame, sweetheart. Davis and I need to talk to you and the police about all this.”
She glanced up at him. If she didn’t know better, he was angry. “Where have the two of you been all day?”
“Nowhere.”
She arched an eyebrow.
“I’ll tell you about it later.”
He kissed her, holding her to him. She knew he was up to something, with both he and Davis gone for nearly the entire day. When the phone call was made earlier, she’d been frank with Jeff, instructing him to tell Jackson about the fire and that she needed him here. Autumn wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his shoulder, relishing the comfort of his scent and warmth.
“I love you, Jackson. I don’t expect you to say it back, but I had to tell you. I couldn’t go another minute without saying it to you.”
It was the truth. With all her heart, Autumn loved the man. And him being here, her in his arms and surrounded by his comfort, only made her acknowledge it more. She felt safe with him. No matter what happened in the world, being wrapped in his arms would keep her safe from harm.
“Autumn!” Jeffery yelled. “Come here!”
Autumn jerked away from Jackson, following the direction Jeffery’s finger pointed. Davis was charred with soot, a dog carrier in each hand. Two firemen followed him also carrying animal crates.
Jackson grabbed her hand and they ran to the animals. Summer jumped in examining the puppies and their mothers while Autumn examined the larger dogs. Dodo and Bear were fine. Bear had minor smoke inhalation and was coughing, but his tail wagged and his ears were alert. Dodo growled at everyone who looked at her wrong, and Autumn couldn’t help laughing at the stubborn dog.
“Doc, one of the mothers is hurt. She has a few burns on her back. I think she was protecting her puppies from the fire.”
Autumn grabbed her bag and began taking care of the animal, assessing and dressing the wound. She checked over the puppies as well, counting them and noting any disturbances.
After working with the animals for a few minutes, Autumn was satisfied each of them would survive. She doctored the hurt, loved the scared, and petted the contrary. You lose again, Frank. Might as well give up.
“Well, sis, you’re the miracle worker.” Davis wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a light kiss to her temple. “Again.”
It wasn’t often that Davis was nice to her, but he always showed he cared. “Thank you for helping.”
“What was I suppose to do?” He moved away from her and picked up one of the puppies that was whining for attention. “Leave these little guys in there to die. I don’t think so.”
The bloodhound licked at Davis’s fingers and nibbled on them as he scratched its belly. Autumn pet the dog in his arms and shook her head. “You need one of those.”
“Yeah. You gonna take care of him while I’m out of the country?”
“Sure.” She focused her attention on the mother. “I’d rather you have a dog than a kid.”
Davis chuckled. “You and me both.”
* * * *
After fighting the fire most of the night, the crew returned to Autumn’s house. Davis called dibs on the shower first, though all of them felt gritty and were plenty dirty.
Autumn pointed her finger at him. “If you use all the hot water, I’ll murder you in your sleep.”
“Kiss my ass.” Davis hit his rear and headed down the hall.
Kristin grabbed a few towels to throw over the sofa and recliner to keep them from getting dirty and the rest of the crew plopped down, exhausted from the night full of events.
“Bed sounds really nice,” Jeffery commented, rubbing his eyes. “Did you guys find out anything?”
Jackson had the loveseat all to himself and stretched out the length of it. “Yep. Gallagher is running a puppy mill for one thing, breeding mostly pit bulls. There were a few other breeds, but they looked mostly hybrid. We also think he’s into dog fighting. He has a ring in his backyard and everything.”
“What?” Autumn sat up from her spot in the recliner. “You went to Frank’s house today? That’s where you and Davis were all that time?”
Jackson propped his head up with his hands. “Don’t be pissed, Autumn. We’ve all had a long day. I promise you can yell at me first thing in the morning.”
She stared at him, mouth open, eyes wide. “No. I’ll yell at you now if I damn well please! What do you mean he’s running a puppy mill? Did you report him to the police? You should have stayed until they came and took care of everything. They need to be out of there.”
Jackson groaned and dropped his head back. “Here we go.”
“And what about the dog fighting? Did you see them? Did he have the animals fighting while you were there?” Autumn paused and glared at him. “What do you mean ‘here we go’?”
“Autumn, all I’m asking for is a break. I’m tired. I stink, and I really just want some sleep.” Jackson sat up. “So I’m asking you to hold off on the bitching and complaining until morning and then you can have at it.”
“Fine.” Autumn stood and directed her attention to Jeffery and Kristin. “Good night.”
She left the room annoyed and frustrated with Jackson. This was the second time he wanted to wait until morning to talk things over. He never wanted to deal with anything in the moment.
She went straight to the bathroom and ran a tubful of water adding strawberry scented bubbles. She tossed her dirty clothes in the hamper making a mental note to carry them to the wash first thing in the morning. All she could smell was the stench of smoke, and if she didn’t watch it, her entire bathroom would smell that way.
After lighting a few candles, she dimmed the lights, and closed the door. Then, she stepped into the bath and sank back in the large tub. Intent on relaxing, she grabbed her pink blindfold and pulled it over her eyes. It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t let Frank get to her tonight.
She hadn’t been in the bathtub five minutes before the unlocked door opened. Immediately, she knew she forgot something. She pushed the blindfold up and narrowed her eyes at Jackson. “Go away.”
“Why do you do this?” He sat on the edge of the tub propping his head on his fist as he watched her. “Our last fight was only a couple days ago. I was hoping we wouldn’t have another for at least ten years.”
Autumn kept her mouth shut and pulled her blindfold back in place. Of course, it was her fault. Again.
“And here we go with the silent treatment.”
Autumn ignored him. He was worse than Davis when he didn’t get his way. Both cried and pouted until someone gave in. Jackson, she found, hated the cold shoulder. She heard the rasp of his zipper and the soft sounds of his jeans coming off and being tossed in the hamper. Nice to know he’s making himself at home.
He then stepped next to her legs and situated himself at the other end of the bathtub. He pulled her legs up and propped her feet on his thighs.
“Can’t I have some privacy?” She tore off the blindfold and threw it across the bathroom. “Maybe I want to be alone. Did you ever think of that? You don’t have to be with me twenty-four-seven. Maybe I just want a simple bath with some quiet time all to myself.”
Jackson rested his head against the wall, eyes closed as his thumbs traveling the length of her soles. “If that’s what you really wanted, I would have given it to you. It’s not what you want.”
Autumn narrowed her eyes. “You don’t know what I want because you never ask. You just do what everyone in my family does. You do what you think is best for me.”
He opened his eyes, the tips of his fingers gently caressing the tops of her feet. “We’re a lot alike, Autumn. You don’t think so because your eyes only see what you want, but we are.”
She pulled her feet from his grasp and sat up, baring her breasts to the cooler air. The bubbles drizzled down popping against her skin in a tingling sensation.
“You think you know me?”
“Yeah. I do.” Jackson glanced down at her bare breasts then closed his eyes again, resting his head against the wall. “You say you want peace and quiet which just means you want to sulk until I come in here and make it all better. Don’t deny it because that’s exactly what you want. You want me to beg your forgiveness, tell you I’m a complete moron and kiss every inch of your body to make up for it.”
“Sex doesn’t solve everything, Jackson. I’m sorry you think it does.” She grabbed the loofah and squirted some bath gel in the middle.
“It does solve a lot though. Releases tension. Creates intimacy. Gives you reason to cuddle without your best friend making fun of you.” His lips tilted up in a smile, and his voice deepened, became more intimate. “Not to mention it gives you pleasure at the end of a crappy day. In my book, that takes care of most problems.”
Autumn rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face. Typical Jackson answer. “What if your sex partner is mad at you?”
“You apologize your fuckin’ heart out so she’ll give you some.” He opened his eyes with a smile.
“Wow.” Autumn threw the loofah at him and rinsed her body with handfuls of water.
“Oh, come on, Autumn. Lighten up. I’m just joking.” He grabbed her arm and she pulled away. With quick movements, he went for her ankles and achieved his goal, pulling her legs apart and moving over her. He pressed her into the side, his face inches from her own. “You’re so beautiful. Even when you get riled up, you have that post-orgasmic glow. Rosy cheeks. You nibble at your lower lip trying to hold in your smile. Wide, attentive eyes. Do you have any idea how lost I get when I’m surrounded by you? When I’m deep inside you I never want to pull out. When I’m staring into your eyes, I never want to look away.”
Autumn closed her eyes though her hands still gripped his biceps. “I feel like I’m in a one sided relationship with you, Jackson. That I’m giving it my all and you’re livin’ it up. You keep things from me, mainly your little trip to Gallagher’s.”
His hand came out of the water to tilt her chin up. “Is this really about Gallagher? Because if it is, I’ll tell you everything we did today starting with us leaving the house.”
“This is about you, Jackson. I want to know we’re in this together. I’m tired of feeling like I’m the only one who cares.”
“The only one who cares about what?”
“Everything.” Tears leaked out the corners of her eyes and she blinked them away. “I feel like a burden. Nobody really gives a damn whether I get my clinic open. Nobody really cares about those puppies that almost died in the fire. Nobody cares about Frank’s puppy mill or the dog fighting.”
“I do.” Jackson moved to her side to sit by her. “I’ll admit I didn’t at first. I distanced myself from you and considered you a job, but after I saw you working with Dodo, something changed. You’re not a burden. Your family loves you, and they care about the clinic and the puppies and the shit going down with Gallagher. They care because you care. We all love you, Autumn, so quit feeling sorry for yourself.”
“You love me?”
He stood and grabbed a towel. With his back to her he wrapped it around his waist and took a seat on the closed toilet, staring at her. “You’re pretty hard not to love.” Tears formed in her eyes again. “No. Don’t you dare do that to me. I don’t have the energy.”
Autumn pulled the drain plug and stood, reaching for the towel on the rack next to him. He handed it to her, and she wrapped it around her body, bubbles sliding down her legs and onto the bathmat.
“I don’t know why that’s so hard for you to admit, but one day, I hope telling me you love me comes easy for you.”
She blew out the candles and exited the bathroom leaving Jackson alone in the dark.