The next morning, Joslynn was surprised to find her friend Savannah and Savannah’s daughter, Caroline, in the park. Once her ER shift ended at six in the morning, Joslynn always unwound from the stress with a nice, long run. Even though it was barely nine now, this June day was already growing warm and muggy, one of many reasons getting out early suited her just fine. While it wasn’t unusual to see other people in the park at this hour—dedicated runners, dog walkers—it was odd to find anyone on the playground.
Savannah waved, and Joslynn jogged over to her best friend. Putting her foot on the bench, she went through her post-run stretches, knowing Savannah would understand how much Joslynn needed to stick to her routine.
“Look at you,” Savannah said. “So disciplined. Out running at the butt crack of dawn.”
“Look at you,” Joslynn countered with a wink. “Out in public and not getting hounded by your fans.”
“Hence the early hour.” Inclining her head toward the playground, Savannah smiled. Caroline and a tawny-haired boy were taking turns hurtling down the twisting slide. “Caroline is an early bird anyway, so here we are.”
“Is that Ellie’s boy?” Joslynn asked as she continued her stretches.
“Yeah, that’s Sam. He spent the night last night. He and Caroline are really close. If they were a little older, I might worry.” A light chuckle was followed by a gasp. “Caroline Marie, don’t you dare try to jump from there!”
A quick glance at the kids made Joslynn smile. They were both looking penitent as they backed away from trying to work their way over a metal bar that protected them from a steep drop. “That’s my goddaughter.”
Still sternly glaring at the kids, Savannah said, “That girl will be the death of me.”
“I’ve heard that more than a few times.” The truth, considering Caroline had a penchant for getting into sticky situations exactly like her godmother. Still working the kinks out of her legs, Joslynn tried to sound nonchalant as she went fishing for information. “So…what’s the story with Russ Green?”
Sitting up with rapt attention, Savannah asked, “Story? What do you mean?”
A health-care professional had to walk a fine line where patient privacy was concerned, making Joslynn choose her words carefully. “He just seems…unusual.”
“You’ve only seen the man at our wedding.”
Wishing she’d left well enough alone, Joslynn waved off the subject. “Forget I said anything.”
“Wait…Have you seen him other times?” Eyes wide, Savannah said, “Did he end up at the ER again?”
Again? Not a shock considering the man’s myriad scars and rather reckless attitude.
“Never mind,” Savannah said with a flip of her wrist. “You couldn’t tell me even if you did treat him, but I can tell from your face that you did. I’ll just look for new stitches or a fresh cast.” She let out a weary sigh. “Russ is getting a little…out of control.”
Stretching routine completed, Joslynn finally sat next to her friend. “Out of control?”
“You know he’s a partner at Words and Music, right?” Savannah asked.
“He owns it with Brad and Ethan. You told me.”
“Well, the last month or so, Russ has been coming in on what should be his days off to act as bouncer.”
“He throws people out of the restaurant?” Joslynn asked.
“Not the restaurant per se, but the bar can get a bit rowdy.” Brows gathered, Savannah kept her eyes on her daughter. “It’s not like we have to toss people out often. Usually the bouncers break up fights or call cabs for people who shouldn’t drive. But Russ is getting a bit…handsy with some troublemakers lately. Brad and Ethan were talking about it the other day, wondering what they should do to get him to chill.”
“Don’t you guys have other bouncers?”
Savannah nodded. “We have several. That’s why we’re worried about Russ. He doesn’t need to be there, and he sure doesn’t need to be playing bouncer. It’s almost like he enjoys getting rough with people, like he misses his quarterback days.”
“And you want to set me up with a guy who’s acting like a goon?”
“Russ isn’t a goon,” Savannah said with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. He’s just…stressed, and we can’t figure out exactly why. But he’s such a sweetheart. You should see him with Caroline. She adores him. I wouldn’t try to get you two together if I didn’t think he was a good person.”
“How well do you know him?” Joslynn tried to keep her tone a bit bored, not wanting Savannah to start telling her what a great couple they’d make, as she’d done several times in the past. So far, what Jos had heard and her own interactions with Russ made her hesitate to spend more time with him.
But something about him called to her, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on…
“He and Brad have been friends just about forever,” Savannah said. “I’ve spent a lot of time with him, and I know that deep down he’s a great person, someone you can rely on. He’s always willing to pitch in when Brad or I need a hand with something.”
“I remember…At the wedding, he was the one who helped out when the photographer snuck in. Got the guy out of there before he could get pictures of the wedding guests.” Russ had put an arm around the photographer’s shoulder and escorted him to the exit without much fuss—obviously a different approach from the way he was now handling rowdy customers at Words & Music.
Something had changed.
But what?
“He was a quarterback?” Since Joslynn didn’t really follow sports, with the exception of catching the Olympics when they were on, she had no idea if Russ was a famous athlete.
“Played in college—Kentucky, I think. And he was with the NFL for a few seasons, although I think he was a backup quarterback.”
“So he was good?”
“Brad says he was. Doesn’t play now because he hurt his shoulder.”
That explained the extensive scarring on his right shoulder. Probably a rotator cuff tear, which was agony to come back from and usually ended an athletic career. “Poor guy.”
An easy smile filled Savannah’s face. They’d known each other for enough years to easily figure out what the other was feeling. “You like him.”
“I don’t know exactly how I feel about him,” Joslynn admitted. She was still smarting from the way he’d fled the ER and planned to let him know how disrespectful he’d been. “Right now I just want to know how you think he’d respond to a little…constructive criticism.”
“Tell me what you have in mind…”
* * *
Russ took a good look around, watching the subdued crowd. The people in the restaurant seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the bar was serving only a dozen or so customers. Pretty typical Sunday since it was one of the two nights per week Words & Music had no live entertainment scheduled.
He leaned his elbows back against the end of the bar and watched the crowd. Some were eating. Some were dancing to the canned music over the sound system. One guy was trying to teach his lady a line dance, and she was clearly having trouble learning the steps. But the man never seemed to lose his cool.
Patience—a virtue Russ sure didn’t possess.
Brad Maxwell came over to lean against the bar at Russ’s side. “How’s the head?”
All Russ did was shrug. As injuries went, it was petty.
“You’re supposed to be off tonight,” Brad scolded. “I mean, you did notice that I’m standing right here next to you, didn’t you?”
“You’re kinda hard to miss,” Russ drawled.
“I can manage this place just fine on my own.”
“Go home to your wife,” Russ offered. “I can take care of things here through close.”
“See that’s the thing…I’m not sure you can.”
Turning his face to scowl at his partner, Russ furrowed his forehead. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Brad drew his lips into a grim line. “Ethan and I were going to talk to you tomorrow. But here you are tonight, doing exactly what we wanted to talk to you about.”
Pushing away from the bar, Russ faced his friend and folded his arms over his chest. “Spit it out, then.”
“This is the thirty-fifth day in a row you’ve been here. I checked.”
Not that Russ doubted Brad, but he really didn’t give a shit how many days he worked. This restaurant was his life, all he really had. Why was Brad criticizing him for being dedicated? “So what?”
“So…you’re setting yourself up for a heart attack.” Brad’s ironic smile did little to lower Russ’s temper. “See, you can’t die on me. I don’t want to have to deal with Ethan alone.” How like Brad to try to diffuse a tense situation with humor.
“I’m healthy as a horse,” Russ insisted. At least for now. He had years before he had to worry about…“I’m fine,” he said, brushing away the unpleasant thoughts that always nagged him.
“Those stitches say otherwise.” Pushing away from the bar, Brad came to stand in front of Russ. “Are you gonna tell me what’s really bugging you, or do you even know?”
“There’s not a damn thing ‘bugging me’”—he stabbed air quotes to stress Brad’s words—“and I’d appreciate it if you’d stop trying to psychoanalyze me.”
A bar patron sitting near them—a stereotypical I-wish-I-were-a-real-cowboy type—let out a rather loud snort. “Couple of pussies,” he muttered before taking a long pull on his beer.
Anger that had already begun brewing—did it ever truly stop?—turned to molten lava at the rude interruption. Fisting his hands, Russ invaded the guy’s personal space, all but pushing him off the stool. “You got a problem, buddy?”
The man didn’t even turn his head. “Yeah. I got you two standin’ there, talkin’ like a couple of fuckin’ women. You’re annoyin’ me.”
“You know what annoys me?” Russ asked. “People who stick their noses into other people’s conversations.”
The guy pushed his stool back hard enough that it tipped over. “Back the fuck off if you know what’s good for you.”
Russ knew he was losing control, but lately it seemed as if he couldn’t stop himself from always doing the wrong damn thing. “Your mama clearly didn’t teach you any manners, so I might just have to beat some into you.”
The wanna-be cowboy narrowed his bloodshot eyes. “I’d like to see you try.”
* * *
Joslynn picked up on the hostility in the place the moment her eyes found Russ. His legs were braced apart, hands in tight fists, as he hovered over some fat guy in a weathered cowboy hat.
A fight was brewing.
Intent upon not having to stitch Russ up again and add any more scars to that incredible body, she set her purse on the end of the bar and hurried to intervene.
Working the night shift in the emergency room had helped her hone skills she’d never expected to need. How many potential brawls had she managed to squelch? How many belligerent patients had she talked down? How many drunks had she patched up?
Too many to count.
When she reached the men, Joslynn used Russ’s obvious surprise at seeing her to her advantage. As he stared at her, she wrapped her hand around his biceps. “Russ, I need your help.” With a gentle tug, she tried to lead him away.
She sent an entreating look to the other man in the red Words & Music polo and only then realized it was Brad Maxwell. Hoping he’d see what she was trying to do and help with the other combatant, she gave him a quick nod. Judging from the way the chubby cowboy was swaying on his feet, he was inebriated, or at least well on his way to getting there. Someone needed to call him a cab and get him out of there.
Russ’s eyes widened as the fierce frown on his face eased. “What are you doing here, Josie?”
“I came to talk to you.” She pulled a little more insistently on his arm. “Now, if you please.” When he tried to turn his head to look back at the guy at the bar, she put her palm against his cheek to keep him focused on her. “Come with me, Russ.”
As though in tune with her thoughts, Brad took the drunk guy by the shoulders and guided him in the other direction.
Russ tried to look away one more time, but since she kept a firm hand against his face, he gave up. “What do you need?”
“Is there someplace we can talk in private?” she asked, keeping her tone soft.
“Sure.” He took the hand she had around his biceps and lifted it away. Then he laced his fingers through hers. “Let’s go to the office.”
As he led her toward the far side of the restaurant, Joslynn glanced back and offered a smile to Brad.
He gave her a nod and grabbed his phone, hopefully calling the drunk a ride.
After walking down a long hallway, Russ opened a door and swept his hand in invitation.
Although she normally disliked having a man hold a door for her, thinking it was an archaic and rather condescending action, Joslynn stepped into the room. The place looked a bit like a tornado had recently swept through. Since she liked to keep things in her home neat as a pin, the office bugged her. A lot.
Papers were strewn across the desk. A ratty old sofa rested against one wall. There were boxes—opened and unopened—scattered around. An electronic keyboard took up most of the desk, and she wondered if that was Brad’s. He was, after all, a composer in addition to owning Words & Music.
Russ plopped on the sofa and stared at her expectantly. “So what can I help you with? After the way you patched me up last night, I owe you.”
With the anger he’d shown back at the bar, Joslynn didn’t think now was the proper time to pull out his discharge papers and scold him for his rather rude exit the night before. So she scrambled to think of something else she could use as a reason for seeking him out. “Um…I…need…”
He cocked his head and smiled.
That damn dimple made her train of thought derail. She couldn’t come up with a reason, even a ridiculous one, for being in that office with him.
“Josie?”
Since all she could think about was spending time with him, she latched on to that thought and improvised. “Last night. At the ER. I noticed you were a bit…um…stressed. Yes, you were stressed.” She was babbling like a moron.
All he did was stare at her with those hypnotic blue eyes.
“I thought you might want my help to…you know…deal with that.” As she always did when she was nervous, she tucked the stray hairs that had slipped from her messy bun behind her ear.
“But you told me you needed my help,” Russ said.
“I did say that, didn’t I?”
He grinned and nodded.
His smile was going to be the death of her. At the moment, it was making her brain go blank. “It was an excuse,” she admitted, figuring a little embarrassment wouldn’t kill her. She simply couldn’t think of anything else to do except admit her feelings.
“An excuse?”
Her cheeks were scorching hot. “To see you again.”
When Russ chuckled, Joslynn relaxed. He clearly wasn’t offended, and she wasn’t truly lying—she had wanted to get to know him better. She’d just refrain from telling him that she’d actually come to scold him and give him a lesson in what not to do when leaving an emergency room. If she was honest with herself, it might’ve been a flimsy excuse to see him again.
“Have you eaten?” he asked, rising from the sofa.
She shook her head.
As he came to stand by her side, she couldn’t help but react to his size. Back on that gurney, she’d judged him as tall, but she’d underestimated. He towered over her, and she wasn’t short by any means. The top of her head barely reached his chin.
“Since you went to all the trouble to track me down, how about I buy you a nice meal?” he asked, staring down into her eyes.
“How tall are you?” God, she sounded like an idiot. It was a wonder Russ wasn’t telling her to take a hike. The way she’d acted from the moment she’d interrupted his altercation had to scream “crazy lady.” And now she was staring up at him as though he were the Jolly Green Giant.
“Six six.” At least he was still grinning. “Want my weight, too?” he teased.
His calm acceptance of her nervousness helped her relax. “No, thanks. But I will take you up on dinner.”
“Well, then…” Russ picked up her hand and led her out of the office. “Let’s go.”