Page 40 of Call It Love (Sterling Mill #5)

I tried to smile. “Wish we were meeting under different circumstances.”

She nodded sympathetically. “Same. I thought coming to the barn dance might help me meet more people. I was bidding on a good ole Tennessee whiskey basket when the shouting started when Doc called. Good thing I always keep a medical bag in my car.”

I huffed a small laugh, but it made my head hurt more.

“Let’s see what’s going on,” she said as she pulled a pair of gloves from her bag and knelt beside me.

She examined the swelling on my cheek first. Despite her gentleness, I winced when she pressed near my temple.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “Did you lose consciousness at any point?”

I shook my head, then immediately regretted it. “No. Saw some stars and had a little blurred vision, but that seems to have cleared.”

“That tracks. Can I see your hand?”

I held it out to her, and she carefully flexed them, watching me for reactions.

“Well, here’s my diagnosis. You have a split lip. That will heal on its own. I don’t believe your fingers are broken, but if you want to come into the clinic, we can x-ray them.”

I shook my head. The throbbing increased slightly, but already it was settling down faster.

“I could have guessed that. Here’s the thing.

You might also have a slight concussion.

Needless to say, lots of rest. No driving.

Limit screen time and do not lift anything or do anything physical for the next forty-eight hours, at least. Apply ice packs to your cheek and your hand.

If you notice any signs of nausea, worsening headache, or confusion, call me immediately.

I don’t care what time it is. Understood? ” She pressed a card into my hand.

“Don’t worry, Doc,” Chase chimed in beside me, the first words he’d said since we sat down. “I’ll be making sure the only thing she lifts is the blanket she’ll be under while she spends time in bed.”

“Chase,” I said, wanting to argue, but the look he shot me had me clamping my mouth.

“No arguments, Anna. Not on this. You heard the doctor. You’re lucky nothing worse happened. I can’t believe that son of a bitch put his hands on you.”

I could see he was getting spun up again, so I rested my hand on his arm.

“I’m okay. And I’ll take it easy. Promise. ”

Beth gave an approving nod, then grinned and winked at me. “Got yourself a good man there. You let him pamper and take care of you, so that the next time I see you, maybe it can be over a glass of wine instead of a first aid kit. Yeah?”

“I’d like that,” I answered, meaning it.

“Good.” She pointed at the card in my hand. “Then use that number for a girls’ night when you’re ready.”

“Will do, for sure.”

She walked away with a promise to check on me tomorrow.

Chase went back to sitting quietly beside me. I could feel the fury still radiating from him as he stared into the distance.

“Jordan, honey,” I said quietly. “Why don’t you head back inside? I think there’s a young lady who is worried and would really like a dance with you.”

He shifted on his feet. “I don’t want to leave you. You might need something, and I can go get it.”

“Chase is here if I need something.” I gently tipped my head toward the barn. He picked up on the clue that I wanted to be alone with Chase.

“Okay. But I’ll be close by if you need me.”

“I know.”

He hesitated, then carefully hugged me.

“Sweet boy,” I whispered in his ear. “Now go have fun. I want to hear about this girl sometime.”

His expression grew a little sheepish before he turned and walked back to the barn, casting one last glance over his shoulder before disappearing inside.

“I can feel you thinking,” I said softly to Chase once we were alone.

He didn’t look at me. “I can’t stop replaying it. Seeing him with his foot lifted, ready to kick you. My God. Anna, I…”

I laced my fingers with his. “But you stopped him.”

“But I should have seen the signs. The way he seemed infatuated with you. The way Jordan didn’t like working with him. Something. Anything. This should have never happened.”

“Chase, honey. He was your friend. You had no reason to suspect him of anything other than being a good employee. We might never know what caused him to snap. But that’s not on you.”

He let out a strangled laugh.

“Stop,” I said firmly. “Lay it down.”

His brow furrowed as he looked at me.

“The guilt you feel. I’ve carried a lot of that kind of weight in myself.

It doesn’t do any good. If Mason was in a bad mood, I’d wonder what I’d done wrong.

If he ignored me, I thought I hadn’t done something well enough.

If I asked too many questions, I wasn’t supportive enough.

No matter what happened between us, I took the blame.

He handed out guilt like Halloween candy, and I swallowed it up.

And even here, I believed his choices were mine to answer for. ”

Chase’s fingers tightened around mine.

“But they weren’t. Since I’ve been here, you’ve helped me to unlearn that. You. Supporting me. Helping me let go of guilt that was never mine to begin with. And I’ll be damned if I let you carry this when it wasn’t your fault. ”

His throat worked, like he was trying to find words but couldn’t.

“You showed up, Chase. Not just tonight, but back in high school when I was having a hard time adjusting. Again, when I came back to town with nothing and no one. ”

“I didn’t show up in college, though.”

I shook my head. “We’ve been over that. We’ve made peace with it. We were kids doing the best we could with what we knew. We can’t rewrite that. But we can protect what we have now. Let’s not start building up extra burdens that aren’t ours.”

His eyes turned glossy with emotion. “I was terrified, Anna. When I saw him about to kick you, I don’t know. I just saw red.”

“I was scared, too. And I’ve been scared in the past. But this was different.”

“How?”

“Because this time, someone came for me.” I rested my palm against his cheek. “You.”

He swallowed hard. “I’d do it again. A thousand times.”

I nodded. “I know.”

“I need to take you home.”

“But what about everything here?”

“I’ve already talked to my sisters. They’re going to take care of everything.”

“But—”

“Anna? Sweetheart?”

Startled by the familiar voice, I looked across the grass and saw my mother hurrying toward me, her handbag clutched tightly under one arm, her eyes scanning me with barely restrained worry.

She was out of breath by the time she reached us.

She was neatly dressed in a simple dress with flat shoes, hair pinned just so, posture too rigid—as if she expected someone to scold her for being here.

“Mama?” I frowned, wondering if my head injury was causing hallucinations.

She reached for my hand but stopped short, her gaze darting nervously toward Chase. “I got here just as the police were leaving. I overheard some talk that you were hurt.”

I stood to hug her, Chase instantly supporting me with a helping hand. She stared in dismay as she held my face between her palms. “Oh, sweetheart. Are you okay? What can I do? I have some peppermint oil and arnica back home that might help.”

I squeezed her hands. “I’m okay. The doctor checked me out. I’ll be fine. But what are you doing here? Not that you’re not welcome,” I added hurriedly. “I’m just surprised.”

She gave a stiff nod, eyes wet. “I hope it’s all right that I’m here. I wanted to see what you put together. I could hear some of the music floating up the mountain. It sounded so fun. And, well, I wanted to see you .”

“And Dad?”

She gave a slight shake of her head. “He’s at home. I didn’t ask. Just told him I was coming here, but I promised not to stay away too long.”

My mother, always the peacekeeper who rarely stepped out of line, had decided on her own to show up.

“Mama, that’s amazing.”

“I’m not brave like you,” she said. “But I’m trying.”

I felt the sting behind my eyes. I was so proud of her. “You are being brave, Mama. You’re allowed to care about your daughter.”

“I know. And I’m going to set some new ground rules with him. I know him well, and it won’t turn into a fight. It will be better from now on. I promise.”

I believed her. I didn’t know exactly what the future might look like for us, but for now, she came. And that meant everything.