Holly walked up, brushing the hair out of her face and passing Cade an ice pack. “Put that on your lip. It’s swelling. Stef, according to Hal, who I just talked to, Cade was upset because Gemma nearly died from anaphylaxis because this guy over here was eating strawberries in front of her. She’s got a terrible allergy to strawberries. I called her mom, and she’s on her way to the hospital.”
Stef turned to Patrick. “Did you know she’s allergic?”
Patrick didn’t bother to look ashamed. “I’m not taking the blame for this. I like strawberries. They’re a super food. I’m not going to eschew them because Gemma has a problem. It was her fault. She should have been more careful. Come to think of it, it was that dumb bimbo café owner’s fault because she only brought one fork. I’ll have to see about suing her, too.”
Stef Talbot nearly grew fangs and claws. His eyes narrowed. “Nathan.”
“Already on it. I have witnesses coming in to give their reports,” Nate explained.
“Thank god, you’re getting one thing right,” Patrick complained. “I’ll want copies of everything.”
“I’ll make sure you have them. According to all the witnesses I talked to, you started the fight, Mr. Welch. Now, why would you do that? Is it because you found out your ex-fiancée is involved with Mr. Sinclair?”
Jen grinned, her arm going around Stef’s waist. “See, babe, told you Nate would handle it. You’re not the only manipulative son of a bitch in the world.”
Stef sighed, a satisfied sound. “Excellent. Nathan, let me know if you need anything. Talbot resources are completely available to you. And you. Think twice before you go after that bimbo café owner. She’s Stella Talbot, wife of Sebastian Talbot and my mother in every sense of the word. You might think you’re the big-time fucking lawyer out here in the sticks, but I promise you that stick will hurt when I shove it up your ass, and no amount of New York City lawyers will be able to get it out.”
Jen gave Cade a wink. “Come out to the estate when you get a chance and take a look at the snowmobile. Bye, Cade. Tell Gemma we’re all thinking of her and to expect the casseroles to start showing up at her place tomorrow. I promise no strawberries. Unfortunately, I can’t promise the same of tofu.”
They walked out the door, leaving Cade more confused than ever.
Patrick went a little green. “As in Talbot Industries?”
Nate leaned against Gemma’s desk. “One and the same. And in case you want to go after the doc for not seeing to that tiny bruise Sinclair gave you, you should know his birth name is Caleb Sommerville. Yes, those Sommervilles.”
“The senator from Illinois?” Patrick practically gulped the question.
“Is his brother,” Nate explained. “Now, do you still want to sue this town for everything it’s worth?”
It seemed Bliss was worth way more than Patrick Welch thought it was and he backed off. “I think we can all agree this was a terrible misunderstanding.”
“I thought you might see it that way. Cam, you can stop. I think we’re all going to agree to walk away from this.”
Cam stopped typing. “Thank god. I hate paperwork. I’m going to call and see how Gemma is and when we can see her.”
Ten minutes later he was free, but no one could let him out of the prison he’d put himself in.
Cade walked to the Trading Post, bought what he needed, and got his bike and a few things from the apartment he shared with Jesse. He went to Gemma’s. The cabin was silent where hours before it had been full of life.
He worked until long past twilight. His cell phone was depressingly silent. He sat down on Gemma’s couch and waited.
Chapter Fourteen
“You okay back there?” her mom asked, her neck craning around.
“I’m fine, Mom.” Gemma looked out the window of her mom’s sedan. Utter blackness stared back at her. She’d never seen darkness the way it was here in Bliss. The road thudded beneath her, and she wondered where Cade was.
Jesse’s arm settled around her, pulling her close. His scruffy cheek rubbed against the top of her head. She felt him kiss her hair.
When she’d woken up, Jesse had been right there. He hadn’t left her side the whole time. He’d completely and blatantly lied to everyone, telling the staff that he was her husband so he couldn’t be cut out of the loop. Caleb and Ty had gone along with it.
Gemma was surprised at how much comfort he’d given her. She’d been alone for so long that she’d forgotten what it meant to lean on someone. After her father had died, she’d pulled away from her mom. She’d told herself she did it because her mom didn’t need a kid clinging to her while she worked through her grief, but Gemma could see she’d done it because it was safer to be alone.
Nearly dying had made her overly contemplative. And pointed out some harsh truths in her life.
She tried not to think about what she’d figured out. There was time enough to deal with that later. Though she would have to tell Jesse what she suspected because, like it or not, Neanderthal thinking aside, he really was her man. He’d proven it today.
“She’s all right now,” Naomi said, her hands steady on the wheel. “The hospital wouldn’t have released her if she wasn’t okay. She’ll just be tired for a little while. And she’ll stay away from strawberries.”
Freaking strawberries. “It’s not like I said I wanted a taste.”
Her mother’s head shook. “And you without your medication. She’s had that medication on her person every day since she was six years old.”
Jesse’s arms tightened. “That wasn’t smart.”
She shrugged a little. “I haven’t been smart for a while.” The car got quiet for a moment. “Where do you think he is?”
Jesse’s voice was low, meant for her ears only. “I don’t know, baby.”
He’d been frustratingly silent on the subject of Cade. She remembered that he’d been there. Cade held her hand, but then he’d been gone and Jesse had taken his place, and she didn’t know where he was.
“Did you call him?”
“No.”
Well, that told her something. She sat up. “What happened?”
“You should tell her, Jesse.” Naomi made the turn that would take them to the valley. “You would be pissed if she didn’t tell you.”
“Someone better tell me something now.”
Jesse tugged her back into his arms. “Doc told you to rest.”
Stubborn man. “I can rest while you tell me where Cade is.”
She was starting to panic. Would he just leave? Could he have been so horrified by the whole body-bloating thing that he actually fled the county? She remembered how Patrick had spoken. Fucker. But Cade had gotten to his knees and held her like he wouldn’t let go.
Jesse sighed. “Gemma, the last I saw of him, he was being hauled off to jail.”
Gemma sat straight up. “Naomi, you have to get me to the station house. Damn it. How could you leave him there? What’s his bail? How late is it? I think the boys from Creede take the night shift. I don’t like them. They forget things. What if they forget his dinner?”
He could be sitting there in jail, rotting because he’d defended her.
“Gemma, he lost his temper when he should have been taking care of you.”
“Ty was taking care of me. And Cade was with me the whole time until Ty gave me the EpiPen. He held my hand. It might be a little hazy, but I remember that. It was Patrick, right? He punched Patrick.”
It was the only explanation that made a lick of sense. And given the conclusion she’d come to, she kind of wanted to kiss Cade.