“I’m sorry to hear that.” Jason was surprised she could walk at all.
“It’s a lot better. I used to walk with a cane.”
Jack kissed his little girl, got to his feet, and followed Janet indoors, his daughter giggling in his arms. “It’s time for you to have a bath, chocolate monster.”
And then it was just Nate and Jason.
“How is Win doing?”
Jason knew why Nate was asking. “That bastard shook her up.”
“I thought so. I don’t know her well, but we all read what happened to her and Lexi in the newspaper.”
“I’m going to help her upgrade her security. She’s afraid that guy knows where she is or will try to find her. He sure seemed to have an unhealthy interest in her. Besides, there are drugs in her clinic that have real street value—anesthetics, narcotics, sedatives. They could attract bad elements.”
“I’ve got a contact in Denver who handles security systems. I’ll give you his card when we get back inside. I’d like to help pay for it if she’ll let me. This happened while she was up here at our request. I need to make this right for her.”
“That’s a kind offer. The clinic is completely dependent on donations, so I doubt she has much of a budget.”
Jason helped Nate clear the remaining dishes off the table, the two talking about horses and ranch operations while Nate loaded the dishwasher.
Then Megan walked into the kitchen, a smile on her face. “Come. You should hear this. Winona has Emily completely mesmerized.”
The three of them walked upstairs and down the hallway, stopping outside what must have been Emily’s bedroom to listen.
“Iktomi saw what Porcupine had done with that hawthorn branch and how the thorns had pricked Bear when Bear had tried to gobble up Porcupine. It gave Iktomi a crazy idea.”
The sweet sound of Winona’s voice put a hitch in Jason’s chest.
“Iktomi took many hawthorn branches and peeled off the bark. Then he put a thick layer of good, sticky clay all over Porcupine’s back and stuck the thorny branches to the clay, making them a part of Porcupine’s skin. What do you think happened when Wolf came that night to eat Porcupine?”
“The thorns poked it, and it ran away crying, ‘Ow! Ow! Ow!’”
“That’s right. What happened when Bear came back?”
“He saw all of those thorns and said, ‘I’m sure as hell not touching you again, you thorny son of a gun.’”
Winona sounded like she was choking back laughter. “Yes! Bear ran away, too. And that’s why all Porcupines have quills now.”
“Tell me another story, please, Winona?” Emily pleaded.
“I need to rescue her.” Megan walked into Emily’s bedroom. “Can you thank Winona for the stories? Winona and Jason are going up to the cabin, and you need to sleep. It’s a school night.”
“Thank you, Winona.”
It was the saddestthank youJason had ever heard.
“You’re welcome, Emily. Sweet dreams.” Winona stepped out of the room, the same light on her face Jason had seen when she’d been caring for the animals at her clinic. “That was good practice for being an auntie.”
“Shota is a lucky little boy.”
As they walked downstairs together, Jason wondered what kind of perverse bend in the road had brought him to a woman as wonderful and beautiful as Winona when she couldn’t be a permanent part of his life.
* * *
Winona satin the back seat in the cab of Nate’s truck as he drove her and Jason to the ranch’s guest cabin, snow falling heavily now.
“We built the cabin some years back. We invite friends to stay up here and rent it to hunters. I’ve stayed here with Megan when we needed some peace and quiet. We expanded the deck this summer and added an outdoor hot tub. There’s food in the fridge, as well as beer and wine. I hope you’ll enjoy yourselves and unwind.”