The Enforcer (21 page)

Jody led her over to the trailer, which now had two horses tethered to it. “Lacey, this is Jim. He owns the horses that we’ll be riding on the beach.”

Lacey looked uncomfortable. “Nice to meet you Jim, could you excuse us for just a second?” Pulling Jody over to the side she said, “Jody, I think it is so sweet and romantic that you thought of this. But here’s the thing. And remember – you told me you wanted my honesty.” Jody was a bit bewildered, but didn’t interrupt. “I don’t believe in those horse rental places. Horses shouldn’t be rented out to a hundred different people every day and made to work. It’s just not fair. I’m sorry.”

Jim couldn’t help overhearing. “Excuse me, little lady. Thank you for feeling the way you do about horses. I couldn’t agree with you more. I guess Jody didn’t have a chance to tell you yet, but I’m a friend of Ian’s. I don’t rent out horses. These two beauties are my own, and I agreed to let Jody borrow them. I purposely didn’t exercise them this evening, but if you don’t want to ride them, I can have a couple of my ranch hands exercise them when I get home. I can assure you, however, that my animals are all treated with respect.” With a slightly guilty smile, he added, “My wife says I treat them better than her. She thinks they’re spoiled.”

Lacey decided right then that she loved this man. “Well, in that case, thank you Jim. I can assure you that we’ll take great care of them. I’m sorry if I offended you.”

“Not at all. I wish everyone had that kind of respect for animals. Now, come on over, and I’ll introduce you.”

Jody could tell that it was love at first sight for Lacey. He decided right then and there that when they were married, he’d buy her a ranch, and horses, and any other critters that came along who needed a home. Maybe he was jumping the gun, but like Ian said, ‘Go big or go home.’

Lacey’s mare was named Daisy. She was a paint; mostly brown in color with a couple of white spots on her. One eye had a white spot around it, and the other had a brown spot around it. As soon as Lacey ran her fingers through her forelock, Daisy put her whole head against her chest. She was absolutely in love.

Jody’s horse was a bit more spirited, but sweet all the same. He had a gelding named Chester. He took a nip at Jody, but followed it up with an affectionate head butt to his shoulder. Jim told him that Chester liked to pretend he was a tough guy, even though he was really a big old softy. Sounded like someone else Lacey knew. It was an ideal pairing.

Jody stood by Lacey’s horse to help her up. He didn’t do it by offering his interlocked hands to boost her up by her foot. Oh no. When she put her foot in the stirrup, he put his hands on her bottom and gave her a little push. He’d use any excuse to put his hands on her.

It was a perfect time for a ride on the beach. The sun was just starting to set, and they watched it slip into the ocean from atop their horses. There were a couple of low lying clouds, and when the sun hit them, streaks of light and shadow appeared. As it sunk even lower, the sky turned several different hues of red.
Yes,
Jody thought,
I couldn’t have asked for a better sunset.

Right before the last rays of sunshine were gone, Jody looked at Lacey and sighed heavily. “I wish you could see how beautiful you look right now, Lace. With the last bit of sunshine still shining on your hair, you look like you could be an angel.” For Christ’s sake, what an ass. Did he really just sigh and tell her she looked like an angel? He was going to have to turn in his man card.

Shaking her head with a smile, she said, “I thought you said you weren’t good with words. That might be the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.” Lacey couldn’t dream up a better first date. Jody had put a lot of thought into what she would enjoy. Men didn’t always do that. Most of her first dates had been the typical dinner and a movie. Who wanted to go to a movie on a first date? Speaking was frowned upon, and wasn’t the point of dating to get to know someone?

While Daisy and Chester moseyed along at a leisurely pace, Lacey and Jody chatted about their days and made other small talk. There were several stretches of silence, but they weren’t uncomfortable at all. After about an hour, they led the horses back to the trailer. Jim was already waiting for them.

“How were Daisy and Chester?”

Lacey answered for them. “They were wonderful. Thank you so much for trusting us with them.” Lacey figured Ian must be a pretty good friend to Jim, because she could tell how much he loved those horses.

“You’re welcome. It wasn’t so hard after you questioned my care of them.” There was entirely too much animal abuse going on, and too many people who turned a blind eye to it. Jim did a lot of work with horse rescue organizations to find homes for abused horses. “You’re welcome to exercise them anytime.”

Jody walked over and shook his hand. “Thanks Jim, I appreciate it. We enjoyed the horses. Can I help you load them back onto the trailer?” Jim was getting on in years, and even though Jody knew he could handle them as easily as breathing, he was taught to respect his elders and offer help when he could.

“No. I could do that in my sleep – especially with these two. You two go finish your date. I remember what it was like to be your age with a new honey.” Jim patted Jody on the back and walked off to load the horses.

Jody led Lacey over to a bench and told her to have a seat. He wanted to get their picnic things out of the truck. Without conscious thought, he leaned down and kissed her. It was just a quick kiss, but it got his blood going all the same. He leaned in again as he caught her scent. That was the first time he had noticed it that night. She smelled like chocolate – minty chocolate to be exact. It made him picture them wrapped in a blanket in front of a roaring fire watching snow falling outside through a picture window. She smelled like home. Sometimes he missed the snow. “You smell great, as usual.” He smiled and walked over to the truck.

Lacey could see a picnic basket on Jody’s arm as he walked back toward her. She was intrigued. “What’s in the basket?”

Jody sat the basket down as he replied, “A little romance and hopefully a little seduction. Lace, I want to be honest with you. I want you to spend the night with me, but if you’re not ready, I can wait. I don’t want you to feel any pressure; I already know that you’re worth the wait.”

Lacey wanted to cry. She really didn’t want to have this conversation with him, but she wanted him to know that she would have loved to stay the night with him if she could have. Against her wishes (chalk it up to hormones), her eyes got watery when she looked at him. “Oh Jody. I want to but it’s, um, bad timing.”

Disappointed, Jody said, “It’s okay. I’m willing to wait until you’re ready. I don’t want to rush you.”

Oh God, he thinks I’m rejecting him.
“No Jody, it’s not that …”

Taking her hand, he said, “Hey, it’s okay, really. It’s fine. I understand.”

“No, you truly don’t,” Lacey was going to have to blurt it out. “I got my period today. I’m sorry.” To her horror, a tear slipped out. She was not a crier, but as every woman knows, at that time of the month, anything can happen.

Jody had mixed emotions. On one hand, he was happy that her reason was beyond her control, but on the other hand, he felt like an ogre. She was probably in discomfort and would rather be lying in her bed, and he was plotting her seduction. And oh Christ, is that a
tear
? No, no, no. What should he do? He made her cry. “Aw shit, I’m sorry, Sweetheart. What can I do?”

If he was any sweeter, she was going to totally lose it. Wiping her hands under her eyes, she said, “I’m fine. I’m embarrassed, but fine.” Pointing to her wet cheeks she said, “These are just hormone related. I wouldn’t say no to another piece of chocolate, though.”

His smile lit up the night. “That I can do. I’ll feed you chocolate all night.” Before she got off the bench, he took her shoes and socks off for her. Then he took her hand and led her down the beach. When he found a level spot, he put the blanket down. Gesturing for her to sit, he started emptying the picnic basket, giving her the chocolate first.

“Would you prefer champagne or vodka?”

Laughing, she said, “You brought vodka to an evening picnic? You really did think about me, didn’t you? But tonight, I’ll take the champagne. It’s not my usual drink, but it goes nicely with moonlight and good company.” Lacey had only had champagne at weddings, but knew it was supposed to be the “romantic” drink, so she’d drink it.

Strawberries followed the champagne out of the basket, along with a container of whipped cream. He was scoring major points. Lacey was definitely getting warm and fuzzy feelings.

While Jody fed her strawberries dipped in cream, his mind went off the grid. He had to stop himself from thinking about what he really wanted to use that cream for. He wanted to draw on her with it and then follow the pattern he made with his tongue. As a matter of fact, he had more back at his house for just that purpose. Knowing he’d have to wait for that was killing him.

Lacey could tell by the way his eyes watched her where his thoughts were. Time to get back to talking. “Tell me about your family, Jody. I know you have a sister named Karen, but that’s about it.” She wanted to get to know him better anyway, and maybe talking about his family would get his, well
their
, minds off the whipped cream. Besides that, she was curious. Jody didn’t talk about him as much as he asked about her.

Jody shrugged. “I didn’t have a great childhood, but it all turned out okay. My father left when I was about ten, I guess. We never saw him again. That left me to take care of my mom and my little sister. We lived in a rough neighborhood. I walked my sister to school every day to make sure she was safe. Lucky for me, I was a big kid, because I had to do some fighting.” He didn’t look like he was angry or even sad over that fact. He just accepted that was the way his life was. He’d been in a protection role all of his life. “Luckily I had my hockey coach as a mentor. I don’t know what I’d do without him. In San Jose, they did an annual father/son weekend. My coach always came to that when he could get away. He’s the only reason I ever made it to the NHL.”

Lacey wanted to put her arms around him and hold him in comfort for the boy he was forced to be. She settled for leaning closer to him, and letting him put his arm around her. That wasn’t close enough for him though. He shifted both of them around until he had her nestled in the V of his legs with her back against his chest. Now he was able to wrap both arms around her.

Lacey leaned back into him and reached up to put her hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry. That’s a lot of responsibility for a child to take on. Are you close with your mom and sister now?”

Jody didn’t want to talk anymore. He just wanted to sit there and feel Lacey’s silky hair against his face. Being this close to her, he could easily smell her chocolaty mint soap. He could sit there all night.

“As close as I can be. They live in Nova Scotia, so I don’t see them much. I talk to them at least once a week, though. My sister still lives at home. She just finished college.” Lacey could tell by the tone of his voice how proud he was of his sister. “She works in special education. I think you’d like her, Lace. She has a big heart and somehow always sees the glass as half full.”

“I’m sure I would, she sounds wonderful. I miss my brother all the time; you’re lucky to have a sister.” Telling him about David wasn’t as painful as it used to be. Time did help, but she’d never stop missing him. She also told him about how crazy it drove her that her mother viewed it as an everyday accident as opposed to dealing with the fact that the drunk driver who took his life was alive and well.

Lacey continued, “I guess that’s just her way of coping with it. I don’t know why it bothers me so much. I think my mom feels that if she thinks of it that way then it wasn’t so tragic. Maybe it helps her deal with the injustice of the whole thing.” Lacey knew she was hard on her mother. She viewed her mother as weak, and she had a hard time understanding weak people. Maybe it wasn’t right to feel that way, but she did.

“Everyone deals with grief in their own way, Lace. When my dad took off, my mother hit the bottle. She was mean when she drank, but I tried to understand. I kept Karen away from her when she was drinking. Me? I got physical. My aggression escalated when the kids started calling my mom a drunk. I think it just went on from there. When I wasn’t able to walk Karen to school, the kids would steal her lunch. We didn’t have much back then so it really impacted her. I think that’s when I started getting protective of my things. If I wasn’t, people took them away. And I included my sister in that. I was afraid social services would take us both away. I couldn’t allow that.”