Bones Of Contention: The McKinnon Legends - The American Men Book 3 (12 page)

“Will you help me buy a gun, too?”

Somehow this request did not surprise him, and he had already come to the same conclusion hours ago.

“Save your money. I’ll give you one of mine, but I’ll only do this if you are more than simply proficient in handling it. I will require you take the Concealed Carry Class. If you are the least bit hesitant or uncomfortable, the firearm can become more of a liability than an asset.”

“I have plenty of motivation, Josh. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

He studied her face in the shadows of the early morning darkness.

“All right. However, this knowledge and skill will have a price, Doc.”

She had not given price consideration. “Guess I should have asked first. What’s your going rate for lessons?” She had very little extra cash having expended most of her savings on the down payment and closing costs for her house. The rest she was planning on using for improvements and unexpected maintenance. She could ask her mother she supposed. For her mother it would be no hardship, she just hated to do that wishing to make her own way through life.

Josh was not going to charge her money. He was not that cold to take advantage monetarily of her in her time of crisis. His payment, he informed her in no uncertain terms, was for her to freely allow him to provide around-the-clock protection on his terms, and whenever possible that protection would be him. He kept that last thought to himself.

“And exactly how am I supposed to explain away your presence?” Jamie thought about her classes at the university, her meetings for the cultural committee, and the volunteer hours she spent at the retirement village. Let’s not mention Mr. Owens, she thought.

“Jamie, I have a job taking care of the people of Martin County. As much as I might desire to personally devote my every waking moment to your safety, it cannot happen. I can’t take that much time off to look out for you myself. I will hire you an elite team of body guards,” he could not help himself, “unless, of course, you just have to have me personally,” he teased giving her a smile which absolutely curled her toes. It completely transformed him. The shadows played across his face making him look dark and dangerous as a sensation shot through her quickening her heart rate. She felt her body tighten in places long forgotten. Somehow, she knew he sensed this change in her body, totally unaware it was the small gasp that gave her away.

“You wish, Lawman,” she shot back listening to his soft laughter.

“So, we have a deal?” he said once again serious.

“Deal, except no one comes in my house. I don’t want your goons eating all my vanilla wafers. So if they have to hang around, then they can do it outside. Oh, and one more thing.”

“And that would be?” Josh asked on the verge of arguing. He had said on his terms and now she was dictating how he was going to protect her. It was unacceptable, but he was not going to push her at this point.

“I reserve the right to call it off if I see it is disrupting my classes by distracting my students.” Jamie was thinking about her female students’ reactions to Josh’s presence. In all honesty, she was wondering about how distracting he would be to her own train of thought.

It was fair, Josh agreed, thinking she was relatively safe inside her classroom. The guard could wait outside the lecture hall thus eliminating the argument of disruption.

Making sure all the ground rules were solid, he asked if there were any other stipulations she wanted to levy.

“I do volunteer work at the retirement home. Your guy will not have a gun around them.”

That he would never agree to no matter how vehemently she argued. In the end they compromised. The guard could wear a gun if it were discreetly concealed.

They shook on it.

She reached for the door handle and stopped short of opening the door.

“Come inside where it is warm, Josh. You can grab a blanket and sleep on the floor in the guest room.”

It was tempting. He was cold. Nevertheless, it was almost daybreak. Thanking her for the offer, he opted to continue his vigil outside not wishing to trash her reputation. He was somewhat old fashioned himself.

Mr. Owens was keeping close tabs.

Who knew who else was watching him watch her?

Robert, always good to his word, sent his best man for the job, and that
best
man
just happened to be a woman.

Barbara Bride, of McKinnon-Bride Personal Security, arrived shortly after seven that morning, giving Josh the opportunity to go home after a long night of vigil. He promised he would be back as soon as he could kiss his kid, feed his livestock, and get a few hours of sleep.

Watching Josh walk away now in the light of day, Jamie wondered about her decision to have him train her. Maybe it was not the right decision after all. He had a full time job as sheriff of Martin County and lived over an hour away. She should have considered the inconvenience the drive would create for him on a personal level.

He has a daughter at home, she reminded herself.

Jesse needed her father home when he was not working, yet Jamie was pulling him away. Was she being selfish? She would let him get some rest and then let him reconsider if he chose.

Pulling away from the curb, Josh made the call to the dojo arranging private floor time. He was going to need it if he was going to start her lessons. There was plenty of room in his studio at the ranch to do what he needed to do with her. However, neutral ground sounded much more logical where the lovely Dr. Gillman was concerned. At least for the first few lessons they would meet on neutral real estate.

He also was going to pay a visit to Trey Jackson. If the guy was serious about dating her, then Trey needed to know she had a security team. The translation: Any subsequent dates would be a table for three.

Josh was feeling just a little possessive, chalking it up to the lack of sleep. He knew better than to forbid Jamie from seeing Trey or anyone else for that matter. Nonetheless, she had signed a contract. Twenty-four hour security coverage was his price and he damn well was going to collect.

He smiled to himself.

Once she realized he was holding her to the letter of the agreement, he knew she was going to go ballistic. She may be several generations removed from her Celtic roots; all the same, she still had a hot temper and a fairly short fuse. His mind wandered into less safe waters wondering if she would be as passionate in bed as she was in the other aspects of her life. His bet was yes. She would be intense and totally giving once a man managed to get past her defenses.

She was cautious and rightfully so. Women should never be totally trusting. That was a lesson he had taught Jesse hoping it would keep her safe from predatory men. He could not blame Jamie for throwing up barriers.

He also wondered if she would throw herself into her training as passionately as she threw herself into her work. Later, he would see.

He would cut her no slack in regard to her training. She needed to understand self-defense was serious business, and if she were not totally committed, he was not going to waste his time or her energy. Also, if Jamie were not serious, she would never understand his intensity in the instruction.

His family motto had always been to train right, train fully, or die. For hundreds of years McKinnon lives had depended on taking their chosen weapon and mastering it to the fullest. There had been as many women as men through the years who had used that weapon to guard the backs of their family.

His weapon of choice was his hands, feet, and mind. Mixed martial arts was not a discipline for the faint of heart or the soft of body. Full body contact was often times painful. He hoped Jamie would train without holding back because in real life any hesitation could get her killed. There was no way to train her and not be in very close contact. He sincerely hoped she had given that aspect of the training thought. He sure gave it pause. Even dead on his feet it was a pleasant prospect. Only time would tell if she might feel the same.

Jeeze, he’s trying to kill me, Jamie thought for the tenth time as she lay flat on her back on the mat.

She and Josh were now totally tied up in a double human pretzel. Square on her back with Josh’s body wrapped around her, she could see where his complete and unflappable control was totally necessary. One uncharted move and he could snap her neck, or break her back, or leg. She trusted him. What she was wondering was how he could trust her? Her control was anything except mastered.

“I’ll have you know I’m letting you win. I don’t want to bruise your tender ego,” she whispered, teasingly. It was all the air she could get past the submission hold. Josh’s muscled thighs squeezing her torso and right bicep linked around her throat made it nearly impossible to breathe.

Josh released her with a hearty laugh. Springing to his feet, he extended a hand to help her up. The weeks had been full of arguments, laughter, and meteoric progress. He had yelled at her for failing to follow his instructions. She had railed at him for what she swore was his attempt to kill her. He put her on the mat once or twice more forcefully than he probably should have for breaking her concentration. That resulted in her kicking him hard between the legs. She swore it was an accident. However, the look on her face gave her away. Good thing he had on an athletic cup.

“Had enough for the day?” he asked marveling at how well she was holding up under his relentless training. He was merciless, yet she seemed to understand the necessity.

They had been going at it several hours every day for the last three weeks. She was progressing beautifully. However, that progress was coming at a price for both of them. He was beginning to fall deeply in love with her and she was covered in bruises. Some of those wounds were inflicted from the training. Those, unfortunately, were an unavoidable byproduct of the training and intense physical contact. He longed to kiss each and every one. The older more yellow and green ones were reminders of her attack the night in the parking lot.

The first time he saw her in daylight he was beside himself, grateful he had not seen the damage to her body until Derek was out of his reach. The scratches from being dragged into the bushes were nothing compared to the marks Derek left on her creamy, tender skin.

He was pushing her for the sole purpose of seeing how far she could go before hitting the breaking point. She was intense, focused, and by all accounts committed, and they had trained hard for the last four hours. Both were covered in sweat.

“Yeah, stick a fork in me. I’m done.” She was beat, but in a good way. The physical exercise was doing wonders for her. “I have plans tonight and I’m running behind,” she said while rubbing the white towel across her face and neck.

“You mean we have plans,” he corrected. It was the first time he knew of her plans for the weekend and guessed the first time his agreement would be challenged. “Trey knows if you go, I go. Remember, Jamie, twenty-four-hour security. That was the deal.”

“I’m not going with Trey tonight.”

Then it sunk in what he said.

“You went to Trey? You went to a man I have been out with only a single time and told him that in this instance three would never be a crowd?”

For some reason this just felt like Josh was stepping over some invisible boundary. He felt it too once she placed it into words.

“Yes. Where you go, I go.”

“You have some nerve, Josh. Minding my safety is one thing, and I am grateful. However, going behind my back to Trey is stepping over the line. You should have asked me first. You should have told me that was what you were doing, or let me tell him. This is just too much,” she said, tossing up her hands.

She was tired of feeling helpless. She was frustrated with feeling her every move was watched, dissected, and critiqued. She was a very private person whose life was now under a microscope and full of individuals who were there at every turn.

Finally she understood why Trey had called several times, but had not asked her out again. It looked like she had Josh to thank for that one. “Stay out of my personal life, Josh. It is none of your business.”

He stepped into her personal space catching her arm before she could turn and walk away. “Your life, personal or otherwise, is my business, Jamie. It should not come as a surprise that I would speak to Trey or any other male for that matter, who I think you might accidentally spend time around. In my mind everyone, except my team and me, is a potential killer. Just let me do my job.”

“Fine.” She tossed the towel over her shoulder before walking off to the showers.

Josh followed suit going to the men’s locker room for a quick shower and to change into his street clothes.

When he finished, he noticed her SUV gone from the parking space where she had parked right next to him. It was the first time she had bolted. He was actually surprised it took this long.

“Damn it!” he said tossing his gear into the seat of his truck. She was without any protection. Fortunately, her house was just a couple of blocks away leaving her exposed for a relatively short period of time. However, he was not foolish enough to think even five minutes was not enough time if someone were watching and ready to take advantage of the golden opportunity she had just handed to them on a platter. He had to make her see all it takes is the blink of an eye.

Pulling up in front of her house he noticed a car he had never seen before. His pulse raced and heart slammed in his chest wondering who and what was going on behind those doors. Running up to the front door, Josh knocked rather persistently until she finally answered.

Jamie was really angry, not really with him but more with her situation, as she opened the door. She dared not to say a word for fear she would vent on him simply because he was close. She just stood there. Josh looked behind her in time to see the taller figure pass in the hallway heading in the direction of her bedroom. Jealousy bubbled up inside him. His better judgment was not in control.

“Is that your latest conquest, Dr. Gillman? Divining his bones or just jumping them?”