“Not while they’re in between assignments. That was the deal when they set up shop on the ranch. They promised to help out here in between assignments.”
Truth was, JoJo wasn’t really comfortable yet with the men who were setting up a Brotherhood Protectors Colorado office at the Lost Valley Ranch, although they’d done nothing to make her feel uncomfortable. In fact, they’d saved RJ’s life. Now, RJ was head over heels for Jake Cogburn.
RJ had been so infatuated with the man that she’d wanted JoJo to try dating again, going so far as to set her up with Max Thornton for the Sadie Hawkins Day dance, which had been entirely too awkward for JoJo’s liking. She almost felt sorry for the guy. Every time he’d touched her, she’d jumped. It wasn’t until he’d taken her into his arms and danced a very slow dance that she’d finally relaxed with him.
He’d barely spoken two words to her all evening. Fortunately, the slow dance had been really slow. The man had a limp and didn’t move around as fast. She would’ve told him no on the dance, but she’d kind of felt bad for him because he had that limp. She hadn’t wanted him to think she was too embarrassed to be seen dancing with someone with a limp.
Later, she’d seen the irony in it. He’d probably asked her to dance thinking she’d wanted to, and he hadn’t wanted to disappoint her, and she hadn’t wanted to turn him down in case it would make him feel like his limp was keeping her from dancing with him. She chuckled. If they’d only been open and honest with one another, they could’ve avoided the dance altogether. But they had danced, and it had left her even more conflicted. She only knew one thing for certain, and that was she wasn’t ready for a relationship.
JoJo hated that she still felt very broken. She wanted to be fixed, but she didn’t see that happening until the man who had done this to her was caught. She’d even gone so far as to agree with Emily to try some hypnosis to see if it could bring back her memories. The sooner the better.
Gunny climbed on the tractor and drove it out of the barn.
JoJo worked on the snowblower for the next hour, lost in the mechanics. At least with the machines, she didn’t have to carry on a conversation. It was bad enough her thoughts never stopped rolling around in her head. Too often she came back to that memory of waking up with her cheek on the dirt, her body bruised, her throat sore from having been choked. Whoever had attacked her had beaten her, raped her and buried her in the desert, thinking she’d died. JoJo had to believe that she was still left on earth for a reason. The reason was to get the person who’d done this to her. The last memory she’d had before waking in the desert, was walking to the shower tent after working in the motor pool late into the night. She had to have seen his face. If only she could remember.
Fortunately, the sun was shining through the door of the barn, giving her just enough light that she could see what she was doing. She had ruled out all the usual suspects on the engine before she tore down half of it and found the issue. Now that it was fixed, she’d reassembled the part, filled the oil reservoir and poured gasoline into the tank. When she started the engine, it roared to life.
She bent over the engine to adjust the idle when a shadow fell over her. Her heart stopped, and her breath caught in her lungs.
When a hand touched her shoulder, she reacted. JoJo grabbed the arm, bent over and flipped the man over her back. Before she could let go of his arm, he yanked her down on top of him, rolled her over and pinned her to the ground.
She fought hard, kicking, flailing, biting, everything she could to get free.
“Ouch!” The man swore.
She couldn’t hear what else he said for the pounding in her ears.
“Be still, dammit.” Finally, he straddled her. After pinning her arms to the ground, he leaned back far enough that the sunlight filtered through the barn door onto his face.
“JoJo,” he said, “I’m not going to hurt you.”
She writhed beneath him and finally looked up into his eyes. Just because she knew him didn’t mean she trusted him. Her pulse still pounded. Her breathing came in ragged pants. “Get off me.”
Still, he held onto her hands. “I’ll let you up when you promise not to hit, scratch or bite me.”
“Let me up,” she said, breathing hard.
“Promise?”
“Dammit.” She bucked her hips and stomped her feet on the ground, but she was well and truly trapped. “Fine. I promise.”
He released her hands and rocked over to the side, jumping to his feet and out of her way.
JoJo rolled over and scrambled to her feet. She moved several steps away from him in a crouching, ready stance. Ready to take off if he should come after her, or to defend herself if he attacked her.
He held up his hands as if in surrender. “Look, I’m sorry I startled you, but you couldn’t hear me over the engine.”
“What do you want?” she demanded.
His lips twisted into a wry grin. “I only came to tell you that Gunny’s swamped in the Watering Hole and needs your help.” He dropped his hands, and then rubbed his arm where she’d bitten him.
JoJo’s head spun, and her stomach roiled. She had to find a place to sit quick or she’d fall or throw up. Either way, she’d make more of an ass of herself than she already had with this man. She spied an overturned five-gallon bucket, sat down on it and put her head between her knees.
“Are you okay?” Careful to stay out of her range, he
