“Absolutely not. We’re tired and there’s no use risking an accident.”
Journey was truly too tired to argue. She couldn’t be sure what ailed her, but she felt a little off. Hopefully, she wasn’t coming down with something.
Tonight, she didn’t take time to be picky about where they stayed. The first decent motel she spotted, Journey pulled in and paid for a room. Once they were inside, she performed the very minimum she could get by with before going to bed. “Will you just hold me tonight?”
“Gladly. Watching you sleep is one of my favorite things.”
“You’re sweet. If you’re hungry you can order room service.” She showed him how, then curled up on her side to rest.
While Journey dozed, Reno took care of the cats, ordered some food and milk, then debated whether to wake her to eat or not. Fearing doing without food would only make whatever was bothering her worse, he kissed her awake. “Eat something for me. Okay?”
Journey glanced at the soup and cherry Jell-O. “Am I in the hospital?”
“Yes, mine, Reno Black’s Infirmary for Wayward Women.”
“I am not wayward!” She picked up the gelatin and a spoon. “Doesn’t that term apply to ladies of the evening?”
“No, I think it means an unpredictable woman who is difficult to control.”
She gave him a playful frown. “I’ll have to Google that.” At his blank stare, she laughed. “That’s just a way of saying that I’m going to look it up on the internet.”
He nodded, taking a big bite of his burger. “Your phone rang while you were asleep, but I didn’t answer it.”
“Why not? You should have.” She stretched over the side of the bed to dig in her purse.
“Who was it?”
“Aunt Myra. Hold on.”
In a few moments, Journey was speaking to her aunt. “I’m sorry. I thought he was doing better.”
“Well, they say you always get better right before you die.”
“Do they?” Journey’s mind was racing. “We’ve stopped for the night, but we’ll be on the road first thing in the morning.”
“I’m leaving early too, but I’ll tend to the dogs before I go. Do you think they’ll be all right until you get here?”
Journey could envision cleaning up tons of pee and poop. “If you would, put their water bowl and food dish in the sunroom. No access to carpet in there.”
“Good idea. Reno didn’t get a chance to answer the questions Myles left him.”
Journey glanced at Reno. “He can do it as soon as we get home and I’ll email you the answers. Will that do?”
“It will. I don’t know if he’ll be alert enough to know the difference, but I wouldn’t want to disappoint him.”
“We don’t want to disappoint him either,” she assured her aunt.
“You’ve got to promise me one thing, Journey.”
This was her aunt’s serious voice. “Okay. What?”
“Don’t you even think about leaving without letting me know. And I mean leaving for…good.”
“I won’t. I promise. I’ll want to see you before then. If nothing else works, I’ll come visit you in Wichita Falls.”
“I’m relieved. Thank you, sweetheart.”
“I love you, Aunt Myra.
“I love you too.”
Once the call ended, she looked to Reno. “You heard?”
“Yes. I’m sorry about your uncle.”
“Thanks.” She lay back down, feeling like she should be doing something.
“You forgot to tell her about the cats.”
“I did.” She put her hand over her eyes. “She has enough to worry about now, I’ll spring that surprise on her later.”
“Good idea. Now, eat your food. You need your strength.”
“All right.” She wiggled around to sit up, forcing down the soup, and the remainder of the gelatin. “Are you trying to rally my health in order to seduce me?”
“No, smarty pants. I want you healthy because I love you. Isn’t that reason enough?”
“Good answer.” Journey yawned and curled to one side.
She knew no more until she woke up in his arms the next morning.
* * *
The drive home was made in record time. Knowing the dogs were shut in the sunroom was incentive enough, but both seemed to feel an urgent need to return to the shadow of Enchanted Rock.
They were nearing Austin when he asked for the umpteenth time. “How do you feel?” Reno studied her face, trying to decide if she was pale or not.
“Fine. My answer hasn’t changed from the last ten times you asked.”
“Just so long as you give me the same answer the next ten times, then we’ll be both be fine.
“Worry wart,” she muttered, then gave him a tender look. “How about you? How do you feel?”