I sprang into action. “Hang on, I’m going to get you in a little sling and we’re gonna take you to Jackson’s office,” I said conversationally as if the opossum was going to answer.
After digging through the back of my car, I came out with a blanket and a leash. The leash was left over from a friend’s dog I’d dog sat a few months back and never gotten around to returning the leash.
I was standing a few feet away, eyeing the opossum in the darkness as I attempted to sort out how to handle the situation. I heard the sound of another vehicle rounding the bend in the road and hoped that no one bothered to stop. If they did, they would probably think I was crazy.
I considered calling Jackson and Shay because I’d be calling them anyway. Maybe Jackson could tell me how to safely gather up this little guy. When I heard the sound of the wheels getting closer, I noticed a truck slowing and pulling in behind my car.
“Great,” I muttered to myself. “Here’s hoping whoever this is doesn’t think I’m insane, or it’s not some asshole.”
“Jade?”
When I recognized Walker’s voice, I instantly felt my cheeks get hot.
Chapter Eighteen
Walker
Jade stood on the side of the winding highway in a small viewing area with what appeared to be a dog leash and a blanket in her hand. An opossum was on the ground a few feet in front of her. As I approached this rather unexpected scene, I had to fight back the urge to laugh.
“Now, why doesn’t it surprise me that it looks like you’re planning to wrap that injured opossum in a blanket?” I asked when I reached Jade’s side.
I could see the flush on her cheeks from the glare of the headlights I’d left on.
“Well, it shouldn’t surprise you,” she retorted, resting the hand holding the leash on her hip. “He’s injured. I’m going to get him in my car and call Jackson and take him down to the clinic.”
I almost sighed, but I caught myself. Jade was going to do this whether I thought it was a good idea or not. I might as well be helpful.
I knew a bit about wild animal rescue because it was something my mom did on the side. Her expertise was birds, but nonetheless. “Can I help?”
Jade’s eyes widened and then a smile broke out. Her smile was like a lasso cinching around my heart. “You’ll help? Really?”
Taking a breath, I nodded, ignoring the almost rib-cracking kick of my heart. “You call Jackson, and I’ll get this little guy wrapped up in the blanket.”
Jade promptly handed over the dog leash and the blanket. She had her phone out and was calling Jackson as I approached the opossum. The opossum was indeed a male because I could see there was no pouch, but I didn’t know if Jade hadn’t gotten close enough to confirm earlier.
With a little care and some quick work, I had him rolled in the blanket. He wasn’t too thrilled with the state of affairs and snarled at me, but I had him in the blanket before he had a chance to bite me.
“What’d Jackson say?” I asked after I had deposited the opossum into the back of my truck and closed the window to the truck cover.
Jade eyed my truck in the darkness. “Are you sure we should leave him back there?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “As it is, I don’t have a crate and he could easily get out. This way, he’ll be in the back of my truck and not in the backseat of your car.”
Jade opened her mouth—I presumed to argue with me—but then snapped it shut with a sigh. “I guess you’re right. Jackson said he’ll meet us at the clinic. Can I just ride with you?”
I lifted my phone, tapping the screen to see the time. “We’re closer than he is because he was still at Lost Deer Bar when I left. I don’t think it’s wise for you to leave your car here. We’re about a mile away from your place. I’ll follow you over, and you can ride with me from there. How’s that sound?”
Jade nodded quickly. “Perfect.” Without waiting, she hurried to her car, calling over her shoulder, “Just follow me.”
As if I didn’t know where she lived, right down the road from me.
Only a few minutes later, Jade was jumping into the passenger seat of my truck. “Thank you so much, Walker,” she said as she buckled her seat belt. “I just want the opossum to be okay.”
“I think he’ll be okay. Honestly, considering that someone hit him, he’s pretty damn lucky. It looks like he injured one of his back legs.”
“That’s what I thought.” Jade was practically vibrating beside me. She kept peeking into the back of the truck after asking me if she could open up a small window between the front and the back.
After we arrived at the clinic, we found Skylar already there along with Shay. Jackson was washing up in the back. Between Skylar and Shay, we got the opossum into a carrier to bring him inside and Skylar promptly gave him a sedative.
Jackson examined the opossum and confirmed he had a broken hind leg. Jade insisted on waiting until Jackson confirmed there were no internal injuries and he’d set the broken leg. Jade only agreed to leave after he assured her the opossum was going to be fine, and he and Shay would make sure he was comfortable for the night.
The space inside my truck was quiet as I drove through the darkness toward home. I’d come to discover it was impossible to be near Jade and not feel that crackle of electricity between us. However, during the opossum rescue, I’d been understandably preoccupied. Now that was over, it felt as if the air around us was shimmering and vibrating with the desire banked inside my body.
Moonlight fell through the window, casting her profile partially in shadow. Her face had clean lines with a slightly stubborn tilt to her jaw. All of it was softened by her full, lush lips. As if she sensed my gaze on her, she turned, her eyes catching with mine. It felt as if a flame flickered to life between us.
I had to look away—I was driving, after all—but I had to force it. This thing with Jade, whatever it was, was powerful, its own force to reckon with. Although it was unsettling, I wanted her fiercely and with a need that should have given me pause.
When I pulled into her driveway, I faced her. “I’ll walk you in.” When I cut the engine, the air was heavy, laden with raw, charged electricity. The power of it was burgeoning with each passing second.
I didn’t wait for Jade’s reply, climbing out quickly and rounding the truck to get her door. She was already opening it and cut me a sharp look as I held it.
“I do have manners,” I murmured.
Her laugh in return was throaty, the sound of it tossing more fuel on the flames kindling between us. When we stepped onto the small landing in front of her door, Jade turned to me.
I decided not to bother playing this any way other than blunt. “I want you.”
Her breath came out in a startled puff and then she laughed again. “Well, just get right to the point, why don’t you?”
“Thought it might make it easier.”
I waited, giving her a clear chance to send me packing. There was a small light under the curved enclosure above the landing. Her green eyes glittered underneath it, and her cheeks were tinged pink.
“Okay,” she said simply, before turning and unlocking her door. She held it open for me to follow her inside.