Chapter 10

They made it out of the woods in record time, and Ryker headed straight for her little SUV. "Do you have your keys?"

"Yeah, but my license is inside."

"I have mine," Ryker said. "Besides, you shouldn't drive with that ankle."

"It's my car," she said as he walked up to it on the passenger's side. Oh, heck no, she could drive. She would just be careful.

Ryker set her down in a way that almost seemed reluctant and then grabbed the passenger door handle. "I know it's your car."

"Then I'm driving."

"I could pick you up and carry you there."

Jo snorted. "Yeah, okay, Superman. I'd love to see you try."

Ryker took a step closer to her. "I'm not kidding."

"And I'm not kidding about driving my car."

"And what if you can't hold down the brake?" Ryker raised his eyebrows. "Or you can't switch between the gas and brake fast enough?" He frowned. "You've already made it clear that you're trouble. How much trouble do you want to be?"

"Jerk." Jo crossed her arms and leaned her weight against the car, keeping it off her injured ankle. Oh. She looked over his shoulder at a point in the distance and then sighed. "Don't think I'm always going to say yes. I'm only saying yes this time because it makes sense since you're forcing me to go to a clinic."

Ryker held out a hand for the keys, and she fished them out of her pocket and tossed them at him. He swiped them out of the air and smirked. "I would never think that."

Jo narrowed her eyes at him and got into the car while he went around to the driver's side. He had to slide the seat most of the way back in order to get comfortable. He apparently caught her smirking, because he smirked right back. "Apparently a kid last drove this car."

Man thought he was clever. Jo rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, short jokes, whatever," she retorted. She was not short. She was perfectly average. He was the one who was freakishly ginormous. Hopefully this mountain water wouldn't make her start sprouting up like a beanpole.

He smirked and started reversing the car before turning to head up the gravel driveway.

Jo grabbed a pen from the cup holder and threw it at him--unfortunately, he had quick reflexes and quickly leaned back, allowing it to sail right passed him and through the window he'd rolled down. Ryker stopped the car and they stared at each other for a second.

"I know, Mr. Park Ranger, littering is a terrible crime, I'll go and get it," Jo grumbled, reaching for the door handle.Ranger Ryker. Idiot man. He should have let the pen hit him. But before she could open the door he was already out, and back in a few seconds. Wow, he hadn't even had to spend much time searching for it.

"I've already made clear my feelings about you walking on that ankle," Ryker reminded her before she could say anything as he got back in the truck. She noted that he put the pen in the door pocket on his side of the car where she couldn't reach. Okay, maybe not a total idiot.

Pressing her fingertips to her temples, Jo wondered what exactly had happened to her day. What had happened to her life. None of this had been in the cards a few years ago. She never would have thought she'd be moving to her grandparents' old house in the middle of nowhere and getting dragged through the woods by a gung-ho wannabe future park ranger. Jo suppressed the urge to giggle at the sudden image of Ryker in one of those big floppy hats.

"What's so funny?" Ryker said, surprising her. He better be keeping his eyes on the road. Even though they technically weren't on the road yet.

"Nothing," Jo said airily. She changed topics before he could dig further. "So you seem to know all these trails and roads pretty well. Lived here your whole life?"

Ryker nodded, settling back against the seat. With one hand casually rested on the wheel and the wind from the partly open window blowing through his hair, he looked completely relaxed and at home. In her car, which was the oddest thing. Normally other people driving Jo's car made her anxious, but for some unsettling reason, she trusted Ryker. Well, she had to hand it to him, she supposed he'd earned a little bit of her trust by carrying her like a mile uphill through the woods.

"My family goes back generations," Ryker said, speaking after a quiet moment. "We're not the type to move around much."

"I hear it's like that sometimes in small towns." Jo tilted her head, eying him curiously. "But you don't have a problem with young people leaving? Wanting to go to the cities?"

"Apparently we actually have a problem with them moving here," he said, turning his head just enough to give her a quick, pointed look. She caught the glimmer of humour in his eyes though, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Apparently," she replied, surprised to find no trace of bitterness in their voice. As they hit the main road and sped up, the sound of the wind blowing put a damper on anymore talking, but Jo didn't mind, content to trail her hand out the window and let the wind curve through her fingers. It was a strangely comfortable silence, and time seemed to speed by before all too soon, they were slowing down near the edge of town.

A sign stated that they were at the Jackson's Hollow Clinic as Ryker pulled into a gravel parking lot. Jo groaned. "I thought you were kidding..."

"About what? Getting you help?" Ryker snorted. "Why would I kid about that?"

"Ryker," Jo said with a half-laugh, "It's just a twisted ankle."

He parked the car and looked over at her, his hazel eyes dark and serious. "Just get it checked out. You said you would. Do you go back on your word, Jo?"

Jo's face grew hot, and she glowered back at him before throwing open the car door. She got out and slammed her own door, aggravated all over again. And she had been calm just a few minutes ago! There was something about him that made her comfortable and yet extremely alert at the same time, and she had no idea how to deal with those conflicting feelings.

His boots crunched on the gravel as he got out on his own side and came around the front of the car. She was already limping toward the door, careful not to put too much weight on her ankle. Showing too much pain would only fuel his fire.

He extended an arm to her, but she ignored it. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, you totally seem it," he said. He moved behind her, and before she could protest, he swept her up into his arms again, holding her close to his chest. "I know, I know. You can walk on your own."

"Then you can put me down," she said.

"I will. When we get inside."

"You are ridiculous."

He didn't protest. Instead, he headed for the door, managing to open it and make his way inside without putting her down.

Inside was a regular clinic waiting room with a few empty chairs and a middle-aged receptionist with gray-streaked brown hair sitting behind a glass partition, reading something on a computer screen. She looked up and then did a double-take. "Ryker! What's wrong, what happened?" She stood up, wide-eyed, looking from Ryker to Jo and then back again. "Brett!" she called toward the back, and then put her hands on her hips. "What did you do?"

"I'm just bringing her here, Etta," he said, "If Brett's busy, she could see Janie--"

"I'm not busy," a voice came from somewhere down a hall behind Etta's desk. A moment later, a guy wearing scrubs and a white coat appeared at a door that opened into the waiting area. He had short brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a five o'clock shadow. He quirked an eyebrow at Ryker and Jo, who was sure that everyone in town was going to hear about this, judging by the way Etta was staring. "Hey, Ryker...new friend?"

"It's a long story."

"He kidnapped me," Jo said at the same time, casting a glare at a startled Ryker.

"I did not."

"You sort of did." She looked over at the guy in the doctor's coat, who she assumed was Brett. "I'm fine, it's literally just a twisted ankle, but he's treating it like I snapped my foot off."

"It was a bad twist," Ryker said, his own frown deepening.

"You didn't even see it happen!"

"I can tell--"

There was a loud clap, and they both looked toward Brett. "All right, kids, I think that's enough of that."

Jo could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment--because the doctor was right, they did sound like little kids arguing. And while it sounded like Ryker knew him, she certainly didn't. She was trying to leave a good impression with the locals as a new resident and this wouldn't help.

Ryker just frowned though, apparently not embarrassed at all. "You should take X-rays, Brett."

Jo twisted to look up at him with a glare, but he ignored her. She was the patient here, and she knew x-rays meant more money. She wasn't broke, but she was trying to fix a house and start school and live on her own, all off of her savings until she got a job. Her parents hadn't been happy in her choice to attend community college versus a 4-year university, and so had refused to support her other than loaning her the use of the old house.

In all fairness, they were probably more mad that she couldn't give them a good reason why she'd suddenly changed her mind after years of planning to go to a bigger school, more along the lines of a Chapel Hill or Duke if possible.

Well, they were going to have to get over it, because she didn't ever plan on explaining that one to them.

"I don't think I need an x-ray," Jo said, turning back to Dr. Brett. Since she didn't know his last name yet. "Maybe just a brace and a spare set of crutches if you have any?" That's what they'd given her for her sprain that one time.

Brett cast an amused look at Ryker who practically--what--growled again? These mountain men.

"We'll see, let me examine you first," he said, moving to hold open the door behind him. Ryker strode forward with Jo still in his arms, and Jo bit back the urge to make a joke about him being her steed, as she didn't want to give Dr. Brett another reason to think she was immature.

Ryker stroke back to an examination room like he knew exactly where he was going. Jo couldn't resist a quiet snort of amusement, but apparently Ryker heard her.

"What?"

"And you said I'm trouble, At least I don't know my way around the local clinic."

"It's not like this place is that big," Ryker said, setting her on the examination table. "And anyway, he's my older brother." Jo looked at him in surprise--it seemed like everyone she met in this town so far was connected to Ryker somehow. Okay, well except the coffee shop lady. Maybe that was where she needed to submit her job application.

"Okay," Brett said, coming in. "Good afternoon, I'm Dr.Monroe." Monroe, Hmm. Now she knew Ryker's last name too. Good to know in case she ever had to file a stalker report. Jo couldn't help the small smirk that creeped on to her face at that last thought. "May I ask your name since we haven't had a chance to be properly introduced?"

"Jo Scott," she replied. He nodded, jotting something down on his clipboard. "We'll get you to fill out some paperwork before you leave, but I figured you'd appreciate me calling you by your name instead of 'hey you.'"

Jo laughed. "Thanks, you're probably right." Ryker looked at her, seemingly surprised for a second, then his eyes narrowed, almost as if he was irritated. But for some reason, the irritation actually seemed to be focused on his brother. The man was ridiculous.

Dr. Brett--or Monroe, or whatever, seemed to have caught Ryker's scowl, by the way his eyes flickered toward Ryker for a moment. But apparently he decided to courageously ignore it. "Jo, would you like Ryker to stay or leave?"