Jaclyn retrieved the saw and an extension cord, which she plugged into a nearby socket. "How am I going to support you and cut at the same time? Please let me call the fire department."

"No, absolutely not!"

"You are so mom! You'd rather suffer further injury than be embarra.s.sed."

"Get to it or hand me the saw. I'm coming off this pallet one way or another."

Jaclyn rolled her eyes. "Give me just a second." She ran into the garden department and picked up two pavers. Carefully, she slid them beneath the wood flooring to support the area where she intended to cut. Next, she found a ladder and set it up so Maddie could support herself.

"Don't let that pool of blood under my shoe prompt you to move any faster," Maddie said with a grunt.

"Ungrateful, prideful doofus." Jaclyn drowned out Maddie's retort with the saw as she cut the slats on the floor, freeing the piece of wood that her sister was attached to.

"You were right, that did hurt," Maddie said tearfully as she leaned against the ladder.

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey, just a little longer." Jaclyn raced into the office and grabbed the rolling chair from behind the desk. "I should've thought of this sooner." She pushed it up behind Maddie and helped her sit down. "I don't know what to use to support your foot to keep it from moving."

"It went through my big toe. I guess I should be thankful that it's good and tight, but it's gonna hurt like h.e.l.l when they take it out."

Jaclyn didn't want to think about that as she carefully pushed Maddie through the store and out to the car. It took wrangling and a lot of cursing before she got Maddie situated. She found an old packing blanket in the storeroom and put it beneath Maddie's leg for the ride. She pulled out her phone again when she got into the driver's seat.

Maddie glared at her. "Who are you calling?"

"Heath, you don't want me to?"

Maddie shook her head. "He'll freak, and he's got the kids with him. He can barely drive on a good day. I don't want him flying down the road with my babies."

Jaclyn nodded. "Good point. I'm going to call Austin and check on him." Jaclyn was surprised when Morgan answered the phone.

"I stopped at the house when I saw Austin on the porch after you flew by with the flashers on. Is everything okay?"

"Um...Maddie had a little accident, nothing serious. I'm going to run her by the hospital and have her looked at to be on the safe side."

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll stay with Austin until you get back. I talked him into eating a bowl of soup, then I gave him another dose of the cold medicine. He's pretty sleepy right now but worried."

Jaclyn smiled, relieved that Morgan was taking care of Austin. "Tell him everything is fine. I don't know how long we'll be, but please make yourself at home. I can't express how much I appreciate you stopping in to take care of him."

"I hope Maddie's okay. Don't worry about Austin. I'll take good care of him."

"Thank you. See you soon."

Maddie groaned when Jaclyn hit a b.u.mp. "I'd have all sorts of questions if my foot didn't feel like it was on fire."

"Nothing has changed, we're only friends," Jaclyn said, hating to admit it.

Chapter Nineteen.

Jaclyn stood beside Maddie, who was feeling pretty woozy as she awaited her teta.n.u.s shot. The nail had been removed from her toe, and the gap had been st.i.tched. "It looks like a half moon. Take the bandage off, I want to see it again."

Jaclyn didn't want to see it again, her stomach roiled at the thought. "Germs, Maddie, think of germs. They're all around in here. It's best to keep it covered."

"Always taking care of me," Maddie said with a dopey grin. "If you weren't my sister and I was a lesbian, I think I'd have it for you big-time."

"That's...um...gross, but thanks."

Jaclyn walked over to the curtain and peeked out. The emergency room was hopping, and she doubted that anyone would be along quickly with Maddie's teta.n.u.s shot.

"We have a nice a.s.s." Jaclyn looked over her shoulder, and Maddie was staring at her b.u.t.t gla.s.sy-eyed. "Mine looks just like yours. Shake it a little, let me see what I'm working with."

Jaclyn arched her back and bounced it like a stripper, then had to cover Maddie's mouth when she laughed too loud. "You're my best friend," Maddie slurred when Jaclyn took her hand from her mouth.

"Oh, here it comes. You're gonna get emotional, aren't you?"

"I just love you so much." Maddie began to cry. "What would I do without you?"

Jaclyn grabbed a tissue and held it up to Maddie's nose. Any sort of pain reliever aside from something over the counter sent Maddie on an emotional roller coaster where the other riders were pink elephants. "Get it together. You're starting to act like Clarice Minden."

"I'm gonna have to walk around on crutches," Maddie sobbed. "Thank G.o.d, Heath has two pair in the garage." She blew her nose and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm thinking of doing a t.u.r.ducken for Christmas. Do you think that's something you'd like?"

Jaclyn blinked at the subject change. "I don't care for duck, and neither do you, so why would you ruin a perfectly good turkey?"

"Ham then, I'll make a ham. Sweet potato ca.s.serole with the pecans, yum, that sounds so good." Maddie's brow furrowed. "I'm wearing Heath's underwear."

"I know," Jaclyn said with a laugh. She and one of the nurses had helped Maddie undress, and they'd exchanged glances at the smiley face boxers. "Why?"

"We ordered a new washing machine, and it hasn't arrived yet. I ran out of clean undies. Do you think anyone noticed?"

Jaclyn scrunched up her face to keep from laughing. "I'm sure they've seen worse."

Maddie started to cry again. "I'm never gonna be able to wear sandals or cute shoes again. Heath's gonna be so p.i.s.sed." Maddie sniffed, and her expression turned dark. "He'd better not be," she said, her voice rising with each word. "He's a walking disaster area! I keep fourteen tubes of wound glue around the house and store so I can put his a.s.s back together." Maddie's demeanor changed again, and she started to sob. "I really liked that pair of sneakers, too."

"Okay, one teta.n.u.s shot as ordered," a nurse said as she moved back the curtain and smiled at Maddie.

Maddie's face went blank as she squeezed the feeling out of Jaclyn's hand. "Are you gonna put that in my b.u.t.t?"

"Your arm," the nurse a.s.sured with a smile.

"Oh, thank G.o.d," Maddie said with a sigh. "I'm wearing my husband's underwear. We have a washer on order. I wouldn't normally wear men's underpants, but sometimes I want to. My little toe is gay. Jaclyn got the rest of those genes. Sometimes, I want to wear a skirt, but my toe says, 'no, wear Heath's clothes instead.' The other day at the gym, I saw Dana Galloway's b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and that little toe shot straight up."

"Maddie, don't talk," Jaclyn said, smiling at the nurse. "She's a little stoned. No one in our family has a strong tolerance to medication."

"Obviously," the nurse said as she prepared the injection.

Jaclyn set two gla.s.ses of milk next to two small plates of fruit and cheese for her niece and nephew, hoping the bait would occupy the kids until she could talk to Heath. Caleb and Dawn came bounding through the door and were surprised to see their aunt instead of mother. Jaclyn hugged them both and led them to the table. "I made snacks. Sit down and enjoy them while I talk to your daddy."

"Where's Maddie?" Heath asked as he walked in.

"I need to talk to you for a second before you see her." Jaclyn felt sorry for Heath when the color drained out of his face.

"What's wrong?"

Jaclyn put up both hands. "She had a minor accident and is sleeping off the pain meds right now," she said lowly. "She shot her toe with a nail gun."

"My nail gun?"

Jaclyn nodded. "It took a chunk out of her big toe. I got your crutches out of the garage and put them beside the bed because she's going to need them for a while."

Heath's fear was replaced by anger. "I told her never to use that!"

"She told you not to cut the tree in the backyard without help. Do you really want to go down that road? Your list of 'do not's' and 'oops' is a mile longer than hers."

This took a little wind out of Heath's sails. "I know it must've hurt like h.e.l.l."

Jaclyn smiled. "I think her pride is suffering more. I put a pan of frozen lasagna in the oven for y'all, but now I have to get home because Austin is sick. Take good care of my sister, okay?"

"I will." Heath gave her a hug, and Jaclyn kissed Caleb and Dawn as she left.

It had already turned dark when Jaclyn began the short ride home. She was thankful that Morgan had stopped to check on Austin and stayed. There were others who would've sat with him if she'd called, but Morgan had simply stepped in. It was nice to have someone fill in the gaps and take worry off her shoulders. Morgan was a perfect fit in her and Austin's lives. Jaclyn wished that things could be different, but she'd grown accustomed to her wishes not coming true.

The house smelled of soup when Jaclyn walked in. Her stomach growled loudly in response, and she realized that she'd gone nearly the entire day without eating anything. Morgan's footfalls were heavy on the stairs. She smiled as she walked into the kitchen.

"Austin's asleep in his bed." Morgan studied Jaclyn's face as she spoke. "You look beat, and I can hear your stomach growling. So pizza, soup, or both?"

Jaclyn leaned against the counter. "Did Austin talk you into ordering him pizza?"

"No, I had a craving for gooey cheese. He ate like six bowls of soup throughout the day, saying he wasn't that hungry. I'd hate to see what it's like when he's really got an appet.i.te. Maybe you should change The Lure to a grocery store so you can buy in bulk."

"Don't think I haven't considered it," Jaclyn said with a laugh. "Gooey cheese sounds appetizing, with a cold beer."

"Excellent. Now go find a comfortable place to sit and I'll get it for you."

"Morgan, you don't have to wait on me. You've given up your whole day." Jaclyn opened the fridge and pulled out two beers. "I should be serving you."

Morgan blocked her as she went to the cabinet. "I know where your plates are. I'm pretty familiar with your kitchen after today. Go sit on the porch or on the couch and I'll make your plate. Your shoulders are slumped and you have bags under your eyes. Sometimes the caregiver needs a leg up, so let me keep you company while you eat, then you can go to bed."

"All right, but I'm taking your beer to the porch." Jaclyn slipped out the back door and sank down on the swing. Minutes later, Morgan handed her a plate with two slices of pepperoni pizza and a napkin. She picked up her beer and settled in a chair close by.

"What happened to Maddie?"

"My brilliant sister shot herself in the big toe with a nail gun while building a display for the store. I found her nailed to a manger." Jaclyn picked off a piece of pepperoni and popped it into her mouth. "I know it hurt like h.e.l.l, and I'm not making fun of her, but she was a riot in the hospital. They doped her up, and she started babbling like a fool. Maddie told the nurse who helped me get her dressed that she bore a striking resemblance to George Clooney, and she was turning her on."

Morgan grinned and rubbed her brow. "I'm still reeling from the image of Maddie nailed to a board."

Jaclyn nodded. "I had to cut up the base she'd made for her manger display. We went to the hospital, plank and all. I don't know why it surprised me. She hot glued a chunk of her hair to the kitchen table once. She always seems to stick herself to something. What did you and Austin do while I was away?"

Morgan shrugged. "He napped a lot and I watched movies. You have a thing for Johnny Depp, don't you?"

Jaclyn grinned and nodded as she chewed a bite of pizza. "He makes me laugh, even when he plays serious parts. You kind of look like him in a feminine sort of way." She dropped the pizza as her eyes went wide. "Oh, my G.o.d, the store. I was supposed to give Bailey a few breaks."

"It's okay," Morgan said quickly. "I went down to get some Sprite for Austin, and Chet was there having coffee. I told him that Maddie had an emergency and you went to help her. He helped Bailey and came back when it was time to close up."

Jaclyn put a hand to her forehead and sank back down. "I need to do something special for him and you, for that matter. You both really came through for me today."

Morgan waved her off. "I can't speak for Chet, but you don't owe me anything. You and Austin have done plenty for me. I should confess, though, I looked at all your photo alb.u.ms. That's right," she said with a grin when Jaclyn looked at her in horror. "Loved the Christmas picture of you when Austin was four. It's his favorite too."

Jaclyn rolled her eyes. "I was wearing the Grinch jammies and my hair was all over the place. Maddie caught me mid-yawn?"

Morgan nodded. "That's the one. He's gonna scan it for me in case I need blackmail material."

"That's not fair. I have no way of obtaining incriminating photos of you."

"I'll volunteer them." Morgan picked up her beer and moved to the swing with Jaclyn. "Brad sent these to me," she said as she pressed a few b.u.t.tons on her phone.

"Aw, how old were you?" Jaclyn took it from her and stared at the photo.

"Six, I think."

Jaclyn smiled as she stared at the little girl in a yellow dress and matching ribbon in her hair.

"I was scowling because I didn't want to wear that dress, according to my dad." She slid her thumb over the screen, and the next picture appeared. "This was high school graduation."

Jaclyn stared hard at the picture. There was a light in Morgan's eyes as she stood beside her father in her cap and gown. She looked at Morgan and noticed it had gone out and wondered what it would take for that look to return. "You were very happy."

Morgan looked away. "I was. I had my diploma, next stop was college. I couldn't wait to get out on my own."

"Are there more?"

Morgan glanced at her and smiled as she advanced to the next photo. Jaclyn threw back her head and laughed as she gazed at Morgan in a pair of cutoffs and a stained football jersey with a ball tucked under her arm. She looked to be about nine. "You were a total tomboy."

"Oh, yeah, I didn't have one girlie bone in my body." Morgan winked at Jaclyn. "I bet you did, though."

"Honey, you'd lose. Getting me into a dress for church was a battle my mother dreaded every Sunday. By the time we got there, we were both furious. Dad, Maddie, and Gayle would go into hiding until they had to get into the car. I wore the stupid dresses, but underneath, I had on cutoffs and a slingshot in my back pocket. When I was around thirteen, she relented and let me wear pants just to keep the peace." Jaclyn pointed to a tree in the backyard. "Before my teens, I practically lived in a tree house up there. The rest of the time, I was wading into the lake to catch turtles."

"We would've been best friends had we known each other then," Morgan said with a smile.

Jaclyn nodded. "There's no telling what trouble we would've gotten into."

Morgan met her stare for a second, then her eyes looked unfocused as if she were pondering something. The kiss came so quickly, every inch of Jaclyn's body stiffened. In shock, she didn't respond to the soft kiss on her lips, then Morgan was on her feet backing away.