Love Beyond Reason(19)
When he had her settled in the jeep, he fumbled through the myriad articles stashed in the back of it until he found what he was looking for.
"Here, Katherine, put this on." She recoiled from the hands that reached toward her ripped blouse which she clutched together in an effort to cover herself.
Patiently he stated his motive. "Katherine, if Happy sees you like that, you'll have to make a lot of painful explanations. Slip into this T-shirt and maybe we can get you into the house without attracting her attention. If she comments on the shirt, I'll tell her you spilled ink or threw up or something. Okay?"
She nodded and didn't resist when he gently eased her out of the torn, ruined blouse. He tossed it to the floor of the jeep. Although cocooned as she was in apathy, Katherine blushed with embarrassment when he slid the straps of her bra from her arms.
"Goddamn him," he murmured when he saw the welts and bruises on the smooth breasts. With infinite tenderness, he touched one of the deeper scratches with his fingertip.
Katherine watched his face, incredulous that she should see such emotion there. The warmth of his hand was transmitted to her and his touch seemed to heal her from the physical pain of the assault and the emotional upheaval of the trauma.
Jace's teeth clenched and he hissed harshly, "I ought to go back and kill that sonofabitch!" Trying his best not to cause her more pain, he slipped the T-shirt over her head. It was far too large for her, but the soft cloth felt good.
When he was assured that she was comfortable, Jace straightened in his seat and started the jeep. He drove without undue speed, and, when they reached Katherine's yard, he cut the motor and got out of the jeep without speaking. Katherine noted with relief that Happy's car wasn't parked in its usual spot.
He didn't allow her any time to protest but carried her up the stairs. He looked at her inquiringly, and she indicated Allison's room.
He deposited her on the twin-size day bed that she slept on.
"What can I do to help?" he asked. "And don't give me that crap about not needing my help."
She looked up at him and her lips trembled as she gulped, "Th-thank you, Jace. He was going to ... I don't know if I could have fought him much longer. It was terrible." She shuddered and folded her arms across her chest, holding herself tightly and rocking back and forth.
"God, Katherine, I can't even imagine how horrifying it was for you. When I went through that door and saw—"
"What were you doing there?" it suddenly occurred to her to ask.
He didn't meet her eyes as he answered in a mutter, "I ... uh ... ever since I met that ... him at the dance, I've felt like something wasn't right. Intuition. The way he looked at you bothered me. I've been keeping my eye on him. When the building got dark and everyone left but the two of you, I got suspicious. I tried the door and found it locked. That's when you screamed."
"Thank you," she whispered and shyly reached for his hand. He grasped her small one in his and stared deeply into her eyes as his thumb traced a hypnotizing circle in her palm. The combination of his caress and his penetrating stare made Katherine uncomfortably warm and she forced herself to pull her hand from his. He released it immediately.
"I would like to take a bath," Katherine said.
"All right. You do that while I make some telephone calls." He went out and shut the door behind him.
The warm water stung the fresh scratches, but she felt cleansed of Ronald's smell and touch by the time she left the bathroom. She put on a cotton nightgown and climbed into the bed beside the crib.
"Coming through," Jace called before he eased into the room backward, using his bottom to open the door. He was carrying a tray with both hands. "Room service," he said cheerfully. Katherine laughed to see a tea towel tucked into the waistband of his jeans. He gingerly placed the tray on her lap and stood up, proudly inspecting his labors.
"I thought you might like some tea and toast. If you want an omelet or anything else, I'll fix it for you. I didn't think you'd want a heavy meal."
"This is perfect," she said taking a sip of the scalding tea.
Casually and without any hesitation, he sat down on the end of the bed and leaned back over her feet, supporting himself on his elbows.
"For your information, Mr. Ronald Welsh is no longer employed at Van Buren College, I called the president, interrupted a barbecue supper at his house, and told him the whole story. I threatened newspaper headlines and petitions against sexual harassment on the job if he didn't cooperate. He was easily convinced."
He smiled at Katherine, but there was no humor lighting the blue eyes.
"Mr. Welsh?" she asked timidly, remembering his crumpled body on the office floor.
"I called an ambulance for him," Jace said grudgingly.
Katherine nodded absently. "He has a family. I wonder what will happen to them when he loses his job," she mused.
"They'll be taken care of along with the hospital bill."
Katherine looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"
He picked up one of Allison's stuffed animals and studied its ears. "Never mind," he answered vaguely, then said quickly, "Someone from the college will bring your car home."
Before Katherine could question him any further, they heard Happy's cheerful call as she came through the front door in the living room. "Katherine, Jace, are you in here? Allison and I had an errand to run and I..." Her voice trailed off as her huge bulk filled the doorway.