There Are No Words

Chapter 1

Jenny

Great. Just great. Now what am I going to do?

I'm not sure I want to try to jump out of this tree. This branch is just high enough for me to break an ankle on, something I am sure to do, Murphy's Law being what it is. I can't figure out how I get myself into these crazy situations.

One thing I do know is that Jinx's name suits him, what with all the trouble cat-sitting him this week is causing me.

By now Daisy, the Cunningham's dog who I am also watching this week, is running loose in the yard, barking at squirrels and giving the nearby birds something to chirp about. Hopefully she won't get too dirty or I'll have to give her a bath before returning her to the owners later today.

The things I go through as a pet service provider.

I wish someone was home to help me. I'm alone with one pissed off cat and another bounding dog to capture when I get down.

Maybe if I lay on my stomach and hold onto the branch with my hands I can dangle low enough to make the fall less dangerous. I start to do just that, grasping and grunting as I go, mumbling quiet obscenities along the way. With my rear in the sky, I'm just about to let myself hang when I hear a bellow below me.

"What on earth are you doing, Jenny?"

Surprised and taken off guard by his question, I lose my balance and find myself falling out of a tree like a 5-year-old. Instead of breaking my fall on an ankle, though, I break it right on top of Walker's head.

"Ow! Jenny! Crap. That hurt. Can you get up?" he asks, squirming underneath me.

Embarrassed, but unharmed, I scramble up and to my feet. I lend a hand down to Walker and help him to his feet. Rubbing his hand on his ear, he just looks at me.

"What're you doing up a tree? You do know you're not a kid anymore, right?" he asks with a smile that makes my heart trip over itself. Nervous now, I start to explain at about a mile a minute.

"It was Jinx. He escaped and ran up the tree. I was just trying to get him back down. He's going to be the death of me. He keeps getting out. I don't think he's gonna want to go back home at the end of the week. He likes these wooded lands too much." I reply quickly, finally finished and able to take a breath.

When I look up for Walker's reaction, I can see amusement dancing in his eyes. He's trying not to laugh at me, but he's doing a piss-poor job of it.

"Don't you laugh at me, Walker Logan! This is not funny!"

At the use of his middle name, he raises an eyebrow at me. Now he looks like it's all he can do not to burst out at me.

"It's not! This is NOT funny," I say, stomping my foot for emphasis. "Stop looking at me like that, Walker. It's not funny. I...Jinx..." And then we both lose it. The more we try to stop, the funnier the situation becomes.

Just then, I hear a car door slam and turn to look in the direction of my cabin. At the same time, the cabin door across the way at Walker's bangs open and Cian comes out onto their porch.

"Hey, Walker. Dad needs you on the phone. Something about a part in the breaker box in the basement."

"What? Cian, why can't you do it?" Walker hollers back at him.

Siofra rounds the corner of my cabin as the boys argue across the yard. Cian stops and looks at us. Then he cuts back to Walker and they start up the argument again. Walker grumbles under his breath and mouths off, "Yeah, yeah, Cian. I'll be right there."