Dee, Lavada - Nothing to Lose [Blackhawk Brothers] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (3 page)

She was leaning against the truck door, and he opened it slowly to keep from scaring her. Still, she jolted awake. He sucked in his breath at the naked fear in her eyes. Keeping his voice low, he said, “You’re okay. You fell asleep. I’m sorry I frightened you. I probably should have tried to wake you up before I got out of the truck.”

Her eyes focused, and he let out his breath in relief. He watched as she struggled with the seat belt. Awake, she seemed to trust him, so he took a chance and reached across her to unlatch it.

The back door opened into a washroom, and he sat the bag of wet clothes on the washer. He handed the backpack to her. “We’ll leave your wet things here and you can wash them tomorrow, but you might want to take what you’ll need out of your backpack first.”

He left her and went in to see what he could round up for dinner. She’d been coming from the direction of Paxton, and there wasn’t much on the road but one little hamburger in–and-out place. She had to be as hungry as he was.

Lucille, his housekeeper, had been in today and left a pot of stew for him. He turned the burner on under the pot and was measuring coffee when she came into the kitchen. When he looked up, she smiled at him, and again his body reacted. If she looked this beautiful now, how would she look when she was healthy and happy?

He turned away from the stove. “Dinner will be ready in about five minutes. It might be a good idea for you to get a hot bath first. I don’t think a shower is a good idea because you’re going to have to be careful not to get your back wet. I’ll show you to your room. It has an adjoining bathroom.”

“Thanks, a bath will feel really good.”

An hour later, Lynn was all but falling asleep at the table. Cooper couldn’t help smiling at her valiant attempt to stay awake. Stating the obvious, he said, “You’re falling asleep. Why don’t we call it a night? I can give you a shirt to sleep in. Anything I have is going to fit you like a nightshirt, but I imagine anything you have in your backpack is at least damp.”

“I think I’ll use these scrubs. They feel like pajamas. But first let me clean up the kitchen.”

“No, not tonight. I’ll take care of it. You just get yourself into bed.”

At his words, the air seemed to vibrate. He turned away so his body’s response wouldn’t be evident. Damn! This could be a long few days.

Chapter 3

Galynn transferred the clothes from the washer to the dryer. When she’d come downstairs earlier, she had found the note Cooper Blackhawk had propped up by the coffeepot asking her to call him when she woke up. Ignoring his request, she’d put off making the call. The feelings she felt for him were new to her. He made her feel safe, which, under the circumstances, had to be bizarre to say the least. No man should make her feel safe, especially so soon after leaving Mick. And there was more, a sort of wanting or needing for something. Glancing at the wall clock, she was surprised to see it was almost eleven o’clock.
What must he be thinking?
She needed to make the call.

His deep voice brought an image of the man over the lines. She could almost feel him. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you. I have been up for a little while, but thought I’d start the wash and…”

“Good, make yourself at home. I’ll be back around one.”

Galynn stared at the phone as the dial tone buzzed. It seemed Mr. Blackhawk was a man of few words. Memories of the night before were blurred, but one thing stood out, and that was how safe she’d felt with the man and his home. Slowly she made her way up the broad staircase, noting the graceful, warm lines of the house. It looked new, she’d guess less than a year old if that. Its size and lack of furnishings should have given it an imposing presence, but it didn’t. It took her over an hour to straighten her room, bathe, and dress. And, like the night before, the bath made her drowsy. Not wanting to be asleep when Cooper got home, she poured herself a cup of coffee and opened the newspaper that he’d left out on the table. It didn’t have the same content as the paper in Atlanta, and she read the hometown news with relish.

After reading the paper, she picked up the novel she’d bought at one of the bus stops. It felt a little damp, but not so much that it couldn’t be read. It wasn’t long before she got into the story.

A stiff feeling across her shoulders alerted her to how long she’d been reading. She stretched and walked over to the kitchen window to look out. The snow came down in big, fluffy flakes, the storm making it look like twilight in the middle of the day. The clock verified that it was almost three o’clock. It looked like Cooper Blackhawk had miscalculated the time. She bit her lower lip. Should she try calling him? As she reached for the phone, she heard the garage door go up. A few minutes later he filled the door.

With an apologetic grin on his face, he put down the packages that filled his arms. “Whew, it’s getting nasty out there.”

“Getting?” Galynn’s voice sounded breathless even to her ears.

“Guess ‘getting’ is the wrong word. Sorry if I startled you coming in without calling out. And I’m really sorry for being so late. I hate book work, and there’s a butt load of it right now.”

Galynn turned and grabbed the coffeepot. “Let me make a fresh pot. Did you eat lunch? I would have made something if I’d had any idea…”

He shook his head, interrupting her. “A good thing you didn’t have something for one o’clock, or you’d be fuming by now. I really am sorry. This isn’t like me, but you couldn’t know that.” Motioning toward the packages, he continued. “Anyway, I picked up a pizza and a few things at the drugstore. Let me get washed up, and we’ll take a look at your back before we eat.”

“It’s okay. It can wait until after we eat.”

At the doubtful look on his face, she added, “Really! It hasn’t bothered me all day.”

“If you’re sure. I’ll only be a few minutes. You can go ahead and start if you want.”

True to his word, it wasn’t long before they were sitting in front of the TV watching an all-day news program with plates of pizza. He wiped his hands on his napkin and looked over at Galynn. “So did you get some rest today?”

She was surprised to hear herself laugh, it sounded light and almost musical. “You wouldn’t believe it. I didn’t get up until ten. I think I must be moving in slow motion because the day sort of melted away.”

“That’s good.”

The room fell silent. It wasn’t a comfortable silence. Galynn put her slice of pizza back on her plate. “I…” Swallowing what felt like a walnut, she tried again. “I’m sorry. I know having me here has to be messing up your life. You’re tired, and you went up to the store to get stuff for my back. And you probably would have gone to a restaurant if you hadn’t felt you needed to get me something to eat.”

Cooper held up his hand and leaned forward. “Just a minute. First, I almost always get a pizza to go on Saturday nights. Stopping at the drugstore took all of ten minutes, and”—he drug his hand over his face—“it’s nice having you to eat and watch the news with.”

He leaned back in the recliner, giving the impression that this subject was closed.

Galynn watched as he took a big bite of pizza and picked up her own. “Thank you.”

At his nod, she relaxed. “You said you worked in the office. Is it near here?”

“At the end of the drive. I was heading there the other night when I saw you. If I would have been a few minutes earlier, I’d have missed you, but I would have had the office lights on, so you might have come on down for help.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I have been trying to keep a low profile, but with a sign of life, I probably would have figured I might be close to a town. So hopefully I’d have had the strength to keep going.”

Again, silence filled the room. Galynn knew she was lying to herself. She knew that she’d reached the end of her endurance. Looking up, she caught Cooper’s gaze. “Who am I trying to fool here? If you hadn’t found me, I would have frozen to death last night.” A tear escaped, and she swiped it away. She didn’t want Cooper to see her cry.

Dropping his pizza back on his plate, he moved over and took her gently by the arms, turning her to face him. His voice pitched low. “We don’t know that. And we’re not going there. You made it against what looks like incredible odds. Now you need to rest and get completely well. Take the time you need to do that.”

She nodded. “How will I ever repay you?”

He laughed. “Well, if you know anything about computers…”

She pulled back and looked at him. “I do. I worked in a real estate office while going to school. I set up a network and even developed a website. I know Word, Excel, and QuickBooks. I can learn any other software you have.” She broke off as she realized she was talking too fast. “Sorry, but I really can help you with the office work, and I’d love to do it.”

“Whoa, you’re supposed to be recovering.”

“I’ll do that better if I have something to do. Are you going to work in the office tomorrow?”

“Then I’ll go to work with you.” Galynn waited. When he didn’t say anything, she added, “Please, let me help.”

“What the hell. Okay, but not until around noon. You can sleep in, and then we’ll run over to the mall and pick up some winter shoes and a coat.”

“Thank you. You won’t be sorry.”

* * * *

The news was repeating itself by the time they’d finished their meal. Cooper already had second thoughts about her working in the office with him. There was a physical attraction between them that he wasn’t comfortable with, though he had to admit, he sort of liked it. He went out and poured a couple of cups of coffee and brought them back to the living room. “Here’s some fortification before we tackle that wound on your back. I’ll try to be as gentle as possible.” He’d brought the sack from the drugstore in with him and dug in it, pulling out a pair of furry slippers. “I should have given these to you when I first got in, but I forgot. Your feet have to be cold with only those socks to keep them warm.”

They were a pastel green. Galynn ran her hands over them, and held them against her face. “They’re perfect and so soft. Thank you! Let me pay you for them.”

“No way, they weren’t all that much, just ones in the drugstore.”

“They’re priceless to me.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.

What had her life been like? How long had she been with the guy that had done this to her? He wanted to ask her questions but held them back. Instead, he got up and motioned toward the kitchen. “We need to tend to your back. Probably be easier in the master bath, but if you’re more comfortable in the kitchen, we can do it there.”

“No, the bath’s fine.”

Coop grabbed one of the kitchen chairs, the sack his brother had given him, and the one he’d brought in. Handing the sacks to Galynn, he led the way into the bathroom.

“If you straddle the chair and face the back, it will give me a clearer view and it will give you something to hang onto.” As an almost afterthought, he said, “Oh, and pull your sweatshirt off. You can hold it in front of you.”

Galynn’s hands shook as she did what he instructed. He turned his back to lay the bandages and ointment out and give her some privacy. When he turned back, he sucked in his breath at the sight of the bruises that literally covered her. They were in different phases of healing, attested to by the yellow, green, and dark-blue colors. He fought for control as overwhelming anger swept over him.

Galynn closed her eyes. When she opened them, she met his gaze in the mirror over the bathroom sink. A flush suffused her face, and she quickly ducked her head. Cooper didn’t know where to put his hands. There wasn’t an inch that wasn’t covered in a bruise. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.” He tried to curb his anger and temper his voice so it didn’t sound so harsh. When she flinched, he took her upper arms, and, careful not to make her lose her hold on the shirt she clutched in front of her, he pulled her up against his hard chest. Gently, he kissed her hair. Softening his voice, he whispered, repeating what he’d just said. “You have absolutely nothing to feel embarrassed about. Not with me.” Again his gaze met hers in the mirror. This time, he was the first to look away.

Instant desire flooded through him. He wanted to turn her around so she was facing him. It was torture to be so close and yet not close enough. He needed to get control. Reluctantly, he moved back and reached for the bandage covering the wound. Trying to lighten the emotions whirling over him, he said, “Hold on, honey, this may hurt.” His hand trembled, and it wasn’t all with the effort of dressing the wound.

“How does it look?” Her voice shook.

“Actually, not as bad as I’d expected. It’s still red, but there isn’t any oozing around the wound.” He swabbed her back with the cleansing stuff his brother had given him and reapplied some antibiotic cream. With that done, he took the scissors he’d gotten from the drugstore and cut off a piece of bandage. She sat perfectly still, trusting him and touching a part of him he hadn’t known existed.

He finished and turned back to the counter to again give her privacy. “All done. It’s pretty early yet. Want to see if there’s a movie on the television?”

She made quick work of getting her shirt back on and turned to help him clean up the mess on the counter. “Sure, but don’t worry about entertaining me. What do you usually do on a Saturday night?”

Coop watched as the pink crept into her cheeks and laughed. “Not what you’re thinking.” She was so transparent. It wasn’t hard to guess she’d been thinking that it was Saturday night, and he was single, and, well, what went with single and Saturday night.

If possible, she turned a brighter pink. Cooper winked at her and resisted the urge to reach over and kiss her. Her lips were so close. He backed up, indicating for her to go ahead of him. When they reached the kitchen, he took a deep breath at the relief of being in the bigger room.

By mutual agreement, they found a movie. It wasn’t long before Cooper fell asleep. At eleven, Galynn turned on the late news and woke him up. He came awake with a start and guiltily grinned at her. “Sorry, too much paperwork today. I can work all day on the job and come home feeling great, but an hour in the office and I’m toast.”