James, Stephanie (3 page)

awake. She can notify the captain.” Tabitha smiled again and touched his arm as it lay under the sheet.

Then she turned quickly and started for the door.

“Tabby!” he called after her, sounding suddenly concerned.

“Tabby?” she echoed, swinging around in surprise as she reached the door. Her brows came together in

a straight line.

“Sorry,” Dev apologized at once. “Something about you reminds me of a tabby cat.” He lifted one hand

in a vague gesture of explanation.

“Uh huh. Sweet and wholesome. What did you want, Dev?”

“I just wanted to remind you of the cane.”

She shook her head. “Believe me, I won’t let it out of my sight.” Grasping it firmly, she continued out the

door. He really was fixated on the ebony cane, she thought with a touch of compassion. The poor man

must feel terribly uncertain and unsteady without it. His limp made him vulnerable, she realized as she

went about the business of notifying the nurse that the patient was awake. Tabitha didn’t know many

vulnerable men. It was intriguing to meet one.

She was still considering that notion an hour later in her cabin as she dressed for dinner. The easy-fitting,

yellow pullover dress she had chosen was both comfortable and reasonably attractive. There was nothing

startlingly chic about it, but on the other hand it wouldn’t embarrass her, either. A perfect Tabitha sort of

outfit, she decided as she brushed her hair into the familiar soft curve. It wouldn’t draw attention.

She hesitated for a moment after setting down the brush and then decided to exchange the silver griffin

pendant for a wide brass bracelet which had a small unicorn engraved on it. Then, satisfied, she picked

up her purse and prepared to leave the tiny stateroom. She had her hand on the doorknob when the

phone on the night table rang shrilly. Tabitha blinked in surprise. She didn’t know anyone else on board

ship well enough to expect a call. Someone had probably dialed the wrong room. She lifted the receiver

a little impatiently.

“Tabby?”

She arched an eyebrow in astonishment, identifying that low, rough voice at once. “It’s okay, Dev,” she

half-chuckled. “I’ve still got your cane. It’s safe and sound.”

“Oh. Well, thanks, but that’s not exactly what I was calling about. I was wondering if you might consider

bringing me a little soup or something.”

“Soup! Didn’t the nurse order dinner for you?”

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“I’m not in sick bay any longer. I’m back in my cabin. I couldn’t stand any more of the antiseptic look.”

“Are you sure you shouldn’t have spent the night there?” Tabitha demanded. “After all, you’ve got a lot

of recovering to do.”

“I can do it just as well here in my cabin. If I can get a little food, that is,” he added meaningfully. “What

about it? Do you think you could wangle a little something from the kitchens?”

“I can try,” she agreed slowly, wondering why he simply didn’t call a steward. Maybe he just didn’t feel

up to explaining why he wanted to be served in his cabin tonight. He did sound awfully weak. “Okay, I’ll

see what I can do. What’s your cabin number?”

He told her and then hung up the phone, sounding more exhausted than ever. Tabitha replaced her own

receiver thoughtfully. The poor man was apparently traveling alone, just as she was. And just like herself,

he didn’t seem to have made any friends on board, at least none he felt he could call upon in a situation

like this. Tabitha felt herself warming toward Devlin Colter. He appeared to be a quiet, self-contained

person who was not accustomed to imposing on people. A person who did not fit easily into the cheerful

social life on board the cruise ship.

A person rather like herself.

It took some explanations and a short discussion with a member of the purser’s staff, but Tabitha

eventually arranged for dinner to be served to Devlin and herself in his cabin. She felt a small sense of

triumph as she knocked on his door half an hour later with a steward in tow.

His voice was groggy as he instructed her to enter, and she realized at once that he wasn’t looking any

better. Lying in bed, naked from the waist up except for assorted bandages, Dev appeared more bruised

and battered than she had last seen him. Tabitha halted on the threshold of the room, eyeing him

dubiously. His precious cane was in her hand.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t be in sick bay?” she asked.

“I’m sure,” he growled, his eyes running over her almost curiously as she walked into the room. “The

bruises are just starting to color up a little, that’s all. They’ll look even worse tomorrow.” He watched her

set down his cane.

“You sound like an expert on the subject,” she noted dryly as she motioned for the steward to carry in

the tray full of food she had selected.

Dev’s gaze went from her to the tray as the steward set it down on the small table by the bed. “Good

grief, I ordered soup. You look like you’ve brought along a full-course dinner.”

“The clam chowder is for you. The rest of the food is for me.” Tabitha smiled, remembering to tip the

steward as he backed out of the door.

“You’re eating here with me?” Dev glanced at her interestedly. “I appreciate that. It’s a little lonely down

here all by myself.”

“I figured it might be. Let’s see what we have. Can you sit up in bed?”

“With a little help.”

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“Oh, of course.” She stepped across the short expanse of space and carefully placed her arm around his

shoulders. The feel of his warm skin elicited an unexpected sense of awareness in her. She felt the

movement of the sleek, hard muscles of his shoulders as he groaned and struggled awkwardly to a sitting

position. His masculine strength coupled with the feel of his bronzed skin made her abruptly nervous. As

he settled into the pillows, she moved back quickly, nearly bumping into the tray full of food.

“Careful, that was my chowder that almost fell on the rug,” he observed casually.

“Sorry,” she mumbled and quickly turned her attention to preparing his soup. By the time she had it

placed on his lap together with a chunk of sourdough bread, Tabitha was feeling in command of herself

once again. It was obvious her touch hadn’t had the same unsettling effect on Dev as the feel of his body

had had on her! The man was in absolutely miserable shape, she reminded herself forcefully. The last

thing he would be thinking about right at the moment was his own semi-nudity. And even if he had been,

she thought good-naturedly, it didn’t follow that her touch would necessarily spark a chord of awareness

in him. Men didn’t react that way to her even when they were in prime condition!

“Oh good,” Dev was saying with a genuine trace of enthusiasm in his voice. “You brought along some

wine.”

“That’s for me, too.” She chuckled, busying herself with the dishes on the tray. “It’s to go with my

lobster pâté and my fettuccini.” She uncovered the last of her own dishes, a spinach salad, and glanced

up in time to catch an appalled expression on Dev’s face.

“You’re going to sit there, eat all that good food and drink all that excellent wine in front of me without

even offering a bite or a sip?”

“You said you only wanted soup,” she pointed out calmly, arranging her chair at the little table.

“I think I’ve changed my mind,” he countered weakly, his eyes following her hands as she carefully

poured out a glass of wine.

“I thought you might,” Tabitha agreed with a satisfied nod. “That’s why I ordered double on the

fettuccini and had the steward bring along another wineglass.” She produced the second glass from

behind a silver tureen and smiled appealingly. “I checked with the doctor, and he said the drugs should

have worn off sufficiently by now to allow you some alcohol.”

He sighed in exaggerated relief. “For a minute there I was beginning to suspect there might be a cruel

streak beneath that wholesome, sweet facade!”

Tabitha laughed lightly as she handed him a toast point covered with pâté. “I enjoy good food too much

to deny it to someone else. Given your present condition, though, there's not much you could have done

about it if I’d chosen to sit here and torment you by eating every last scrap myself.”

He winced. “You’ve got a point there. I couldn’t wrest that wine bottle away from a fly tonight. Damn,

but I ache! All over, too. Even my feet seem to hurt. Look at this,” he added in outright disgust as he

picked up his soup spoon, “my hand is shaking. Of all the stupid, idiotic…”

“It’s just reaction to the shock your body’s been through,” Tabitha said soothingly, and rose instantly to

cross back to his side. “Here, I’ll help you.” She took the spoon from his unsteady grasp and began

ladling up the chowder and holding it to his lips.

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“When I ordered dinner, I didn’t expect to have it hand-fed to me,” Dev groaned. But he downed the

soup with definite enthusiasm. By the time they got to the fettuccini he was feeling strong enough to

handle his own fork.

Tabitha watched the process with a sense of pleased satisfaction. If she hadn’t taken it upon herself to

order the remainder of the meal, her patient would only have had some soup tonight. Not nearly enough

for a man his size. Half-amused at the gentle, nurturing impulse she was feeling toward Devlin Colter, she

magnanimously gave him the last of the Beaujolais wine.

“Wow, that tasted good.” He sighed, leaning back farther into the pillows as she took the empty glass

from his hand. “I was a lot hungrier than I thought. And that wine is a lot more help than the doctor’s pain

pills!”

“You look exhausted,” she informed him, arranging the empty dishes on the tray. “What you need now is

some sleep.”

“Yes, I know. But it’s rather nice to have someone to talk to tonight. Any chance of your staying for a

while?”

She turned in surprise to find him watching her with a shuttered, half-pleading expression. He really did

want her to stay. Perhaps the shock of being so badly beaten by a band of thugs left even a strong man

like this feeling uneasy at the thought of facing a long night of pain alone. “I’ll stay for a while if you like,”

she murmured gently. “Would you like to play cards or something?”

“No.” He shook his head a little restlessly. “Just…talk to me, okay? I’m sure I’ll fall asleep fairly

quickly.”

She got the unspoken message. He wanted her to stay until he was asleep. Moving her chair closer to

the bed, she instinctively put out a hand to touch his brow. “How’s your head?”

“Hurts like hell, just like the rest of me,” he admitted gruffly. He turned his face slightly toward her in a

move that brought his forehead more firmly against her palm. “Your hand feels cool. Nice.”

“Maybe a damp washcloth would help.” Tabitha pulled her hand away, aware once more of that faint

trace of unease she experienced whenever she touched him. Rising, she went into the small bath and

located a washcloth. When she returned a few minutes later to place the dampened cloth on his forehead,

his dark lashes were drooping, veiling the silver eyes. He was clearly exhausted.

When she draped the cloth across his brow he groaned a small sigh of relief. “Feels good,” he mumbled

without opening his eyes. He groped for a moment with his hand, found hers and placed her fingertips

against his temple. “That’s where it hurts the most.”

Tabitha chewed uncertainly on her lower lip for an instant and then realized that all she really wanted to

do was help relieve his pain. Carefully she began massaging his temple. He responded with another

muttered sigh, and she sensed his body relaxing. The hard, set lines of his face eased a little and the dark

lashes stayed closed. Such an unhandsome face, she thought wonderingly, but such beautiful eyes. Like a

dragon.

The image that thought produced caused her lips to curve upward in another of her private, little smiles.

It was some time before she realized Dev had fallen asleep.

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For a few moments longer she continued to massage his temple, and then she carefully withdrew her

hand. It was time to go back to her own cabin.

“No.” It was a husky plea, thick with sleep. Her hand was caught in his and pushed back to his head.

Then Dev shifted slightly, the restlessness evidence of the pain which still assaulted his body.

She couldn’t leave him yet. He needed her. Tabitha took a deep breath and moved from the chair to sit

beside him on the bed. It would be easier to go on massaging his head from that position.

As if he sensed that she wasn’t going to abandon him to a lonely night of discomfort, Dev Colter fell

more soundly asleep. Tabitha stared down at him, aware that she had a strange, protective feeling toward

this man who was still very much a stranger. Perhaps because she had been the one to rescue him from

that dirty alley and get him safely back to the ship; perhaps because he seemed to need her care tonight.

Whatever the reason, she felt a strong desire to soothe and comfort him. He needed her. No man had