Pieces of Broken Time (18 page)

Blake tended to her foot with deft hands and light touches. Genuine concern flashed across his face each time she flinched. In the blink of an eye, the old Blake emerged—the caring man beneath the gruff exterior that she recognized from her memories.

“You seem like you know what you’re doing.”

Blake looked up with amusement twinkling in his lone eye. “We had to learn basic first aid. We didn’t always have a medic close by, and we had to be able to fend for ourselves until real help arrived.” He tilted his head and inspected his handiwork.

“What?”

“Well, a couple of sutures reopened. Nothing to worry about. I’m afraid they can’t be stitched back, so I had to apply some butterfly stitches. If you keep off the foot for several days, it should heal just fine.” He grinned, seeming pleased with himself, and flipped the kit’s lid closed.

She liked Blake this way. Relaxed, and without the ever present harsh lines around his mouth.

“I can’t have you waiting on me hand and foot. I have to pull my weight around here if you want me to stay.”

Blake regarded her for a moment, and she returned his gaze with nonchalance despite her heart hammering against her chest. In this rare moment of casual and friendly atmosphere, she wished time would stand still.

“Here’s the deal. If you stay off that foot for forty-eight hours, I will get off your back and be as pleasant as an angel.” He smiled and extended his hand, and her heart almost melted.

Oh, no you don’t. You’re not charming your way with me.

She remembered how he used to be—self-assured, charismatic, and attractive to anything in a skirt. He still was, in fact, and she could vouch for it. He was too handsome, virile, and potent for his own good.

Too potent.

Someone she must avoid at all cost if she meant to protect herself from impending heartache. As soon as she was on her feet and her window was fixed.

Despite her unwillingness to be sucked in by his charm, she reached out to clasp his warm hand. “Deal. No snapping, no biting my head off, and no ordering me around.”

“Fine. But . . . if you do
anything
stupid, I can’t promise to behave.” He grinned.

Jennifer knew that agreeing had disaster written all over it, yet she had given her word, and forty-eight hours wasn’t that far away.

She held his gaze and opted to change the subject. “I’m starving.”

“Just stay here, and I’ll rustle us some eggs and bacon.” He walked over to the entertainment center to retrieve the remote control.

“Do you have anything healthy?”

He stopped flipping the channels and gawked at her as if she had sprouted horns. “I thought bacon and eggs were healthy?”

He laughed and she joined in while Drew barked with excitement.

“I think you may have missed the memo. It loses the healthy tag if you eat it every day. Just think of the grease wrapping your arteries.”

Blake wrinkled his nose and continued flipping the channels. “And what alternatives do you propose?”

“How about cereals rich in fiber? Not like a body can’t use the help, you know.” She winked, feeling bold enough to crack a joke.

“No, thank you. I’m as regular as . . . never mind. I don’t have anything healthy at the moment, but we can go grocery shopping later and you can pick the stuff you want.”

This was the side of Blake she had almost forgotten.

I won’t survive the day if he turns that charm on full blast.

“Jennifer, is everything all right?”

She blinked. “Why?”

He sat on the foot of the couch and ran a gentle finger over her bandaged foot. “You’re looking pale.”

It took her a moment to realize that she had been staring. She swallowed before saying the first thing that came to mind. “You said I have to stay off my foot.”

He placed the remote on the table, settling on some game show for background noise. “Who says you’re walking? I’m going to carry you to the Jeep. We’ll go to the drive-through grocery, and you can shop from there.”

Apart from the idea of him carrying her and risking the effects of his closeness again, a trip to the grocery sounded harmless enough.

“What if I use my crutches?” she asked, closing her eyes in anticipation of another outburst.

Blake laughed, an honest to goodness belly laugh that echoed around the room. “Superman is at your service. Don’t waste the opportunity.” He flexed both biceps. He didn’t give her a chance to respond as he whistled and left for the kitchen with Drew following him.

She heard the sliding door open and the sound of the dog’s paws padding into the backyard, and then Blake chuckled.

This man is giving me whiplash!

Blake hummed a tune the entire time it took for him to prepare their breakfast. He even found a moment to play with Drew while the bacon sizzled in the skillet. He had to check himself several times to keep from grinning and making a fool of himself in front of Jennifer.

Jennifer must think he was an idiot, but he didn’t care. She had agreed to stay with him, and stay off her foot. Even if he knew last night’s drinking debacle could not happen again, it was a price he was willing to pay. He still had no idea how she ended up in his bed and in his arms, but all he needed were better details from Sam. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he’d never hear the end of the man’s teasing. Regardless, he was happy that she was safe with him.

Is she?

“Drew!” Blake summoned and Drew raced back into the kitchen. “Good boy.” He patted the dog’s head and directed him to his water dish. “I bet you’re thirsty after that long exercise.” After washing his hands, he poured their coffee and filled their plates with food.

“Jennifer?”

She didn’t answer.

He stepped around the corner and saw the steady rise and fall of her chest and realized that she must’ve dozed off while he was preparing breakfast.

Her arm rested on her forehead, and he had to control the urge to tangle through her glorious hair that was splayed out like a fan of feathers.

This woman was a ball of kindness, spunk, beauty, and perfection rolled into one. It was no wonder Trent had been head over heels in love with her. It didn’t hurt that she had a mouth on her, too. She was one of the few people he knew who spoke their mind without the need to apologize for being frank.

Blake continued to watch her, debating whether or not to rouse her. After several minutes, he leaned forward and gave her shoulder a gentle shake. “Hey, breakfast is ready.”

It took several more nudges before she surfaced from a rather deep sleep. The hand that had rested on her forehead brushed his arm, and electric currents jolted him in spite of the cotton sleeves covering his arms.

Get a grip, Connor.

“Mmm . . . that smells so good.” Her eyes fluttered open. Those bright hazel eyes that could light up the room looked lazily up at him.

Concealing the tenderness that washed through him, he tried to appear distracted by the task of picking her up. He didn’t trust himself to say a word while they ate in silence.

For a change, the lack of conversation was not due to tension. It was comfortable and neither one of them seemed compelled to say anything until they were already nursing their second cup.

Jennifer broke the silence. “Tell me, how long have you been staying in this house?” Her eyes widened almost immediately, and she looked as though she regretted asking the question. “I-I-I mean, I was surprised when Captain Norwalk gave me your address.”

Blake felt his mood darkening and sensed Jennifer bracing for an onslaught of his anger. He took a deep breath, resigned to keep his end of their deal. “After I was discharged from the hospital, I came here so I could keep an eye on you, just like Trent wanted.” He looked away. This bargain was going to cost him a lot more than he had anticipated.

“Why?” Her question sounded so innocent.

He swung his gaze back to her. “Because I’m a man of my word.”

Jennifer’s lips thinning didn’t escape his notice. She raised the cup to her mouth and took a quick sip, set it down, and smiled. “You’re a real good friend to Trent,” she said, sounding wistful.

Admit it, already. It is more than that.

He wasn’t ready to accept that Trent had been right all along. He wasn’t ready to concede that his obsession for Jennifer was the reason his relationship with Katrina had been doomed all along. He had managed to prevent a meaningful relationship from blossoming. Instead, he’d repeatedly accused her of pitying him. That’s why it hadn’t come as a surprise when Katrina had left him for another man. It had been clear back then that she was better off without him, but placing the blame on her had been a way to take the focus away from his affection for another woman.

Jennifer’s palm closed on his. “Hey, what’s on your mind?” she asked.

He shook his head and forced a tight smile. “Another cup?”

“Are you going to have the energy to keep carrying me to the bathroom?”

He answered with an indulgent grin and refilled her cup.

Chapter 16

The deep rumbling sound of a helicopter passing by on its way to Edwards Air Force Base roused Blake from his sleep.

He glanced at the clock and groaned.

Same shit, different day. Too damn early.

He’d been stuck in this schedule for what felt like forever. As usual, he’d beaten the alarm clock yet again.

Out of habit he reached for the eye patch and fitted it onto his face. Remembering that his appointment was coming soon, he felt a familiar sense of dread at the idea of another trip to the doctor’s office. Though this one would be painless, the apprehension and discomfort of the upcoming consultation left him feeling sick to his stomach.

He recalled the unending trips to the hospital for skin grafts, debridement, and therapy. Those had been the ensuing hell that had followed the nightmare of Afghanistan. His distaste for anything doctor-related had led to an insistence that he could do without all of them and foregoing therapy far longer than he should have.

It had been irresponsible of him, but back then, he hadn’t seen the point. He had already been in a tremendous amount of pain, and the additional exercises had left him physically tired and emotionally drained. If he wanted to punish himself even more, all he’d had to do was look at his pre-accident pictures. That was enough to send him shuddering.

By choice, he had been postponing the trip to the eye doctor for the same reason. He didn’t understand the point of wearing a prosthetic eye to replace the unsalvageable one. With Sam and his parents’ prodding, he had conceded and made an appointment.

During the phone consultation, the ocularist had given him assurances that the process was fast and painless. His first scheduled visit would consist of taking an impression of his eye socket, shaping a plastic shell and matching the color of the irises.

Painless, huh? Yeah, sure. Right.

He shoved the thoughts of the dreaded appointment aside in favor of getting breakfast ready before he had to leave for rehab. It would be a good time to extract information from Sam and shed some light on the parts he couldn’t remember from two nights before. He hoped for Jennifer’s sake that his drunkenness hadn’t made her uncomfortable.

Drew whined, no doubt anxious to get their morning routine started.

“Hey, boy. Good morning to you, too.”

The dog got up and gave a good shake, creating a considerable amount of noise as his nails scraped the bare floor.

“Keep it down, Drew. We don’t want to wake the lady this early.”

His four-legged friend seemed to understand and sat straight, ears perked up, and waited for his order.

Stretching, Blake extended his legs a fraction, just enough to release the rigidity of his limbs from the hours of inactivity. He repeated the stretches, not pushing too hard to avoid pain, and he got off the couch. He cracked his back twice, not sure sleeping on the couch was such a good idea. Then again, he wouldn’t want Jennifer sleeping anywhere but his bed.

Man, that sounds good.

Shaking the wicked picture from his mind, he opened the door with care, hoping the wood wouldn’t squeak this time.