admitted, thinking how different her world was from his. “I did very well in my classes at college, but none of them prepared me for this sort of thing.”
“Are we talking about swearing or prison riots.”
“Both.”
“Uh-huh.” He closed his eyes again.
She took the opportunity to study him. Even with his injuries, he was a tough-looking man. She supposed he should have frightened her, but he didn’t. She knew that underneath the power and muscles beat a good and noble heart. He wasn’t the kind of man to take advantage of a defenseless woman. Which was just her bad luck.
“How long will they keep you in the hospital?” she asked.
“Overnight. They want to make sure my head injury isn’t serious. Somebody nailed me with a metal chair. I ducked, but not fast enough.” He fingered the bandage. “There’s some bruising around my inner ear, so I’m a little wobbly.”
After last night, she knew the feeling.
“What about your leg?”
“It was a clean shot. Through the meat. It’ll need regular changing, but it’s just a matter of letting it heal.”
He’d spoken without opening his eyes. Haley had the feeling that he was getting tired. She knew she should go and let him rest, but first she had to thank him for all that he’d done for her. And apologize.
“Kevin, I—”
A faint ringing interrupted her. He opened his eyes.
“Dammit, that’s my cell phone,” he mumbled, turning his head toward the sound. “It’s in my jacket pocket. Probably in the closet. Would you get it?”
“Sure.”
She rose and crossed to the small closet. As she opened the door, the ringing got louder. She pulled the phone out of his chest pocket and carried it to him. Kevin pushed a button.
“Harmon,” he said, his voice brisk and all business.
A little shiver went through her. He was competent, she thought. So in charge. Not like any man she’d ever met, certainly nothing like Allan.
She crossed to the window and tried not to listen, but when he chuckled and said, “Hi, Mom,” she couldn’t help tuning in to the conversation.
She wouldn’t have thought of him as someone with a mother. Not that she’d assumed he’d hatched from under a rock or anything, but for him to have a family meant he was just like everyone else. But now that she thought about it, she remembered him mentioning a brother. That part of last night was still a little blurry.
“Nothing much,” he said, his words filled with warmth and affection.
Haley recognized the emotions and they warmed her. She liked that Kevin cared about his mother. Some people didn’t get along with their folks. She’d never understood that. Didn’t parents always do their best?
Her own father sometimes made her crazy, but she knew every action was motivated by love. Her need to get away wasn’t about her father—at least not completely. There was also Allan, and her need to grow up and be independent.
“No, I’m okay,” Kevin was saying. “What? I’m in the hospital. I was shot.”
Haley couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder at him. He held the phone away from his ear and gave her an “aren’t parents a pain, even though we love them” look that made her feel as though she was part of the in crowd.
The momentary connection lightened her spirits. She’d never felt it with a man before. She’d thought that sort of thing only happened with girlfriends. It had certainly never happened with Allan, but a lot of things hadn’t happened with him.
“No, you don’t have to come get me,” Kevin said. “I’ll be fine. Yes, I’ll be home in a couple of days. You’re sure it’s not an emergency, Mom? Promise?”
He listened for a couple of minutes, then sighed. “Mom, you don’t have to worry. No, they don’t think I’ll have a limp, but I’ll have a scar and you know how chicks go for scars.”
Haley turned her attention back to the window and tried not to think about the scar on Kevin’s leg. Would she find it attractive? She was female, but she’d never thought of herself as a chick.
“Okay. I’ll keep you informed. I love you, too. Bye, Mom.”
She heard a high-pitched beep as he disconnected the call.
“How did she take it?” she asked, turning back to face him.
“Not bad, considering. She’s distracted. Apparently a family situation has come up in the past couple of days.”
“What does that mean?”
“Hell if I know. She says it’s not an emergency, but she also told me we have to talk. What is it about women and conversation?”
Haley was momentarily distracted by his easy use of the H-word. It took her a second to respond to his question.
“Men have conversations, too.”
“Maybe, but we never start them with the words ‘we have to talk.’” He shuddered. “Four of the most frightening words in the English language.”
She laughed. “Why?”
“Because they usually mean the guy has screwed up somewhere. He’s in big trouble and she’s about to tell him everything he’s going to have to do to make it right. Who wants to hear that?”
“I see your point,” she said, which reminded her of her own. She crossed to the bed.
“I don’t want to stay too long. I know you need your rest. But I did want to thank you for last night.”
He brushed aside her comment with a wave of his hand. “No big deal.”
“It was to me. You were very considerate and I appreciate that.” She clutched her purse tightly in both hands. “I’d never been drunk before.”
“No kidding.”
She shifted her weight from foot to foot. “I didn’t really mean for that to happen.”
“I don’t buy that for a second, Haley. You were ordering margaritas, so you meant for something to happen.”
“I guess you’re right.” She circled the bed and sank down into the chair. “Life is very confusing right now. I have a lot of decisions to make about my life. I thought the drive would give me time to think things through.”
“Long drives always work for me.” He smiled at her. “It’s only been a couple of days. Give yourself a break. You’ll get it figured out.”
His faith in her made her smile. “Thanks. What about you? What are you going to do?”
“First,
