thank you.”
He stared at her hard, his gaze unrelenting. “In a few minutes, Honey, so do whatever it is you feel you have to do before going to bed. I left the antibiotics and the ibuprofen on the bathroom counter so you wouldn’t forget to take them. After you’re settled, I want to listen to your chest again.”
There was a lot of ribald macho humor over that remark. Jordan choked down a laugh, and this time Gabe kicked him.
With a glare that encompassed them all, Honey stalked off. She was truly weary and wondering where in the world she was going to find shoes for her feet so she could steal a car and make her getaway from a group of large, overprotective, domineering men whom she didn’t really want to leave at all.
Gads, life had gotten complicated.
HEKNOCKEDon the door, but she didn’t answer. Sawyer assumed she was mad and ignoring him, not that he’d let her get away with it. He opened the door just a crack—and saw the bed was empty. She was gone. His first reaction was pure rage, tinged with panic, totally out of proportion, totally unexpected. He shoved the door wide and stalked inside, and then halted abruptly when he saw her. His gut tightened and his heart gave a small thump at the picture she presented.
Honey sat on the small patio outside his room. She had her feet curled up on a chair, her head resting to the side, and she was looking at the lake. Or maybe she wasn’t looking at anything at all. He couldn’t see her entire face, only a small part of her profile. She looked limp, totally wrung out, and it angered him again when he thought of her stubbornness, her refusal to let him help her.
No one had ever refused his help. He was the oldest, and his brothers relied on him for anything they might need, including advice. Casey got everything from him that he had to give. Members of the community sought him out when they needed help either with a medical problem or any number of other things. He was a figurehead in the town, on the town council and ready and willing to assist. He gave freely, whatever the need might be, considering it his right, part and parcel with who and what he was. But now, this one small woman wanted to shut him out. Like hell.
Her physical impact on his senses was staggering. But it was nothing compared to the damn emotional impact, because the emotions were the hardest to fight and to understand. If it was only sex he wanted, he’d drive over the county limits and take care of the need. But he wanted her specifically, and it was making him nuts.
Being summer, it was still light out at eight o’clock, but the sun was starting to sink in the sky, slowly dipping behind a tree-topped hill across the lake. The last rays of sunshine sent fiery ribbons of color over the smooth surface of the water. A few ducks swam by, and far out a fish jumped.
Sawyer went back and closed the bedroom door silently, drawn to her though he knew he should just walk away. As he passed the bathroom, he noticed her toothbrush, still wet, on the side of the sink, along with a damp washcloth over the spigot, and his comb that he’d lent her. Those things looked strangely natural in his private domain, as if they belonged. She’d evidently prepared for bed, then was lured—as he often was—by the incredible serenity of the lake.
Though the house had a very comfortable covered deck across the entire front and along one side by the kitchen, he’d still insisted on adding the small patio off his bedroom. In the evening, he often sat outside and just watched the night, waiting for the stars or the clouds to appear, enjoying the way mist rose from the lake to leave lingering dew on everything. The peacefulness of it would sink into his bones, driving away any restlessness. Many times his son or one of his brothers would join him. They didn’t talk, they just sat in peace together, enjoying the closeness.
He’d never shared a moment like this with a woman, not even his wife.
He approached Honey on silent feet. She looked melancholy and withdrawn, and for a long time he simply took in the sight of her. He’d seen her looking fatigued with illness and worry, and he’d seen her eyes snapping with anger or panic. He’d watched her cheeks warm with a blush, her brow pucker with worry over his son. He’d even seen her muster up her courage to embrace a verbal duel with Morgan. Sawyer had known her such a short time, but in that time, he had truly related to her. Whereas hours might be spent on a date, her health had dictated they bypass the cordial niceties of that convention, and their relationship had been intimate from the first. The effects were devastating. He’d already spent more time in her company than most men would through weeks of dating.
Every facet of her personality enthralled him more than it should have. He wanted to see her totally relaxed, without a worry, finally trusting him to take care of her and make things right.
And most of all, he wanted to see her face taut with fierce pleasure as he made love to her, long and slow and deep.
He slid the French door open, and she looked at him.
There were two outdoor chairs on his private patio, and he pulled one close to her. He spoke softly in deference to the quiet of the night and the quiet in her blue eyes. “You look pensive.”
“Hmm.” She turned to stare back out at the lake, tilting her head at the sound of the crickets singing in the distance. “I was…uneasy. But this is so calming, like having your problems washed away. It’s hard to maintain any energy out here, even for irritation.”
“You shouldn’t be irritated just because we want to help.”
Her golden brown lashes lowered over her eyes. “Dinner with your family was…interesting. Around our house, there was only my sister and me. It was always quiet, and if we talked, it was in whispers because the house was so silent. Dinner wasn’t a boisterous event.”
“We can take a little getting used to.”
She smiled. “No, I enjoyed myself. The contrast was wonderful, if that makes any sense.”
That amused him, because meals at home were always a time to laugh and grouse and share. She’d probably find a lot of contrasts, and he hoped she enjoyed them all. But it also made him sad, thinking of how lonely her life must have been. “It makes perfect sense,” he assured her.
“Good.”
Because it had surprised him, he added, “You held your own with my brothers.”
She laughed, closing her eyes lazily. “Yes. Morgan is a bully, but I have the feeling he’s fair.”
Sawyer considered her words and the way she’d spoken them. “Honorable might be a better word. Morgan can be very unfair when he’s convinced it’s for the best. He’s a no-holds-barred kind of man when he’s got a mission.”
Her long blond hair trailed over her shoulder all the way to her thigh, catching the glow of the setting sun as surely as the lake did. She tilted her chin up to a faint warm breeze, and his blood rushed at the instinctively feminine gesture and the look of bliss on her face. “It was so cold inside,” she whispered, “I wanted to feel the sunshine. I came out here to warm up, then couldn’t seem to make myself go back in.”
They did keep the air low, but not so much that she should be uncomfortable. He reached over and placed his palm on her forehead, then frowned. “You could be a little feverish again. Did you take the ibuprofen I left in the bathroom?”
“Yes, I did. And the antibiotic.” She blinked her eyes open and sighed. “Did I thank you for taking such good care of me, Sawyer?”
A low thrumming
