Page 47 of Gotta Dig Deep
“I got you, lady.” Once the spasm of trembling had passed, Graeme moved in front of her and sat on the coffee table. Glenna took an instant to reflect on the juxtaposition of their positions, changing from yesterday to today, where he was the one comforting her. “Now, drink this.” He picked up a mug from the table, bringing the lip of the vessel to her lips. “Sip, slowly. You’re okay.”
She didn’t even attempt to fight free of the blanket, pursing her lips to take a tentative drink. It was strong coffee, cut with sugar and milk until it was a muddy approximation of its original flavor. The temperature was perfect for gulping, which she attempted. He pulled the mug away quickly.
“Slowly. You had a shock. I don’t understand it, but I recognize the symptoms. We need to get you back to level ground.”
The mug made its way back to her mouth and Glenna obeyed him this time, sipping in measured pulls until the level was about half what it had been. Then she wrestled one hand out of the blanket’s folds and cupped it around the mug, her fingers overlapping his. Together, they lifted it to her lips for another slow drink.
“I’m better.” Her voice came out in a whisper, weak as a kitten, and Glenna grimaced. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “I’m fine, Graeme. Thank you.”
“You were right the first time, but not the second.” He reached through and found her other hand, bringing it to wrap around the mug as a replacement for his hold. “When you feel steady, let’s talk about what that asshat wanted so much he was all up in your face.”
“He wasn’t in my face. Trust me, I’ve been there, seen that. This wasn’t anything.” She shook her head. “That’s not right. I don’t know what the other men were doing here, but I assume Moorcock is the investor Jackson Snyder found to help fund his ranch. So it’s not that it wasn’t anything, but he was relatively civil. At least he didn’t get close enough to try and grope me again.”
Heavy gusts of breath were the only indication Graeme was still alive. He’d frozen in place, his gaze boring into her.
Lips tight, his voice was filled with gravel when he asked, “Man laid hands on you?”
Glenna nodded slowly. “Just the once.”
“Once is still one too many times.” Veins popped in his forearms, exposed below the rolled-up sleeves of the shirt he’d slipped on over the tee, which she just noticed was clinging appealingly to every inch of his chest. His hands clenched into rigid fists, slowly relaxed, then clenched tight again. “His place is the next one over? Cock and balls man said you had fences adjoining?”
“Yeah, the ranch was his great-granddaddy’s place, handed down to him as the last living relative. Kind of like this was my grandparents’, then mine after Grammy passed. His is a lot bigger, which makes the offer even odder. Not that the man ever got to a real-dollars-on-the-table talk, but there’s no way they’d need this place. The Snyder acreage far exceeds mine, so adding these few hundred wouldn’t be a drop in a bucket against the thousands they’re already in possession of.” She tipped the mug up only to realize it was empty. Graeme took the cup from her and held it, twirling it round and round in his hands. “Everything—hell, that whole thing was weird.”
“You didn’t know any faces except the dickwad who was runnin’ his mouth like a turd toad?”
Glenna giggled, slapping a palm over her mouth. “Turd toad?”
He shrugged, glancing at her from under his brows. “I’m tryin’ to tone it down, but he got on every single, last nerve I own. Your dog was havin’ a fit at the door, so I slipped over to see what was going down. When I realized it was five against one, the naked rat and I thought we’d even the score.” His lips curled at the corners. “Turd toad is in place of a dozen highly vulgar things I’ve already called him in my head.”
“Well, it’s an apt description. His daddy was salt of the earth, and Penn and I got along with him real well. Jackson—” Shaking her head, she blew out a stream of air. “Not so much. He never bothered me while Penn was here, but in the past months he’s made himself a pest. Only in town, though. I thought—” Hesitating, because now her assumptions seemed naïve, Glenna bit her lip. “I thought he wasn’t anything but hot air.”
“Some men start that way, but if they get a little success, they can change. Might be you were right about him when your husband was living. If he suddenly saw you as available, he could take that as his first round of success.” Graeme planted his feet and pushed upright. Glenna stared down, doing her best to avoid the expanse of physical real estate directly in front of her. “Turd toad fits him. Maybe he’ll come to the understanding you aren’t on your own anymore and stay on his side of the road.”
“You certainly gave the impression I wasn’t alone.” She lifted her gaze to his face.
Graeme looked vulnerable for a moment, then his expression hardened. “If it keeps you safe, I’d do it again.”
“You’re a good man, Graeme Nass.” Glenna offered him a smile she hoped wasn’t trembling. This moment felt much bigger than it should have, as if their interactions were setting the foundation for something.
“I’d like it if you’d call me Horse, Glenna. I haven’t answered to Graeme for a lotta years.” He swept the cup up and walked around the end of the couch, heading back to the kitchen. “Want another cup of joe? I’m going to make myself one.”
“You aren’t even limping anymore.” Glenna marveled at the man’s resilience. “And I’d be honored to call you Horse, sir. Honored.”
“So that’s a yes on the coffee?” Laughter rolled through the house and Glenna caught her breath at the welcome sound. “I’m stiff more than anything.” Clattering accompanied his words, and she twisted on the couch to look through the door into the kitchen. Horse moved around as if he’d lived there for years. “I think the healing took place while I slept my life away. I’m glad I was able to give them the idea I was whole and hearty, though. I wouldn’t have wanted their gunmen to have the idea I’d be an easy mark if push came to shove.”
“Gunmen?” She was staring and knew it but couldn’t bring herself to turn away. The hem of the untucked shirt swung at the top of his thighs, giving her glimpses of his jeans-clad ass that were as mesmerizing as his bare thighs had been earlier in the day. “What gunmen?”
“The two at the middle car. They were packin’. So was Cock Blocker, for that matter. I hoped they’d assume I was too.” He returned to the living room, taking a seat at the other end of the couch from Glenna. “Do you know what happened to my bike? I was going to ask after my shower but got distracted by asshattery. My stuff’s in the bags.”
“It’s up by the barn. Everything from where you wrecked. I had a friend pick it up and bring it here.”
“Righteous. I’ll check it out later. This friend in the know about me being here?” He sipped his coffee, blowing air across the top.
“Yeah, Cooter helped me evaluate the wound and what I’d done to stop the bleeding. He’s been my best friend forever.”
“Would he have talked to anyone about me being a stranger helped by the grace of your hands?”
“Well, he’d have no reasonnotto mention it, especially to his family. He brought two of his nephews for the heavy lifting, and Cooter has a close relationship with his father. It would likely have come up over the course of dinner or something.” She angled her head to the window. “In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, I’m surprised I haven’t seen him since you started waking up. As cautious as he acted, I don’t know why he wouldn’t want to meet you.”
