Page 4 of Shelter for the Mountain Man
“Let me get your boots off.” After getting him to the bathroom, he blocks my way. I wait outside the door, mentallymaking plans for what I’ll do if he passes out before I can get him into my bed.
“Take off as much of your wet clothes as you can. I’ll help with the rest,” I call through the door.
Several minutes pass. I hear the toilet and the water come on. A few minutes later I hear a groan.
“Spade, you okay?” Another groan. “I’m coming in.”
He’s got his shirt off one shoulder and is struggling with the injured side. “Sit on the toilet. I need to clean the wounds on your head and bicep anyway.”
“Just clean around the graze on my bicep, bled enough to clean itself and is already scabbed over. Do you have gauze to wrap it?”
Nodding, I pull his shirt off the rest of the way over his head, then carefully clean the blood from around the wound and wrap it. I can’t help but notice how shredded he is, or the scar running down his right side. He’s obviously seen battle and understands injuries probably better than I do.
I clean the lump and scrape on his forehead and apply antibiotic. Once I’m done, I tell him to stand up and reach for his zipper.
“Sorry, sweetheart, I’m not going to be much good tonight.”
I give him a scowl. “In your dreams, soldier. I just don’t want you making a mess of my sheets.”
He sways as I push his pants down his legs, leaving on his boxer briefs. Once undressed, I help him across the open cabin to the bed. Lying on his back, he looks at me.
“Thanks for saving my life. I owe you one.” He closes his eyes and is asleep almost immediately.
After getting my goats and sheep fed and bedded down for the night, I’m back in the cabin. My cell is useless. I grab the satellite phone to contact the sheriff but already know it’s a waste of time, too. After letting both Marble and Brownie out, Ibring them both back inside to stand guard. I’m exhausted and need sleep, too.
Dressed in long johns, I crawl into bed beside my guest. No way in hell am I sleeping on that cold floor. He’s just going to have to share.
CHAPTER 3
Spade
“Water, please.”
The woman whose head is on my chest bolts up like she’s been struck by lightening. Dang, she felt good pressed against my side, head on my uninjured shoulder. But the call of nature and thirst were too strong to be ignored.
“Oh shit.”
“No, but I do need to pee.”
She rolls off the opposite side and gets to me as I throw back the blanket and sit on the edge of the mattress. My head spins and floats like a bobber on a lake. I close my eyes.
“Let me help. You’re probably woozy.”
“Yeah.”
She’s a few inches shorter than me and lithe, but sturdy. If nothing else, her nearness is comforting. At the bathroom door, I politely hold her back. “I can take it from here. But will let you know when I need to make the two-mile trip back to the bed.”
She snorts. The woman has attitude and strength. My heart lurches for some odd reason as I close the door behind me.
I’ve got one hell of a headache, and my pupils are a little large, but I’ve had worse. As long as nothing gets infected, Ishould be fine in a few days. She’s left a washcloth and towel on the counter. After splashing my face, I use the washcloth to clean up. I study myself in the mirror, feeling better. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna live. I just have to get past the jackhammer in my head.
When I’m finished, she meets me at the door. “I found a clean T-shirt, briefs and socks in your pack. I’ve got lounge pants that are Mom’s boyfriend’s that will be too short and a little big around your waist. They’ll be more comfortable for sleep. I washed your other clothes, but they aren’t dry.”
She waits outside the door while I change. “Back to bed or you want to sit and try to eat something?”
“Sit and food.”
The cabin is one room. The bathroom has been built out to one side of the large fireplace. An extensive book collection covers the wall from floor to ceiling on the other side. A small couch and two chairs are in front of the fireplace. The bed juts out from the far wall. The kitchen is right by the cabin entrance.
