Quickly assessing the cut on the designer’s temple to be minor, a byproduct of the crash, and the one on her upper arm to need stitches from her fight with the fence, he took over. “I’ll get the dog. You stay put,” he ordered, yanking her free of the barbed wire, the sound of tearing fabric echoed around them. “Don’t move. You may be concussed from the crash.”
“No. I’m okay. Just a small headache, but the poor thing is going to drown, and I don’t want that horse to wander away. He may not be so lucky next time.”
Once again, the woman blew his mind. Here she was, half-naked, dirty, hurt and bleeding, and all she cared about was a scrawny mutt and an old horse that wrecked her truck. He cupped her face, careful of her wound as he spoke calm and clear.
“I’ll take care of them.” When she blinked, and he could tell she got the message, he released her to take off his shirt. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“No.” She shook her head and winced. “Just, please, get the dog.” Tears began to stream down her face.
Something inside him tightened then burst. He placed his shirt over her shoulders, resisted the urge to pull her close—barely—then turned to the dog. With no time to fetch the canvas tarp from his jeep to drape over the wire, he hit the dirt and belly crawled under the fence to reach down for the dog.
“Come on, Ace, let’s get you out of that hole,” he said, scooping up the pup. The sting of wire ripped into his shoulder as he backed them under the fence.
Once free, he turned around and sat up. The wet, matted, skinny pup crawled up his chest to lick his face. Kade chuckled. “It’s okay, boy. You’re safe now.”
But she wasn’t. Oh, hell no. Brandi blinked. She was in trouble. It felt as if she’d hit that tree all over again. A bigger tree. A gorgeous, gray-eyed Adonis cradling a puppy tree. The sight of the shirtless sheriff sitting on the ground, dirt and sweat clinging to his tanned face and muscled torso while he gently nuzzled the mangy puppy, hit her hard. Real hard.
God, he looked so sweet.
Her pulse raced out of control and heart hurt from staring at them. She rubbed her chest, but the ache didn’t lessen. Then he glanced up, gaze warm and friendly.
The world tilted.
Literally tilted without warning.
She stepped back to steady herself. Kade immediately surged to his feet, dog in one hand while he cupped her elbow with the other.
“Easy, there, Brandi. You okay?”
All she could do was nod as the hunk stood, sweet little puppy in his arms.
“Here, you hold him and sit down.”
Forcing air into her lungs, she reached for the bundle of fur, doing her best not to reach for the man currently melting her resolve…her heart…her panties. Darn him. Why did he have to be so sweet? And so gorgeous? And so…so…near?
Heat emanated from the bare-chested sheriff as he transferred the rescue into her arms. “Got him?”
“Yes, thank you for rescuing him,” she said, tears filling her eyes from out of the blue.
Great. What a picture she must make. Hugging the squirming ball of fur, she tried not to think of her less than appealing appearance. Dirty, bleeding, goose-egg on her forehead, partially naked. Yeah, he must think her an idiot. A bumbling idiot. No, a fat, bumbling idiot.
“It’s all right,” he said.
He rubbed her arm, strong, warm fingers, sending a round of shivers straight down to her toes, then back up.
“Why don’t you sit down, while I round up Old Charlie?”
“Who’s Old Charlie?” Geez, there was another person here? Her gaze shot around the area. “Shoot, he’s seen me without a shirt.”
Crud. So did Kade. That realization turned her legs a bit rubbery, so she sank to the ground, with the sheriff’s help. He landed on his knees in front of her, hands firmly holding her arms as she clutched the puppy to her chest. Her nearly naked chest. She glanced down. Thank goodness tomorrow was laundry day and all her white, normal, boring bras were in the hamper, forcing her to slip into a lacy black number this morning.
“Relax, honey. Old Charlie’s the horse.” He chuckled, fixing his shirt back around her shoulders.
The sound sent another round of shivers down to her toes. “Oh.”
Releasing her, he sat back, a small smile still tugging his lips. “Brandi?”
“Yeah?”
“How in the world did you get caught on the fence?”
Caught? Felt more like she was skewered. She had no idea how it happened. It just did. Because her life was a comic book and she was the star. Brandi Wyne, Mayhem Magnet.
With the cute puppy licking her scratching hand, she took a deep breath. “Well, first, I was hit by a horse. Crashed into a tree. Rushed after said horse with rope from my truck. Tripped over the rope. Landed in the fence. Heard the puppy. Ripped my shirt clean off trying to get the puppy. Then you showed up, and the rest you know.”
Did she leave anything out? Oh, yes, her head was beginning to hurt like a bitch, arm stung, heart ached for the abandoned puppy, and her body? Oh, boy, her body. Need for the man kneeling in front of her rushed through so fast she physically shook. That’s new. She’d never had that response to anyone before. Ever. Not even with help.
Frankly, it scared the hell out of her.
“…Where’s the rope?”
She blinked, trying to focus. He had the most amazing eye color. Several shades of gray. Light and dark, with a kind of chrome rim…
“Brandi?” He brushed her face with the back of his knuckles.
The light touch grabbed her attention. She drew in a deep breath and blinked again. “What?”
“The rope,” he repeated. “Where’s the rope you said you’d gotten from your truck?”
Her eyes widened as she got a clue. “Oh…yes, please catch the horse. He must be hurt. I don’t know if I hit him or he ran into me. It doesn’t matter. I’ll pay for whatever he needs.”
The sheriff’s gaze warmed and her throat instantly dried. “Charlie seems just fine,” he reassured. “But I’d like to secure him. Where’s the rope?”
The rope. Right.
“Over where my shirt’s now decorating the fence.” Laughter bubbled up her throat. She was beginning to feel a bit giddy and weird. “Maybe I should add that to my portfolio? Fence decorating. Although, I’m a designer. I can move walls. Maybe I should’ve moved the fence?”
He chuckled, then patted the puppy snuggled in her arms before rising to his feet. “Stay put while I catch Old Charlie.”
She stayed put, right on her butt, as she watched his with interest. Damn, that uniform hugged the man in a very good way. A way she’d be happy to take over. More laughter escaped, but evaporated just as quickly when her appreciative gaze rose to his back. She sat up straight, hugging the puppy tighter.
Kade was hurt. Blood trickled down his back from a gash in his left shoulder blade.
And it was all her fault.
“The barbed wire cut him,” she told the puppy as she watched the sheriff secure the horse to the tree with her rope.
The pounding in her head increased as the reality of what happened hit her full force. Chills wracked her body, and she began to shake. Brandi knew it was shock setting in and that there wasn’t much she could do to stop it. At least the dog was okay, and the horse was okay. Too bad Kade had to get hurt in the process. Kade. Wasn’t he just a sweetheart today?
“It’s all right. Everything is fine.” His voice was low and warm, and his warmth seeped into her.
No, wait, that was the blanket wrapped around her, and when had he bandaged her arm? She was about to ask when he sat down behind her, then drew her against his hard, muscled chest. Heaven. She just found a little bit of heaven. She always knew heaven was in Harland County. Snuggling closer, she sighed and closed her eyes. Yes, he felt too damn good for her to worry about if it was wrong or right. Hell, the man was bleeding for her.
Bleeding…
“Wait. You’re hurt.” She twist
ed to face him. “We need to fix your cut.”
He smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll live.”
But she did worry about him. “I…thanks, Kade.”
Tears filled her eyes and slid down her face. Dammit. And she’d tried so hard to keep them in. He must think her weak. And stupid. More chills and shakes decided to join the pity party.
“Hey, come here,” he said, gently drawing her against him again.
Mmm…he was nice and warm and hard. Before common sense had a chance to flicker, she flipped her legs over his right thigh, and the puppy thought it was a game. He reached up to lick the tears from her face, then the sheriff’s jaw. She laughed despite how awful she felt. “Thank you, Ace.”
“Ace? Is that me, or the dog?” Kade asked, amusement coating his tone.
She smiled. “Both.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah,” she replied, snuggling closer, her smile widening as those strong arms of his tightened their hold, yet somehow avoided her wound. “You called the dog Ace when you were rescuing him from that hole.”
“So I did.”
She nodded, loving the feel of his steady heartbeat against her ear, and firm jaw resting on her head. “And, well, you are certainly an ace today. I really appreciate your help with the animals…and me.” Her mind raced the fast pace of her heart. “And, please don’t say it’s your duty, because I just might have to hit you for ruining my fantasy.”
He stilled. “You have a fantasy about me?”
Hell yeah. Several. But those were too private…and hot. And just delicious enough to make her quiver. “Yes.” He wasn’t getting any more out of her. Nosiree. She’d already said too much.
“Well now, I’d love to hear it.”
A giggle escaped her dried throat. “I bet you would. But it’s not happening, sheriff…cowboy…soldier…whatever you are.”
He shifted their position so quick, she found herself lying back in his arms, staring straight up into his mischievous gaze.
“That sounded like a dare, and you should never dare me, honey.”
“Oh yeah?”
Shoot. Why’d she say that?
“Yeah,” he replied, warm breath hitting her face. “I bet I can make you tell me.”
He could make her do a lot of things. Hell, her body was already humming his name. And if it weren’t for Ace licking the sexy man’s chin and nose, she probably would’ve taken the guy serious. And maybe just taken the guy. But with puppy slobber and fur on his skin, all she could do was laugh.
“Oh, you think it’s funny?”
She nodded, reaching up to pick a piece of white fur from his chin. “Yep. I do. I really do.”
“We’ll see about that, honey. One day soon, when there’s no blood or skinny puppies running blocker, we are going to pick up this discussion.”
Promise?
A slow smile claimed his lips. “Promise.”
Shoot…did she say that out loud? Her heart rocked in her chest. The man was seriously flirting with her. But why?
“Uhum.”
The sound of someone clearing their throat had them both turning to investigate.
“Don’t you two look cute?” A familiar looking paramedic with black hair and blue eyes stood a few feet away, lopsided grin on his handsome face. “I hate to break things up, but you called for assistance?”
In the blink of an eye, Kade was on his feet, holding her in his arms, all traces of heat gone from his expression. “What are you doing here, Jace? I called for a paramedic.”
“Yeah, and you got me instead. They’re short staffed so I volunteered.” The newcomer’s attention shifted to her. “Hi, Brandi. What happened? You didn’t like the tree so you tried to take it out?”
She laughed, recognizing the general practitioner she’d met when she’d first moved to Harland County. The cute physician had recommended an endocrinologist to continue her thyroid treatment. “Hi, Doctor Turner. And, no. I liked the tree just fine. I needed a new truck.”
“Well, that’s a dangerous way to go about it,” he replied, warm fingers gently brushing her hair aside. “Looks like you hit your head in the process. Since Top has you…”
Top? Ah…Kade. First Sergeant. Handsome sheriff holding her against his yummy chest.
“…and doesn’t seem like he’s ready to relinquish his hold, he can carry you over to the ambulance so I can take a look.”
With a curt nod, her rescuer followed the doctor, carrying her to the vehicle parked near a fire truck. When the heck had they all arrived? Must’ve been the bump to her head, or the thump of her heart because she had no recollection of the fire department arriving. Or the pickup with a horse trailer that parked near the tree where Old Charlie continued to graze.
“I hope the horse is okay,” she said. “He had to hurt something. He’d come out of nowhere and clipped the corner of my truck. That’s when I swerved away to avoid him and hit the tree.” Okay, she’d sort of already told him, but at least now the doctor knew how she’d gotten the bump.
As Kade set her down on the back of the opened medic mobile, she grabbed his arm and stared up at him. “Thanks, but don’t go. You need to get your back checked.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said, breaking her hold to grab the puppy from her arms.
“What’s wrong with his back?” Doctor Turner clamped a hand on Kade’s shoulder when he made to leave. “Hang on there, Top. You may be the First Sergeant and sheriff, but you bleed just like the rest of us. Let me have a quick look.”
That confirmed her suspicions. She glanced from one alpha to another. Yep, they were definitely in the Guard together.
“I’m fine, Jace.” He shook the doctor off. “Just take care of Ms. Wyne.”
Ms. Wyne? When had she gone from Brandi to Ms. Wyne?
The doctor smiled broadly. “Sure, I’ll take good care of Brandi.”
Kade’s eyes narrowed and he glanced from her to the physician before he nodded. “Good. Doc Kirkland just pulled up. I need to take this little guy over and talk to the vet about Charlie, too.” He twisted around, puppy in arm, and walked away.
“Now that was very interesting,” Doctor Turner said, standing in front of her, shining a flashlight in her eyes.
The pain in her head increased enough to make her grimace. “Oh…how so?” She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and tried not to glance at the sheriff, the dog or the horse.
He just smiled and shook his head. “I’ve known Kade Dalton a long, long time and I’ve never seen him act that way around a woman. You, Ms. Wyne, are very good for him.”
She smirked. “Yeah, about as good as an abscessed tooth.”
“Oh, I can assure you, you’re nothing like that to him.” The cutie held up a finger, asked her about her vision, her stomach, to rate the pain in her head. “You don’t appear to have a concussion, but just in case, keep the drinking and partying to a minimum.”
“Will do, Doc.” She laughed, then closed her eyes against the pain.
“You may want to avoid sudden movements,” he said, touching her shoulder. “Sorry, hun, I know it hurts.”
She opened her eyes and nodded. Then winced.
Empathy filled his blue eyes. “What did I tell you about sudden movements?”
“Didn’t think nodding fit that category.”
“’Fraid so. And it wouldn’t hurt to avoid sleeping for the next few hours,” Handsome said, turning his attention to her arm. “Now, what’s this I hear about you fighting with the barbed wire fence?”
“Yeah, and I lost…my shirt,” she added, dropping the blanket, and digging deep to find the courage to drop Kade’s shirt, too. “I even left some skin for good measure.”
The doctor smiled as he removed the bandage Kade had applied, then quietly assessed her wound before he checked the rest of her for cuts and scrapes. She only blushed a little. Her head and arm hurt too damn much to care about her nakedness. A nakedness no man had
seen in years.
At this point, she’d show him the full monty if he could stop the pounding in her head. He placed the blanket back over her unharmed shoulder and pulled it around and under her injured arm so she could cover her chest.
What a sweetheart. Seemed Texas was full of them.
“When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?”
Before deployment, part of the Guard’s required regiments of shots, but thanks to the pounding in her head, she couldn’t quite remember the year. “I’m not sure exactly. A couple years ago,” she answered without conviction. It was getting harder to think.
If the doctor thought her answer was odd, he didn’t show it. He just nodded, then opened a few boxes and produced a vial and syringe.
“Allow me to reacquaint you two.”
Then the little devil smiled as he sterilized then stuck her arm. Smiled? If the bugger wasn’t so cute and sweet she might’ve had a few choice words.
“Okay, now for the unpleasant part.”
Unpleasant? She blinked at him. “Trust me, that wasn’t all that enjoyable.”
He shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. “Then you’re going to hate this, because I have to stitch you. But you have a choice. I can do it here or at the hospital.”
“Here.” She had no desire to see the inside of a hospital again. Ever.
Doc Handsome chuckled. “Okay. Just so you know, a few shots are required to numb the area so I can clean and stitch you. Your arm’s going to be sore for a little while.”
Lovely. At least it was no longer required for her livelihood. Her musical livelihood. But now that she was a designer, she could manage to work on the Masters’ patio without using her arm for a few days. “Just do what you have to, then when you’re done, look at Kade’s back. I don’t care how much he complains.”
Another smile tugged the cutie’s lips. “Yes, ma’am. See? You are good for Top. The man always takes care of others. No one ever takes care of him, not since his aunt died, and even then, he more than likely insisted he was fine.”
And while the good doctor picked, poked, prodded and stitched, she thought about those sad words, and recalled Kevin’s words, and the image of a young boy with big gray eyes filled her mind.
Her Uniform Cowboy (Harland County Series Book 3) Page 6
