by Elle James
Emily glanced behind her at the vehicle with the bright headlights. Even after they’d left the parking lot, the driver remained with the bright lights shining. For someone so impatient for them to move out of the way, he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave.
Emily shrugged and focused on getting her patient and bodyguard back to the lodge.
At a bend in the trail, she glanced back one more time. The headlights still shone toward them. They turned off and turned back on again, or had she blinked? Whatever, she navigated a bend in the trail, and the lights disappeared from view. She couldn’t think about the creepiness of that set of headlights when she had Cage’s arm around her shoulder making her feel things she shouldn’t be feeling for a man who was just her bodyguard.
Chapter 4
Climbing Pikes Peak felt like a cakewalk compared to climbing the stairs in the lodge with a charley horse kicking his butt.
With only room for two people to ascend at the same time, Emily slipped from under the arm he’d draped across her shoulders and followed the two men up the stairs.
Cage held onto the handrail with one hand and leaned heavily on Jake with his arm looped around Jake’s shoulders.
“Take it one step at a time,” Jake said. “We’re not in a hurry.”
“Good,” Cage said through clenched teeth, “because if I had it my way, I’d just pass out on a couch downstairs.”
“Yeah, but you’ll be a lot more comfortable in the bed RJ’s got all ready for you upstairs.” Jake climbed the next step, dragging Cage with him.
Cage gritted his teeth and suffered the long climb up the stairs. When they finally made it to the top, he let go of the breath he’d been holding the entire way, while he’d been biting his tongue to keep from yelling.
Jake half-walked half-carried him down the hallway and stopped in front of a door. “This is our stop.”
Emily hurried around them and flung open the door, stepped in and pulled the comforter back on the bed. She patted the sheets. “Sit down right here. I’ll get your shoes.”
“I can get my own damn shoes,” he muttered.
Emily shrugged. “Whatever.” She stepped back and allowed Jake to bring Cage over to the bed and sit him down.
Cage winced as Jake lowered him onto the mattress.
Emily waited with her arms crossed over her chest. “Okay, so go ahead and take off your shoes.”
He bent forward, winced and cursed. “Maybe I like wearing my shoes to bed,” he said leaning way back. “Jesus, I’ve had shrapnel wounds that hurt less than this.”
Emily dropped down in front of him and pulled his shoes off his feet, and then stripped away the socks as well.
Cage dropped a few choice curses. “Geez, woman,” he grumbled. “You’re not my mother.”
“Yeah, but if I were, I’d wash your mouth out with soap for all those cuss words.” She straightened with a grin.
Jake laughed. “I believe I can leave you now in good hands.”
Cage stared up at Jake. “I don’t need to be left in anybody’s hands.”
“No?” He looked at Cage with a cocked eyebrow. “Do you want me to swing your legs up into the bed before I leave?”
Cage wanted to say, No, hell no. But when he tried to lift the sore leg, pain shot though him. He clamped his jaw closed and nodded his head. “Yes, and thank you.”
Jake lifted both Cage’s legs and swung them over onto the bed.
At the same time, Cage laid back on the pillow. Lying down gave him no relief whatsoever with that charley horse. He sat up again and rubbed the leg.
“If you don’t need me anymore, I’m going to get back to the bar and help RJ and Gunny close up.” Jake nodded toward Cage’s leg. “You should be all right by morning. If not, we can see about getting a doc to prescribe a muscle relaxer.” Jake glanced across at Emily. “Emily, you got this?”
Emily nodded. “I do.”
Cage pressed his lips together. He hated being beholden to anyone, especially to his new boss who he was trying to impress. “Jake…thanks for helping.”
“Anytime,” he said. “Just glad to have you on board.”
Cage snorted. “So much for a good first impression.”
“Hey, you did the Pikes Peak marathon. I was impressed. And you’re allowed a little downtime.” Jake left the room.
Emily fussed by fluffing up the pillows and rearranging them behind his head.
“I can take care of the pillows on my own.” He sat up and rubbed his leg again.
She brushed his hands aside. “Here, let me.” Her fingers smoothed over the fabric of his jeans pressing gently at first and increasing the pressure the more she rubbed. “Does that help?” she asked.
On one hand, he didn’t want her massage to help, but on the other hand he did. He didn’t want to be beholden to anyone, but he wanted the pain to go away. “No,” he said. He really wanted her to leave him alone. He hated having her see him so weak. He was supposed to be the strong one. “I swear I’ve never had this happen to me before.”
She laughed. “And you’ve never run the Pikes Peak marathon before. I’m surprised you’re not coughing up a lung.”
He chuckled. “I was for the first hour after the race.”
Her hands continued bearing down on the muscle that was knotted in his leg. The more she did, the less knotted it felt until the pain had dissipated to the point that he wasn’t wincing every time her fingers dug into the muscle.
Finally, she straightened. “Try moving it now.”
He did, and it was only a little sore. He lifted it off the bed, flexed his foot and bent his knee. “Wow,” he said, “I think you’ve cured me.”
“I don’t know about that, but I’m glad you’re not in pain anymore.”
“You and me both. I can see why your patients love therapy sessions with you,” he said. “And how they can fall in love with you.”
Her brow furrowed. “What?”
“A massage like that has to be the highlight of their day.”
Her frown deepened. “But I…oh, never mind.”
“Seriously,” he said, “I can see how somebody would fall in love with you and stalk you. If your secret admirer persists, you might look through your patients’ files. I could easily fall in love with somebody who could take away my pain like you just did now.”
Emily’s cheeks felt flushed pink. “I don’t normally massage my patients’ legs.”
“No?” Cage cocked an eyebrow. “Well, their loss. They might recover quicker if you did.”
She laughed. “I doubt that.”
“Well, anyway, thank you for helping me. I hope I didn’t put too much strain and pressure on you.”
She lifted her chin. “I know my limits, and you didn’t push them.”
“I’m glad,” he said. “By the way, were you born with that limp?”
She shook her head. “No. I was in a traffic accident when I was seventeen.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“So was I.”
“Must be hard to lose full use of your leg.”
She shook her head. “It’s harder even to lose your family.”
He reached out and grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
She looked down at where his hand touched hers. “It’s okay, you had no reason to know, and it’s been years.”
“Yeah, but you never quite get over losing someone you care about.” Now, his gaze was on their connected hands.
“Have you lost someone you care about?” she asked.
He nodded.
She squeezed his fingers. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.”
She sighed. “Well, if you can handle things on your own now, I’ll just be going to bed. If you need anything during the night, I’m in the room next to yours. Just yell. I’ll hear you.”
He held her hand for a moment longer. “Thanks, Emily. I promise I’ll take better care of you as soon as I’ve recovered from this r
ace.”
She smiled. “No more marathons?”
He shook his head. “No more marathons.”
She pulled her hand free of his and walked toward the door, pausing at the threshold. “For what it’s worth,” she said as she turned to face him, “I’m glad you’ll be my bodyguard. At least until we can figure out who the secret admirer is and whether or not he’s dangerous.”
“We’ll work it together,” he said. “You know, we really should start with your files.”
Her eyebrows dipped. “I can’t share my patients’ files with anybody,” she said. “There are laws that protect medical information.”
“Okay, so I won’t help you go through the medical files. You might want to do that on your own. What about your apartment complex? Is there anyone there who’s shown an interest, who might have followed you to work?”
She shook her head. “In the couple of years that I’ve lived in that apartment, I’ve only interacted with one of my neighbors, and that was a couple of months ago when she needed help carrying a large box up to her room. We keep pretty much to ourselves.”
“Have you seen anyone hanging around your apartment or hanging around the parking lot at work?”
She shook her head. “No. A lot of times I’m the last one out of my department.”
“Emily,” Cage said, “check your patients’ files.”
She nodded. “I will tomorrow.” She gave him a smile. “Get some rest. You put your body through hell today.”
“I will,” he said, “and thank you for coming to my rescue. I really haven’t started this bodyguard gig off on the right foot, have I?”
She laughed. “If you recall, I didn’t want one to begin with.
He nodded. “Nope, but you’re stuck with me now, or at least, once I can get up on my own.”
“You will,” she said. “Tomorrow will be a better day.” She left the room and closed the door behind her.
Someone had brought his duffle bag and his backpack up from his vehicle, for which he was thankful. When he could move again, he would need them, and it was a comfort to know that his buddy Ryan was still there with him even if only in ashes.
“What a day, huh?” he said. “You were always in better shape than I was. I’m sure you wouldn’t have embarrassed yourself in front of the pretty therapist. And by the way, what do you think about her?”
He knew Ryan wasn’t going to answer, but it helped having someone to talk to, even if that someone was only there in spirit. “You heard the lady. Tomorrow will be a better day, and I promise I’ll get you up to that mountain top soon. In the meantime, it’s nice to still have you around.”
Chapter 5
When Cage woke the next morning, he started moving, one muscle at a time. His muscles were stiff, and they were sore. But the charley horse was gone. He could live with it. He swung his legs out of the bed, grabbed his toiletry kit and headed across the hall to the bathroom.
It was early, and he hadn’t expected anybody else to be in it. However, when he twisted the doorhandle, he discovered it was locked. He had just started to turn around to go back to his room and wait, when the door opened, and Emily darted out, plowing into him.
His hands automatically came up to steady her, resting loosely on her hips.
Emily planted her hands on his bare chest. “I’m sorry.” Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink as she laughed. “Why is it I’m always running into you?”
“I’m just lucky, I guess,” he said.
She glanced down. “How’s the leg this morning?”
“Better, thanks to you.”
She shook her head. “It was just a matter of time until the muscle relaxed.”
“Yes, but it never would’ve without you giving it a good start. For that, I thank you. I had a decent night’s sleep.”
“Other than the charley horse, how’s the rest of you?”
He grinned. “Better. I’m sure the soreness will get worse before it gets better. I’ll be okay. Okay enough that nobody else will have to carry me up the stairs.”
“Good,” she said with a grin. “Then you might not mind mucking stalls this morning.”
He tilted his head. “Mucking what?”
She grinned. “Every time I come to stay, I do what I can to help out. Mucking stalls in the morning is one of those things. You don’t have to help if you don’t feel like it.”
“I’m going with you,” he said. “And if you’re mucking stalls, I’m mucking stalls.”
“Again, you don’t have to. You can just watch.”
“I’ve never been one for watching,” Cage said. “I like to participate. Besides, maybe it’ll help the other parts of my body loosen up some more.”
“Mucking stalls takes a whole different set of muscles than running a marathon.”
“I realize that,” he said. “However, it’s moving. As long as I’m moving, I’m not stiffening up.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” she said, “get into some clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.”
He glanced down at the jeans and blue chambray shirt she was wearing, realizing he still held her hips. He let go and stepped back.
Emily’s hands fell to her sides, and she glanced down at her outfit. “RJ loaned me these. If you have a pair of boots, even better. You don’t want to get horse manure down inside your shoes. The smell is hard to get out.”
He laughed. “I believe spending time with you is going to be an adventure.”
She looked at him with a crinkled brow. “If mucking stalls is an adventure to you, then yes. I’m headed down now.”
“Do me a favor and don’t leave the lodge until I’m down there with you. If I’m to be your bodyguard, I need to have your body close by.”
Her cheeks turned pink.
“Strictly for protection purposes,” he assured her. “I’ll only be a couple of minutes. I just need to splash some water on my face to wake up, brush my teeth and I’ll be down.”
“Gunny and RJ have already started breakfast. It should be ready when we’re done in the barn.”
He inhaled deeply. “I can already smell the bacon.”
“I know. My stomach is rumbling.” She rested a hand on her flat belly. “The sooner we get done out in the barn, the sooner we get to eat.”
“Roger.” Cage entered the bathroom, closed the door, performed his morning ablutions and hurried back across the hall to drop his shaving kit. Less than three minutes later, he was on his way down the stairs.
He found Emily in the kitchen, filling the coffeemaker with grounds. “That was fast,” she said.
He grinned. “The Army teaches you to move with purpose. If you don’t get things done in few seconds, you’re taking too long.”
“Sounds like Gunny.” RJ chuckled. “He’d turn off the hot water if I was taking too long in the shower.” She tipped her head toward the back door. “Jake’s already out in the barn. I’d help, but Gunny and I are preparing food for some of our guests. I’ll have your breakfast ready when you get back.”
“Thanks.” Although his legs were stiff, his muscles tight and his lungs still a little sore from pushing oxygen through his system at an extreme altitude the day before, Cage couldn’t help smiling as he stepped out on the porch and inhaled the scent of evergreen. The gray dawn lit the path to the barn.
“The sun doesn’t fully rise until thirty minutes after it’s risen in Colorado Springs,” Emily explained. “Mountain peaks block the light until the sun’s rays make it over the top.”
Though she limped with every step, Emily moved pretty quickly for somebody with a bad leg. And she didn’t moan or complain.
They found Jake in the barn, cleaning the second stall on the right.
“I’m finishing up this one,” he called out. “There’s only one other that needs work; it’s across the way. You need to lead the horse out to the pasture first.”
Emily smiled as she approached the stall. “Hey, Blossom,” she said speaking quietly
to the mare. The horse nickered and poked her nose over the top of the gate.
Emily stroked her gray nose, smiling at the animal. “That’s my pretty girl.” She snapped a lead on the horse’s halter, lifted the latch on the gate and opened it.
Blossom stepped out and nudged her hand playfully.
“Sorry, girl. I forgot to bring you a treat. I promise I’ll bring you one later.”
She led the mare past Cage, tipping her head toward a wall where tools hung on hooks. “Grab a rake. There’s a wheelbarrow out back.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll follow you. We can get that wheelbarrow together.”
Her lips twisted. “I think I’ll be just fine out here.”
He walked alongside her. “Humor me. This is my first assignment. I want to do a good job.”
She gave him a twisted grin. “Okay, I’m just not used to having a shadow.”
“You might want to get used to it until we figure out who your secret admirer is and what his intentions are.”
“I’m working on being okay with having someone dog my every step,” she said. “Whether he’s a stalker or a bodyguard.”
He chuckled. “Wow, now you’re making me sound creepy.”
She glanced in his direction over the horse’s nose. “You’re both watching my every move. You have to agree there are similarities.”
He lifted his chin and stared down his nose at her. “One big difference.”
“What’s that?”
“I can’t write poetry,” he said with a grin. “So, don’t expect it.”
She laughed, the sound like music in the cool morning air.
Cage liked the sound. When he figured out which direction she was headed, he hurried ahead of her to open the gate to the pasture.
Emily walked Blossom through it, unclipped the lead and gave the animal a pat on the rump. “Go on.”
The horse trotted off.
Emily turned and passed through the gate again.
Cage closed and latched it behind her.
“Gunny keeps a couple of wheelbarrows on the back side of the barn. Jake has one. There should be one more back there.” She led the way.
