Chapter 7
Amy
It took so long to get the results, I fell asleep.
Evidently, they were going through some staffing shortages in the imaging department. I was just grateful they had a bed for me. Although I didn’t want to think about how much my co-pay would be for this visit.
That handsome mountain man, Dawson, stayed the whole time.
I’d tried to talk him into going home when I realized it would be an all-nighter, and he told me would.
But when I woke up, it was four in the morning, and he was speaking in hushed tones with a doctor.
“She’s going to be fine, Mr. Allen.”
He breathed an audible sigh of relief and thanked him.
That perked my ears straight up.
After the doctor left, I studied Dawson.
When he finally looked my way I asked, “Mr. Allen?”
He looked totally busted.
“It was the only way they let me in to stay by your side. I had to pretend we were married. I hope you don’t mind too much.”
“Nope. It’s just the first time any man’s ever pretended to be my husband before. Maybe I should get hurt more often.”
He shook his head, his luscious lips curling up. “No, ma’am. You’re aiming for fewer injuries, not more.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed with a soft smile on his face, his hand rubbing my leg through the covers. “Do you want to hear the news?”
“Yeah. I think I heard the punchline. But I wouldn’t mind the details.”
“Your MRI came back good. You do have a broken arm, like we both suspected. They’re going to release you with a temporary sling, and you’ve got an appointment to see an orthopedic surgeon later on today.”
“Surgeon?” My blood pressure rose instantly, my pulse beating hard in my veins.
“It doesn’t mean you need surgery. That’s just what the doctor is called.”
He must have seen the worry on my face because he took my hand again. “I’ll stay with you. And if he tries to recommend surgery, I’ll beat him back with a stick. How does that sound?”
I grinned. This man had a way of making me feel okay. “That sounds perfect. You’re my own personal bodyguard.”
“It’s the least I can do.” His gorgeous eyes shadowed over. “If it weren’t for me, you never would have gotten on that mechanical bull. This is all my fault.”
But if I’d never gotten on that bull, I wouldn’t have spent so much time with Dawson. And despite his rocking good looks, I was starting to see that there was a really good man hiding underneath all that sex appeal.
A couple hours later we landed at my townhouse, a brand new cast on my arm.
Dawson had driven us here. Sometime while I’d slept in the night, he’d had some of his friends deliver his pickup truck to him. So, he’d been my chauffeur from the hospital.
A woman could get used to this treatment.
I was still feeling pretty banged up, but it could have been much worse. The one thing I knew was that I was never riding a mechanical bull again.
Once was enough.
Dawson used my key to get my door open, then carried the bag of medical papers I’d been discharged with inside.
He looked around once he got me in the door. “Your place is nice.”
“It’s simple, but I like it.”
My cat, Noodles, came out to greet us, meowing in disappointment, telling me just how hard it had been to spend the night here alone.
“I’m sorry, baby. But at least breakfast isn’t too late.”
“You want me to feed your cat?” Dawson asked as Noodles sniffed him suspiciously.
“Would you mind? I don’t want to keep asking you to do things for me.”
“Naw. I’m atoning for what happened. Let me keep helping you until my guilty conscience lessens a little.”
I showed him where the wet food was, along with the kibble, and explained how Noodles liked it mixed together.
It was fun watching Dawson cater to my kitty.
That was on my list of must-have requirements for any future boyfriend. They had to get along with my cat.
When he was done, he asked, “How are we going to get you up those stairs? I have an idea if you’re not opposed.”
My eyes widened. “You’re not suggesting that you carry me up the stairs, are you?”
He grinned at me. “You’re too banged up to get there by yourself.”
Unfortunately, he was right about that.
Even though I’d only broken my arm, every part of my body was sore from being thrown off the bull and landing on the hard concrete floor at the bar. It had been painful just walking from the car to my front door.
I’d planned on asking him to set me up with a blanket on the couch.
It was one of the downsides of townhome living. On a normal day, the stairs weren’t a problem. But on a day like today, it made half my rental inaccessible to me.
I sized him up.
He was a big man, but I was a bigger woman.
He might be all muscle, but I had plenty of fat on me.
Still, something told me he could carry me up the stairs.
“I don’t want you to hurt yourself. I’m not a lightweight, delicate flower.”
His eyes drifted down my form and back up again. “Not a problem. I got you, Amy.”
And the trouble was, I believed him. I was falling for this man hard and fast.
But would he end up being just like Chris in the end? Sometimes men lost interest after they got what they wanted.
Somehow, I didn’t get that vibe from Dawson. He seemed solid through and through.
So, in the end, I relented and let him carry me up the stairs. I couldn’t even sling my arm around him since it was broken and in a cast. But I rested my head on his chest as he brought me to the second floor, step by cautious step.
When we got to the top, he wasn’t even breathing hard.
He brought me to my bedroom and settled me down on the bed while I tried not to swoon.
Having this big strong man carry me around like I was a piece of kindling had started my blood stirring in my veins.
Dawson was a man. A real man.
And for whatever reason, ever since we’d laid eyes on each other at the Bear Den, he hadn’t been able to look away from me.
The intensity of his interest was flattering, and I felt completely safe with him. Even though we hadn’t known each other long.
“Thanks for taking such good care of me. You probably want to get back to your life now.” I wanted to give him a way out. His guilty conscience shouldn’t trap him here with me.
But he just looked at me quizzically. “I’m planning on setting up camp right here until I know you’re feeling good enough to get around on your own.”
Then his eyes slid off me and onto my nightstand.
His mouth dropped open, and he chuckled. “Well, that one’s almost as big as me.”
I glanced over to see what he was looking at.
Instant mortification flew through me, settling in every cell of my body.
This was one way to embarrass the hell out of yourself.