Chapter 4
Brain was running behind. They’d had a briefing that ran long, so he’d rushed through the grocery store.
At home, he had changed into a pair of shorts after throwing the steaks into the fridge.
He didn’t bother with a T-shirt, knowing he was about to sweat about four gallons while he mowed his neighbor’s lawn.
It was still hot outside, and Aspen would arrive within an hour.
He figured he had just enough time to get the grass cut, shower, and prep the steaks before she arrived.
Of course, he didn’t count on Winnie Morrison—his ninety-one-year-old widowed neighbor who he tried to check on at least every other day—wanting to talk so long.
When he was finally able to begin tackling her lawn, twenty minutes had gone by.
It wasn’t that Brain didn’t want to talk; Winnie was funny and very entertaining.
He was just aware that time was ticking by and Aspen would be arriving soon.
But he refused to do a rush job on the lawn; seeing uneven grass would just annoy him, and it wasn’t fair to Winnie.
He was only halfway done when he saw Aspen pull into his driveway. He cut off the mower and ran an arm across his sweaty brow as he headed toward her. He was smiling, but by the time he got close, he was frowning.
Aspen looked awful. She was pale, and he could see her hands shaking.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as soon as he got close.
“Gee, that’s not exactly the greeting I’d expected,” she quipped.
“Aspen, what’s wrong?” Brain repeated, not sidetracked by her weak attempt at humor.
She sighed. “I’m just tired.”
Brain thought it was more than that, but he didn’t want to stand out in the sun arguing about it. He wanted to hug her, but he was covered in sweat and he didn’t think she’d appreciate it. So he took her by the elbow and steered her toward his front door. “Come on,” he said.
“Am I early?” she asked, her brows furrowing.
“No. I’m sorry, I’m running behind. I promised Winnie I’d get her lawn mowed but work ran late. Will you be all right hanging out while I finish up out here?”
She stopped in her tracks, and Brain had no choice but to stop as well.
“You’re going to let me sit around your house when you’re not there?”
Brain snorted a laugh. “Are you going to steal my shit?”
“No!” she exclaimed.
“Go through my bathroom cabinets?”
“Of course not.”
“Not that I care if you do, all you’ll find is the normal aspirin, bandages, and maybe some anti-fungus lotion or something.
Aspen, I don’t care if you’re in my house without me there.
This might only be our second official date, but I’ve been talking to you for almost two weeks.
I’d like to think I’m starting to know you pretty well.
Not to mention, you’re exhausted. I’m willing to bet sitting in the air conditioning sounds pretty damn good right about now.
It’ll take me another twenty minutes or so to finish up out here, then I’ll be in.
I’ll shower and get dinner started. All you have to do is relax. ”
Brain was alarmed when her eyes immediately swam with tears.
“Shit. Aspen?”
“I’m okay,” she told him then took a deep breath. “It’s just been a hell of a week.”
Not able to help himself, Brain raised a hand and brushed a strand of her light brown hair off her cheek and behind her ear…and noticed she wasn’t sweating, even though it was at least ninety degrees outside. He frowned. “You’re dehydrated,” he told her.
“I know.”
“And probably have a bit of heat exhaustion.”
“I know that too,” she said wearily.
Kicking himself for keeping her outside, he took hold of her arm again and headed for his door. He’d planned to let her in then go right back to his mowing, but there was no way he could leave her knowing that she wasn’t just tired, she was ill.
He brought her straight to his kitchen and pointed to a stool at the bar-height counter. “Sit.”
She did as he requested, and Brain opened a cabinet and got out a large metal cup. He put some ice cubes in, then filled it to the brim with filtered water from a jug in his fridge. He put it in front of her and ordered, “Drink.”
She nodded and brought it to her lips. Brain then grabbed a honeydew melon he’d bought to cut up for dessert and quickly chopped it into bite-size pieces. He put them in a bowl and scooted it across the counter toward Aspen.
“Nibble on those too. The sugar will go a long way toward making you feel better. Finish up that entire cup of water, then refill it.” Brain knew he was being highhanded, but he hated seeing her this way.
He walked around the counter and once more took hold of her elbow.
“Come on, grab your water, I’ll get the fruit.
You’ll be more comfortable on the couch while you wait for me. ”
Aspen sighed, but she nodded and got up. They walked over to his couch, and Brain hovered over her as she sat. He grabbed his remote control and briefly went over which buttons did what.
“Go, Kane. I’m fine.”
He wanted to argue. Tell her she wasn’t fine, and that he wasn’t happy someone hadn’t noticed her physical state.
Yes, she was an adult, and a medic, and should’ve taken care of herself, but he still didn’t like that she was in rough shape.
He finally nodded and headed back outside.
If he stayed with her, he’d probably say something he’d regret later.
He knew Aspen’s platoon had been training hard. Rumor had it the Rangers would be heading over to Afghanistan soon. He hated that, but understood it was part of her job, just as deploying was part of his.
But he definitely didn’t like that her platoon sergeants and officers in charge of her unit weren’t taking care of their soldiers. Yes, they needed to acclimate to the heat, as Afghanistan didn’t exactly have a temperate climate, but running their soldiers ragged wasn’t smart.
And Brain hated to admit it, but the fact that Aspen was a woman was at the forefront of his mind as well.
It was obvious she was tough enough to make it through Ranger training and the combat medics course, but she was still physically weaker than most men.
She wouldn’t want to hear him say that though, so his best course of action was to retreat until he could get his anger under control.
He wanted to talk to Trigger and see if he could put a bug in someone’s ear about what was going on with the Ranger units.
He didn’t like to interfere, but if Aspen was on the verge of heat exhaustion, the men she worked with probably were too.
And that was dangerous and stupid on the parts of the officers.
Brain wasn’t sure he was any calmer by the time he’d finished mowing Winnie’s lawn, but the twenty minutes of resting and getting some fluids had hopefully helped regulate Aspen’s body.
He waved at Winnie, who was watching from inside her house. Brain had to grin at the enthusiastic way she waved back. She’d admitted to him once that while she might be over three times his age, that didn’t mean she didn’t like ogling him.
His mind quickly turned back to Aspen as he went inside and headed for the living room, where he’d left her.
He’d expected to see her sitting on the couch, but instead she was standing at the sliding glass doors that led outside.
He’d thought about fencing in his yard, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet.
Besides, it was easier to look over at Winnie’s house to check on her without a fence.
Brain glanced at the cup of water and noticed that it was mostly full. She must’ve finished the first cup and refilled it. The bowl of fruit was half eaten as well. “Aspen?”
She turned, and he could see from the way her shoulders slumped and the dark circles under her eyes that their plans for the night had changed.
He walked over to her and held out his hand.
She immediately reached out and grabbed hold of him.
Without a word, he turned and walked toward the stairs, grabbing her cup of water as he went by.
His house wasn’t huge, only about fifteen hundred square feet, but he’d done some remodeling on his master bedroom and it was his favorite room in the house.
She followed him without protest. He opened his bedroom door, and she still didn’t say a word.
He towed her over to his bed and gestured for her to sit. She did, then looked up at him.
Brain put her cup on the small table next to the bed and went over to the leather chair in the corner.
He had a quilt lying over it that he’d bought a few years ago.
He’d seen it in a store, and imagined it was like something a mom or grandmother would make.
He couldn’t resist buying it. Sometimes when he couldn’t sleep, he’d sit in the chair and cover himself with the quilt and try to think about the good things in his life, rather than the ugly memories that occasionally kept him awake.
He brought the quilt back to the bed. “Lay down, tesoro.”
At the questioning tilt of her head, he smiled. “Italian. Lay down.”
She did without question, which told Brain how tired she really was. He leaned over and removed her sneakers, then covered her up with the blanket, tucking it around her. “I’m gonna shower. Just rest, Aspen.”
“I’m okay, Kane,” she told him.
“I know you are,” he lied.
“I feel better after drinking all that water and eating the fruit.”
“Good.”
She eyed him sleepily for a long moment. “You’re really good-looking.”
Brain chuckled. “Thanks?”
“Seriously. When I’m ninety years old, I want someone like you to mow my grass in nothing but a pair of shorts too.”
Still smiling, Brain leaned over and kissed her temple. “Rest, Aspen.”
“’Kay. Kane?”
He’d just started heading for the bathroom, but at the sound of his name on her lips, he turned back. “Yeah?”
“Why are men such assholes?”
Every muscle in his body clenched, but he forced himself to sound as calm as possible. “We’re not all assholes.”