Chapter 5
5
The next thing she was aware of was the cool darkness of the farmhouse as Connor stepped in through the door. Getting out of the bright glare of the sun was a huge relief, and her spirits soared as the reassuring sounds and smells of the place filled her senses.
He carried her straight upstairs and put her carefully down on the bed. Being hugged against his hard body had been so comforting; she couldn’t remember when she’d last been held so close for so long and she missed his touch as soon as he released her from his arms.
Lying back on the cool sheets, she opened her eyes to see Connor standing over her, his body gleaming with sweat. Before she could utter a word, he removed his damp shirt from around her head, then moved down her body to slip off her shoes.
‘What are you doing?’ Her voice sounded strangely languorous to her ears and he stopped and looked at her, his gaze raking her face. For one mad moment she thought he was going to bend down and kiss her. Her insides burned hot with anticipation.
‘We need to get you in a cool bath.’
To her disappointment his voice was brisk and professional. Her heart sank. He wasn’t going to kiss her. Not that that would have been in any way appropriate, she reminded herself sternly.
‘We have to get your body temperature down. You’ve got heat exhaustion.’
Josie bit her lip and nodded her agreement. Heat exhaustion. He must think she was such an idiot. ‘Okay.’
Connor helped her slowly ease the soaked sundress over her body. She lifted her pelvis off the bed, then her shoulders, so it could be pulled up and over her head. She watched his face the whole time, her heart thudding erratically in her chest. He seemed to be concentrating hard on his task, but she noticed his gaze flitting up and down her body.
Thank God she’d put her decent underwear on that morning.
There was a pause, as if he was going to say something, and they both hung there, suspended in the moment. Heat flooded between her legs and instinctively she arched her back towards him, pushing her breasts higher, a burning need for his touch overtaking all rational thought.
Connor tore his eyes away from her body and ran his hands roughly through his hair. ‘I’ll run you a bath.’ Turning away from her, he flung the dress onto the chair at the far side of the room and strode out, leaving her lying there with her cheeks burning.
She heard the sound of running water in the bathroom and rocked her head back on the pillow, pinching her eyes shut. She felt like such a fool. What must he think of her? She was acting like a brazen idiot after he’d been forced to come out and rescue her.
Was it possible to sink any lower?
Connor returned a minute later and gestured for her to open her mouth, so he could put a thermometer under her tongue. Kneeling down beside the bed, he took her pulse, his fingers cool against the hot skin of her wrist.
She forced herself to turn and watch him, fighting down the sting of her humiliation. His gaze was fixed on his watch, his jaw tense, as he counted the beats of her heart. With a sinking feeling, she acknowledged that she was responsible for that deep crease of concern on his forehead – and for the look of exhaustion in his eyes. The realisation that his quick thinking and superior knowledge had probably saved her life hit her like a punch to the solar plexus.
‘How do you know how to do all this?’ she asked, her voice wobbly with humility.
He looked up in surprise. ‘I’ve had first aid training. It’s important to know what to do in an emergency when the nearest hospital is a hundred miles away.’
‘Yes, of course, that makes sense.’ Perhaps she’d underestimated him when it came to his travelling. This cool efficiency was a whole side to him she hadn’t even glimpsed before.
‘Okay, time for your bath. Want me to carry you? Or can you walk?’
He was looking at her so intently a small shiver ran down her spine.
He’s only looking at you like that because he’s worried he’s in the company of a lunatic. Pull yourself together.
‘I can walk,’ she said, desperate now to appear more confident than she felt, even though she wasn’t sure she had the strength even to get up. Willing her body to function, she sat up unsteadily, then managed to roll off the bed and onto her feet. There was no way she’d ask him to carry her again. She still had some vestige of pride.
Her legs were like jelly. Moving slowly to the bathroom, she imagined she could feel Connor’s gaze burning into her back and she willed him to leave her to lick her wounds in mortified isolation. It was so undignified, shuffling across the floor in just her underwear, but she kept her head high and didn’t look back.
She didn’t realise he’d followed her until she turned to close the bathroom door.
‘I said I’m okay.’ This came out more harshly than she’d intended, and she gripped the door handle hard in frustration, feeling the metal bite into her hand. Taking a steadying breath, she smiled, trying to soften the effect of her response, but Connor just shrugged.
‘I wanted to make sure you didn’t get dizzy and bash your head,’ he said, obviously battling to keep the wry expression off his face and failing spectacularly.
She would never live this down. Never. She knew it. He was going to remind her of her stupidity at every opportunity he could find before he moved on. ‘Well, as you can see, I made it okay,’ she said, her tone snappy and defensive.
‘Why are you so cross with me?’ He seemed genuinely surprised by her anger.
She wasn’t being fair, punishing him for things he hadn’t even done yet. Sighing, she rubbed a hand over her eyes and sat on the edge of the bath before her legs gave way. ‘I’m angry with myself for being such an idiot. I can’t believe you had to come out and rescue me. It’s pathetic.’ She looked at him directly and frowned at his reaction. ‘Why are you smiling?’
‘Because I knew you’d act like this. You don’t strike me as the sort of person who’d tolerate being a damsel in distress.’
Her shoulders slumped. ‘Let’s put it down to a lapse in judgement. I don’t know what’s got into me lately.’
‘Those mistakes just keep happening, huh?’
‘Yeah.’ She took a deep breath, blinking back tears that had come out of nowhere.
He frowned and took a step backwards. ‘Right, well, I’ll go and make up a salt solution for you to drink while you’re in there. You need to replace your fluids.’
Turning briskly, he marched out, leaving her staring after him.
* * *
Connor took the stairs two at a time in an effort to get away from Josie as fast as he could.
His hands shook as he measured out the salt and water for her rehydration drink – half a teaspoon to one litre of water, and a dash of orange to disguise the taste.
The vision of her in just her underwear was still emblazoned on his eyes and no matter where he looked, there the image was.
The sight of her breasts practically spilling out of that see-through bra had nearly sent him over the edge. He’d wanted to touch her. To release her from the restricting cups, slide down that scrap of lace that passed for her knickers and leave her totally exposed to his hungry gaze.
Under the circumstances, he knew how inappropriate his reaction had been, but he hadn’t been able to help himself. He was a red-blooded male who hadn’t been near a woman for the past nine months. Surely it was to be expected?
He sighed, low and long, exhausted from the walk back with Josie in his arms and the monumental battle to keep his libido under control. He was desperate for a nap, but he knew he needed to get fluids into her before she slept. Dehydration was a dangerous beast.
It had been a shock to find her in such a state. When he’d first seen her, for one awful minute he’d thought he was too late. She’d been lying in a heap, as if passed out, her sundress splayed around her, a splash of white in the surrounding lavender fields. The relief at finding her still conscious had been acute, and the adrenaline rush had stayed with him for most of the walk back.
Just now, when her face had fallen and she’d looked close to tears, he’d had to make a sharp exit. If he’d moved towards her instead of out through the door who knew what would have happened?
Tossing the spoon into the sink, he took another couple of seconds to compose himself. He was so unused to actively battling his reactions it had him freaked, and he didn’t want Josie picking up on it. They were already walking a very fine line between friendly acquaintance and something dangerously intense. Just one tiny push from her would have him in free fall, and this was not the time for him to lose his fragile grip on control.
He carried the glass of liquid carefully upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door. He didn’t wait for her response and walked straight in, keeping his eyes down to protect her modesty as well as his state of mind.
‘Don’t worry, I’m not staying.’
‘I’m not worried,’ she said, her voice strained.
He felt her take the glass from his outstretched hand and turned back towards the door. He was twitchy, and desperate to get out of there, but he wanted to check she was over the worst.
‘So how are you feeling now? Any dizziness? Irregular breathing?’ He heard the swish and splash of water as she stood and stepped out of the bath.
‘No,’ she said.
Her voice was softer than before. Was that shame he could sense in her tone? He felt suddenly protective of her. She must have been terrified out there on her own. People misjudged the danger of being out in the heat all the time, thinking they were okay right up until it was too late.
‘Good. It sounds like you’re recovering okay. You’ll need to rest up and sleep it off. You’ve put your body through quite an ordeal.’
There was a pause.
‘Connor?’
‘Yeah?’ He turned round to face her. She’d wrapped a thick towelling robe around herself. She looked younger and oddly vulnerable. An uncomfortable pressure squeezed his abdomen and there was a strange buzzing in his head.
‘Thank you.’
He shook his head, trying to clear it. ‘It’s okay, really. It could have happened to anyone.’ He smiled, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.
‘I’m not thinking straight at the moment.’
‘Because of the thing at work?’
He didn’t know what had made him ask that right then, but he found he really wanted to hear the answer. All this overreactive behaviour had to be linked to something. She was clearly a clever woman who was having a hard time dealing with whatever had brought her here to the farmhouse.
She laughed quietly. ‘You’re determined to get a straight answer out of me, aren’t you?’
He shrugged. ‘I’m a nosy bastard.’
She sat carefully on the edge of the bath and stared down at the floor, her hair falling across her face. ‘It’s a tough marketplace and we’re fighting every day to keep and win new business.’ Her voice was steady, but emotionless. ‘There aren’t a lot of contracts up for grabs in this climate. It’s harsh out there. Eat or be eaten.’
An image of his sister as a young, determined girl flashed into his mind. He could see why she’d chosen Josie as a business partner. He crossed his arms and looked out of the window, trying to eradicate the feeling of unease this train of thought triggered.
‘You don’t really want to hear all this crap,’ Josie said, breaking into his thoughts.
‘It’s okay.’ He shrugged. ‘I’ve been told I’m a good listener.’ He refused to give any more brain space to his sister. That particular direction in the maze of his life was a dead end now.
‘You are.’
She was smiling at him when he looked back.
‘But I need to sleep and I should let you have a shower.’
‘I smell that bad, huh?’ He raised an eyebrow, hoping humour would drag him out of his funk.
‘Of course not… that’s not what I meant.’ Her cheeks were adorably flushed.
He swiped a hand in the air to show he was only joking. ‘Okay, get some rest.’ He backed towards the door. ‘Bang on the floor if you want anything, okay?’
‘Okay,’ she said as he turned and walked out into the safety of the hallway. ‘Thanks for looking after me, Connor.’
The words rang in the air behind him.