Chapter 39
D evi woke up feeling more rested than she had in years.
She’d been so warm and cozy through the night. It had been amazing. She glanced around, feeling disorientated for a moment, before she realized she was in Hayes’ cabin. In his bed.
Oh no.
She’d fallen asleep last night before she’d managed to convince him to sleep in the bed with her.
But had he slept in here? She seemed to recall waking up to him rubbing her back and telling her everything was all right.
Had she had a nightmare?
God. She couldn’t remember.
Her head thumping, she walked into the closet in search of her bags. They weren’t there, however some of her stuff was hanging up. Along with more women’s clothes.
Were they May’s? Did he still have her clothing in his closet?
Nausea filled her.
You shouldn’t be here.
Grabbing her old trackpants, she managed to awkwardly pull them on with one hand. Her arm was throbbing in time with her head. She needed some painkillers and maybe something to eat.
Walking out of the bedroom, she looked around but it wasn’t like there were many places for Hayes to hide. After using the bathroom and brushing her teeth, she stared at herself for a long moment in the mirror.
She was pale with dark marks under her eyes. Her hair was a mess. And then there was her cheek.
She thought about pulling off the bandage, but she was too much of a coward.
Later. She’d do it later.
Walking back out into the kitchen, she came to a stop as she saw a basket of goodies on the kitchen island. There was a card beside it with ‘Welcome’ written on the front.
Knowing she was being nosey but unable to stop herself, she opened it.
Shock filled her as she realized it was for her.
Dear Devi,
Welcome to Sanctuary Ranch.
We hope you love it here and if there’s anything you need we’re here for you!
The card was signed by all these names, most of whom she’d never heard of before. The basket was overflowing with goodies. She managed to take off the wrapping and searched through it.
There was a soft looking teddy bear with a T-shirt on that said Sanctuary Ranch. That was so cute! Packets of cookies and chocolate. An adult coloring book and pencils. A large puzzle and what looked to be a voucher for a beauty salon. And a candle that smelled like vanilla.
“Devi, what are you doing out of bed?” a voice demanded.
She let out a cry, jumping and banging her foot against the island.
“Ow, ow, ow!
“Shit!” Hayes said, rushing over to pick her up. He sat on the sofa with her on his lap and rubbed her toes. “Gonna invest in bubble wrap.”
“I don’t need bubble wrap. I just need you to not sneak up on me. For a big guy you move awfully quietly.”
“You shouldn’t even be out of bed. You should still be sleeping.”
“Need coffee and painkillers.”
“Next time you need something, call me,” he ordered. “I was just outside and your phone was on the bedside table.”
The guy was nuts. She wasn’t going to call him because she wanted some coffee or to pee.
“There’s a basket of stuff . . . for me,” she said with wonder, wanting to change the subject.
“Yeah, the girls did that. They’ll be wanting to meet you soon.”
“There’s a lot of them,” she said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that they don’t overwhelm you. Right, let’s get you some painkillers and something to eat.”
“And coffee,” she said.
“And coffee,” he said.
“Can I help?” she asked as he set her on the sofa.
“Absolutely not,” he informed her.
Devi felt terrible as he made her breakfast and got her some coffee and painkillers. As soon as she could, she was going to try and help him out. She could still clean with one good arm.
After she finished eating breakfast at the small dining table, she tried to get up and take her plate to the kitchen, but he couldn’t even let her do that.
In fact, he frowned at her as he got up and took the plate from her. “Sit down.”
“Hayes,” she said with a sigh. “I can do some things. I’m not completely helpless.”
“You’re just out of the hospital. You need looking after.”
Sort of true.
“So if I wasn’t injured and just out of the hospital, you’d let me take care of you?” she asked.
He gave her a look that told her exactly what he thought of that. Yeah, just as she’d expected.
“Let’s get you in the shower. I don’t have a tub, unfortunately.”
“That’s okay. I noticed some of my clothes were in the closet. Thank you. Those other clothes, are they . . . are they May’s?” she asked.
She tensed. Was he going to get angry at her for asking? But he just looked confused. “No, they’re for you.”
“For me? But how? Where did they come from?” she asked, bewildered as he picked her up to carry her into the bedroom. He sat her down on the bed and walked into the closet. He came back carrying a cute dress with short sleeves. It was yellow with white trim.
“I bought them for you. Ordered them online and had them sent here.”
Shock filled her. This man just kept amazing her. She didn’t know anyone else who would have done all of this for her.
“You did?”
“Yes. I’ve ordered some things for your Little too,” he told her. “Some toys and outfits. A pacifier that you might like better.”
“All of that for me? Why?”
He crouched in front of her. “Because you deserve nice things in your life, baby. And you deserve to be treated kindly.”
Lord.
How was she ever going to return to normal life?