Chapter Four
Charlotte watched in horror as the stranger gave the paramedic permission to reset the nose she’d broken.
The wound had finally stopped bleeding, and she was surprised the man — who ended up being a guest of the motel and not an attacker — hadn’t passed out from blood loss.
Her stomach rolled to think she’d been the reason the man was seeking medical treatment at all.
She wrapped her arms around her middle and silently prayed she didn’t add to her embarrassment by vomiting.
“You okay?”
Wally watched her with concern, and she hesitated a moment before shaking her head.
“I’m so sorry. I have never done anything like that before.”
Wally glanced at the stranger and smirked at her. “I have to say, I will worry about you a lot less knowing you can handle yourself against someone his size.”
Charlotte frowned. “It’s not funny.”
Deep down, Charlotte was proud of how she stood up for herself, but her pride took a back seat to how badly she overreacted to a guest's request for extra towels. With her ear buds in, playing her favorite pop music, she hadn’t heard him approach.
When she felt the hand on her shoulder, her worst fear reared up, pushing her to fight for her life without waiting to assess the situation.
Of course, if the man had been an attacker, her quick action probably saved her life or, at the very least, bought her a few precious minutes to find help.
The thought did little to assuage her guilt. She hated being afraid and hated even more that her gut reaction was to run away from anyone she didn’t know regardless of the circumstances.
Wally patted her back. “Come on. Look at him. Anyone would be afraid if they were randomly approached by him, especially when it’s getting dark.”
Wally was right about one thing. The man was big.
Compared to her five-foot-five stature, he towered over her like a giant.
His skin was tanned, making his eyebrows and hair appear as black as night.
His arms were muscled and strained against the seam of his sleeves.
His thighs were like tree trunks, and his shoulders were broad enough that she wondered how he fit through the doorway of his room.
He was beyond intimidating. He was frightening. If he had decided to take his anger out on her, she would have been powerless to stop him. A shiver snaked down her spine, and she turned away as the crunch of his nose being shifted back into the socket reached her ears.
“I should pay whatever it costs to have the paramedics treat him. At the very least, I should have his clothes cleaned or replaced,” she murmured so only Wally heard her.
“No need. If he pushes it, I’ll comp a day or two off his stay, but he only has himself to blame. I told him to let me know if he needed anything. He’s the one who decided to sneak up on you when you were alone.”
“Ssh, Wally! He’s going to hear you, and you’re wrong. He had every reason to believe he could get what he needed from the motel’s housekeeper. I’m the one who overreacted.”
The paramedic’s voice caught Charlotte’s attention as she stepped away from the stranger. “You sure we can’t give you a lift to the hospital? Just to check that everything’s okay.”
“No, but thanks. This isn’t my first broken nose, so I know the drill. Appreciate you setting it so I didn’t have to go to the ER. I just want to get cleaned up and turn in for the night.”
God, his voice. Deep, warm, and sexy, the rich tones washed over her. He could probably read to her the most boring book ever written, and she would be held enthralled by the low timbre. The idea startled her enough to turn back and study him with a fresh perspective.
He looked scary, but he was also striking in the proverbial tall, dark, and handsome way.
His dark hair was thick, short, but wavy.
His eyes, equally dark, were intense and brooding, even while he was acting polite and friendly to the paramedic.
Charlotte studied the other woman, talking to the man as a professional, but something about the paramedic’s smile made Charlotte wonder.
Was the man charming the woman with his southern charm?
Didn’t the paramedic see what Charlotte saw — a man who was equally attractive and dangerous?
Obviously not, since the paramedic continued to smile friendly at him as she spoke. “Okay. Well, if your symptoms get worse, don’t try to be a tough guy and power through them. Get to a doctor to be safe.”
He nodded, winced at the movement, and stopped. “I will. Promise.”
Wally stepped closer to the paramedic and her partner. “Thanks, Tasha. Can I get you and Jeremy a coffee before you head out?”
Charlotte shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was.
Ivy Springs was a small town, but even she was amazed by how many people her boss knew on a first-name basis.
Most of his time was spent at the motel or with Mona, so she had no idea when he found the opportunity to meet people, much less remember them by name.
Tasha looked over at Jeremy before nodding in Wally’s direction. “Yeah, that sounds good. The temperature’s dropping out there.”
Wally led them over to the coffee pot, his voice carrying through the motel’s lobby. “Charlotte makes the best coffee around, and there’s always a fresh pot brewing. You guys are welcome to stop by anytime you’re on shift.”
With the others preoccupied, Charlotte focused on the stranger.
Though he hid it well, she detected the pain etched in the lines of his face.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and gingerly stood.
Charlotte automatically took a step back, feeling vulnerable next to his considerable height and build. She forced herself to peer at his face.
“I’m very sorry.”
He pierced her with a dark stare, the area around his eyes already darkening from his injury.
But the dark irises seemed almost kind, as if he wanted to comfort her, though he was the one with the injury.
“No need to apologize. I shouldn’t have approached you like that.
I can’t be mad at you for defending yourself. ”
She almost wished he were a little mad. If anything, it would justify her fear of him. Then she might feel less guilty for breaking his nose. “I can pay to have your clothes cleaned or just replace them altogether if you’d rather not keep anything you bled on.”
He chuckled, and Charlotte felt his mirth all the way to her toes. “They’re just work clothes. As sweaty and dirty as they are, they probably need to be burned anyway.”
She glanced down for a moment, her hair brushing against her cheeks. “I feel like I should do something. You know, to make up for stomping your foot and elbowing your stomach and well…for your nose.”
He barked out a laugh and then grimaced. “Don’t feel bad. My brothers and I have done worse to each other when we roughhoused. If you want to make it up to me, you can tell me a good place to get some dinner, hopefully delivered to the motel.”
Wally showed the paramedics out, and Charlotte watched them go just to have something to focus on other than the handsome man in front of her.
“There are a couple of fast-food places with drive-thru windows a few miles from here, and then there’s King’s.
It’s a little hole-in-the-wall place which serves mostly pub food.
They don’t deliver, but you can probably get something to go. ”
“Then there’s Mona’s. I was about to head out there myself, and you both are invited.”
Charlotte whirled around to gape at Wally.
His invitation shocked her more than realizing she attacked a motel guest. Wasn’t this the guy Wally wanted her to stay away from?
Now, he was inviting the stranger to his girlfriend’s home and putting her in a position to sit at the same table with the stranger she’d just injured.
Before she refused the invitation, the stranger interjected.
“And what is Mona’s?”
Wally puffed his chest, his mouth broadening into a wide smile. “Mona is my girl and a mighty fine cook. She’s making her famous pork chops, and I guarantee they will make you forget all about your broken nose.”
“Wally—” Charlotte began, but the man talked over her.
“I wouldn’t want to intrude, and I’m not sure I’m in any shape to be good company. I haven’t even had a chance to clean up from work.”
Charlotte tried again. “And I—"
Wally shook his head. “Nonsense. It’s the least we can do for you, being such a good sport about what happened. Besides, the more, the merrier where Mona is concerned. She always makes more than the two of us can eat anyway. I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Wally, I can’t,” Charlotte finally blurted, close to shouting just to get her boss’ attention. “I have to finish up the last of the rooms, and then I’m sure Ms. Miller will have something for me to eat. I hate for it to go to waste.”
Wally waved off her attempt to use her landlady as an excuse to refuse his invitation. “Just call Birdie and tell her to wrap it up for you to have tomorrow. You know she won’t mind.”
Charlotte opened her mouth again, but no words came out.
Wally wasn’t wrong. Birdie Miller would have food waiting for her, but Birdie always cooked enough for several people.
Since moving into the woman’s garage apartment, Charlotte had been treated to many home-cooked meals under the guise that the food would spoil because Birdie couldn’t possibly eat it all.
Birdie had gotten used to cooking for her husband and boys over the years, and now that she lived alone, she’d not learned to prepare smaller portions.
Charlotte’s eyes pleaded with Wally to let her off the hook, but he chose to focus on the stranger to wait for a reply. She almost whimpered in frustration when the stranger addressed her.
“I’m game if you are.”
Charlotte raised her gaze to meet his before she thought better of it.
His expression had softened, his eyes lightening to a warm, molten chocolate meant to reassure her.
He smiled, and she blinked at how potent the simple gesture was.
How could one man be so scary and so devastating at the same time?
Once he had her attention, he continued. “If they don’t mind holding dinner up for us, I can follow you to Mona’s house after you finish your work and I clean up.”
Charlotte opened her mouth to refuse, but Wally interrupted her this time. “Great. I’ll call Mona and let her know. I’ll even call Birdie for you, Charlotte, so you can get back to your work.”
Wally hurried to his office to make the call, leaving her alone with the stranger — something he said he didn’t want to happen. Charlotte’s mind whirled with how quickly the situation spun out of her control. She blew out a frustrated breath at a loss as to what to do now.
“I’m sorry. I feel like we railroaded you into this dinner.”
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
“It wasn’t you. It was Wally. He can be very pushy when he sets his mind on something.
He feels bad about what happened. We both do.
He prides himself on the hospitality of the motel, and he feels it’s his personal mission to make sure his guests have everything they need. ”
“The special treatment isn’t necessary, but I won’t turn down a home-cooked meal. I don’t get many of those these days. I understand if you decide not to join us, but I hope you do.”
“Surprised you’d say that after I broke your nose,” Charlotte grumbled.
Ben chuckled. “I told you, this isn’t the first broken nose I’ve had, and it probably won’t be the last. I can’t complain, especially since I’m getting a home-cooked meal and some great company out of the deal.”
Realizing there was no point in arguing, she finally nodded. “I guess I’d better get to work then.”
“Before you do, can I get those towels from you first?”
She turned back to the stranger and felt a million butterflies flutter in her stomach to find him so close. “Of course.”
Charlotte led the way down the sidewalk to where she left her cart.
She heard the man’s footsteps behind her at first, but then he was at her side, walking to the side of the walkway to give her plenty of space.
She tried to relax the tenseness in her shoulders.
It was hard to pretend she wasn’t bothered when she felt his presence intently.
When they reached her cart, she managed to keep it between her and him as she gathered a stack of towels and passed them over.
“Thank you, um… Did I hear Wally call you Charlotte?”
“Did I hear Wally call you Charlotte?”
She nodded but didn’t offer anything more.
“It’s nice to meet you. Do you mind if I call you Charlotte? You can call me Ben.”
His hands brushed hers as he took the towels, and she shivered at his warm touch. Certain he was aware of her reaction to him, she felt a flush stain her cheeks. She quickly dropped her arms to her sides.
“Of course. It’s nice to meet you. Let me or Wally know if you need anything else.”
Her tension eased when he started back to his room, but then he paused. Her heart thundered in her chest when he turned back in her direction.
“I realize I’m a stranger, and you have no reason to trust me.
But my sisters-in-law would kick my ass if I didn’t tell you this.
I’m probably going to be here for a few days, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to be afraid of me.
I would never hurt you. In fact, if you felt threatened or afraid, and I can help you in any way, please feel free to ask.
I don’t have to know the details. I just know you shouldn’t have to be afraid while you’re at work. ”
Charlotte felt a jolt as if someone shocked her with an electrical current.
How did he know? Did Wally say something to him?
She shook off the thought as soon as it crossed her mind.
Wally wouldn’t betray her confidence. The stranger was just guessing.
But why would he offer to help if he didn’t know?
He took his leave before she said a word or asked a question. Charlotte wasn’t sure how long she stood there gawking after him, but some time had passed before she pushed herself to get back to work.