Jane Godman - The Soldier's Seduction

When Leon arrived, Bryce studied him cautiously. Both men were veterans of the war in Afghanistan, but their career paths could not have been more different. While Bryce had been an explosive ordnance disposal—EOD—specialist, or bomb disposal expert, Leon had been an army doctor. Bryce’s promising career had been brought to an end two years ago by a roadside bomb. His physical injuries had healed quickly, leaving him with only a slight limp. He knew his brothers would say he had been left with other, deeper scars. Bryce didn’t encourage such comments, even if he knew them to be true.

Although Leon retained his medical license to practice, he had been given a medical discharge for mental health reasons. He had come home to Stillwater just over a year ago and had proceeded to make a name for himself by getting drunk and raising every kind of hell he could come up with. He had achieved the distinction of getting himself thrown out of every bar in the city and beyond.

Leon’s arrival in town had coincided with a period in Bryce’s life during which he had wondered whether alcohol might be the answer to his own problems. Since he didn’t even know what the question was, he soon found out it wasn’t. He and Leon had been on some spectacular benders while he tried to find out. Bryce had quickly sobered up, but it took Leon a lot longer. A spell in rehab had followed and he was still fighting his demons day by day. His reputation lingered and Bryce was the only person in Stillwater who didn’t believe it was still Leon’s ambition to drink the town dry.

Although Bryce knew how hard Leon was working to fight his addiction, he was secretly relieved to see that Leon was perfectly sober.

“Where’s the patient?” The slight stammer that disappeared when he had been drinking was evident now as Leon held up his medical bag.

“Through here.” Bryce led him through to the bedroom. “She was on the floor when I found her. Although she was conscious then, she passed out again after I lifted her onto the bed.”

“Who is she?” Leon had removed Steffi’s glasses and was checking her pulse.

“One of my drivers. She didn’t show up for a meeting today—” He broke off as Steffi blinked.

“Oh, for God’s sake, Bryce.” Although her voice was weak, she still managed to sound belligerent. “I told you I didn’t need a doctor.”

“As the only doctor in this room, I’m going to overrule you.” Bryce had never heard that sort of authoritative tone from Leon before. “I expect you would prefer it if Bryce left us while I examine you?”

Steffi subsided back on the pillows, nodding submissively. So that was all it took? Somehow Bryce doubted the high-handed manner Leon had used would work for him. Before he left the room, he overheard a brief doctor-patient exchange.

“When did you last eat?” Leon asked as he opened his medical bag.

“What day is it?”

“Wednesday.”

Steffi seemed to be struggling to work something out. “That means I was sick all day Tuesday, my day off. So I may have had a snack on Monday evening.”

Bryce closed the door quietly behind him. Damn it, Steffi. How the hell could she not know when she last ate? What was he going to do about her? There must be a story behind why she was here, but the chances of Steffi letting anyone get close enough to know what it was were remote to nonexistent. The chances of Bryce being the person she chose to confide in... He shook his head. Worse than nonexistent. Stillwater was a small city and Delaney Transportation had its own grapevine. Bryce had overheard the inevitable speculation about Steffi when she first arrived in town. He knew she had been a disappointment to the gossips, who had been unable to discover anything about her. He was fairly sure she had no friends in Stillwater. Who did Steffi talk to? Who knew anything about this intensely private and prickly woman?

Bryce gazed out the kitchen window at the hayfield of lawn surrounding the cabin. He knew what his brothers would say. Bryce was good at collecting waifs and strays. It was what he did instead of dealing with his own problems. He had a sixth sense for people who were in trouble. And when that sense kicked in, he had no mechanism for walking away. Was that what he was doing here? Maybe there was no problem with Steffi other than her current illness. Okay, this cabin she lived in was a dump. There could be a good reason for that. Eccentricity. Debt. Maybe she was getting out of a bad relationship and didn’t want to be found. It was her business. She didn’t want him here. He should just walk away, leave her to it.

Oh, hell. I’m already involved. Walking away wasn’t an option.

The sound of a door opening drew him away from his thoughts. He went back to the hall where Leon was closing the bedroom door behind him. “I’ve told her to get some rest.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Bryce scanned his friend’s face.

“A nasty case of stomach flu,” Leon said. “It’s been going around.” His expression was grave. “In Steffi’s case it’s been much worse because she doesn’t look after herself. What’s her story?”

“I don’t know. She’s only been working for me for a few months.” Bryce ran a hand through his hair. “What does she need?”

“Medication doesn’t help with this particular strain. She needs rest and plenty of fluids. Then light meals for a few days. After that she needs to build up her strength. From what she was saying, she rarely eats more than one meal a day and even then it’s not well balanced.” Leon gave Bryce a sidelong glance. “Is money a problem?”

“It shouldn’t be. We pay our drivers well.” Bryce heard the defensive note in his voice and was annoyed. He had no need to uphold the company’s reputation.

Leon nodded. “Even so, if she had money trouble before she got here, her debts might eat up all her income.”

It was exactly what Bryce had been thinking. He withdrew a roll of cash from the pocket of his jeans. “Can you go to the store, get some provisions and bring them back here?”

Leon raised a brow. “People don’t generally trust me with their money.”

“I know it won’t end up behind the bar of...” Bryce paused. “Is there anywhere in town still serving you?”

Leon pretended to give it some thought before shaking his head. “Bartenders don’t have much faith in the word of a recovering alcoholic. And I find the bigger the distance I put between myself and any bar, the better it is for everyone concerned.”

The words might have been frivolous, but the look in his friend’s eyes was anguished. “I trust you to come back.” Bryce handed him the cash.

Leon grinned. “Damn. Now you’ve guilt-tripped me into it.” He made his way to the door, turning back with a slight frown. “I asked Steffi about her eyes. She said her vision is fine and her only problem is light sensitivity.”

“Her eyes?” Bryce tried to remember if he’d ever really seen Steffi’s eyes. He didn’t think he had. They were always hidden behind those tinted glasses she wore.

“Yes, it’s a condition called coloboma. It causes an irregularly shaped iris. In Steffi’s case, it means she has very striking-looking eyes, but I don’t think there is anything for you to worry about as her employer. She told me she doesn’t have any of the other complications that can be associated with the condition. She’s certainly safe to drive, and she has insurance that covers her condition.”

Bryce had no idea what Leon was talking about. He was worried about Steffi, but his concerns had nothing to do with her eyesight.

“I’ll be here when you bring the groceries back. I’m staying with her tonight.”

Chapter 2

As Steffi came slowly awake, she was conscious of two unexpected things. One was a sense of well-being, something she hadn’t felt for the last three long, fraught months. The second was the low murmur of the TV in the corner of the room. When she turned her head, she realized that Bryce was seated in a chair at the side of her bed. His head was turned away from her as he watched the screen. She took a moment to study his strong profile in the flickering light.