Allison Collins - A Family For The Rancher

She let go of Nash’s thumb, then stepped away from him.

He rubbed the offended thumb and stared at her. “Sorry. Just want to be alone.”

Picking up the empty whiskey bottle, she said, “Why? So you can drown your sorrows in this stuff?” She plunked it down on the table. “I’m just here to help you, okay?”

Memories assaulted him of the friends who couldn’t get back to their wives and kids—their lives—because of that last mission.

“Why don’t you take your jeans off and I’ll assess your leg, okay? Do you want to do it in here, or in the bedroom?”

Her throaty voice saying bedroom made him twitch, the first sign of life down there in a long time. Bedroom probably wasn’t a good idea, nor was taking off any article of clothing.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

Red crept into her creamy cheeks, but she stood up straight and picked up her medical bag. “Get a move on, Mr. Sullivan. I don’t have all day to stand around here while you put the moves on me.”

Pretty and gutsy.

He clomped into the bedroom and slammed the door. Grabbing an old pair of gym shorts from the dresser, he stripped out of his jeans. He hauled himself back out to the living room and almost fell onto the couch as a wave of exhaustion hit him.

“Um...”

Dreading to look up and see the pity, he finally raised his eyes to see Kelsey staring at his leg.

“Your dad didn’t tell me you have a prosthetic leg.”

“Souvenir of the Taliban.”

“Why didn’t he tell me?”

“Doesn’t know.”

The silence drew out so long he finally glanced up at her again.

“He doesn’t know?”

“And don’t you tell him, or any of my brothers—got it?”

“How many brothers?”

“Four.”

“And no one knows.”

“Yep. Can we get this over with? Got things to do.”

“Like drinking more whiskey and watching TV?”

He frowned. “None of your business.”

Kelsey sat down on the old trunk and unwrapped the bandage from his left leg. “Oh my God. How long has your thigh been this red?”

He looked down and saw slashes of red interspersed with the white scars. “I don’t know. It’s been hurting more the last few days.”

“Don’t you unwrap it at night and take off your prosthesis?”

Shutting his eyes, he blocked out the image of her removing the hated brace, leaving just the stump of his leg. “No,” he said, his voice strangled in his throat.

“Mr. Sullivan, you need to take better care of yourself. That means taking your prosthesis off and giving your body a rest.”

A cool hand smoothed over his thigh, and he jerked. He stared down at her small hand as she touched the sore spots gently. “I don’t think you have any infection,” she murmured, her hand going a little too close for comfort. “But the fit may be a bit off on this.”

He grabbed a throw pillow from behind him and set it on his groin, folding his hands over it. Glancing at her, he thought he caught a slight smile as she turned her head away, examining the top of the prosthesis.

The persistent ache started to ease off. Maybe he should listen to the docs and follow their regimen. A stab of guilt made him jerk. His men were beyond pain, so this was all he deserved.

She set the leg down on the floor, out of sight. Pulling a bottle of lotion out of her bag, she poured some in her hand and rubbed them together. “This may be a little cool, but it should help ease the aches.” Beginning right above where his knee should have been, she started rubbing slowly.

“I’m not gonna smell girlie, am I?” he asked, embarrassed at having her examine the ugliness he hated day in and day out.

She smiled, and he noticed a freckle above the corner of her lip. He stared at it, fascinated for some reason.

“No, this is the non-girlie type of lotion.”

Why hadn’t he noticed before how pretty she was? Her upper lip hinted at a slight overbite that was strangely arresting. Her small, graceful hands were definitely working some kind of magic.

The front door opened and Kade walked in. “Hey, here’s the DVD you—”

Nash grabbed the old woven blanket off the back of the couch and threw it over his legs. “Don’t you know how to knock?” he snapped.

Kade, his younger brother by a year, glanced at Kelsey as she removed her hands from beneath the blanket. His cheeks reddened, and Nash had to grin—it wasn’t easy to throw Kade off his game.

“This is Kelsey. Dad hired her for me. My brother Kade.”

Kade’s eyebrows lifted, and he looked from one to the other, obviously still at a loss for words.

She stood up, soothing the remaining lotion into her arms. “Hi. Just to clear up whatever thoughts you have running through your dirty little mind, I’m a physical and occupational therapist. Your dad hired me to come out here and work with Nash.”

Kade’s cheeks were on fire, and for some reason Nash took perverse pleasure in the fact that he was embarrassed.

* * *

“NICE TO MEET you, Kelsey.” Kade looked back at Nash. “Why do you still need a therapist? I thought your leg was better.”

A growl erupted from the couch, startling her. She glanced at Nash, alarmed at how red his face had gotten.

“Get out. Now.”

Kade took a step back. “Geez, what’s wrong with you?”

She cleared her throat. “Kade, do you mind leaving? I still need to go over some things with Nash, and have to leave here shortly to pick up my daughter.”

“Sure thing. Nice meeting you.” Kade walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Sitting back down on the trunk next to the couch, she pulled the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope out of her bag. “Arm, please.” She glanced at his narrowed eyes. “You know, my five-year-old gets that expression on her face when I tell her it’s nap time.”

A look of surprise crossed his rugged face, and he finally chuckled. “Look, I’m sorry.”

“We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot today.”

He glared at her, and she could have sworn steam billowed out of his ears.

“Too soon?”

“Yeah. Let’s just get this over with. I need a drink.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, then through his militarily short brown hair.

“Sorry.” She steeled herself, strapping the cuff to his upper arm. His muscular upper arm. No doubt he’d be a difficult patient, and she’d have to call on all her patience in order to deal with this cowboy. This tall, strong, tough, knock-her-down gorgeous cowboy.

“Hey, ease up, okay?”

Crap. “As red as your face is, I figured your BP would be high.” She turned the knob and air started escaping as she listened for the beats. “It’s somewhat high, but that could be the alcohol.”

“Doubt it. And I’d rather drink than get hooked on painkillers.”

“You won’t get hooked on booze?”

“Nah.”

“So why did you get upset when Kade walked in?”

He looked away. “I never get any privacy now. Someone’s always checking on me. I just want them to leave me alone.”

“They love you, Nash. They’re your family.”

“They’re nosy. I don’t want them around all the time. I spent ten years in the Army, from regular tour of duty on base, then deployed to Afghanistan and stationed in the desert, practically living nose to ass with people.”

“And they might walk in and discover your secret.”

“Maybe.”

“I see. May I ask why?”

“My business. And don’t you say anything. They just think I was wounded, not that I lost the whole bottom half of my damned leg. In fact, I don’t need you to come out anymore. Thanks for stopping by.”

“So you’re ready to resume your life here on the ranch. Ride horses, pitch hay, rope poor baby cows, or whatever you do on a ranch.”