A Daring Proposal (24 page)

“Really,” he said around a yawn. He closed his eyes again but continued to talk. “I don’t want a constant stream of people bothering me. I figured, who better to run interference than Martha? She’s got to be better at it than the nurses were. Then there’s Ash. I need to be with my daughter. Unfortunately, I’m not up to taking care of her by myself right now and Dale isn’t in much better shape.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Chaney said not totally convinced. “You’re sure?”

“Well, there is one more reason.”

Now she was getting to it. He was finally going to admit he was worried about her and the baby. Emphasis on the baby, sh
e thought. “And that would be?”

“You.”

“I knew it.”

“I’m not up to fighting with you.”

“Fighting with me? What are you talking about?”

“If I’m at the house you can peek in my room and see that I’m fine. You can ask Martha if I’m eating and Ashley if I’m resting. But I knew you wouldn’t stay away from the hospital and I didn’t feel like fighting about it.”

Chaney tried to listen to what he was saying. She really tried. But her ears had started to ring partway through his first statement.
Peek into my room. What else did you expect
? Tears stung her eyes but she held them at bay by blinking rapidly. He wouldn’t notice since his eyes were still closed. No way was she going to burden him with her foolish dreams while he was recuperating. At least he would be at the house.

“Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out,” she said turning off the main road into her long driveway. “I’ll let everyone know what’s going on in the morning. Tonight I think we should get you in bed before you fall.”

Chaney pulled the truck close to the front steps, turned off the ignition and hopped out. Before she reached his door, Jed had it open and was swinging his long legs out and his feet to the ground. She stood close by ready to offer help if he wanted it. He didn’t.

She started back around the truck before realizing he hadn’t moved. When she turned, he was bent over with his free hand braced on his knee.

“Jed, what’s wrong,” she said as she rushed to his side. Squatting down beside him so she could see his face, she feared he was going to fall over.

“Just light headed. I’ll be fine in a min--” he started coughing.

“Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have let you leave the hospital. You’re going to have a relapse,” Chaney muttered, standing and rubbing his back.

When the coughing subsided and he had taken a few deep breaths, she took control. “Put your arm around me and let’s get you in the house.” She was pleasantly surprised when he di
d as she said without argument.

Their progress was slow. Jed leaned heavily on her telling her the extent of his exhaustion. They took the steps one at a time and after an e
ternity reached the front door.

Once inside, Chaney looked at the staircase and knew there was no way Jed would have made it up the eight steps. Glad she had called and had Martha make up her father’s bed, she steered him down the hall toward her father’s bedroom.

It was the only sensible thing to do. There was a master bath so he wouldn’t have to go far if he needed the facilities. A door connected the bedroom with her office so she could keep a close eye on him while he recovered. It was also the quietest room in the house being so far removed from the kitchen and living areas.

She pulled down the covers on the bed then eased his arm from her shoulders. “Sit,” she said and Jed did so without further argument. His breathing was labored and he rubbe
d his chest with his free hand.

“Don’t move,” Chaney ordered.

She rushed down the hall and back out to the truck. Leaning in the passenger door they had left open, she grabbed the paper bag on the seat. After closing the door, she hurried back inside. Once back in the bedroom where she had left Jed, she went to the attached bathroom.

When she returned she set a glass of water on the bedside table and tore open the small paper bag. The doctor had given her explicit instructions on Jed
’s medication. She pulled out three prescription bottles and glanced at the labels until she found the one she was looking for. She shook out a tablet and held it and the water out to Jed.

Jed looked at the pill in her hand for so long she thought he was going to refuse. “What is it? I told him no knock-out drops.”

Chaney grinned, ever the tough guy. “It’s supposed to help with the tightness in your chest. I didn’t think you’d need anything to help you sleep. You’re exhaustion will take care of that.”

His eyes met hers and he sent her a half grin letting Chaney know she’d made her point as he took the pill from her palm. Despite the seriousness of their situation, the touch of his fingers caused her palm to tingle. She closed her fingers trying to capture the feeling.

After Jed swallowed the medicine, Chaney took the glass and set it on the table. She pulled at the snaps on his shirt. The western style shirt didn’t usually suit Jed, but Steve had thought it would be easier for Jed to deal with than buttons using only one hand. When they’d been younger, Chaney had often dreamed of unsnapping just such a shirt on Jed. This wasn’t exactly how she had pictured it, but she still enjoyed the view that unfolded with each pop. Until she pushed it aside and saw the bandages on his shoulder that is.

Reality slammed her in the gut and she had to force herself not to react outwardly.
Pretend you’re a nurse and he’s any patient. Right, like any nurse would ever think of Jed as just any patient
. The silliness of her thoughts helped.

As she pulled the shirt across his back, her hand grazed his skin and Chaney heard his quick intake of breath. Before she could revel in the thought that she still caused such a reaction in him, Jed succumbed to another fit of coughing.

She sat beside him on the bed and rubbed his back hoping it offered some comfort to him. There was nothing else to do until the episode passed.

“Water?” she asked when he stopped and took a couple of ragged breaths. He nodded and she held it to his lips.

After setting the glass back on the table, Chaney reached behind Jed stacking the pillows on top of each other. She eased him back against them then stood and lifted his legs onto the bed. Removing his boots and socks, she set them on the floor. When she reached for the snap at the top of his waistband, his hand stopped her.

“I’ll do it,” he whispered hoarsely.

“No, you won’t,” she said pushing his hand away. “I’ve seen it all before, remember? Though you naked in a big bed is very tempting, I think I can restrain myself,” she teased more to hide her own nervousness than his, especially when she realized he had no underwear on. She finished the job and tucked his feet and legs under the covers. “You relax. I’ve got to go dig up the vaporizer the doctor told me to run for you.”

“Don’t bother. I’m fine,” Jed told her in a faint tired voice.

“Good night, Jed,” Chaney said and watched for a while as he fell asleep. She placed a light kiss on his forehead. Noting it was warm but not feverish, she relaxed a little. When she saw his breathing had eased some she left the room in search of the vaporizer.

Later Chaney pulled an old upholstered chair close to the bed and curled up. Watching Jed sleep, knowing he was home had a soothing effect on her tired system and she, too, fell into an exhausted sleep.

The calm didn’t last long. An hour or so later she awoke with a start. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she clutched the quilt she had used to her chest.

For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. The room was dark except for the button of light on the vaporizer and the glow of the digital clock on the bedside table. Chaney recognized the whisper of steam and slowly remembere
d she was in her father’s room.

With Jed.

She uncurled her fingers from their death grip on the quilt then wiped the moisture from her face. He was alive and home. Relief washed away the last vestiges of the nightmare that had yanked her from sleep.

Knowing she shouldn’t, but unable to resist, Chaney walked around to the far side of the bed. In silence, she slipped out of her clothes and under the covers. She eased as close as she dare without touching him. Waking him was not an option. Jed would be furious and he didn’t need to waste his strength on anger right now. She would be happy just being this close and knowing he was safe.

Before she settled her head on the mattress beside his right shoulder, Jed’s arm swung out. She ducked and it missed her by a mere inch. While she tried to decide how to situate herself, his arm came back up. It wrapped around her neck and shoulder, pulling her against his side. There was nothing for her to do but rest her head on his chest. When his hand stroked her arm Chaney began to wonder if he was awake and teasing her.

She lay still beside him and waited for a comment or more obvious move. But his breathing didn’t change and his fingers stilled then slipped off her arm coming to rest loosely at her waist. He was asleep. It had simply been a reflex. Chaney didn’t care how or why he pulled her to him. She decided it was a gift and she accepted it. Her head comfortable in the nook of his shoulder and chest she relaxed and listened to the
sound of his steady breathing.

Chaney drifted between sleep and awareness for the next couple of hours. By four thirty, with the first hint of dawn lighting the sky she knew she had to leave. Jed would not be happy if he woke up and found her next to him. Soon the house would be coming to life and she had a lot of things to
take care of before he woke up.

She slid out from under his arm then the covers with the stealth of a mountain lion. After quietly pulling on her clothes, Chaney folded the quilt and slid the chair back across the carpet. With one last look back at his sleeping form, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

The house was quiet as she padded down the carpeted hallway to the kitchen. Chaney pushed the button on the coffee maker that Martha always prepared the night before, and then leaned against the counter to wait. While the coffee dripped into the carafe, she watched the horses through the window.

She had always enjoyed mornings on the ranch. The different ways the various animals woke and began moving about was sometimes comical. The first streaks of sunlight setting dewdrops aglow always brought a smile to her face. Unfortunately, the quiet mornings quickly changed to busy days and never ending work. This morning, ho
wever, it all looked different.

This morning Chaney had a plan.

***

Chapter
Seventeen

Jed lay awake in bed hoping the nurses wouldn’t come in and start poking on him anytime soon. He felt better than he had in a while and just wanted to enjoy the comfortable bed and soft pillows.

Soft pillows? Hospitals don’t have soft pillows
.

He opened one eye a crack. At th
e foot of the bed stood Chaney.

“What--?” he started to ask but stopped when a deep hard cough made it feel like his throat was being turned inside out.

Chaney was beside him in an instant. She helped him sit up so the coughing didn’t hurt his shoulder as much. When it passed, she held a cup to his lips. The warm sweet liquid eased some of the ache in his sore throat.

“Better?” she asked.

Jed nodded. She held the back of his neck as he eased back down to the pillows. When she pulled her hand away, a shiver slid over his body. He ignored it. Physical had never been a problem for them. The rest of what it takes to make a relationship work, there was the problem.

He watched Chaney walk back to the bottom of the bed. She picked up a pile of clothes.

“I brought you some underwear and shorts.”

He must have looked perplexed because she
grinned and explained further.

“I didn’t think you needed to fight with putting your jeans back on, but figured you didn’t want Ashley to snuggle up to you while you had nothing on.”

The events of the night before started replaying in his mind. First, he remembered the exhausting task of putting his jeans on at the hospital. Then the image of Chaney unzipping them and pulling them off last night flashed before his eyes. Even sick and exhausted his body had made known the effect her touch had on him.

“Thanks,” barked from his abraded throat. When she stepped up to the side of the bed Jed grabbed the cover. “Bathroom,” he said.

Chaney grinned again and pointed across the room. “Here I’ll help you,” she said and reached to pull the covers back.

“I can do it,” he told her refusing to release the blanket.

Hands on her hips she stared down at him. Jed did not like the gleam in her eyes. He also didn’t like the fact that keeping a grip on the cover seemed to be sapping most of his strength.

“We went through this last night, Jed. You couldn’t walk from the bottom of the steps to the porch without help. Now, do you want to go to the bathroom or not?”

He glared at her. Fine, if she wanted a show he’d give her one. Throwing the covers back, he tried to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed. The plan was to show her he was fine and quite capable of walking to the bathroom on his own. It backfired.

The quick movements made his head spin before he even tried to stand. Taking in a quick breath to try to stop the twirling walls irritated his throat and he started coughing again. Chaney was right there.

Her soothing voice calmed him and her soft hand rubbing over his back relaxed him enough to ease the hacking cough. After a few shaky breaths, he looked over at her and nodded. Jed hoped she understood because he didn’t think he could speak if his life depended on it.

First, she lifted his arm around her shoulders and put one of hers around his waist, then she eased them both up. She was patient, giving him a moment to get his balance before starting across the room. The door to the bathroom seemed miles away. Jed started to wonder if they would ever get there.

Finally, they made it. Though he could tell she wasn’t happy about it, he closed the door on her. Some things a man had to have privacy for.

When he finished he opened the door a crack. “Clothes,” he said sticking his hand through the opening.

Chaney’s answer was to push the door open further and step inside. “Sit down and I’ll help you get these on.”

“Chaney,” he warned. She didn’t back down and he found it highly irritating.

“Jed,” she said evenly.

Damn he hadn’t even managed to irritate her. He was starting to feel like a spoiled child trying to one up everyone around him.

“I’ve held your daughter off about as long as I can. If you’re not dressed in two minutes she’s going to get quite a shock when she bursts through that door.”

Calm and rational. How was he supposed to argue with that? He gave in and let her help him. The minty freshness of her breath near his face when she pulled his shorts up reminded him of
something else he needed to do.

“Teeth,” he said. One word seemed to be all he could get out before he would start coughing. It didn’t appear to be a problem for Chaney. She prepared a toothbrush and handed it to him before stepping back into the bedroom.

When he finished Jed took the two steps to the door. He stopped there and leaned heavily against the frame. Chaney was fussing over the bed, straightening sheets and plumping his pillows.

The thought of sneaking up behind her and falling onto the bed with her beneath him filled his mind. Reality quickly kicked in reminding him how far away the bed was and the fact that he probably couldn’t make it that distance without help. Not that it mattered since their romantic interludes were more than likely to remain scintillating memories rather than tantalizing possibilities. Chaney glanced up from straightening the covers and caught his eye. Jed hoped she couldn’t read his thoughts. Distance was what he needed. The effort required to fight off guilt-tinted desires from his wife was not going to help matters.

“Ready?” she asked crossing the floor and helping him back to the bed.

Jed slipped his feet back under the covers as the door to the room opened.

“Daddy?” Ashley whispered peering around the door.

Jed held out his good arm unable to speak, his throat clogged with emotion as well as being sore. Ashley rushed to the bed. Chaney lifted her carefully up beside him.

He crushed his daughter to his chest and inhaled deeply. “Ash.”

Ashley’s arms hugged tight around his neck. “Daddy, I missed you so much,” she whispered in his ear.

“You, too,” he whispered back before releasing his hold so she could sit back.

Tears marked her soft cheeks and Jed reached up to swipe them away. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. I’m okay.” Unfortunately, he started coughing again. His eyes closed with the force of the cough but not before he saw the fear that filled his daughter’s
eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, Ashley was gone. He turned his head and found Chaney shaking tablets from the medicine bottles on the nightstand.

“She’ll be right back,” she said without looking up. “I sent her to tell Martha you were ready for breakfast.”

Jed stared at her until she turned to him. Chaney sat beside him on the bed. “Don’t worry.” Her cool
hand stroked his bearded cheek.

Jed wanted to hold it there but resisted.

“She’s okay.”

“Scared,” he said after taking the first pill and a drink of water. Chaney handed him another and he took that while waiting for a response.

“Maybe, a little. Finding out your dad is human can be a bit scary. I know. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it out until it was too late. Maybe her seeing you this way will make your relationship even stronger. Don’t worry. Ash will be fine. She’s looking forward to taking care of you.”

Jed swallowed the last pill and leaned back against the pillows. There were several things he wanted to say, but decided to save his words for now. He didn’t have the streng
th to back them up anyway.

“I’ve called everyone and told them you’re here so they wouldn’t worry when they found out you had disappeared from the hospital.”

Jed’s gaze flew to her face. She held up her hand stopping his words before he spoke.

“I told them all you were under strict orders not to have visitors. No one will bother you
until you’re ready. I promise.”

Jed rais
ed an eyebrow at her statement.

“Not even me,” she said. “Other than making sure you have what you need and take your medicine I promise to make myself scarce.”

Ashley burst back into the room. “Breakfast’s ready,” she called climbing up on the bed.

Martha entered with a tray. “Good morning, Jed. It’s good to have you home,” she said placing the tray across his hips.

Jed smiled and nodded. Uncomfortable with all the attention and his inability to communicate very well he took a sip of the coffee and lifted the mug in salute. Martha always had made the best coffee.

“Well, since your chief nurse is here to see to your needs I guess we should let you enjoy your breakfast,” Chaney said.

Jed cast a thankful gaze in her direction and saw her smile. He remembered the old conspiratorial smile from when they were younger and stole cookies from Martha’s kitchen. The glimpse of the old Chaney warmed his heart. For the first time in days, he felt it might be worth the effort to get better.

“Call me when he’s finished, Ash and I’ll get the tray,” she said.

When the door closed, Jed reached for the spoon but Ash beat him to it. Before he could ask why, she’d scooped up some of the warm cereal and held it to his mouth.

“Eat, Daddy. Miss Martha won’t let you have any snack if you don’t eat your real food first.”

Jed took the spoon in his mouth as he wrapped his arm around his daughter and hugged her. Maybe having someone waiting on him for a few days wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Two days later Je
d was ready to eat those words.

Bored with lying around and in desperate need of a shower he made his way to the bathroom. His strength had started to return with regular meals so he wasn’t worried about passing out in the shower. The only thing that gave him pause was the bandage covering his shoulder. Investigating the shower, he noticed it was a hand held model so he could avoid the bandage if careful. He turned on the taps.

Stripping he stepped into the spray. After adjusting the head to the massage setting, a major task with one hand, he turned and let it pound on his lower back for a minute. He had just reached up and removed the showerhead from its bracket when he felt a rush of cold air.

“Jed?” Chaney’s voice demanded.

“Unless you have another guy stashed in here,” he answered. He bent backwards a bit and let the water soak his hair.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“It’s called taking a shower.”

“Damn it! I know what it’s called. I mean why are you doing it? You could fall, pass out from the heat, and pull out your stitches.”

Jed hooked the showerhead over the taps and reached for the shampoo. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not supposed--”

“Chaney?” he interrupted her.

“What?”

“You’re bothering me.” He lathered his head as best he could with one hand, since his left arm was still too stiff to lift very high. Jed listened for her rebuttal. When all he heard was the click of the door closing, he grinned. Yeah, he was definitely feeling better.

A short while later he stepped back into the bedroom holding a towel around his waist since he wasn’t sure if Ashley had come down yet. She hadn’t, but his jailer sat in a chair not two feet away from the door.

He hadn’t done a great job of drying off, especially his hair. It dripped on his shoulders sending little streams of water down his chest. Chaney’s gaze, focused on his chest sent heat spiraling to places he had even less control of than his damned arm. Then the air conditioner kicked on. He shivered, but was thankful for the quick dousing of his uncontrollable reaction to Chaney’s attention.

“I could use some clothes,” he said to her.
“Real clothes not gym shorts.”

It hadn’t taken Jed long to figure out Chaney’s game plan. She knew he wouldn’t venture far in shorts, so
that’s all she put in the room.

He held her mutinous stare. Chaney gave in first. She stood and left the room. Jed hoped she had gone to get what he asked. He really didn’t want to parade around the house in a towel, but as antsy as he had become, he would if it came to that.

He listened to her soft tread on the stairway and then overhead as he made his way to the chair she had occupied a few moments earlier. He heard drawers open and close and her steps again overhead. Chaney walked back into the room carrying a small pile of clothes.

“Just set them on the bed,” he told her. When she started to speak, he i
nterrupted her. “I can manage.”

“Your bandage is wet. It needs to be changed.” Chaney walked toward him.

“Martha can do it,” he told her. This time it wasn’t mutiny in her eyes it was pain. Jed hated causing her pain, but every time Chaney had changed the dressing, her touch had set him on fire and his brain disconnected. Today he needed all his strength and his wits about him. There were things he needed to do. He couldn’t afford the distraction.

Chaney turned and walked to the door.

“I’ll tell Martha to fix your tray.”

“No tray,” he said standing and moving toward the clothes on the bed. “I’ll come to the kitchen.”