Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger (43 page)

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Authors: Lori Copeland

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #General, #Contemporary, #Westerns, #test

BOOK: Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger
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Page 113
of malaria over in the Congo one time, and through it all,
not once
did I have so much as a Band-Aid on my finger.''
Chandra tensed, her eyes growing stormy. She knew what was coming next.
"Now, it just occurred to me," Garrett continued calmly, "I've known you somewhere in the vicinity of one week, and so far I've had a one-inch gash on my forehead, a hangover that would have knocked the average horse off its feet, my nerves have been shot to hell from chasing your phantom prowler the other night, and now . . . now"he paused again"it looks like I'll probably be in a wheelchair the rest of my life, if the pain in my back is any indication of the extent of my injury. So if you don't mind, let me just lie here and die in peace."
"That's not fair, Garrett," she said crossly. "I'll admit I'm responsible for some of those things, but not all of them." She jumped up and wrapped a thick towel around her in sarong fashion. "Do you want me to help you up or not?" she asked again petulantly.
Garrett sat up slowly, sucking his breath in between his teeth at the stab of pain that shot through his lower back. "Take it easy, Chandra," he said, reaching for her outstretched hand.
She pulled him to his feet carefully, hurting almost as much as he did when she heard his groans of pain. Supporting most of his heavy weight on her slight frame, she moved cautiously toward the bed, staggering under his weight.
"You weigh a ton," she grumbled, stopping to catch her breath.
"Stop your griping," he grunted. "I should be lighter after eating your cooking the last few days."
"My cooking! What's wrong with my cooking?" she fumed. "You never said anything before about my cooking." Boy, he could sure burn her to the core at times.
"I didn't say anything because I didn't want to hurt your feelings," he grouched, moving at a snail's pace across the room.
"You didn't like it?"
 
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''I've tasted better out of a vending machine." He sank down weakly on the side of the bed. "Help me lie down."
Chandra reached over and very deliberately shoved him back against the pillow, his howls of pain filling the room. "Sorry," she smiled angelically. "I figured it would just hurt worse if you tried to do it slowly. Is there anything I can get youaspirins, back rub, gun to blow your conceited brains out?" She hovered over him protectively, then plopped down heavily on the bed, jarring it violently. "Maybe you'd like for me to fix you one of my famed ten-course meals before you doze off."
"Just get out of here and let me suffer in dignity," he groaned, trying to find a position that wasn't so painful. The anger instantly drained out of Chandra as she saw the look of pure agony on his face.
"I'm sorry, Garrett," she relented, kneeling down beside the bed. "Really, is there anything I can do to help you?"
"I don't know, sweetheart, all I know is it hurts like the devil." He reached over and pulled her head over on his chest, stroking her hair tenderly. "I'm sorry I made that nasty crack about your cooking."
"That's all right. I know I'm a lousy cook," she admitted. "I made my dad and brother deathly ill sometimes when I lived at home and helped Mom cook." Her arms went around him to hug him tightly, but she instantly eased her hold at his flinch of pain. "I make good Christmas candy and cakes though," she added encouragingly.
"Well, if a person didn't mind living on peanut butter fudge and fruitcake, that wouldn't be too bad," he said thoughtfully. "But I want you to know, I'm sorry about that other matter too," he whispered sexily against her ear.
"Not as sorry as I am," she grinned, raising her face to meet his. She kissed him sweetly, then abruptly left his arms. "I'll see if I can find something for your pain."
"We don't have anything in the house, you know that," he said, wincing.
"I know. I'm going to walk down to the corner drugstore," she
 
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replied absently, thinking of the cold, wet sleet hitting the windows.
''I'm not letting you go out alone at this time of night," Garrett said angrily, "let alone walk in this kind of weather."
She looked back at him with determination on her face. She wasn't going to sit by and watch him suffer all night. "I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone," she tossed over her shoulder as she scooted out the bedroom door.
"Chandra, come back here!" Garrett yelled irritably, trying in vain to raise up out of bed. He sank back down in a sea of pain as he heard the bedroom door close.
Sighing painfully he threw an arm up over his eyes. "Crazy, dippy broad," he mumbled to himself heatedly. "Crazy, wonderful, lovable, sexy broad . . ."
 
Page 116
Chapter Seven
The light, freezing sleet had turned to a heavy, freezing rain by the time Chandra returned from the drugstore. Her hands were half frozen as she handed Garrett a heating pad and a bottle of aspirin, her teeth chattering.
''If I had the strength, I'd get up and turn you over my knee," he grumbled sharply as he accepted her offered relief. "That was a stupid trip!"
"But you don't have the strength," she said as she searched for an outlet to plug in the pad. "Roll over," she told him in a no-nonsense voice.
Garrett rolled onto his stomach painfully. "What are you going to do?"
"Just rub some of this pain reliever on your back." She took the cap off the small red and white tube and squeezed some white cream out into the palm of her hand. Carefully she placed her hand on the center of his lower back, moving gently as if it were something she did every day.
"Son of amoose!" He came up halfway out of the bed, his hands gripping his pillow violently. "Your hands are like two blocks of ice!"
"Just hush and hold still," she scolded, her eyes fascinated with the play of muscles rippling across his broad back. By the time she had massaged the ointment into his back Garrett had measurably relaxed, his voice growing drowsy with sleep. Tucking the blankets around him snugly she reached over and switched on the small bedside lamp and stood up to leave.
 
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''Where do you think you're going?" he mumbled sleepily.
"To bed," she whispered back, not wanting to disturb his relaxed state.
"Aren't you going to sleep in here with me?" he asked groggily, groping for her hand.
"No, I don't think I should, Garrett. We decided I should go home in the morning, remember?" she reminded softly, squeezing his hand gently.
His slow breathing reached her ears as she leaned over and kissed him tenderly on the side of his neck. He was sound asleep now, his tall, lean body relaxed in slumber. Chandra smoothed away the unruly brown wisps of hair on his forehead. He looked like a little, innocent boy in his sleep, but Chandra knew better. He wasn't a boy any longer, he was a fully grown, very desirable man. She stared down at him, wondering about his parents, where they were, if he was close to them. There was so much she didn't know about him, and her time had run out ever to find out. Something in Garrett's life had soured him on marriage.
What a shame,
she thought, rising to her feet slowly.
He would make the perfect father, the perfect lover, and whether or not he wanted to believe it, the perfect husbandperfect, but unwilling
.
The air seemed alive and popping as Chandra opened her eyes early the next morning. The room had a funny, bright light to it as she sat up in her sleeping bag and looked around. The rain had stopped sometime in the night, the temperature dropping rapidly. She jumped up and went over to turn the heat up, shivering as she walked over to look out the front window. The world that met her eyes was one of solid ice. The branches of the trees in front of the house were sagging under their heavy icy coating, causing the more fragile ones to snap off loudly. A thin, weak sun was glistening brightly off the shrubbery, and the ice-covered walks turned the small, residential street into a veritable glittering fairyland.
Chandra stood framed in the front window, squinting her eyes in awe at the magnificence of the gigantic icicles hanging in long
 
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rows across the front of the houses, some of them as tall as she was. The icy prison seemed to have the whole world locked in its powerful grip as she noticed there was no sign of traffic moving on the quiet street. The only signs of life were the gray puffs of smoke coming from the chimneys of the houses along the street.
There was certainly no question of her leaving for home today. With a resigned sigh she let the heavy drape drop back into place and walked over to pick up her robe. Tying the belt tightly around her waist she stepped into the kitchen and picked up the wall phone to call Mrs. Rhodes. There wouldn't be any shopping trip this morning either. As she chatted with the other woman Chandra filled the coffee pot and put it on to perk, dragging the long phone cord around the kitchen as she worked. She explained that Garrett had hurt his backleaving out the details, of courseand was told to keep him in bed until he was feeling better.
Ha!
she thought as she hung up the receiver,
wouldn't I just love to!
She ate her breakfast quickly, then arranged an attractive tray with scrambled eggs and bacon (she didn't burn it for once), toast, jam, and coffee for Garrett. After she added a small glass of orange juice, she whisked it off the cabinet and headed for his room.
He was reading a magazine as she knocked lightly on his door. Hearing a curt ''I'm awake" she pushed the door open and walked in.
"It's time to torture the patient," she grinned enchantingly, holding the tray up. "I know you can hardly wait to dig in to one of my home-cooked meals."
"Do I get a pain pill first?" he asked, grinning wickedly. "It might ease the shock of your burnt bacon."
"You're the one going to be shocked," she said, arranging his tray on his lap. "It isn't burnt this morning."
"No kidding!" His interest seemed to pick up as he peered hopefully at his tray. She unfolded his napkin and handed it to him. "You going to join me?" he invited.
 
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''NopeI've already eaten, but I'll keep you company while you eat," she offered, reaching over for a piece of his bacon. "How's your back this morning?" she asked, crunching the crisp bacon.
"It's a little better. I think I just twisted a muscle." He dove into his scrambled eggs hungrily.
"Good! I called Mrs. Rhodes and told her. She said for you to stay in bed until it's better. Can I have a small sip of your juice?" she asked politely, reaching over for the small glass.
"That's exactly what I plan on doing," he said, watching her down the juice, then absently reach for a piece of toast.
"I don't know if I'll be able to leave today or not," Chandra told him, reaching for the other slice and spreading it thick with strawberry jam. Garrett watched blandly as she reached over and took a sip of his coffee. "I don't think there're any cabs running," she explained.
"Why? What's the problem?" he questioned, scraping the small jelly dish for enough jam to spread on his toast.
"You should look outside," she said excitedly. "We had a big ice storm during the night." She finished off the last of his orange juice. "There is virtually nothing moving outside."
"I thought it felt colder in here this morning," Garrett answered, fighting her for the last bite of his eggs.
"I turned the heat upit should be warmer in a few minutes." She dusted the crumbs off her hands, eyeing the cup of coffee Garrett had raised to his lips.
"You want the last swallow?" He raised his eyebrows and held out the cup.
"No, really, I'm not hungry. It's your breakfastenjoy it," she smiled sincerely.
"I'd
like
to . . ." He finished the cup off smoothly, then replaced it on the tray.
"Are you through already?" she asked in surprise, noting the empty tray without a single crumb remaining on it. "Your injury hasn't hurt your appetite!" she exclaimed, removing the tray from his lap.

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