Seeds of Desire (6 page)

“Okay.” The little girl sniffled.

Hoping to reassure the child, Cassidy again tried to rise.
This time, hands held her down. “Lie still, damn it,” Jared murmured. He gently
brushed a strand of hair from her face, taking the sting from his tone. “You’re
hurt. Just wait a minute.” He raised his voice. “Hey, if cell phones don’t work
around here, how the hell do you call an ambulance?”

“Most of us have them old-fashioned landline phones,”
someone muttered. “Why don’t you try having one of your drivers radio?”

“Yeah.” Jared sounded distracted. “Good idea. Cassidy, if
you try to move, I’ll fire you. I’ll be right back.”

“Stay with her.” The mutterer sounded a little more
sympathetic now. “I’ll go.”

“This is uncomfortable as hell.” Cassidy shifted her weight
a bit, careful not to move her head even though most of the discomfort focused
there. “Damn thing.”

“Your face is on a shovel,” Jared said, sarcasm tingeing his
voice. “More to the point, you’re bleeding on a shovel.” Taking her hand, he
spoke more kindly. “We can’t move you, Cass. I can’t tell how bad you’re hurt,
and since it’s a head injury, if we let you move, the paramedics would probably
have our hides.”

“No paramedics up here,” someone corrected. “EMTs, mostly.”

“And let me guess, the nearest hospital’s an hour away,”
Jared snapped.

“Pretty close,” the other voice said evenly. “More like
fifty minutes by car. A little less by ambulance. Not a hospital, really,
either. Just a health center. They send a helicopter if someone’s hurt real
bad, take the person to Bangor or Portland. I don’t think she needs that,
though.”

It seemed like hours before a siren sounded in the distance.
In the bustle of activity that followed, Cassidy lost track of Jared, which
bothered her more than she would have liked. Even if she didn’t like him, she
knew him, and she needed a familiar face and voice right then. The touch of his
hand had warmed her from head to toe, cementing the weird connection to him
that she’d felt earlier.

Maybe he didn’t only lust after her. Maybe he actually
cared.

A man and woman turned her over, away from the shovel, and
held something against the side of her face. They lifted her onto a stretcher
and fastened straps around her head, careful to avoid the gash.

“Sorry,” the woman said. “Head injury. We can’t take a
chance.”

“I’m going with her,” Jared said firmly.

“Sorry, sir.” The woman didn’t sound at all apologetic. “We
don’t allow people to ride in the ambulance unless the patient is a child.”

“Then I’m following you,” Jared muttered. “Cassidy, is there
anyone I should call for you?”

“No.” No one who would care, anyway. Her mother had passed
away and she hadn’t spoken to her father in years. She had no siblings, no
close relatives at all, and certainly no significant other. She didn’t have
time for that kind of thing.

“Okay.” He touched her hand again for half a second. Even
that brief contact calmed her. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Chapter Five

The ride to the hospital terrified her. She couldn’t see
where they were going, of course. She hated not being able to see. Even worse,
the straps kept her from moving, which she despised. Forced to remain still,
she felt claustrophobic. It felt as if they took some turns on two wheels,
though she doubted the driver would be that careless. When they finally lifted
her out of the ambulance and wheeled her into the small brick hospital, total
relief filled her, even through the pain. Especially when she heard Jared call,
“Wait for me.”

The EMTs wheeled her stretcher into a small exam cubicle
with a thin curtain that barely covered the opening. A young woman who didn’t
look old enough to be a nurse took her vital signs and pronounced her “probably
in shock, though the doctor will have to make that call.”

She left and Jared pulled a chair up beside the stretcher.
“So, are you usually so clumsy?” he asked.

“So, are you usually an ass?” she snapped, cringing at the
pain speaking brought to the side of her face. She immediately regretted saying
it. If he hadn’t been with her at the site, she would have panicked.

Jared laughed. “Good. If you can still take swipes at me,
you can’t be hurt too bad. You have one hell of a cut on your head, you know.
They’re going to have to bury the blood back at the site.”

Cassidy’s stomach rolled. “TMI, thank you very much.”

“Sorry.” He fidgeted with the button on his shirt cuff. “You
scared the hell out of me, Cass. I didn’t know for sure how bad you were hurt.
Looks like you’re going to be okay, though.”

“I scared myself,” she said softly. “That poor kid too, I
think.”

“Her daddy took her away from the scene. I think she’ll be
okay. Worry about yourself, would you?”

“Are you going to stay here?” A few hours earlier, Jared
would have been her last pick for someone to comfort her. That contact between
them at the planting site had changed things. She’d seen something in his eyes
that looked almost like friendship. Nothing like the lust with which he’d
looked at her the night before. Their interlude, even though she’d gone to him
out of anger, had triggered something.

She looked up at his warm brown eyes, his perfectly shaped
nose and his lips, which now seemed incredibly kissable. He returned her gaze
with a slightly puzzled look, but behind the confusion lay concern. This little
accident of hers really had him worried.

His strong hands that had touched her so gently after her
fall rested on his knees. The thought of what he could do to her with those
hands sent butterflies rushing into her belly. What would it be like to truly
make love to him instead of just screwing him?

Oh no. I am not falling for Jared Jackson. Not a chance.

If she could make herself believe that, she’d be all set.

“Do you want me to stay?” he countered.

She couldn’t decide. She’d always hated hospitals. Whenever
she was in one, her throat and chest tightened. Too much time spent in them as
a child, between her own illnesses and watching her mother slip away. But she
didn’t want to ask Jared for any favors.

He’d offered, though. Even though Jared acted like a jerk
sometimes, he’d come with her to this place. He would stay if she wanted him
to. That meant more than she wanted to let herself think. “Yeah, I would if you
don’t mind,” she admitted.

“I don’t.” He settled back in the chair and crossed one leg
over the other. “Have to make sure our consultant lives through the attack of
the killer shovel, or Dad will make me find a new consultant. That one probably
wouldn’t be as cute as you.”

“Shut up, Jared.” She turned away so he wouldn’t see her
smiling.
Did he really just say that? No backhanded hints, just a
straight-out compliment? God, he’s getting soft.
Warm tingles ran through
her.
And so am I.

She looked again at his hands and images of those fingers on
her breasts and between her legs flitted through her brain, making her shudder.
Okay, I want him. I admit it. Maybe last night could happen again. Nothing
wrong with having a fuck-buddy around. But care about him? No way. He’s just
here because he’s afraid I’ll sue JaBro for getting hurt. As soon as I’m all
better, he’ll be right back to his egotistical jackass self.

She was scared to death of the idea of liking Jared. She
couldn’t have anything with a man like him. Maybe some hot sex, but nothing
more, and without the something more the sex wouldn’t be worth it. His naked
body against hers would make everything better for a while, but despite her
fantasies and the incredible sex the night before, she didn’t want only that
anymore. She wanted the full deal.

With Jackass Jared Jackson.

Great. I’m screwed.

Only a few minutes passed before a doctor came in carrying a
clipboard at which he glanced frequently. “Ms. Shelton?” he asked uncertainly.

“That’s me,” Cassidy confirmed.

“I’m Doctor Libby.” He pulled a wheeled stool up beside the
stretcher and sat down, studying her as if she were an interesting new
specimen. “So you have a head injury, huh? How’d that happen?”

She hoped he’d seem a little more intelligent after they’d
spoken further. Right now, his powers of observation didn’t impress her a bit.
“I tripped and landed on the wrong end of a spade,” she replied.

“Spade?” His brow furrowed in confusion.

He probably thought she meant a playing card. “I’m part of
the JaBro crew that’s planting trees a ways north of here,” she explained. “We
were working on the site, and someone hadn’t taken care of their spade.”

“Ah. I see.” He set the clipboard on the floor and stood.
“I’m going to take a look at that cut of yours. It’ll probably hurt.”

He didn’t give her a chance to brace herself before he
pressed his fingers against the side of her head.

“Fuck!” Cassidy blurted, flinching. “Sorry. Damn, that
hurts.”

“No problem, I’ve heard worse language. I’m sorry.” He
lightly touched her head. “Better?”

“Still hurts,” she whined, hating herself for her tone.

“It bled like crazy,” Jared added. “It must be pretty deep.”

“Head wounds bleed profusely,” the doctor said casually.
“This isn’t so bad. You’ll need stitches, Ms. Shelton. You won’t be able to
wash your hair for a couple-few days, I’m afraid. The wound shouldn’t get wet.”

“I have blood in my hair,” she protested. The thought
nauseated her. No way would the blood stay there if she could help it. “How am
I supposed to clean that out if I can’t wash my hair?”

“Cover the bandage with plastic,” Jared suggested. “I had to
do that a few years back when I sliced my chin open.”

“It’s best to keep them completely dry,” the doctor said
firmly. “However, I certainly can understand why you’d want to clean up a bit.
I’m sure you can figure out something, or your boyfriend here can help you.”

“I’m her boss,” Jared corrected.

“He isn’t my boyfriend,” Cassidy snapped at the same time.
Though part of her wished he was at least her friend. Boyfriend sounded pretty
good too.

The doctor looked amused. “So sorry. Ms. Shelton, any other
injuries?”

“Probably a few scrapes and bruises, and my neck’s a little
sore since they made me lie on that spade until the ambulance arrived,” she
muttered.

He was the doctor. He should have been able to figure out if
she had any other injuries without asking stupid questions. She didn’t know
whether her irritability came from dealing with him or the pain, but either
way, she just wanted the guy to leave now.

“Can you move your neck all right now?” he asked, pressing
his fingers against the sides of her neck.

Yep, he definitely needed to work on his observation skills.
They hadn’t unstrapped her from the stretcher yet, for crying out loud.

“I might be able to if someone unfastened the restraints,”
she said through gritted teeth.

“Good point.” He didn’t even seem to notice her annoyance.
“I’ll send in the EMTs to do that. They need their stretcher back anyway. We’ll
move you onto the bed in a moment.” He left the cubicle.

“I wish we’d been closer to the city,” Jared said,
frustration filling his voice. “Honestly, I’m not sure you’ll have good care
here. You have a head injury. Shouldn’t they be checking for a fracture or
running an MRI or something?”

“I’m fine. It’s just a cut.” She didn’t want to hear any
more about tests or things the doctor should check. She just wanted to have the
stitches put in so she could leave.

Which eventually happened. She tried not to show her
impatience, even though the doctor and nurse kept wandering in and out without
seeming to do much. From the conversations she overheard, she knew they had no
other patients. She didn’t understand why they took so long to patch her up and
send her on her way.

Finally, the doctor put in a line of stitches, gave her some
acetaminophen with codeine and pronounced her fit to leave. He repeated his
instructions to avoid getting her bandage wet and told her to see her own
doctor in about a week to have the sutures removed. Then, after a stretch of
time so interminable she had no idea how long it had truly lasted, he allowed
her to leave the hospital.

Jared supported her as she walked from the exam room. As
they left the building, her stomach growled loudly. He chuckled and guided her
to the parking lot, where she took a deep breath of fresh air to rid her nose
and lungs of the hospital chemical residue. The exhale came out as a quiet sob,
and she pressed her hands against her eyes to make sure she wouldn’t start to
cry. That was the last thing she wanted to do in front of him. If she hadn’t
cried lying on the ground at the planting site, despite the pain and horrific
embarrassment of having fallen in front of him, she definitely had no reason to
now.

“Are you okay?” Jared asked, sounding worried.

“I hate hospitals,” she muttered. “Don’t ever bring me to
one again. Let me die.”

He put a comforting arm around her back. His body heat
centered her, taking away her near panic. She was safely out of the hospital
now, with only a cut and some bruises. Jared would take care of her. Her
happiness at that idea surprised her. Somewhere between him sticking up for her
against the truck driver and this parking lot, she’d begun to see him in a new
light, and she knew he would look after her if she let him.

She might actually give him that chance.

“You don’t mean that.” He let go of her but stayed close.
“Come on, the car’s over here.”

He helped her into the passenger seat, more gently than she
would have expected from him, and drove to the motel. She started to exit the
car, and he grabbed her wrist to make her stay put.

“Don’t even try it,” he said firmly. “I’ll help you.”