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.“All I know is he paid me five dollars and said he would be back after he got the hotel room.” The doctor stared at her without blinking.Five dollars? Gideon paid this man five dollars to take care of her? What had he been thinking? The doctor hadn’t done anything worth one dollar much less five.She thought Westville was a good place, but there was one bad apple in the barrel, that was for sure.“How about you bring me to where he is?”“I don’t provide that kind of service to my patients.You’ll have to wait until he returns.” With that, the silver-haired man left.He gave her the shivers, and she was glad to see his back end leave the room.She sat there, breathing hard, her leg still throbbing, and got madder as time ticked by.Didn’t Gideon think he should tell her where he was going? He owed her the common courtesy to let her know when he was going to strand her at the creepy man’s house.She didn’t even have her gun or knife.Gideon had stripped it off her when they arrived and left her helpless.She didn’t like it one bit.As soon as she heard his familiar tread in the hallway, her fear began to fade, and her annoyance intensified.He poked his head in and she started on him before he even had a chance to get in the room.“How dare you leave me here, Gid?” Instead of roaring at him, her words came out soft, ending on a pitiful note that made her cringe.“Ah, honey, I didn’t leave you.” He scooped her up and walked out of the doctor’s house.“I was just looking for a place to rest our heads tonight.”She wanted to be angry but found she was more hurt instead.Of course that just made her angry all over again.It was a tug-of-war with her emotions, and she lost no matter what happened.Gideon had turned her into a simpering idiot.He slipped her up onto the saddle, then mounted behind her.His strong arms surrounded her as the gentle rocking of the horse soothed her.It was comfortable, familiar, perfect.She could get used to being there easily.She belonged with him, feeling his heart beat and his warm breath on her neck.What had the doctor given her? She was a little light-headed and definitely sleepy.“The doctor made me drink something.” She could hardly understand herself.“Probably laudanum for the pain and to relax you.Don’t worry, Chloe, I won’t let anything happen to you.” His voice sounded far away.“I’m mad at you.” She tried to focus on his face, but it was so hard she closed her eyes instead.“I know you are.”The horse stopped, and she nearly fell out of the saddle.He gripped her tightly.“Now I’ve got to get you down without breaking your leg or my head.”Chloe kept breathing in his scent, the familiarity making her feel safe.She opened her eyes long enough to see him contorting himself into an awkward position with one foot on the ground, the other half on the saddle.It would have been funny if she could laugh, but her mouth didn’t work right.He must’ve found his balance, because soon she was in his arms again as he carried her up a flight of stairs.Flowery wallpaper followed her up.“Di’ I fall ashleep?” Chloe’s tongue had decided not to work either.“Yes, you did.Just sleep, honey, I’ve got you.”The feeling of warmth, safety and love washed over her as she snuggled into the soft bed beneath her.Even her leg didn’t hurt anymore.Best of all, she could still smell Gideon and knew he was there, just as he’d promised.After taking care of the horses and grabbing their gear, he went back to the room to find Chloe fast asleep.He had no idea how much laudanum the doctor had given her, but it was enough to knock her on her ass.Gideon stared down at her as she slept like an angel.It apparently took a dose of a heavy drug to make her sleep that way, but they both needed the rest.Being with her put him on edge, or maybe it was his own reaction to her.The last few days had felt like a year with all the shenanigans and almost unbelievable happenings.He sat on the chair in the corner, and the wood complained about his weight.There was no way he was going to able to sleep on it, which meant either the floor or the bed.His obvious choice was the bed, but that meant being in close proximity to Chloe all night.That might hinder his ability to sleep at all.However, he couldn’t stay in the chair.He crept over to the bed, then climbed in beside her on top of the blanket.As she snored softly, he watched her sleep.There was less than ten years between their ages, but he felt much older, more bitter about life.Chloe was full of righteousness and didn’t ever stop to think about what she was doing, only that she knew it was the right choice.Is that what he’d been missing? The hunger for life, for doing what was right and for living life rather than existing? He had been guilty of hanging on to the past, for not following the path laid out in front of him.He was afraid of the unknown, of becoming the man he could be.As a spoiled boy and young man, he’d done nothing of consequence.As an army captain, he’d led his men and survived the war with them.As just a man with nothing but his friends, he had struggled against himself.It almost seemed pitiful to think about it now.The past was past, and his stubbornness kept him from moving on [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]