I huff out a breath and try to cross my arms over my chest, but the IV gets in the way, so I angrily plant them on my raised knees instead.
He arches a brow at my outburst and glances over at the woman, who looks as though she’s fighting back a smile. When his eyes move back to me, the scowl is gone, but there is still something in their blue depths. Something dark. I don’t have time to dwell on it before he speaks again.
“It’s apparent this is your first trek through our ‘stupid’ state.” He emphasizes the word stupid with a twist of his lips. “Where are you headed?”
“Colorado.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “And why are you here in Malus?”
He asks the question with suspicion, like I have some motive for being in this particular town.
“It was the first town I came across. Why?” I tilt my head to the side inquisitively. “Is there something wrong with this town?”
“No,” he grunts. “Doesn’t matter. I’m sure you’ll want to be on your way in a few days anyway.”
“In a few days?” I ask, confused. “As soon as I’m done with this” –I gently pull on the IV line—
“I’ll grab something to eat and a few supplies then be ready to go.”
He shakes his head. “I wouldn’t advise that. You’re thirty-four weeks pregnant and were dehydrated. Those aren’t a good combination to have. The baby is fine for now, but if you push it too soon without proper rest and hydration, you run the risk of serious complications. You could go into labor. You’re over sixty miles out from the nearest hospital.”
My head thumps back against the headboard, and it reminds me of the headache still brewing inside my skull. When I left Magnolia, Mississippi, I decided to take the long way through Texas and stop by a friend’s house in San Antonio that I hadn’t seen in years. From there, I was to head north. It tacked on a few days to my trip, added in it being the first real opportunity to visit the Lone Star state, something I had wanted to do since I was a child. But with the shit storm finally being over at home and desperately needing the time to myself, I couldn’t pass it up. That was a week ago, and I was due to be at my brother’s place in Aurora, Colorado in a couple of days.
I sigh and close my eyes, knowing that’s out of the question now. I still have about twelve hours left of my trip. Without over-extending myself, that’s another two days of travel. I already took too much of a chance driving for as long as I did today and look what happened. There’s no way I’m putting my baby in more jeopardy. Besides, I do need to have my AC looked at.
I open my eyes and roll them back up to look at Dr. Trayce. “Fine. Is there a hotel around here?”
Uncrossing his arms, he shoves his hands into his pockets. Something jingles in his pockets. Change maybe? My eyes lock on the corded muscles in his forearms. His shirt sleeves are rolled to the elbow, so I’ve got a nice view of them. They’re tanned and have bulging veins. I’ve always found forearms with bulging veins incredibly sexy. To me, it shows strength.
“We don’t really get visitors out this way, so no need for a hotel,” he says. I yank my eyes away from visually sexually assaulting his arms. The look in his eyes conveys his reluctance that, even if there was a hotel, he wouldn’t want me to stay there, or anywhere in this town.
Who pissed in his cheerios?
“Oh, well, umm….”
“I have a room you can stay in for a few days,” the woman suggests. She’s been so quiet I forgot she was in the room.
I look at her critically, trying to gauge if I should trust her. She appears friendly enough. Red hair braided down her back, kind green eyes, and looks to be in her mid-to-late forties. She’s been nothing but nice to me since I woke up.
“I never got your name.”
Her smile is genuine when she answers. “Susan. I’m Dr. Trayce’s nurse practitioner.”
“It’s nice to meet you. My name’s Remi. Thank you for the offer, but I’d hate to impose…” I trail off when she shakes her head.
“It’s no imposition at all. It’s just me and Barry. That’s my Pomeranian,” she supplies an answer for my unspoken question. “Besides, there’s really no other choice. Unless you’d like to stay with Dr. Trayce, of course.”
Her eyes twinkle at her suggestion. Dr. Trayce stiffens and shoots her a look that says he doesn’t find that option one bit funny. I don’t find it funny myself, and I certainly won’t be staying with him.
“No, no, it’s fine. I’ll stay with you.” I wince when my voice comes out as a squeak.
Dr. Trayce takes a step back toward the door then stops, “I’ll come by the house this evening to see how you’re doing.”
Before I have a chance to thank him, he’s gone. I look over at Susan to find her looking at the door he just left through. After a moment, she sets her eyes on me.
“Are you hungry, dear? The fluids are good for necessary nutrients and to hydrate the body, but it’s always nice to have food in your belly.”
As if on cue, I receive a swift kick from the baby. I chuckle and rub the abused spot. “Even if I wasn’t, I think Bubba is.”