“No. It’s fine. Seriously, this isn’t really necessary.”
“It is. Don’t argue with me. I kind of know about injuries.” He gives me a crooked smile like there’s something I should know. Then I remember he owns a ranch.
“Oh yeah. I suppose working with livestock can be dangerous.”
“It’s not that dangerous, but wild animals have a mind of their own. There.” He’s bandaged up my hand to the middle of my forearm like he’s done it a dozen times before.
“Thank you, Tobias.” I look into his eyes, and that’s a big mistake.
“Any time,” he says, swallowing hard.
“I’m…I’m going to go to bed,” I stammer out.
“Okay.” He helps me to my feet, and I leave his room while he stands by the open door watching me until I slip inside and close the door. I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding. God, out of the frying pan and into the fire. Tobias Reynolds is not what I expected, but he’s someone I want. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone. Maybe too long. Then again, he’s just that sexy.
He gave me his shirt, and I can’t help bringing it to my nose. I’m officially nuts. I climb into bed, aching, and remember I don’t have water. Oh well.
I’m just tucked in bed when he knocks on the bedroom door. “Coming.” I stand and go to the door. As I open it, I smile. He’s holding a glass of water and a bottle of Advil. “I figured you wanted water and you could probably use some of these so you’re not too sore in the morning.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. It’s my fault anyway. Goodnight.” He turns on his heel and leaves. Could he be any more considerate? I lie down after drinking some water. I’ll take the pills if I start to feel lousy. Turning off the light from the side of the bed, I nestle under the covers and fall quickly asleep.
The blaring alarm wakes me up and I scoot my ass out of bed, planting my hand on the mattress and lifting. “Ouch,” I hiss. Now I’m regretting not taking the Advil. I won’t make that mistake again. I pop two and drink the rest of the water. With a quick trip to the bathroom, I’m almost ready to go downstairs. My hair needs to be managed because it looks wild, so I brush it, put it in a bun, and then head to the kitchen. The coffee’s the first thing I start brewing. Louisa showed me how to make it, so I repeat the cup to scoop ratio here. After it starts brewing, I grab the eggs and bread. It’s going to be a simple breakfast.
I’m just about to start cracking eggs when he comes into the kitchen. “Whoa, Ava. Good morning. Don’t bother cooking this morning. I’m still full from dinner last night. I’ll take some coffee, though. You need to take it easy. How’s the wrist?” Damn, how come he looks great so early in the morning?
“It’s okay. A little tender, but manageable.”
“Take it easy for the morning. I should have told you that last night, but I appreciate the coffee.”
“Okay. What would you like for lunch?”
“Just think about dinner. I’m going to eat with the guys in the bunkhouse.”
I twist my lip and question his motives. “All of a sudden you’re not interested in my cooking?”
“Honey, I’m more than interested, but I ate a lot last night, and you’re hurt. I don’t have much in here. I didn’t even know I had that.”
“Louisa and I made a quick run on Christmas Eve before the storm took hold.”
“Oh. We can get the rest tomorrow. So whatever we have that’s simple. I’m serious about that wrist. I’ll be examining it after I get home.” He arches his brow with a look of warning to behave.
“Yes, Doctor.”
“If you want to play doctor, we can save that for another day.” He winks and reaches behind me to grab a cup. “I’m teasing, Ava. Come out on the porch and have a cup of coffee with me before I go.”
“Okay.” I grab a cup and once it’s ready, he takes them and waits for me to get a coat and boots on.
“Here, you need this.” He slips a beanie on me. I catch my reflection in the storm door, and it’s a Bears beanie. “I take it you’re a Bears fan.”
“You can say that. Do you watch football?”
I gently shake my head. “Not really, but coming from Indiana, you are either a Colts fan or a Bears fan.”
“How did you find your way all the way to Cunningham Falls?” he asks as we step out on the porch. It’s chilly and still pretty dark. The snow seems to have stopped falling for almost a full day, which is nice. I don’t know how often it snows, but I wasn’t prepared for a blizzard on my first full day at the ranch house.