Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [108]
Annie fell four times during the long trek. All four times the dog turned to wait, licking her face, barking in her ear until she thought her head would explode. Each time she got up and staggered after the dog. She wished she knew what he looked like. Maybe the dog was a she. Female dogs were very protective. But then so were male dogs.
“Woof!”
“Lights!” Annie said hoarsely. “Listen, dog, I can’t make it. You’re going to have to go and get someone. Your master. Your mistress. When I fell the last time I think I did something to my knee. This is as far as I can go. The rest is up to you.” Annie lurched drunkenly, then fell. The dog, uncertain, whined softly. “Go get help. Please, dog, go get help,” Annie whimpered.
She felt the dog move, knowing he’d recognized the urgency in her voice. Then there was nothing but blackness.
She felt herself being picked up, felt the rain beating on her face and body. Her knee felt like it was on fire. She knew she was safe because she could hear the dog whining and whimpering. Or were the sounds coming from her? She didn’t know, and she didn’t care. She was safe. That was all she cared about.
“Good boy, Jake. I can take it from here,” the giant said.
“You smell good. Is that your dog?”
The chuckle she heard was deep and rich. “Jake is my dog. He’s the one who found you. A nice porterhouse steak would be appreciated when you’re feeling better.”
“You got it. He’s got it. Whatever.” And then the blackness overcame her again.
“I guess my scent overpowered her again, Jake. She’s a bit of a mess right now. I guess we should just take her to the shower and let the water do the rest. What do you think, boy?”
The golden Labrador nudged his master’s knee.
“She said I smelled good.” His chuckle was just as rich and deep as the first time. “We’ll talk about your disobedience later on, Jake. You know the drill: you go out, you do your business, and you come in and we go to bed. That’s the rule. You break the rule and you get no Oreos. You got that?”
“Woof, woof.”
“I’m going to ignore the rule this time because obviously you picked up on this young lady’s distress. Wonder what she looks like under all this mud.”
In the kitchen under the blinding fluorescent lighting, Clay Mitchell stared down at the woman in his arms. “Okay, Jake, lead the way to the guest bathroom.” The Lab bounded up the kitchen stairway and down the hall, his master directly behind him.
The bathroom was blue-and-white tile, the shower stall, overly large with a corner seat. Clay had never known the true purpose of the seat. There was one in his own shower, too, but he’d never used it. He sat Annie down carefully, nudging her to wakefulness. She tried to open her eyes, but the thick mud on her lashes made them close again.
“Stay with me, young lady. I’m going to turn on the shower. I think it might be better to wash off the mud first and then you can shower up and wash your hair.”
“You smell good,” Annie said. “My brother smells like you. At first I thought Tom had found me. I did something to my knee. I don’t know if I can stand.”
“That’s why this seat is in here. I’ll adjust the showerhead, and the spray will do the rest. Here, I’ll help you with your jacket.” Annie was like a rag doll as her benefactor pulled and tugged at the denim jacket. A hissing sound escaped his lips when he saw the gun in the waistband of her jeans. Annie reached for it and set it on the tile seat next to her.
Clay tossed the muddy jacket into the corner of the shower. He adjusted the showerhead, then closed the door. He heard her voice as he moved about the bathroom. “I’m not a criminal. This gun is for my personal safety. Someone was chasing me.”
“Sounds plausible,” Clay said to Jake, who was up on the bed, trying to turn down the covers. When he succeeded in pulling the blanket from under the pillows, he sat up on his haunches.
“Yeah, yeah. You do good work, Jake. Who in the hell would be chasing someone like her through our fields during one of the worst storms of the year?” He walked over to the window