The Naughty List Bundle - Kylie Adams [4]
She took two more dragging steps, then held her head. Her body slumped against his in defeat. “Your…your house.”
Surprised, but also unaccountably pleased, he again lifted her in his arms. “So you’re going to trust me just a bit after all?”
Her head bumped his chin as she shook it. “Never.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Lesser of two evils, huh? Now you know I gotta wonder why the hospital is off-limits.” She winced with each step he took, so he talked very softly just to distract her. “Did you rob a bank? Are you a wanted felon?”
“No.”
“If I take you in, will someone recognize you?”
“No.”
The shirt he’d draped around her was now tangled at her waist. He tried not to look, but after all, he was human, a male human, and his gaze went to her breasts.
She noticed.
Warm color flooded her cheeks, and he rushed to reassure her. “It’s all right. Why don’t we readjust the shirt I gave you just a bit?”
She didn’t fight him when he loosened his hold enough to let her legs slip to the ground. She leaned against him while he pulled the shirt up around her, slipping her arms through the sleeves. It was an old faded blue chambray shirt, the sleeves cut short, the top button missing. He’d often used it for work because it was soft and ragged. She should have looked ridiculous in it, wearing it like a robe. Instead, she looked adorable, the shirt in stark contrast to her fragile femininity. The hem hung down to her knees, and it almost wrapped around her twice. Sawyer shook his head, getting his thoughts back on track once again.
“Better?”
“Yes.” She hesitated, clutching the shirt, then whispered, “Thank you.”
He watched her face for signs of discomfort as they took the last few steps to the truck. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “You’re in pain, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m just—”
He interrupted her lie. “Well, lucky for you, I really am a doctor, and for the moment you can keep your name, and why you’re so frightened, to yourself. All I want to do right now is help.”
Her gaze flicked to his, then away. Sawyer opened the door of the idling truck and helped her inside. He slid in next to her, then laid his palm against her forehead in a gentle touch. “You’re running a fever. How long have you been sick?”
Casey put the truck in gear with a rough start that made her wince. He mumbled an apology, then kept the gears smooth after that.
With one hand covering her eyes, she said, “It’s…just a cold.”
He snorted. Her voice was so raspy, he could barely understand her. “What are your symptoms?”
She shook her head.
“Dizzy?”
“A little.”
“Headache? A tightness in your chest?”
“Yes.”
Sawyer touched her throat, checking for swollen glands and finding them. “Does this hurt?”
She tried to shrug, but it didn’t have the negligent effect she’d probably hoped for. “Some. My throat is sore.”
“Trouble breathing?”
She gave a choked half laugh at his persistence. “Alittle.”
“So of course you decided to go for a drive.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he said, “Look at me,” then gently lifted each eyelid, continuing his examination. She needed to be in bed getting some care. On top of a likely concussion, he suspected an upper respiratory infection, if not pneumonia. Almost on cue, she gave another hoarse, raw cough. “How long have you had that?”
She turned bleary, suspicious eyes his way. “You’re a real doctor?”
“Wanna see my bag? All docs have one, you know.”
Casey piped up with, “He really is. In fact, he’s the only doctor Buckhorn has. Some of the women around here pretend to be sick just to see him.” He smiled at her. “You don’t need to be afraid.”
“Casey, watch the road.” The last thing he needed was his son filling her ears with nonsense, even if the nonsense was true. He had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate the local women’s antics nearly as much as his brothers or son did. Sawyer treated it all as a lark, because he had no intention of getting involved with any of the women, and they knew it.
He had a respected position