Always a Lady by Sharon Sala

Author:Sharon Sala [Sala, Sharon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-08-14T07:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

Case watched out of the corner of his eye, feigning sleep as Lily raised her head from the pillow, looked toward his bed, then quietly dragged herself to a standing position, gathered her blanket and pillow into a careless wad and staggered out of his room. It was almost dawn.

A lump formed in the back of his throat and he blinked rapidly, willing away the emotion that swept over him at the knowledge that Lily had slept on the floor in his room just to make certain that he came to no harm during the night.

He rolled over on his back, wincing as his heavily bandaged arm came in contact with the bedcovers, took a deep breath, swallowing what felt suspiciously like a sob, and ran his good hand over his face, feeling the heavy growth of his stubbly whiskers pricking the palm of his hand. He stared at the pattern of shadows forming on the ceiling overhead from the first hint of morning and knew he could deny his true feelings for Lily no longer.

He'd long ago admitted to himself that he loved her. He'd tried over and over during the last few weeks to let Lily know that his feelings for her were special, but it wasn't until this moment, when he'd watched her sleep, that he'd known the depth of his own emotions.

If Lily Brownfield left him, he would not survive.

For the first time, he had an inkling of the pit his father had fallen into when his mother had abandoned them. Now he knew what had made Chock Longren go to hell in a bottle. It was for something more than love. It was an enduring need to be near and to care for someone other than himself. To lose all selfish desires of pleasure for himself, and have only the desire to please another. There was no name in Case's vocabulary for the need he had to lie next to Lily and simply watch her sleep. To know that he had the right to hold her, fight for her, comfort and care for her for the rest of his days as they grew old together.

A slow, aching moan slipped out from between his tightly clenched lips and he covered his eyes and cursed. He had to do something to knock down the wall of hurt behind which Lily lived. He'd do anything it took to keep her here on the Bar L with him when roundup was over. He couldn't lose her.

Lily had awakened during the night to hear Case mumbling in his sleep. She knew he was hurting. She could tell from the way he kept rolling over and then back as he'd accidentally bump or bend his injured arm. And she suspected that the bruising on his side and belly were contributing to the discomfort he seemed to be suffering.

She got up from her pallet on the floor, tiptoed to his bed, shook two of the pain pills from the bottle, slid her arm beneath his head and whispered softly in his ear, rousing him just enough to get him to swallow.

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