One Tough Texan by Barb Han

Author:Barb Han
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-08-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Alice pushed the plate of food to the back of the tray and focused on the glass of iced tea, tracing the rim with her left index finger. It had been three nights since they’d heard word from Tommy and she was tired of everyone reminding her that was a good thing. Experience had taught her that just because they hadn’t found a body—and she meant Isabel’s—didn’t mean they wouldn’t. Her mind snapped to the past, to her mother. She couldn’t think about the fact that she was putting her life in danger, which could leave the twins without a mother or father, in order to help someone else. A new person had taken over the task force at the FBI. She needed to press Tommy for a name. He wasn’t giving any other details.

“You planning to eat any of that or just stare it down all night?” Joshua asked from the doorway, startling her.

Ever since that kiss and the awkwardness that had followed she was unnerved by his presence.

“How long have you been standing there?” she asked, forking a piece of broccoli.

“Long enough to know that your food is getting cold.” He leaned against the doorjamb, filling the frame. “Mind if I come in? It’s time to replace your bandage.”

Alice nodded, not especially thrilled about the prospect of slathering more of that silver sulfadiazine onto her skin. The first couple of days it had been manna from heaven, somehow magically pulling out the heat from the burn while soothing her patches of varying shades of red. The blisters came on day two, popped on day three and now large parts of her skin alternately oozed and bled. The cream burned when a new coat was put on and her ibuprofen barely touched the pain but she needed a clear head so she refused to take more than two pills at a time. She’d finally agreed to a cold compress and that had given her a few hours of sleep last night. Dr. McConnell had offered reassurances that Alice was healing beautifully. She would have to take the good doctor’s word for it.

The mattress dipped under Joshua’s weight as he positioned the folding tray with supplies next to him. It didn’t help that he’d avoided spending time in her room since the kiss and she wondered if he regretted ever getting mixed up with her. Alice was like a virus, dangerous to everyone including the host.

Wow. What was up with the self-pity, Green?

She winced as the cowboy pulled the nonstick pad away from her arm.

“Sorry,” she said quickly.

“Don’t be.” His calm voice was a welcome change to silence. “I hate that I’m hurting you.”

“Only way to make it better, right?” She said, forcing a laugh. There were about five shades of red on her arm. The first-degree burns were starting to heal thanks to the magic cream. Those were pale pink. The area where the two-by-two-inch blister had popped was level five red. So red, in fact, it almost looked burgundy.

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