Disobedient Cowboys [Lone Wolves of Shay Falls 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (3 page)

“Really stiff and sore.” And out of her mind, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to mention that. Asking whether extremely heightened libido was normal after an accident didn’t seem like the way to go in present company.

Caleb cleared his throat. “You ain’t the same doctor who treated her yesterday.”

The man glanced at Caleb. “I’m covering Dr. Jacobs’ shift. And you are?”

“A friend,” Caleb said, emphasizing the last.

“Hardly a friend,” she corrected, and both men shot her a sharp glance. “I hit the poor man with my car.”

“And we became fast friends,” Caleb went on.

She had to grin at the mischievous twinkle in his eye when he hooked his hands behind his head and smiled.

“I’d like to have a look at you,” Dr. Williams said, which wouldn’t have been an odd request from a doctor except that he was still eyeing up Caleb when he said it.

Funny, Rose had just been thinking the same thing about the good doctor—in a much naughtier context. Man, concussions sucked. Or they were damn fun. She hadn’t quite decided which yet.

When he strode up to stand on the side of the bed opposite from Caleb, she sized this new man up. He was about Caleb’s height, maybe a little taller. His hair was darker brown, stopping just short of black. The cut was short and combed back. Very professional. Doctorly. So was the striped tie he wore over a green dress shirt and tightly creased black trousers. Both men were magazine-model handsome, though Caleb’s features were a bit narrower and more rugged. The doctor’s face was clean-shaven, so smooth it made her want to rub her cheek against his.

“Is it all right if your friend stays in the room while I examine you?” he asked.

She considered that for a moment and nodded. The prospect of Dr. Williams’ hands on her sent a little happy dance along her spine.

He checked the pulse along her wrist, and she hoped he wouldn’t wonder why it was wobbling erratically. He seemed more interested in peppering her with the usual bedside questions, though. Her birthdate. What day it was. If she knew where she was. Who the president was. She made a political remark, and he laughed. He shined a penlight in her eyes and then took out his stethoscope. Asking her to breathe deeply while he listened to her heart and lungs was a joke. He was lucky she could breathe at all, what with him pressing the chestpiece all over her front and back. She felt his fingers searing her every time they brushed against her hospital gown.

When he sat on the bed beside her to check her head and neck for lumps, a hot rush of tingles shot through her body. That was nothing compared to what happened when their eyes met. Those eyes! They were real showstoppers, and not just because they seemed to be regarding her with the same scrutiny she was giving him. She had to do a triple take to be sure she was seeing it right, but there it was. His eyes were a cobalt blue, not violet like Caleb’s, but they had the
exact
same sparkles of yellow. She had an odd picture of the California gold rush alive and well in Shay Falls and found herself imagining flecks of shimmering gold exploding from the mountains to land in the eyes of unsuspecting, gorgeous-as-hell men.

She giggled at that, and the doctor launched an eyebrow well up his forehead. “Everything okay?” he asked.

Rose sobered instantly. “Sorry. Never mind.”

He resumed his survey of her neck, and all she could focus on was the experience of him. There was a trace of expensive cologne wafting from his clothes, but also an outdoorsy, masculine scent that sped her pulse and made her keep inhaling conspicuously through her nose just to indulge it. His manner was gentle, yet efficient and thorough. He studied her with a thoughtful almost-frown that was actually cute, damn him. Most of the doctors she’d known were stodgy, fuzzy-eared seniors, not movie stars. Were all the doctors at Shay Falls Community as kissable as this one? If so, she was in for one hell of a ride once she actually started her thirteen-week nursing contract.

He checked over her limbs next, and once apparently satisfied she was in one piece, he shifted toward her again and picked up the chart he’d laid beside him on the bed. “Well, your blood work and vitals are fine, and your X-rays and CT scan were normal.”

She blinked. “I had a CT scan?”

He smiled. Lord, she could practically see rainbows and butterflies dancing in the background behind him.

“Last night,” he said. “Do you remember being brought in?”

“No.” She thought hard, though, and bizarre, disjointed flashes of concerned faces and rushed voices came back. “I do remember a few things after I was here, I guess. But it’s all hazy, like a weird dream.”

“And the accident? Do you remember that?”

“I was driving to the hospital. I was supposed to start work here yesterday, actually.”

He nodded. “I heard about that. And by the way, the charge nurse notified your agency about what happened. You can get in touch with them later today, if you’d like. What else do you recall?”

She smoothed her hair, a bit dismayed to find a good deal of her braid had loose ends hanging out of it. “A wolf ran in front of my car. I swerved, but I hit it. Or at least, I thought I hit it. When I went off road and wound up smashing into a tree, Caleb was there. Turns out I’d hit him without even realizing it.”

She and the doctor both eyed Caleb, who sat quietly. Replaying his rescue brought up a distinct memory that widened her eyes, and she pointed at him. “Were you
naked
when I hit you?”

His violet gaze shifted rapidly between her and the doctor. “Not technically naked,” he said. “I may have shed a layer or two after the accident.”

“You were naked,” she insisted. “Unless I really hit my head hard. Why were you outside like that?”

“Perhaps the bigger question is,” the doctor interjected, watching Caleb carefully, “what was a wolf doing in the middle of the road in broad daylight? Sounds like the wolf population around here needs to be a lot more careful.”

“The men, too,” Rose added, nodding to Caleb. “Caleb was already hurt before the accident. A hunter shot him. Here, look.”

She reached over to Caleb’s shirt again, but this time, he caught hold of her hand and stopped her. A little pulse shot up her arm with the contact.

“The doc’s here to examine you, not me,” he said.

“Just let him look at it. Please? It’ll make me feel better.”

Caleb sighed and let go of her hand before peeling back one side of his shirt. If anything, the wound looked even better than when she’d seen it just minutes ago. What the hell?

Dr. Williams seemed much less pleased, however. He took one look and pursed his lips. “That doesn’t seem to be healing very fast,” he said.

She gaped at him. “What do you mean? This just happened yesterday, Doctor. When I first saw it, the surrounding edges were significantly reddened, and there was purulent drainage. This looks much improved. Amazingly so.”

Despite her nursing assessment, the doctor looked unconvinced. Caleb just shrugged. “It
was
worse yesterday. I got hit by a, well, a special kind of bullet. But I got it out.”

The way he said “special kind” made her wonder, but the doctor nodded as though he understood perfectly. If he was surprised to hear Caleb had done bullet-removal himself, he didn’t let on. Maybe Shay Falls cowboys did a lot of their own first aid.

“I don’t recall there being any hunting up here,” the doctor said.

Caleb grunted. “There is now.”

The men eyed each other for a weighted moment. Then, as suddenly as the cloud had descended, the doctor seemed to shake it off.

He turned back to Rose. “Having any dizziness, headaches, or nausea?”

“Headache. I don’t feel dizzy right now, though.”

“Good. You also had some respiratory issues when you came in. Dr. Jacobs put you on oxygen and nebulizer treatments.”

She reached a hand to her upper lip but felt no oxygen tubing strapped beneath her nose. “I remember coughing a lot.” Which explained the sandpapery feeling in her throat. “Is that normal?”

“It’s a common reaction after inhaling the particles released when an air bag deploys. You were weaned off the oxygen during the night, however, and your lung sounds are clear. Let’s try getting you up to see how steady you are on your feet.”

She nodded but didn’t move. Having been a nurse for a few years, she knew he meant he would write an order for a nurse or physical therapist to ambulate her later. Her mouth fell open, then, when the doctor stood up and held a hand out to her.

“What, now?” she asked.

“Unless you had other plans,” he said with a smile.

She smiled back, feeling utterly disarmed by the white, even teeth he flashed at her. “You’re quite the full-service physician, aren’t you?”

Caleb muttered a sarcastic remark she couldn’t quite hear.

“Let’s have you walk around the station and see how you’re feeling,” the doctor said. “If all goes well, I can go ahead and discharge you home.”

She took his hand and swung her legs around to dangle over the side of the bed. Someone had been thoughtful enough to put slipper socks on her feet and pull a second hospital gown on her backward, creating a makeshift robe that covered her hind end. A good thing, as from what she could tell, she wore nothing beneath but her panties. Without the “robe”, Caleb would be getting quite a show from where he was sitting now.

Then again, who had put the socks and gown on her? For that matter, where had he been when her clothes had been removed in the first place?

She tried not to think about it, focusing instead on the doctor’s confident grip on her hand.

“Take it slow,” he said as she scooted to the edge of the bed. “Let me know if you experience any dizziness.”

Oh, mercy, it was happening again. His touch sent a shiver through her that she was sure he must have noticed. She got up slowly, vaguely recalling her previous collapse. A heavenly body had been there to catch her that time, too. But she didn’t want to risk a repeat and cancel the going-home plan.

When she was fully on her feet, he took her forearm. “Okay so far?” he asked.

“Right as rain.” Except the pounding in her head. And heart.

He let her set the pace as they headed out into the bright, all-white hallway. The unit was bustling with activity as various personnel saw to their patient care duties. A few stopped to give her curious looks while the doctor himself helped ambulate her. No sooner had they gotten fully into the hall than Caleb appeared, walking beside her. Now she was flanked by two gorgeous men who did all sorts of wild, downright disturbing things to her stomach. Their presence was quite unnerving, really. How was she supposed to walk when her knees felt weak?

Sure enough, when Caleb’s arm brushed hers, she faltered. He slid an arm around her waist immediately.

“Are you okay?” he asked in a cowboy lilt that did precious little to steady her gait.

“Sure,” she said a little breathlessly. “I’m fine.”

“Any dizziness?” Dr. Williams asked.

Now, several more curious looks were pointed her way as she stood there like a bumbling fool while two studs fawned over her.

“Not the kind you’re thinking of,” she muttered quietly.

She started forward again, determined not to so much as shuffle. She felt relieved and yet a tad unhappy when Caleb pulled his arm away. It was better that way, though. Walking was easier with her attention off him.

Walking as quickly as she dared without risking a dizzy spell, she turned an eye to surveying the setting. When the doctor slowed down in front of the station to see the readout on her heart monitor, she checked out the nurses’ area. The space was tiny, but it appeared to have been recently remodeled. Flat screen monitors, upholstered desk chairs, and floral wallpaper border decked out the area. The nurses had rolling carts with computer screens attached to them for hauling and recording medication dispensing from room to room.

“Not quite the orientation to the unit you were expecting,” Dr. Williams said as they set off again.

She laughed. “Definitely not. But being on this side of things offers an interesting perspective. It seems like a nice enough place.”

He chuckled. “Then I hope you’ll give us a thumbs-up when you do the mail-in survey.”

The unit was laid out in a circle around the nurses’ station, and before long, they had come around to where they’d started. Once back in her room, he escorted her back to bed.

“How are you feeling now?” he asked.

“Honestly, my head aches, and I’m sore all over. Especially my chest.”

“It would be a miracle otherwise.” He leaned over and laid a hand on her forehead, as though he was checking her temperature. Damn if his very touch didn’t ease the pounding against the top of her skull.

“I’m going to take a look at your chest,” he said.

Without awaiting the answer she couldn’t manage, he tugged the neck of her gown out and peered down inside. She flinched, and her nipples tightened automatically. A stern mental reprimand did nothing to help.

She couldn’t tell whether he’d noticed her response, but he sounded a bit strained when he let go of the gown. “You have some bruising from the seat belt,” he said. “That’s to be expected. It could have been much worse if your airbag hadn’t deployed. Still, you’ll probably be sore for a while. I can order you something mild for the pain—and the headache. I’d prefer nothing narcotic, though, considering the concussion.”