Chapter 2

His shirt was spackled with blood. "Lee! What happened? You look like—"

"I was on the losing end of a fight? Yeah, I was, sort of... 'vette's a mess too. "

"Oh my gosh!" She hovered over him, hands suspended, not sure where to begin. His eye was partially swollen shut and a thin laceration on his temple was the source of the blood on his face. What remained of his shirt was ripped and spotted with blood as was his arm. Gingerly she began to work the buttons, moving the fabric to reveal his chest. It was peppered with minute cuts and a large bruise was already forming. Tiny shards of glass rolled and fell onto the bed as she spread the shirt open. "Were you in a car accident?"

"Yeah—that storm that rolled through an hour ago—tree came down right in front of me. The 'vette slammed into it. I hit the steering wheel – think I might have busted some ribs. Wind shield shattered... there was smoke so I dove out and then, they were behind me again so I ran." He closed his eyes and licked his lips, drawing in short painful breaths. "Came here...think I lost them but not sure..."

"Who? Who was chasing you?"

Lee rolled his head side to side. "Not sure. They just appeared—somehow they knew what I was doing—started to fight—finger dislocated but I got away..." A weak smile passed over his face at the memory. "Jumped the fence and jarred my knee a good one. Made it to the 'vette and thought I was home free but somehow they managed to pick up my trail and then the storm hit..." He sighed wearily and was silent.

Unsure if he'd passed out or was just resting, Amanda couldn't bear the thought of disturbing him to sit up so she could remove his shirt. Instead, she grabbed scissors from her sewing kit, and cut the sleeves open. His right forearm had a long jagged gash, and she wondered if it was the result of the accident or the fight. Gently she probed the flesh and decided it wasn't too deep.

"That's from one of your neighbours' fences—broken board caught my arm...Not my best day." He gave a dry laugh then opened his eyes to watch her move about the room. "How'd you know I was out there?"

She glanced over her shoulder as she gathered first aid supplies. "I didn't. Something woke me up—maybe a dream, or a noise—and I couldn't get back to sleep so I was just looking out the window when I thought I saw something moving in the yard. It was you." Kneeling beside him, she slipped a couple of aspirin into his mouth and held his head so he could sip some water.

"Hmm—lucky for me, I guess. I hadn't planned on bothering you. Just thought I'd rest in the gazebo for awhile."

"Most likely you'd have passed out in the gazebo and Mother would have found you when she went out there with her morning cup of tea and newspaper. Looking like this she'd think you were a vagrant or a criminal." Amanda picked up tweezers and a bottle of antiseptic. "I'm going to try to clean these cuts. This might sting a bit."

Frowning in concentration, the tip of her tongue protruded a bit as she used the tweezers to pick glass from the cuts on his chest and then daubed antiseptic on the small wounds. Heat rose from his body and she could feel the warmth of it on her face as she leaned in close to complete the delicate job. Her hand briefly rested over his heart and it beat a quick rhythm against her palm. His pulse seemed a trifle fast—no doubt due to his weakened state she decided.

Her own pulse was increasing too, as she reacted to his proximity and she drew in a deep steadying breath. Immediately she regretted the action as the scent of him filled her; an intoxicating mixture of cologne, sweat and something that was uniquely Lee. Giving her head an imperceptible shake, she continue the tedious job, going over his exposed flesh inch by inch until she was sure all of the shards had been removed.

Looking up, she started to announce that she was finished but realized he really was sleeping this time. She reached over, brushing his hair from his forehead and his face turned into her palm. Allowing herself a small liberty she ran her finger ever so lightly over his lips, thrilling when they moved instinctively against her sensitive skin. She would have repeated the gesture but common sense and a bit of pride took over—taking advantage of an injured man was beneath her dignity, she told herself.

Quickly and efficiently she dealt with the cut on his temple and arm. His finger looked nasty – swollen and discoloured, matching the growing bruises on his eye and chest. She stood and observed him for a moment then shook her head. It wasn't right that the man could look so damn sexy even when he was a mass of cuts and bruises. Little wonder she was plagued with indecent thoughts about him.

Setting aside the first aid supplies she decided that she'd done all she could do for him at present. He was only lying partially on the bed, his legs still dangling uncomfortably over the side. Removing his shoes and socks, she eased his legs onto the bed. He mumbled and grimaced while shifting into a more comfortable position, then quieted as sleep over took him once more.

Amanda studied his sleeping form, wondering if his knee needed tending to. He was wearing denim and the pant legs were too narrow to be pushed up without jarring his injury further. She could cut the pant leg but it seemed a waste since, unlike his shirt, they were undamaged. After weighing her options, she decided to slip his pants off. Her stomach fluttered at the very idea and her hands were less than steady as she reached for his button and then slid down the zipper of his fly.

She'd been married and even worked in the hospital as a Bedside Bluebell. A man's body was no mystery to her, but the idea of Lee being nearly naked in her bed—even if he was injured –was doing unspeakable things to her. Getting a grip on her rollercoaster emotions, she tried to complete the job as dispassionately as possible. Rolling him to one side and then to the other, she eased his pants past his hips, forcing her eyes to not linger on the interesting bulge outlined by the material of his underwear. Once his pants were off, she checked out his knee. It was a bit puffy so she wet a washcloth with cold water and laid it on the afflicted joint.

Satisfied that she'd done all she could to ease his physical discomfort, she sat on the edge of the bed wondering what her next move should be. He'd been adamant that she didn't call Mr. Melrose, though he hadn't given her a reason, just that damnably annoying phrase 'Need to know." Sometimes she thought that if she heard it uttered one more time, she'd lose control and become violent.

At times she was sure people used the phrase just to avoid explaining rather than there being a real issue of secrecy. But was this one of those times? Probably not. So...the next question was what to do with a nearly naked secret agent who was sleeping in your bed? She'd bandaged him. There was little she could do for his ribs or the severe bruising on his torso. Hopefully there were no internal injuries but she had no real way of checking. The Junior Trailblazer handbook didn't cover that.

Well then, the next move would have be waiting and watching. Once he woke up, they'd decide together. After ensuring that her door was locked—just in case her Mother woke up and decided to pay a visit—she covered Lee with a blanket and eased herself back on the pillows beside him, prepared to spend the night keeping vigil.

It was funny, she mused to herself; not even an hour ago she was bemoaning the empty spot in her bed. Now it was filled with the man of her dreams. Of course, he was injured, sleeping and not up to any of the more interesting activities that she'd fantasized about but still....She propped herself on her elbow and watched him sleep. His lashes were darker than his hair and fanned out over his cheeks giving him a slightly vulnerable appearance. Her eyes drifted lower to his parted lips and then to his chest. Watching the steady rise and fall of the muscled surface, she wondered what it would be like to lay her head there and hear the strong beating of his heart, to feel his breath ruffling her hair with each breath he took, to have his arms wrapped around her, holding her close as they both drifted off to sleep...