Authors: Hallie Miller
"Where do you think you're going?" He moved to stand directly in front of her on the side of the bed. He picked her up and placed her back in the bed as she tried to wiggle in his arms.
"I need to get up and get out of here. I have to go get my car and get back on the road," Lilly huffed. She threw back the covers he had just placed back over her and made a move to get off the bed again. But suddenly his hands straddled her stomach and he leaned directly over her, about 10 inches from her face. She struggled to take a deep breath from his closeness. She couldn't determine if what she was feeling was fright or seduction, and her heart began to race inside her chest.
"If you even try to get out of this bed again, so help me God, I will put you over my knee right here in this hospital room. Your body needs to rest and rehydrate, not get back in a car anytime soon. If you don't realize that's what's important right now then you need to be under someone's care who knows what you need. Now, I'm going to go talk to the nurse to see what we need to do to get you better. Don't move until I get back." Jake pulled himself away from her shocked face and went to find the nurse.
Lilly's jaw dropped as she watched Jake walk out of the room.
He doesn't really mean that, does he? He can't touch me, much less try to spank me
, she thought to herself. Even though she didn't take his threat seriously, she remained lying down in the bed until he walked back through the door a few minutes later with a young brunette nurse.
The nurse checked over the chart she held in her hands and glanced at the remaining amount of fluids in the bag hanging next to the bed. After jotting down some notes on her chart, she finally spoke. "I think once she gets the rest of these fluids into her system, she should be ready for discharge. Her vitals look normal and have remained steady over the past two hours." The nurse smiled at Lilly and then turned to Jake. "Mr. Hackett, just make sure she gets plenty of rest and gets some food in her system. I'll go ahead and write up the discharge papers so you can get everything filled out to go home." Jake nodded and glanced back at Lilly with a faint smile.
Lilly glared up at him. "What is she talking about? I'm not going anywhere with you. Like I said, I need to get my car and get back on the road. I don't need any handouts from you or anyone else. I appreciate you bringing me to the hospital but I really think that we should go our separate ways from here on out."
Jake shook his head, wondering why this woman was so stubborn and reluctant to let anyone else help her. Given how anxious she was to get back on the road it seemed obvious to him that she was running from something. He couldn't quite place why he wanted to take this girl home and take care of her. He didn't even really know her except for the fact she was obstinate and had an attitude to match. After thinking for a moment, he sat back down in the chair next to her bed and looked at her frowning face.
"Look, I'm not sure what you are running from or why you are so anxious to put yourself in more danger by getting back on the road." He paused to put a finger over her lips as she tried to interrupt. "But I am going to make sure that you follow the nurse's orders and get some rest. I know you don't know me, but I promise I won't let anything happen to you and I would never hurt you. I just want to help."
Lilly was dumbfounded by his words.
Is this the same guy who threatened me ten minutes ago?
She didn't realize why she felt he could really be trusted, but his voice conveyed more than just honesty. She could actually see the concern for her in his eyes and she realized that at this point, maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a little help. She looked up into his blue-gray eyes and nodded. "Okay."
His smile brightened his entire face as he stood and turned for the door. "I'm going to go fill out the paperwork and then we will head out." He grinned as he shut the door and headed to the nurse's station.
Lilly couldn't decide if she had just made a horrible mistake.
Who actually agrees to go home with a total stranger while under the influence of prescription medicine and weak from dehydration? I must be a crazy person! Although he does seem kind of nice, and wow his body is too sexy for words
. Her mind rambled as Jake walked back in the room and opened the small closet which held her clothes. He handed her a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and started to close the curtain around the bed.
Well at least he is a gentleman
.
---oOo---
Once all the paperwork was settled, the nurse settled Lilly into a wheelchair, even though she insisted she was not a cripple and had no trouble walking.
Jake laughed under his breath when the nurse walked the wheelchair into the room, but Lilly saw the stern look that took over his face as she began to argue with the nurse. "She is just doing her job, Lilly. Please sit down and do as you're told."
Lilly almost argued with him but then realized she was still fairly tired and it wasn't worth her energy to argue with both of them for the short ride to the outside loading dock. As they pulled up to the curb, Jake reached in his pocket and pulled out his keys. "I've already pulled up front. I'm just right over there," he said while pointing at a shiny black 4-door Chevy Silverado.
Lilly shivered - she loved big trucks and the good-looking guys that tended to drive them didn't hurt either. Even if this did seem like a weird situation, she was going to try to make the best of it. Jake scooped her up out of the wheelchair to set her in the passenger seat of his truck, interrupting her thoughts.
"Whoa, caveman! I don't need to be manhandled!" she complained.
"I'll show you manhandled. You're lucky I'm not setting your butt on fire instead."
"You know it's rude to mumble," she spat back at him as he reached over to buckle her seatbelt.
"I said, you're lucky I'm not setting your butt on fire. If you were my woman or sister, you would know better than to drive a car halfway across the country without having the engine checked. And you would also have packed enough water in case something did happen to make sure you didn't get dehydrated and pass out in the car in the middle of the Texas heat in the month of July."
Lilly was taken aback. She didn't know how to respond at first. She didn't believe it was possible for a total stranger to be this angry with her. After sitting there for a moment feeling childish from his reprimand, she took a deep breath and began, "I guess that wasn't my smartest move." She looked down at her hands in her lap, realizing that if he hadn't come along she very well may have died on the side of the road.
"What were you thinking of, sitting in the car? Don't you realize that the temperature on the inside of a car in the middle of summer can get up to 200 degrees!" he said, raising his voice a little more.
Lilly started to feel so overwhelmed with herself and the situation that she could barely spit out an answer. "I... I sat outside for a while," she said softly. "And then I was getting burned so I thought... thought I'd just sit in the car for a little while. You know, to... to get out of the sun."
"So what happened to your hand? It's got first and second degree burns all over it? Please don't tell me you tried to fix something under the hood while it was smoking," he asked, praying she would know better than to have done that.
Jake looked over at the young woman sitting next to him in the passenger seat only to see a tear escape onto her left cheek as she nodded. He didn't mean to make her cry but she obviously needed someone to look out for her if these were the type of decisions she made on a regular basis. He stopped the car at the stop sign, reaching over to wipe the tear away with his hand. "Hey, it's ok. I just don't want you to be in a situation like that again. I want you to promise me that you will be more careful from now on," he said softly, rubbing her cheek with his thumb.
Lilly looked at the strained look in his eyes and nodded.
This guy almost seems bipolar, but in a sweet way. Instead of manic and depressed he is overly protective and gentle
. She sat quietly the rest of way to his ranch, thinking about this new man who she couldn't quite comprehend.
Jake casually glanced back at Lilly several times on the remainder of the drive home. He still hadn't come to grips with why he felt the urge to protect her so readily, but he was determined to find out what it was about this girl that was drawing him closer.
Lilly gazed at the beautiful ranch house set on enormous rolling hills encased with pasture fences. It looked absolutely beautiful in the evening sunset. She had always loved animals and had ridden horses as a child but it had been at least 15 years since she had even touched an animal that large. The small amount of fear that began creeping into her stomach on the ride over was replaced with excitement at the prospect of riding one of those horses across the beautiful landscape.
"Wow! It's so beautiful here!" she exclaimed, her hands on the door, itching to get out of the truck.
"I hope you are not even thinking about trying to ride any horses anytime soon. You need to recuperate and rest, not bang yourself up even more than you already are," he chided.
Lilly glared at him and looked back out the window. She had never been a weak person and didn't like it when people told her she couldn't do something. In fact, it only made her want to try it even more. She stared at the three horses that were standing in a group in the middle of a large pasture, and thought to herself,
I'll give it a few days to ease this dude's nerves but then I'm getting on one of those horses. He probably doesn't even think I can ride
.
The house was so beautiful - cape-cod style with a full wrap-around porch complete with swings on each side and rocking chairs. Jake helped her up the stairs with his arm around her waist and opened the door to help her inside. Even though the constant care was a little annoying, his strong hands and muscular arm around her waist made her feel too aroused to complain. There was something about a really big strong guy, especially when his gentle personality contradicted the rugged exterior. They walked into the kitchen and Jake sat her in a chair at the kitchen table while she glanced around at the interior of the house. It seemed modern, yet country and rustic at the same time. It was very clean and it made Lilly wonder if he actually was responsible for the tidiness or if he had a housekeeper. She watched him as he pulled some plates out of the cabinet and set them down on the island. He gathered a loaf of bread and a knife from one of the drawers in front of him, flung open the door to the French-door refrigerator and pulled out a jar of grape jelly and peanut butter.
"How did you know I liked PB&J sandwiches?" She giggled as she watched him spread the jelly on the slices of bread.
"Wild guess," he said, giving her the sweetest of-course-you-do smiles. He set the sandwich plate in front of her along with a bowl of fruit he pulled from the fridge and a glass of water. Lilly devoured her sandwich, not knowing how hungry she was until she put the food in her mouth.
"You know, it might do you some good to start eating regular meals. The nurse said your blood sugar was extremely low when I brought you into the hospital," he scolded as he picked the plates off of the table and loaded them in the dishwasher.
"I do eat pretty regularly. Yesterday was just a long day."
Jake couldn't tell if she was being honest or trying to hide her normal eating habits from him. "Well in this house we eat three times a day. No ifs, ands, or buts. And while you are here, you should know that everyone who works and lives here on the ranch abides by some rules." Lilly listened, not really concerned what these supposed rules could be. Rules were for kids, and she was sure that everyone who worked on the ranch would be adults. "First of all, there is no lying or deceiving on this ranch. If you need anything, whether its help, a ride, or just have a question, you need to just come straight out and be honest. I don't appreciate people going behind my back to get what they need. Communication helps keep people safe and develops trust between workers. Secondly, if you are going somewhere, you need to tell someone where you are going and how long you will be gone. This is still the desert and there are plenty of wild animals as well as dangerous areas where someone can get hurt or even killed. And finally, I am the owner of the ranch and if I ask someone to do something or not to do something, I expect to be obeyed. I am not dictating to be mean or cruel, only to keep people safe and take care of my staff and family," he said firmly, looking directly at Lilly. "And as for you, you are going to rest and take care of that hand until you get better."
"So I can't do anything?" she asked angrily.
"I didn't say that. You can get plenty of rest and catch up on some sleep," he said, smirking at her from across the table.
"This is absolutely ridiculous. I am an adult! I don't need to be confined to a room or house like some errant child!" she yelled in frustration.
"Well you certainly aren't acting like an adult so I don't think I'm going to treat you like one until you do. Now I want you to go upstairs and lay down. The guest room is the second door on the right," Jake said as calmly as he could. He was about two seconds away from showing this girl how he treated women who were determined to act like brats.
Lilly made no move to get up and remained sitting across the table to spite him with a visible pout on her face. "It's barely 8.30," she began as she glanced at her watch, "and there is no way I'm going to bed right now." The only thing missing from her attitude-filled statement was the stomp of her foot.