Preston (Members From Money Book 28)

by Katie Dowe

  “I miss you.”

  “Yeah who wouldn’t?”

  Preston shook his head to get rid to the images filtering through his mind. He drank the wine thoughtfully. Eventually he would have to get back to the real world. He had a company to run and although he had told his mother that she could handle things on her own he knew it couldn't be for long. They had loyal employees and the board members were committed to the company but he knew how to deal with everything. He leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes warily. His mind wandered back to her. He had a feeling she was hiding out the way he was and wondered what from. He hadn't seen a wedding ring but that didn't mean anything. Maybe she was hiding out from a suffocating husband or lover or maybe it was something else. He'd wanted to ask her but that would only open the door for questions of her own and he couldn't manage that.

  He finished the rest of the wine and sat there staring moodily into the flames. He finally got to his feet and headed for the bedroom. He went straight into the bathroom and stripped off his clothes with the intention of taking a quick shower before turning in, but he stood there staring at his body objectively. He had no hang ups as to how attractive he was. He was passably attractive, there was no way he could ever compete with his brother and he had never tried to. He moved away from the mirror and stepped into the shower. He was just going pass the time that he needed to and get back to the real world. He was just planning on staying for a couple of weeks. That was it.

  Chapter 3

  Addie contemplated going up to his cabin unannounced. It had been three days since she'd been there for dinner and she found herself thinking about him. The writer in her tormented herself into thinking up scenarios of what he was mourning. Maybe it was a wife or children or both! Or maybe the loss of a girlfriend or even something as simple as a break up. What if he was, like her, trying to get over losing someone special . The sadness in his face was etched too deep for it to be just a casual something. It had to cut deep for him to look like he did. She walked around the kitchen restlessly. The snow had ceased for the time being and a pale watery sun was shining down from the sky. She'd shoveled again just last night and the path was clear. She had done some more writing but she just couldn't concentrate on anything, so she'd put her laptop away. To her surprise she hadn't thought about Edgar or her former best friend Ruth in the past few days and she was grateful for that. But she couldn't stop thinking about Cameron.

  Maybe she should check on him. What if he was ill or lying somewhere on the path with a broken leg or something like that? Her usual run hadn't taken her to that side of the cabins. With a sudden decision she went to get her jacket and after putting it on she headed out the door. Addison wrapped the jacket around her body as the wind whistled through the trees and grabbed at her. She hurried along, wondering if this had been such a good idea after all.

  She hesitated when she reached the clearing that led to his cabin. There was no smoke coming from the chimney but that didn't mean anything. With a shrug she walked purposefully up to the door and knocked. “Cameron?” She listened and didn't hear anything. “Cameron? It’s Addie.” Still nothing. She was about to turn away and leave when she heard a faint sound coming from inside. “Cameron?” she pushed the door open and went inside. She frowned as she looked around. The place was cold due to a lack of fire. Where was he?

  “Cameron?” she wandered further inside and heard the faint sound again. She hurried towards it and found him lying on the bed, covered with a thick blanket. “Cameron?” His green eyes looked feverishly bright. She rushed towards the bed and he reached out a hand to her. She took it and recoiled. He was burning up.

  “I'm sick,” he said hoarsely.

  “That’s an understatement,” she told him grimly. “I'm going to try and get the fever down.”

  “Bathroom,” he whispered.

  She nodded and went to get some water and towels. She dug into the cabinet and saw some fever medicine. It would have to do. She hurried back inside, soaked the towel in the cold water and started to wipe him down. She removed the blanket and hesitated a little before pulling off the sweater he was wearing. His chest was surprisingly well toned with muscles clearly defined. She used the towel to wipe him down briskly. His breathing was shallow as he stared up at her and he was shivering. “I'm going to get you some soup. Are you hungry?”

  He nodded and closed his eyes. She hesitated as she reached his lower body, which was covered in thick sweatpants. As if he realized what she was thinking he opened his eyes and looked at her. “Just put my sweater back on.”

  “I'll get you a fresh one.” She got to her feet and went to the chest of drawers to search for one. She took out a green one and couldn't help but notice the quality of it, the one she'd taken off of him was a good quality too. She went back to help him into it and pulled the covers over him.

  “How long?”

  “Last night,” he told her hoarsely.

  “I'll go get the soup.”

  His kitchen was cozy but the entire place felt as if she was in a freezer. She looked around for the matches and found the box. She put the soup on to warm up the kitchen before going into the living room. Piles of wood were stacked against the fireplace. She was guessing that he'd been too weak to make the fire or even turn on the heat. She got the fire going and very soon the place had warmed up. She went back to the kitchen to check on the soup and found it boiling. Ladling out a bowl and grabbing some thin crackers and a glass of water she went back into the room. “Can you try and sit up?”

  He struggled to do so and she helped him, setting the tray in front of him. “Try and eat as much as you can.”

  He'd stopped shivering, which was a good thing.

  “Thank you,” he whispered as she stepped back.

  “You're welcome. I'm going to see to the fire. I'll be back shortly.”

  Addison made sure that the fire was still going and added more pieces of wood to it. The place was getting warmer and she took off her jacket. Her instinct had been right all along, she thought shaking her head. If she hadn't followed her thinking he would probably have died of pneumonia. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was a little past one in the afternoon. She felt her stomach grumble and realized that apart from her breakfast of toast and coffee she'd had nothing more to eat. She went into the kitchen and wrinkled her nose at the plain soup she had warmed up for him. She decided to make herself a sandwich. She made quick work of the turkey and ham sandwich and made herself a cup of hot chocolate before going back to him. He'd finished the soup, much to her relief, and had also eaten the crackers and half the glass of water. “I guess I was hungry,” he said huskily.

  “You were.” She removed the tray and felt his forehead. The fever was still there but not so bad. She shook out two of the pills and gave them to him. “To help bring the fever down.” He took them and swallowed them, along with some of the water.

  “I really appreciate this,” he told her. His voice sounded better and he looked less pale.

  “I was happy to play nurse,” she said with a smile. “Think you can sleep now?”

  “You're leaving?”

  “No, I'll be in the living room.”

  He nodded at that and slid down, pulling the covers over him. She watched as he closed his eyes before heading out of the room.

  Addison wandered around the living room for a moment before sitting on one of the sofas and reaching for the remote. She knew it was the same as hers, with only basic cable but she needed something to do. She turned the TV on and used the remote to channel surf, settling on an old black and white film. She knew she wouldn't come up on any of the movies she'd written because they'd been made for the big screen. ‘Love Unlikely’ had been her first script and had been written five years earlier. She remembered how excited she'd been when it had been accepted by one of the biggest producers around and when he'd told her that he was going to use it. She had agreed to everything he'd told her because she had been so excited and humb
led by the fact that something that she wrote was going to be shown on the big screen. She'd written plays in college and those had been shown in the auditoriums. She looked at the television screen bleakly as she realized how much she'd grown from that wide-eyed twenty-two year old girl who had done everything she'd been told, to a woman who was now realizing that if you allowed it people would use you despicably. She'd gotten herself an agent and had made the demands. She leaned back against the sofa and curled her feet beneath her. She was seriously contemplating not going back to the business, but she wasn't sure. If she stopped writing scripts what would she do? She'd stayed out of the limelight as much as possible because that wasn't who she was. She admitted that she'd enjoyed seeing her name in lights when the credits went up but she hated the falseness and the glamor of it all. She leaned her head back and before long she had drifted off to sleep.

  *****

  Preston woke up disoriented and burning up. He groaned as he tried to move, feeling the pain in his joints. What the hell was the matter with him? His throat was parched and his skin felt as if it was on fire. With superhuman effort he climbed slowly out of bed. He had to get some water inside him. He walked slowly and carefully, putting one foot before the other. His head was swimming and it felt as if he was going to pass out any minute now. It seemed like forever before he reached the living room and saw Addie curled up on the sofa. He had to wake her. He took a step towards her and felt his knees buckle. He had just enough time to reach for the back of the sofa before he crumpled over, unconscious.

  ******

  Addison jumped up as she heard the thump. She shook her head to get rid of the sleep and looked around. What on earth was that sound? She got off the sofa and saw him lying there on the floor. “Cameron!” She rushed to him and bent down, put her hand on his arm and recoiled in horror. The fever had come back and this time worse than before. She would never be able to move him, she thought in panic. She rushed into the bathroom to wet the towel to souse him down but the fever wouldn't shake. Sitting back on her haunches she wondered what to do and then it dawned on her. “It’s the only way,” she whispered as she got to her feet and took off her clothes leaving her underwear on. She lifted the blanket and crawled in next to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. It was a few minutes before the shivering stopped. She sighed with relief and continued to hold him until she fell asleep right there.

  *****

  Preston’s thoughts were muddled as he tried to open his eyes. His head felt as if it was stuffed with cotton and something was pressing him down. He opened his eyes slowly to find her on top of him. He frowned as he tried to get his thoughts together. What the hell? He moved slightly and she burrowed further in his arms. He also had his arms wrapped around her naked body. His eyes flew open and a heavy frown etched his brow. Why were they naked? She stirred against him and opened her eyes, lifting her head to look down at him.

  “The fever's gone,” she murmured huskily. He didn't answer. He couldn't. She was too near and he could see the parting of her lips.

  He eased her off of him quickly as he felt his body tightening. She got to her feet and reached for her jeans to pull them on and then her sweater. “I had to do something. You fainted and the fever was bad.” She used her fingers to comb back her hair and looped it behind her neck. “Can you get up?”

  He tried and with a lot of effort was able to do so.

  “You need to get back to bed.”

  He shook his head. “I'm tired of the bed. And I'm hungry,” he said hoarsely.

  “Some more soup?”

  “No. Something more.” His green eyes met hers. “Thank you.”

  “You're welcome. Think you can make it to the kitchen?”

  He nodded and followed her slowly. Addison opened the fridge and examined its contents. “You have lamb chops and pork chops. What will it be?”

  “Lamb.” He sat on the stool and rested his head in his hands, feeling totally weak and helpless.

  “Lamb it is.” She looked at him in concern. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to bed?”

  “No.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t get sick,”

  “Time for everything.” She told him as she put the lamb chops into the oven and prepared to make the salad. “If you're very hungry I can make you a sandwich in the meantime.”

  “I'll wait.”

  She nodded and busied herself making the meal.

  *****

  “When is he coming back?” Miriam handed her friend the glass of wine before sitting on the opposite sofa.

  “In a couple of weeks. At least that’s what he said.” Paige Sullivan sipped the red wine delicately. “I feel as if I've lost both my sons.”

  “He's feeling the loss, darling. And it's still fresh.”

  “Parker was such a reckless idiot. I knew he would get himself killed one day.” Paige drank the wine to cool her throat and to tamp down on the anger she was feeling. She had no idea if he was okay or even where he was. That useless secretary of his had no information where that was concerned and in the meantime she was going crazy wondering if he was okay. “I resigned myself to his untimely demise a long time ago. I made peace with his death, Miriam. I just wish Preston would do too.”

  “Parker was his hero,” Miriam reminded her. “It's not easy for him to get over his brother so quickly.”

  “I am a woman bereft,” Paige said with a sharp laugh. “I'm the one who needs to disappear and regroup.”

  “Women are usually so much stronger than men, darling,” Miriam said dryly. “The slightest headache sends them to the emergency room.”

  Paige laughed at that and agreed. “Parker was always so reliable and sober. Not an impulsive bone in his body.”

  “Except now.”

  “Except now.” Paige sighed. “He had to take on the responsibility of running the company when his father died. I always thought that he had everything thrown on him too quickly. Parker refused to take up the mantle but Preston never complained.”

  “Just give him time. He deserves it.”

  *****

  They ate the meal and he ate everything on his plate, surprised at his appetite. It was the first time he'd eaten so much in a long time, he realized. She'd found something to make for dessert, canned fruits with whipped cream on top, and he ate that as well.

  “I'm afraid I'm too full to move,” he told her ruefully. “Thanks, that was very good.”

  “How do you feel?” She picked up their plates, put them into the sink and started washing them.

  “Much better. I don’t even have a temperature. I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

  “I'm sure I'll find a way to extract payment,”she told him lightly as she dried the dishes. “It’s getting late. Are you sure you will be okay?”

  “I was thinking that maybe you should stay the night.”

  Her gaze flew to his.

  “You could stay in the spare bedroom. I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you go out by yourself and I'm afraid that I'm selfishly thinking that I might have a relapse during the night,” he told her seriously.

  “You might be right,” she said with a nod. “I'll go and make up the bed.”

  “I'll stay here for a little bit to get my strength back.”

  Addison nodded and walked out of the room.

  He stared after her, his heart hammering inside his chest. He'd invited her to stay. He had meant it when he told her that he was afraid that he might have a relapse and he wasn't comfortable with her walking back alone in the dark, but there was something else. Something that he wasn't going to acknowledge to himself. At least not now. When he'd woken up with her in his arms he'd felt desire stirring inside him even though he'd been too ill to recognize it fully. She was a stranger, but a stranger who had no doubt saved his life. He'd admired her as she got to her feet and started pulling on her clothes. He sipped the hot chocolate she'd made for him moodily. He was certainly in no position to engage in any sort of relationship.
r />   *****

  Addison made up the bed thoughtfully. She did it slowly, not sure she wanted to go back out there to face him right now. She was having thoughts of being in his arms. It had taken her a little while to fall asleep when she'd decided to warm him up with her body. She'd felt the stirrings of something that she hadn't felt in a long time and that was ridiculous. She'd just gotten out of a relationship, surely she couldn't be over Edgar so quickly. It wasn't possible. She bit her lip and then with a sigh she went back into the kitchen to find that he wasn't in there. She turned and almost ran into him as he came behind her. He used his hands to steady her and then stepped back. “I wanted to see if I could walk by myself,” He smiled at her briefly, his eyes going to her lips.

  “And I see you were able to,” she said casually. “Ready to turn in?”

  “I'm afraid I slept so much that I'm not feeling sleepy right now.” He glanced at the clock. “I was thinking we could watch something before turning in. How about that?”

  “Good idea.” She turned to lead the way into the living room. The fire had died down somewhat and he went to put some more logs onto the dying embers.

  “I turned on the electric heat but I figured we need this.”

  “Considering you almost froze to death last night,” she cocked her head and looked up at him as he joined her on the sofa. “How did it happen?”

  “I foolishly went out for a run in the cold and without enough warm clothing.” He pulled the blanket over him and leaned back. “I paid for it. When I came in I started sneezing and shivering like crazy and I had just enough strength to go to bed. I went in and out of consciousness during the night and only realized how bad it was when I heard you calling.”

  “Thank goodness I decided to come and check up on you,” she said sincerely.

  “I'm very grateful.” He looked at the screen. “What are we watching?”

  “What are your tastes?”

  “As long as it's not sappy romance, I don’t mind.”

  “You don’t like sappy romance?” she asked him with her eyebrows raised.