* * * *
Now, a few days later, Paulie was bumping along on the back of the four-wheeler, holding on tight to Nolan. The breeze felt good on his face as he turned it toward the warm sunshine.
It had been a good morning so far. Most mornings now always started out pretty awesome, with Nolan handing him a steaming cup of strong, black coffee while he was still in bed. He loved leaning against Nolan’s warm body as he sipped and worked on opening his eyes.
When his coffee mug was empty, rough, work-worn hands usually started rubbing his skin, making it come alive. What followed was some sweet loving that woke Paulie up even more than the coffee did.
His injuries had healed up pretty well. There was just a little soreness in his abdomen now and then. If he started to get that dragged-down, tired feeling, he sat down for a while. Nolan’s shop had a couple of stools and an old vinyl front seat of a car sitting on the floor that he rested on when he needed to.
* * * *
Nolan parked the four-wheeler in front of the shop. For many years, he had been happier being alone than having to be around people. Talking sometimes took everything out of him.
Now, he may not be the most talkative person around, but he had found since meeting Paulie that things had become easier. He absolutely loved going to the shop in the morning with Paulie’s strong arms wrapped around his waist. Paulie might not be as big as Nolan, but he was no skinny twink. He had lean muscles that Nolan was sure were going to fill out even more with Elliot’s good cooking and working on the machinery with Nolan.
A streak of gray raced past Nolan and flew through the air, landing squarely on Paulie’s chest. Soon Paulie had a squirming, purring ball of a gray tiger kitten riding one shoulder. Molly was one of the barn kittens and had taken one look at Paulie and decided he was hers forever. When she spotted Paulie, nothing could persuade her to leave him alone.
“What are we working on today, Nolan?” Paulie asked. Gently he set the kitten on the floor on the inside of the shed. She immediately started rubbing up against the legs of his dark-gray coveralls.
“I want to get that truck finished today. I think one of the engine coils needs replacing.” Nolan walked over to the truck in question. It was one of the ranch’s trucks, dark blue with “The Crazy Angle Ranch” painted on the side front doors.
Currently, its front tires were sitting up on top of ramps, so Nolan could easily slide under the front end of the vehicle and work on the underside of its engine. Paulie went over next to the vehicle and started to go through a tray of parts that Nolan had assembled to repair the truck.
Nolan went around the front of the truck to get the car creeper out. He stored the handy device under the truck to keep it out of the way and to prevent anyone from accidently stepping on it. Someone could take a nasty spill if they didn’t see the plastic board with its four rolling wheels. When Nolan lay on it, he easily rolled under whatever vehicle he was working on, and when he was finished, he just as easily rolled back out.
Usually he used his foot to slide the creeper out, but somehow it had gone further under the truck than his foot could reach. Putting his hand on the truck’s bumper, he leaned on it as he extended his other hand under the truck. Nolan had just managed to touch the creeper, when there was a loud crack.
Instinctively, Nolan threw himself away from the truck as it slammed down to the floor. Unfortunately, the sharp metal edge of the bumper scraped along the top of his arm, down to his wrist and over the top of his hand, taking skin with it. Nolan hit the concrete floor hard, the impact knocking all the air out of his lungs.
“Nolan,” Paulie screamed.
Nolan looked up to a panicking Paulie, kneeling next to him, concern etched on his face. “Breathe, Nolan. Come on, you need to breathe,” Paulie pleaded.
Nolan painfully pulled in a small breath of air. A couple more nasty tries and he was able to breathe somewhat normally.
“Oh shit, your hand.” Paulie jumped up, raced across the room and grabbed some clean rags out of the rag box. He was back and wrapping the rags tightly around Nolan’s arm and hand before Nolan could even look at it.
Paulie sat down on the floor next to him, with his hands tightly wrapped around the rags. Nolan could see that blood was slowly turning the white rags red along the top of his arm.
“Paulie, you need to get me back to the house.” The adrenaline was going to run out soon and when that happened, Nolan knew he was going to be in a world of pain.
Paulie didn’t hesitate. Carefully keeping the rags around Nolan’s hand and arm, he helped Nolan to his feet and together they left the shed. Nolan climbed on the four-wheeler and Paulie slid in front of him. With efficient movements Paulie had the machine started and carefully made his way to the main house.
Neither man saw the cowboy standing just inside of the door of the granary across the road, wearing a look of triumph at a job well done. He could almost touch all that money he was going to receive for getting Nolan out of the way. Picking up the hacksaw he’d used to cut the metal of the car ramp, he didn’t see the man come up behind him and knock him over the head with the handle of a shovel.
* * * *
Back in the machine shed, Molly the kitten continued to stalk the sneaky mouse that was hiding in between a couple discarded tires in the corner. Movement and a slight sound drew her light green eyes to the other side of the vast room. Her back instinctively arched and all of her hair stood up straight as she hissed at the shadow of danger peering out of the darkened corner. With a flick of her long furry tail, she ran out of the shed.
* * * *
Paulie’s heart was pounding so hard and the roaring in his ears was so loud, it drowned out all other sounds. When he saw the ramp collapse, sending the full-sized truck crashing to the ground and Nolan falling sideways, trying to get out of the way, he’d almost had a heart attack.
Then he saw Nolan’s injured arm, covered in blood, and he had gone into autopilot. As they made their way into the house, Nolan had his injured arm across Paulie’s shoulders, keeping it elevated, and Paulie was holding him tightly around the waist. It seemed to take far too long, but finally he had Nolan inside the main house and almost to the kitchen.
“Elliot!” he yelled.
Elliot turned toward the hall doorway, his blue eyes widening when his saw Paulie valiantly trying to hold up an injured Nolan.
“What happened?” Elliot demanded.
“A ramp collapsed under a truck and it cut Nolan up pretty bad. I think he needs to go to the hospital,” Paulie answered.
“I don’t need any hospital. We’ll just clean it up and put a bandage on it.” Paulie wasn’t sure if Nolan was trying to convince himself or them with that statement.
“Graham, Adam,” Elliot called out.
As Paulie guided a very pale Nolan to one of the stools next to the island counter, he saw a very guilty-looking Stan coming out of Graham’s office. A grim-faced Adam followed him, with Graham coming out last, with his phone pressed against his ear.
“Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow,” Graham said. Ending the call, he turned toward the kitchen. “What do you need…Oh shit, what happened?”
Adam and Graham carefully lifted Nolan’s arm on top of the island counter. Paulie moved under Nolan’s good arm, hugging him in support. Carefully, Adam unwrapped the blood-soaked rags from around Nolan’s arm.
Paulie’s stomach lurched when he saw that it looked like the sharp edge of the bumper had shaved all the skin completely off the top of Nolan’s arm, from just below the elbow down to the knuckles of his hand.
“You need to go to the hospital, Nolan.” Paulie looked into Nolan’s pale face, seeing how much pain he was in. At that moment, Paulie faced his true feelings and knew, without a doubt, that he was totally in love with Nolan Clark.
“No,” Nolan stated.
“I agree with Paulie, Nolan. You need to have a doctor take care of that,” Adam said.
“No,” Nolan said, again.
“I won’t leave you and you can’t leave the ranch.” Nolan’s pain-filled eyes met Paulie’s and Paulie could see there was no reasoning with him. His Nolan looked ready to take on anybody that disagreed with him.
Graham’s phone rang and he answered it. Quickly turning away, Graham walked into the living room. Elliot came into the kitchen from the pantry carrying a huge first aid kit, and together he and Adam started wrapping up Nolan’s arm with sterile dressings.
Graham came back into the room. “I just talked to Steve and Dees. They’re on their way up from the barn and will be driving you to the hospital, Nolan.”
Nolan was just about to protest, when Graham held up his hand. “As long as Steve and Dees are with you, Paulie can go along. Just keep your eyes open, Paulie. If you see Pennington, you need to tell Steve or Dees right away.”
The back door opened and the big blond and the gray-haired cowboy walked in. They said a few words to Graham that Paulie didn’t quite catch and then they carefully helped Nolan to his feet. Putting Nolan between them, they walked him out of the house and to one of the ranch’s trucks.
Paulie quickly opened the back door for them and turned to help Nolan into the truck. An ashen-faced Nolan was looking at Paulie, but Paulie could see that he really didn’t see him. Then Nolan’s eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out.
Chapter Eleven
Paulie had never been so glad to arrive at a hospital as he was right then. Nolan was awake and clearly in immense pain as Steve parked the truck right in front of the emergency doors, and Dees went to get a wheelchair. When he came back, between him and Dees they managed to get an unsteady Nolan into the chair and through the sliding doors to the receptionist’s desk.
Nolan tried to answer a few questions, all the while gritting his teeth in pain, until Paulie took over, even pulling his insurance card out of his wallet for him. Then they were told to go sit in the packed-to-the-brim waiting room, until Nolan’s name was called.
It was late into the night when an exhausted Paulie led Nolan out of the examining room. The doctors and nurses had painfully cleaned out Nolan’s injury and then put some kind of cream on it. Finally, they bandaged it and gave Nolan a hefty dose of pain medication right into his gorgeous butt cheek.
Armed with a bag full of more cream, clean bandages and a prescription for pain medicine, Paulie was ready to go back to the ranch. Steve had just left to go ahead and get the truck, when Nolan stopped walking, right in the middle of the hallway.
“Paulie, I have to use the restroom,” he said.
Paulie looked around and saw the restroom sign just a couple of doors away, down at the end of the hall. “Okay, it’s just over there.”
“How about I get that prescription filled, while he takes care of business?” Dees asked. “Steve will be back with the truck and then he’ll come and help you with Nolan.”
That sounded like heaven to Paulie. He could see the hospital pharmacy near the exit doors down the hall to his left. Dees’s idea would save so much time.
“Sounds good,” he said, “I’ll take Nolan down to the bathroom and we’ll meet you by the door.”
“Nolan might be drugged up, but he’s still here and can go to the bathroom by himself,” Nolan said. Paulie ignored Nolan’s protest and kept guiding him to the door with the restroom sign above it.
“I know, Nolan, but when I saw you get hurt, it scared the living daylights out of me,” Paulie confessed. “I guess I need to take care of you and make sure you’re all right.”
“I love you too, baby,” Nolan said, just before he disappeared into the single bathroom.
Paulie stood there looking at the closed door for a moment completely stunned. Then he wondered if it was the drugs talking. Shrugging, he knew he would have to wait for Nolan to come out before he would see if Nolan really meant what had he said.
Turning, intending to lean against the wall and wait for Nolan, Paulie was surprised to see Travis from the ranch standing in front of him.
“Travis, what are you doing here?” he asked.
Paulie took a step back when he watched Travis’s dark eyes fill with hatred, as they stared at him. “I have to get rid of you once and for all.” The short black man reached up and pulled the hood of his long sweatshirt over his head. Now Paulie saw the man was wearing baggy pants with the hoodie, and he realized Travis was the same man who broke into his house and who Pennington had cut across the chest. Travis must have also got rid of his dreadlocks and the stubble on his chin. Changing his looks worked, because Paulie hadn’t had an inkling of who the man really was.
From the front pocket of the hoodie, Travis pulled out a knife and flashed it at Paulie. “Walk out the door and turn left. I have my car parked out there. Don’t bother trying anything because I’ll be right behind you.”
Paulie’s mouth went dry and his stomach heaved. Nightmares of being sliced open by a knife over and over ran through his mind. He couldn’t go through that again. Plans formed in his mind to run as soon as they had cleared the doors and were outside. Paulie knew it would be his only chance. Turning toward the exit doors, he started walking. He had taken just about three steps when he heard a door open behind him, then a thump and a grunt.
Turning around, he found a swaying Nolan standing behind him with Travis crumpled on the floor next to the wall.
“I told you I would always protect you, baby,” Nolan said, his good hand braced against the wall.
Paulie raced into Nolan’s arms and pressed his face into his chest, breathing in Nolan’s musky male scent.
“What the hell happened?” Paulie looked over his shoulder to see Steve standing there.
“Travis had a knife and ordered me to leave the hospital with him,” Paulie answered, not intending to leave Nolan’s embrace anytime soon.
“Why would he do that?” Steve asked.
“He’s the guy who broke into my house the night Pennington attacked me,” Paulie explained.
Now Dees was standing behind Steve holding a small pharmacy bag, taking in the whole situation.
Steve knelt down, took hold of Travis by the shoulders, and lifted his unconscious body, quickly dragging him through an open door right next to them. Everyone followed him and Dees shut the door behind them. Thank goodness the small office was empty, being the middle of the night and fast approaching the early dawn hours.
“Okay, what’s the plan?” Dees asked, looking at Steve.
“You take Paulie and Nolan back to the ranch. I’ll contact the police and take care of this situation,” Steve instructed.
“Sound good,” Dees answered.
Dees opened the door and waited for Paulie. “Come on Paulie, we need to take Nolan home. Steve knows what he’s doing and we have to tell Graham what’s going on.”
By the time they got back to the ranch, Paulie and Nolan were more than half-asleep, snuggled up together in the back seat. Paulie could have stayed like that forever, but he knew Nolan needed more medication and a comfortable bed to sleep in.
A grim-faced Graham, with Tyler by his side, greeted them in front of the wide-open, big wooden double front doors. “Steve called. Paulie, take Nolan to bed. We’ll straighten everything out in the morning. Dees, I’d like to talk to you for a minute.”
Paulie gratefully led Nolan to their bedroom. Quickly he gave Nolan pills for the pain and then removed both of their clothes. Snuggled next to Nolan’s uninjured side with his head on Nolan’s shoulder, Paulie was so grateful for this moment and so glad to be lying next to Nolan. He could have lost him today. Paulie now knew, without a doubt, he never wanted to lose Nolan.
Paulie stared into the darkened room, not really seeing anything, his body slowly relaxing. “Did you mean it?” he whispered.
Quiet enveloped the room and Paulie thought that Nolan must have fallen asleep.
Finally, Nolan’s deep, baritone voice broke the silence. “Yeah
, I meant it.”
Paulie felt his heart warm and almost overflow with what he was feeling for the man lying next to him.
“I love you, too.”
Nolan pulled Paulie closer, cupping his head and tilting it. Paulie’s lips were captured in a kiss that was firm, yet gentle. When Nolan released him, Paulie relaxed back onto his lover’s shoulder, happy with what life had given him.
* * * *
Nolan sat in Graham’s office trying to decide whether to be rip-roaring mad or glad that some of Paulie’s problems were finally being resolved. The biggest problem he had with the whole thing was that he hadn’t even known these problems existed.
Imagine his surprise when Graham called him and Paulie into his office after breakfast, only to find Adam, Nate, Steve, Dees and Stan waiting for them.
Graham sat down behind his desk and looked at him and Paulie. “Let me start by saying we are very close to catching Pennington. After everything that happened yesterday, it’s just a matter of time.”
“Do you know where he is?” Nolan asked.
“I talked to the sheriff earlier this morning and from the information he received from interrogating Travis, Pennington is in the area somewhere. He thinks with a little more persuasion, Travis will eventually tell them where.”
“Last night, I recognized Travis as the man who broke into the house I was renting before I came here. How is he involved with Pennington?” Paulie asked.
“For the last ten years, since he was eighteen years old, Travis has been Pennington’s domestic partner.”
Nolan was stunned, and by the look on Paulie’s face, he was even more shocked.
“Then why was Pennington after me?” Paulie asked.
“Pennington is sick, Paulie,” Graham answered. “He has terminal cancer. According to Travis, mentally he was fine until he was diagnosed about four years ago. Between the drugs the doctors used to try to combat the cancer and the cancer itself, he became unbalanced. Then he added a powerful combination of street drugs into the mix. Travis said that’s when he lost all sense of reason.”
Summer, Bellann - Paulie's Protector [The Men of the Crazy Angle Ranch 4] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 9