Keelee stared into the fire. “But you’re a doctor, not a medic. Why couldn’t his old doctor go?”
Doc shrugged and pulled off his boots, stretching his feet towards the fire. “Most doctors don’t volunteer for duty with the teams. I’m not what you would consider normal in that respect. I honor my oath to do no harm, but I will protect my brothers at all costs. I guess that’s a dichotomy, but I can live with it. I served in the Marine Corps before I got out and went to medical school.”
“Wait, go back. Was he dead, the medic you replaced?”
Doc closed his eyes. She didn’t need to be touched by the violence inherent in his life.
Keelee sighed. “I’m not stupid, Adam. I figured you and Jacob do some sort of super-secret military shit.” She paused and gave a dry laugh. “And Tori, too, I suppose.”
Adam turned his head towards her and watched the firelight dance off her golden hair. “I don’t think you’re stupid. I signed a non-disclosure agreement when I went to work for Guardian. I can’t tell you the details. You know what we do is dangerous.”
“Life is filled with danger, Adam. Some spirits are led to it, some away from it. You make a difference. That’s what Tori keeps saying. She likes making a difference and now I am starting to understand how she does that.”
He turned back to the fire and closed his eyes for a moment. “The job is important, but it leaves a huge hole. If you’re lucky like Jacob and Tori, you can find someone to fill the void.” Or you find a money-hungry gold digger looking to advance her position and deal with the ramifications for the rest of your life.
The fire crackled as sap caught in the wood popped. Keelee closed her eyes and pulled up the sleeping bag. Doc gazed at the flames for several long minutes. Muted noises coming from the bedroom would have been awkward if Keelee hadn’t fallen into an exhausted sleep. Not to mention his rebellious cock, which hadn’t stopped noticing the woman beside him. He’d give anything to take her to bed and rock her world… and his, for at least a week. God, what was he thinking? He chuckled to himself. He wasn’t thinking, his dick was, and that always led to trouble. Leaning his head back, he listened to the fire and her rhythmic breathing as he let the day slip away.
* * *
Adam woke to the cold of the room and cast a sleepy glance at the fire that had died down to coals. In the darkness, he heard her breathing and recognized the wet congested sound. As he’d suspected, she was coming down with something. He stood and moved to her, carefully picking her up. With no effort, he carried her into her room, where he lay her down on the bed.
She was running a low-grade fever. Her body was abnormally hot, and she started shivering when he lay her down. He pulled away the sleeping bag. It was damp from her perspiration. He removed her coat, turning it inside out so any wetness absorbed from her fevered body would evaporate before daybreak. Taking care not to wake her, he unbuttoned and removed her shirt and unfastened her jeans. When he slid off her jeans, she coughed and huddled into a ball but never woke. He covered her with his dry sleeping bag and lay down beside her. Her body automatically sought his heat as she pushed close to him. Adam moved her onto his shoulder and wrapped his leg and arm around her. He closed his eyes, and with the practiced ease learned from too many combat missions, fell immediately into a deep sleep.
Doc woke suddenly but didn’t move. His morning wood raged against his jeans, begging him to either release it from the denim-enforced pressure or give it the friction it needed. His leg and arm remained draped over Keelee, who had turned in her sleep and snuggled her back against his body. Tori and Jacob whispered at the bedroom door before it snicked shut. Keelee’s mass of blonde hair shrouded the pillow around them. She coughed—a deep, congested hack. Doc pulled her closer and she nestled on his arm and shoulder. The throbbing of his cock would have to be ignored. The lady was ill.
Tori and Jacob’s murmured conversation could be heard through the door, but the words were indistinguishable. He gazed down at the profile of the beautiful woman in his arms. Her breathing was labored and congested. A coughing fit shook her body wickedly and she woke and sat up. Her eyes bounced around the room and then finally to him as if trying to put her memory in place.
Her hoarse voice cracked. “How in the hell did I end up in bed with you?”
Doc stretched and stood up. No sense in letting her feel what his body wanted. “I’m that memorable, huh?” At her baffled expression, he grinned. “You fell asleep on the couch. When I moved you to your bed, I noticed your sleeping bag was damp from the fever you were running. I took off your coat, jeans, and shirt and wrapped you in my bag. You were still shivering so I lay down to warm you up.”
“Thank you.” She pulled the sleeping bag closer and coughed again. “Okay, I probably need to get cleaned up and dressed.”
Doc reached out and felt her forehead. “You’re running a temperature. You shouldn’t be out working in the cold.”
“Yeah, right. I don’t know how you were raised, but a case of the sniffles isn’t going to stop me from getting this herd gathered.”
She lifted the sleeping bag and stepped onto the cold floor. The utilitarian green cotton bra and panties on her toned body were brief and tight enough to make Doc’s hard-on rematerialize. Damn if she wasn’t beautiful. Keelee leaned down to rummage through her pack and gave Doc an excellent view of her perfect ass. His erection made his jeans just a bit too tight. After pulling clean underwear out, she peeked back at him. “Turn around, please.”
Doc shook his head, his eyes locked on her. No way in hell he was going to miss this show.
“Alright then, close your eyes.”
Again Doc shook his head. His eyes swept her body with an appreciative glance.
Keelee took a deep breath that triggered a coughing fit. “Fine, be that way.”
She turned away from him, took off her bra, and quickly put on a new one—blue this time. Damn, the expanse of naked skin almost had him coming in his pants.
He groaned inwardly as she dug into the saddle bags and pulled out a long-sleeve thermal undershirt. She pulled the shirt on. The hem fell to the middle of her thighs. She held Doc’s gaze with steady challenge as she shimmied out of her underwear and into her new pair without showing an inch of skin.
He broke out in a sweat. Fuck, he needed to be in her. Pulling on a pair of jeans, Keelee sat on the bed and pushed her feet into thick socks. With effort, she crawled up to the head of the bed. Adam sat down beside her. She hacked a congested cough and dropped her head into her hands. And there went the mood. The girl was definitely sick.
He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him. “Feeling pretty bad?”
Keelee nodded. “Yeah. Like shit. I appreciate you taking care of me last night.”
“Not a problem. You shouldn’t go out today. Rest up. We can work the herd today.”
Keelee gave her attention to him. Her eyes sparkled, probably from a low-grade fever. “Huh. Not likely. You could make my day and go get me some coffee. Please.”
Doc lifted an eyebrow at her defiance. “I will, but only because I want some too.”
She snorted a laugh and then coughed again. He had to give her credit; she didn’t blush or cause a stink about him taking her clothes off. And he also had to admit she was one of the prettiest patients he’d had in the last five years.
He closed the door behind him and saw Jacob and Tori on the floor in front of the fireplace, locked in a heated embrace. Doc picked up a mug and called, “Really? Could you at least find a place away from the coffee pot?”
Tori’s head lifted, and her voice was husky with desire when she replied. “No, go back to bed.”
Doc shook his head and laughed. “Can’t. Keelee is awake and demanding room service.”
Tori propped herself up on Jacob’s chest. “While we are on the topic, care to explain that?” Tori motioned towards the bedroom.
“No.”
Doc stepped past them and kicked Jacob’s
boot, moving the man’s foot away from the corner of the fire by the coffee pot. He poured two mugs and retraced his steps going back into the bedroom. Jacob’s laughter and Tori’s, “Well, shit, he is a talkative one isn’t he?” trailed after him.
Chapter Three
It was a miserable cold-as-fuck day. The cattle didn’t want to move, the horses were rank and spooked at the smallest thing. It took all four of them a solid eight hours on horseback to gather the dispersed herd into the holding pasture adjacent the line shack. It had been years since Adam had spent so much time working without a team mission in mind. Even though the weather sucked, the effort felt good. He admired the work ethic the girls displayed. No doubt a testament to the way they were raised. He’d be damned if they didn’t measure up, inch by inch, to the best he’d seen.
Now that the animals had been tended to and dinner was done, Doc watched Keelee as she worked in the kitchen. She had barely eaten any food and worked with slow and methodical determination. Tori and Jacob once again went to the bedroom almost immediately after the dishes were washed.
Keelee was putting things back in one of the packs when Doc came up behind her. “Come sit down. You really do need to rest.”
She allowed herself to fall back against his chest. “Adam, let me finish here, then I promise I’ll rest.” With a determined breath, she stepped away from him and replaced all the cookware and supplies that would not spoil into the packs for the horses. Doc put three large logs on the fire and then went to his room for a moment.
When he returned to the kitchen, he held out a couple tablets and a cup of water. “Take these, they will clear up your congestion so you can sleep.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t want any medicine.”
He squinted at her. “Why? Do you think I am trying to drug you to take advantage of you?”
Keelee’s laugh initiated a coughing fit. She sat on the couch and tried to breathe. “Crap, stop making me laugh, will you?”
Doc sat down beside her. “What was so damn funny?”
Keelee chuckled and coughed again. “What, indeed. Why on God’s green earth would someone like you want to take advantage of someone like me?”
Why? Because you are the most fascinating, strong, stubborn and sexy woman I’ve met in years. “The medicine will make you feel better.”
She stood up and coughed again. “I’ll take you up on your suggestion and hit the hay. Good night.” Keelee turned and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door.
Adam put down the cup and pills, then pulled his hands through his hair. He considered the closed door and leaned back in the couch. Sleep was not going to come easy tonight, especially with the not-so-muted sounds of sex once again coming from the adjoining bedroom.
* * *
Adam was asleep on the couch and the fire had died down to coals when the door to Keelee’s bedroom opened. The slight noise of the latch woke him immediately. He listened as she padded to the couch. She moved his bangs off his forehead and his eyes popped open. She straightened, startled.
“You okay?” He lifted to a sitting position.
“I’m so damn cold. Would you please hold me again?”
“How long did it take you to get up the nerve to ask?”
“Couple hours.”
“Stubborn. Come on.”
He stood and led her back into her room. When he lay down and pulled her cold body to his warmer one, she snuggled against him. “Thank you.”
He stroked her hair and wrapped his leg around her. “Shhh… go to sleep.” You are going to regret this, man.
Fatigue finally blurred the painful memories and he closed his eyes. A yawn stretched his mouth and he relaxed into the pillow. He needed sleep.
*
Doc woke, immediately alert. Keelee shivered violently against his body. Even in sleep he was attuned to her. He clicked into clinical mode and slipped out from under her to get his medical bag. A thermometer scanned across her forehead read 102.5. He grabbed two Tylenols and propped her up. “Baby, you have to take this.” Keelee roused enough to swallow the pills and melted back into the bed, shivering as he covered her up. He pulled out a vial and a needle and filled the syringe. “Keelee, are you allergic to anything?” She mumbled something indistinguishable. He walked to Jacob’s bedroom door and knocked quietly.
Within seconds, Jacob was at the door, wearing jeans and carrying a Winchester in his hand. That he had already been awake was obvious.
“Her fever has spiked. I need to give her some antibiotics, but I can’t get her to answer me about allergies. Ask Tori if Keelee is allergic to anything.”
Tori pulled the door open wearing only Jacob’s flannel shirt, which fell to mid-thigh. “No, she has no allergies.”
Adam nodded as they all moved back into Keelee’s bedroom.
“What are you giving her?” Tori asked.
“This is a stabilized form of antibiotic that we use in the field.” He thumped the syringe. “Tori, roll her. I need to administer this in deep muscle tissue.” Tori stared at him blankly.
Jacob rolled Keelee. “Bare your sister’s butt cheek, Tori. She’s getting a shot in the ass.”
“Oh shit, is she going to be pissed. She hates all medicine but despises needles.”
Adam applied alcohol and said, almost to himself, “I’d rather have her pissed and healthy than happy and dead.” He administered the shot. Throwing the blanket back over her, he nodded. “I got it from here.”
Jacob gathered Victoria and led her out of the room. “Come on, honey. Doc is the best. She’ll be fine.” Tori nodded and allowed him to push her out of the small room.
Adam went to the kitchen and poured room temperature water into a bowl from a pitcher that had been drawn earlier in the evening. Gathering a clean dishrag he went back into the room. He placed the cool, damp rag on her forehead, then went to his room for his sleeping bag. Uncovering her body, he pulled off her wet clothes and stripped her to her underwear. Even limp and blushed with fever, her body was beautiful.
“I know you’re not feeling well. This should help.” He washed her with the tepid water trying to lower her fever.
Keelee started to moan and thrash around in the bed. “Shit.” Adam’s comment came as he reached for the bowl and caught her hair. Keelee lurched to the side of the bed, vomiting. After he cleaned her up, he retrieved more water to cool her overheated body.
Throughout the next hour, Keelee moaned and whimpered in pain. Her body convulsed with massive coughing fits.
“Shh… that’s good, Keelee. Just going to listen to your breathing. You’re safe. I got you.” Adam pulled out his stethoscope and placing her on her side he listened to her lungs. Pneumonia. He checked her temperature again, noting it was lower. 100 degrees. He went to her saddlebags and pulled out another thermal undershirt. Carefully he removed her sweat-soaked bra, dressed her in the new dry shirt and carried her to the living room. The medical care of his patient removed all the desire he’d once had. His actions were clinical, professional and necessary.
Once he had her comfortable on the couch and covered with his sleeping bag, Adam threw two logs on the coals and stoked the fire, slowly bringing warmth back into the line shack. He went back to the couch and pulled her onto him.
Adam gazed at the woman with him. Her hair was damp from fever and her face flushed red, but she was beautiful. Keelee’s breathing was still difficult, so he propped himself up on the armrest of the couch until they were almost sitting. He watched the black of night lose its grip on the sky. The sun started to rise casting a dim light through the window.
Adam slid her off his lap and went to work brewing the morning coffee, hanging it by the fire knowing Tori and Jacob would be up soon. He checked on Keelee again. He sat on the floor next to her and stared at the fire. How in the hell did he go from being the highest paid combat medical specialist in the free world to a country doctor in a line shack somewhere in the Black Hills of South Dakota? Jacob and Tori came
out of their bedroom.
“How is she?” Tori asked.
“Judging from her symptoms and the sound of her lungs, she most likely has pneumonia. Her temperature has reduced, but it is not at an acceptable point. She has been vomiting because of the mucus accumulation and she is slightly dehydrated. I don’t want to start an IV unless I have to, but I will if she begins to retrograde. Needless to say, she and I will not be riding out of here today.”
Tori nodded. “Jacob and I can move the herd down to the canyon by ourselves. We can send any supplies that the other men haven’t used back up. You can bring her down when she’s feeling better, or if she gets worse we’ll get the helicopter to come up here and take her to Rapid City Regional Hospital. Is your cell still charged?”
Doc nodded. “Three-quarter battery, should last for a while.”
Jacob indicated the woman on the couch. “Doc, you okay being up here alone?”
“Hell no, Skipper, I’m afraid of the dark and I think I might just cry.”
Tori bust into a fit of giggles and pulled Jacob towards the door. “You got breakfast, Doc, we are heading to the animals.”
Adam nodded and smiled when Jacob threw him the finger as he left the shack. “You’re an asshole, Cassidy,” he called back. Adam’s laughter followed his team leader out the door.
Chapter Four
Keelee woke slowly. Soft sounds called to her, stirring the need to identify them. She tried to focus. A stinging pinch on her buttock made her flinch.
Adams gentle words eased into her consciousness. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you, but you needed another shot of amoxicillin.”
Her body ached and her head pounded loudly as she tried to concentrate. She moved and moaned from the pain of the effort. She slipped back into oblivion, the importance of the sounds no longer enough to keep her awake.
*
Keelee blinked awake and shifted, suddenly aware she wasn’t in her room. Adam was perched on the couch beside her. He tenderly stroked her cheek. “Hi. Your fever’s down. How are you feeling?”
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