by Marla Monroe
“I’ll recommend the usual treatment for her and send her home, then.”
“Sounds good to me. Thanks for taking care of her.” Tanner shook the man’s hand.
“Don’t be a stranger at the club. Nothing good to talk about without you two there stirring up gossip.”
Tanner just shook his head. The other man walked off to talk to Amber about her injuries. He would give her time to assimilate her instructions, then go in and get her ready to go home. He looked once more at the X-rays, then headed for her room.
She was sitting up with her legs hanging off the table when he walked in. He frowned.
“Didn’t Dr. Quincy tell you to keep that foot propped up for twenty-four hours?”
“Yes, but he dismissed me, so I’m waiting on my paperwork. I’ll take a taxi home.”
“Nonsense. We’re taking you home,” Tanner told her.
“I don’t want to be a bother,” she repeated.
“You’re not a bother. Get that out of your head. Now the nurse will wheel you outside, and we’ll pick you up and take you home. I’m going to stop by the nurse’s desk and tell her myself.”
She sighed and hung her head. She was obviously hurting despite the pain pill the nurse would have given her. She wasn’t arguing with him anymore. Tanner was glad, though he hated she was in pain. He walked out to the desk and told the nurse that he would be taking her home. Then he headed toward the waiting room once more.
“Okay, she’s ready. Let’s move the truck to the door,” Tanner said.
“Is anything broken?” Bryan asked.
“Nope, thank goodness. Bad sprain is all.”
Bryan nodded and headed for the door and out to where he had parked the truck with Tanner beside him. They pulled up outside the emergency room entrance where the nurse already had Amber in a wheelchair waiting on the ramp.
Tanner hopped out of the truck and helped her stand before he picked her up and sat her between them once more. After buckling her seat belt and thanking the nurse, he climbed back in and Bryan took off.
“Where to, Amber?”
She reluctantly gave them her address and sighed.
Tanner realized she lived on the other side of Blue Springs in the run-down house on the road to their ranch. They had often talked about buying the house and having it torn down.
“What about your car?” Bryan spoke up.
“Oh, I forgot about it,” she said.
“Drop me off at her car and I’ll follow you to her house,” Tanner said.
“Really there’s no need to go out of your way like this. I can get my car later.”
“It’s not a good idea to leave it parked uptown overnight, much less several days. We’ll get it and you’ll have it when you are able to drive again.” Tanner wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“Where are you parked,” Bryan asked her.
She sighed and let her head fall back against the seat.
“I’m on third. It’s a mocha Nissan Pathfinder.”
Bryan nodded and changed directions.
* * * *
Her ankle was throbbing, and she had the beginnings of a headache. She figured she was better off giving in. She really didn’t feel up to an argument. Amber reminded herself that once they dropped her off, they would be out of her hair.
Bryan pulled up beside her car and Tanner held out his hand for her keys. Amber dug in her purse and produced the keys for him. He smiled and stepped out of the truck. They waited until he had the Nissan started then headed for her house. Bryan followed directions without a hitch. Usually people had to ask twice where she lived.
“Here we are,” he said as he pulled in behind where Tanner parked her Nissan. “You’ve done a lot to the house. We’ve noticed on our way back and forth to town. It was in really bad shape there for a while.”
“You drive this way?” She realized now why they knew the way so easily. The lived out in her direction. That didn’t bode well for her.
“Yeah, about eight miles further down the road is our ranch.”
Tanner opened the door to the truck and unbuckled Amber’s seat belt before she could do it.
“Let’s get you inside and comfortable. You’ll feel better with your foot elevated.” He handed the keys to her car over to Bryan. “You can unlock the door for us.”
Bryan jumped out of the truck and hurried around to get the door open by the time Tanner had her in his arms and walking toward the house. He stepped up on the little front porch and walked into her house. It wasn’t much, but she loved the place. Now she looked at it through someone else’s eyes and cringed. Sure, the paint had helped, but it still had cracks, and the wood floors needed refinishing.
“Which way to your bedroom?” Tanner asked.
“There’s only one. It’s straight through the kitchen.” The house was an old shotgun house. The rooms were lined up one right behind the other. Her bedroom and the bathroom were all in the back. Tanner nodded and carried her through her dingy kitchen and into her little bedroom. Bryan followed behind them. With both of them in the room, it felt positively tiny. They took up all the space and most of the oxygen in the air. She felt her heart flutter in her throat.
Bryan pulled back the covers of her bed and Tanner laid her on the bed. He took off her one remaining shoe since the other one was broken in a garbage can somewhere. Her panty hose were of course ruined, and her skirt hadn’t fared much better. She would probably be throwing it away along with the hose.
Tanner lifted her leg and placed her spare pillow under her ankle to elevate it.
“Would you like help getting undressed? I’ll have Bryan step outside.” Tanner said it with a straight face.
Amber honestly couldn’t believe he had offered.
“Uh, no. I can manage on my own from here. I can never thank you enough for all you’ve both done, but I can handle it from here,” she said with a strained smile.
“I’m going to write our numbers down on something. If you need anything at all, just call. We pass through here every day. We can always stop on the way and bring you something or help you with something.” Tanner picked up her pad by the bed and quickly scrawled on it. “These are our cell phone numbers. You use them if you need us, day or night.”
“Um, thanks, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She could almost feel the smile crack on her face. She needed them out of her house. They were overwhelming in such a confined space.
“We’ll lock up on our way out. I left your keys on the kitchen counter,” Bryan said.
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
Tanner patted her shoulder and they turned to leave. She let out a breath once she heard the outside door close. Thank God they were gone. She had never been so uncomfortable in her life. They were bigger than life and bossy. It was a combination she would do well to steer clear of.
Amber tended to lean toward big strong men who also turned out to be mean. They always started off fine. Then, somewhere along the way they began to get bossy and from there, they got controlling. Before it was over with, they were beating her. She had just gotten out of such a relationship a little over a year ago and moved to Blue Springs, Texas, in an attempt to start over. Her last home had been in Memphis, Tennessee. Blue Springs was a welcome change from Memphis, with its high crime rate and dirty streets. She had fallen in love with it the minute she drove into town. She decided to stay if she could find a job. As it was, the teller position at the bank was open when she needed it. It worked out great.
Amber sighed and began the arduous task of undressing. She slipped out of her blouse first, and laid it on the other side of the bed. Next she rolled over with a wince and unzipped her skirt behind her, then shimmed out of it. Her panty hose were a mess, and proved to be difficult to get off. By the time she had them down to her ankles, she was worn out and her knees were burning. Her elbow felt like someone had hit it with a baseball bat, and her ankle protested the pressure of the hose until she managed to pull them compl
etely off. She slipped out of her bra, but decided to sleep in her panties and nothing else. It wouldn’t hurt for one night. She was exhausted from struggling with the damn clothes.
Amber settled down with the covers pulled up to her chin and her foot still on top of the pillow. It left most of her right leg exposed, but she would be fine. It wasn’t cold at night.
As she drifted on the edge of sleep, Amber thought about the two men who had helped her. They had been very nice, but like she had surmised earlier, they were bossy. At least Tanner was. Of course, his being a doctor might have something to do with it. Bryan seemed to go along with whatever Tanner said. She guessed Tanner to be the older of the two men. Of course, they were not old by any means. They were probably in their early thirties. Tanner wouldn’t have been out of medical school long.
She realized she was obsessing over them and willed herself to stop thinking about them. With that, she fell asleep.
* * * *
“I don’t like her living in that house. It’s a disaster, and the lock on the door was flimsy. The damn roof probably leaks.” Bryan started complaining to Tanner the minute they got back in the truck. He knew Tanner would ignore most of what he said, but he still said it. To his surprise, Tanner agreed with him.
“Nothing we can do about it right now, though. Let’s stop by and see her several times a day to be sure she’s okay, and to get her used to us.”
“I like that idea. Only thing is that she’ll have to get to the door to let us in.” Bryan hated for her to have to hobble all the way into the front part of the house to answer the door.
“True, and she’ll be stove up tomorrow from the fall. Damn!” Tanner popped his thigh with his hand.
“What?” Bryan turned to look at his brother.
“We didn’t get her prescription filled for her pain medicine. She’ll need that.”
Bryan grinned. “Well that can be easily remedied.” He turned the big truck around in the middle of the road and headed back to town.
“I can write a script for her pain medication,” Tanner said. “That way we won’t be getting her out of bed twice.”
“We don’t have to get her out of bed even once. I can open her door with just a credit card. I told you her lock was flimsy.”
Tanner grinned and shook his head. “Do I want to know how you learned how to do that?”
“Probably not.” Bryan pulled into a parking space in front of the drug store.
“I’ll just be a minute.” Tanner got out of the truck and headed for the pharmacy door.
Bryan thought about Amber’s hourglass figure. She had the prettiest auburn hair and blue eyes he had ever seen. Her hair seemed to have a natural wave or curl to it and fell just past her shoulders. He figured her to be about five feet four inches, just the right height for him and his brother. His mouth watered to taste her breasts. Would she have pretty pink nipples, or rosy red ones? His brother was an ass man. Hers was definitely a keeper, nice and plump and heart shaped.
A few minutes passed and Tanner climbed back in the truck. “Got it. Let’s drive through somewhere and get her something to eat.”
“I’m all over that.”
They picked her up a hamburger and fries then headed back to Amber’s house. Bryan pulled in behind her Nissan, and they climbed out of the truck. Tanner carried everything while he pulled out his wallet to get out a credit card. He easily slipped the lock and let them in.
“Amber! We’re back. I forgot your pain medication,” Tanner called out.
“You what? How did you get in? You don’t need to be here.”
Bryan recognized panic when he heard it. She was in a tizzy. What was wrong? He and Tanner hurried to the back of the house to find her half in, half out of the bed with nothing but the sheets covering her.
“Are you okay?” Bryan asked, rushing over to help her back in bed.
“Don’t! I can do it.” She fought off his hands and the sheet slipped some, exposing her breast.
Pretty pink nipples. He pulled the sheet back into place and was rewarded for his effort with a scowl.
“What in the hell are you doing in my house? Get out!” she yelled as she finally managed to get back in bed. She held the covers up to her chin with one hand and pointed toward the door with the other one.
“Easy, Amber. We brought you your pain medicine and something to eat,” Tanner said with a barely concealed smile.
“What medicine?” She frowned.
“Didn’t Dr. Quincy give you something for pain?” Tanner asked.
“No, the nurse said that he said to take four ibuprofen every four hours.”
“I’ll be damned. I would have given you something more for pain since you were nearly mowed down by a car.”
“I’m okay. My ankle only throbs when I have it down—mostly.”
“Well, we also brought you something to eat. You need to eat to take your medicine. That includes ibuprofen,” Tanner told her. He handed her the bag of food.
“I’ll go get you a plate and something to drink. Have any preferences?” Bryan asked.
“Really, you don’t have to do this. I can take care of myself.” She ran a hand through her disheveled hair.
Bryan wanted to run his fingers through it and pull on it as he buried his cock in her cunt. Instead, he turned and headed for the kitchen. He could hear Tanner trying to soothe her ruffled feathers. He took advantage of being out of eyesight to readjust his cock. After seeing her breast and realizing she was naked beneath the sheets, Bryan was having a difficult time keeping his dick under control. It was swollen and pushing for somewhere besides his pants to go.
He fixed a glass of tea and found a plate in one of the cabinets. When he carried them back to the bedroom it was to find Tanner sitting on the edge of the bed talking to her. She still didn’t look to be a happy camper, though.
“Okay, here is a plate for your hamburger and fries. I’ll put the tea on the bedside table so you can reach it,” Bryan said.
He fixed the hamburger on the plate then added the fries. He set the plate on her lap wondering if she had on panties, or if she was totally nude beneath the covers.
“Do you understand how to take your pain pills if you need them?” Tanner asked.
“Yes, thanks for getting them for me. I’ll pay you back if you’ll just hand me my purse.”
“No need. They didn’t cost much.”
“Well, thank you. And thanks for the hamburger and fries. Please lock the door on your way out.”
Bryan smirked. The little witch was throwing them out. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.
“Remember, you need anything, call us. We’ll be checking on you periodically.”
He looked at Tanner when he turned around and walked out. Tanner followed him. He wondered what she would make of that.
Once they were in the truck and on their way home, he started chuckling. Tanner grinned.
“Think she’s steamed?” Bryan asked.
“Oh, I know she is. You should have seen her face when you walked out. If looks could kill, I’d be doing CPR on you right now.”
“She’ll get over it, eventually. Until then, I, for one, plan to keep in touch with her. What are your plans?” Bryan took his eyes of the road to look over at his brother.
Tanner drew in a deep breath and sighed. “I’m with you. I’ve never felt as possessive of anyone as I feel toward her. I actually didn’t want to let her out of my sight in the emergency room, even with Dr. Quincy.”
“She’s going to put up a fight. I can already see it. She isn’t at all interested in us.” Bryan wondered what was up with that. Most women ran after them. They did little pursuing.
“Did you see her face when we walked in and she was almost nude?” Tanner asked.
“Yeah, then when I handed her the rest of the sheet, I thought she was going to explode. Her face turned the prettiest shade of pink. Even pinker than her pretty nipples.”
“Damn I’m having a ha
rd time getting comfortable with my cock plastered to my damn zipper.” Tanner adjusted himself.
“I know the feeling. When I caught sight of her nipple, I nearly jumped her right then and there,” Bryan said.
“Okay, we’ve got to have a plan. She’s going to be work.” Tanner looked out the side window as they pulled into their drive.
“I plan to enjoy my work,” Bryan said with a smile.
Chapter Three
Amber woke up around six the next morning sore from head to foot. She had finally resorted to taking a pain pill at nine the night before, and it had put her right to sleep. She had known she would be sore, but hadn’t really been prepared for it. She needed a bath. A soak in a hot tub with bath salts would go a long way to making her feel better.
After removing her night shirt that she’d put on after the men left, Amber downed her ibuprofen. Then she hobbled to the bathroom and started the water, sprinkling bath salts into it. She waited until it was deep enough and turned it off.
It took a considerable effort to manage getting into the tub. It wasn’t until she was comfortably lying against the back of the old claw foot tub that she thought about how she was going to get out. Instead of panicking, she put it to the back of her mind for when she needed to worry. Right now, she was going to enjoy her hot bath.
The salts and warm water soon lulled her into a gentle doze.
About thirty minutes later, the water began to cool off, and she realized the time had come to figure out how to get out. Her left elbow was swollen and hurt to move. Her right ankle was almost useless. She tried to get to her knees, but couldn’t stand any pressure on her ankle or even the lower part of her leg.
She tried to pull herself up using her right arm, but didn’t have enough strength to do any good. Panic set in, followed soon by tears. She couldn’t stay in the damn bath tub for the rest of her life.
She heard a noise through the bathroom door and strained to figure out what it was. Then the unmistakable sounds of footsteps reached her ears. She made a grab for the towel to cover herself and missed.
“Amber? Where are you? It’s Bryan. I brought you some breakfast.”