“Let me get you back to the ER and then I’ll look the films over.”
She nodded. “Do you think that I can get dressed while I wait?” She shivered as a blast of cool air came from the ceiling vent.
“Of course.” I’d been surprised when the nurse had given her the gown and kicked Ben and me out of the bay. And if Debbie’s plan had been to humiliate Isabella, then she failed. I couldn’t deny that knowing she was sitting there in nothing but a thin hospital gown made my dick hard.
The tech opened the door, revealing a pacing Ben. I smothered a laugh crossed with a groan. My own emotions were hanging on by a thread. I couldn’t deal with keeping his in check either.
At the sound of the door, he spun and raced to our side. “It’s all done? Everything okay? Are you cold?” The first two were said to me while the last was directed to Isabella.
“She’s all done. The initial viewing looked fine, but I’ll double check as soon as the final photos are rendered.”
“Well then, how about you stay here to look them over, and I’ll take little miss sweet-tea back to the ER.”
I rolled my eyes but surrendered the handles before he broke my hands prying them off. “Fine.” My fingers twitched as I yearned to touch her shoulder, swipe along the soft skin of her cheek. Instead of doing any of that, I balled them into fists. If I touched her now, it would be game over. So maybe having Ben take her back was a good thing. It would give me time to try to regain some semblance of control. And since Ben wasn’t in the mood to act rationally, preferring to let his dick lead, I’d have to do it for the two of us.
Deciding not to wait around for them to leave, I spun on my heel and marched over to the radiology viewing room. I’d be able to make the initial diagnosis, but could send the film on to Winnipeg for the on-call radiologist to look at if I had any concerns. One of the benefits of the technological age, while our town had a radiologist on staff because we had a world renown neurology clinic, he didn’t need to work 24/7. Instead, the after hours on-call was shared by radiologists across the province.
Ten deep breaths later, I sat at the desk in front of the computer screen, and I felt my control returning. Isabella was a beautiful young woman. One day she’d make a beautiful wife or life partner. And I wasn’t about to jeopardize that. She deserved to be happy. I’d make sure she was.
Vow renewed, I watched as the picture of her ankle popped up onto the screen before me. I played with the various contrasting colours to ensure that I wasn’t seeing a bone chip floating. The pain along her lateral malleolus of the fibula had been greater than I expected, but considering the crack it made when it hit the ladder, I hoped the pain came from bruising.
“What has you thinking so hard?” Two hands landed on my shoulders as Debbie’s breathy voice brushed against the side of my neck.
“I’m examining an x-ray,” I said through clenched teeth. Her hands on me—even through my shirt—made my skin crawl, but I didn’t want to make a scene. I’d put up with it for a few minutes, but then all bets were off.
“Of that sweet young girl that Ben carried in?” Her thumbs brushed my neck, and I swore she scraped her nipples across my back. It took everything I had to clamp down on my muscles to keep them from recoiling. She rubbed her thumbs in a circular pattern, massaging me. “You’re so tense,” she murmured, brushing her lips along my ear. “You know, I never took Ben for one of those men with daughter fantasies—”
“Enough!” I shoved myself upright, dislodging her hands before spinning to meet her gaze head on. “You know nothing about Ben or Isabella. So I’d advise you to keep your mouth shut.”
She placed her palm on my chest as she stared up at me with soulful eyes. I grabbed her wrist using my thumb and index finger. With a slight squeeze to reinforce my words, I picked her hand off my chest. “Don’t ever touch me like that again. I’m not yours. I’ve never been yours. We had coffee. Once. At the hospital cafeteria during a shift. That wasn’t a date.”
“But, Caleb—”
“Nope. It’s Dr. Bishop to you. Now, I have a patient to see, and then I’m taking her home.” I pushed past Debbie as I gave the security camera a little nod. Hopefully, all of that had been caught so that if she tried anything through the hospital, I’d have proof of what she’d done.
On my way back to Isabella and Ben, I grabbed a pair of crutches that I hoped would work. She’d need them for a few days to a week, but at least she wouldn’t be in a cast.
With each step, the words Debbie uttered replayed in my mind. I knew I shouldn’t believe a word she said, having seen firsthand how she twisted things to suit herself, but her comments about Isabella being young resonated. Not that her age would slow Ben down and the crutches in my hand would only play into his plans.
Not wanting to spend any more time in the ER, I pulled the curtain open. “Look at the present I brought you,” I said while holding out the crutches. “And the best news… it isn’t broken. So you’ll only need these for a few days so long as you stay off your foot.”
“B-but I need to finish the store. I don’t have time.” The earnest look on her face gave way to concern and panic. “The stairs…”
“Don’t worry, you’ll stay with us.”
Isabella
Did I hear them correctly? My head swivelled from Caleb to Ben and back again. They both said it, but did they really mean it? The eager look on Ben’s face proved that his offer was genuine, but Caleb’s look screamed resignation. Did he not want me at his place? That didn’t seem to fit the picture that Ben painted of him. Nor did it match the way he’d been so helpful. Maybe he felt his job was done now that I had crutches?
Besides, could I really do it? Stay with them? I didn’t know them from Adam. Sure, they seemed nice and stepped in during my time of need, but staying at their house—wherever it might be—was everything that women in the big city were told not to do.
But at the same time, I wanted to.
Even if I ended up getting hurt in the end.
These men had the water in my kettle boiling. I didn’t have a daddy fetish—not that these men were old enough to be my father. Or maybe they could be. Not that it mattered in the slightest to me. Nor did I routinely date or lust after older men. In fact, all my boyfriends had been either the same age or a year older. Only Bradford had been three years older which had been why I’d been sent off for my master’s degree. Our parents had wanted him to be established before the marriage. Of course that little tidbit hadn’t been shared with me until the surprise proposal.
These men made me feel safe. Something I hadn’t felt since my Nana died. She’d been my safety net, the place I could flee to when things became overwhelming.
And I really didn’t have another option. At least not one that I could afford.
Before I could make my decision, I needed confirmation. I didn’t want to put Caleb out if he didn’t want me there. “Are you really sure?” I asked, staring Caleb in the eyes.
“We’re… I’m sure. I climbed the stairs to your place, and they’re a little steep. The crutches would make it difficult. And even if you could get up them, honestly… your place needs a little work.”
A snort left me, turning my face red at the sound. Really? A little work? It needed an overhaul, but I didn’t have the funds to do it. Not that it would matter once I was able to get the kitchen downstairs up and running since I would be able to use it. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to have that kitchen ready in time for the opening. My plans to offer an afternoon tea service as well as just scones, crumpets, and other baked goods to be eaten at the store had to be put on hold until the fall due to the construction needed, the arrival of new appliances, and licensing.
The bathroom… well, it had running water. The toilet worked, and I could take a shower. The rest—the peeling paint, the chipped and loose tiles, the stained linoleum—could all wait a year or two. It was clean and worked. That’s all it needed to do for the moment.
Caleb moved
to rest his hip against the stretcher on the other side of me from Ben. His long legs stretched out in front of him as he crossed one ankle over the other to match his crossed arms over his chest. “Seriously though, we want to help you. We’re trustworthy. Our mothers’ can vouch for us. Besides, I think all the hotels and bed and breakfasts are booked. The only ones that might have room would be out of town and you can’t exactly drive with your ankle.” He nudged my shoulder with just a brush of his.
And with that, he tore down all my possible arguments. I would have been willing to scrimp and save so that I could stay in one of the few hotels, but he was right. The town overflowed with tourists. Many of them stopped by my store to see if it was open yet, especially on days when the sun didn’t shine. If I could have opened earlier, I could have already been making money, but life wasn’t like that. The less than four months that I’d taken from the time I ran away to make my dreams come true, was already an accelerated business timeline. There had been no way to do it faster.
The heat of their bodies had me biting my lip as I continued to deliberate. Leaving home, starting my business, it had all been a risk. A way to prove my independence. But they were calculated risks. Could this be another one?
Releasing my lip, I offered them both a small smile. “Then I accept. And thank you both so much. I don’t know what I would have done without you. You’re my guardian angels.” Even if neither one of them produced angelic thoughts.
Chapter 5
Isabella
The sun beamed in through the crack in the curtains, illuminating a room that for the moment left me confused. But the shot of pain in my ankle when I moved it, reminded me. I was ensconced in a spare bedroom at Ben and Caleb’s.
Before we’d left the ER the night before, Caleb had given me a couple of stronger than over the counter anti-inflammatory pills and wrapped my ankle. The drive to their house took only fifteen minutes, but it had been enough time to let my fatigue catch up with me. And while I tried to stare out the window—the house was in an area I hadn’t explored—my eyelids drooped. I woke up enough as Ben placed me in the bed to have him carry me to the bathroom and back again. After that I didn’t remember a thing except for periods of coldness.
The door pushed open and Caleb stuck his head through the opening. “You’re awake?”
I nodded. My muscles cramped and I needed to stretch after all the work I’d been doing, but even in my dazed state, I remembered taking off my bra and possibly my shirt during the night. Until I knew for sure, I wasn’t going to drop the sheet. Even if it were possible that he or Ben had seen me during the night. There was something different about an accidental exposure than an intentional one.
“Good.” He stepped inside wearing dress pants and a skin-tight white muscle shirt. Drool pooled in my mouth as I stared at the long lean muscles of his upper body. With the amount of times I found myself in Ben’s arms, I knew he hid some decent sized muscles under his shirt. But I hadn’t expected the same from Caleb. Without knowing him for long, I had the feeling that he was a little bit of a workaholic. Who else would have rescued a woman—me—taken them to the hospital, then while not even on shift, examined me, did all the paperwork, and offered up their own home?
Only a workaholic in my books.
Or maybe people were like this in a small town? I know that they tried to reassure me that this was normal behaviour for the people of Voyageur Bay, but it didn’t seem right to me. The idea would have to steep with me for a little longer.
“I didn’t want to wake you, but I wanted to check on your ankle this morning before I head off to work,” He said, proving my point about him being a workaholic. I could have easily looked after my own ankle, and he knew that from when I explained that this wasn’t my first time injuring it. But instead, he made a point of coming in to check on me. No other doctor I ever had did that.
He used his chin to gesture toward my ankle while his hand hovered over the blanket. When I nodded, he pulled the blanket and sheet off my propped-up ankle. With his attention diverted, I took a minute to really examine him. In the morning light, he looked younger than I initially thought, more likely to be in his early thirties than the forties I’d thought. What I thought had been possible streaks of grey were bleached blond highlights where the sun had hit it. So definitely not a daddy fetish. Just a sexy older-than-me-man.
“Does it hurt?” He moved my ankle from side to side after removing the wrap.
I grimaced at the twinge of pain, but it wasn’t as bad as the previous evening which I told him.
“That’s good. Continuing to ice it today should help with the pain.” He held out a little bottle of tablets. “And taking these anti-inflammatories will also help.” He placed them down on the night table next to me on one of the most comfortable beds I’d ever slept in. “Do all that and stay seated, preferably lying with your foot elevated, for the day and you should be able to move more tomorrow.”
“But my store. I have so much—”
He placed his fingers over my lips, stopping me. “The store will be there tomorrow, and Ben will help. He took this week and the next off from work. I’ll be around as well as I have a few days off.”
I wanted to say thank you, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, my brain stuttered on the way he’d said that Ben had taken time off work. Did he take it off for me? Or was it just luck that my accident happened when he took holidays? Either way, I didn’t want him to take time away for me.
Something of my thought process must have been on my face because Caleb sat on the side of my bed, making sure not to pull the blanket tight over my foot. “I know you don’t believe us yet, but this town helps out those who need it. As soon as Ben and I mention your accident to our mothers, you’ll be turning away helpers. So don’t worry. We’ll take care of you.”
Tears filled my eyes. No one had ever offered me such unconditional support. Despite the small voice that whispered in my ear about not believing him, that he was just telling me this to make himself look good, or to ease my concerns, that none of the promised help would materialize, I couldn’t help but believe him. My Nana came close, but at the same time she had to offer support if she wanted to act like a true Nana. My parents, who should have been supportive, were anything but.
Before they could spill over their banks and wet my cheeks, I managed to regain control of my emotions. Talk about my parents, about why I fled here was not a topic I wanted to discuss at the moment. Being honest with myself, I hadn’t even dealt with it yet, preferring to push myself with getting my business up and running.
“T-thank you.”
He caressed my cheek with his thumb, drying a tear or two that escaped without my knowledge. “You’re very welcome.”
“Caleb?” Ben’s voice travelled into my room, preceding his body through the door. “I should have known this is where you’d be.” Ben gave me a smile with a perusal on the good side of a leer that had my cheeks heating. “Good morning, sweet-tea. How did you sleep?”
“G-good.” My voice came out a little breathless and shaky, so unlike my normal speaking voice. Caleb glanced at me with a strange look on his face. One that reminded me a little of dismay, but that couldn’t be right. Of the two of them, Caleb had been solicitous and caring, not flirty. So why would he have an issue with my reaction to Ben? Unless… oh my goodness. Was he jealous?
Ben
My cock stirred as her cheeks reddened. Or maybe it was from the knowledge that she was topless, nearly naked, wearing nothing but a lacy pair of panties under the sheet. I hadn’t seen anything inappropriate during the night, much to my regret, but just the teasing glimpses when the sheet dipped low to offer a hint of her nipple had made my night… hard.
And then when she’d asked me for help to take off her shorts. I couldn’t resist. Through grit and sheer determination, plus the fact that she meant more to me than a casual roll in the hay, kept the interaction something akin to how Caleb would have reacted. All professional and
detached.
But that didn’t stop my knowledge from playing on repeat in my head.
“Well. I need to finish getting ready for work.” Caleb gave me a stern look, telling me to keep my distance. Like that was going to happen. I knew he had reservations about her age. The hospital form she filled out listed her age as twenty-two which was a little younger than I expected, but it wasn’t as if she was just out of diapers. Besides, she obviously wasn’t a normal person of that age. While most of her peers would be graduating with their bachelor’s degree if they attended university, she’d graduated with her master’s. And not any master’s, but an exclusive, highly sought after one. If anything, having accomplished so much in such a short time made her more desirable.
Now I just needed Caleb to get his head out of his ass and his dick out of his pants. Once we made her ours, no one would care about the twelve-year age difference. Not that I thought anyone would care now. At least not those who mattered.
Caleb stood. He wrung his hands in an uncharacteristic manner, making my heart sing—maybe he was closer to cracking than I thought—before balling them up and shoving them into his front pants pockets. He turned to face Isabella, showing me his back. A smirk tugged at the edges of my lips.
“Take your meds. Ice the ankle. Spend the day on the couch. Please.”
She nodded while her teeth played with her bottom lip. A move I found highly distracting. Not that I’d ever tell her that because I could see she did it naturally. Not something she did to draw me in.
“Good. If Ben says that you’ve been a good gir— patient today, I’ll bring home a special treat.”
The almost slip of Caleb’s tongue had my pants tightening. Fuck yeah. It proved he wasn’t as unaffected by her as he tried to pretend. And from the way Isabella’s nostrils flared, she liked the idea. The concern would be whether or not Caleb thinking about her as a good girl would reinforce his idea that she was too young for us. Nah. His dick would push his brain to give into his heart. I just needed some patience.
Eat Your Heart Out: A Romance Charity Anthology Page 9