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Authors: Catherine Anderson
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staying in there to help her. "Please, Mr. Kendrick. Go now, please. "
"Are you sure you're all right?"
Maggie couldn't answer, so she just nodded. To her immeasurable relief, he left and closed the bathroom BABY LOVE 55
door. The small enclosure seemed to spin around her, but somehow she managed to maneuver. When she was finished, she got her jeans button fastened, but the zipper defied her rubbery fingertips.
"Maggie? Honey, are you done?"
She gave up on the zipper and let her arms dangle at her sides. What was wrong with her? Never had she felt so awful. She'd used the rest room, but she still had that burning ache. Did she have a bladder infection? She'd never had one, so she wasn't sure how they felt. Her boss Terry got them sometimes, and she said drinking lots of cranberry juice always helped.
The bathroom door cracked open. The next instant, her boxcar cowboy had a strong arm around her waist. "Jesus, honey. There's a time and place for modesty, and this ain't it. " He helped her to the sink and washed her hands as if she were a child. It struck Maggie as odd that a tramp would bother. He grabbed a small towel from the rack and blotted her fingers dry. "There you go. "
The next instant, the room turned upside down. Maggie gave a thin cry and clutched his neck, dimly realizing he had picked her up. "What're you—oh, God, don't drop me!"
She thought she detected laughter in his voice when he replied, "I doubt you'd tip the scales at a hundred and ten, fully clothed and soaking wet. I think I can manage. You need feeding up. How long since you ate?"
"Yesterday. "
"What did you have?"
"Toast. "
"Well, hell. No wonder you're thin. "
He carried her back to the bed, depositing her gently on her feet beside it. Maggie tried to sink down onto the mattress next to Jaimie, but Rafe caught her by the elbows and drew her back up. His slate-blue eyes locked with hers for a long moment, and then he grasped the
56 CATHERINE ANDERSON
hem of the T-shirt. "Let me help you shuck your clothes. All right?"
She could tell by his tone of voice that he wasn't really requesting permission. It was more a warning of what was to come. When he started to tug the shirt up, she curled her fingers over his broad wrists, wanting to push his hands away. But she didn't have the strength. Instead, she simply rested her palms on his tattered cuffs, unable to tighten her grip. Tears filled her eyes again. Angry with herself, she tried to blink them away, but they kept coming.
He made fast work of peeling the shirt off over her head. Then, tossing it aside, he caught her under the chin with the crook of his finger. Lifting her tear-streaked face, he said, "What's this?"
"I'm—I'm sorry. I'm not very good at casual encounters. "
"Casual encounters, huh? Is that what this is?"
She recalled all the public-awareness commercials she'd seen on television, and a new, extremely worri-some concern zigzagged through her head. "Mr. Kendrick? I do hope you thought to get a—" She gulped and blinked at a wave of dizziness. "A you-know-what. "
He chuckled. "We don't need one. "
"Yes. " Her head cleared a bit, and she got his face into focus. Tangled hair, scruffy whiskers, and a shirt that looked as if it had been used to scour a pot... He was a walking, talking risk factor. "Please. Would you go get one? I'm not in the habit, and I'm afraid I'm not prepared. "
"Yeah, well... I figured as much. " Sandpapery fingertips brushed the tears from her cheeks. "You're also a rotten judge of character. Do you really think I brought you here for a tumble in the hay?"
Maggie gazed up at him through a swimming blur. "That was our bargain. I owe you for the stuff you bought. "
BABY LOVE 57
He rubbed at her cheeks again. "Hell's bells, girl. " He gave a throaty laugh. "Would you stop looking at me like that? I'm not expecting paybacks. All right? If you insist on keeping it even, you'll have to give me a rain check. Red and purple not being my favorite
"Are you sure you're all right?"
Maggie couldn't answer, so she just nodded. To her immeasurable relief, he left and closed the bathroom BABY LOVE 55
door. The small enclosure seemed to spin around her, but somehow she managed to maneuver. When she was finished, she got her jeans button fastened, but the zipper defied her rubbery fingertips.
"Maggie? Honey, are you done?"
She gave up on the zipper and let her arms dangle at her sides. What was wrong with her? Never had she felt so awful. She'd used the rest room, but she still had that burning ache. Did she have a bladder infection? She'd never had one, so she wasn't sure how they felt. Her boss Terry got them sometimes, and she said drinking lots of cranberry juice always helped.
The bathroom door cracked open. The next instant, her boxcar cowboy had a strong arm around her waist. "Jesus, honey. There's a time and place for modesty, and this ain't it. " He helped her to the sink and washed her hands as if she were a child. It struck Maggie as odd that a tramp would bother. He grabbed a small towel from the rack and blotted her fingers dry. "There you go. "
The next instant, the room turned upside down. Maggie gave a thin cry and clutched his neck, dimly realizing he had picked her up. "What're you—oh, God, don't drop me!"
She thought she detected laughter in his voice when he replied, "I doubt you'd tip the scales at a hundred and ten, fully clothed and soaking wet. I think I can manage. You need feeding up. How long since you ate?"
"Yesterday. "
"What did you have?"
"Toast. "
"Well, hell. No wonder you're thin. "
He carried her back to the bed, depositing her gently on her feet beside it. Maggie tried to sink down onto the mattress next to Jaimie, but Rafe caught her by the elbows and drew her back up. His slate-blue eyes locked with hers for a long moment, and then he grasped the
56 CATHERINE ANDERSON
hem of the T-shirt. "Let me help you shuck your clothes. All right?"
She could tell by his tone of voice that he wasn't really requesting permission. It was more a warning of what was to come. When he started to tug the shirt up, she curled her fingers over his broad wrists, wanting to push his hands away. But she didn't have the strength. Instead, she simply rested her palms on his tattered cuffs, unable to tighten her grip. Tears filled her eyes again. Angry with herself, she tried to blink them away, but they kept coming.
He made fast work of peeling the shirt off over her head. Then, tossing it aside, he caught her under the chin with the crook of his finger. Lifting her tear-streaked face, he said, "What's this?"
"I'm—I'm sorry. I'm not very good at casual encounters. "
"Casual encounters, huh? Is that what this is?"
She recalled all the public-awareness commercials she'd seen on television, and a new, extremely worri-some concern zigzagged through her head. "Mr. Kendrick? I do hope you thought to get a—" She gulped and blinked at a wave of dizziness. "A you-know-what. "
He chuckled. "We don't need one. "
"Yes. " Her head cleared a bit, and she got his face into focus. Tangled hair, scruffy whiskers, and a shirt that looked as if it had been used to scour a pot... He was a walking, talking risk factor. "Please. Would you go get one? I'm not in the habit, and I'm afraid I'm not prepared. "
"Yeah, well... I figured as much. " Sandpapery fingertips brushed the tears from her cheeks. "You're also a rotten judge of character. Do you really think I brought you here for a tumble in the hay?"
Maggie gazed up at him through a swimming blur. "That was our bargain. I owe you for the stuff you bought. "
BABY LOVE 57
He rubbed at her cheeks again. "Hell's bells, girl. " He gave a throaty laugh. "Would you stop looking at me like that? I'm not expecting paybacks. All right? If you insist on keeping it even, you'll have to give me a rain check. Red and purple not being my favorite
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