Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 104869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
“You can’t walk on that foot. Not until it’s been checked by a doctor.”
“I am a doctor, and I’m sure it just needs rest, an ice pack, some strapping, and a few hours of elevation, and I’ll be good to go.”
She wasn’t so sure about that. With the adrenaline long gone, her toe was starting to give her more than a little discomfort as it throbbed.
“You’re not allowed to self-diagnose, Kenna.”
“I need to get back on the road.”
“You’re not going anywhere tonight. It’ll be dark soon and you look like hell. You’re covered in bug bites, limping, and I don’t know if you realize it, but you’re coated with a thin layer of red mud.”
“My air-conditioning isn’t working. I had to drive with the windows open. I was hot and sweaty and the dust…stuck,” she muttered.
“That would explain the hair,” he said, pursing his lips as he stepped back to do an inventory of her person.
“Ugh, is it that bad?” Kenny asked in horror, combing a self-conscious hand through her untied, shoulder-length hair, and then grimacing when she hit a snarl.
His lips twitched and he lifted a hand to tug something from her hair. He held up the tiny twig he’d retrieved before tossing it aside.
“Suffice to say windblown would be too kind a description for it right now. Anyway, as I was saying, it’s not wise for you to drive anywhere tonight. You’ll have to stay over. A hot shower, a decent meal, and a good night’s rest and you can fuck off back to your world tomorrow. After we’ve had that toe checked. You’d be a danger to yourself and everyone else on the road if you got back into your car tonight.”
“I suppose a night in a hotel won’t do any harm. I’ll leave at dawn.”
“Uh-uh, the doctor’s office only opens at…” Smith stopped speaking when Harris, who’d been checking Kenny’s car while she and Smith were talking, waved to get his notice. “What’s the damage, Harris?”
“It’s stuck in the loose sand.” Kenny refrained from rolling her eyes at that statement of the obvious. Spotting the problem was a matter of just looking. That oh-so manly little walk around the vehicle had been entirely unnecessary. Then again, the man was here to help and she was being a tad ungracious.
“It’s a miracle she made it this far on a two-wheel drive,” Harris said. “This road is mostly sand and loose pebbles.” Harris told him. “We’re going to have to create a ramp of some sort. Maybe let some air out of the tire for increased traction. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
“I’ll be with you in a second,” Smith told his friend before shifting his focus back to Kenny. His eyes roamed over her face once more, lingering in a few places.
Kenny knew she looked a fright and wished he wouldn’t peer quite so closely.
“I think Tina probably has some calamine lotion at her place. You’re going to need it for the bites.”
Speaking of which…
“Those midges were relentless. Why do you and Harris appear to be immune to them?”
“Insect repellent,” he told her with a fleeting grin. Seeing him look so much like the man he’d been when they first met, Kenny’s heart ached. “The midges and mozzies are bastards here this time of year.”
Of course they were. Kenny was so unprepared—in so many ways—for this impromptu trip, it was ridiculous.
“Wait here,” he said, all business now. “It shouldn’t take too long to get your car unstuck. I have cold water in an ice box in the back seat if you’re thirsty.”
He spun away from her and was halfway to her car before stopping and turning his head to pin her with his cool gaze.
“In fact, thirsty or not, have the water anyway. You’re bound to be dehydrated after this crazy stunt.”
Crazy stunt, like Kenny was some attention-seeking teen who’d gone out looking for trouble.
“I stayed hydrated,” she told him, her voice stilted. “I’m not stupid.”
He lifted a supercilious brow at her words, before casting his eyes around the desolate landscape, the message in the pointed gesture crystal clear.
“I followed my GPS’s directions,” she pointed out, offended. “It’s not my fault it led me down this hell road.”
“You shouldn’t have been driving in the first place.” She gasped indignantly at that bit of casual misogyny and he rolled his eyes. “You hate driving, Kenna. That’s hardly a secret. So what the fuck made you tackle a seven-hour drive on an unfamiliar route?”
He planted his hands on his narrow hips and turned fully toward her, still looking unbothered by the sweltering heat.
“In fact, why are out here at all? I don’t want you here.”
Kenny blinked rapidly in an effort to clear the sudden stinging mist from her eyes, and managed to contain the small moan of pain and despair lodged in her throat.