“I already did while you were being looked at by the EMTs. They want you to stay at the chalet too.”
“You’re lying. You’re the control freak who wants me under your watch.”
“Nope, once Evie knew you were injured she was just as adamant as I was that you get your pretty little tushie over there. Now go change your clothes and call your school.”
“Bossy. You’re just plain bossy.”
“It’s part of the job description.”
“Fine, you call the hardware store.”
“Now who’s bossy?”
“It goes with bossing five-year-old’s around every day.”
“Are you comparing me with a kindergartner?”
“If the shoe fits.”
Drake allowed himself to be shoved out of Karen’s bedroom.
***
God, the man was a handful. She grinned and instantly regretted it. Her jaw hurt. Karen looked in the mirror and touched her cheek. She replayed the moment when he had stroked his fingers down her face. Her stomach clenched. Not only was he a handful, he was potent. She closed her eyes. Admit it. She’d felt cherished.
“Stop it, Eastman.” What the hell was she thinking, she’d met the man yesterday. She was in shock and falling for her rescuer. Of course, after hearing about him from Trenda and Piper, she’d already built him up in her mind. Then she’d met him.
She took a deep breath and then regretted it. Her damn ribs were bruised, and the EMT’s had really wanted her to go to the hospital. But, she didn’t have time for that nonsense. She remembered what cracked ribs felt like when she’d injured herself white river rafting, this wasn’t it. Now she needed to call the school.
Her head whipped around the bedroom. Which hurt her head. Dammit, where was her purse? Then she remembered, she’d left it in the living room. It was stupid, she didn’t want to go down the hallway and see the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to give herself a pep talk, but all she could remember was the moment when they broke down the door. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Suck it up,” she muttered. She swiped at a tear. “Tears are for sissies.” She straightened her shoulders. She could do this. She just wouldn’t look to her right. Karen swung open the door to her bedroom and kept her eyes straight ahead as she marched down the hall.
“Karen?”
Her steps faltered. She didn’t want to look in the bathroom, but Drake was in there. Her eyes darted right. He was on his hands and knees.
“What are you doing?”
“Just a little clean up.”
And he was. He’d found a bucket, and he had a scrub brush, and he was getting rid of the blood on her tile. She sucked in a deep breath.
“What did the school say?”
“I haven’t called them. My purse and phone are in the living room,” she said pointing.
“Gotchya.”
“Thanks for doing that. Washing up the blood, I mean.”
He winked at her. “It’s all part of the handyman service.”
“Should you really stay here? Won’t you end up with trouble from the sheriff when he gets here?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” He continued to scrub.
“But I heard about him framing you for assault. What if he does that again?”
“I’d like to see him try. Seriously, it’s not even a fair fight anymore.”
“What about Judge Comey?”
Drake stood, and she backed up. She didn’t like the idea of being hemmed in by a man, and he immediately realized it. “Let’s go out into the front room.” He smiled easily.
She walked down the hall, aware of his fingers on her lower back. Soon they were sitting on her blue sofa.
“Karen, I had intended to go pay the sheriff a visit today, this just speeds things up.”
“Why?”
“Trenda was on the paperwork to be notified when my dad was to be released from prison. It was his responsibility to do so. I wanted to confront him about his failure to do his job, among other things.”
“What other things?”
“Well,” he drawled in that voice that sounded like Tennessee whiskey poured over gravel, “it’s only neighborly to say hello after all these years have passed.” Drake’s smile was feral.
“Dammit, Drake, that’s stupid! I heard what happened. He beat the hell out of you, and you almost ended up in prison! You need to keep your head down.” Karen curled her hands to stop herself from reaching out and shaking him.
“I appreciate the sentiment. But things are a tiny bit different now.”
“How?” she demanded. “He owns this town. I understand you’re a big bad SEAL, but he can still frame you just as easily now as he did then.”