River Wolf(40)

“He’s a grumpykins, but he will be fine. He had a bit of abscess that had to be drained, and we’ve fixed the casts. I think the surgeons who worked on him did a wonderful job.” In the kitchen, Gillian released her to head for the coffee. She located a mug in a cupboard then went for sugar and cream. No hesitation marked her movements. Colby’s stomach sank further. She was used to being in the home.

Behind her, Brett placed his hand on Colby’s lower back. The heat seemed to leave an imprint on her. At her glance, he grinned and murmured, “Don’t let Gillian overwhelm you. She forgets not everyone wakes up going ninety miles an hour.”

“I heard that.” Gillian made a face and stuck her tongue at him. The contrasting behavior of professional to childish glee earned a chuckle from Brett.

Instead of moving away, he remained right where he was. “I didn’t whisper, so I hope so.”

“Pfft.” Gillian poured coffee. “Where was I?” After adding three heaping spoons of sugar and some cream, she taste-tested her concoction. Colby’s stomach revolted when she added another spoonful of the sweetener. “Oh, abscess. That’s right. It’s been lanced, drained, and cleaned. I’ve added some high-dose antibiotics to his regimen, but he’ll be fine in a week.”

A week? “You mean a few weeks, right?” Or maybe she meant the infection would be cleared out?

The room went silent then Gillian made a point of taking another drink of her coffee before meeting her gaze. “Of course. The antibiotics are for a week. He’s sleeping, or I’d say let’s all go over and check on him, but he should rest for now.” Her gaze traveled past Colby to Brett. “He needs rest and shouldn’t get too excited.”

“So you’ve said. Have you eaten, Gillian?” Yes, the man had a thing about feeding women. Maybe he just liked to feed people in general and it had nothing to do with her.

“Yes, Owen went out and found me those sausage and gravy biscuits I love.” Her eyes closed as she took in a deep breath, then she focused her blue gaze on Colby again. “I won’t linger. I know you were waiting for Colby to eat.”

He’d waited? She stole another look at him and he winked at her. The warmth in her stomach ballooned once more. So maybe he liked feeding everyone, but he’d waited to eat with her. Doesn’t have to mean anything. “Thank you, but you shouldn’t have. I’m not usually an early riser.”

“Tomorrow,” he promised. “I’ll remember to let you sleep later.”

“I appreciate it,” she agreed. He rubbed her back once then stepped around her.

“Are you a big breakfast eater or do you prefer something lighter?”

“Whatever you’re having is fine. You don’t have to go to so much trouble.”

“Let him,” Gillian advised, beckoning to her. “It’s fun when he cooks. He tends to curse a lot. We can sit here and be entertained while you tell me all about you.”

Before she’d really thought about it too hard, Colby took a seat at the breakfast nook and Gillian sat opposite her. Their host chuckled and opened the fridge. “Do you like fried eggs? Or scrambled?”

“Whatever—” His look froze the blow off answer in her throat. “Fried, actually. Over medium.”

His smile made the truth worth it, and she took another sip of her coffee before she kept staring at him like he was on the menu.

“So, you are going to school to be a nurse?” Gillian dragged her attention to her.

“I was, but…life has a way of diverting down interesting paths.” Like to the very kitchen she sat in. “I thought I’d check out the schools in Florida once I’m settled.”

“Florida has some okay schools. You should really look at the State University of New York here, they have some fantastic programs and outreach. I bet with your community service you could bypass a lot of your clinical hours, and get certified in no time.”

Embarrassment swam through her. Who’d told the doctor about her community service?

“Oh, don’t feel bad,” Gillian’s voice filled with warm assurance as she reached over to take her hand. The squeeze did more to ease her chagrin than her words. “Luc wouldn’t shut up about you. So I heard all the details, and Brett’s a huge admirer.”

“Gillian.” Two syllables populated by heavy warning rode a hint of a growl.

“And he’s grumpy, too.” The sotto voce whisper and her unrepentant grin cracked Colby up. The whole group was crazy. Her laughter made Gillian smile wider and, for a split second, when Colby glanced at Brett, she found his expression intense. He stared so hard at her; she thought he could see right to her soul.