“Blake?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. It’s me.”
“I’m tired. So cold.” She tried to curl up again, but he held her, and her strength gave out again.
Blake had to stay close to her to even hear her. He looked up at Dee.
“She’ll be okay. Get her in the bath. I’ll get some broth. Something warm in her stomach will go a long way to making her feel better.”
“I shouldn’t have left her.” He gently laid her in the tub still wearing her bra and panties. She squirmed and moaned in pain, her skin extrasensitive to the warmth of the water. In another minute, the heat would work its way into her body and ease her discomfort.
Once she relaxed into the water’s warmth, he sat back on his heels and took off his own wet coat and shirt. He’d get out of the rest of his wet clothes when he settled Gillian in bed.
Dee came back in with a mug of warm broth. He held it to Gillian’s lips and coaxed her to drink it down. He got half into her before he let her rest. He turned the hot tap on and warmed up the bath even more. Her pale skin finally warmed to a healthy glow, and her blue lips turned back to a dusky pink.
He took a washcloth and washed her face. He rinsed out her hair. She opened her eyes a slit and watched him. The first tears spilled down her cheeks.
He cupped her face in his palm. “It’s okay. You’re safe. I swear he’ll never touch you again. I’ll take care of you.”
“I know you will.” She shuddered with sheer relief. Still, her chin trembled and the tears silently fell. Traumatized, she needed time to settle her emotions. Once he got her out of the tub, he’d hold her close and let her sleep.
“Are you okay? I should take you to the hospital, or at least the clinic and have Dr. Bell check you out.”
“I’m fine. Warmer. Need to stay . . . with you.”
“You’re sure? If something happened to you . . .”
“Mmm, I’m fine. Tired . . . that’s all.”
“Your grandparents got Justin warm and settled into bed. He’s okay. I promise.”
“I knew you’d take care of him.” The words were slurred, but she got them out.
“Ah, sweetheart, I shouldn’t have left you behind. I had no idea Ken was still on the property. I never thought he’d try anything with you again. I’m so damn sorry I left you.”
“He just wanted to get back at me. And you.” She took his right hand and the washcloth. As she lay nearly naked in the tub, she gently washed the cuts on his bruised and swollen knuckles. When he hissed in pain, she took his fingers and brought them to her lips and kissed them, one after the other. No one had ever stood up for her. No one had ever come to her rescue. She had no doubt Blake had meant to kill Ken for laying a hand on her. Glad she’d stopped him, she didn’t want Blake to suffer any consequences for saving her.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“Sweetheart, that was pure selfishness. I just can’t live without you. Justin can’t live without you.” He pulled his hand from her grasp and touched her face. He just needed to keep touching her to reassure himself that she was alive and safe.
He helped her out of the tub. She stood on wobbly legs. After stripping off her wet panties and bra, he wrapped a towel around her, sat her on the toilet cover, and used another towel to gently dry her. He didn’t want to take her to bed with her hair wet, so he snagged the hair dryer and kept working his fingers through the thick, dark mass until the strands were fairly dry and the gold, red, and brown tones changed with each pass of the dryer.
Her head slowly fell forward. Her eyes were closed when he picked her up and carried her into her room, completely tapped out. He set her on her feet just long enough to take the damp towel off her and pull the bedcovers back.
“Get in, sweetheart. You need to sleep.” She slipped into bed, and he tucked her in. She grabbed his hand and held tight.
“Stay with me, Blake. I don’t want to be alone.”
He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. “I need to go downstairs and make sure Bud, Uncle Lumpy, and the sheriff took care of Ken.”
“Don’t go, please.”
Her nails dug into his hand. He felt, in the tremble that rocked her whole body, her frantic need for him to stay. He brushed his other hand through her hair. He couldn’t leave her. Not when she was too scared to let him go.
“Okay, honey. I’ll stay with you.” He’d left her once already. He wouldn’t do it again. She had never let herself need someone, and he wasn’t going to let her think it was a mistake to need and trust him now.
He slipped out of the rest of his wet clothes and boots and into bed beside her. He brushed a soft kiss against the lump on her head and wrapped her in his arms, tight against his chest. She pressed her palm to his heart. He looked down. The diamond ring he’d placed on her finger not more than an hour ago twinkled in the soft light. He sighed and held her closer, so damn happy to have her here with him, safe and sound.