“Fever check.” She leaned over and pressed her lips to his forehead.
“Blake already checked. He said I’m simmering.”
Her gaze shot to Blake. Surprised, she asked, “Did you kiss this boy?”
“So what if I did,” he said in defense.
“It’s kind of sweet.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Blake kept his eyes on hers, but something about the way he held still told her he saw a lot more than her face. She waited for his eyes to dip to her cleavage, but they never did. Huh. She didn’t know if the glimmers of interest she’d sensed in him were real, or just imagined. Or wishful thinking. She didn’t want to be interested in him.
Liar, liar, your pants are on fire. That inner voice stuck its tongue out at her.
“I’m a sweet guy. What can I say?”
“Oh, I don’t think you’re sweet at all.”
Actually, she was right about that. Abigail, his long-ago ex, would agree. She had the scars from that fateful day when their fun had taken a turn toward disaster to prove it.
“Which makes you kissing him all the more sweet.”
“Then let’s just say it’s you bringing something good out in me.” Blake pushed thoughts of Abigail and that stupid dare out of his mind. He slid out a chair for her with his boot and waited for her to sit down with the coffee Dee handed her.
“Where’s Grandpa?” The name kind of stuck on her tongue.
“He went down to check on the sick horse in the pasture. He’ll be back shortly,” Dee explained, the soft smile on her face lighting her eyes. “Your grandfather is so happy to have you here. We both are.”
Blake leaned in close. Too close, but she didn’t move away, so he didn’t back up. He whispered, “I’m sorry I scared you this morning.”
“It’s fine. What do you people do, have a contest with the sun to see who can get up first?” She yawned and tried to lean her head to the side, pressing her opposite shoulder down to work out a knot.
Blake laughed. “Not exactly. We have to get up early to feed the horses.”
“Shouldn’t you be out doing that?”
Still trying to get him to back off. Not going to happen. “I’m spending the day with you. Bud and I have several men working here. They can take care of things today.”
She rolled her shoulders and made disgruntled faces, trying to stretch the muscles in her back. If she’d let him, and she wasn’t so cut up, he’d get up and rub out the tight muscles. She wouldn’t. And he didn’t.
Hands off, man. Hands off.
Instead, he stood, walked into the kitchen, and took one of Dee’s dish towels. He dampened it at the sink and popped it in the microwave. He set the time and waited for it to heat up. When the microwave dinged, he grabbed the warm, but not too hot, towel and carried it over to Gillian. She set down her mug. He leaned in close to her ear. She’d get used to him being close if he kept at it. “Lean over.” Her eyes narrowed with skepticism. “Trust me.”
He held back the smile when she cocked an eyebrow and met his gaze with a cold stare. She slowly leaned over, and he used one hand to pull up her shirt. He laid the warm towel on her back and pressed down on it to get the heat to work its way into her muscles. Her eyes closed, and she literally laid herself on the table. If she was a cat, she’d purr. Relief washed across her face and made her features go soft.
“A little trust goes a long way.” He let the humor show in his voice. “I’ll heat it again when it cools off. It should help loosen up some of your muscles.”
“What do you want? Name your price,” she said from the tabletop.
Blake shook his head. “You’re easy,” he teased.
She opened one eye and raised her eyebrow. “On second thought, you owe me. You burned my meds.”
All humor gone, he let the smile fall into a frown.
She reached out to touch his hand but pulled back at the last second. Too familiar. Not her style. She raised her head. “I’m sorry. I was just teasing. Really.”
“We’ll get your meds today. Don’t worry about it.” For the first time, he touched her, reaching out with his big hand to the side of her face. She flinched at the initial contact but relaxed, her gaze locked with his. Watching. Waiting to see what he’d do next. He gently pushed, guiding her back down to the table. “Relax. Let the heat work on your back.”
In an impossible attempt to distract himself from the woman studying him like an unidentified microbe under a microscope, he glanced over at Dee, who was watching them from the kitchen stove. She gave him a knowing smile that he refused to acknowledge in any way. She filled a plate for him, giving him extra bacon. Some kind of reward for taking care of Gillian. He didn’t need a reward, he needed her to feel better. He hated seeing her in pain. It made his gut sour and his chest tight. Besides his family and the horses, no one had sparked this nurturing side in him. Gillian was good for him. She brought something out that no one else had seemed to find inside him. He liked feeling this way about her.