Mark had never had a woman over. Well, not at his ranch. Things with Tina had ended as he was starting the ranch, and he'd never wanted to bring any woman back with him.Any encounters he had were in town, or on the road for business. Nothing serious, only casual. Most were one-night stands that had no expectations beyond mutual pleasure and a farewell in the morning.Waking up right as dawn peeked over the horizon, Mark had wondered what the hell he'd gotten himself into. And how did you prepare for a woman staying at your place anyway?He had a guest room, but no one had used it. He frowned when he realized the room smelled stale. He opened a window, changed the sheets and comforter, and then winced when he saw how bare the room was."Jesus Christ, this isn't a hotel," he muttered to himself.Abby would have her own bathroom as well, which was also rarely used. He placed clean towels and toilet paper inside the cabinets, wondered for a moment about soap (didn't women have lots o
Mark worked until his arm ached like the devil. His head hurt, he was thirsty, and he needed to take another Vicodin. He didn't want to—painkillers made him loopy and sick to his stomach—but that was better than the fire burning in his arm."You just had to throw me, didn't you?" he asked his horse Samson. Samson snorted and pawed the ground, not the least bit sorry for unseating his rider.Although Samson was young, he was usually an easy ride, but not when he ran into snakes. Mark hadn't even noticed the snake in their path before Samson had reared. Not expecting it, Mark had landed on his left arm, snapping the bone with a sickening cracking sound.Mark had been stubborn, not believing he'd broken it. It was a sprain; it would heal on its own. Until the pain had gotten so bad that he'd had to accept that he'd broken it, while Charlie had bullied him to go to the hospital.Now he not only had a broken arm in a cast and sling, but he had a beautiful nurse running about his ranch.
After taking a shower and getting dressed for bed, Abby sat in her room and tried to read. Then she tried to watch TV, but she couldn't concentrate on anything. Finally, she tried to go to sleep, but Darcy and Wentworth decided that it was time to run around like demons, almost knocking over a lamp in the process.She shooed them out when they darted over her head. "I do not need a claw to the eyeball," she groused at them as they sprinted out into the dark hallway. Hearing a thump, she winced, hoping they didn't damage anything during their nightly play sessions.Leaving the door open a crack so the cats could come back in, she got into bed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep, though; not with everything she'd learned about Mark whirling in her brain. How did he manage to anger her one moment and pique her curiosity the next?The self-conscious part of her brain scolded herself, telling her that a man like him would never want her. Mousy nurse, remember?And yet, despite
Abby had never been so happy to go to work. When the ER bustled with activity, one patient after another coming through its doors, she said a little prayer of thanks. It kept her mind off of other things.Things like Mark. And Mark kissing her.She'd barely slept the night before. Tossing and turning, her body hot with both desire and humiliation, she'd dreamed of kicking Mark in the shins. She'd dreamed of kissing him, and then maybe kicking him again for good measure.She'd tossed and turned so much that the cats had slept on a chair together instead of curled up next to her like they usually did.By the afternoon, Abby was finally able to sit down. She let out a sigh of relief when Janine handed her a cup of coffee."Did you explain to Mrs. Finley that she can't drive while taking her medication?" she asked Janine before taking a long drink of her coffee. "I told her at least three times, but she kept interrupting me."Janine rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I told her, but I had to te
Abby folded the last of her clothes, shooing away the cats when they tried to climb inside her suitcase. She'd have to leave early in the morning if she wanted to make it to work on time after dropping off the cats."You two make my life more complicated, you know that, right?" she said fondly before giving each cat a good scratch. Wentworth meowed and stretched while Darcy yawned and rolled over onto his back.She sat on the bed and stroked both cats, her thoughts still in turmoil. She needed to leave because she was very much afraid that if she stayed any longer, Mark Thornton would break her heart. Even if he hadn't kissed her out of pity, she had to protect herself.She sighed as she ruffled Darcy's fur."What am I doing?" she whispered. "I've never felt this lost before."Even when she'd made the decision to break up with Derek she hadn’t been this torn up. She felt like one part of her was tugging her to stay, to uncover more of Mark, to discover the vulnerable center of a m
"Abby! Oh my God, how are you?" Megan Flannigan said, rushing to greet Abby. On her lunch break, Abby had driven over to have a quick chat with her good friend at her bakery, The Rise and Shine.Abby returned the embrace. "I'm good. How about you? How's this place doing?"Megan waved away her question. "There's no way we're talking about my bakery when you need to tell me everything. Yes, everything." Megan looked over her shoulder and said, "Jubilee, will you take over for a bit? I'll be in the back with Abby."Jubilee gave her boss a thumbs-up before helping the next customer.Megan had texted Abby on Sunday night, demanding that Abby tell her all the details about her relationship with Mark.Abby couldn't help but notice how happy Megan looked, her eyes shining. After a tumultuous few years, Megan and Caleb Thornton had finally admitted how much they loved each other. Abby envied her the assurance that Caleb adored her as much as she adored him.Once they got to Megan's office
Spending a week in Mark's company, Abby somewhat understood his moods and personality. He had never been chatty, but tonight, he was downright surly. He barely spoke more than five words to her all evening, although he did thank her for dinner."I just ordered pizza," she said, trying to lighten the mood.He shrugged.She sighed. She wanted to shake him until his teeth rattled. At least it would make her feel better, if it didn't get him to talk. They'd gotten so close yesterday afternoon, and now he was acting like she was some kind of stranger.After they finished eating, Mark said something about finishing up some work outside. Abby squinted, looking at the growing dusk outside."What do you have to do right now?" she asked.She had a feeling he wanted to avoid her. Can this guy make up his mind already?Then again, they weren't in a real relationship. They were...well, Abby didn't know. They were attracted to each other; that wasn't in doubt. This "relationship" was a tangle
Mark awoke right as dawn stretched its fingers through the curtains, coating his room in golden light. It took him a moment to orient himself: he was in his room, yes, but there was a warm weight snuggled next to him.He looked down to see Abby fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. She made a noise and turned over, giving him a magnificent view of her backside.Biting back a groan, he moved her fully off of his shoulder as gently as he could and rose from the bed. He knew she needed to get up for work soon. He got her phone from her room, knowing it had her alarm programed; he set it on the nightstand, watching her sleep for a moment.They'd had sex last night. He almost wondered if it had been a dream, but no, his body was too satisfied for it to have been a dream. Closing his eyes, he remembered Abby's face as she came, how she felt when she rode him. It had been a while since he'd slept with a woman, but this?This couldn't compare. And now all he wanted was to have her—aga