He turned on the bedside lamp, which cast a glow over the room.His gaze scanned the room, trying to learn anything he could about her.It was tidy, maybe too tidy, and she hadn’t put any of her own touches on it.The furniture was the same plain wood.The same picture of cattle in a pasture hung on one wall, as it had for years, and that was it for decor.The bedspread was cream-colored or had been white at some point, but age had darkened it.
His eyes landed on her alarm clock, a pill bottle, and a glass half-full of water on the bedside table.He reached for it.What the hell?This was some intense shit.He shook the bottle before he opened it.There were maybe six pills left out of the forty indicated on the prescription bottle.
Cole turned toward her, and his hand landed softly on her hip.
“Victoria.Come on, baby, wake up.”He tried shaking her gently.“Tory.You need to wake up for me.”He started getting scared when she didn’t move, didn’t even twitch.“Tory,” he raised his voice a bit.A relieved breath filled his lungs when she started moving and making little sounds.
He had so many questions, but right now, she needed to rest because the last thing he’d ever want to do is hurt this woman.As time passed, his feelings for her grew deeper.As much as it scared him to watch her try to run a ranch, he couldn’t help being impressed and proud of her.
Chapter Five
Victoria woke up slowly.The medicine had done its job, taking away the pain for the most part, but she could still feel the tightness of her nerves behind her eyes.She straightened, moving slowly so the pain wouldn’t start again.Her body jerked when a warm hand landed on her stomach.She slowly pried her eyelids open to stare in confusion at Cole sitting on the side of her bed.
How many times had she dreamed of him here in her room?
“Hi,” she whispered and smiled before stretching her limbs.The first few hours after waking from the drug-induced sleep were like moving through molasses.
“What is wrong with you, Tory?”
A sense of delight rushed through her at the nickname he’d used.Only her uncle had ever used that name, and it reminded her of her uncle.
“Why are you smiling, baby?”
“Only my uncle ever called me Tory.”
Cole nodded.He liked that no one else called her that but him now.“Now two men will have used the nickname.I like that.”
Cole slipped his hand from her stomach to the other side of her hips so he could lean over and move into her space a bit more.
“Tell me about the pills?”
Victoria moved her eyes to the bottle in his hand.It looked so small.His massive hands made it look like a doll’s toy.Victoria realized two things at once.One, she was unconsciously running her fingers up and down his arm, and he really was in her bedroom.She wasn’t dreaming.
She struggled to sit up and started getting frustrated when she couldn’t seem to move her limbs.The drugs were still too strong in her system.She gasped when he lifted her with surprising ease and set her back against the headboard, making her feel very small but somehow safe.
She smoothed her hair a bit, knowing it had to look crazy.
