cabin. The door was open, and sunlight was streaming through, but there was no sign of his dog. He tried to remember when he’d last seen Loki. Had it been last night when he’d managed to stumble over to the door and let him out?
He jumped as Beth came back into the cabin carrying a large box and set it on the kitchen countertop.
“Hey.” He forced himself to sound reasonable. “Have you seen my dog?”
“Yes, he’s in my truck.”
“You’ll take him back with you? Great. Thanks.” He let out a shuddering sigh. “I was just going to ask you—”
She walked over and looked down at him, her usual smile absent, her gray eyes filled with concern despite his behavior. “Actually, Loki came to find me at the ranch.”
“What?” Conner croaked.
“He’s obviously a lot smarter than his owner because he knew to ask for help. I’ll go let him out of the truck.”
Before he could even think of a way to reply, she turned on her heel and marched away from him. He lay still, listening intently, until Loki bounded into the cabin and leapt up on the bed right onto his chest, making his breath whoosh out.
He wrapped his arm around the dog’s massive neck and hugged him hard.
“What were you thinking, bothering our neighbor for nothing, buddy?”
As Loki licked his face, Conner thought he heard Beth mutter something about fools, but he couldn’t be sure. Eventually, Loki settled down beside him and Conner was forced to turn his attention back to his unwelcome visitor. She was now in his kitchen putting the supplies away. While she wasn’t looking, he had time to appreciate the way she filled out her jeans, the indent of her waist, and the lush curve of her breasts. Not that he hadn’t noticed them before, but seeing her here in his personal space somehow made it way more intimate
“Would you like something to drink?” she asked without turning around.
Conner glanced over at his bedside table where his empty water glass stood, and swallowed hard.
“Yeah, that would be great.”
She brought over a clean glass filled with water, and a mug of coffee, which made his mouth water. How long was it since he’d been upright enough to make his favorite beverage? He went to sit up and she placed a hand on his chest.
“Before you drink anything, stick this in your mouth.” She slipped a thermometer under his tongue. “I need to know if you can stay here, or if I need to take you down to Morgantown to see Dr. Tio.”
He went to speak, and she gave him such a look that he clamped his lips together and endured the endless minutes until the thermometer beeped and she deftly removed it.
Her eyebrows shot up. “One hundred and two. That’s high.”
“I’m fine. I always run hot.”
“Why do men do this?” She rolled her eyes. “You either act like every sniffle is the man flu or pretend you’re fine when you’re dying.”
“I’m not dying,” Conner insisted. “It’s just a temporary thing.”
“So temporary that you haven’t managed to get down to town to pick up your supplies for two weeks?”
“Eight days. Maureen shouldn’t have bothered you.” Conner wasn’t giving in. “If you just leave me here with the supplies, I’ll do great.”
“Why did you end up with a fever in the first place?” Beth continued talking as though he hadn’t objected to anything, her gaze moving over his body. “Is it the flu?”
He set his jaw. “I might have got an infection when I was out hunting. I tripped over some barbed wire and it ripped through the leg of my pants. I cleaned it up when I got back, but I guess it might have gotten worse.”
“You guess.”
He glared at her. “Will you stop treating me like I’m five?”
“Maybe if you stop acting like it, I will.” This time she didn’t even attempt to hide her annoyance. “Let me take a look.”
He grabbed hold of the covers like a spinster aunt and held them to his chest as she sighed.
“Conner . . .”
* * *
Beth shook her head at her reluctant patient, who was currently acting all outraged because she’d dared to ask to look at his leg.
“Seriously?” Beth asked.
“Look, just let me get washed up before you start on me, okay?” Conner’s voice was hoarse. “I stink like the devil’s armpit.”
Beth wrinkled her nose. “I currently live in a house with two teens. I don’t smell anything new.” She rose from her chair. “Let me get