fell off the roof about an hour ago.”
Looking at her eyes, Sam finished the explanation. “And you’re too tired to climb down and get it, right?”
She couldn’t respond since he was right on target. Instead, she pulled her hand out of his large, warm grip and looked down. “Can I have my hammer, please?”
Sam stood up and shook his head. “How long have you been up here?”
Chloe closed her eyes. “What time is it?”
“Almost noon.”
Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders, ignoring the spasms of pain that movement caused. “About six hours then.”
“And what have you eaten?”
Chloe shook her head. “I had breakfast.” With a groan, she stood up and walked towards the ladder. “Why do you care?”
Sam watched as she struggled to lift her leg, noting that she was probably aching in every fiber of her body. “I just do,” he grumbled and followed her down.
Back in the stable, Chloe rummaged through the rusting tools and finally found an older hammer. This one wasn’t as good, not as well balanced, but it was in her hands and therefore, she had control of it. She knew that Sam wouldn’t give her back the other one so she protected this one with her body as she turned around.
Unfortunately, he was too close and when she turned, he was only about an inch from her. He easily reached over her shoulder and plucked it out of her hands. Weak as she was from the unaccustomed physical exertion, she just couldn’t react quickly enough.
“You’re coming with me, Chloe. Looks like you need a good meal and a warm bed with no more repairs for today. You can visit with your dad while you eat something warm.”
Rubbing her head, she closed her eyes, not wanting to look at him for fear of him seeing the need in her eyes. The need right now wasn’t just for his strength and his touch. The sound of a warm meal, something she didn’t have to cook, or more specifically, burn, sounded lovely. And a warm bed was a luxury she hadn’t had in over a week as she tried to keep the expenses down by lowering the heat in the house. All her money was going toward the materials needed to repair the stable so she could bring her dad’s horses home as quickly as possible. And there was no fear of her father trying to do the repairs himself.
“Thank you very much for the offer, but I have a lot of work to do. I spoke with my father this morning and I visit him each afternoon so I’m not neglecting him. I just don’t want him to do this kind of work and I know he will if it’s not done by the time his leg has healed.” Turning her back on him, she started walking towards the ladder once again but her stride was slow and laborious, despite her efforts to hide it.
“Chloe, that wasn’t an offer it was a command. You’re dead on your feet and I suspect you haven’t eaten very much lately, have you?”
Chloe shrugged and ignored the hunger in her stomach, promising that she’d grab a sandwich as soon as Sam left. “I told you I had breakfast.”
He stopped her with a gentle touch, turning her so that her back was against the brown wood of the stable wall. “What did you have for breakfast?”
If he’d been harsh or demanding, she could have shrugged off his question and pushed him away. But his soft tone, a little husky with obvious concern, just did her in and she sighed heavily. “I had an apple. But I’ll go inside now and grab something.”
Shaking his head, he pulled her close, guiding her towards his horse. “I don’t think so, darlin’,” he replied with a deep voice. “You’re coming with me and Jessy is going to give you something warm and hardy. I’ll also lend you an air gun as long as you promise not to kill yourself with it. Deal?”
Chloe didn’t have the strength to fight him any longer. She was too tired, too cold and too hungry. Her entire body ached from the manual labor none of her muscles were conditioned for. He climbed up on his horse and then easily lifted her up before she had any idea of what he was going to do. Sitting in front of him, his strong arms surrounding her and the warmth of his body cradling her, Chloe sighed and leaned into his hard, muscular chest.
In what