did he allow himself a moment of weakness. He started mumbling to himself as he pulled on his clothes, “Holy crap, Colton. What the hell have you gotten yourself into? Did you get a look at her now that she’s cleaned up? She’s gorgeous. And did you feel what it felt like to touch her skin? This is insane. I can’t be doing this. Nothing good can come out of this, nothing good at all.” He tossed his towel and wet pajama pants into the hamper, dabbed some deodorant under his arms and ran his fingers through his hair as he checked himself in the mirror once more. Then he grabbed the bandage off of the counter and started to open the door. Before he stuck his head out he said, “Ready?”
“Ready,” she said in response.
“Okay, let’s get that ankle checked and re-wrapped,” he said as he stepped out, trying to appear entirely in “doctor” mode. He didn’t fool either one of them. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched him step out – hair tousled, t-shirt tight against his muscles, pants bulging in all the right places. He was just as nervous and affected by this as she was and she knew it.
She pulled the pant leg up, revealing the purple ankle that was currently about the size of a grapefruit. He examined it as gently as he could but she winced a few times. As he began to wrap it again he said, “I think I should take you down to the basement to take a few x-rays, just to be safe.”
“You have an office here in your house?” she said.
He smiled, “What’s left of an office. I retired several years ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to part with my equipment so I brought it here. I thought it might be a good idea to have it around in case of an emergency. Looks like I was right.”
“Do you think it might be broken?”
“No. I think it’s just a bad sprain. But only an x-ray will tell us for certain.”
“How could I have walked here on a sprained ankle, or even a broken one for that matter?” she whispered.
“Adrenaline, my dear. It’s a powerful chemical. Now, what would you like to eat? I’m sure Hansen would be happy to whip up anything for you,” he said.
“Hansen? Who’s Hansen?” she whispered as she looked around.
“He’s my trusty, faithful and incredibly nosey servant who has been listening to us through my door for the past, oh, fifteen minutes or so, wouldn’t you say, Hansen?” he said, winking at her.
His door slowly opened and a man dressed like a butler stood stone-faced at his door. “How can I be of service, Sir?” he said through clenched teeth.
“Miss, umm, Miss,” he turned and looked at her, “have you had any luck remembering your name yet?” he softly said.
She shook her head, “No,” she whispered.
He placed a gentle hand on top of hers and whispered, “It’s okay. It’ll come when you’re ready. What do you feel like eating, Miss?”
“Oh, I don’t want to be a bother. Some cereal or a piece of toast would be fine.”
“Nonsense. This is a rare treat for Hansen. We don’t get many visitors around here. He’s excited about being able to cook for somebody for a change, aren’t you Hansen?”
Hansen’s jaw clenched, “Absolutely, Sir,” he hissed.
“You mean cook for somebody besides you, right? He does cook for you doesn’t he?”
Colton’s head whipped around. How could he have made such a stupid mistake? “Oh, of course he does, but cooking for me is boring. I’m allergic to just about everything and on a very restrictive diet,” he said, trying to cover his tracks.
“Well, if you’re certain it’s not a hassle, I could really go for some pancakes, and syrup, oooh, and bacon too, if you have some.”
Colton laughed the sweetest laugh, “And how about some orange juice too?”
Her eyes lit up as she smiled, “And coffee?”
“And coffee too,” he said then he stood up and walked to her side. Her arms willingly went around his neck as he scooped her up off the bed. “Now, Hansen. I’m going to take her downstairs for a few x-rays. Will you please change the bedding up here while I do? And then you can go downstairs and make the lovely lady here some pancakes with maple syrup, bacon, orange juice and coffee. Sound good?”
“Sounds excellent, Sir,” Hansen mumbled as the daggers shot from his eyes.
She and Colton chuckled as