Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,74

move, in retrospect. Why? Because she was human, and he’d had a mental block against getting involved romantically with humans—even magical ones.

Stupid.

He cursed himself as he set out the boxes and cartons of food on the table. He’d make up a plate with a little of everything and bring it in to her. Then, he’d find out what she liked best and get more of whatever it was, so she could eat and regain her strength. He was going to treat her like the queen she was and make sure she didn’t suffer for her kind act this day.

Jim put little bits of meatloaf, mac and cheese, baked chicken over seasoned rice, turkey with stuffing, and salmon on a plate and brought it in to her. Helen was laying on the bed, in the position he’d left her in, her eyes closed. He thought she might actually be asleep, but when he drew closer, her eyes opened, and she sniffed appreciatively at the scent of the food wafting toward her.

“That smells good,” she said, “but also confusing. I smell fish and turkey and beef?” She sat up, leaning against the headboard of her bed.

“I brought a sampler. A little bit of everything on offer. Taste it and tell me what you want, and I’ll go get it for you from the other room. There’s also a tossed salad with tomatoes and a vinaigrette dressing, some vegetable side dishes, and a selection of desserts.” He handed her the plate and watched as her eyes lit with pleasure. “Were there any green beans?” she asked as she nibbled a bit of the turkey.

He nodded. “Green bean casserole. With the mushrooms and fried onions. There was also cranberry sauce in that bag and mashed potatoes.”

“Like Thanksgiving dinner,” she said, grinning. “I’ll have a little of each of those, please. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and applesauce, if there’s any. Just a spoonful of each, okay?”

Jim moved to take her plate, but she jerked it out of his reach. “Nope. You can’t have this back. I’m going to nibble,” she told him with a crafty grin. “Just bring me Thanksgiving on a plate, and I’ll be happy. You can have the rest.”

Jim laughed as he headed back into the other room. He was still chuckling over her reaction as he made up the plate as she’d asked. He felt very domestic. Rarely had he taken care of another person this closely. He was more the man of action, parachuting in to save the day. The aftermath was for other people to deal with. He found he liked this. Taking care of another person—particularly Helen—was something he didn’t mind in the least.

He fixed up her plate, adding a few bites of salad in an empty spot and a slice of apple pie on a dessert plate, then brought it in to her. Going back out, he heaped some of the other selections onto two plates for himself then went back into her bedroom and set himself up on the nightstand. Helen had already cleared it off, so she could use it as a make-shift dining table.

There was just enough room for one of his plates, as well. He put the other within easy reach at the foot of the bed and dragged a chair over so he could sit opposite her. That’s when he realized he hadn’t brought in anything to drink, though he had remembered silverware and napkins. He dashed back out and got a few bottles of spring water, then returned and sat back down. They ate in relative silence, each savoring the meal and, at least in Jim’s case, running through the events of the day in his head.

Helen seemed so tired, but the food was perking her up a bit, for which he was grateful. “You were really magnificent today, Helen,” he said a moment after the thought crossed his mind. He needed to let her know how much he valued her input and abilities. She’d surprised him, and he was never more grateful to have been taken unawares.

“Oh, you did most of the heavy lifting,” she told him. “I’m just glad it was something I could help with. That poor boy. He really suffered at the hands of those people.”

“Are you okay with what happened? I mean, I know sometimes a first kill can be tough.” He wanted her to talk to him and open up about her feelings if she was having trouble with what