Heart of a Marine (The Wounded Warrior Series Book 1) by Patty Campbell

am I gonna do with you?”
    She pounded his big shoulders. “You should be more concerned about what I’m going to do with you once you put me down, you good-for-nothing.” She kissed his cheek.
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    Dempsey had been gone for three hours. The tension in Marla’s neck got worse by the minute. She tried his cell number only to hear it ringing on the floor by the front door. He’d been in such an all-fired hurry to leave he hadn’t noticed he’d dropped it. Amber slept against the cushions at the corner of the sofa while Skipper snored on the child’s chest, his nose buried under her chin.
    At the sound of Dwayne’s truck engine, Marla jumped to her feet. Skipper’s ears perked up and he raised his head. “Good boy, Skippy, go back to sleep.” He buried his nose in Amber’s neck, and Marla tiptoed to the entry.
    She extended a warning hand and put a finger to her lips before Dwayne had a chance to speak and pointed to the kitchen.
    “In there.”
    When they stepped through the door, she whirled on him and whispered, “Amber’s asleep. Where in heck have you been all this time? I’m ready for a big dose of Prozac!” She raised an accusing finger. “You charge out of here shouting orders like I was one of your workmen,” another finger up, “leave me in charge of your child,” a third finger, “you don’t call,” fourth finger shook in his face, “because you left your phone here, you…oh, holy goats! You’re bleeding, Dempsey. Are you all right?” She touched his cheek.
    “Yeah.” He blew out a breath and nodded. “Sorry. I need to sit down and get off my leg.”
    Without waiting for her reply, he brushed past her. Marla pressed a hand against the back of her neck and dogged his limping steps. More than his face had been hurt. Something happened to his leg.
    She hurried to the sink, wet the dishtowel in cold water, wrung it out, and pressed it against his cheek. “Were you in an accident?”
    “No, a battle. We caught some losers red-handed, stealing our tools and equipment.”
    “We?” Marla lifted the wet towel to look at the cut on his cheekbone. She sucked in a sharp breath between clenched teeth. “Who’s we?”
    “Me, Cluny, Slim, and Jack. We got there just ahead of the cops.” He chuckled, and that brought on a wince of pain. “Miss Emmaline called them when she heard my car alarm, then she jumped into the middle of the fight and gave one of those bastards a good beat-down with a broom.”
    “She did?” Her eyes grew wide with surprise. “Were those the men I saw? How’d they get in? Where was Hercules?”
    “His handler brings him over just before dark. He works the night shift. We never thought anybody’d try to rip us off in broad daylight.” He grasped his left leg just below the knee. “Dammit! Will you do me a favor and grab those crutches by the front door?”
    Marla pressed the towel against his cheek. “This town is going down the tubes. Did those thieves get arrested?”
    “Youch! Take it easy.” He leaned back to ease up the pressure. “The cops took them in. All but a guy in a blue car who was probably their lookout. He hauled ass right after the fight started.”
    “Sorry, you probably need a couple of stitches. Shall I take you to the ER?”
    “No, it’s only a scratch. Just bring the crutches, please. I need to get my weight off this leg and take my pants off so I can have a look at it.”
    “Keep the towel pressed there while I get them.”
    When she retrieved the crutches and handed them over, he dropped the towel and struggled to his feet. She sighed with relief that the bleeding on his face had stopped.
    Dwayne thumped down the hallway in the direction of his bedroom. She followed.
    “I’m gonna drop my pants, Danaher. You might want to stay out.”
    She huffed and stepped in front of him to open the bedroom door. “I’ve seen men’s underwear before, Dempsey. I have two brothers I practically raised on my own.”
    “In