wasn’t a dream, aside from the whole illegal sharing of prescriptions. The sheets needed washing.
“Gimme a few.” I brushed my teeth and splashed cold water on my face, then grabbed a T-shirt, jeans, and flannel overshirt out of my suitcase. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but smirk at the resemblance to the first-year graduate student I’d been seven years before down to the “what have I gotten myself into?” look. A purple-black bruise spread almost all the way around my throbbing wrist. No watch for me today.
Damn. What had I gotten myself into?
Chapter Five
“Breakfast, Doctor Fisher?” Gabriel set a bed tray on the gold-colored brass and glass table at the foot of the bed. “You dressed quickly.”
He showed none of the disheveled look of the previous night. Instead of a butler’s suit, he wore khaki pants and a crisp white Oxford shirt. I approved of the look. Anything more would be too formal for every day.
“How’s the wrist?”
“Sore. Bruised.”
He held out his hand, and I extended my left wrist. He held it like a fragile glass, and I appreciated his cool, gentle fingers.
“Nothing broken, just bruised,” was his assessment. “Good thing we got ice on it right away.”
“Damn, girl, what happened?” Lonna walked into the room. She sniffed the air. “I smell bacon.”
“Which I’m sure you’ve already had copious amounts of,” I teased.
I made the quick decision not to tell her about the talking wolves or Leo. It would make me sound nuts, and I didn’t want to test my own credibility in the eyes of my friend, who thought I was close to going off the deep end anyway.
“I had a wacky dream and bruised my wrist on the night table.”
She looked at it more closely. “What were you dreaming?”
“Don’t remember.”
“Just bruised,” Gabriel repeated. “I shall set your breakfast on the table downstairs, Doctor Fisher.”
“Actually, I promised to meet someone for breakfast this morning,” I told him. The clock said ten fifteen. I didn’t want to miss Louise.
“Should I expect you for lunch?”
Lonna shook her head. “Dinner, probably.”
“Around seven, then?”
“That will be fine.”
As we wound our way down the mountain in the Jeep, Lonna asked me, “So, what’s up with you and the butler?”
“What do you mean?”
“He was looking at more than your wrist. And he’s a cutie. Got that Sean Connery accent going on.”
“Nothing.”
“It just seemed like you and he had some secret.”
I leaned over and put my right hand on her shoulder. “He’s not going to take over your job of protecting me, if that’s what you’re worried about. As if I need another guardian angel.”
Lonna didn’t take her eyes off the road. “Just tell me if it’s too much. I’ll go back to Little Rock.”
“Yeah, right you will.”
But from the line between her perfectly arched brows and the slight pout to her lips, I could tell she was worried.
“I need you here. At least until we know whether this Gabriel guy is legit.” I didn’t tell her the foundation of my suspicions.
The line cleared. “Good. Then I’ll drop you off at the diner, and I’ll go see the charming Peter Bowman.”
“Good luck. You may be the one who needs protecting.”
“I’ve not met a man yet I needed protecting from. Usually it’s the other way around.”
“You’ve been lucky.” As much as I tried not to think about Robert, there were times like now when I really missed our conversations.
“You’ve got that look again.”
“Will you just keep your eyes on the road?”
“And snappish. You were thinking about Robert.”
Luckily we had reached the diner, and I didn’t have to say exactly what my thoughts had been.
Instead of being greeted by Louise, I was ignored by a teenage boy with acne across his cheeks. He wiped the counter with sullen slowness.
“Where’s Louise?” I asked him. I sat down and picked up a laminated menu. A sticky
“Gimme a few.” I brushed my teeth and splashed cold water on my face, then grabbed a T-shirt, jeans, and flannel overshirt out of my suitcase. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but smirk at the resemblance to the first-year graduate student I’d been seven years before down to the “what have I gotten myself into?” look. A purple-black bruise spread almost all the way around my throbbing wrist. No watch for me today.
Damn. What had I gotten myself into?
Chapter Five
“Breakfast, Doctor Fisher?” Gabriel set a bed tray on the gold-colored brass and glass table at the foot of the bed. “You dressed quickly.”
He showed none of the disheveled look of the previous night. Instead of a butler’s suit, he wore khaki pants and a crisp white Oxford shirt. I approved of the look. Anything more would be too formal for every day.
“How’s the wrist?”
“Sore. Bruised.”
He held out his hand, and I extended my left wrist. He held it like a fragile glass, and I appreciated his cool, gentle fingers.
“Nothing broken, just bruised,” was his assessment. “Good thing we got ice on it right away.”
“Damn, girl, what happened?” Lonna walked into the room. She sniffed the air. “I smell bacon.”
“Which I’m sure you’ve already had copious amounts of,” I teased.
I made the quick decision not to tell her about the talking wolves or Leo. It would make me sound nuts, and I didn’t want to test my own credibility in the eyes of my friend, who thought I was close to going off the deep end anyway.
“I had a wacky dream and bruised my wrist on the night table.”
She looked at it more closely. “What were you dreaming?”
“Don’t remember.”
“Just bruised,” Gabriel repeated. “I shall set your breakfast on the table downstairs, Doctor Fisher.”
“Actually, I promised to meet someone for breakfast this morning,” I told him. The clock said ten fifteen. I didn’t want to miss Louise.
“Should I expect you for lunch?”
Lonna shook her head. “Dinner, probably.”
“Around seven, then?”
“That will be fine.”
As we wound our way down the mountain in the Jeep, Lonna asked me, “So, what’s up with you and the butler?”
“What do you mean?”
“He was looking at more than your wrist. And he’s a cutie. Got that Sean Connery accent going on.”
“Nothing.”
“It just seemed like you and he had some secret.”
I leaned over and put my right hand on her shoulder. “He’s not going to take over your job of protecting me, if that’s what you’re worried about. As if I need another guardian angel.”
Lonna didn’t take her eyes off the road. “Just tell me if it’s too much. I’ll go back to Little Rock.”
“Yeah, right you will.”
But from the line between her perfectly arched brows and the slight pout to her lips, I could tell she was worried.
“I need you here. At least until we know whether this Gabriel guy is legit.” I didn’t tell her the foundation of my suspicions.
The line cleared. “Good. Then I’ll drop you off at the diner, and I’ll go see the charming Peter Bowman.”
“Good luck. You may be the one who needs protecting.”
“I’ve not met a man yet I needed protecting from. Usually it’s the other way around.”
“You’ve been lucky.” As much as I tried not to think about Robert, there were times like now when I really missed our conversations.
“You’ve got that look again.”
“Will you just keep your eyes on the road?”
“And snappish. You were thinking about Robert.”
Luckily we had reached the diner, and I didn’t have to say exactly what my thoughts had been.
Instead of being greeted by Louise, I was ignored by a teenage boy with acne across his cheeks. He wiped the counter with sullen slowness.
“Where’s Louise?” I asked him. I sat down and picked up a laminated menu. A sticky
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