Bare Naked: Naked Cowboys, Book 4 Read Online Free PDF Page B

still need to take care of them.”
    He disappeared in the direction of the kitchen. Georgie could hear him opening cupboard doors, opening and closing the refrigerator, making other unidentifiable noises. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. What an uncomfortable situation to find herself in.
    He was back in seconds carrying a plastic baggie filled with ice and a dishtowel. He looked around, perplexed, until he spotted the open door to her bathroom. Folding a bath towel he’d found in there, he knelt again and propped her foot up on it. Then he placed the ice gently on the toes. She squealed for a moment at the cold but then blessed numbness wiped out the pain.
    “Thank you,” she said. “I should be just fine in a little while. You can get back to what you’re doing.”
    He stood there, studying her, frowning. “Afraid you won’t get your money’s worth today?”
    “Oh! No, no, no. I just meant— I—” She closed her mouth. Didn’t she just sound like a bitch.
    “Okay. Keep your eye on the time. Fifteen minutes on, fifteen minutes off. Can you handle that?”
    “Yes,” she snapped and then sighed. “Sorry. This just wasn’t on my schedule today.” She swallowed. “Thank you for helping me.”
    He held up a hand. “It’s okay. You’re right. I want to finish those hedges today. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.” He snapped his fingers. “Aspirin. Or Tylenol. Which do you have?”
    “Cade,” she began.
    “Which, Georgie?”
    “Tylenol. In my bathroom.”
    Oh, God, he was going into her bathroom. Where she had all her private stuff. At least she didn’t have any of her lingerie hanging around drying, thank God.
    “Here.” He handed her two Tylenol and then squatted down so he could prop her up to drink from the glass he held. “Good girl. I’ll leave the rest of the water right here in case you want more.” He set it on the floor near her head. As he turned to walk out of the room, he called over his shoulder, “Don’t try to get up.”
    Georgie closed her eyes again.
    Damn, damn, damn. Of all the dumb things to happen. Now what do I do?
     
    Wouldn’t everyone just laugh their asses off if they saw me playing nursemaid to some woman and breaking my ass with all this hard work?
    Cade swallowed a bitter laugh, unrolled another heavy trash bag and began to fill it with the clippings from the hedge trimming. It hadn’t taken long to settle into the apartment—what a laugh to call his living quarters something that elaborate. Still, he had to admit it beat the Lone Star Bar all to hell. He’d driven clear to the next county to stock up on supplies, unwilling to face the knowing looks he was sure he’d get. He’d bet anything Ed hadn’t wasted any time spreading the word.
    The good thing was no one knew where he was.
    He was glad he’d kept his body in shape, even if he’d gone from hard labor as a teenager on the family ranch to working out in a home gym. The work he was doing now, unlike that he’d done in his earlier years, was mind-numbing and took every ounce of energy in his body. Unfortunately, because he didn’t have to concentrate on what he was doing, it allowed his brain to work overtime. As he sweated years of booze out of his body, he couldn’t seem to stop examining both sides of his life.
    On the one hand, in two weeks without any alcohol at all, he could already feel changes in his body. His hands didn’t shake anymore, which was good since he didn’t want to accidentally chop off one of his fingers with the hedge clippers. His muscles were hardening and he didn’t have to stop so often to draw in a full breath. He was bone tired at the end of the day, which was good because he could finally sleep through the night without waking up craving a drink. Or wondering where the hell he was. In fact, he hated to admit it, but physically he felt better than he had in years.
    On the other hand, he was forced for the first time in years to take a