The Captain's Lady Read Online Free PDF Page A

stirred, then dismissed the corpsman with a few cutting words. His internal radar continued to warn him—there was trouble brewing with this one. How had she managed to be posted on his ship? Her attitude was a liability to the department, if not to the crew and the entire ship. “That will be all, Carruthers."
    A blank, puzzled confusion shadowed her face. The return of her attitude pushed Eric to the brink. “I said, that will be all."
    She stood rooted to the spot, mouth gaping, eyes not acknowledging the abrupt dismissal. Finally, before he could stand no more of her insolence, he stabbed a fierce finger toward the door. “Get out of here, and go to the mess hall."
    She fled, exiting the room with a sharp clank of the door, leaving some dark influence behind.
    He inhaled a deep breath, then exhaled the bitterness, reining in the ardent need to go and give her the dressing down she so justly deserved. Instead, the warmth shimmering in Abby's eyes hooked him, pulling him to her. She was so warm and sleep-tousled. That startling innocence shone so openly in those blue eyes. The way she looked at him with a gentle mix of curiosity and hero worship, her long blonde tendrils in complete disarray, was definitely wreaking havoc on his hardened emotions.
    He approached her side. “Hi, how are you feeling?” The softness in his tone surprised even him. Her smile cast a radiant warmth solely on him.
    "Better. Thank you ... for everything.” A blush swept across her face, probably embarrassment at the vulnerability of her position. Abby tried to sit up, wincing and sucking in a short breath. She froze suddenly mid-motion as some sort of pain erupted inside her.
    Eric put a warm hand on her shoulder. In a smooth quick motion, he guided her to lie back down. “No, don't move. Just stay there."
    Hearing voices out in the passageway, he turned toward the door just as it popped open, admitting a surprised Lieutenant Larry Saunders carrying a tray laden with lunch.
    Eric would have been a fool to miss the sharp questioning gaze Larry shot at him, the eyes sweeping round from the door to him. His expression asked, Why isn't there a guard at the door?
    "Captain.” Larry greeted him and placed the tray on the counter along the wall with the wide lip tilted up. He flashed a quick glance around sickbay and frowned. “Where's the corpsman?"
    "I sent her to the mess hall. She'll be lucky if that's all I do."
    Larry cringed. Eric nodded. “How do you put up with her insolence?"
    The tension in the air seemed to multiply tenfold. The velvety pull of Abby's aura drew his attention; he spun on a heel and was struck by the confused and concerned look in her doe-like eyes. Eric gestured toward the tray on the side counter, meeting the doc's troubled gaze. The mundaneness stirred him from his thoughts of punishing Gail Carruthers.
    "Abby,” Larry said, drawing their gazes apart, “I brought you some soup and a sandwich. Do you think you can eat something for me?” Larry helped her sit up by firmly gripping her arm and helping slide her legs over the side of the bed.
    Eric retrieved the small table beside the bed. Larry set the tray on it.
    "It smells good,” she said. “I didn't realize how hungry I was."
    She looked up at Eric and smiled. It was a crooked smile that tilted to one side as she tucked the long strands of blonde hair behind her ears. Self-consciously she ran her fingers through the tangled hair, pulling slightly to disengage the knots.
    Sensing her obvious physical discomfort, Eric sought to reassure and distract her. “Eat your lunch. After you're done, I'm sure the doc here can get someone to scrounge up a brush for your hair."
    Surprise etched her features and she self-consciously lowered her eyes. “Thank you. That would be nice."
    She unrolled the napkin from around the utensils and, with some hesitancy, began to eat the rich soup. Glancing up at the captain and doctor through lowered lashes, she watched them move to