“So what?”
“So you need both hands to drive it.”
“I have both hands.”
“We’re thirty minutes from the hospital in Lyndon, or thirty minutes from the paramedic at the Craig Mountain construction site. Which is it going to be?”
“I’m going back to the ranch.”
“We’re two hours from the ranch.”
“There is no we.”
“There is right now.” Giving up completely on logic and reason, he pocketed her keys, paced back around the front of the truck and slammed the hood with finality. He swore the woman had lost her mind.
He returned to find her eyes closed, teeth gritted, arm limp by her side. Her cheeks had gone a shade paler.
“I’m taking you to the hospital,” he announced, trying to figure out how to force her into his car without hurting her.
“Craig Mountain,” she retorted, opening her eyes, glaring in defiance.
Fine with him. The job-site paramedic was highly qualified. “I’m sure they’ll have some morphine for the pain and a local anesthetic for the stitches.”
She coughed a cold laugh. “I’m a cowboy. All I need is an aspirin and some alcohol.”
“For rubbing or ingesting?”
“A little of both.”
Impressed by her attempt at humor, he braced his hand firmly beneath her arm. “Come on, partner.”
“I’ll bleed all over your Jaguar.”
“That’s why they invented detailing shops.”
She eased her way out of the cab. “I don’t need stitches.”
“How about we let the medical professionals decide that.”
“You are so stubborn.” But the fight was gone from her voice.
“Yeah,” he drawled. “I’m the stubborn one.”
They made their way to his running vehicle, and he settled her into the passenger seat, placing Ozzy on the small backseat behind her. Glancing at her arm made him grimace. She had to be in a whole lot of pain.
“This is completely unnecessary,” she complained.
“Humor me.” He stripped off his suit jacket, tossed it back next to Ozzy. Then he began unbuttoning his cotton shirt.
“What are you- Oh, seriously, Zach. It can wait till we get to the castle.”
“I don’t think so.” He doffed the shirt, bent on one knee and loosely wrapped it over her arm.
“Ever think of becoming a nurse?” she asked.
“Not until now.”
“You’re very gentle.”
“You’re very brave.”
“It’s just a scratch.” But she was beginning to shiver.
“Cold?” he asked, worried that it might be a sign of shock.
“Little bit.”
He set her arm in her lap then retrieved his jacket, draping it around her shoulders. He turned the heater dial to full, softly latching the door before rounding the hood to get into the driver’s side.
“So, how’ve you been?” he asked as he eased out the clutch and pulled onto the dark highway. “I mean, up until now.”
“Fine,” she answered, sounding a lot more frustrated than faint. Maybe she wasn’t going into shock. “And you?”
“Busy. I guess you must have heard?”
“That you wised up and took my advice? Yes, I had heard that.”
“When you’re right, you’re right,” he allowed.
He took the first few turns of the mountain road.
“So you’re moving to Lyndon?”
He couldn’t identify the emotion in her voice. And, under the circumstances, maybe he was foolish to try. But he would love to know if his moving made her happy? Sad? Ticked off? If she was ticked off, she had no one to blame but herself. It was her idea.
“I am,” he told her.
“When did you get to town?”
“Today. Alex has been here for a while. He’s taking care of setting up the new head office in Lyndon. I’ve got some work to do at Craig Mountain.”
The pavement abruptly ended, and he hit a pothole on the gravel stretch.
Abigail hissed in a pained breath.
“Sorry.”
“No big deal. I also heard it was official. You got the water-license exemption.”
Zach was sure the jolt had caused her considerable pain, but there seemed little point in arguing. Maybe discussing his business would take her mind off the injury. “Your plan worked like a charm,” he told her. “Thanks for the help.”
“No problem.”
He couldn’t help chuckling at that. “That’s not what you said a few weeks ago.”
“I’m over it.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
She shrugged. “In the end, you made it easy. It was nothing I said or did. An exemption is an exemption. Anybody could have gotten one by bringing in two hundred jobs.”
“I wouldn’t have known about the exemption, if not for you.”
She cast a sidelong glance his way. “But we’re still keeping that our secret, right?”
“Right.”
“Along with everything else? There’s no expiration date on a blackmail payoff,” she confirmed.
“I said yes.”
“Just so we’re clear.”
“We’re clear.” He paused. “But I didn’t think there were official rules for blackmail.”
“Honor among thieves.”
“We’re not thieves.”
“We’d’ve been good at it, though.”
He chuckled.
“Trickery, subterfuge, deception and clandestine meetings.”
“We’d also have to steal something,” he pointed out.
She leaned her head back. “I don’t need anything.”
“Except medical attention.”
“Do we need to steal it?”
“We do not.” He nodded out through the windshield. “See those lights up ahead?”
She squinted. “Way up in the trees?”
“They’re farther up the mountain. That’s the new building for Craig Mountain. The walls are up. The roof is on. And it’ll be clad to weather by the end of the week.”
“Congratulations.”
“There’s a long way to go. But so far we’re on schedule.”
“Did you decide whether or not to do a restaurant?”
He pretty much had, but he hadn’t made if official yet. “I’m not sure,” he hedged, to keep the conversation going. “What do you think I should do?”
She got a faraway look in her eyes, and her tone softened. “I think people would love to have dinner at the castle.”
