The corners of his mouth lifted wider and his eyes dazzled with charm. “My left ankle and I have a little scratch on my head.”
“How’s the pain in the ankle?”
“I’ve had worse.”
“That really didn’t answer my question. Check out the chart. On a scale from one to ten, where would you place your pain?” She ran her hands down the thighs of her scrubs. The awareness remained in her arm.
“Four.”
“Can I take a look?”
“Be my guest.”
She had a feeling the cowboy had an overload of charm, but she was immune to mile-wide smiles and intriguing blue eyes. She focused on examining his leg, using the tips of her fingers to gently slide along the thick, muscular chord covered in soft hair. She paused at his knee. Nothing was broken so far. “I’ll have to take your boot off.”
“Go for it.”
As carefully and slowly as she could, she dragged the boot off. Then the white sock downward and when she got to his ankle he jerked and cursed.
She looked up at him. “Still a four?”
“I’m a bit ticklish.” There was that smile again. Too bad her nipples didn’t get the message to stay professional.
Rolling the sock off completely, she laid it next to him. “And inflamed too. I don’t think anything’s broken but I’m guessing Dr. Healey will want an X-ray.”
He gave a half shrug. “Whatever you see fit as long as I can get back to my chores this afternoon.”
“I respect your work ethic, but you’ll have to rest, at least today. I’m going to look at your head now.” He had silky, thick hair and she parted the waves as she examined the cut. “You’ll need a couple of stitches, but at least it has stopped bleeding.”
“Could have been worse, I guess.”
“I need to get your vitals.” She reached for the blood pressure cuff and he held out his arm. She wrapped the cuff around his large bicep, realizing he was still staring up at her. Concentrating on pressing the bulb and not the deep dimples bracketing his plush lips she got the reading and jotted the number in his chart.
“Am I still alive?”
“Perfect blood pressure, but let’s take a listen at your heart to make sure.” Using the stethoscope, she leaned in and pressed the chest piece over his heart. She caught a scent of leather and spice soap. She liked it. His gaze was on her, making it hard to focus. “Heart’s beating fine too.” She dragged the earpieces off and hung the stethoscope around her neck. “One more thing. Your temp.” She slid the thermometer under his tongue. “Now keep this here until it beeps.”
While the thermometer worked, she made a few notes in his chart, but none of them mentioned that she needed her own blood pressure taken.
“I feel fine. It’s just a bruise.”
She looked up at him, seeing him holding the thermometer. “You need to keep that in your mouth,” she gently chastised.
He sighed and stuck it back under his tongue.
Once it finished, she took it and dropped off the protector cover into the trash. “It’s a bit more than a bruise, but I think you already know that.”
“Trust me. This ain’t nothing.”
“How about we wait for the X-ray to decide on how bad it is.” She smiled. “Dr. Healey will probably want some bloodwork too.”
Did his color pale some? Were there beads of sweat across his forehead?
“Is it necessary?”
“Very necessary.”
“For whom?”
“Mr. Colt—”
“Brennan.”
“Okay, Brennan. Lab work is routine. I assure. If you’re afraid of needles—”
He grimaced. “I’m not afraid.”
“Okay then. I’ll be right back. I want to speak with Dr. Healey.” She stepped out and closed the door behind her. She met Meka’s gaze who was smiling from one hoop earring to the other.
“Do you need some water? You look a little flushed.”
Charlotte did need a cold shower, but she didn’t say that to the other nurse. “He certainly is full of charm, isn’t he?” She continued into Dr. Healey’s office, asked if he wanted to see the patient or get lab work first, then she went back into the exam room.
“Dr. Healey would like to get the work up.”
“If you say so. What if I resist?”
She searched his face, seeing the teasing lines around his mouth. “Do you give every nurse a hard time like this?”
“Only the cute ones.”
Her throat constricted. She felt her bottom lip tremble and she ignored his flirting. This wouldn’t be the first time, but it certainly was the first time she felt a sexual tension between her legs. Maybe it was loneliness, or maybe she simply found the cowboy attractive. After all, she was a woman who enjoyed a man’s attention just as much as the next lady. Her career didn’t give her steel walls of resistance.
She took out the items she needed from the medical chest.
When she turned back around, she found him sitting up, his legs hung over the edge of the table. One sock on and the other off. His hat was pushed back on his forehead. The hem of the gown had lifted high on his firm thighs. One thing was for sure, the cowboy didn’t mind showing a little leg…or magnetism.
Placing the tools on the tray next to the exam table, she pulled on gloves and snapped them into place. “Do you have a preference of which arm I use?”
