Christmas On The Silver Horn Ranch

Greta clucked her tongue with disapproval. “From now on, you call and let us know you need a lift. We don’t want you hurt, too.”

“I’ll do that,” Ava promised, then asked, “Is Bowie in his room?”

Greta let out a loud, frustrated groan. “He’s up there. After he ate his breakfast, he insisted he was going to get in the shower. I told him he couldn’t.”

“That’s right. Only a sponge bath. He can’t get his burns or cast wet.”

“Well, he won’t let me or Tessa help him with a sponge bath. And seeing he was so hell-bent on getting into that shower, I unscrewed the showerhead and brought it down here. He won’t be using it for a while. But he’s probably still fuming.”

Ava had to laugh. “Good thinking. And I’ll remind him of what he’s to do and not to do.”

“Well, brace yourself. He wasn’t too happy when I left him,” Greta warned.

She was going to brace herself, Ava thought a few minutes later as she climbed the two flights of stairs to Bowie’s bedroom. Not because of his present mood, but because she needed to control herself.

After a firm knock, she stepped into the bedroom to see Bowie standing with the aid of his crutch, staring out the window. The brooding expression on his face was a far cry from the playful guy she’d met yesterday.

“Good morning,” she said.

His head jerked in her direction as though he’d been expecting anyone but her.

“Oh. I thought it was that damned Greta back to torment me.”

Ava shut the door and moved deeper into the room. “It’s a good thing the cook is keeping an eye on you. She told me about the shower. Are you trying to ruin everything the doctors have done so far? Maybe you’d like to go through a series of skin grafts. Think a shower would be worth that?”

“Damn it, I just want to feel clean. I can wash the bottom half of me okay. But I can’t handle the top half.”

“Greta says she and Tessa have offered to help you.”

He mouthed another curse under his breath. “Not on your life. Greta is like a grandmother. And Tessa came to live with us when she was just a very young teenager. She’s like a baby sister to me. Understand?”

Unfortunately, she did.

Dropping her tote bag on the foot of the bed, she motioned toward the private bathroom. “Okay. I told you yesterday I wasn’t going to do this, but I will. Just because I don’t want you to have a setback and cause me to have to see you for the next four months instead of the next six weeks.”

His eyes widened. “What are you going to do?”

The surprised look on his face was comical. “I’m going to give you a bath. What else?”

“In the bathroom?”

She shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t see any soap and water out here. Do you?”

For a moment she thought he was going to start singing a different tune about wanting a bath, but then he heaved out a heavy breath and hobbled off toward the bathroom. Ava followed behind him.

Bowie’s private bathroom was nearly as big as her kitchen. A green marble tub was situated on one side, while a glass-enclosed shower spanned the opposite wall. Green and white tile covered the floor, while white towels and washcloths hung on racks conveniently positioned around the room.

Spotting a padded dressing bench over by the tub, she dragged it over to the sink. “Sit down here,” she ordered.

“Ava, I—”

“You what? Have decided you don’t want a bath as much as you thought you did?”

“No. I still want a bath. I just— Well, it suddenly occurred to me that I probably sound like a spoiled brat to you. And I’m not. I’m just sick of being helpless, that’s all.”

“And a little bit stubborn to go with it?” she added impishly.

He grinned at that, and Ava was relieved to see his mood lift. She was a nurse—she didn’t want him to be miserable. Not physically or mentally.

“Just a little,” he admitted.

Turning slightly away from him, she filled the sink with warm water, then gathered a bar of soap and a washcloth. “How did you get that sweatshirt on?”

“Very carefully,” he answered. “It hurt my shoulder a bit when I pulled it over my head. But I don’t think it damaged anything.”

“You don’t, do you? Well, let’s hope it didn’t tear any flesh.” She turned back to him. “I can see you’re going to be a difficult patient. Didn’t you learn to follow rules in the Marines?”

“Yes. And I followed them. But I didn’t always like them.”

“I see. So now you want to make up your own rules.”

“Life is more fun that way.”

“You say that word a lot, you know.” Stepping closer, she reached for the hem of his sweatshirt. “Bend your head and I’ll try to get this thing off. And then I never want to see it again.”

After some slow, careful maneuvering, she worked the sweatshirt over his head and tossed the garment aside.

“What word do I say a lot?” he asked.

Deliberately ignoring the sight of his naked chest, she began to soap the wet washcloth. “Fun. That’s the word.”

“What’s the matter? You object to having fun?”

“No. But everything isn’t fun and games.” She wrung out the cloth and turned back to him. “Now don’t move. Otherwise, I’ll get soap and water where it doesn’t belong.”

“I’ll be as still as a statue,” he promised.

Stepping closer, she decided to start with his good arm and save the more problematic areas for last.

Wrapping her hand around his wrist, Ava held his arm out straight and washed the corded muscles. As she worked, the erotic male scent of his skin and the faint caress of his warm breath against her arm were impossible to ignore. Over the years, she’d done this very same thing to hundreds of male patients. None had made her so aware of being a woman. None had made her feel as though she was touching a man for the very first time.

“I didn’t think you’d show up today,” he said. “There’s quite a bit of snow on the ground.”

Ava wasn’t going to explain how his father had made plans beforehand to make sure she got to the ranch. From what she could see, Bowie wasn’t the sort that appreciated being coddled by his family.

“The drive took a bit longer,” she admitted. “But I made it without any problems.”

“When the weather is bad, you should stay out here on the ranch instead of driving back and forth to Carson City. We have plenty of empty rooms.”