A Cowboy for the CEO

Chapter 10: Shut Up and Kiss Me

"What?" Ali raised her arms and looked herself over. True enough, a line of crimson blood trickled from her knee and down her leg as it mingled with the water dripping from the rest of her body. "Oh. I hadn't even noticed. It's nothing."

Pursing his lips, Hank scoffed and—to Ali's surprise—turned around and climbed back out of the cave. She watched as he fought the storm and retraced his steps to his mount before returning with a saddlebag in hand. He took off his long coat and offered it to her. "Here."

She didn't want to appear ungrateful, but being known as the girl who needed saving wasn't her goal. With her arms still crossed, Ali rubbed the goose bumps on her cold skin. "Thanks, but you can keep it," she grumbled.

He shook the coat loose before stepping closer and draping it over her shoulders. "My clothes are dry, and I don't need to be worrying about you catching hypothermia. Now, will you sit down?"

With his warm breath grazing her face, Ali looked away to avoid staring at his stubble and protectively drew the lapels of the duster together. "Why?" she asked with suspicion.

Stepping back and removing his gloves, Hank opened the saddlebag and took out a packet emblazoned with a large red cross. Ali frowned at the first aid kit. It was complete overkill. "I don't want—"

"Yeah. I know. You don't want or need my help. I get it. But if I bring you back late and bloodied, my . . ." He paused before clearing his throat. "Well, Liz will definitely bust my chops for it. So let's just agree that I'm here to cover my ass and graciously accept it. Can you do that?"

Ali gritted her teeth. Well, then. If it was all about him, how could she refuse? Plus, she couldn't let his girlfriend—the most likely word he'd self-censored with reference to Pebble Creek's owner—be disappointed.

With a huff, she reluctantly nodded. Sitting with her back against the wall, Ali winced as Hank cleaned her knee with iodine. The movements were brusque, but deliberate as his warm hands touched her clammy skin and gently rubbed the antiseptic towelette over the shallow wound. There was one good thing about his doting, though. At least now she had an unobstructed view of his face—an opportunity she gladly took to study it.

He was perhaps a few years older than her, but certainly no more than mid-thirties. Like in the bar, the light was too dim to tell the exact color of his hair; it looked similar to her own, somewhere between cocoa brown and coal black. His skin was lighter than hers though, surprising for someone who probably spent a lot of his time in the sun for his job. A short layer of scruff darkened his jawline, which was taut—a state she seemed to be encountering quite a lot.

While his deep focus on even the mundane task of patching her up was admirable, Ali searched his lips for a hint of that sly smile she'd briefly seen before. It had changed his whole appearance from rugged cowboy to playful gentleman, and she was intrigued by the dichotomy. When he finished covering the superficial wound with a large adhesive bandage, she inwardly lamented the end to his attentions.

"We'd better get going." Hank stood and offered his hand. "I've already called in that I found you, but they'll be wondering what's taking so long."

Ali put her fingers into his grip and pulled herself up. "Shouldn't we wait it out? It's pretty rough out there," she said, glancing past him at the relentless downpour.

"There's no telling if the storm will pass before sundown." He released her hand and pulled his gloves back on before throwing the saddlebag over his shoulder. "The descent won't be easy, but I've done it in worse. It should only take twenty minutes if we're lucky."

Hank jumped off the ledge, waiting for Ali below. As she climbed down to join him, the duster wrapped around her leg, and she stumbled into his arms.

"Sorry," she instinctively mumbled, steadying herself against his chest. It was the second time in their brief acquaintance this had happened, and pretty soon, he'd think she was doing it on purpose or something.