Page 4 of Close to My Heart

“Let me take care of you. Just this once.” His eyes were filled with worry and tenderness; I couldn’t say no.

“Okay.”

Wes sighed, and I knew he found me aggravating at times. My insistence on being independent and handling everything myself. According to him, I still let my family rule my life.

He’d urged me over the years to break ties with them, but I couldn’t. They were the only family I had. And Wes couldn’t possibly understand, not with a family like his. Not even his mother’s death broke his apart. It only made them stronger.

He moved toward the bathroom presumably for a washcloth the same time Jameson came into the room.

Jameson helped me to sit up, propped against the pillows. Then he ran through some tests with a tiny flashlight to see if I had a concussion.

“She probably has a mild concussion. Are you able to stay with her tonight, waking her up every few hours to make sure she’s okay?”

Wes had returned with the washcloth and cleaned my forehead. “I can do that.”

Yet his jaw was tight, and he seemed on edge.

“You don’t have to—” I was well versed in navigating situations where I wasn’t wanted, and I hated this feeling.

Wes leveled me with his stern look. The one that brooked no arguments. “I said I’d take care of you, and you promised you’d let me.”

Jameson made a sound. Was he laughing at us? I hadn’t found anything about tonight to be amusing. But then again, they didn’t know why I was so distraught. “You’re right.”

“You’ll have some soreness and bruising, and tomorrow, you’ll probably have some pain in your neck and back from the bumping around. Take it easy for a few days, and then you should be fine.”

“Take it easy?” I had so much to do. I needed to figure out how to get around this ultimatum.

Jameson’s lips twitched. “Think you can manage it?”

I opened my mouth to protest, and Wes said. “I’m on it.”

I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him only because my head ached. “You’re not my keeper.”

“For the next few days, I am.” Wes’s voice was grim.

I ignored the flood of feel-good emotions that coursed through my body at his words. No one had ever vowed to take care of me, not even my own parents. Why would they when they had nannies at their disposal?

Jameson backed toward the door. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be staying at the cottage with Claire.”

Wes’s gaze swung from me to Jameson. “You two are serious?”

Jameson’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

Wes tipped his head to the side. “Where’s Owen sleeping?”

“I was going to suggest he stay at the main house. He wanted to play video games.”

Wes nodded. “We’ll take care of him.”

“Text me if you need me.”

“Absolutely.” Wes’s amused gaze swung back to me, and he winked. Heat flooded my body.

Jameson left the room.

He sat gingerly on the bed, at my hip. “Care to tell me what happened at dinner that had you so upset?”

I sighed. “Grandma is redoing her will.”

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