“How should I know?”
He spit on the ground. “I guess I’ll go around to the back door.”
Abby rolled her eyes. She’d hear about her inconveniencing him today every time she saw him for the next ten years.
Oh God, it was only a matter of time until her parents descended on her. Then there were her aunts, uncles, and assorted cousins. All of them were going to show up at her door to see how she was doing. They’d done it for the first two weeks after she’d returned home from Syria until she finally had had enough and had a hissy fit about it.
She wasn’t going to get any rest today.
She stuck her head back between her knees.
Voices approached, indistinct from the background noise at first, then settling into a conversation between two males she knew all too well.
“...and keep her away from the windows.”
“I know what to do, Sheriff.”
“Do you? I know all you medical people have to go through basic training, but after that...”
“I’m not medical. I was part of doc Abby’s team as security.”
“Security? In the Army?”
“On special detail.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” Abby interrupted. “That he’s really,reallygood at keeping people alive.” She looked at Smitty. “Can we go now?”
“Sure, doc.” He came forward and offered his hand again.
She took it and he slowly helped her to stand. The world wasn’t spinning, but it was a littleswooshy.
“Dizzy?”
“A little.”
“Okay, up you go then.” One arm scooped her up under her knees, the other supported her back.
The first thing she noticed was his smell; woodsy and something distinctly his. The second was his dense musculature. Dense and proportionally symmetrical. Especially his shoulders and arms.
Abs too.
Probably his thighs as well. But she wasnotgoing to find out.
He headed toward his Jeep and spoke to the Sheriff at the same time. “Feel free to check me out. Call my unit commander.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Mind getting the door?” Smitty asked the Sheriff.
“Oh, sure.” Sheriff Johnson opened the passenger side door and Smitty gently set her down on the seat. He took a moment to engage her seat belt.
She chose not to complain. Yet.
He got in the driver’s side and pulled away from the yellow tape. “I’m going to need directions.”
“No problem. Turn left at the next intersection.”