Page 66 of Megan's Mate
Nathaniel roused himself enough to probe his face with cautious fingers. “Where are we going?”
“Where else?” Holt headed for The Towers.
Coco squealed at the sight of him, pressing both hands to her cheeks, as Nathaniel hobbled into the family kitchen with one arm slung over Holt’s supporting shoulders.
“Oh, you poordarling!What happened? Was there an accident?”
“Ran into something.” Nathaniel dropped heavily into a chair. “Coco, I’ll trade you everything I own, plus my immortal soul, for a bag of ice.”
“Goodness.”
Brushing Holt away, she took Nathaniel’s battered face in her hands. In addition to bruises and scrapes, there was a jagged cut under one eye. The other was bloodshot and swelling badly. It didn’t take her longer than a moment to see that the something he’d run into was fists.
“Don’t you worry, sweetheart, we’ll take care of you. Holt, run up to my room. There’s a bottle of painkillers in the medicine chest, from when I had that nasty root canal.”
“Bless you,” Nathaniel managed. He closed his eyes, listening to her bustling around the kitchen. Moments later he hissed and jerked when a cool cloth dabbed the cut under his eye.
“There, there, dear,” she cooed. “I know it hurts, but we have to get it clean so there’s no infection. I’m going to put a little peroxide on it now, so you just be brave.”
He smiled but found that did nothing to help his torn lip. “I love you, Coco.”
“I love you, too, sweetie.”
“Let’s elope. Tonight.”
Her answer was to lay her lips gently on his brow. “You shouldn’t fight, Nathaniel. It doesn’t solve anything.”
“I know.”
Breathless from the run, Megan burst into the kitchen. “Holt said— Oh, God.” She streaked to Nathaniel’s side, grabbed his sore hand so tightly he had to bite down to suppress a yelp. There was blood drying on his face, and there were bruises blooming. “How bad are you hurt? You should be in the hospital.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“Holt said two men came after you.”
“Two?” Coco’s hand paused. “Twomen attacked you?” All the softness fled from her eyes, hardening them to tough blue steel. “Why, that’s reprehensible. Someone should teach them how to fight fair.”
Despite his lip, Nathaniel grinned. “Thanks, beautiful, but I already did.”
“I hope you knocked their heads together.” After a huffing breath, Coco went back to work on his face. “Megan, dear, fix Nate an ice bag for his eye. It’s going to swell.”
Megan obeyed, torn into dozens of pieces, by the damage to his face, by the fact that he hadn’t even looked at her.
“Here.” She laid the cool bag against his eye while Coco cleaned his torn knuckles.
“I can hold it. Thanks.” He took it from her, let the ice numb the pain.
“There’s antiseptic in the left-hand cupboard, second shelf,” Coco said.
Megan, feeling weepy, turned to get it.
The door opened again, this time letting in a crowd. Nathaniel’s initial discomfort with the audience turned to reluctant amusement as the Calhouns fired questions and indignation. Plans for revenge were plotted and discarded while Nathaniel suffered the sting of iodine.
“Give the boy air!” Colleen commanded, parting her angry grandnieces and grandnephews like a queen moving through her court. She eyed Nathaniel. “Banged, you up pretty good, did they?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her eyes were shrewd. “Dumont,” she murmured, so that only he could hear.
