Chapter 14 Part 14
Maggie
Asher drove well below the speed limit, and parked his truck in front of her house. “I’ll just be a minute.” He was on the porch, unlocking her front door before she could say anything. He’d insisted on taking her to his house, looking at her like she was insane for wanting to go to her house.
Asher returned a few minutes later with two large suitcases, and loaded them onto the back of his truck. He gave her a smile, and then they were on their way again.
“My house doesn’t have stairs, with the crutches—”
“Not a chance. At the ranch, you’ll have everything you need,” Asher said, as he kept driving. Maggie kept quiet, but she was having a hard time trying not to cry.
Asher looked like he wanted to say something, but he gritted his teeth, and parked his truck in front of his house. He carried her inside and up the stairs to the guest room, disappearing again as soon as she was settled on the bed with her leg propped on a pillow.
“Where’s Melody?”
Asher unzipped her suitcase, and started opening the dresser’s drawers. “She’s at the main house with Eden. She’s in good hands, don’t worry.”
“How did I get to the hospital?” Her memory was blank; the last thing she remembered was her car skidding across the dirt road.
“I found you,” Asher said, and sat down on the bed. “What happened today?”
Maggie swallowed and looked at him. “The car skidded, and I guess I hit the ditch.”
Asher shook his head. “Before that. You didn’t sound like yourself over the phone. What happened after your interview?”
Maggie couldn’t stop the tears from flowing, as she lowered her head. It was too much to deal with everything at once. “It was awful.”
Asher was next to her in an instant, his arm around her, with her head against his chest. “Tell me.”
Maggie hadn’t planned on telling him, but the words spilled out, and the more she talked, the more the anger was evident in his eyes. By the end of her story, his fists were clenched, and his eyes looked like storm clouds.
“She said all that to you?”
Maggie nodded her head, before looking down. “Now my car’s a wreck. I still don’t have a job. I can’t pay the hospital, and I’ll have to move.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. Why do you have to move?”
“Half the town probably thinks I’m a gold-digging harlot looking for a daddy for Melody, so nobody’s going to let me work for them. How am I supposed to look after Melody?”
“The other half will think we’re a couple, which will put a stop to anything Lorelei said, or will say, to anyone,” Asher said.
Maggie frowned. “What? Why would they think that?”
“I told your doctor I’m your boyfriend so he would give me news of your condition, and my whole family confirmed it. The town’s gossip mill stretches far and wide,” Asher said. “The point is, you’re not going anywhere. We’ll figure it out, one day at a time, and while we do that, you’ll stay here, and recuperate.”
“I can’t just stay here. You’ve done so much for me already,” she said softly.
Asher grinned, peering down at her. “If you dump me now, people will talk.”
Maggie laughed, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “You’re certifiable.”
“Perhaps, but you’re stuck with me now.”
There was nothing she could say to that, plus she wasn’t sure she wanted to argue with him. She liked him too much, already, and she knew she was falling. Hard. He had come to look for her, saving her life. Asher Fitzgerald was a true hero.
“You make it sound so easy, Asher, but the reality is that I still need to find a job. I have to buy another car and pay the hospital bill.”
“The hospital bill is already paid, and we’ll figure something out with your car,” he said.
“You paid the hospital bill?” Her voice had gone up a notch.
“It doesn’t matter if I paid it or not; it’s paid, so it’s one less thing you have to worry about.”
Maggie shook her head, closing her eyes. She was about to say something when she heard voices downstairs, and Asher shifted off the bed. She heard more voices, then Eden appeared in her room.
“How are you feeling?”
Maggie mustered a smile. “I’m okay.”
“Melody’s eaten, and I gave her a bath. Asher’s putting her down now. I thought I’d come in and see if you wanted me to help you wash up. I’m sure after the hospital, and the accident, you must feel a little gritty.”
“That would be great, but I’m sure if I can just get to the bathroom, then I can manage,” Maggie said.
“Nonsense, you have a concussion, and I really don’t mind helping you,” Eden said, walking through to the bathroom.
“Thank you, Eden. You’re being very kind to us.”
Eden gave her a smile. “Well, technically, you’re almost my sister-in-law, and this is what family does.”
Maggie choked on her own saliva. “He just said that to get information.”
“Uh-huh. My brother doesn’t just say anything. I’d be surprised if there isn’t a ring on your finger within six months.”
Maggie swallowed nervously. She was just joking, right? She had to be. Asher barely knew her. She was sure that after her cast came off, he’d be well and truly irritated with her presence, and invalid status. An hour later, Maggie was bathed and dressed in clean pajamas. Eden had been quick and efficient, but Maggie felt exhausted after eating dinner, and taking her pain meds.
She knew Asher had checked up on her at some point. She’d felt his lips against her forehead, but sleep had taken over, pulling her to a land of darkness with only mild pain in her ribs. She might have dreamed of the kiss on her forehead; she wasn’t sure, but it had felt real.