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“You had an accident.”
“What?” I squeaked. “What broke?” Must have been some hefty drugs to hide where I’d been hurt. I slapped my body as he entered the room and eased the door shut.
“Nothing broken. Gas leak. You’re lucky I found you when I did. Exposed for a little longer, and we wouldn’t be talking.”
I paused my frantic slapping of my body to blink at him. “Wait, I passed out due to gas?” Hopefully, not the kind that came out of my butt because I’d die of embarrassment. “Is this Blade’s fault?” He did have smelly farts.
Brayden didn’t smile at my lame attempt at humor. “Faulty propane valve on your space heater, according to the fire department. I took the liberty of having someone fix it for you.”
“Thanks. Wow.” Suddenly dizzy, I pressed the control to raise the bed enough that I could lay against the pillow, which barely merited the name. Flat pancake covered in fabric. Useless thing. I wanted my pillow from home.
“Hey, you okay? Should I call the nurse?”
Oops. My lower lip jutted, and he noticed enough that he wanted to take care of me in the worst way possible. A nurse would poke me and ask me questions. Fuck that. I wanted answers. “How long was I out?”
His shoulders lifted and dropped. “Not sure. I didn’t find you until the morning when I stopped by with coffee and a donut.”
“How did you get in?” I hadn’t unlocked the main gate.
“Side entrance. When I noticed your junkyard shut tight, I tried the house. Got worried when you didn’t answer, especially since your car was in the driveway and I saw your curtain twitching.”
“That would be my dog.” Which would be odd because I could have sworn I’d taken the dog with me.
“I know that now, but at the time, I assumed something more nefarious and kicked in the door. Before you freak out, I already had someone fix that, too. When I didn’t find you inside, I went looking for you—with the help of your pooch.”
“A good thing. Although, I am surprised my dog helped. Usually, he hides at the sight of strangers.” Only one thing niggled. Again, I could have sworn I’d brought him with me to the garage. Hard to tell for sure with my mind kind of fuzzy, though.
“Your pooch was worried. We both were.”
I rubbed at my face, trying to scrub away the lingering grogginess. “When can I get out of here?”
“Probably not until tomorrow. They’ll want to ensure you’ve recovered before releasing you.”
“But Blade—”
“Is fine,” he interrupted. “Once the paramedics grabbed you, I called a guy I know to fix the doorframe that I busted. While he repaired that, I packed you a change of clothes and your purse for when you got discharged.” He waved a hand at a chair with the aforementioned pile. “I also fed your dog and took him for a walk. Or, you could say he took me. I got dragged into the run-off ditch not once but three times, for no reason.”
“He’s a bit skittish.”
“A bit?” He arched an incredulous brow. “Your dog practically leapt into my arms when a bird swooped. Thought I’d have to carry him back to your house at one point when something rustled in the bushes.”
I smothered a giggle to reply. “The world can be scary.”
His snort and head shake said otherwise. “I’ve never met a dog afraid of his own shadow.”
This time, I couldn’t hide my grin. “Admit it. He’s kind of cute.”
“Just a little.” Brayden’s lips quirked. “But a cat is better.”
My turn to make a disparaging noise. “No way.”
“Yes, way. Maybe I’ll have to prove it to you by finding a kitten who doesn’t terrify your dog.”
“We both know my dog will be terrified even if you find a baby kitty smaller than he shits.” Eloquent I was not; and yet he smiled.
“I guess we’ll find out.”
I liked his use ofwe. “Thanks for taking time out of your day to visit me. I know you’re busy.”
