Two Guardians for Little May (4 page)

"Dr.
Adul already brought her in to speak with May. The girl refused to talk to
anyone but Lyle."

Caine
looked surprised. "Dang, I wonder what other surprises Pop has in store
for us."

"Not
many. There is a locked trust account allocated strictly for the maintenance of
this property, guests and staff. It is very generous and the interest provides
sufficient income to take care of everyone's needs. You won't have to concern
yourselves for any financial obligations related to living expenses."

"A
locked account? What does that mean?" Caine asked Layton.

"It
sounds like no one can touch it for reasons other than the estate operations.
I'll look at the documents later."

"Let
me show you boys around." Clara smiled as she rose to her feet. "Will
you stay for dinner?"

"Miss
Clara, you just loaded us up on the most cunning form of bribery known to
mankind," Layton patted his stomach. "Tonight won't be possible, but
I'd like to return tomorrow and check things out. Would that be okay?"

"I
am taking the day off tomorrow, but I will leave you a pot of Texas Chili. It
won't be ready until late, but it will give you some time to get to know the
place and our special resident."

The
temptation of Texas Chili was one that no urban cowboy could ignore, and both
men nodded eagerly. Layton glanced to see May standing in the doorway, and
raised his eyebrow at her frantic gestures telling Clara to cut off the
interaction.

"I
have to fix some fences around the ranch in the morning, but we should be here
around two."

"Perfect!
Here," Clara handed Layton a jar of jam. "There is lots more where
this came from. Enjoy."

May
muttered obscenities to herself as she turned away from the sitting room and
made her way to the upstairs bedroom. The deep cut on her leg stung like the
dickens, and she sat on the edge of her bed to let it rest for a moment. She
berated herself for refusing to allow that heart-throb of a doctor to touch
her. Indeed, he was one gorgeous piece of man-flesh, with unruly, short brown
hair, warm blue eyes and lips that were ripe for kissing.

 
The other one, Layton, was just as
handsome, but boy-howdy, he annoyed the living crap out of her! She took in a
deep breath, easing the onslaught of anxiety that frequently slipped into her
mind when she contemplated the existence of the opposite gender. They both
seemed genuinely concerned for her well-being, even Layton.
They were not the ones who hurt me
, she
reminded herself.
They are Lyle's sons
and he trusted them to take care of me. I don't have to be so suspicious of
every man that comes my way.

Easier said
than done. May bent her head between her knees and practiced her breathing.
Anger and fear still controlled her life, ever since that horrid night. Would
she ever recover from that fear? Her face had mended quickly from the bruises,
and her dislocated shoulder seemed to be back to normal. Even the way she had
been violated—the tearing of her delicate flesh—had healed. But the
external injuries had left scars on her heart and in her mind, and the
slightest thing could trigger her into a panic. And then there was the dark.
Night was a time of horror, and she dreaded every sunset.

May
looked at herself in the mirror. The wide-eyed, doll-like visage staring back
looked like a stranger. The eyes were haunted, the cheeks gaunt, and hair in
disarray. The rape had changed her, and May felt completely out of control with
not knowing how to resurrect herself from the ashes of who she used to be. Lyle
had told her it would take time, and promised everything would get better. She
hadn't expected him to go and die on her.

"You
can't keep running, sweetheart," a voice said from behind. May spun to see
Caine entering her room, uninvited. He sat next to her on the bed. "I want
to help you if you will let me."

The
softness of his voice took her by surprise. Lyle had been gruff and
opinionated, much like Layton, but it had left her with an odd sense of
comfort. This man, though, threw her for a loop.

"Why
would you do that?" Her accent was sharpened by the tightness forming in
her chest. "I'm just a little piece of shit that needs to be tossed to the
hounds."

"I
don't know who said that to you, but they were wrong. You are a sweet, lovely
young lady, who deserves to be protected and cherished," Caine said
gently. He did not touch her, respecting her need to keep a physical distance.
"Give old Layton and me a chance, May. We're good people."

"Layton
is the last person I would tag as good. He's a mean, bitter, nasty old
fart."

"My
brother has his moments. In fact," Caine chuckled, "he takes my
moments and about five other people's as well for his own. Regardless, you will
never find a better friend and protector in this world. He's a hard-ass, but
that's because he tends to care too much and it scares the jeepers out of
him."

"Jeepers?"
May cracked a little smile.

"I've
had to clean up my vocabulary. Laboring moms don't need to hear their doctors
swearing as much as they do." Caine laughed heartily.

"So
you really are a doctor?"

"One
of the best, if I say so myself," Caine responded with a grin. "I'm
very humble, too."

"I
can see that," May giggled. "What do baby doctors know about
cuts?"

"Well,"
Caine carefully tore the material away from her injured thigh and tenderly
probed it, "we can clean it up and then kiss it and make all better. Will
you let me?"

"Is
it going to hurt?" She felt strangely young and child-like in this man's
care. It felt nice.

"I'll
be as gentle as possible."

"No,"
she shook her head. "I don't want your help."

"Very
well. We are going to get back home. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Please
clean that as best as you can in the shower and soak it with Epsom salts."

"I
know how to take care of a little scratch."

"Please
just do that. For me?" His dimples made her toes curl.

"I'll
think about it."

***

The
Marshalls returned late afternoon on the following day. May was sitting on the
sofa, watching TV, when they walked in.

"Ever
heard of knocking?" she asked with annoyance, jumping off the cushions and
putting her hands on her hips.

 
Caine frowned, placing his hand on her
brow. "You're flushed. How's the leg?"

"I'm
fine."

"I'll
be the judge of that. I'll be right back. I need to get my bag from the truck.
You are not going to talk me out of looking at your leg this time, hear me? Go
up to your room and sit your bottom down, prop up your leg, and don't make a
move."

May's
mouth hung open in response to Caine's tone. It was so much like Lyle's had
been! She climbed the stairs, entered her room and sat on the edge of her bed.
Twiddling her fingers, she waited nervously for his return. Loud footsteps
announced his arrival, and he promptly kneeled on the floor next to her. She
watched in fascination as he sprayed the area with a numbing solution, then
gently picked out pieces of dirt and fiber with a tweezers. All the while, he
shared stories of what a horrible patient he was.

"Pop
used to say that 'ifn there be a splinter, my boy Caine will find it.' He had a
sharp pocket knife that he used to scrape them out, and I would scream bloody
murder because I was always so afraid he would accidentally cut off my
finger."

"When
did you finally realize that he wasn't going to do that?"

"Ask
Layton. I still scream when that pocket knife comes out," Caine laughed.
"How are you holding up?"

"It
hurts. It looks deep." She peered over his hands.

"It
is. It really should have been scrubbed right away and maybe had a couple of
stitches popped in. It's too late now, and it looks like we've got some crud
messing around in there. This is lidocaine. I'm just going to squirt a bit
inside and do a little more scrubbing. When was your last tetanus shot?"

"I
ain't getting no shots. No how. No way." May shook her head wildly.

"I'll
prescribe some antibiotics for you. Please make sure you take the whole course.
Hold on, baby, almost done," Caine said, as he scrubbed inside of the gap
until it was bleeding freely again. Satisfied, he dressed it and covered the
dressing with a happy face sticker, upon which he wrote his name.

"Really?
What am I? Five?" May asked, unable to disguise the pleasure she
experienced by his care.

"More
like ten. There you go. We need to change this every time you soak, and see how
it's looking. Oh, one more thing." Caine winked. He kissed the bandage.
"All better."

"You're
a dork. Your patients must love you." May studied her dressing.

"My
patients are usually frightened young ladies who have no idea what being a mom
is going to be like. Anything that I can do to help them relax and feel like
they are being taken care of, I will do. They all seem to like my band aid
skills."

"You
aren't too bad in doctoring, I guess. It's really sore, though."

"Let's
keep an eye on it, okay? There is a lot of inflammation that we need to deal
with. Epsom soaks two or three times a day, understood? I'll order the
antibiotics and have Layton pick them up for you right away."

"I
don't want him doing anything for me. He's so mean."

"He's
a pussycat. The only thing that ticks him off is this." Caine tapped her
lips. "He's the old-fashioned type, and doesn't have a long fuse for
sassiness."

"Well,
I don't have a long fuse for bossy."

"Good
luck with him, then. He's the king of bossy. Always has been."

"How
can you stand it?"

"Here's
the secret." Caine leaned in to whisper into her ear. "I love him and
he is almost always right. Shhh, don't tell him. We will never hear the end of
it. Shall we go downstairs? I smell chili cooking."

"Miss
Clara makes the best. Will you protect me from Oscar the Grouch?"

"Only
if you promise the same in return."

Caine
escorted her to the living room, where Layton sat, papers on either side of
him.

"Are
you working again? Put the stuff away and go take a run into town for me. I
called in some meds for our girl, here."

"Did
she finally come to her senses and let you take care of her?" Layton
asked, eyeing May sternly.

"I
didn't offer her a choice this time," Caine said with a smile. "I
practiced your bullying technique and imposed myself upon her."

"He
was nice to me. You might try that sometime," May snipped.

"Put
away the snark, little girl. I have no tolerance for rudeness," Layton
said in a low voice.

"Then
try being an example and practice some manners yourself."

"Keep
it up and you are going to find yourself face down over my knee," Layton
warned her.

"Try
it and you'll be wishing for another life," May hissed back.

"Do
I need to separate you two?" Caine reprimanded. "Layton, gentlemen do
not threaten harm upon a lady."

"This
gentleman does. Especially when the lady is sorely in need of a good,
old-fashioned spanking. You can ask my brother," Layton stood over the
young woman, "and he will confirm that I am a man of my word. My patience
is at an all-time low right now, and you are pushing every button you can find.
I won't ever harm you, but I will make it so that you can't sit for a
week."

May
glared back at the man in front of her, fighting against the excited butterflies
that fluttered in her tummy. Did he know that the words he uttered were the
very ones she had dreamed about hearing for years? But why did they have to
come from him, of all people? Now, Caine—she would love to find herself
across that particular knee for a spanking, and maybe some special loving
afterwards. She shook her head. What was she thinking?

Layton
took her silence as submission. He nodded with approval. "It seems I have
made myself clear. Good. I'll go into town and pick up the meds. Do you need
anything while I'm out?" he asked Caine, who silently shook his head.
"I will be back shortly, then."

Layton
began walking out the front door and, on impulse, turned to May. "You need
a new pair of jeans. That glass and my brother's scissors shredded yours. How
about you come with me and I'll buy you some britches."

"Britches?"

"Pants,"
Caine said. "Go with him. Maybe you two can find something not to fight
about."

May
looked at Layton suspiciously. "You aren't going to go all Neanderthal on
me, are you?"

"Not
unless you get mouthy and disrespectful first."

"If
you are going to go, then hurry yourselves." Caine urged them both towards
the door. "Dinner is nearly ready, and I'm starving."