Echoes at Dawn (KGI #5)(26)

Rio and Diego exchanged glances. She gave a very cut-and-dried explanation, but the underlying despair and anguish in her voice came through loud and clear. She’d suffered greatly. And even though the physical wounds would heal, the emotional wounds cut deep and would remain with her forever.

“All right, Grace, almost done. But I need you to tell me what all you hurt when you fell. You were a little out of it before. You said ribs and your arm. What about your head? Do you hurt anywhere else?”

She pursed her lips and wrinkled her brow in thought. Then she slowly shook her head.

“And how does it feel to you now? Does it feel like you’re healing? Is it taking longer than usual?”

“It’s slower. Hurts more. I feel more…fragile. Like I’m still broken somehow,” she whispered.

Rio put his arm around her shoulders and then leaned into her. She immediately tucked her head underneath his chin.

Hell, she was broken. In spirit and body. How she was still so determined and hanging on was beyond him. He’d sensed her acceptance of her fate and yet it was like she simply didn’t know how to give up. Even as she was thinking of death, she was pushing herself with superhuman strength. Past all endurance. A point when most everyone else would have just given up.

Diego carefully arranged the robe back over her. “I’d say you’re doing remarkably well given that you most certainly broke ribs and punctured a lung. Your breath sounds had decreased markedly on one side and yet they sound almost normal now. You have a full range of motion with your arm, and I can’t even tell where it was broken. That’s pretty damn amazing.”

“I guess I just don’t know how to die,” she said wanly.

Rio frowned. Diego’s expression wasn’t any better.

“How about we don’t talk about dying and instead focus on getting you strong again,” Rio said. “Starting with a good meal. Diego, are you finished?”

Diego nodded and started for the door.

“Diego?” Grace called.

He paused and turned around.

“Thank you.”

He smiled. “My pleasure. You’re an amazing woman, Grace. I’ll never know how you made it out of those mountains in the condition you were in, but I’m damn proud of you for doing it.”

Grace’s cheeks colored under the praise and her lips held a glimmer of a smile as Diego turned and exited the room.

“I’m going to turn away and get your tray ready,” Rio said. “Why d

on’t you go get into the sweats and T-shirt I put out for you and then come climb into bed. I’ll fix pillows for you to prop up on so you can eat off your tray.”

She sat up, clutching the robe to her chest. “Then we’ll talk about Shea?”

Rio nodded. “Yeah, I’ll tell you all about Shea.”

CHAPTER 14

GRACE hurriedly dressed, nervous that Rio was so close and she was completely naked. Not that she should be worried in the least that he’d be tempted or ove1C;Frshe shortaken by lust. The last year had been hard on her and the last months especially harsh.

It was when she was yanking the oversized sweatshirt over her head that she realized she was self-conscious about the way she looked…to Rio. Not the others. Just Rio.

Embarrassment tightened her cheeks. Of all the things she could be thinking or should be contemplating, how she looked to this man shouldn’t be one of them.

“You finished yet?”

She flinched and then realized that she’d been standing there, hands fisted around the hem of her sweatshirt at her sides for God only knew how long.

She turned and hastily crawled back onto the bed. “I’m done.”

Rio turned and she could barely meet his gaze for feeling so stupid. She was a grown woman acting like an irresponsible twit. She was more than embarrassed. She was pissed at herself for deciding to give her girly side even a brief moment of freedom.

If and when she ever got out of this alive, she’d go book a day in a spa and get her fingers and toes done and indulge in pure girly delight. Then maybe she’d find some hunky replica of Rio and let her imagination run wild.

Until then, she needed to focus on actually being alive long enough to worry over what color she wanted her toes.

He helped her sit up against the headboard and positioned several pillows behind her. Then he put one across her lap and reached back for the tray on the nightstand. He set it up across the pillow and the aroma of the gumbo wafted through her nostrils.

Finally her stomach came to life and it was like it suddenly caved in and began kicking and screaming. Sweat broke out on her forehead and her stomach knotted viciously. Her hands shook as she reached for the spoon.

Rio’s hand closed over hers, halting her motion. Gently he pried the spoon from her tight grip and then he stirred the gumbo. He lifted a spoonful to his mouth and tested it on his lips.

Then he put it to her lips.

She was too surprised to protest, and the warm liquid slid into her mouth. It was heaven in a spoon. Heat traveled down her throat all the way to her stomach.

When he went to repeat the process, she finally found her tongue. “Rio, don’t. I can feed myself. God, I feel ridiculous. This is so embarrassing.”

“Your hands are shaking so bad it’ll be a wonder if you get any of the gumbo in your mouth. It’ll be all over you and the bed. Now shut up and eat,” he said mildly.