Free Stowaway by Becky Barker

do?”
    “Who?” he asked, his tone distracted.
    She propped her hands on her hips and stared at him. “Your mother. We’re talking about your mother.”
    “She sells candy.”
    Okay then. Enough with the small talk. Her patient needed to wake up and clear his head. She noticed his right hand was supporting his left arm.
    “How’s your arm?”
    He finally shifted his gaze from her to his shoulder. “Better.”
    “I should have made you a sling. I’ll do that before we eat.”
    “What can I do to help?”
    She didn’t really need help, but she told him to add some logs to the fire while she went in search of something to support his injured arm. They met again in the kitchen where she cut a wide strip of fabric from an old pillowcase.
    “I think this will work,” she said, moving close to him again. She slid the fabric under his forearm and fashioned the support before pulling the edges together. He bent his knees so she could reach behind his head to knot the ends. Eye to eye, they stared at each other as tension sprang between them, as sudden and fierce as the earlier storm. Her breathing stuttered as their bodies brushed.
    “Is that good?” she asked, suddenly breathless as she got lost in his deep, dark eyes.
    At his slow nod, she secured the knot. Her fingers lingered, her arms around his neck. Then she slid her hands over his shoulders. He straightened and her fingertips skimmed down his chest. It felt deliciously warm. Not feverish, just manly warm. And manly hard.
    Lamanto’s good hand dropped to her waist, steadying them both. After another long, tension-filled minute, he took a step backward. His voice sounded rough to her ears.
    “That helps, thanks.”
    Keri studied him. His hair was mussed, his face still chalky. He had a two-day growth of beard. Normally, his dark good looks wouldn’t have appealed to her at all. So why did touching him make her heart pound and put her senses on high alert? Was she so desperate for male attention? It had been a long time since she’d allowed any man as close as Lamanto had gotten in less than twenty-four hours.
    “What’s the verdict?” he asked, studying her just as intently.
    “I think you’ll live.” She dodged the real question and gave him a quick grin before turning to the refrigerator. Better to ignore the sudden raging of hormones. “I’ll get some biscuits made.”
    They shared a quiet dinner, keeping the conversation general. She learned he enjoyed science fiction and action movies while she leaned toward lighthearted romantic comedies. Neither of them had much time for television, but he liked sports and silly sitcoms while she preferred crime-solving dramas. They both found reality shows totally annoying.
    “Packaged cookies are the best I can offer for dessert,” Keri said as she cleared the table and poured them both a cup of coffee.
    “I never met a cookie I didn’t like,” he said, taking several when she put a bag on the table.
    “Can you whip up cookies as well as biscuits?” she asked.
    “Not as well as my pop. How ’bout you?”
    “Pies happen to be my specialty. My only specialty, I might add.”
    He moaned around a mouthful of cookie, and then said, “I love pie. All kinds of pie. And pastries. Just about any kind of pastry.”
    “Me too, unfortunately,” she said, patting her hip.
    “What’s unfortunate about a love of the finer things in life?” he asked.
    “Most of the finer foods come with big calories. And they aren’t exactly health food.”
    His gaze traveled over her slowly but not offensively. It caused a little quiver of reaction so she sat down again.
    “You don’t look like you have a weight issue,” he said with just enough sincerity to be believed. “You’re not one of those health food nuts, are you?”
    “I’m a nurse. I know what’s healthy. I eat my fruits and vegetables.”
    “And pastries?” he teased, his eyes glittering as they locked with hers.
    Keri found herself smiling back at