Free The Devil Inside by Kate Davies Page B

Damned if he didn’t want to stick around for a while, at least until he figured out what was going on between him and his private nurse here.
    “Oh, no.” She flashed him a quick smile. “You’re not escaping that easily.”
    Funny, he felt like he’d escaped fate right then.
    “I was thinking more on the lines of a lounge chair. Granted, my deck’s not huge, but the afternoon sun hits it just right.”
    Just the thought of leaving this room, lounging under the hot sun, sitting upright…heaven.
    She grinned at him. “Like that idea, do you? Well, let’s hope Dr. Miller agrees.”
    “Until then, though, I’m in this bed.”
    “Hey, don’t knock it. It’s a very nice bed.”
    He didn’t say anything. He just looked at her.
    She crossed her arms and looked away, muttering, “Well, it is.”
    Before he could say anything else, the phone rang.
    Sam answered it, grabbing the phone off the nightstand and clicking it on. “Hello?” She listened for a few moments. “Oh, hi, Mr. DeLong. Did you change your mind about…”
    She shook her head. “Okay, thanks anyway.” A moment longer and she handed the phone over to Cody. “It’s for you,” she whispered.
    “Hello?” He leaned back. “Thanks for calling, Mr. DeLong. No, I’m doing much better.”
    He was so intent on his call that it barely registered when she slipped out of the room.

Chapter Eight
    She waited until he’d hung up the phone before heading back into the bedroom.
    “Here’s your stuff.” Sam hefted the duffel bag into the room, stowing it next to the dresser across the room.
    “Thanks.”
    Sam shrugged. “No big deal. I’ll be right back with the rest of it.”
    She brought in his hat box and kit, then headed into the hall again. A moment later she was back, holding a canvas bag in one hand. “This was in your room, too. You might want to get it back to Kimberlee sometime before you leave town.” She dropped it on the bed and crossed her arms over her chest.
    To her surprise, a dull flush crept up his cheekbones. “Thanks.”
    “Her number’s in the duffel, bookmarking your novel.”
    “Whose number?”
    “Kimberlee.”
    He stared at her blankly. “I don’t know a Kimberlee.”
    “She left you a note.” At his continued confusion, she added, “Then the bag belongs to another of your…friends?”
    He looked at the wall. “Uh…”
    “Oh, my God.” Realization dawned. “That’s your bag, isn’t it?” Amusement warred with a relief she absolutely didn’t want to analyze.
    “I think I’ll take the Fifth.”
    She arched one brow. “Knitting?”
    He flopped back on the pillows, groaning. “It’s official now. You know all my secrets. What do you want in return for your silence? Money? Jewels?”
    “How about a nice scarf?”
    Cody cracked one eye open. “Bitch.”
    She started to laugh, pleased when he joined in after a moment. “Seriously, though. Knitting?”
    “Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
    “I have. Years ago. Don’t you remember?”
    A slow smile warmed his expression. “Oh my God. I completely forgot about that.”
    “My poor mother.”
    “Hey, you tried.” He attempted to school his features, but it was a losing battle. “No wonder you want me to knit you a scarf. Yours was—”
    “Uneven? Tangled? Pathetic?”
    “I was going to say ‘unwearable’. But those work, too.”
    “I had no patience for it.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled out his knitting supplies, placing them on the comforter. “Too much sitting in one place. How do you stand it?”
    He shrugged. “It’s actually not too bad when you’ve got nothing else to do. I’m not big on the bar scene, and the long hotel nights can be pretty boring.”
    Boring hotel nights? Did that mean…
    She shook away the thought. It was none of her business if he had a girl in every rodeo town.
    Or not, as the case seemed to be.
    “I have a hard time picturing it.” She glanced at him sideways. “You,