Free Destined Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #4) by J.H. Croix Page B

him. Conversation moved onto lighter matters with Hayden asking casual questions about Catamount.
    Hours later, Shana lay in bed beside Hayden and listened to the sound of his breathing. His body was a furnace, radiating heat. He slept on his side, his arm draped across her abdomen, his hand curled under a breast. She couldn’t help it, but she savored the warmth and comfort of falling asleep with him. Her mind started riffling through worries. Should she be letting this happen with Hayden, what did it mean, what would she do if her heart wanted more than his…or if her heart wanted more than she was prepared to give?
    If she stopped thinking and let her cat side through, she already knew how much she wanted from Hayden. But her human mind, so pushy sometimes, interjected, reminding her that her feelings for Hayden made her vulnerable—a dangerous place to go. Her mind kept flipping back and forth until Hayden shifted his weight, his hand sliding in a soft caress across the curve of her belly before he tugged her closer to him. She relaxed into his embrace, sleep finally stealing over her.

Chapter 8

    Shana gently pushed through the door into a patient’s room. She had an early shift this morning. She’d expected to leave in the dark while Hayden was still sound asleep. He startled her by slipping out of bed while she was in the shower and starting coffee for her. She was a nurse at the hospital. Her work had gotten her through the last few years of her wasted marriage. Without that and her friends, she didn’t know what she would have done over the last year. She loved her work because she liked helping and she loved interacting with patients. She worked on one of the general floors in the hospital, along with Phoebe.
    The curtain was pulled around the patient’s bed even though no one else was in other bed in the room. Shana walked quietly to the curtain and slowly slid it back. Gail Anderson was sound asleep. Gail was an old family friend and the police chief’s wife. She’d been admitted to the hospital late last night after Hank brought her in reporting she’d fallen trying to get in the bathtub. Shana pulled Gail’s chart and flipped through it. The x-rays done last night ruled out any broken bones, but her ankle was badly sprained. Glancing at her again, Shana carefully hung her chart up and turned to leave when she heard Gail say her name.
    She turned back to find Gail trying to push herself up in bed. Shana stepped quickly to the side of the bed, adjusting the setting, so the bed slowly elevated.
    “Hey Gail, no need to rush. The bed’ll do all the work for you.”
    Gail’s mouth tightened in a thin line. “I can sit up myself, you know.”
    Gail’s hair, black with streaks of silver, was tied in a long braid. Her blue eyes were bright and snapping. Shana would have imagined Gail wouldn’t have much patience with needing to rest, so she opted to avoid arguing the point.
    “I’m sure you can, but why not take advantage of this snazzy bed? We just got these fancy new ones on this wing last month. Here’s the remote.” She proceeded to show Gail how to operate the remote control for her bed.
    “How are you feeling this morning?” Shana asked once Gail had adjusted the bed to her liking.
    Gail shrugged. “I’m fine. I can’t believe Hank brought me here last night and that your brother admitted me for the night.” Her eyes were accusing as she looked at Shana.
    Dane was a doctor who had his own family practice, but he also covered emergency room duty at the hospital. Shana decided to stick with her plan not to argue any points with Gail. Gail had been born and raised in Catamount. She was a shifter and relentlessly practical and independent.
    Shana demurred. “I’m sure Dane just wanted to make sure you stayed off your ankle long enough. Your chart indicates if your vitals are good today, you’ll be discharged this afternoon. Mind if I check those?”
    Gail harrumphed, but she easily offered