I frown. “I don’t think so.” After a few seconds, I remember. “Oh, no, it was when the truck slammed on its brakes. The first one ran into a big hole of some kind, and when my truck stopped, I got thrown around in the back and hit my head.”
I’m pleased that I sound so articulate. I made more than one complete sentence. I use the momentum of this accomplishment to sit up.
It’s more painful than I expect. My entire body is sore, and my head throbs so much it makes me dizzy.
“Go slow,” Cade says, climbing out of the back seat and then reaching in to gently pull me out. “You definitely have a concussion.”
“Shit.” I manage, with his help, to get to my feet, but I’m so dizzy I don’t trust myself to stay standing. I grab at his shirt. “You’re as wet as me.”
He lets out a dry huff and swings me up into his arms again. “The whole damn world is wet. But I’m not going to complain about the rain this one time because it was all the water on the road that helped hide that hole we dug to stop the trucks.”
It takes me a full minute to piece together this information. He’s carrying me somewhere—up a muddy path through some trees—and I ponder the enigma while he does until I finally gasp. “You dug the hole!”
11
There’sno time to revel in my brilliant deduction because after another minute of walking, we finally get out of the rain.
It’s not a house. It’s as if we walk into the side of a steep hill.
A cave.
It’s a cave. A big one lit by torches and lanterns. And there are a lot of people gathered around, all talking and moving and carrying on.
I gaze around, my brain still muddled by my headache. I’ve got my arms around Cade’s neck. “You live here?”
He gives one of those amused huffs again. I feel it in his body. “Only when we’re working. I don’t live here all the time.”
“Oh.” This is confusing. Or maybe it’s the concussion. I decide not to try piecing it together right now. “Can you maybe put me down? I’m not exactly little, and you’re out of breath.”
He glowers down at me. “I’m not out of breath.” Before I can argue with this blatant lie, he goes on, “But yes, I’ll put you down as soon as they clear the decks.”
I have no idea whatclear the decksmeans, so I look around until I see a lot of activity in one curved nook of the cave.People seem to be moving stuff out of the way, and a woman is spreading a blanket out on a very old couch.
When that’s done, Cade carries me over and gently lays me down on the couch.
I immediately pop up into a sitting position.
“Hey,” Cade growls. “Lay the hell down.”
“Not until I get some of these wet clothes off. You don’t have a spare shirt I can borrow, do you?”
“Course I do.” He turns to gesture at someone, and a different woman brings over a towel and a set of folded clothes.
Without thinking, I peel off my pullover and then the soaked shirt I have on beneath it.
“Jill!” Cade objects, whirling around. “Eyes off, everyone.”
I don’t know and I don’t care if anyone was actually trying to sneak a peek. I want to get out of these wet clothes more than anything. Drying myself off with the towel, I pull on the big T-shirt. It’s definitely one of Cade’s. I recognize the rip on the right sleeve.
It’s very big on me so it could probably function as a dress, but there’s also a set of gym shorts with a drawstring. I strip off my jeans and panties and put the shorts on instead, tying them tight enough to stay up over my hips.
“There,” I say, looking down at myself. “Am I dressed?”
“Good enough for now. Now would you please lie down? I got a nurse here who’s gonna check you out.”
“Okay.” I stretch out on the couch, moaning because it feels so good to be dry and off my feet. My head still pounds, but everything else is better. “If she has something for the headache, I’d love that.”
I’m shivering a little, so I’m happy when Cade drapes a heavy blanket over me. I burrow beneath it. “This is a nice, cozy cave,” I say with my eyes closed.
