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Warm humid air greeted Charlie a few minutes later as she walked back into her room wrapped in a large faded blue bath towel that had at one time matched the painted walls. Like everything else in the room the towel had been there forever.
Man, were his eyes blue. Charlie caught a glimpse through the window of the Escalade parked outside as she pulled a clean shirt out of the bureau. She'd never seen eyes quite that blue. They reminded her of the sapphires in the heart-shaped pendant her mom owned. The only good piece of jewelry her mom had, it had belonged to Charlie's great-grandmother.
Thinking about Jake Sherbrooke's eyes had her thinking about some of the other attributes she'd noticed about him—the well-muscled chest that her hands had felt when she'd run into him in the foyer and the well-defined biceps she'd seen when he'd been working alongside the rest of the town boarding up windows and clearing debris.
Of course he has a great body; he probably has nothing else to do all day but workout. For a minute Charlie envisioned some of the sailors o
n the base back in Virginia. Sure some had great physiques but not all. Between their work obligations and families many didn't have the time it required. It's not like he has to work like the rest of us, Charlie thought, pulling her shirt over her head. Unlike her, he'd always had everything at his fingertips: the best clothes, the best cars, the best schools. Though her clothes had been clean they'd always come from consignment stores. She hadn't gotten her own car until after graduating from college, which she'd only been able to afford thanks to the Navy. People like him didn't know what the real world was like.
Charlie started to move away from the window but stopped when she saw movement below. Was she imagining things? After all, she had been standing there thinking about the man and the way he'd looked working today. Taking a step closer to the window she saw her brother and his Irish Wolfhound approaching Jake. After exchanging a few words, the two men started to tackle the large tree limbs covering the front walkway. Despite the fact that he'd already worked for several hours, Jake carried away the limbs once Sean cut them into more manageable pieces with his chainsaw.
Was he always this hands-on? Although there were plenty of other things she could be doing, Charlie stood at the window combing out her wet shoulder-length hair and watching the two men below. Every once in a while the humming of the chainsaw stopped and her brother moved to tackle another enormous limb or said something to their billionaire guest. Although she couldn't hear anything, Charlie guessed her brother was telling their guest some politically incorrect jokes, the only kind Sean knew, because more than once she saw Jake laughing.
“Find something useful to do with yourself.” Charlie tossed her hairbrush onto the bureau next to the envelope containing her re-enlistment papers. Picking up the envelope she pulled out the half-completed documents and glanced over them. She'd started to fill them out before leaving Virginia but hadn't finished. At the time uncertainty held her back. She'd hoped some time away from the base and work would help her make a definitive decision. So far it hadn't happened. While she was leaning toward staying with the Navy a tiny part of her wanted to move on with her life.
As if her eyes had a mind of their own, Charlie glanced out the window when she heard her brother's chainsaw stop once again. “You’re pathetic.” Charlie tossed the documents down and headed toward the bedroom door. Even if her mom put her to work peeling onions it would be a more productive way to spend her time than standing and watching Jake Sherbrooke work. Too bad it wouldn't be as enjoyable.
A little later Charlie was halfway out of the kitchen carrying a platter covered with homemade biscuits, when Sean burst through the kitchen's side door. Jake followed right behind him gripping his left arm.
“Need you over here now, Charlie. Jake's bleeding.” Sean's usual confident tone contained a note of concern.
“I told you. It isn't that bad.”
For someone injured, Jake didn't sound that concerned to Charlie. Putting the platter down on the counter, she moved toward the kitchen table. “Have a seat and let me take a look. Sean, get me the first aid kit.”
Without any argument both men complied. And just like she would with any other patient, Charlie moved closer to get a better look at the bloody open wound which ran from just above his wrist to halfway up his outer forearm. Though the cut was long it didn't appear too deep.
“What happened?” She leaned down for a closer look.
“An old nail and some shards of glass got me when we were trying to get into that old shed.”
“When was your last tetanus shot?” Charlie reached for one of the clean wet towels Sean placed on the table along with the first aid kit.
Damn it. If he'd been paying attention to what he'd been doing rather than thinking about the redhead that was now cleaning the area around the wound, he wouldn't be sitting here now. He'd still be outside doing something useful rather than thinking about all the things he'd like to be doing with the good doctor, who didn't look all too happy at the moment.
“Beginning of the year.” The barest hint of vanilla teased him every time he inhaled and he knew it wasn't coming from some food in the kitchen. It had to be her shampoo.
Charlie nodded, her short ponytail swinging with the movement. “You can go to the ER if you want but it's not necessary. The cut isn't too deep. I don't think it will even leave a scar, but we'll have to watch for an infection.”
There was no way in hell he was going to the ER for a scratch, especially not when the town's residents were already facing some serious injuries. “Just clean and wrap it for me. I'll be fine, Doctor.” It'd been on the tip of his tongue to call her Charlotte, but he caught himself at the last second. She'd introduced herself as Captain Charlotte O'Brien. That told him she didn't want to be on a first-name basis with him, which irked him for some reason although he didn't know why. Maybe because the rest of her family and the people he'd met today had been friendly. Sure he'd gotten a few stares from people but for the most part they'd accepted him into their fold as he worked alongside them. Not true of the good doctor. Her manner had been reserved and aloof from the moment he approached her. He tried to come up with reasons for her attitude, but none came to him.
“You sure he doesn't need stitches?” Sean asked. He remained next to the table as Charlotte worked.
Sean didn't strike him as a worrier by nature. Would Sean be this concerned if he was someone other than Jake Sherbrooke? “I trust the good doctor's judgment. It'll be fine.”
Charlie paused in the wrapping of his arm and looked up at him, surprise evident in her beautiful hazel eyes. This close he, could see the tiny flecks of green in them as well as her incredibly long eyelashes. What would her eyes look like glazed over with desire? Would the green flecks be more pronounced? Would the hazel darken?
Focus Jake. You’re not here looking for a woman. “It smells delicious in here.” Jake hoped to distract himself from the woman in front of him with some small talk.
Reaching for a roll of tape, she tore off a long piece and placed it on his arm. Unable to tear his eyes away, Jake watched her every movement. Her hands were slender with long fingers and short neatly trimmed nails. She wore no rings or nail polish, and with no warning the image of her hands on the rest of his body entered his mind.
“Thanks to our generator we'll all have a hot meal tonight. Ma made enough beef stew to feed a carrier.”
Charlie's voice drew him back to the kitchen. Disgusted with himself, he pulled his arm away. Most of the time he had better control than this. Fantasizing about a beautiful woman while sitting in her family’s kitchen wasn't something he normally did.
“Sounds good. Thanks for taking care of my arm. I can finish up from here.”
Without commenting she handed him the roll of tape and began to clean up the other supplies on the table. She tackled the task just like she seemed to do everything else, efficiently. He wondered if she was like that by nature or because of her Naval training.
