Read Ana Leigh - [The Frasers 4 - Jed] - One Night with a Sweet Talking Man for Free Online

bunkhouse.”
    “If you two are gonna hang around, you best take cover behind them rocks up the hill here,” Bomber said as he ran a fuse up to the rocks.
    Jed and Nathan took cover as Bomber lit the fuse, then watched as the flame crept along it toward the stump.
    The hair on Jed’s neck prickled when he heard Garrett shout, “Where are you, Buffer?”
    Fearing the worst, he stood and saw Garrett racing up the hill toward the stump. “Garrett, get back!”
    Mindless of his own safety, Jed raced toward the boy, then knocked him off his feet, covering Garrett with his own body just as the gunpowder exploded.
    Rocks, earth, and hunks of tree roots flew through the air, raining down on him. When the smoke cleared he sat up, bleeding from the temple. “Are you okay, Garrett?”
    The boy was wide-eyed and shaking. “I think so, but your head’s bleeding, Mr. Fraser.”
    As Bomber and Nathan rushed up to them, Jed stood and lifted Garrett into his arms. “Let’s get you someplace where we can check you out.”
    At that moment, a barking Buffer came racing up the hill, with Caroline in close pursuit.
    “What happened? Is Garrett hurt?” she cried out.
    “He says he’s fine,” Jed said.
    “Jed, you’re bleeding!” she exclaimed. “Give him to me.”
    Jed stepped back. “I’ll carry him.”
    “We’re wasting time. Let’s get both of you down to the office,” Nathan said impatiently.
    A desk, chair, table, file cabinet, and cast-iron stove occupied practically all of the floor space of the room. By the time Nathan, Bomber, and Buffer followed them inside, there was barely enough space to move around.
    Caroline swept some papers off the table. “Put him here.”
    As soon as he set Garrett on the table Jed sat down in the nearby chair, feeling a little dizzy.
    Caroline gently ran her hands and fingers across Garrett’s back and shoulders, and then along his arms and legs. When she finished, she sighed in relief. “Looks like nothing’s broken.” Then she frowned. “Garrett Collins, you know better than to get that close when Bomber is blasting stumps!”
    “I didn’t know he was blasting there. I didn’t see a red flag.”
    Bomber shook his head apologetically. “He’s right, Miz Caroline. Got to talking to the boss and Mr. Fraser and forgot to put up one.”
    “Oh dear—Mr. Fraser!” She pivoted and looked at Jed sitting with his head in his hands. “I’m so sorry. I forgot about you. How are you feeling?”
    “Dizzy for a few seconds, but I’m fine now.”
    “Just the same, let me look at that wound.”
    Nathan lifted Garrett off the table and took Garrett’s hand. “We’ll wait for you in the buggy.”
    “Don’t let him out of your sight, Father,” Caroline called after them as the two men, boy, and dog left.
    “I’m fine,” Jed said. “It’s just a scratch. It’s even stopped bleeding.”
    She patted the table. “Just the same, sit over here and I’ll clean you up a bit. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
    He sat on the table and dangled his legs over the edge. “If you haven’t anything stronger.”
    She came back with a cup of steaming coffee, and when he took a swallow of it, his eyes popped open in surprise. “Wow, you make a potent cup of coffee, lady.”
    She grinned. “I thought you’d like it. My father keeps a bottle of whiskey in the bottom drawer.”
    Jed breathed in the tantalizing fragrance of lavender when she stepped between his legs to sponge away the blood on his forehead. His loins tightened in response to her nearness, and he fought the desire to pull her against him.
    “Am I hurting you?” she asked.
    “You have no idea.”
    “Well, do you want it lying down or sitting up?”
    Good God, she had read his mind!
    Then he saw she had picked up a bottle of iodine and was waiting for his reply.
    “Sitting up’s fine,” he grumbled.
    “I hate to do this, but—”
    “I know, it’s going to hurt you more than it does me.”
    “No, it’s going to