Leaning against the wall, he watched the shut door and felt his temper slowly starting to stir from impatience. His sister waited at the stairs with Teddy by his side. The doctor had been in the room for over an hour and it was starting to not sit well in his stomach. Slowly the handle turned and he watched the door open. He was gestured to join them and the door was shut behind him once he was in the room.

His eyes swept the room and saw the hardly touched food. He sought the woman out and found her staring outside. She kept her back to him as the doctor sat down. He took a deep breath and Reese tried to focus his attention on the man.

"You're going to have your hands full for a while."

"What happened?"

The doctor glanced over at Joe and said "I think she should tell you. All I can say is to make sure she doesn't do much for at least a week."

Reese took a deep breath and turned to the woman. She kept her arms wrapped around her and slowly met his gaze. When she nodded he turned back to the man and earned a smirk.

"I'll let her fill you in with the rest. Just make sure she eats at least a little a few times a day when she is up to it."

Reese followed the man to the door and let him into the hall. The man nodded and walked down the hall to Calli and Teddy. They escorted him downstairs and the door was shut once more. He took a deep breath and looked back at Joe.

"What aren't you telling me?"

She took a deep breath and said "I told you it wasn't Daemon's fault."

"He threw you."

"I wasn't paying attention. If I had, it wouldn't have happened."

"Everyone gets thrown Joe."

Her brown eyes turned to him and she took a seat on the bed. Carefully she loosened her hold on her ribs and let them breathe.

"The fall just left me dazed."

Reese watched her look toward the window and carefully crossed the room. He knelt in front of her and saw the guarded look in her eyes. Every time he looked it was there, hiding the bright, lively gaze he had fallen into many times.

"Tell me what happened."

She took a deep breath and said "Before Bear got there I was in a daze and trying to not let the pain take over."

"What did he do?"

"He got a good blow on me just before Bear showed up."

"He kicked you."

She nodded and saw his usually calm amber eyes flash a lethal light. Knowing he would take this out of her hands, she carefully rested her hand on one of his. His eyes lost the lethal look and stared intently at her.

"Don't do anything stupid. I'm going to be fine."

"Tell that to your brothers when they find out. One accident is forgivable. Two is unacceptable, even for us."

She smirked and said "You said you could handle them."

"Not anymore than I can handle you."

Keeping her thoughts to herself, she stood up and he saw the wince as she wrapped her arms around herself again.

"How bad is it?"

"Not that bad. Every broken rib that was healing is now cracked."

"Not bad? Did you hit your head when you fell?"

She shot him a look and he smirked.

"You didn't eat."

"I tried. Pain kills the appetite."

His amber eyes followed her to the bathroom and saw her turn on the light. She picked up a new container of medicine and let out a sigh.

"Is it stronger?"

"Yeah."

"Take it."

She shook her head and said "I need to be able to think clearly."

"For what? You heard the doc."

An annoyed look was thrown back at him and he approached the doorway. He caught the medicine and opened it. Dumping two pills out, he handed them to her and closed the container. She took the pills and watched him fill the empty glass next to her with water. Annoyed and frustrated, she took the medicine and emptied the glass.

"Tell me one thing and then I'll go."

She looked back at him and asked "What?"

"Why didn't he push the topic of food?"

"I told you, things changed."

"When did you lose yours?"

She ran a hand through her brown hair and said "I got a bug a few years back and it's a side effect."

"A bug?"

"Yeah."

His eyes narrowed but he let her slip by him. She moved to the bed and carefully sat down. Running her hand over her neck, she took a deep breath and looked back at him.

"I'm going to ride with him back to town."

"Thanks."

He walked to the door and asked "Are you going to kill me?"

She rolled her eyes and said "I don't have the energy."

Chuckling, he opened the door and stepped into the hall. She watched him shut it and closed her eyes. Letting out a sigh, she pulled her legs up onto the bed and curled up on her side. Leaning her head on the nearest pillow, she closed her eyes and felt the burning in her eyes return. Taking a deep breath, she forced it back and blinked her eyes to dry them.

The door opened and she felt the gentle landing on the bed beside her. Moving onto her back, she let Bear curl up next to her and wrapped an arm over his side. He licked her face and she kissed his nose. Glancing at the door, she caught the amber gaze and watched the door shut once more.

The sunlight flashed on her face and drew a smile out of her. She sat up in the field of grass and looked toward the town edge. Her brothers would be getting in to ride with her back home in the morning and it left her an evening to find something non-stressful to do. Standing up, she brushed her jeans off and walked into town. Moving down the road, she spotted the horse tied up not too far from hers and noticed his rider freeing a bag from the saddle.

He spotted her as she drew closer and asked "What are you doing here?"

"Work."

He shook his head and asked "What kind of work would you be doing?"

Shrugging, she patted his horse's nose and said "Business."

She walked down the sidewalk and felt his gaze until she stepped into the town's bar. The barkeeper welcomed her with a smile and pointed to the occupied table in the corner. She crossed the room and carefully took a seat across from the person. He handed her a file and she looked over the contents.

"Can you do it?"

"How long has this been going on?"

"Since the last race when he was injured."

She slid the file back to him and watched him put it away. Nodding, she watched him write down the address to the stable and the information about the handler she would be working with.

"I really appreciate this Miss Andrews."

"It's Joe."

He smiled and stood up. She walked with him outside and he held out a hand. Taking the firm hand, they shook and she watched him head to the mail office. He climbed up into the waiting carriage and the door was shut. The driver flicked the reins and the carriage left town.

Silently she walked down the sidewalk and headed into the hotel. Checking in at the desk, she was handed her room key and heard the door open behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she watched the amber eyed man enter with a woman next to him. The woman was laughing about something and he rolled his eyes without her noticing. He caught her gaze and she cautiously nodded before walking upstairs.

Feeling some annoyance for who knows what reason, she walked down the hall to her room and let herself in. Her bag was still on the bed and she zipped it open. Pulling out the clean clothes she would need in the morning, she ran her hand through her hair and let it down. Tossing the hair tie into her bag, she dropped the bag onto the floor and walked to her window. Stretching her arms to loosen her stiffening muscle, she took a deep breath and watched the sun begin to disappear behind the town buildings.

A knock came from her door and she quietly crossed the room. Removing the lock, she pulled the door open and met the man's gaze.

"Can I help you?"

"She's a friend of my sister."

"I don't need an explanation, Reese."

His eyes lingered on her face and he asked "Can I come in?"

Taking a deep breath, she stepped back and let him in. The door shut as he looked around the room and she ran a hand through her hair. He stopped at the window and looked back at her.

"Business go okay?"

She nodded and took a seat on her bed. He continued to stare at her and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Feeling uneasiness settling in, she tried to stay calm on the outside as her blood was beginning to quicken. The last time they had been alone things had gotten uncomfortable between them and she was far from ready to talk about it.

"How long has your sister known her?"

"Since she was back east with the family members on my mom's side."

Brown eyes lingered on his face and he crossed the room. She watched him kneel in front of her and felt her blood quicken further.

"Reese?"

He smirked and ran his hand through her hair, savoring the soft texture. She felt his warm palm run along her face and closed her eyes. She could hear the faint steady pulse and focued on it to try and calm her own.

"I don't regret what happened the last time. Do you?"

Opening her eyes, she met his calm gaze and said "No."

He stood up and helped her to her feet. He caught her hand and placed it over his heart to reveal his pulse wasn't as steady as she thought. Her eyes looked up at him and he nodded. A smirk captured her face and he captured it with a kiss. His hand wrapped around hers and the overwhelming sensations removed all thoughts from her mind as the sun disappeared behind the outside buildings.

Her eyes opened as the memories of that first night's passion filled her head and she took a deep breath. Bear didn't stir but she felt another pair of eyes on her. Looking at the door, she found the man leaning against the doorway and carefully sat up. He walked into the room and she noticed the predator like gaze in his eyes.

"Feel better?"

"How long was I out?"

He took a seat at the end of the bed and said "Most of the day. I got back a few hours ago and you were still resting."

She brushed her hair out of her face and asked "Is Calli okay?"

"She knew you weren't feeling good so I think she won't hold that against you."

Sighing, she carefully looked away and asked "Anything happen?"

"No."

Her brown eyes looked back at him with surprise and he said "None of your brothers were in town when we got there."

"Good."

He caught the look in her eyes and asked "Is there something you aren't telling me?"

She shook her head and said "It's nothing."

"Joe."

"Reese, if it was important I would tell you."

His eyes narrowed but he remained silent. He recognized the look that continued to linger in her eyes and stood up. She felt him brush his hand through her hair and his lips graze her forehead. Closing her eyes, she felt the old ache claw at her stomach and felt him pull away. He walked to the door and looked back at her.

"Get some rest."

Her voice was still caught her in throat and she watched him disappear with the door shutting behind him. Letting out a sigh, she carefully lowered herself back onto the bed and wrapped her arm over Bear's side once more. His warm coat helped lure her back to sleep and back into memories she would much prefer to forget.