Somewhere Montana by MJ Platt Read Free Book Online Page B

awoke to the sound of someone crying. He had been dreaming about Sage, the twelve year old Sage, and it was déjà vu all over again. He slipped out of bed and made his way barefoot into her room. When he turned on the lamp she winced. He laid his hand on her forehead. No fever.
    “What’s wrong? You need another pain pill?” he asked, sitting beside her. She shook her head no, her tear stained face tying his insides in knots.
    “Hold me? Like you used to? Please?” she whimpered.
    “Sage, you don’t know what you’re asking. You’re not that child anymore.”
    “Tonight I am. I want my friend back. The comforter. The one who chased the monsters away. The one who wouldn’t let me give up.”
    “How can I refuse? But you can’t sit up in any comfort. Wait.” He walked around the bed and crawled under the covers, sliding over next to her. Carefully he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against him, her head on his shoulder. This was going to be a long night, what was left of it.
     
    * * * *
     
    Sage woke in the morning, alone in the bed. Had she dreamed he’d held her during the night? No, the indent on the pillow where he laid his head was still there. She remembered the feel of his erection nestled between them. He had wanted her. Because she was Sage? Or because she was a warm body with the feminine attributes that piqued a man’s interest?
    Her comforter had been there. The one who had taught her to believe in herself. The man who had taught her how to love. No wonder no other man had interested her. They never measured up to her knight in cowboy boots and a Stetson hat.
    How was she to get through her enforced stay there? Callum had made it known in no uncertain terms that she wouldn’t be leaving really soon. Her money was not available to her. It’s a wonder he hadn’t taken her clothes, too. Or had he? The nightgown she was wearing definitely wasn’t hers.
    She needed to use the bathroom. Could she make it by herself without another disaster? She had to, if only to prove to him she didn’t need to depend on him. She would never again let herself feel she was a burden, to him or anyone else.
    Carefully she hitched onto her side and pushed upright to sit on the edge of the bed, her feet touching the floor. The dizziness and pain attacked in waves. She felt the nausea rise in her stomach like the tide coming in to San Francisco Bay.
    It took three attempts before she could stand braced against the bed, her hand on the back of the chair Mac had left beside the bed. She looked at the bathroom door. It couldn’t be more than ten feet away. But in her weakened state it felt more like a hundred. Could she push the chair in front of her like a walker? She knew she couldn’t lift it to move it.
    She took a small step and wanted to scream. Placing weight on her left foot caused such pain in her knee it felt like it would break through the skin. She had to stop, as sweat was breaking out on her forehead, her legs were shaking, and her hands were trembling. Stopping and waiting for the pain to abate, she reassessed how she could proceed.
    Maybe she could use the chair better by placing both hands on it and leaning on it as she hopped on her right foot, not bearing any weight on the left. It was worth a try. What could go wrong? But when she attempted to put weight on her arms, her left shoulder let her know in no uncertain terms it was the wrong idea. Unbalanced, she had to quickly place her left foot down, jarring the knee. The pain was so severe she thought she would pass out.
    Now what was she to do? She couldn’t go forward to the bathroom or back to the bed. Well, nothing was going to get the best of Sage Burnett! She would get to the bathroom even if she had to crawl. Leaning on the back of the chair with her right hand, she would use it as a cane and only step lightly with the left foot. But when she tried it, it turned into a disaster. The chair tipped back onto its back legs and slid