Before he could comment on her actions, she stepped away and moved to a door she assumed could be a linen closet. “Where are some blankets so I can make a bed for you?”
Brady eased himself into a reclined position and pointed. “You got it. We have blankets in there.”
“Any pillows?” She grabbed a comforter and brought it over to him. His eyes were closed. He had to be worn out. How men could keep going on next to no energy was beyond her. Arthur could work himself near death before he’d admit he needed a break.
Dakota unfolded the blanket and tossed it in the air while holding onto the corners. The fabric floated apart and landed gently on top of him. She bent over to adjust the blanket so he wouldn’t struggle with it in the morning.
Brady’s eyes popped open and his hand reached for hers, stalling her from completing her job. “Thank you,” he mumbled. “I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here.”
Her stomach flipped. Shaking off the emotions his comment stirred within her, she pressed the back of her other hand against his head. He wasn’t feverish. Maybe his statement had been genuine. “Me too,” she whispered. She brushed the edges of his hair from his forehead.
Brady squeezed her fingers, a crooked smile appearing on his face. “When I was a kid, my mother would kiss my owies…”
She jerked her hand away. “Not gonna happen, Brady. Goodnight.”
“But—”
“Goodnight.” She hurried from the room and up the stairs. She wasn’t strong enough for this. Already she could feel her reserves dropping. Brady had some kind of magic power and no one could fight it. She clenched her fists so her nails dug into her skin. She refused to be one of them—one of those poor women who couldn’t see straight whenever he was around.
It was a good thing she’d be heading out tomorrow, because if she had to spend even one more day at Hickory Hollow, she’d be doomed.
After getting ready for bed, she climbed under the covers and stared at the ceiling. It was nearly midnight, but she would be up with the dawn just so she could escape those light brown eyes and that crooked smirk of his.
The sun filtered in through the sheer drapes that covered the window. Dust flecks floated around the room, dancing in the stream of light. Dakota shot up in bed and looked at the clock. It was already past ten. She’d slept in! She bounded out of bed and down the stairs. Was Brady okay? She should have set an alarm.
Skidding to a stop in the foyer, she stared at Brady as he slept. A breath of relief escaped her lips and she quietly backed out of view.
“Good, you’re up. In about ten minutes I was about to come find you myself.”
She froze and peered at him. His eyes were closed. Was she hearing things?
One of Brady’s eyes opened. “I’ve been up for about four hours. Never could sleep past six.”
Dakota fumbled with her hands. “Would you like me to get you something to eat? How are you feeling?”
Brady groaned as he slowly sat up. “I ache all over. But the dizzy spells aren’t as bad. My chest still burns a little when I take a deep breath.”
“That’s a good sign, right?”
He shrugged. “Heck if I know.” He flashed her a smile. “Breakfast sounds great.”
Dakota nodded. “You don’t have anything—”
“Let’s go raid Mary’s kitchen.”
Dakota’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? Wouldn’t she get mad?”
He crooked his fingers at her, motioning for her to come closer. “If she does, I can handle her. We just can’t mess with where she puts things. She has a system.”
She reached out her hand for him to grasp and he moaned as he got to his feet. Holding up his hand, he bent over for a moment.
“Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?”
He shook his head. “Just seeing a few spots.” He blinked then straightened. “Good to go.”
Taking his arm, she slowly guided him toward the door. When she opened it, they both froze. The storm had done more damage than she had expected. There was the barn, smoke still trailing up from the burned rubble. But some of the fields were flooded with a few inches of water. There were mini-lakes all over the place, and a tree had broken and fallen to block the entrance to the ranch. There must have been more wind than she remembered, because fencing had been knocked over as well.
If there was this much damage on the ranch, she didn’t want to know what the storm did to the surrounding area. She glanced at Brady. His jaw was clenched tight as he took in the destruction. He took a deep breath, then moved forward.
Dakota hurried to stay by his side as they descended the steps. They slogged through the mud and did their best to avoid the standing water until they made it to the cafeteria building. Once inside, Brady flipped on the light switch and led her to the kitchen. She pushed open the swinging door and they entered.
Brady leaned against the door frame, pointing to the fridge. “You should find anything you need to fix a good breakfast in there.”
Hesitating, Dakota glanced from the fridge to Brady. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a little winded.”
Dakota may not have been close to Brady, but she could read him well enough to know something else was bothering him. She touched his forearm. “The damage outside seems mostly superficial. The animals are fine and none of your staff were hurt. It shouldn’t take too long to get things fixed up.”
He shook his head, brushing her off. “Let’s just get something to eat.”
She pursed her lips and gave him a nod. “How about an omelet and some toast?” He didn’t respond so she went about collecting the ingredients.
Chapter Nine
His chest was tight, but it wasn’t due to the smoke from last night. The ranch—his ranch—was destroyed. What was worse, it was destroyed the day after he and his brother had inherited it. What was he going to do? Seeing all the destruction only proved one thing—he wasn’t prepared to be in charge. And the damage he was looking at was minuscule compared to what might happen in the future.
Between natural disasters and major accidents, he was now responsible for a great deal more than he had realized. Dakota was right. The animals could have been hurt during the storm; she could have been hurt.
Brady’s eyes found her across the room as she gathered ingredients for breakfast. His whole body felt stiff and his stomach churned. He looked down at his splinted arm, suddenly feeling useless. If a second storm hit or they were the target of marauders, he wouldn’t be able to do a thing.
“Come on, let’s get back to the house. You don’t look that great. Maybe you should sit down.” She tugged on his arm.
He pulled away. “Look, sweetheart, we both know you don’t really care about me. I’m fine. I’ll let you know if that status changes.” Wrong. He wasn’t fine. He was a glorified invalid and he wasn’t going to be any good to anyone. He met her hurt gaze, his stomach souring. He opened his mouth to apologize but it was too late. She’d brushed past him and stormed out of the building.
Brady sighed and made his way slowly after her. As he headed to the house, he took in the dismal state of the property again. It wasn’t likely his crew would be coming back today. Chances were high other properties were hit just as hard. His guys could be stuck or offering to help clean up before coming back. He had some phone calls to make.