Page 27

“Not only are you insane, but you’re bat-shit crazy, but why am I telling you?” Fleur asked.
“I’m thirty-five years old. I’m not a teenager.” Shelly dropped her head to her hands. “But I think I have a crush on one of the Guardians.”
“Oh, is that all?” Fleur snorted. “Join the club, girl.”
Shelly’s head snapped up. “Who, and please don’t say Jug.”
“Ronan.” She winked at Shelly. “Jug is a really big guy. I thought you went for the more metrosexual type.”
“Who says that anymore?” Shelly rolled her eyes heavenward. “Cultured. I preferred a cultured man. Or I thought I did.”
“Well, obviously, I say it.” Fleur started brushing her hair again before she smiled and nudged Shelly with her toe. “So, Jug?”
Shelly nodded and shared with a small smile, “He’s got a hard shell, but I think that’s protecting his soft center.”
“Why do you say that?” She worked her hair as she talked to Shelly.
“Because he was all gruff and demanding, making changes to the way we stored the high theft items and fussing like crazy, but when one of the kids came up with a cut on his hand, Jug lifted him up onto his lap, gave him a piece of candy, got him to stop crying, and kept his attention while I cleaned the cut and bandaged him up.”
“And that went straight to your heart, didn’t it?” Fleur said knowingly.
“On an exploding rocket. Big, handsome, bossy, and he’s good with kids. I think my panties exploded.” Fleur laughed at her friend as she fanned herself with her hands. “Tell me about Ronan. Isn’t he the one who put you in your place this afternoon?”
“He is. But I apologized and realized you were right.”
“Hold the presses, Fleur Buchanan took my advice to heart? I’m going to faint.” Shelly droppedto the cot, her head landing in Fleur’s lap. Fleur flopped her hair on Shelly’s face. The woman made sounds like she was choking and fought her way through Fleur’s mane to sit back up. “Okay, fainting spell over. Spill.”
Fleur stopped brushing her hair and stared at the bristles of her brush. “I told him the truth, that I was trying to find a way to take people out of the camp and thatmaybeyou were right, and I was being selfish. Actually, I realized I’d been self-centered. Everything was based on what I could do without asking what others were doing or what I could do to help them. I think it was a way to deal with survivor’s guilt.” What Ronan had said rung true. “I’ll tell Rana I won’t meet with her contacts.”
“Oh, thank God, but don’t distract me with my smartness. Ronan, huh?” She lifted her eyebrows a couple of times.
“Yeah, girl, he makes me laugh and gets my sense of humor. Plus, damn. He’s sexy. That chiseled jaw, those muscles, dark brown eyes, and his voice. God, that deep baritone vibrates through me. So, if you’re insane, you can move over, and I’ll join you on the ride.”
“Maybe we’ve been over here too long.” Shellyclosed one eye and looked at her. They both said, “Nah,” at the same time and laughed.
“I’ll get out of your hair,” Shelly said. “You’re working with me tomorrow morning, right?”
“I’ll be there.” Fleur watched her friend leave and then finished brushing her hair. She wasn’t insane. She was attracted to Ronan but knew the man was only there until the camp was shuttered in about two months. Plus, the camp had zero privacy, so her crush had no chance of going anywhere. But for the next two months, she’d have someone with whom she could laugh, work, and hang out with. That made her smile as she braided her hair again and turned out the light in her tent.
Ronan was a handsome puzzle of masculinity. He had a passion for taking care of people. She could tell even though he hadn’t said those words … exactly. The way he talked with her, his insightful questions, the concern he had for the IDPs, the staff, and his team was a glaring part of his personality. That and his sense of humor. She’d shown him her worst and been an absolute putz more than once and instead of distance and disgust, he’d shown her grace and goodness. That was almost sexier than the man was. She’d never run into a man like him before. He was a strength she didn’t know she needed. She was tired of being strong, and that realization hurt a bit. But Ronan was someone she could lean on. She knew it but couldn’t explain it.
She listened to insect night songs and the small sounds of people moving around the camp. For the first time in a long time, her mind wasn’t chasing problems; rather, she fell asleep thinking of the tall, muscled, sexy man with a deep voice and wonderful laugh.
Fleur broughtthe last patient into the medical tent. The morning sick call included a variety of bumps, bruises, cuts, and returns to remove stitches. Several younger kids had a fever, which was always a concern. Shelly had a translator question them about where they’d been and what they’d eaten and drank. The common denominator was a stew that one of the older girls had cooked using too old meat. Food poisoning was bad, but not as bad as a contagious bug. As the last person left, Rana arrived from the admin tent with a young woman. “Dr. Shelly, Adara is new here. She needs your help.”
Fleur knew immediately what that meant. “I’ll put the sign up outside.”
“Thank you,” Shelly said as she removed her gloves and smiled at the new camp resident. She asked Rana, “Did you explain what was going to happen?”
“I did.”
That was the last Fleur heard. She closed the medical tent flap and dragged the sign in front. The sign said “Do Not Enter” in three different languages. If an emergency happened, the sign would give Shelly enough time to stop the exam before she responded.
Fleur walked back to the other side of the camp and heard the Jeep before she saw it. Ronan and two of his men drove back into the camp. Jug stood up, manning the huge machine gun mounted to the vehicle's frame. Men inside the camp would normally worry her, but not these men.
She watched the Jeep park before stepping into the tent she used as an office. The file she’d put away last night was spread out on the table, and one of Ronan’s men was reading through a report. He looked up as she came in. Nodding his head, he went back to the report. “Hi. I’m Fleur. I’m not sure I remember your name.”
“Wraith,” he said but continued to focus on the report.