Fate and Destiny Read Online Free Page B

around in
the small kitchen. The aroma of coffee teased her nose, the
sensation quickly followed by the wonderful smells of breakfast.
Her stomach grumbled, warning she should not have been so quick to
refuse food. Despite the rumbling in her stomach and the pains in
her body, another, more urgent need grabbed her attention. She
looked around the cabin for anything that resembled a bathroom
door, hoping and praying the cabin didn’t rely on an
outhouse.
    “ Please don’t let that be
a closet,” she whispered, spotting the door in the corner. Gently
pushing the blankets back, nudging the dog out of the way in the
process, she placed her unhurt foot on the floor. If she kept her
balance, she could quietly hop on one foot all the way over there.
She could discreetly travel to the door and back without the man
noticing, and maybe even have a chance to grab the fireplace poker
on the way.
    Making breakfast and
humming to himself, Andrew turned just in time to see the woman
trying to push back the blankets and stand up. She was halfway to
her feet when he moved to catch her.
    “ Hey! You probably have a
concussion. Good Lord, woman. Sit back down!”
    She wobbled, her eyes
rolling back as she slumped towards the floor. Reaching her as her
legs gave out, he wrapped his arms around her, supporting her slack
weight. Gently, Andrew eased her back onto the bed, holding onto
her, ensuring she didn’t topple forwards off the edge.
    She seemed confused and
lost, so he spoke gently.
    “ Honey, what are you
trying to do?”
    Finally focusing on him,
she blinked a few times before casting her eyes down to study her
hands.
    “ I need to use the
bathroom.”
    Her voice was almost a
whisper while she avoided looking at his face.
      A red blush spread
from her long graceful neck and across her face. She stared at her
hands intently wringing in her lap and could not see the smile that
crossed his face at her predicament.
    “ Why didn’t you ask for
help?”
    Without waiting for an
answer, Andrew slid one arm under her knees, the other around her
back, slowly and easily lifting her from the bed. Nudging the door
open with his elbow, he lowered her feet to the floor, keeping his
arm around her waist for support. He didn’t let go completely until
she balanced on her good leg, showing no signs of
fainting.
    “ Don’t try walking on that
leg,” he pointed at her swollen ankle, “and don’t move too fast or
you’re going to faint again.”
    She looked at him as if he
had horns and four eyes were growing out of his
forehead.
    He refrained from smiling
at her.
    “ Do you want me to help
you with anything else?” He asked, mischievously.
    She glared at
him.
    “ No, I think I can handle
this part myself.” 
    “ Are you sure? Because I
can help if you can’t do this alone.”
    Unable to contain the
smile, he moved to lift the lid.
    “ No! I won’t faint again.
I don’t need your help! Get out!”
    “ Okay then,
honey.”
    He moved towards the living
area.
    “ Just yell when you’re
done and I’ll come back in to help you. Unless you plan on evening
out your face by putting a nice bump on the other side to
match?”
    He barely escaped before
the door slammed behind him. He barely heard her words through the
closed door.
    “ Unbelievable
jerk.”
    It took her awhile to
figure out how to painlessly do what she needed to do. Sweatpants
that didn’t take a lot of effort to remove then put back on made a
big difference. She didn’t need him. She could crawl back if she
had to. Hopping wouldn’t work. Her head would bounce off her
shoulders if she tried. She couldn’t simply walk back with her
ankle unable to bear her weight. Crawling would make it difficult
to get back on the bed.
    “ Damn him. He knows I
can’t get around without his help.”
    Resigned to her choices,
she opened the door. Andrew returned, easily scooping her up and
carrying her back to the bed. She crossed her arms in front of her
but could feel the warmth