Very Private Duty Read Online Free

pill and a glass of water, watching closely as he placed it on his tongue. She recorded the readings on a pad and the time she had given him the painkiller.
    “Drink all of the water.”
    He complied, handing her the empty glass. Their gazes met and fused. “Thank you,” he mumbled reluctantly.
    Her passive expression did not change. “You’re welcome.”
    She was there, and then she was gone, taking her warmth and scent with her. And it had been her smell that, years ago, had drawn Jeremy to Tricia. She always wore perfume when the other girls on the farm smelled of hay and horses.
    Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes. His father and brother complained they did not see him enough. And whenever he did return home it was never for more than a few days. There had been a time when Blackstone Farms was his whole world but after joining the DEA, the war on drugs had become his life. He always came back to reconnect with his family, but refused to stay.
    He lay in the dimly lit room listening to the sound of his own heart beating. He hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep until he felt the soft touch on his arm and a familiar voice calling his name.
    “Wake up, Jeremy. It’s time to eat.”
    Seeing Tricia again, inhaling her familiar feminine scent reminded him of what he’d been denying for nearly half his life. He hadn’t returned to Blackstone Farms after graduating from college because of the memories of a young woman to whom he had pledged his future. He had loved her unconditionally while she had deceived him with another man.
    Whenever he visited the farm a part of him had hoped to see Tricia, but they never connected—until now. And whenever he asked her grandparents abouther, their response was always, “She’s doing just fine in the big city.”
    He shifted on the bed, groaning softly as pain shot through his ankle. Compressing his lips, he managed to somehow find a more comfortable position as Tricia adjusted the bed’s tray table.
    The moment she uncovered a plate he closed his eyes. “I want some real food.”
    She placed a cloth napkin over his chest. “This is real food.”
    He opened his eyes, his expression thunderous. “Broth, applesauce and weak-ass tea!”
    She picked up a soup spoon. “You’ve been on a light diet. It’s going to take time before you’ll be able to tolerate solids.” He clamped his jaw tight once she put the spoon to his mouth. “Open!”
    He shook his head, chiding himself for the action. Each time he moved, intense pain tightened like a vise on his head. “No,” he hissed between clenched teeth.
    Tricia bit down on her lower lip in frustration and stared at the stubborn set of his jaw. Broken, battered and bruised he still had the power to make her heart race. “You’re going to have to eat or you’ll be too weak to get out of bed.”
    He glared at her. “Get me some food, Tricia. Now!”
    She glared back in what she knew would become a standoff, a battle of wills. “I’m certain I warned you about raising your voice to me. Eat the broth andapplesauce and I’ll call the dining hall to have them send something else.”
    “What?”
    “You can have either Jell-O or soft scrambled eggs.”
    “How about steak and eggs?”
    “Not yet, hotshot. Once you’re up and moving around I’ll put in an order for steak and eggs. And if you actually cooperate, then you can have pancakes.” Everyone at Blackstone Farms knew how much Jeremy loved the chef’s pancakes. He opened his mouth and she fed him the soup.
    “Is he giving you a hard time?” asked a familiar voice.
    Tricia shifted slightly and stared over her shoulder at Ryan. He had entered the room without making a sound. “No.”
    Jeremy swallowed the bland liquid. “She’s giving me a hard time. This stuff is as bad as castor oil.”
    Ryan pushed aside the ottoman as he sat on the roomy leather chair. He smiled and attractive lines fanned out around his eyes. He ran his left hand over his cropped hair, and a