STORMY GLENN - Part Four

 

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Blaecleah Brothers 8

Part Four

 

 

STORMY GLENN

Copyright © 2022

 

Chapter Three

Rourke Blaecleah chuckled at the flushed skin of Billy's cheeks as they disembarked from the plane. His cheeks had been red since they walked out of the bathroom after joining the mile high club. It was a good look on the man.

Of course, anything was good a look on his baby.

He kept a firm hold of Billy as they walked down the narrow corridor between the airplane and the main terminal. His nightmare was Billy getting lost in some foreign country and not being able to find him due to a language or cultural barrier.

He almost hadn't come on this trip because of how anxious he was about losing Billy. If he lost him, not a soul on earth would be safe from his wrath. Well, Ma and Da would be safe, and maybe his brothers and their partners, but the rest of the world would burn.

Gay marriage had been legal in Ireland since 2015, but that didn't mean everyone accepted it. Living Cade Creek, they didn't tend to run into a lot of narrow minded people, but Rourke knew they were out there. He wasn't sure what kind of attitude they'd run into in Ireland.

Normally, Rourke wouldn't have given a damn, but Billy's sweet nature concerned him. He had had such a hard time coming to terms with his sexuality because of what his brother had done to him. If someone came right out and attacked him for who he loved, Billy would be devastated.

And then Rourke would have to kill them.

"I thought this airport would be bigger," Billy remarked. "It's actually kind of quant."

"It's actually a pretty adequately sized airport."

"Seems smaller."

"That's because we had to change planes in New York and you got to see how big it was."

"I guess."

"I also think there is less commercialism here. In the United States, the airports try and sell passengers everything they don't really need before they even get on a plane. Here, they seem to sell some stuff, but the shops are more..." Rourke wasn't sure what the word was that he was looking for.

"Homey?"

Yeah, that would work.

"When was the last time you saw a fresh bakery at an airport?"

Billy shrugged. "Never been to an airport before, so..."

Rourke tightened the arm he had around Billy, pulling him a little closer. "Maybe we should travel a bit."

Billy shook his head. "I like the ranch."

Rourke knew that. Billy loved being on the ranch. He thrived there. According to him, he had dreamed of being welcome on the ranch since he was a small child. Now that he was there, he didn't like leaving.

"A weekend here and there would be good for us, give us time with just the two of us."

Billy's deep blue eyes peaked up at him. "Just the two of us?"

Rourke grinned. "Just the two of us, Baby."

"Okay."

God, he adored this man.

If someone had told him years ago that Billy would be imperative to his very survival, he would have laughed in their face, and then punched them. Billy had been a trouble maker, law breaker, and all around pain in the butt. And then Rourke had kissed him and everything had changed.

"Maybe we'll luck out and find a rainbow," Billy said. "I hear there's treasure at the end of the rainbow."

"What do I need with treasure? I have you."

"But it's supposed to be a pot of gold."

Rourke shook his head. "You're worth more than a pot of gold, Baby."

That cute little flush filled Billy's face again.

"Come on, you two," Lachlan called out. "You're falling behind."

They had done more than fall behind. They had stopped right there in the middle of the terminal walkway.

Rourke grunted, grabbed Billy's hand, and started down the corridor again, quickly catching up with the others. By the time they reached baggage claim, he felt as if he had been walking forever. Maybe this airport wasn't as busy as the one in New York, but it was certainly big enough.

Billy pointed. "Those are our bags."

Rourke stepped over and grabbed their three bags. He thought they had packed a little more than they needed until he saw his Da grabbing five suitcases. Made the three bags Billy insisted on seem easy. He handed one of the suitcases to Billy and carried the other two himself.

"Which way is the exit?"

Billy raised his head and glanced around before pointing. "Exit arrow says that way."

"We rented cars, right?" he asked his Da. He wasn't sure they had taxi cabs in Ireland.

Yes, he had a few preconceived ideas about Ireland, and they might be based on his parents' objection to ever visiting the place while he was growing up, but he honestly didn't know much about the country other than what he'd seen in movies, TV shows, and documentaries.

Did they have taxi cabs?

Instead of heading straight for the exit, they had to stop off at the car rental station and get the keys to the three cars they had rented. Rourke, Lachlan, and John had all made sure that they had international driver permits before they even left home. It had actually been easier to get than his original driver's license.

Go figure.

Da had rented them three large SUVs. They might not be ideal for vacationing in Ireland, but they had a large family. They would need every seat, including the child safety seats for the three little ones.

Once they got outside to their vehicles, Rourke started loading all the bags into his car. If he carried a large majority of the bags, that would free up space in the other vehicle for people to ride in.

After putting in as many bags as the back of the SUV would carry, he walked around to the front passenger seat and held the door open for Billy. He got a beaming smile and a quick kiss before Billy climbed in. Rourke shut the door and walked around to climb into the driver's seat.

He waited until the other two vehicles started to move before following them. Once they were on the road, he glanced into the rearview mirror. "How far do we have to drive, Brennan?"

"Kildare is only about an hour from here," Brennan replied, "depending on traffic. Keegan Manor is just outside of town."

An hour's drive through the lush green rolling hills and valleys of Ireland? Rourke could think of worse ways to spend his day. Billy was practically bouncing in his seat as they left the city behind and got out into the countryside. His head was whipping one way and then the other as he tried to take it all in.

"It's so beautiful here."

"More beautiful than Cade Creek?"

Billy snorted as he turned to look at me. "No place is more beautiful than Cade Creek."

Rourke was glad he thought so because he couldn't think of any other place in the world he wanted to live. He'd grown up there, and except for a small stint in the service, it was the only place he had ever lived. It was the only place he had ever wanted to live.

Visiting other places was nice, though.

To be continued...

~~@~~

Cowboy Easy

Blaecleah Brothers 1

Lachlan Blaecleah never expected to find the love of his life in the middle of a street fight with two other men, but he knew the moment he saw Asa Miller that he wanted to get to know the man better. He jumps into the fight and becomes Asa's knight in slightly tarnished armor.

Asa Miller is amazed by Lachlan every time he looks at him. He's a walking, talking cowboy fantasy come to life, complete with hat and boots. After being rescued by him and taken home for a night of debauchery at the hands of the sexy cowboy, Asa isn't sure what to do next. Should he stick around and get to know Lachlan and his large family better or run from the feelings the man invokes in him?

Before Asa can make his choice, someone else steps in to separate the two men, on a more permanent basis. Asa has to decide if what they have together is worth the heartache he feels when he almost loses the man he loves. Or should he guard his heart and lose his cowboy forever?

http://www.bookstrand.com/cowboy-easy

 

STORY EXCERPT

“Clem!” Lachlan shouted as he reached for the man. Clem turned around, fists swinging. Lachlan ducked but not fast enough. He felt Clem’s fist glance off his jaw. Lachlan grunted, dropping the tire iron to the ground as he grabbed his jaw. “Damn it, Clem, knock it off.”

“Lachlan?”

“Well, I’m not the tooth fairy.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Trying to keep you and Billy from getting thrown in jail.” Lachlan rubbed his jaw and spared a quick glance at the stranger standing several feet away, his fists raised to defend himself. “You’d better get out of here before the sheriff arrives. You’ve already been in jail once this week.”

“Oh, Lachlan, we was just having a bit of fun,” Billy protested as he came to stand next to his brother.

“I don’t think he was having fun, Billy,” Lachlan said as he pointed to the stranger. “In fact, it looks to me like he is pretty pissed.”

Billy turned and glanced at the stranger, his face flushing when he turned back. “We didn’t mean no harm, Lachlan.”

“You attacked me, asshole,” the man shouted. “For no reason.”

“You’re a fucking fag,” Clem shouted as he turned on the man. His fists came up again like he was about to attack again. Lachlan jumped forward and grabbed Clem’s arms, spinning him around and giving him a good shove toward his truck.

“Get out of here, Clem, before I tell your mother what you’re up to.”

That was the only threat Lachlan could think of that was big enough to get Billy and Clem Thornton to behave. Lilia Thornton was a sweet old woman who was adored by her sons. It was just too bad their father, Ira, was such a jerk. He was the largest influence on his sons and encouraged their appalling behavior.

Clem glared, retribution shining in his eyes. Lachlan knew he’d have to deal with Clem at some point. He just hoped he wasn’t alone when it happened. Even though Lachlan could hold his own in a fight, Clem had a good fifty pounds on him. He might not win that one.

“Clem…”

Clem snarled for a moment then spit on the ground right by the stranger’s foot. The man jumped back then sent Clem a snarl of his own. Lachlan thought he might attack and held his arm out between the two men.

“Go, Clem, now!”

“This isn’t over, Lachlan.”

“I didn’t think it was, Clem.” Lachlan didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until Clem and Billy climbed into their truck and drove away. He wiped his hand down his face, not realizing until he did that he had little beads of sweat trickling down his temples.

Hearing a muttered oath, Lachlan turned to see the stranger lifting his motorcycle from where it lay on its side on the ground and moving out the kickstand. He squatted down and started running his hands over it. Lachlan assumed he was looking for damage.

“How bad is it?” he asked as he walked up.

“Damn cylinder head is broken.”

“Did Clem do that?”

“Your friends were waiting for me when I left the café back a ways. I got this far before he hit my back wheel and drove me off the road.”

“Clem and Billy are not my friends,” Lachlan said. He didn’t like being lumped in with those two idiots. “We just happen to live in the same town.”

“Nice town you have here.” The man stood up, his hands on his waist. “Do you welcome everyone like this?”

Lachlan felt like his tongue was sticking to the roof of his mouth as he got his first good look at the stranger, the totally drool-worthy, drop-dead-gorgeous stranger. He just stared for a moment, drinking in the man’s striking features.Yum!

Lachlan suddenly wished that they weren’t standing in the middle of the road in the dark. He wanted to get a better look at the man, preferably without his clothes on. Knowing the man was gay just made Lachlan’s cock ache.

“Yo, dude!” The man waved his hand in front of Lachlan.

Lachlan blinked, his face flaming. “Yeah, sorry, uh, no, not normally. People are pretty nice around here usually. You just happened to catch the two local jerks. Clem and Billy get into more trouble than anyone I know, most of it created by themselves.”

“They sound like real nice guys.”

“Well, I wouldn’t take them home for dinner, that’s for sure.” Lachlan chuckled. “My ma would skin me alive.”

“Your ma?”

Lachlan frowned at the man’s tone as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, do you have a problem with that?”

“No, man.” The stranger chuckled, waving his hands in front of him. “No problem at all.”

“Good.” No one got to make fun of his ma.

“Just never heard a full-grown man call his mother ma.”

“I doubt you’ve ever met anyone like my ma then. I’d probably lose more than the family jewels if I called her anything else.”

“Pity.” Lachlan could feel the man’s hazel eyes move up and down his body like a caress and almost groaned when they settled on his groin. “They seem like such nice family jewels. I’d hate to see you lose them.”

Lachlan swallowed hard. His cock was hardening at an alarming rate, and he was afraid his zipper was going to break. If nothing else, he might hurt himself if things continued like they were. There was only so much room in his jeans.

“Hence, why I call her ma.”

“Good choice.”

The man turned back to his motorcycle again, another small oath coming from him. Lachlan winced. There was a reason he tried really hard not to swear. His mother would wash his mouth out with soap. It had happened enough times that Lachlan just got used to not swearing.

“Is there a bike shop around here?”

“Yeah, but they’re not open until tomorrow.”

“Damn!”

“If you want to take your bike back to my place, I can make a call, maybe have the parts you need waiting for you in the morning.” Lachlan took a deep breath and went out on a limb. “I can offer you a hot meal and a place to sleep.”

“A hot meal, huh?” The dark eyebrow the stranger arched almost took him to his knees. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anything sexier. When the man reached out a hand, Lachlan readily took it, liking the strong grip he received in return. “Name’s Asa, Asa Miller.”

“Lachlan Blaecleah.”

“Thanks for the save, Lachlan.”

“Just in the right place at the right time.” Lachlan chuckled nervously, realizing that he still held hands with Asa. He quickly dropped it. “Clem and Billy aren’t too bad, not really. Their bark is worse than their bite.”

“And you?”

“Me?”

“How’s your bite?”

Oh, fuck me running, Lachlan thought to himself as he tried to swallow. He hadn’t had an offer like this in years, if ever. And it was clear to Lachlan that Asa was making an offer. The man was doing nothing to hide the interest in his eyes.

“Why don’t you come home with me and find out?”

 

~~@~~

Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first sight, soul mates, true love, and happy endings.

You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her at:

www.stormyglenn.com

www.bookstrand.com/stormy-glenn

www.facebook.com/stormy.glenn.39

www.stormyglen.tumblr.com

www.twitter.com/stormyglenn

stormyglenn@hotmail.com

 

STORMY GLENN - Part Three

 

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Blaecleah Brothers 8 

Part Three

 

STORMY GLENN

Copyright © 2022

Chapter Two

There were way too many lights in the airport. Lachlan Blaecleah fully believed that. As blurry-eyed as he was, he was almost grateful for it. It helped cut down on the brightness. What he needed was coffee. Jumping out of bed because he overslept, then dressing, grabbing his suitcase, and running out there door hadn't given him time to get any this morning.

He leaned toward his husband and whispered, "Do they serve coffee on airplanes?"

Asa chuckled. "Not that I know of, but it's been a lot of years since I've been on an airplane so I could be wrong."

That wasn't good.

"Once we check in and get through security, you should be able to get a cup of coffee in one of the cafes. If you drink it quick, you can probably get an entire cup before we have to board the plane."

Lachlan whimpered. "I can be quick."

The Flash would have nothing on him.

"Well, we have to check in and get through security first and that could take awhile." Asa gestured to the line of people in front of them.

Lachlan only counted about ten people. How long could that take?

Forty-five minutes later, Lachlan knew exactly how long it could take. And from what the lady behind the check-in counter said, today was a light travel day. That might have had something to do with them flying to Ireland in the middle of the week. Waiting until the middle of the week had dropped the price on their tickets by almost five hundred dollars, well worth it.

As soon as they got through security and put their shoes back on, Asa turned to the others. "Lachlan needs coffee, and I do, too. Does anyone want to join us?"

Several hands went up.

"Our plane leaves from gate C3 in one hour," Ma said before pointing a finger at each and every one of them. "Do not miss it. You'll be mucking stalls for the next five years. Is that understood?"

The response was universal from all of them. "Yes, Ma."

Lachlan followed Asa like a lost puppy as he headed down the wide corridor of the terminal to a coffee shop. When Asa ordered a large coffee just the way he liked it and placed it in his hands, Lachlan wanted to kiss the man.

Well, truthfully, he always wanted to kiss the man and imagined it would be that way for the rest of their lives. Besides the fact that Asa was six foot three inches of raw masculine power, he was just yummy to look at. Wavy dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and a perpetual smirk that made Lachlan's pants tight every time he saw it.

"We should drink and walk," Asa suggested as they casually walked back through the corridor a few minutes later. "I'm afraid to find out if Ma was telling the truth with that threat."

"She was," Lachlan assured him. "Ma never threatens something she doesn't mean."

Asa started walking faster.

Lachlan chuckled as he followed after him.

The corridor was long so it took them about ten minutes to reach their gate. Lachlan figured with what it took to buy his coffee plus the walk time, they still had a good half hour before they even had to board the plane.

They were good.

Lachlan found a chair to sit in next to his Ma and then settled in for the wait. "You excited to be going back to Ireland, Ma?"

"Yes and no, son."

Lachlan cocked an eyebrow, wondering if she would continue with that statement. When she didn't, he motioned in a rolling motion with his hand. "And?"

Ma sighed before saying, "I'm happy to be going back to see Ireland and show you where your Da and I grew up, but I admit I am a bit nervous about seeing my parents after all of these years."

"Why?" Lachlan was confused. He adored his parents. They'd given him and his brothers a life of love and acceptance few others had been privilege to have. "They're your parents."

Ma smiled as she patted my hand, but it didn't reach her eyes. "My parents aren't like yours, son. Don't get me wrong, I always knew they loved me, but they are very demanding when it comes to proper behavior. Your Da and I weren't. We wanted you to experience being kids before you became adults."

"It's been a long time, Ma. Maybe they have changed. I mean, they did lose their daughter because of their insistence that you marry some old codger. That had to affect them on some level."

"I suppose you're right, Lachlan, but I just don't know. It's been too many years."

"I think you're buying trouble, Ma. I know you have reason to be worried because of what happened when you left, but like I said, a lot of years have gone by. If you go into this with too many reservations, you might not be able to mend those fences."

"How did you become so wise?"

Lachlan grinned. "Learned it from my Ma."

Ma laughed and leaned her head against Lachlan's shoulder. When he glanced to the seats across from them, he found his Da watching them. Da nodded, but didn't say anything.

By the time they were called to board the plane, he'd had enough coffee to be fully awake and looking forward to their trip. He followed his parents down the narrow corridor to the plane and then through the aisles to his seat.

"Aisle or window, babe?" Lachlan didn't care one way or the other.

"You're taller than me," Asa replied. "Why don't you take the aisle so you have a little bit more room to stretch out?"

"I'm an inch taller than you."

Asa shrugged so Lachlan stepped back and waited for him to scoot in before putting his carryon luggage in the overhead bin and then taking his seat. He made sure his seatbelt was fastened and then waited for the rest of the passengers to take their seats so they could get into the air.

They had a very long flight ahead of them.

* * * *

They were several hours into their flight and Asa was bored out of his mind. Lachlan was stretched out as far as he could go, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Asa was pretty sure he wasn't sleeping because there was no snoring.

Asa nudged Lachlan and then leaned close to whisper in his ear, "Want to become part of the mile high club?"

"Can't," Lachlan said without even opening his eyes. "Rourke and Billy are in there joining the club right now."

Well, damn.

He glanced out the window, but all he could see were clouds.

Fuck, he was bored.

"How much more time do we have in the air?"

"About four more hours," Lachlan replied.

Asa groaned. "I might not survive that long."

Lachlan opened his eyes and held up his hand to signal the flight attendant.

"What are you doing?" Asa whispered.

"I thought you could do with some shuteye."

Asa frowned. "I'm not tired."

He hadn't yawned once.

"Oh, yes, you are."

"No, I'm—" Asa's jaw dropped. "You can't...not here." He sat up a little straighter in his seat and looked around. Even with a blanket, everyone would know what they were doing. He was sure of it. Could he be arrested for letting his husband jerk him off on a plane?

"Yes, sir?" the flight attendant asked when she reached them.

"Can I get a couple of blankets and pillows?"

"Of course, sir. Would you like an eye mask as well?"

"Eye mask?"

The flight attendant smiled. "On our long distance flights, the airline provides eye masks to those who want them. They help cut down on the lights so people can sleep. They all come individually wrapped in their own packages."

"Yes, please, but only one." Lachlan beamed as he gestured to Asa. "He'll need one."

Asa waited until the flight attendant walked away before turning to look at his husband "What are you going to do with an eye mask?"

"Put it on you," Lachlan said with a totally straight face.

Asa wasn't even going to ask.

When the flight attendant came back with the items Lachlan had requested, he asked. "How much longer on our flight?"

"About four hours," the woman replied before she smiled. "Plenty of time for you to get in a nap. With the time difference, you'll probably need it."

Asa had totally forgotten about that. They were basically flying to the other side of the planet. There was about an eight hour time difference. When they landed around five o'clock in the evening in Ireland, it would be about nine in the morning back home.

The time difference wouldn't be so bad while going on vacation, but Asa suspected getting back into the groove of things when they returned to the ranch was going to give them more than one sleepless night.

Still, it was worth it to spend a week in beautiful Ireland with his husband and family. It had been a long time since they had gone off to do something, and they usually had to leave someone at home to man the ranch. This time, they had called in a few favors so they could all go, even the kids.

Lachlan handed him one of the blanket and a pillow. "Get comfortable."

"Lachlan." Asa wasn't sure about this.

"Just do it. I promise no one will see."

Still wasn't sure.

He glanced around again, but most of the people on the airplane seemed to be sleeping themselves or reading or watching something on their phones. The overhead lights had been turned down low and the murmur of conversations was low.

Maybe...

Asa set the pillow against the window and the side of seat and then shook the blanket out and covered himself, making sure the blanket was pulled up to his shoulders. When he glanced over, Lachlan had his pillow behind his head and his blanket pulled up to his chest. The eye mask dangled from his finger.

"You really want me to put this on?"

Lachlan grinned.

Asa sighed as he took the mask and pulled it over his head. He was kind of impressed that these things were supplied by the airline considering they really did block out all of the light. He couldn't see a damn thing.

"Lay your head on the pillow, love, and don't make a sound."

"This is crazy, Lany."

Lachlan's voice was close to his ear when he replied. "You married a cowboy, Asa. I warned you it was going to be a wild ride."

Asa hissed when Lachlan's hand moved under the blanket, coming to rest of his cock, which hardened up with a single touch. Lachlan Blaecleah had had that ability since the night they first met when Lachlan had saved him from a beat down. One look, one touch, and Asa was hard as a rock. His erection strained painfully behind his zipper.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Lachlan fumbled with his zipper, freeing his cock and curling his firm hand around him. His thumb slipped over the head of Asa's cock, giving him a natural lube to use as he thrust his hand harder, letting his fingers play over Asa's balls on the down-stroke.

Asa thrust his hips, sending his cock further into Lachlan's tight grip as the man began stroking him from root to tip. He ran his thumb over the moist head again, smearing the pre-come around and squeezing lightly.

Asa bit his lip to keep from making any noise...or begging for more.

It didn’t take long before his balls were pulling up tight. A web of arousal spun around him as Lachlan squeezed his shaft, his thumb caressing over the leaking head. Asa hissed when he felt the tingle shooting up his spine

"Fuck!" Asa groaned through clenched teeth as hot ropes of seed shot out, hitting him on his chest and under his chin. His dick jerked wildly and pumped ropes of cum into the napkin held over the head of his cock.

He barely registered Lachlan cleaning him up and tucking him back into his pants, but the sound of his zipper going up had him raising his head and pushing the eye mask up to his forehead.

"Better?" Lachlan asked.

Asa nodded absently.

"Good." Lachlan leaned in to brush a kiss to his ear. "Now, maybe you can sleep through the rest of the flight.

Asa snorted. His body felt like jelly. He was so relaxed, he doubted he'd be able to get excited if the plane caught on fire.

Lachlan's lips brushed his ear again. "You can take care of me when we get to our hotel room. I packed the lube in my carry-on."

Okay, now Asa was hard again.

This was going to be a very long flight.

To be continued...

~~@~~

CODE TRIAGE

Cade Creek 24

coming soon!

Pat Fischer was a nurse at the Cade Creek Hospital and he was very good at what he did. He loved his job and the people he worked with, even if his busy schedule made his love life a little sparse. When a multi-car crash on the pass brings in an injured man, Pat's skills are put to the test in more ways than one. The guy swears he's been kidnapped and the people that took him will use any means to find him. Pat has to use some of that Cade Creek knowhow to help him escape before more people end up hurt. He just has to figure out if the guy is telling the truth or not.

 

FBI Special Agent Elam Darcy was given the chance to give up his fast-paced life in Washington D.C. and move to Cade Creek to help run an agency field office there and he jumped at the chance. He'd been impressed with the small town and the people when he'd been there before. He just never expected to be kidnapped before he could even reach the town limits. He has no idea who kidnapped him or why, and if he doesn't figure it out soon, people could die, even the cute little nurse who insisted he knew who could help him.

STORY EXCERPT

The doors to the emergency area swung open and someone shouted out, "I need some help out here."

Pat wrapped his stethoscope around his neck and took off running. Fire fighter Paul Rafferty was walking in with a man in his arms. Pat grabbed a gurney and pulled it over. "What happened?"

Raff carefully lowered the man down onto the gurney and then stepped back so Pat could start checking his vitals. "We were working that multi-car pileup on the pass and found this guy in the trunk of one of the cars. The ambulances had already left so the chief just had me drive him in. We figured it would be quicker than calling for another ambulance."

Pat's jaw dropped as he glanced up. "He was in the trunk?"

Raff nodded.

"Shit!"

"Is he going to make it?" Raff asked. "I tried to get here as quickly as I could, but there's a lot of snow up there."

"There's snow on the pass?" If so, it had come early this year. They usually didn't get snow on the pass until around Thanksgiving.

"Yeah."

"We were thinking that three car pileup might have been a black ice incident, but snow makes much more sense."

Pat went back to checking the patient. The guy had a few bruises on his face, a bump on the back of his head, and abrasions on his wrists. Pat's brow flickered with unease when he saw the injuries. It looked as if the guy had been pretty well worked over.

"Was he tied up?" he asked.

"Yeah." Raff nodded. "His hands were tied behind his back with duct tape. The chief cut it off before we put him in my truck. He's keeping it for the sheriff."

Pat was pretty sure this guy had been a kidnap victim, which meant the sheriff would be interested in more than just the duct tape.

"Okay, I'm going to get him in back and have DB take a look at him."

"I need to get back to the scene, but can you let me know how he's doing?"

Pat smiled as he nodded. "I'll let you know just as soon as DB gives me a diagnosis."

"I'd appreciate it."

Pat turned and started wheeling the patient through the double doors and then to one of the exam rooms. "Linda, can you page DB? We have another patient from that car crash up on the pass."

"Sure will," the other nurse replied.

A moment later, the intercom sounded, paging Dr. Berkley.

Pat started taking vitals on the patient. DB would want to know as much as possible when he walked in. Pat also wanted to make sure everything was documented for the sheriff. If this was a kidnapping, they'd need all the evidence they could get.

"Linda," he called out. "Get me some evidence bags."

The patient's clothes would need to be cut off. Pat planned to put everything in the evidence bags. They were slightly different than the regular bags they used for patient's effects. Evidence bags had a seal on them and a place for the nurse in charge of the patient to sign their name. It kept a record of the chain of evidence in case there was a criminal case.

Pat was pretty sure that was going to happen here.

He lifted the bottom of guy's black cotton shirt and then winced when he found more bruising. It didn't look as if there was internal bleeding, but looks could be deceiving. No matter what, his ribs were going to be sore for awhile. He reached for a pair of scissors so he could cut the shirt off.

Pat jumped and let out a very unmanly squeak when his wrist was grabbed. The patient was awake and staring right at him through one good eye and one eye so swollen Pat could barely tell it was brown.

"Get me out of here," the guy whispered.

"My name is Pat. I'm a nurse. You're in a hospital," Pat said as he tried to pull the man's tight grip off his wrist. "You're safe now."

"Not safe." The man groaned and stiffened for just a moment, his head arching back. "Need out of here. Not safe."

The guy was obviously still terrified, and Pat couldn't blame him. He'd be terrified if he had been kidnapped, too. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Special Agent Elam Darcy. I'm FBI."

Well, damn.

~~@~~

Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first sight, soul mates, true love, and happy endings.

You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her at:

www.stormyglenn.com

www.bookstrand.com/stormy-glenn

www.facebook.com/stormy.glenn.39

www.stormyglen.tumblr.com

www.twitter.com/stormyglenn

stormyglenn@hotmail.com