“What do you think?” he asked. “Since you won’t get up and take a shower, I’m going to give you a bath.”
“Don’t you think I’m a bit too old for that?”
“You’re not leaving me any alternative.”
“Fine. Good luck.” Strangely indifferent, she dropped her arms. He’d seen her naked before. He didn’t seem particularly interested in seeing her again. And she had no energy with which to fight him. A woman had to care to be humiliated, and Katie simply didn’t.
Cursing, he left her sweatshirt on and lifted her in his arms.
When they reached the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and cringed. No wonder Booker wasn’t impressed enough to continue undressing her. She didn’t know any man who would be. She hadn’t showered for three days, and she’d brushed her teeth only once or twice.
Turning her face resolutely from the sight of her dirty hair and sunken cheeks, she let him place her on the closed lid of the toilet while he tested the water.
After he’d adjusted the temperature, he propped his hands on his hips, looking like some kind of bouncer. “Take your clothes off and get in.”
She didn’t move.
“Now,” he said.
She was too numb to feel anything, so it came as quite a shock when tears began to slide down her cheeks. Especially because she couldn’t do anything to stop them.
A pained expression appeared on Booker’s face, telling her he’d definitely noticed, but he didn’t back off. “Are you going to get undressed, or am I going to have to do it for you?”
A tear dripped off her chin as she stared at the water in the tub.
“Katie, I think you’d rather do this next part on your own,” he said. “But if you want my hands all over your body, then…”
She dashed a hand across her cheeks, sniffed and peeled off her sweatshirt.
Booker’s eyes dipped briefly to what she revealed, but his expression remained implacable. “Hurry up,” he said.
With a deep breath, she stood and started pulling down her panties, and he finally stepped out. It was easier to obey than fight—especially because he banged on the door every few minutes to keep her moving.
When she finally finished the laborious process of washing herself, she pulled the plug on the drain. It took several more minutes, and another pounding on the door by Booker, before she could summon the energy to stand.
As soon as she’d wrapped herself in a towel and opened the door, Booker half-dragged her into the bedroom. “What do you want to wear?”
She thought of her only shoes, and Mary Thornton’s snide comment, There’s snow on the ground, silly…. “Sweats.”
“To a job interview? Glad to see your sense of humor is returning.” He let her lie back while he rummaged through her suitcase. “You couldn’t have unpacked this stuff?”
“I didn’t think I’d be staying long enough.”
“From what I can tell, it doesn’t look as though you’re leaving anytime soon.”
“That’s the problem,” she muttered, but she had to admit she felt slightly better now that she was clean.
He brought her fresh bikini underwear, a lacy bra, some jeans and a long-sleeved sweater. “This stuff okay?”
“Does it go with sandals?”
“How the hell should I know? Popular Mechanics doesn’t exactly cover that.”
She laughed, actually laughed, at the thought of Booker becoming any kind of fashion guru, and that gave her the strength to move again. Sitting up, she continued to clasp the towel around her. “I guess that outfit’s as good as any,” she said. “We’re only talking about a stud ranch.”
“Exactly.” He handed them to her. “If I leave, can I trust you to get dressed?”
“Yes.”
“If you don’t, I’ll take you to see Mike Hill just as you are now.”
She rolled her eyes. “I doubt he’ll care about seeing me naked any more than you did.”
Something flickered across Booker’s face, some expression Katie couldn’t have named if she tried. “Just hurry,” he said. “Your appointment’s in less than an hour, you still have to eat, and we’re going to stop off and buy you some boots.”
CHAPTER SIX
BOOKER FELT A GREAT DEAL of relief when Katie emerged from the kitchen. She’d taken her time getting dressed and eating, but at least she’d managed to get ready. Now, with the blue of her eyes more vivid than ever because of the paleness of her skin, she looked downright pretty in a fragile sort of way. Not that he wanted to notice.
“Did you have enough lunch?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Good.”
“This seems rather sudden,” she said as he guided her out of the house and across the driveway to where he’d parked his truck. “Is it—is it a formal interview?”
It was more like a favor from Rebecca and the Hill brothers, but Booker was afraid Katie would go right back to bed if he admitted that. Mike had said he’d be happy to help, and Rebecca had called later to say it was all arranged.
“I don’t think they’ll be too hard on you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he said. “They know you, know what you can do.”
“I cut hair,” she said pointedly.
He let her get in the truck without assistance but closed her door. “Don’t you know how to use a computer?” he asked as he slid behind the wheel.
She seemed to consider the question. “I’m pretty good on one,” she said a moment later.
“Then you can do computer work.”
“I’m savvy on the Internet. I can find what I want, pay my bills online and reconcile my checkbook, but I’m not very familiar with business-related programs.”
“You can learn.” He started the engine and pulled out of the driveway. “At least it’s a job.”
“Right. A job.”
They drove in silence for several minutes.
“But a job won’t solve everything,” she blurted when they turned onto the main highway. “At least not right away.”
Booker propped an arm over the steering wheel and refused to let himself glance at Katie. Whenever he looked at her, he remembered the way he’d wanted things to be and couldn’t believe how different they actually were. “What do you mean?”
“In order to get an apartment, I’m going to need first and last month’s rent and a security deposit,” she said, her voice full of worry. “And the baby comes in only four months.”