The McClane Apocalypse Book Three (4 page)

His words discompose her in front of
John.

"Um… Grandpa, you should go to bed now," she
says in a fluster of hot cheeks. "I'll keep watch and send for you
if I need you. I think we're just waiting for these two to show any
signs for the better and from what that idiot just said, I don't
think we can expect much. I'll start the new series of meds on the
woman and see if I get anywhere with it." Grandpa nods in
accord.

When her grandfather retreats to the house,
Reagan turns to John.

"Thanks for sticking up for my grandfather,"
she says and looks him directly in the eye.

"I'm not letting anyone talk like that to
any person on this farm. And your grandfather is too old to defend
himself against a jerk like that," he explains and taps the tip of
her nose.

Reagan studies him a moment, studies his
blue eyes with keen interest. His gaze can change from cold and
heartless to warm with desire and compassion like when he looks at
her, like the way he is looking at her again. She blinks hard, and
her mouth opens just slightly. Luckily, her recovery is just as
fast.

"Yeah, if you guys weren't here, we'd kind
of be screwed. I mean I could've shot most of them, but then Grams
would've got pissed at me," she jokes and John smiles broadly at
her. She hates it when he does this. It makes butterflies in her
stomach.

"So you're glad I'm here, huh?" he queries
and raises his eyebrows at her.

"Wanna' kiss?" she taunts because she knows
that he is already freaked out about her mouth to mouth
resuscitation of Garrett.

"Believe it or not, boss, I'd take that kiss
about now," John teases in return and raises one eyebrow jauntily
at her.

Damn! That had backfired on her.

"How about, instead, you can come in and
help me with these patients?" she asks, working another angle and
raises one eyebrow in return. "Might catch a case of the plague or
whatever shit they've got."

"Nice," he says dryly and frowns down at
her.

That's another thing she hates about him. He
can tower over her.

"Suit yourself," she says and pivots to go
back into the med shed.

"Thanks, boss, but I'll wait right here," he
answers and resumes his post.

Reagan answers with a short chuckle at his
state of discomfort and germ-a-phobia.

She's not quite sure why he is standing
guard outside the shed because this is not how the watch rotations
are supposed to go. He should be going about his chores while Cory
watches the shed from the porch. Perhaps the run-in with Frank has
left him unsettled. It has left her more than unsettled and the
memories of her night at the university threaten to creep up on
her. She just needs to stay busy. It is the key to blocking out all
unwanted memories, including the one of her and John kissing in her
closet.

It's not quite six a.m. when Kelly gets
downstairs to his bedroom where he can stow away his night vision
gear and his jacket, neither of which will help him make hay or
clean out the loafing pads in the cow barn as the sun gets higher.
After he uses the bathroom attached to his bedroom, Kelly comes out
and startles.

"Hannah!" he exclaims quietly so as not to
awaken the children also on the lower level down the hall from him.
"You scared the crap outta' me, baby."

She blushes, walks closer to him and reaches
out.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to knock and
awaken everyone."

"What's wrong? Why are you up? You don't
have to get up this early," he tells her with concern. She needs to
rest. The last few weeks have been stressful, and she's been
working her butt off finishing the canning with the women and
taking care of the big house and also helping out with the kids. It
is all too much for someone as delicate as Hannah. She shouldn't be
working so hard.

Her hair is tousled slightly from sleep, and
she wears a long, lightweight robe of the palest pink over a
predictably white nightgown.

"I'm fine. I just thought I heard arguing
outside my window that woke me and I got concerned."

"Oh, that. Yeah, that kid—the sick one—his
dad came over to the shed and was being an ass, stirring up trouble
and being insulting. It's all under control now, though," Kelly
reassures her as he takes her frail hands into his own in front of
him and then kisses them both. She has no idea how alluring she
looks right now. He drops another kiss to her smooth forehead.

"That's so terrible. Perhaps he is just
feeling very anxious with his child being so ill. Then again that
kind of behavior isn't going to help anything, either," she tells
him.

"Derek's taking some of them to get water at
the barn. I don't know how much they have for rations, but they're
out of water already," he informs her.

She frowns and adds, "Oh my. Do you think
they have enough food?"

"Hannah, I don't know, but don't go
spreading good will to them yet. We don't know anything about them,
honey. They could be a threat for all we know. They had guns," he
warns while trying to read her facial expressions.

She frustratingly answers in a way that
upsets Kelly.

"We can't just turn our backs on people,
Kelly. They have children with them. What do you suggest? Letting
them starve to death?"

"No, but those decisions have to be made as
a group. Your grandfather will have the final say on how we handle
those people. Besides, that sickness out there could've spread to
the others and they just aren't showing symptoms yet. You could get
sick from them, Hannah."

"I've been praying for the sick boy and
woman to get better," she tells him.

He doesn't tell her that the man, Frank,
didn't go in to see his kid. This would be too much for someone as
tender as Hannah.

"I know you have, Hannah, but they might not
pull through. The vibe I got from Reagan and your grandpa wasn't
too good," he tells her gently and pushes her hair away from her
forehead.

"I feel so bad for Reagan and Grandpa. It's
such a burden of responsibility for them to have to deal with this.
Reagan especially is so critical of herself anyways. She didn't
take the death of Mr. Reynolds very well at all and totally blamed
herself for it," she confesses softly.

She is always concerned about someone other
than herself, even their neighbors, the Reynolds.

"Don't worry about them, honey. They're both
doctors. This is what they do. Reagan told me that she's done work
at hospitals and E.R.'s, so she'll be fine. I just want
you
to take care of yourself and keep away from those people, ok? And
keep away from the sick ones for sure," Kelly orders.

Her funny little frown almost makes him
smile. The only reason he doesn't is because he believes that she
is being impertinent.

"I'm fine, Kelly Alexander. You don't need
to worry about me. I'll be just fine."

"I mean it, Hannah. Stay away from them. I
don't trust them, especially those men out there. Some of them are
kind of… shifty," he tries to explain without terrifying her.

"Ok, Kelly, I'll stay away from them, not
just because of the sickness. Even though, I must say, it seems
like they could use our help. I will listen and stay away, but only
because you asked so nicely," she mocks with a smug grin.

He's just about to pull her to him for a
stolen kiss when something dawns on him. "Hey, where's the
grandparents? I don't think you should be in here. We don't want
everyone to know about us yet."

"I heard Grandpa go to bed right before I
came down here. And Grams isn't up yet. She's been sleeping later
than usual. I think this is just all too much for her," Hannah
frets.

"Grams is tough, Hannah. She's a lot like
you. You're tougher than you look," he explains and tugs her closer
so that he can wrap an arm around her slim waist.

"Yeah? You think I'm tough?" she asks with a
certain amount of orneriness. "Maybe I can even take
you
on
if I'm so tough!"

Kelly chuckles and plunks a kiss to her
mouth, startling her.

"You better get a whole lot tougher, little
woman. Besides, I don't want you to be too tough. I like taking
care of you."

"I kind of like it, too," she tells him with
a crooked grin.

This is something new for both of them. It's
very new to Kelly. He's never had to look out for anyone in his
life except for himself and now here he is with two siblings and
Hannah to watch out for. Actually he and probably the other men on
the farm pretty much feel responsible for every last member of the
family's safety. He doesn't mind it, though. He'd much prefer
taking care of Hannah than to have someone else do it. Kelly also
doesn't feel that anyone else can do the job as well as he can. His
fierce determination to keep her safe is what gets him up in the
morning. He's also willing to do whatever it takes to keep her that
way.

"Oh yeah?" he teases.

"I like some other things you do, too," she
hints.

His woman perches on tiptoe and kisses the
bottom of his bearded chin. Kelly has to suppress a groan of
desire. This is also new for him. This wanting, longing for another
person that is so all-consuming is like nothing he's ever dealt
with before he met her. He's never felt anything like this for
another person.

"Hannah, I need to get outside and help John
with some chores so Derek can go to bed," he informs her, though
he'd like nothing better than to do things to her, lots of things.
Since he made love to her last week it's been all he's been able to
think about. Plus she surprises him sometimes with how sensual she
can be and how she sometimes makes highly erotic, highly sexual and
inappropriate comments. When no one is listening, of course. Her
right hand slips from his and trails down the front of him right to
his crotch. Kelly snatches it back.

"I miss you, Kelly," she purrs and nuzzles
her nose into his chest through his thin t-shirt.

"I miss you, too, baby," he declares. "But I
gotta go out and work with John. I'll see you later today, though."
She pouts so prettily that he almost gives in.

"Fine!" she says testily. "At least give me
a kiss to think about you while you're being too busy for me!"

She's also quite the conniver when she wants
to be. Kelly laughs heartily, snatches her into his arms, lifting
her off the ground and plants a searing kiss to her mouth. He
explores her at his leisure, taking his time, leaving them both
short of breath and dazed and wanting more. When he finally sets
her to the ground again, Hannah is clinging to him like he knew she
would be, and he is fully aroused which he also knew he would be
because of the way she has always ignited this fire within him.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay just a
short while?" she whispers against his mouth.

"You do drive a very convincing bargain,
ma'am," he teases and kisses her mouth, only at the corner this
time lest he won't be able to leave her.

"I know. I know. You need to help John. Will
you miss me?" she asks with a lovely smile.

Her smile takes his breath away every
time.

Kelly places both of his hands on either
side of her face and pulls her forehead to forehead with him. Of
course, he's stooping quite a bit. "You have no idea how much I'll
miss you."

Hannah sighs softly, tips her head sideways
and presses a kiss to his palm. "I know."

Sometimes Hannah says things like this, but
he knows she doesn't mean it to be arrogant. She's just so honest
with her feelings and thoughts that she doesn't hold back what she
needs to say.

"I love you," Kelly tells her so easily.
It's always easy being around her, and the love he feels for her is
also easy. It's just not the right time to deal with any of it.

"And I love you, Kelly," she confesses.

Her candor makes him smile down at her.

"Come," he commands. "I'll take you back
upstairs."

Hannah nods and they leave his room
together, going down the long hall. The door to the children's room
opens and Em stumbles sleepily into the hallway.

"Good morning, Miss Emma," Hannah says to
her quietly.

How the hell she knows it was Em and not
Justin or Ari, he'll never know.

"Hi, Hannah," his kid sister returns. "Good
morning, Kelly. What are you guys doing? Why are you down here,
Hannah?" she asks on a wide, confused yawn.

"Um, we were just…" he tries at something
but comes up with nothing.

"We are going up to start breakfast, or at
least I am. Wanna' help?" Hannah jumps in to cover.

She's a sly little fox when the situation
calls for it. She'd certainly managed to manipulate him into making
love to her even though that wasn't his plan. His plan was to leave
the farm that next day, but having made love with her, Kelly knew
he couldn't leave her after that. Now she is just another
responsibility that he'll bear. Not that he minds this extra duty.
He's been in love with Hannah McClane from that first day he'd come
to the farm. And he can't imagine leaving the responsibility of her
well-being to anyone else.

Hannah doesn't unloop her hand from his arm,
but she frequently walks around like this with different people on
the farm so that she doesn't have to use her cane. It is not
behavior that would alert anyone to their new, closer relationship
since she relies on people to help her since she's blind. It had
been difficult to get used to when he'd first come to the farm.
Hannah, being Hannah, would simply latch on to whomever she was
closest to and start walking. She doesn't have much of a sense of
respecting people's personal space. But it just ended up being one
more thing about her that makes her the unique woman that he's come
to love so deeply. She'd even done this once outside with John
which had made Kelly mad with jealousy. However, he knows that his
friend's heart belongs elsewhere on this farm and that he only
looks at Hannah like a sister.