[B.S. #3] Claiming Laura by Dale Cadeau Page B

home. Not jump down his throat at his first show of concern.
    It was kind of nice having someone else worry about her. Clay was a man’s man. With his linebacker shoulders, bulging muscles, and colourful tattoos, he was just yummy. And here she had him wanting her and she threw it all away.
    Wiping her hand across the tears that had escaped, Laura knew if she was going to take a chance with anyone, he would be the one.
    Finally she made herself get up and went upstairs to get ready for Mr. Handover. He was a fussy client and it would keep her mind off Clay, if only for a few hours.
    Hours later, after Mr. Hanover had painstakingly showed her everything he had with him, Laura’s mind returned back to Clay.
    How could she get him to give her another chance without explaining her situation to him? It was too soon in their relationship to tell him her secrets. She hadn’t even told her friends and she had known them for years now.
    She trusted her instincts, but knew her hormones were also playing into this equation, so she had to take her time to really get to know him.
    The friend she knew that never seemed to have man trouble was Jane. Picking up the phone to call Jane, she heard the doorbell ring. Thinking it must be Mr. Hanover back with something he had forgotten to give her, she put the phone down and rushed to the door.
    At the door was a deliveryman with a package for her. Thinking nothing of it, she signed and watched the deliveryman leave in a delivery van. She also took note of a black truck parked two doors down from her house on the street.
    Looking at the package in her hands, she gently shook it. It struck her then, that from the wrapping on the package, it likely wasn’t from a client. Maybe it was something from Clay?
    Suddenly the package in her hand exploded. The heat surrounded her and her hands felt like they were on fire. Out of nowhere a man jumped her and took her to the ground, rolling her on the sidewalk. Laura struggled with the man as they rolled around the sidewalk of her house. Finally the man stopped rolling and sat up beside her and was patting her down with both of his hands. She batted at his arms until she hit his directly with one of her hands and the pain almost made her black out. Taking a deep breath, she finally heard the man beside her as he spoke.
    “Laura, stop. I’m just trying to put the fire out. I’m a friend of Clay’s.”
    Laura just lay still and absorbed the pain as she tried to listen to the man. Still holding onto her with one hand, he grabbed his cell and called 911 and told them what happened. Looking down at her, he asked if she would be OK for a minute. When she nodded, he hurried into her house and came back a minute later with some clean dish towels soaked in water.
    Taking the towels, he wrapped her hands in the wet cloths. Holding them on her hands he tried to explain to her again who he was. Laura by this time was in too much of a fog to understand him. The pain was pulling her down into darkness. Sirens were heard faintly in the distance and within minutes an EMS medic was beside her, unwrapping her hands and looking at them. She was sure he was saying something to her, asking her questions, but she passed out as she felt herself being lifted onto the gurney.
    The next thing that she became aware of was lying in a hospital bed. Clay was beside her, seated on a chair pulled close to her bed. She didn’t know why she was here, but she was happy that Clay was with her. Maybe she hadn’t blown her only chance with him.
    Smiling at him, she put one hand on the bed rail to try to raise herself, but the pain when her hand made contact had her gasping with tears coming to her eyes.
    Clay, with concern etched on his face, tried to stop her from rising. He hadn’t seen her wake, his mind was filled with “What ifs.”
    Licking her dry lips, she asked him in a low raspy voice, “What happened?”
    Clay, after he knew she was settled and not moving, picked up a