The Lionhearted Cowboy Returns by Patricia Thayer Page A

about his neck and she kissed his cheek. “Goodnight, Jeff.” Her warm breath brushed his face, making him realize all that he had missed being a soldier. “Happy dreams. That’s what my daddy used to say.”
    “’Night, sweetie. Happy dreams to you, too.”
    “I’ll be in your room in a bit, Emily,” Lacey said to her daughter. “So get into bed.”
    She put the tray on the desk and went to straighten the blanket over Jeff. He hated her fussing, even though he knew it was ungrateful of him. “You don’t have to do this, Lacey.”
    “I only brought you supper.”
    He sighed. “Go to your daughter.”
    Those green eyes met his as she leaned in close. “Do you need anything before I go?”
    He could think of a million things he wanted from her. He shook his head. “I’ll probably sleep,” he lied.
    She glanced down at his jeans. “You should take off your pants, you’d be more comfortable.”
    Yeah, that would do the trick. “I’m fine, Lacey. Now, go.”
    “Okay, Mr. Tough Guy.” She brought the food tray to the bed, tossed him a grin, then walked out. When the door closed, he released a long breath. He wasn’t going to survive this. He popped a pill into his mouth and took a hearty drink of water, hoping he’d be able to sleep. More importantly, that he wouldn’t dream of Lacey.
     
    Hours later, Lacey jerked awake and sat up in bed. She’d heard a noise. In the pitch-blackness, she pulled back the sheet and got up. Since Trevor’s death, she’d left her bedroom door open, wanting to be able to hear the kids if they needed her.
    She checked their rooms, but both Colin and Emily were sound asleep. She glanced at the door at the end of the hall. No, she wasn’t about to disturb him. Before she was able to turn to go back to her bed she heard the sound again. It was coming from Jeff’s room.
    Without hesitation she opened the door, allowing the hall light to illuminate the bed where he was thrashing around in the tangled sheets. He cried out again. She went to his side and called his name. She gripped his arm and immediately felt the sweat. “Jeff, wake up.”
    He tried to push her away. “No, don’t.” His expression was a grimace.
    “Jeff, you’re dreaming. Wake up,” she called, but finished with a gasp as he grabbed her and pinned her down on the mattress.
    He leaned over her, breathing hard. In the shadowy darkness, he looked disorientated as he tried to focus. “Lace? Oh, God. What happened?”
    Too aware of his body on hers, she was suddenly breathless. “You cried out. I thought you were in pain.”
    “You have no idea.”
    She shivered. “Are you okay, can I get you anything?”
    “Many things,” he told her. “But I don’t think you want to hear what they are.” He finally rolled off her and dropped back onto the pillow. “Go back to bed, Lace. I’m not in the mood to talk.”
    She missed the feel of him. What was wrong with her,that she couldn’t resist this man? “Were you having a nightmare?”
    Although she wasn’t touching him, she felt him tense and sat up. “Was it about the accident?”
    “First of all,” he began, “it wasn’t an accident. It was the enemy’s job to kill me. Just like it was mine to do everything possible to get them first.” There was a long pause. “I lost.”
    “That’s not true. I hear you saved the lives of several men.”
    “So my uncle has been doing some talking. I was in the army, Lacey, I was doing my job. What I’d been trained to do.”
    “Don’t you dare make it sound like it was nothing, Jeff Gentry.” She felt as though she was on a soapbox. “You went in under heavy fire to get those men out of harm’s way.”
    His head snapped around to her. “In the end, they had to carry me out.”
    “And you all made it out alive. You have to look at the positive, Jeff. You came home alive. You may have lost part of your leg, but for those of us who care about you, what’s important is that you’re still around.” She