Her Lieutenant Protector. Lara Lacombe

      “I’ll get your chair,” Scott said. “We can have a light day.”

      “No,” Everest said. “Taking a break isn’t going to help me walk again. I can’t stay in this bed forever.”

      Scott nodded at him, a glint of respect in his eyes. “That’s the spirit, man. We’ll have you back on your feet in no time.”

      “You mean foot.”

      Scott arched a brow. “They don’t pay me enough to laugh at your bad jokes.”

      “I thought that one was pretty good,” Everest said.

      Scott shook his head. “You’ve got a long way to go before you’re funny.”

      Everest smiled at the memory of Scott’s words. The image of Leah faded back into the recesses of his mind as he focused fully on the present. It was funny he’d thought of her now, when his mind was so preoccupied by Mallory. The two women were nothing alike, physically speaking. Leah was petite and blonde, her hair always styled, her makeup always perfect. Mallory was tall and had a no-nonsense quality to her appearance he found appealing. Both were beautiful women, but he found himself drawn to Mallory.

      She was a study in contrasts, he mused as he headed back into the depths of the ship. Mallory’s looks made her seem very approachable, but she had a do-not-disturb manner about her that he was certain she used to keep people at arm’s length.

      “Why is that?” he murmured to himself. What had happened to the good doctor to leave her so skittish around people? She had a story, he was sure of it.

      And he wanted to hear it.