The other woman nodded. "When you're sitting still, on a scale of one to ten, one being the least amount of pain, how is it?"

"Four," Liza said.

"And if you move?"

"Eight."

Dr. Collins nodded. "The good news is the tests showed there's nothing life-threatening to worry about. The bad news is it's a mild concussion. I can prescribe some painkillers and send you home, but you'll either be in too much pain to walk around and take care of yourself or too woozy from the meds. Do you have someone who can help you out?"

No, Liza was alone. Always had been. "I'm sure I'll be okay. I'm pretty low maintenance."

The pretty doctor cocked a skeptical eyebrow. "Let's see you get up and walk yourself to the bathroom before I discharge you." The doctor braced her hands on her hips, not offering her help to rise.

Knowing she didn't have handrails on her bed at home, Liza tried to push herself into a sitting position first. The pain blasted through her head and she ended up flat on her back, staring at the ceiling waiting for the agony to subside.

"Do you have family I can call?" the doctor asked more gently.

"Not local."

"Friends?" the doctor persisted.

Rachel and Tawny, her college friends, were in Manhattan. If she called, they'd come in a heartbeat to help her, but Liza hated asking them to disrupt their lives for her.

"She has me."

Alexa turned to stare at Dare.

Liza hated feeling helpless and at anyone's mercy. And she refused to meet Dare's gaze as she automatically argued with his offer. "I'm sure you have more important things to do," she told him.

"Actually, I don't." He eased his hands into his jeans' pockets, looking all too sexy and sure of himself. "I'm off the whole weekend."

"All right, then." Alexa turned back to Liza, a grin on her face. "Since you're in good hands, I can release you."

Liza didn't fight this time. She couldn't. She obviously needed help, he was offering it, and she ought to be a lot more grateful. She just didn't understand why he was being so sweet to her. Before their kiss, they'd barely tolerated one another.

They weren't friends.

They didn't have a relationship. Liza didn't do relationships. Her first and only serious pick of a man had been so far off base, she wasn't willing to try again. Besides, even those closest to her, like Brian and her parents, consistently hurt her. Why add anyone else to her almost nonexistent inner circle?

So what did Dare see that made him want to help her? Why didn't he view today as a prime example of an I told you so situation where her brother was concerned? She didn't know, but apparently she'd have the weekend to find out.

"I'll go write up the prescriptions and your release papers. A nurse will be back in to go over everything with you," the doctor said.

"Thanks, Alexa," Dare said.

"It's my job." She smiled at him. "But if you need anything later on, don't bother with my service. Just call me at home. You have my number."

And that had nothing to do with her job, Liza thought.

"Will do." Dare waited until the doctor disappeared behind the drawn curtain and turned to Liza.

Walking over, he lowered the side rail and settled onto the mattress beside her. "How are you doing?" he asked, his voice gruff.

That tone triggered memories of his reaction in the minutes after Brian nailed her and she'd fallen to the ground.

"You called me baby,'" she said, remembering. "After I got hit, I mean." She knew it was an inane comment, but she couldn't believe it then or now.

"Yeah, I guess I did." Dare paused. "Does that bother you?"

No, actually she'd liked the familiarity. "It's just that baby implies we have a connection or something."

Then again so did his stepping up and offering to take care of her.

"Are you saying we don't?" he asked.

He lifted her hand, threading his fingers through hers. Heat exploded across her skin, making his question purely rhetorical.

"Come on. Let me help get you home. Right now you need to sleep a hell of a lot more than you need to analyze us."

She couldn't argue with that point either. So she exhaled and placed her hand inside of his.

Liza gave Dare the address to her house right before leaning her head back and falling asleep, leaving him with nothing but time to think about Liza and the puzzle she presented him with. He might not know her well, but there were two things he'd figured out about her already. Intimacy scared her and she didn't like needing anybody for anything.

A challenge.

He liked that in a woman.

Too many females in his past were too easy and tended to fall into one of three categories: they liked being with a cop, they liked being in a relationship, or they liked easy sex. And though Dare enjoyed sex as much as the next guy, he was tired of coming home alone to the small apartment he called home. Not that he'd admit as much to his brothers or their nosy wives.

Living over Joe's was better than living with either of his brothers, but Dare was coming to realize he wanted more out of his life. He wasn't sure what jarred these feelings loose. Maybe Ethan and Nash's settling down had Dare more antsy. Or maybe it was the simple fact of living in a one-bedroom above a bar that left him feeling so unsettled.

He pulled into the small driveway of Liza's home. With her asleep, he took in the small house, an off-white clapboard with black shutters and white trim. The grass had been recently mowed, the shrubbery was obviously new, and she clearly loved flowers. Pink, white, and red impatiens blossomed around the foundation of the house. Dare wasn't a gardener, but he had spent a day under duress with Ethan, Faith, and Tess, choosing new flowers for their backyard. Tess said she wouldn't go unless Dare did and she'd turned those pleading eyes on him, begging him to come along. So he recognized impatiens when he saw them.

He cut the engine and walked around to Liza's side of the car. She predictably balked at him carrying her and Dare had dealt with enough women to know when to give in and when to fight the good fight. He was here and that's what mattered. He plucked her keys from her hand and helped her walk to the front door.

She disabled her alarm, which he was glad to see she used, and they stepped inside. She'd already begun to sag against him.

"Which way to the bedroom?" he asked.

"Up the stairs and to the left." Because the house was a small split-level, there were no more than four steps up.

"Ready?" he asked when they reached the banister.

"Yep." She took one step, then another, her smaller body leaning heavily against his.

She trusted him. Either that or she'd given into her body's inability to handle any more today. She curled into him, her soft curves and warm flesh tempting him beyond reason, which made him all sorts of a jerk considering the pain she was in. Still, it wasn't easy walking her into her bedroom. A feminine scent immediately surrounded him. He gritted his teeth and eased her over to the bed and gently lowered her to the mattress. No sooner had she sat down than she immediately let herself crash into the fluffy decorative pillows set up against the headboard.

What now?

Stepping back, he glanced around him. Her personal space surprised him. She hadn't chosen the more ruffled feminine type of furnishings nor had she gone for heavy floral. Instead, the bedding was a light taupe and cream with an occasional lavender accent. Very unique. Very Liza, he decided, and smiled, the thought bringing his focus back to where she lay among the pillows. Her short skirt had hiked up her legs, revealing an expanse of thigh along with a teasing glimpse of pink lace underwear.

Dare stifled a groan. "Do you want to change into something more comfortable?" he asked. Something he could look at and not get hard would be preferable.

"Can't move." She burrowed farther into the pillows.

An afghan blanket was folded at the end of the bed. He opened it up and covered her bare skin. "This way you won't be cold," he said.

She didn't answer. She'd already passed out.

"Great." He stood by the bed for a few more minutes watching her sleep, wanting to be certain she was breathing easily and not in too much pain.

Her breathing came deep and even now, so he walked out, leaving her door open so he'd hear her if she woke up.

He wasn't sure what to do with himself, so he headed for the kitchen to see if he could find something to eat. The kitchen was bright, the sunlight pouring in from windows on all sides. Unfortunately, the refrigerator was nearly empty inside except for a container of soy milk, some yogurt, and three boxes of Oreos.

He counted again. Yep, three boxes of Oreos. A woman after his own heart.

His cell phone rang and before he could analyze that thought further, he answered it. "Barron."

"It's Nash," his brother said. "I heard there was some excitement over at the fair."

"You wouldn't believe it," Dare muttered. He glanced around but was already sure from the silence that Liza was still upstairs. "The asshole hit his sister in the head with his fist and the ball."

"How'd she make out at the hospital?" Nash asked.

Dare explained the situation and the fact that he was at Liza's house now. "Want company?" Nash asked.

"Not so sure that's a good idea," Dare said, uncomfortable having guests over while Liza was passed out. Especially since he was barely an invited guest himself.

Dare heard Kelly in the background and then Nash spoke again. "Kelly said to ask you if you're capable of making Liza something to eat when she wakes up."

Dare rolled his eyes. But the truth was even if Liza had had food, Dare wasn't much of a cook. "Her fridge is pretty empty."

"Then help's on the way," Kelly said, obviously having grabbed the phone from her husband. "And don't worry. If she wakes up and it seems like you can have time alone with her, we're gone."

Before Dare could respond, Kelly hung up. And despite his reservations, Dare had to admit he was grateful to have family to help out.

Unlike Liza.

He shook his head, bothered more than he should be by the fact that she was injured and nobody close to her knew. Didn't anyone care? Her parents? Friends?

Alone and lonely were two different things, and Dare couldn't help wondering if Liza was both. Regardless of who did or didn't line up for her, Dare knew enough to realize the first thing she'd ask him once she woke up was about her brother. With that in mind, Dare called Sam to find out the status on Brian, who, as expected, had been driven home and left there to sober up.

The memory of the man hitting his sister was as fresh in Dare's mind as the party Brian had thrown back in high school. His parents had been away and there was a mix of kids from both private and public schools. Brian had gotten into an argument with Stuart Rossman and punched him. Already intoxicated, Stuart had gone down hard and cracked his head on the pavement. The kids who'd witnessed the event, Dare included, had either run or helped Brian cover up the reality of what happened. Dare still hated himself for leaving and not calling 911. Simmering anger at Brian lived in Dare. Liza deserved so much more than she received in the way of family, he thought in disgust.

Not wanting to think anymore, Dare wandered from the kitchen to the den and settled into Liza's comfortable couch, remote in hand. Then he turned on the television, finding a Mets baseball game to watch while he waited for Nash and Kelly to arrive or for Liza to wake up, whichever happened first.

Six.

Liza woke up surrounded by her throw pillows, her neck at an awkward angle. Her head pounded and her mouth felt bone dry. She didn't have to wonder why either. The scene at the fair came back to her in vivid detail and she let out a groan.

How would she ever show her face in town again? And what was she going to do about her brother? Knowing she couldn't think clearly about anything right now, she decided there were more important things she needed to do.

Like determine how she was feeling. She pushed herself to a sitting position, not an easy maneuver. Her head hurt as badly now as it had after Brian had hit her. While she waited to get her equilibrium, she noticed water on her nightstand. She reached for it, succeeding only in knocking over the tall glass.

Tears of frustration filled her eyes and she lay back against the pillows.

"Liza?"

Dare's voice startled her through the pain. Though she remembered being hit, until now she'd forgotten he'd taken her home.

And she definitely hadn't remembered he'd be staying.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sounding closer.

"No." Embarrassment meant nothing to her at the moment and she answered him honestly.

"That's probably because the meds have worn off. You slept for almost four hours. Is the pain bad?" he asked.

"Yes." One-word answers were the most she could manage.

"Okay, first things first. Let me clean up this water and then I'll bring you something to eat. Your last painkiller was a shot and Alexa said it's not a good idea to take the pills on an empty stomach."

She heard the sounds of him getting a towel from her bathroom and cleaning the nightstand beside her. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay."

Some time later, his weight dipped the bed as he sat down beside her. "I wasn't sure what your stomach could handle as far as food," he said.

She forced her eyes open and found him looking down at her, concern in those gorgeous brown eyes. "Hey," he said, smiling at her.

"Hi."

"So...food. I made you some toast and jelly. That always works on an upset stomach and Alexa said you might be nauseous from the concussion. I also brought you some soda. Coke or ginger ale?" he asked, pointing to two separate cans on her nightstand.

"This is so embarrassing," she finally said, completely unused to anyone being there for her. "And you're a prince to do this for me."

He glanced away, obviously embarrassed. At least she wasn't the only one unsettled by this situation.

"Come on," he said, ignoring the compliment. "Let's get you into a sitting position."