“How’s he looking?” Dallas asked as he slid onto the bench next to Elle.

She turned and smiled. “He looks strong, but then I wouldn’t even know if he didn’t.”

Dallas chuckled, and his gaze sought Merrick out. Merrick was talking to Dakota, his trainer, and Charlie and Cade in the corner of the ring.

Dallas was as common an observer at Merrick’s training sessions as Elle herself was. He’d drop in on his way to his clinic in the mornings, and when Merrick trained late, he’d stop in after his clinic closed. On the mornings that Merrick ran early, Dallas joined him for the multi-mile run.

Elle marveled at the strong network of support that Merrick enjoyed. The loyalty of the people around him amazed her. He was surrounded by people who supported him unconditionally and were dedicated to seeing him succeed.

“Looks like they’re wrapping up,” Dallas said. “I’m going to go make sure he’s feeling up to snuff, and then I’m going to head to the clinic. I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

He tousled her hair affectionately as he rose and then left her to converse with Merrick and the others. A moment later, Dallas left and then the men walked in her direction.

“I’m going to grab a shower and then head in to the office,” Merrick said.

His body glistened with sweat, and his hair was damp and clinging to his neck and shoulders.

“If you want to hang around, you can ride with me, or you can go now with Cade.”

Elle swallowed and glanced up at Cade. She hated having to make decisions. She was forever worried that she was a burden and that they would grow tired of babying her.

Cade sighed as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. Then he simply slid his hand up her back and turned her in the direction of the door.

“She’ll ride with me,” Cade said. “I’ll see you when you get in, Merrick.”

“Young lady, you look like you’re trying to solve global warming.”

She blinked and looked up to see Charlie standing in the doorway of the office staring at her in amusement. Then she smiled.

“Nothing so serious. Was just enjoying my cup of coffee.”

Charlie was a blunt, straightforward man who apologized to no one for speaking his mind. In the last few weeks, she’d grown to like him very much after a wary start. She’d been convinced that he was watching her and just waiting for her to do something wrong or to reveal she was a fraud taking advantage of the two men he considered his boys.

Instead he’d taken her under his wing and was every bit as protective of her as Cade and Merrick were. Between Cade and Merrick and Charlie and Dallas, she was surrounded by enough testosterone to float a battleship. Instead of annoying her, she found the shield they provided extremely comforting. They were her refuge.

Some of the best nights had been when Charlie and Dallas came over after Merrick’s training sessions and Charlie cooked up something for the five of them and they sat around watching television and bullshitting. It made her feel almost like she had a normal existence and that she fit here in this world. With these men.

“Merrick was going to be delayed a little while, so Cade asked me to run over to keep you company while he’s out on a job. Mind sharing some of that coffee?” Charlie asked.

She smiled. “Of course not. Help yourself. And he shouldn’t have called you over. I can stay by myself for a few hours while they get their work done. I feel terrible. I can’t even imagine how much they haven’t gotten done because they’ve been more concerned with me.”

Charlie went to the coffee maker, poured himself a cup of coffee and then settled behind Cade’s desk.

“They know what they’re doing,” he said. “Nothing for you to fret over. Been kind of nice having you around the office anyway. Won’t be the same if I stop in and you aren’t here. I think they like having you here too.”

“I just feel useless,” she said with a grimace. “There has to be something I can do around here to help out. Paperwork. Phones. Something!”

Charlie rubbed his chin a minute and then pursed his lips. “You know, you’re right. No reason you couldn’t file, answer phone calls. Make calls to set up appointments. I don’t know why they haven’t thought of it. You have to be bored out of your mind.”

She laughed. “They’re too worried about overtaxing me. But I’d like to help. They’ve done so much for me. I’d like to return the favor.”

“I think it’s a great idea. In fact, if you want to come pull up a chair, I’ll show you their filing system, such as it is. Between you and me, it sucks ass. If you have any organizational skills, you could have this office running like a dream in no time at all. I’d be happy to turn it over to you and run interference with the guys.”

She rose eagerly, the thought of having something to do making her hands itch in anticipation. She put her coffee down on the desk and then dragged Merrick’s chair over to Cade’s desk so she could see what Charlie was doing with the paperwork.

“Most important are accounts receivable. We need a way to streamline the payment process. Make sure we stay on top of what is owed to us and that we’re being paid in a timely manner and paid correctly. We also need to invoice as soon as a job is done. Sometimes those two knuckleheads don’t send out a bill for weeks, and by then, the recipient has forgotten what the hell he’s being billed for. They’re also bad about updating the ledgers and making sure their bank deposits and statements and activity match up with what their entries are.”

He turned to her, studying her intently. “Think you’re up for all of that?”

She nodded vigorously, eager to get started.

He smiled. “Okay then. I’ll go through the first few invoices so you’ll know what you’re dealing with. I’ll show you how we mark it down in the ledger and then give you the bank log-ins so you’ll know what’s already been paid and what needs to be followed up on. If the phone rings, just wing it. No better way to learn than to dive in and pretend like you’re the queen bee of the office. Before long, you’ll have everyone saying yes ma’am and tiptoeing around you.”

She grinned. “Thanks, Charlie. I really appreciate this. You’ve all been so kind to me.”

He reached over and patted her hand. “We all need help getting back on our feet from time to time. You’ve bounced back amazingly well, and I know you’ll continue to get stronger.”

For the rest of the afternoon, Elle worked tirelessly on creating a filing system that actually made sense. She organized invoices, work orders and pending contracts, as well as a pile that needed to be followed up on.

She even managed to bullshit her way through several phone calls and was proud of the fact that she actually sounded like she knew what the hell she was talking about.

By the time Cade and Merrick walked into the office, Cade’s desk was neat and tidy, and she could see the top in several places.

Cade and Merrick both stared at her with narrowed eyes, and then Merrick frowned.

“What the hell have you been doing? We don’t expect you to come in and work your ass off all day.”

She smiled. “I have singlehandedly made your lives easier. I’ve organized everything. Every single piece of paper, your contracts, invoices, checks, follow-ups. It’s all filed in folders marked accordingly, and I set up an electronic calendar with reminders that will pop up on your cell phones as well as your email and your desktop computers.”