*
The squeak of shoes on a tile floor pulled Roman out of his deep sleep toward being awake. Or was he dreaming about being at the hospital? Because the sound should not be something he’d hear in his house unless he was dreaming about work. When the sound was accompanied by the feeling of not being alone, he jerked awake. It wasn’t the familiar view of his bedroom that greeted him, however. Rather, it was the unmistakable sight of medical facility walls…and the barely contained laughter of one Marty Daniels.
“Didn’t expect to find you sacked out in here,” Marty said, a grin spreading across his face.
Everything came flooding back as sleep gradually receded from Roman’s brain. He looked over to see that Anna was still asleep. Instead of worried or nervous, the two emotions he saw most in her expressions, she was relaxed and peaceful. Despite the unexpected audience, Roman couldn’t help smiling. But then he shifted his gaze to Marty and motioned with his head for the younger man to step out into the hall. As quietly as he could, Roman lowered the footrest on the recliner and followed. He resisted the desire to look back at Anna again as he exited her room.
“What are you doing here so early?”
Marty grinned again. “I could ask you the same thing, but it seems like you were here all night.”
“We were talking and I must have fallen asleep.”
“Obviously.”
Marty was loving this, and Roman had no doubt that word of his unconventional sleeping arrangements would be all over Logan Springs by nightfall. No sense fighting it. Doing so would just add fuel to the fire of gossip. Best to stick with the truth—at least the truth that was visible and not the confusing feelings that always got stirred up when he was around Anna.
He still didn’t understand how he could suddenly start seeing someone he’d known for years in a different light. Maybe it was just his crazy schedule and proximity combining to create feelings that weren’t real. Chances were when Anna went home, things would go back to normal.
But it had been nice to watch a movie with someone else last night. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done that.
Stop thinking about that, especially with Marty staring at you.
“So, back to my question.”
“Paige asked me to bring some stuff to Anna since I had to come up here to do a delivery for Lottie.”
Lottie was the owner of the Second Time Around thrift store in Logan Springs and Marty’s boss.
“So where’s the stuff?” Roman gestured at Marty’s empty hands.
Marty nodded toward Anna’s door. “In there.”
Just how long had Marty been standing in there snickering?
Roman rubbed a hand over his face. “Since you’re here, I’m headed home.”
“You don’t want to say goodbye to your date?”
“She’s not my date. She’s a patient.”
“You spend the night with all your patients?”
Roman shook his head in frustration, not even trying to explain that Anna wasn’t his patient. “You’ve been spending too much time around Lottie.”
Marty just laughed at him as Roman headed toward the exit.
Even after he arrived home, he couldn’t stop thinking about how peaceful Anna had looked while sleeping. He wished she could be that free of worry when she was awake.
He sank down on the edge of his bed to take off his shoes, but instead he just sat there pondering why he felt so drawn to spend time with Anna. Was it simply that he’d felt how very alone she was and wanted to fill the loneliness like his mother had for him? Did he want to honor his mother’s memory by showing extra kindness toward someone who needed it? But neither of those possibilities explained the unexpected bursts of attraction toward Anna. Could he explain that away as well or was it real? And if the latter, what was he supposed to do about it? Should he do anything?
Maybe what he’d said to Anna the night before—that they were friends—should be the extent of it. That seemed like a safer bet, one that didn’t risk stepping across a line she hadn’t invited him to.
He got to his feet and headed for the shower. Hopefully a few hours of working at the free clinic would refocus his thoughts on the needs of others instead of the flicker of need that threatened to grow inside of him. A need that had lain dormant until a kind librarian had somehow caused it to awaken.
Awaken and demand to be satisfied.
Chapter Seven
Anna woke to find a man kicked back in the recliner next to her bed, but it wasn’t the one who’d been there the night before. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, which drew Marty’s attention.
“Look who decided to wake up,” he said as he put down a book he was reading.
“What are you doing here?”
“Expecting someone else?” He grinned in that mischievous way he had, which told her he’d no doubt seen Roman.
So the previous night hadn’t been a dream.
She tried to hide the fact she wasn’t answering his question by lifting the head of her bed so she could sit up. In the process she spotted a canvas tote bag on the counter next to the sink.
“What’s that?”
Marty stood and crossed the room. “Delivery from Paige.” He pulled out a stack of five books.
“Just how long does she think I’m going to be here?”
“I guess she thought you’d have a lot of down time and would need something to fill it. But she didn’t count on you having overnight guests.”
“Roman came by to see how I was doing and fell asleep.”
“I hear he’s been checking on you a lot.”
She sighed. “Some people call that being kind. Doctors care about people.”
“Some more than others.”
“I think you’ve been hanging around Lottie too much.” Lottie was a sweet, friendly person, but she definitely had the gift of gab.
“Funny, that’s what Roman said.”
Oh, Lord, had Marty teased Roman the same way he was her? The wreck hadn’t killed her, but she was afraid the embarrassment might. Like Roman said the night before, they were just friends, and honestly new ones at that. She worried that Marty thinking otherwise might actually drive Roman away, kill the budding friendship before it really got started. Just the thought made it feel as if a hole was being carved out of her middle.
And that told her more than anything that she was letting her feelings about Roman grow too much. Definitely time to tap the brakes. Friends did not think about what it would feel like to kiss one another. They didn’t imagine curling up next to each other in that recliner and soaking up the other person’s warmth, their scent.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing toward a small box he’d pulled from the bag.
“A new phone. Paige, with some help from the sheriff’s department, got your carrier to replace the phone you lost in the wreck. And Paige sweet-talked them into giving you the replacement for free.”
Anna took the box and lifted the lid. Inside was not only a replacement but an upgraded phone. Once again, connection to the outside world. “If she were here, I’d kiss her.”
Marty pointed toward his cheek. “You can kiss me instead.”
Anna smiled. Marty sure had come out of his shell since befriending Melody Redmond and starting to work for Lottie at her antique and junk store. She still remembered the first time he’d stepped into the library, looking as lost as if he’d just stepped into a maze. He’d been convinced he wasn’t a reader, but over time Anna had helped him to find stories that he actually enjoyed, books such as Ready Player One and Starship Troopers. They tapped into his love of gaming and the types of stories that played out in a lot of video games. It had given her a great deal of professional satisfaction to pair up a nonreader like Marty with books he’d enjoy. It always did.
As a compromise, she blew Marty a kiss.
“Okay, not what I had in mind. But maybe you’re saving your kisses for someone else.”
“You are incorrigible.�
��
“Yeah, I’m not sure what that means, but sounds about right. Well, some of us have to get to work, so I’ll see ya later.”
“Thanks for bringing all this. It was nice to see you.”
He nodded and headed for the door. Right as he was about to step out, he stopped and turned back toward her, looking more serious. “I’m glad you woke up.”
Gone was the teasing young man only a few years younger than her. In his place was a different Marty who looked as if he might have genuinely worried about her. It was such a surprise that a lump formed in her throat.
“Thank you.”
With a final nod he was gone, leaving her alone once more.
She didn’t know how many minutes passed as she sat with her eyes closed, allowing herself to fantasize about Roman for a bit longer before she told herself that had to be the end of such thoughts. If others were thinking more was between her and Roman than there actually was, it was time to disabuse them of that notion. And that meant getting better so she could get back to her Roman-McQueen-free life.
So she filled every minute of the rest of the day with all things non-Roman, including her first walk outside to get some fresh air. Chatting about books with a couple of the other patients. Reading the entirety of one of the five books Marty had delivered that morning. It wasn’t until night fell and she was flipping through channels on the TV that she started watching the doorway, wondering if Roman would come by. But even her best friend didn’t show up every day. She had jobs to work, a life to lead outside these walls. So did Roman.
So did Anna. She just had to get back to it.
She’d just clicked off the TV in favor of starting another book when movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention to the open doorway. Her pulse leaped at the sight of Roman despite all the ways she’d tried to forget about him, to shove all the romantic thoughts from her mind.
“Nothing good on tonight?” he asked with a nod to the TV.
She tapped the book on her lap, the latest by C.J. Box. “Nothing better than I’ll find in here.”
Roman erased the distance between them and looked at the cover of the novel. “Another mystery series?”
She nodded. “About Joe Pickett, a crime-solving game warden.”
“It’s kind of amazing when I think about all the books and authors out there I’ve never even heard of.”
“‘So many books, too little time’ is pretty much my life motto.”
“You could probably add ‘too little time’ to the end of anything and be accurate.”
“That’s true.”
Like too little time with this handsome man before he’d be gone from her life again.
Stop it!
“So, how was your day?” he asked as he sank not into the recliner but rather onto the side of her bed, mere inches away from her legs, so close that for a scary moment she forgot how to speak.
“Good. I feel like I’ll be able to go home soon.” When she’d been outside earlier, a part of her had wanted to take off running. Only she didn’t think she was up to running yet. But walking under her own power without assistance was definitely a step in the right direction.
“I’m sure you’re right.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “I talked to Jay and he feels that another day here, possibly two, and you can be dismissed—under one condition.”
Excitement flooded her body. “Name it.”
“You have to have help at home. Before you can be totally independent, your caregivers need to be sure a normal routine doesn’t have any negative side effects.”
The excitement dissipated. “You know I live alone, and I have no relatives in a position to help me. So basically you’re saying I have to stay here even longer. Why even dangle the carrot of going home?”
“You have a lot of friends willing to help out if you’ll let them.”
She shook her head. “You don’t know me very well, Dr. McQueen.”
“I don’t think you know yourself and those around you as well as you think, Miss Kenner.”
She crossed her arms. “Yes, I have friends, but no one close enough to take on babysitting duty, except maybe Paige. And I wouldn’t ask that of her. She already has two jobs.”
“It’s not babysitting duty. It’s simply someone there to help if you need it. That’s all. And it’ll still be a little while longer before you’re cleared for driving.”
“That doesn’t change the facts. Listen, I’ve gotten by on my own for quite some time. I can do it again.”
“You’re right, I didn’t really know you before. Where I always saw a quiet, friendly woman, there’s actually a deep vein of stubbornness.”
“It’s not stubbornness. It’s reality.”
“Anna, nobody’s doing this to make your life harder. Doctors and therapists make recommendations because we care what happens to patients.”
“But that’s all it is, isn’t it, a recommendation? I can’t be kept here against my will.”
“No, it’s not a prison. You can leave against medical advice whenever you want.” He paused and held her gaze so long she had to fight her instinct to look away. “I just don’t want your determination to reclaim your independence to lead to you ending up back in the hospital.”
“I was told my last scans were good. And my other injuries are well on their way to healing. I’m able to get around on my own now.”
“Yes, but what happens if you get home and you push yourself too much too fast, you get dizzy, fall and hit your head with no one around to call for help?”
“I’ll be careful.”
He surprised her by smiling. “I’m sure you will. I mean, I don’t think you’re going to start a career as a daredevil.”
That was true, but she couldn’t help how his comment stung. Did he think she was boring? The problem was he might have a valid point. She might go on adventures in books, but those adventures never leaped from the page into her real-world experience. If she ever got out of this place, she might very well do something to change that.
“Fine.” She uncrossed her arms and gestured a surrender before letting her hands drop to the top of her blanket.
“Fine, what?” he asked.
“I’ll figure something out. I just want to go home.” She hated how she suddenly felt on the verge of tears.
In the next moment, Roman did something that sent a jolt through her body so powerful she couldn’t hide it. He wrapped one of his hands around one of hers and squeezed. The breath in her lungs seized up.
“It won’t be forever. Before you know it, all of this will be a distant memory.”
Somehow she doubted that. She would have the bills to remind her. A different car. And the knowledge of what it felt like to have Roman McQueen hold her hand in his.
*
Though part of her didn’t truly think it would happen, two days later she was indeed informed she would be going home. Left with no choice, she arranged for Paige to come get her and take her back to Logan Springs. She already felt guilty asking her friend to stay with her for a few days, though Paige had made it sound as if it’d be fun, like a teenage slumber party without the acne and annoying hormones. Anna didn’t plan to inconvenience Paige any longer than necessary. The truth was that once she got home, her life would be her own again. There would be no sexy doctors or well-meaning physical therapists always watching her every move.
But she’d decided to allow Paige to stay with her for a few days because Roman’s concerns burrowed their way into her mind. What if she did pass out and hit her head? What if in doing so she managed to open a gash that would cause her to bleed out before anyone even missed her? Yes, that was worst-case-scenario thinking, but she had just rolled down a hillside and ended up in a coma for a week. Couldn’t get much more worst-case scenario than that—except if she hadn’t survived, if she hadn’t woken up. She’d survived and come out of the coma, so she didn’t really feel like tempting fate to take another go at he
r.
Though she had her paperwork done, was dressed and packed, ready to leave, she was forced to wait. Paige was still at work at the library and wouldn’t be able to come pick her up until she closed for the day. With freedom so tantalizingly close, having to sit in her room and wait was akin to torture. Everything on TV was garbage, and she was having an unusual amount of difficulty concentrating on reading. She was half tempted to start walking toward Logan Springs and let Paige pick her up at whatever point she reached.
She checked the weather on her phone despite the fact she could see the sun shining outside her window. A gorgeous late-spring day awaited her beyond this building. She thought she might never want to go inside again—at least not for a while. She wasn’t the most outdoorsy person ever, but there was nothing like being cooped up in medical facilities to make you want to take up long-distance hiking.
“I see you’re ready to blow this joint.”
She hadn’t thought she’d see Roman again before she left, but there he stood in her doorway. If she was being truthful, she was really going to miss seeing him so often, talking about books or watching a movie together, watching as he put those silly stars on her ladder chart.
“I will be happy to never see the inside of a medical facility again as long as I live.”
“Well, as promised, I have brought your reward.” He brought out his hand from behind his back. He was holding a large, white takeout cup. “One delicious chocolate milkshake.”
Her mouth watered at the mere thought of the chocolaty goodness from her favorite local drive-in hitting her taste buds. Her thoughts must have manifested on her face because Roman laughed and handed her the milkshake.
Anna took a sip of the thick treat and closed her eyes to enjoy the sensory experience more fully.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone enjoy a milkshake quite so much.”
She opened her eyes to see he’d taken a seat on the bed she’d vacated. “This is the best thing I’ve had in I can’t remember how long. I can’t believe you actually brought this.”
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