a romantic fantasy. Sure, they’d played together as kids, but that was the only truth she believed in now. She would be cordial, because he was her boss, but she would no longer be looking for signs that there was still something between them. Last night he’d confirmed it. Trooper! He might as well had called her a pal.
After she made a quick tour of the camping gear, board games, and clothing upstairs, she heard Donovan thank the cashier and knew it was safe to head back down. She kept her eyes on him while he pulled out his phone and made a call. Probably making a date with Courtney, the way he was grinning.
Where had that come from? Hope wasn’t supposed to care who he dated, or who he kissed. She was supposed to have a new mind-set—one that didn’t include pining over him.
She was almost to the bottom of the stairs and working really hard to keep her emotions in check. Why had Donovan so inconveniently come back into her life? It was infuriating. And infuriating that he could still affect her this way.
She went for the last step and somehow she missed it. The next moments happened in slow motion. Her ankle rolled, and she fell forward. Donovan turned. Rushed to her. Slipped his arms around her. Caught her. Stopped her, by mere inches, from making a full face-plant, although her outstretched hand still crushed her chips as they hit the floor.
The pain in her ankle was so immediate that she was barely aware of Donovan holding her—at first. In the next second, she was fully aware she was crushed against him. Someone should bottle Donovan’s embrace for the masses—it was a natural painkiller.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his minty breath sliding past her cheek.
“My ankle,” she gasped. “I think I sprained it.” Tears were misting her eyes, so maybe being in his arms wasn’t the cure-all, after all.
“Can you get me some ice?” he called to the young woman behind the counter. Then he turned back to Hope. “We need to find you a doctor.”
“No! I’m fine.” Her whole adult life, she’d never had health insurance. “I just want to get back on the road.”
He nodded. “I’ll get you to the car and come back in for the ice and our coffees. Cream and sugar?”
“Yes.” She felt stupid for falling off the last step, and even stupider being carried to his vehicle. Insult to injury—literally—he was even buying the coffee that she’d insisted she could get on her own.
“Come on, gimpy, let’s get you settled in the car.” He started them toward the door.
She glared at him.
“Too soon?” he said.
“Yeah.”
“What about ibuprofen? Do you have any with you?” he asked. “You’re going to need it.”
“I don’t know.” She, who prided herself on being prepared! But pain and proximity to his beating heart were fogging her brain so she couldn’t think.
“No worries,” he said. “I’ll get some.”
It was pure bliss—and utter agony—to be held against Donovan, his arm around her waist as he helped her to the SUV. And he smelled so good! It almost made her forget that her swelling ankle hurt like a son of a pipefitter. He was affecting her in ways that could be dangerous to her well-being, so she conjured up unwashed laundry, last Sunday’s crossword puzzle, and roadkill.
None of it worked.
He opened her car door and helped her inside. But he seemed unsatisfied. “You should be lying down with your foot up. I’ll rearrange things.”
“No. I’m fine.”
“At least let me dig out one of the new pillows for your foot. Maybe two.”
Donovan leaned across her to start the engine to get the heater going. Which got her heater going, too. She was both saddened and relieved when he left her to go back into the store.
While he was gone, Hope gingerly pulled off her boot, exposing her fat ankle and fat foot. “How am I going to work now?” Who knew how long it would take for the swelling to go down? “My life is a hot mess,” she moaned. “One disaster after another.”
Before her pity party was completely over Donovan was back with two paper sacks and two coffees.
“Your ankle looks bad.” He reached for the door handle as if to leave again. “I’ll ask inside if there’s a doctor in town. I’d feel better if you got an X-ray.”
She laughed mirthlessly. “Look around . . . a town this size? I’ll be fine.” It’s my own dang fault. She