Nick delivered Emily to the inn. She arrived with a pair of crutches and a bandaged ankle. Instead of letting her struggle up the porch steps, Nick lifted her into his arms and carted her up the stairs as if she were the lightest of loads. With tenderness and care, he set her on the sofa and scooted the ottoman over to elevate her bandaged foot.
When he stepped back, I saw the way he studied her as if she were a priceless work of art. I’d seen that look in a man’s eyes before. Twice. With my husband, Paul, and again in Mark just before he left me.
I knew what it meant. The intensity of it helped explain Nick’s hot-and-cold behavior toward Emily. He didn’t want to care but he did and the strength of his feelings, the strength of his need, was alien to him. He seemed uncomfortable with these emotions but felt powerless to do anything about it.
He spoke before I realized he was talking to me. “Sorry,” I said. “What was that?”
He narrowed his eyes as though worried I wouldn’t take proper care of her. “Emily needs to stay off that foot for the next few days,” he said. “Is that going to be a problem? I know her room is on the third floor.”
“Nick…”
He ignored Emily, turning to face me and presenting her with his back.
I hid a smile. “No problem, she can take a room on the bottom level for the time being.”
“Good. I’ll check on her later.”
I had a strong feeling he’d be checking on me, too, to make sure Emily had whatever she needed.
Nick left before I could ask any other questions, so I looked to Emily to supply the answers.
“What in the world happened?”
“I twisted my ankle.”
“Well, duh, I can see that. I meant what happened between you and Nick?”
“What do you mean?” Emily asked, playing dumb.
“Come on, girl. Where’s the disgruntled, surly man you’ve been telling me about?” Emily couldn’t possibly be blind to the look he’d given her. It was as if she was an ice-cream cone on the hottest day of summer.
Her eyes widened and her face blossomed with color. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
So that was the way it was going to be. I arched my brows so she’d know I wasn’t fooled.
“He found me…and I was in pretty bad shape stuck in the rain, chilled to the bone…and he took care of me and everything.”
“It’s the and everything I want to know about.”
Emily pressed her hands on her cheeks. “I’d rather not talk about that, if you don’t mind.”
I couldn’t hold back my amusement. “All right, all right, I won’t bug you with questions. I can’t help but be curious.”
Emily closed her eyes and relaxed against the back of the sofa with her bandaged ankle extended.
“Are you in much pain?”
“Not now. The doctor prescribed pain meds, which Nick insisted on picking up for me after we left the clinic. I’m sorry for being such a hassle.”
“You’re no hassle.”
“I mean, having to take the room on the bottom floor.”
“No worries. I only have one set of guests coming this week and I’ll put them on the second floor.”
“I appreciate it,” she said, yawning.
Seeing that the events of the morning had worn her out, I collected an afghan and tucked it around her and lit a small fire in the fireplace. The high temperature for the day was only going to get to the mid-sixties, but we needed the rain and the break from the heat was welcome.
When I checked on Emily a few minutes later, I saw that she was sound asleep. No doubt the pain meds had something to do with that. She slipped sideways and I lifted her leg and placed it on the sofa and covered her with the blanket.
About an hour later Nick returned. He had Emily’s running clothes, freshly laundered and folded. I met him at the door and invited him inside.
He looked toward the living room, where Emily remained asleep. “How’s she doing?” he asked, his gaze warming when it landed on her.
“She’s been asleep almost from the moment you brought her back.”
He looked away. “I don’t mind telling you she was in bad shape when I found her. Hypothermia had set in. Do you have any idea how long she was out there?”
“None, sorry, I didn’t hear her leave.”
He nodded, accepting my answer. I noticed how his eyes wandered back to her with that same intense tenderness.
“Would you like