When Hearts Collide - By James, Kendra Page 0,37
pain you can’t do your physiotherapy.”
“They make me drowsy. I can’t think straight. I don’t want to get addicted to them.”
“We can cut down on them, but don’t let the pain get so bad it won’t work.”
Pearce loosened his grip on the crutch. He felt stronger, and the pain faded. “Can we try again?” Molly nodded and he took another step on the crutches. “I’ll let you know when I need something.”
Molly muttered, “Martyr.”
“I heard that.” His face relaxed into a grin. “I’m no martyr, believe me.”
He grinned at her. Her eyes sparkled with amusement, and something else. It was the something else that made his heart beat at such a break-neck speed that he felt suddenly dizzy and had to clench onto the crutch. Molly looked away, as if trying to hide the blush flooding her cheeks. She tightened her hand on his elbow.
“Are you sure you’re ready?” Molly asked.
He hoped he was ready and they wouldn’t both end up on the ground. Her closeness was doing crazy things to his mind, not to mention what it was doing to his body. He was relieved they didn’t have far to go because his legs felt as unsteady as brittle twigs. By the time they reached the patio, they were both breathing heavily. Molly settled him on one of the lounge chairs and flopped down beside him.
“Am I too much for you, Molly?”
Instead of words, Molly shook her head and smiled. He raised a questioning eyebrow, but Molly was saved from answering his question by the arrival of a laughing child and a barking dog.
Pearce caught on quickly to walking on crutches, and Molly was relieved when she could let him maneuver on his own. The closeness of helping him practice using the crutches had taken a toll on her senses. His body had been tense and stiff. Was he feeling the same attraction to her as she was to him? Was he trying to fight it too? Or was he just glad not to have to be dependent on her anymore?
But the effort exhausted him, and he rested frequently. He was sitting at his desk after a particularly strenuous session.
“I can’t believe how much this accident has taken out of me. Sometimes I feel as weak as a newborn kitten.”
“Give yourself time,” Molly said.
“I’ll be okay soon, and able to manage on my own.”
“You’ll have that cast on for another several weeks, and you can’t put any weight on it for a while. You’re going to need someone to help you.”
“I’ll manage.”
“What about clothes?” She pointed at the split she’d made in his jogging pants so he could pull them over his cast.
“My legs aren’t as attractive as yours.” Pearce shrugged. “But I could wear shorts.”
“They are hairier.” Molly laughed. “But what about Gracie? How are you going to get her dressed? You can’t manage all those stairs to the second floor.”
Molly saw Pearce’s shoulders slump and knew he felt defeated. The bed he’d had moved into his office worked for him, but he couldn’t move Gracie’s bed and all her things downstairs.
“Maybe Gracie could sleep in the family room. You could bring anything she’d need down before you left,” Pearce said.
“It sounds feasible, but I don’t know how it would work in reality. What if she, or you, needed something else?”
“I know it’s crazy.” Pearce shrugged. “But you can’t stay forever.”
“Do you have anyone at all that can help you?”
He turned to look out the window, then back at her. His shoulders had slumped another notch and his lips formed a pencil thin line. “I had Bridget Flynn, a woman from town, coming in four days a week to look after Gracie and clean the house, but her mother broke her hip and she went to take care of her. I’ve worked from home since then. I don’t know when she’ll be back.”
“I could stay for a bit.”
“Don’t you have somewhere you have to be?”
“Well,” Molly paused, “I can delay my leaving for a while.”
“You would do that for us?”
She shrugged. “You need help. I can put my plans on hold till you can manage, or until your Mrs. Flynn is back.”
The smile she gave him lit up her green eyes. “If it’s not too long.”
“You are an angel.”
“I’m not an angel, but thanks.”
“Well, Molly, you are my angel. I couldn’t manage without you.”
“I’m doing it for Gracie.”
Pearce tipped his head and grinned. “Don’t I count in there, even a little bit?” He chuckled when he saw