Healing Her Heart, Laura Scott [reading fiction txt] 📗

so much more soothing. But to each his own.

As the jogger approached, she grimaced when she recognized Gabe Allen. She shouldn’t have been surprised; she’d passed him on the running trails before, and they’d exchanged brief greetings before heading their separate ways.

When he caught sight of her, he frowned and immediately slowed down, tugging the ear buds from his ears. “Larissa, are you all right? What happened?”

She willed her heart rate not to jump as he stepped closer, concern darkening his warm, brown eyes. She cleared her throat and strove for a light tone. “Did a hotshot on a motorbike fly past you?” she asked wryly. “Because he ran me off the trail—twice.”

“Yeah, I saw him.” Gabe dropped down to a crouch to examine the scrapes on her knees before he gently prodded her ankle. She sucked in a swift breath, and he glanced up at her. “This looks like a bad sprain.”

“Thanks for the diagnosis, doc,” she said lightly. “I realize I’m just a nurse, but I kinda figured that out all by myself.”

Gabe didn’t take offense but sent her a lopsided smile. “You should probably get an MRI to rule out ligament damage.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, but I can’t do that until the swelling goes down, anyway, right?”

“Right. You’ll get a better picture if you wait a few days,” he agreed, rising to his feet. “Come on, lean on me, and I’ll help you get home.”

“What?” His offer was so unexpected she nearly lost her balance. The last thing she needed was to cozy up to Gabe for two and a half long miles. “There’s no need for you to cut your run short because of me. I have my trusty walking stick. I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not leaving you here like this. Leaning on me is way better than using a stick, and my place isn’t that far, just a mile and a quarter from here.”

A mile and a quarter still seemed like a long way, but it was better than going all the way to her apartment. She reluctantly nodded. “All right. But I’m hot and sweaty,” she warned as he wrapped his arm firmly around her waist.

“Me, too,” he said easily, shortening his stride to match hers.

Their progress was still awkward, and she was far too aware of being so close to Gabe. “I wish I knew who that motorbike driver was,” she muttered in an attempt to distract herself from his nearness. “I’d report him to the police. He’s a menace on these trails.”

“I’m pretty sure that was Tommy Hinkle,” Gabe said. “I’ve taken care of him a few times in the ER.”

“Annie’s son?” The knowledge almost made her feel sorry for him. “Do you think his father hits him, too?”

Gabe was silent for several moments. “Actually, I think the kid is probably too much like his father,” he said finally. “The last time Tommy was in the ER was because he was under arrest for driving under the influence. He bragged that his dad would bail him out, no problem. I got the impression his dad lets him do whatever he wants. Maybe even encourages him.”

She sighed and shook her head. “Poor Annie. I’m getting the feeling it’s two against one in that household.”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so.” They walked along in silence for a few minutes. Then Gabe’s arm tightened around her waist, drawing her to a halt. “There, see between the trees? That’s my place. Think you can make it that far?”

“Yes, I can make it,” she assured him, even though in truth, her right ankle still throbbed like crazy. Not to mention, being this close to him was wreaking havoc on her hard-won control.

Larissa knew she couldn’t afford to let her guard down with Gabe. No matter how much she wanted to.

____________

Gabe grimly paced off the distance to his place as they made their way along the trail. He couldn’t, in good conscience, leave Larissa to hobble along on her own, but holding on to her like this hadn’t been the brightest idea he’d ever had.

She fit against his side perfectly, her slight frame hiding a strength he couldn’t help but admire. Her ankle looked terrible, but she didn’t whine or complain. In fact, if he hadn’t offered to help her, he knew she would have continued on her way without asking for assistance.

He had to remind himself for the tenth time that she was an ER nurse, which meant she was off-limits. Permanently.

Knowing that Tommy Hinkle was the one who’d run her off the trail made him grit his teeth in anger. Larissa was right, the kid was a menace, but he suspected that there wouldn’t be much the police could do about it now.

“Gabe? Is something wrong?” Larissa asked.

He glanced down in surprise. “No, why?”

“Your arm around my waist is getting tighter and tighter,” she admitted. “You might want to lighten up a bit.”

He mentally smacked himself. “Sorry about that,” he said, relaxing his grip. “I was getting mad thinking about Tommy. How’s your ankle holding up?”

“Just peachy,” she said in a wry tone. “I’m trying to take heart in the fact that your house is slowly getting closer.”

“We’ll be there soon, and then you can relax,” he promised. His modest, wood-sided A-frame overlooking the lake was his private sanctuary, and while he wasn’t accustomed to having women over, it wasn’t as if he could drag Larissa all the way to town on foot. He knew she lived in the same apartment complex that Merry Haines and several of the other staff lived in because he’d overheard the nurses comparing notes one day about an exceptionally noisy neighbor.

“Your home looks very rustic,” she said as they finally approached the driveway. Only ninety more feet to go. “Somehow I expected something more...flashy.”

“Flashy?” He grasped his chest as if wounded. “Do I really look like the type that goes for flashy?”

She chuckled. “No, but doctors generally live a much higher lifestyle than the rest of us.”

He hid a stab of disappointment regarding her observation. Was she like so many of the other nurses? The ones who set their sights on marrying a doctor? And when they didn’t get what they wanted, stooped so low as to tell lies, not caring that they destroyed a man’s reputation?

“It’s so beautiful,” she murmured. “You must love the peace and quiet.”

“I do,” he agreed, refusing to waste any time thinking about Rebecca. She was out of his life, for good. Three more feet and they were up to his front stoop. “Can you navigate the step all right? Or should I carry you?”

“I can do it,” she responded quickly.

He held the door open for her, and she limped inside, heading for the closest chair. “Thanks,” she said with a sigh. “Feels good to sit down for a moment. I hate to ask for any more favors, but I’d appreciate a ride home.”

“I’ll drive you home as soon as we clean up those wounds.” Didn’t she realize there was blood oozing out from the dirt filled abrasions? “Sit tight, I’ll be right back.”

“Wait, you don’t have to—” she began, but he ignored her. He went to rummage through his bathroom cabinet, finding everything he needed: dressings, tape, antibiotic ointment. When he returned, he discovered she’d made her way into the kitchen.

“I don’t want to bleed on your carpet,” she said with a hint of defensiveness. “And I washed the scrapes on my hands with soap and water.”

He set the supplies on the table and then went over to fill up a bowl with soapy water. He brought it over and knelt beside her. “This might hurt,” he warned as he took a soft washcloth and began cleaning her knees.

The abrasions weren’t too bad, and she didn’t say a word as he cleaned them up. “What’s the matter?” he asked when he finished putting fresh dressings in place. “Did you think a measly doctor wouldn’t know how to dress a wound?”

“No, you did a fine job,” she said in a low voice. She avoided his gaze. “Thanks so much. It’s a good thing I’m off work for the next two days. A bit of rest and I’ll be as good as new.”

“You might want to see your doctor. He’ll write you an excuse to stay off work longer if needed.”

“I’ll be fine,” she repeated. “I’m sure you want to get back to your run, so if you could just drive me home, I’ll get out of your hair.”

She was acting a bit strange, and he thought she might be having more pain than she’d let on. He loosened her running shoe. “First, let’s wrap up this ankle.” The swelling hadn’t gotten too much worse, which was a good sign since she’d been walking on it for the past twenty minutes. Maybe there wasn’t any ligament damage. “Better?” he asked when he’d finished wrapping it snuggly.

“Much.” Her voice sounded strained. “Thanks. Again.”

He stared at her for a moment, trying to gauge her mood. He rose to his feet and crossed over to the fridge. He pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to her. After taking a swig of his own water, he took a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer. “Here, use this as an ice pack,” he said, draping the bag over her ankle.

She let out an unexpected chuckle. “Too funny. I have a bag of frozen peas that I use as an ice pack, too.”

He couldn’t help but return her smile. “I bet every runner has a bag of peas in their freezer.”

“Maybe,” she agreed. She took a long drink of water before recapping the bottle. “So, is there anything else you think you need to fix, Dr. Allen? Or should we get going?”

He had the insane urge to offer to make her dinner but stopped himself just in time. “I’ll drive you home. Here, lean on me. My car is in the garage.”

“No problem.” She held on to the peas and the water bottle with one hand and held him around the waist with the other. It was a short distance, but he found he missed her touch once she was safely tucked into the passenger seat.

Larissa kept glancing out her window on the ride home, and he got the sense she was avoiding him for some reason. After about ten minutes, he pulled up to her apartment complex.

He insisted on helping her up to her apartment despite her protests that she’d be fine. “Do you need anything else?” he asked after she unlocked the door.

“Nope, but thanks again. See you later,”